Slaanesh gets some more goodies in the latest Warhammer Underworlds expansion, Direchasm... oh and so do the Cow Elves! Although a small set, Direcasm adds some great new minis to two new-ish factions, including the Slaangor, a Slaanseshi Beastman. To add to the set there are also the Direchasm Counter Set and the Direchasm Deck Box to keep your game cards safe, plus two new dice packs, one for Grand Alliance Order and one for Chaos.
Warcry never wants to be left out and generally steals the limelight, this time with some boxed sets, the two new Khainite Shadowstalkers and Scions of the Flame, plus ones for the Sylvaneth and Legions of Nagash. Warcry is also introducing a number of new rulebooks and guides, first is the Tome of Champions 2020, then one for each major faction; Sentinels of Order, Harbingers of Destruction, Agents of Chaos and Bringers of Death. There's also some nice new dice sets, one each for Agents of Chaos, Bringers of Death, Harbingers of Destruction and Sentinels of Order.
As we come up to Xmas, there's always the stocking stuffers, and this week we have the Horus Heresy: Legion Pin Badges II and the Black Library Character Cloth Patch Set... does anyone do patches anymore?
In books we have the Lone Wolves graphic novel, the Direchasm short story collection in Hardback which comes with 3 alternative-art cards for your games, and the Ephrael Stern Heretic Saint in Hardback. 
If you're into Warhammer Underworlds, then pre-order it this weekend and you'll potentially get one of the limited edition Direchasm Commemorative Coins.

As we come to Christmas and the end of the year - and who can't wait for the end of 2020 - we get a bevvy of products, and this week sees a metric tonne.
The Blood Angels are the next faction to get their updated Codex Supplement which comes in Let Me Suck Your Blood Collector's Edition and But I'm Pretty Under This Armour Standard Edition. There are of course the Blood Angels Datacards and Dice too, plus the new Combat Patrol: Blood Angels and the Blood Angels Death Company Intercessors. Both of these sets can be made as Death Company or regular Blood Angels, it just depends if you want black or red dudes...
This week sees a pump to the Primaris armoury with the much-awaited and much teased Gladiator tank, which comes in three flavours; Reaper, Lancer and Valiant. There's also the new multi-part Assault Intercessors which will give your normal Primaris a much greater range of leg and arm poses. Great for bitz! 
The annual Christmas Battleforces hit the shelves next week, and are sure to sell out online before then. This year they are a bit bigger, and around the $350 AUD, so around $100 more than last year. If you're in the market we have the Astra Militarum Bastion Platoon, Tyranids Brood Swarm (a very different set to last year), Space Marines Interdiction Force, T'au Empire Starpulse Cadre, Necrons Eradication Legion (a great set!), Chaos Space Marines Decimation Warband (interesting not to see the Vex Machinator, Arch-Lord Discordant in here), Ogor Mawtribes Meatgrinder Warglutt, Kharadron Overlords Barak-Nar Skyfleet (the most expensive), Disciples of Tzeentch Fatesworn Host (with a tonne of minis), and the Gloomspite Gitz Fungal Loonhorde (which seems like pretty good value too). These sets are always really exciting, but in our experience do tend to sit around untouched by many of us.
In books this week it's just the one - the limited edition Astorath: Angel of Mercy, based around the Blood Angels Successor Chapter, The Red Wings.

For those playing along at home, you may know that Australia and New Zealand aren't getting all the goodies the rest of the world are at the same time, so this week sees the pre-order for the Hexmark Destroyer, the Primaris Chaplain on Bike and the Monolith. The Monolith has seen just a bump in price that the market for the old model has exploded. In Australia and NZ, this is close to Primarch pricing.

If you've been following us for a whole, you will know our love for Slaanesh and the hopes of one day getting human acolytes for the ranks of She Who Thirsts. The dreams first started when Tzeentch got their excellent acolytes, then Khorne (who has multiple layers of them), and Nurgle - but Slaanesh was left out in the cold, which is not a good place to be with that many piercings.
When the Hedonites of Slaanesh was released, we were very excited, expecting to see our acolytes, but it was not meant to be.  But last night finally they were announced...

... and I have to say, it was not the acolytes were were expecting! Looking more like corrupted Stormcast Eternals, or spikey Slaves To Darkness, these acolytes are missing any real crossover with the Hedonites of Slaanesh or any real trace of the 'pleasure' element to the 'pleasure and pain' that is Slaanesh. We get lots of bulky armour with big swords and long smooth metallic surfaces, but where's the skin, the straps, the studs and lithe toned bodies? Maybe in a different paint scheme they will seem more Slaaneshi, but they look almost entirely different to the Hedonites of Slaanesh range.
It is interesting to note that Games Workshop did produce a set that was so close to being the perfect Slaaneshi acolytes - the Cypher Lords (below) for Warcry. I'm sure these will be the basis for many people's Slaaneshi acolytes, they are for mine, as are the Tzeentch Kairic Acolytes.

In closing, maybe this new release is actually the Slannesh version of Slaves to Darkness, not actually acolytes. If so, then that's fair enough and Slaanesh now has heavy armour in their ranks - but it would have been great to have human Slaaneshi acolytes that match the theme that has been set for over 30 years and was so nicely teased for us in the Cypher Lords. Glad I bought some of those and have already converted them up, it's a fun project and well worth a try if you too would like a more traditional feel.

For some time now, Games Workshop have bundled their Hobbit and Lord of the Rings line under the Middle-earth banner, and this week we get the chance to order some of the "classic" metal miniatures from the early days. Let's start with the good guys - Heroes of Helm’s Deep - a really stunning set with some iconic poses, then we have some riders, Gamling (Warg Attack), Théoden (Warg Attack) and Legolas (Mounted with Bow) plus the humorous Gimli on Dead Uruk-hai, and GW's version of an Ent. There's also the valiant Elves, with Haldir's Elves Warband as a set or you could get Galadhrim Warriors with Bows (Haldir's Elves) and Galadhrim Warriors with Swords (Haldir's Elves) separately. Definitely the coolest dudes in the Lord of the Rings movies were the Uruk-hai, of which you can get the Uruk-hai Scouts and Uruk-hai Battering Ram sets on order this week, plus there's the Warg Riders who - let's be frank - looked pretty stinky.
In Warhammer 40K this week, there's three terrain bundles - the 44"x30" Festering Factorum Battlefield, the 44"x60" Forge World Battlefield and the ​44"x30" Chaos Invasion Battlefield. The inclusion of the Skull Altar is an interesting touch, as it was originally an Age of $igmar piece.

If you have a good search online you'll find so many excellent 3rd party Blood Bowl-style miniatures. For years they have outclassed the Games Workshop offerings, until maybe this week when Blood Bowl Second Season Edition is released. Sporting (no pun intended) great new miniatures, including a new Imperial and Black Orc range, this new iteration of the classic game looks amazing! These Orcs really are everything Orcs should have been for a long time. There are of course new rules, so if you have the old game or some of those 3rd party minis, then you will need the Blood Bowl Official Rules. One of the venerable minis of the game is the old Treeman, and now 2020 brings us the new Treeman model, and it's very cool! As with all gam3es these days, there are game cards, so don't forget to pick up the Blood Bowl Special Plays Card Pack. Now if you pre-order through the webstore you'll get the Blood Bowl: Second Season Edition Promotional Dugouts and Blood Bowl 3 game Beta Key Code for free.
Books this week have a very Blood Bowl feel, with Death on the Pitch: Extra Time in paperback, plus the the Blood Bowl Omnibus in paperback. If you're a fan of some classic tales, then there are yet more classic Inferno! Print on Demand available - this time it's Issues 36-45. Love your old school Fantasy? Well there's the fifth omnibus for Gotrek and Felix out, plus a gorgeous looking Warhammer 40k Ravenor Limited Edition. In the world of Horus Heresy, the Siege of Terra: Solar War Book 1 is finally available in paperback, and for the serious collector there's a cool Siege of Terra: Solar War Map, which will either gather dust or you will spend the money to get it suitably display-worthy. Plus next week is a White Dwarf week.
If you're in Australia or New Zealand, then you can finally get your hands on the Space Marines Heroes Series 3 as individuals, or the ​Space Marine Heroes 3 - The Complete Set. Bit of a price bump from the last series by the way!

Age of $igmar is about to take a bit of a turn, over a year after Morathi reappeared with her Daughters of Khaine, she finally gets to take her rightful place - or does she?
The Broken Realms saga starts with the Broken Realms: Morathi book which comes in Who Knew Snakes Were So Hot Limited Edition and Where's The Dark Elves Standard Edition.
There's also a cool battle box, Shadow & Pain, which pits the Daughters of Khaine against the Hedonites of Slaanesh. The set also includes to excellent new miniatures; the Melusai Ironscale and the Slaaneshi Lord of Pain. We didn't see any humans in the last Slaaneshi release, so this is a nice change to see some human acolytes... with more to come! There are also some battles forces, Drusa Kraeth's Shadowpact, King Sythus Nemmetar's  Bloodsurf Hunt, Rokar Gresh's Iron Reapers (using three of the excellent Chaos chariots), and Keiser Ven Brecht's Black Watch.
In the world of 40K, Space Marine Heroes Series 3 featuring Plague Marines is on the way. There are six blind-boxed models available, each one with its own different Nurgling. Thankfully you can order the complete set that’s guaranteed to get you all six.  This set won't be available to Australia & NZ until the end of November. We also get a look at this year’s Christmas model, Jakkob Bugmansson XI: Brewmaster-General, certainly not as good as some from the past!
As Christmas fast approaches we'll get a whole lot of stocking stuffers, and Warhammer 40,000 Indomitus Playing Cards are but one - 52 cards split into 4 suits: The Imperium, Adeptus Astartes, Chaos, and Xenos. 
Black Library love Christmas, and the annual novella series returns with five hardback tomes' - Adepta Sororitas at war on a forge world in The Rose in Anger, Traitor by Deed sees a new generation of Soul Drinkers struggling with the Chapter’s troubled past, escape from an ork prison alongside an Astra Militarum officer in ​Prisoners of Waaagh!, embark on a quest to save a town from the bone tithe in Bonereapers, and Spark of Revolution is set during a slave rebellion start in the underhive. This year these are all hardcovers, which is interesting...
With Shadow and Pain on pre-order, there has to be a book too, so Covens of Blood is set around the Daughters of Khaine. There's a new audio drama, Heirs of Grimnir, which was originally released in three parts last Christmas, is being collected together on CD and MP3 for the first time.
Speaking of Christmas, the Black Library Advent Calendar containing 25 individually wrapped, A3 art prints which can sit around waiting for you to get them framed like last years...

Today marks Warhammer Day and to celebrate, today in store you can pick up the Commemorative Series: Terminator Chaplain Tarentus. He doesn't come with any alternative parts, he's a standard single sprue dude, so if you're excited by that - get to your local store today! 
As much as comemorative miniatures are fun, you know what's better? New Codex, and in 9th Edition 40K, these are now called "Supplements", running to 64 pages - and this week we get the Space Wolves and Deathwatch. Codex Supplement: Space Wolves comes in Fangs and Fur Collector's Edition and Chilly Reception Standard Edition.  
Codex Supplement: Deathwatch also comes in a Burn The Xenos Collector's Edition plus a Black Is Cool Standard Edition. There are also two very nice dice sets, one for Space Wolves and one for Deathwatch, plus of course Datacards for the Space Wolves and Deathwatch. The Space Wolves also get some nifty minis - the new ​Combat Patrol: Space Wolves which replaces the Start Collecting box, ​Ragnar Blackmane and the Hounds of Morkai, your standard Reivers with the Space Wolves Upgrade Sprue. Meanwhile the Combat Patrol: Deathwatch also replaces their Start Collecting Box. The Outriders from Indomitus get a solo release next week, as does the amazing Ghazghkull Thraka model, which is a huge modeller's delight! The controversial new Citadel Colour Painting Handle is out next week, and the jokes continue to fly online about it's shape... they're well deserved! 
In books we have the Ragnar Blackmane Limited Edition by Aaron Dembski-Bowden which looks beautiful, the Deathwatch: The Long Vigil Anthology in hardcover, the Bloodquest: Volume 1 hardcover graphic novel, plus Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley also in hardback. Next week is also a White Dwarf week!

As we say with pretty much every Warcry release, this game brought back the darkness to Age of $igmar that is had been missing amongst all those boring gold-bodied Stormcast. With new factions, and new scenery not only was it a new game, but a whole new look to add to Chaos armies all across the Warhammer universe. This week sees the launch of Warcry: Catacombs, a new game set in the dungeons and lowly places of the Warhammer world. It also introduces two new factions, the Scions of the Flame and the Khainite Shadowstalkers (purported to be the new Dark Elves). Neat box, priced at a premium! To go with the release there is also the Warcry: Catacombs Board Pack and some new boxes of forces for current factions; the Ironjawz, Flesh-eater Courts, Kharadron Overlords, and Skaven. Not bad boosters if you already collect these factions. The ubiquitous and flimsy Warcry Carry Case also returns. Underground for Age of $igmar and sort of underground for the Necromunda gang the Orlocks, with their new sourcebook House of Iron being released with new rules, background and more. There's also a new set of Orlock Arms Masters and Wreckers minis, which don't quite hit the spot for us, new Orlock Gang Tactics Cards and House of Iron Dice Set. There's also a new terrain piece for all of Necromunda (and  by extension 40K), the Zone Mortalis: Gang Stronghold.
Everyone's favourite game of mini giant robots is back with the new Adeptus Titanicus Crucible of Retribution expansion. This game has dipped a bit of late, but the minis are great so here's hoping this injects some joy. There's also the long-awaited Open Engine War Card Pack which gives you the ability to choose a Deployment Map and Primary Objective, plus unique Secondary Objectives, plus the addition of Planetary Effects and Battlefield Effects are now real!
Books this week would of course be headed by Warcry Catacombs, with the hardback of Blood of the Everchosen out, plus Inferno! Volume 5 in paperback, the Warhammer Horror novel The Reverie in paperback, plus the Luther: First of the Fallen Limited Edition in hardback. As much as Dark Angels are great, we're going to give this one a miss. The retcon on the background of the Dark Angels has been pretty harsh the last few years and maybe seeing it in print isn't ideal.

Speaking of Luther, Forge World have released the ​Dark Angels Legion Deathwing Companions to guaqrd your your Dark Angels Characters in battle. Bloody cool models, even if the weapon choice is a tad boring.

Formed from the Star Gods, C'tan Shard of the Void Dragon is by far the most potent weapon the Necrons bring to bear on the battlefield. Not only is this an amazing miniature, but it also has alternative heads, which is becoming increasingly rare in this push-fit world. The last few weeks have seen various Destroyers, and this week we get the whippy melee unit - the Ophydian Destroyers. This is a twist on the look of Necrons, clearly influenced by the many amazing fan conversions using the Nighthaunt minis, and gives a real dynamism to the range. Necrons also get some really cool terrain with the Convergence of Dominion obelisks which add a huge amount to the look of the Necron world. Of course the Imperium can't be left out, so we get a great looking new Primaris Techmarine, with alternative heads and a super-chunky torso! The Imperium also get a new vehicle/ emplacement, the Hammerfall Bunker which is really ugly and continues the uninteresting turn of the Primaris vehicles. They are very hit and miss, and for us this is a complete miss.
In books this week there's the new Nexus and Other Stories in paperback and the Graham McNeil Elves: The Omnibus in paperback too.
In a bit of a surprise, the newest Aeronautica Imperialis model is not coming from Games Workshop, but from Forgeworld. This big lump of expensive resin is the Ork Air Waaagh! Mega Bommer, an amazing looking model on on the 'to buy' list if it wasn't from FW. Very interesting how close this is to some of the Studio Ghibli aircraft and the designs of Miyazaki in films like Nausicaa and Laputa. 

When the new Sons of Behemat were previewed some months back, it was with a sense of surprise. The original model has been around for eons, and with a new age comes a new look - a BIG new look!
Heading up this new mercenary force is the new Battletome, which comes in Big & Cuddly Limited Edition and I Live By My Size Standard Edition. The brand new giant model comes in a combi-kit so you can make your choice of 
Kraken-eater Mega-Gargant, Warstomper Mega-Gargant or Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant. The model is huge, and certainly the highest priced figure model in the GW catalogue. Of course there are the obligatory Warscroll Cards. plus the original Giant model, now called the Mancrusher Gargant, now comes in a two-pack.
In other Age of $igmar news, the Magister on Disc of Tzeentch and the Endrinmaster with Dirigible Suit, previously only available in the Aether War boxed set, are now available individually - the Magister is a brilliant model too!
The Necrons are still shambling around, with the Necrons Warriors and Skorpekh Destroyers previously available in the Indomitus boxed set, now available to buy in individual boxes.
In non-mini related news, the McFarlane Toys action figures are in stores today! They come in Ultramarines Primaris, Primaris Intercessor Artist's Proof and Necron Warrior flavours.
For fans of audio dramas, there's the new ​Sons of Behemat Audio CD, plus in books we have the Lion El'Jonson: Lord of the First in hardback. It's coming to the end of the year, so of course we have some 2021 calendars on the way, available in Warhammer 40,000, The Horus Heresy and Warhammer Age of $igmar varieties.
For anyone ordering one of the Mega-Gargants through the GW webstore, you will also receive a Aleguzzler Coasters Set.

Well it's been quite the build up, and for gamers and hobbyists alike the day is upon us - the Silent King rises and the new Codexes hit the streets.
The Necrons are the new big-bad this year, leaving Chaos from 2019 in the dust, and if you want to reanimate them then you will need the  Codex: Necrons, which comes in Tomb Raider Collector's Edition and WD40 Your Joints Standard Edition. To lead your reanimated legion, there can be none other than Szarekh, The Silent King - a huge model that really does encapsulate all the elements of the new Necron range. Displayed in an incredible paint job, this will be a challenge for any hobbyists and a large tool on the tabletop. Probably our favourite model from the new range is the Lokhust Heavy Destroyer, who we finally get a good look at today. Massively beefed up from their older pattern form, this is a beast of a mini, and interestingly only comes one per box. The other tank/ artillery piece for the Necrons is the Canoptek Doomstalker, a leggy doll with a long range sting! This is a push-fit kit, like a larger version of the Canoptek Reanimator found in the Indomitus Boxed Set. Of course what would a new release be without some very cool Necron dice?  
Fear not bastions of tyranny, the Imperium has not missed out, with Codex: Space Marines (notice references to 'Astartes' has disappeared?) in both Iron Boot Collector's Edition and Primaris Bully-Boy Standard Edition available on pre-order this week too. The Space Marines also get the Primaris Invader ATV which has been rumoured now for well over a year maybe two, and the Primaris Firestrike Servo-turret, which is kind of boring, but could be handy in a pinch! The Space Marines also get dice, in fact they get the on Chapter colours, with the Iron Hands, Imperial Fists, Salamanders and Raven Guard all getting a set.
Datacards are all the rage, so there's a set for Necrons and Space Marines as well. As with previous editions of both Warhammer 40,000 and Age of $igmar, there's a Getting Started with... which gives you a few cheap minis and a nice book. The last one of these wasn't great, but the first Age of $igmar was brilliant! 
Now if you like the look of these forces, there's also a Necrons Overlord Collection and Space Marines Spearhead Collection which gives you some multiples of these minis plus, stupidly, a Warhammer 40,000 Elite Edition set which comes with troops you don't want! Just give us a few sprues of the army we want!
Books this week is Necrons with the The Infinite and The Divine in hardback. Really boring cover!

With Indomitus launching the new crusade Crusade across the galaxy, and keen hobbyists playing through scenarios, it was only a matter of time before we got the first of the Crusade expansions. With Mission Pack: Beyond the Veil you get six new missions each for the Combat Patrol, Incursion, Strike Force and Onslaught games, some new Battle Traits and Crusade Relics plus some other stuff. There's also the new Chapter Approved Mission Pack: Tactical Deployment which gives 18 new missions for matched play, plus a the Tactical Deployment gameplay rules and how to use the new terrain. "New terrains?" Yes, there is new terrain... well sort of new! The big set is Battlezone: Manufactorum – Vertigus, but if you want the key buildings you can get them separately as Manufactorum Sub-cloister and Storage Fane or the Manufactorum Sanctum Administratus. Don't know how to best use them? Well, the Manufactorum Terrain Datasheet Cards will be pretty handy then! There's also some smaller sets under the new Battlezone: Manufactorum banner, with the Manufactorum Conservators and the Manufactorum Munitorum Armoured Containers. Now this might have been a better release for the Elves of the last few weeks, but the Woods terrain set is also out next week. It's branded "40K" so interesting we don't see more foliage in Warhammer 40K.
In books we get the Warhammer Crime novel Flesh and Steel in paperback.

The Limited Edition Siege of Terra novels have been a huge hit, as we usher in the end to the current Horus Heresy era of novels, and this week sees the much-delayed novella by Graham McNeill, Fury of Magnus go on pre-order. This is sure to be a hit, and maybe even rescue the image of the Primarch of the Thousand Sons once and for all.
The new Beastgrave expansion is here, having been teased some weeks ago, with the new free-for-all version of the game Arena Mortis. Very kindly Games Workshop have also put together a package Warhammer Underworlds Starter Collection just for such an occasion!
The latest expansion for the Middle-earth game Quest of the Ringbearer is here and it gives gamers 28 new narrative scenarios, plus rules for linking them together into a flowing campaign, detailed army focuses, rules for six new and updated Legendary Legions and a masterclass on how to best build and paint Forge World's Weathertop scenery piece. To accompany the expansion, there's a new terrain set, the Mines of Moria, which compared to the Warhammer ones is a tad sparse!
Fair few books this weekend, starting with the Imperial Infantryman's Handbook which includes the  previously released Imperial Munitorum Manual, Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer and The Benedictions of the Emperor. There's also the paperback version of Necromnda's Uprising and the newest Last Chancers' novel, Armageddon Saint in paperback. Black library have also released a collection of Horus Heresy hardbacks - Vulkan Lives, The Unremembered Empire, Scars, Vengeful Spirit, and The Damnation of Pythos.

Week two of Lumineth Realm-lords dawns, with some big guns and sparkly magic, but fear not - Space Marines also get a look in!
The Lumineth Realm-lords are the uber-magic Elves, so when you have a hero the very serene looking Alarith Stonemage is the way to go. A very different type of miniature we are used to seeing, this is sure to be a hit come Golden Demon time!
They may be sparkly, but they have some heavy hitting power and that comes in the form of an Alarith, Spirit of the Mountain - a hammer-wielding sparkly cow with some amazing modelling potential. This is a combi-kit, so you can also make the named character Avelenor, the Stoneheart King. While we're talking hammers and the word "big", combine hammer and big hats and you have the Alarith Stoneguard - a very different Elven dynamic, but none the less very cool models. If you want your run-of-the-mill infantry fast attack, you can't go passed the Vanari Dawnriders, probably some of the nicest cavalry models since the old Dark Elves Black Riders.
Fans of Warhammer 40K, do not worry, you have not been left in the cold - coming some time next year but on pre-order now are the next in the series of Bandai Space Marine action figure that comes in Imperial Fists or Salamanders flavours. These are available to order for one week only!
In books there's the new 40K Ork Brutal Kunnin and it's a White Dwarf week...
For the Middle Earth fans, there's also the very nice new Forge World resin Rangers. These poses are becoming more statuesque every month, and really are a treat!

Long have we seen previews, and even a limited edition boxed set, of the varying flavours of Aelves - well finally today we get the first in the releases for the Lumineth Realm-lords, magical High Elves from the land of Hysh and beyond.
The undisputed father to the Lumineth Realm-lords is legend of old, Teclis - and we get a brand new model of him as the centrepiece to this new army - Archmage Teclis and Celennar, Spirit of Hysh. Its massive and certainly pricey, so if you have a hankering, brace your wallet! As in the limited edition boxed set, the no-skin no-bones general known as the The Light of Eltharion makes a reappearance, alongside Scinari Cathallar, delight to foot fetishists everywhere and possessor of a pretty neat social distancing belt. We also get the bulk of the infantry with the very cool, very sleek Vanari Auralan Wardens
and their ranged brothers and sisters, the Vanari Auralan Sentinels. Appropriately for magic elves, there are the Endless Spells: Lumineth Realm-lords and the most original dice we have seen yet in the form of the Lumineth Realm-lords Dice Set. I wonder if these will work!?! Of course to properly field your Lumineth Realm-lords army you will need the Lumineth Realm-lords Battletome (which so far only comes in standard flavour) and a set 0f the Lumineth Realm-lords Warscroll Cards.
Do you need to know more? Well the ​Realm-lords hardback book is also out so you can delve deep into the sparkly wonder that is the Lumineth Realm-lords.

If you missed the news on our Facebook last night, but Forge World have listed the latest Horus Heresy Black Book Nine - Crusade is out, as is the Dark Angels Primarch Lion El'Jonson, plus dice for every Legion!!

It's been an interesting adventure, but it had to end! That's right, the final expansion for Blackstone Fortress is on pre-order this week, with Blackstone Fortress: Ascension introducing of hostile Guardian Drones into the mix. This price-point on this is pretty high, getting up into the special character realm. As with life, there is a book - Blackstone Fortress: Ascension Special Edition and Hardback, plus the audio drama Augur of Despair set inside the Blackstone Fortress itself.
There's also a pretty cool Adeptus Titanicus release this week from Forge World, the Warhound Titan Ursus Claw/Natrix Shock Lance combi-kit. The Ursus Claws aren't as they are described in the book (more like a huge harpoon with a chain) but cool for fans of running groups of predatory Warhounds.

It's quite a diverse week for pre-orders, and for a change, let's start with The Hobbit because they have a great new miniature in the form of Éomer, Marshal of the Riddermark. Not only does he come mounted and dismounted, but also comes with weapon options and four head options, meaning you can use him as other characters or even a great source of bitz for other minis. The Eomer release is backed by yet more Profile Cards with the Hobbit – Good Profile Card Pack, the Hobbit – Dwarves Profile Card Pack and the Hobbit - Evil Profile Card Pack giving you stats for your forces. There's also a cool book, the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game: Best of White Dwarf Magazine which would be great for those who don't get the magazine, but would like some new content.
As you know, the Middle-earth miniatures are slightly smaller scale to the normal GW miniature, but if you want really small you have to go to Aeronautica, and this week we get some new planes - the venerable Imperial Navy Avenger Strike Fighters to give yet more firepower to the Imperium. 
A surprise release for Necromunda when first previewed, we finally get our hands on the Ogryn Gang, adding considerable brute force to the Necromunda game. Mostly lacking serious firepower, they make up for it in melee usage. Interestingly the release is the larger Slave Ogryn Gang set, and also the smaller 'Jotunn' H-Grade Industrial Servitor Ogryns. It's better value for money to get the larger set, as you basically get two for free. These will be kitbashed to Hell and back for every Imperial Guard force considering the current Ogryn models for the Imperial Guard are so poor. It's not just the big boys who get to play in Necromunda, it's also the deadly ladies as well, with Escher getting reinforcements via the Death-maidens and Wyld Runners which introduces some beastly companions and some great poses for the Escher gang. Both of these releases get cards with the Slave Ogryn Gang Tactics Cards and Escher Gang Tactics Cards out, plus there's the new Open Hive War Card Pack and Zone Mortalis Gang Tactics Cards. These releases are all off the back of the new Necromunda expansion, House of Blades which gives much more detail on the Escher gang and new units and rules. The book gets a House of Blades Dice and there's a House of Chains Dice too. 
If you're more of a sporting hobbyist, then maybe Blood Bowl gets your heart pounding. Something that's unlikely to meet with too much excitement is the new team though, the Crud Creek Nosepickers. Mainly there for entertainment value, there's also the Blood Bowl Snotling Team Dice, Blood Bowl Double-sided Snotling Pitch and Dugout and Spike! Journal Issue 10 which gives rules and tactics for the Snotlings in the game.
Books this week include the new Warhammer Crime anthology No Good Men, the paperback version of Farsight: Empire of Lies for some Tau goodness, the Warhammer Age of Sigmar anthology Oaths and Conquests and the paperback version of Watchers of the Throne: The Regent's Shadow.

Had enough of space brutes and want to get back down to earth? Well Beastgrave is about as down to earth as you can get! Part of the Underworlds system, Beastgrave pits small units of fighters against each other... in reality we just want the new mini though, right?
So, Orks... or Orruks as they are now called, gets the very dynamic Morgok's Krushas and we have an entry for Daughters of Khaine with Morgwaeth's Blade-coven. These sets are usually great, but there's always one of the minis that really isn't as good as the rest, I'll leave that with you to decide which one! There are of course Morgok's Krushas Dice and Morgwaeth's Blade-coven Dice plus Morgok's Krushas Premium Sleeves and Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven Premium Sleeves for those pesky cards!
Now of course if you want the whole kit and caboodle, then you can just get the Morgok's Krushas Collection or the Morgwaeth's Blade-Coven Collection and be done with it!
In books we have the The Horusian Wars: Divination short story collection in paperback and Horus Heresy book 54 The Buried Dagger also in paperback.

Remember all those weeks ago when Indomitus was released - all those lovely new miniatures?
Well Games Workshop are now bringing some of them out in new Starter Sets and Paint Sets
. If you missed them the first time, or need some reinforcements, this seems to be the best way to get them for now!
If you'd like the core of the Indomitus set, plus some nifty new terrain, then the Warhammer 40,000 Command Edition is for you. Now if you're looking for a troop builder, then the Warhammer 40,000 Elite Edition or Warhammer 40,000 Recruit Edition may be more your style. The terrain in the Warhammer 40,000 Command Edition is also available separately alongside the Manufactorum Battlefield from a few weeks ago to become the Command Edition Battlefield Expansion Set.
There's also some new paint sets, with the Assault Intercessors + Paints Set, the Necrons Warriors + Paints Set and the Warhammer 40,000: Paints + Tools Set. It will be interesting if we see the old ones disappear in time and these replace them. With the deletion of the Easy To Build Primaris for the first release being discontinued, cheap V1 Primaris may become quite scarce 
Books this week sees the Dawn of Fire: Avenging Son Special Edition and paperback version, plus the paperbacks of The First Wall and ​Kal Jerico: Sinner's Bounty.

The year was 1989, the Space Marine Paint Set had just been released, and having tried to paint a Space Wolf using the instructions with limited success, and a Blood Angel with even more limited success (the ability to paint red still confounds me), I set about on a journey to invent my own Space Marine Chapter!
​Heavily influenced by a photo of a Lamenters Space Marine in one of the Golden Demon books, a path was set to try something new - and only partly derivative...
Adapting the symbol from Conan, the Twin Serpents were born!

The first iteration saw many beaky MK VI Twin Serpents plus Terminators, then metal MK VII Assault Marines, some characters and even some OOP Scouts with shiruken catapults!
After a hiatus in the late 90s to the early 2000s nothing much happened until the new plastic Space Marines came along and the Twin Serpents were reborn, this time the green aquila was gone, replaced with the yellow aquila on a black torso - and the painting was much neater.
Since then they have sat in a dark display cabinet as other projects have come and gone, but as the much-improved Primaris in the Indomitus set were introduced, what better time to bring these guys back to life? 

Bringing together the elements of the previous incarnations, plus adding some more black and more shadows and layering, the Primaris version of the Twins Serpents looks very much more updated.

It seems that each time the Space Marines make a generational change, the Twin Serpents make a leap with them - from the original MKVI plastics, to the metal MKVIIs, then the plastic MKVIIs and now the Primaris. Lets see where this goes, but having struck on an idea, it's sticking!