You know when you have one of those days when you walk out the door and it feels like you've left something behind? You do the wallet/ keys check and it still doesn't feel right? Well that's what this week feels with preorders! It just feels like the support act turned up to the gig but the headliner is still in the Green Room. Surely this isn't something we've waited a week for...
This week sees the new Creed Ashes of Cadia book, which comes in Special Edition or hardback. The Special Edition includes a bonus short story plus all the pretty stuff. Also this week is the Valdor: Birth of the Imperium, which interestingly is now in paperback, making it one of the few now released in all book formats. It's also a White Dwarf week, so White Dwarf 492 is available from this coming Friday.
We do have a minis release this week, but it's not available at Games Workshop stores. only at independent retailers - and that's ​Warhammer Heroes Series 4, the blind boxed minis that this time combine to be an actual useable force in their own right with rules and everything!! Do a Google search as these will pop at all sorts of stockists.

Praise be - Games Workshop have remembered that Warhammer 40k 10th Edition actually exists! This weekend we get the first real products outside the launch box, and it goes to the victors of the recent global campaign, the Tyranids!
To field your teeming masses you're going to need the new Codex: Tyranids, which comes in Get Away From Her, You Bitch Collectors Edition and Chittering Hordes Standard Edition. It should be noted that this is one of the first times GW have really gone all out on a Collectors Edition Codex, with a variant cover including silver foil lettering, and purple foil page edges. If you love you some Tyranids and can stretch to the price, this may very well be worth your while.
Lets get to the miniatures though - the real stuff we all hanker for... WH40K sees a revitalization of the Tyranids and the Norn Emissary/ Norn Assimilator combi-kit is probably the headline kit. A big chunky creature, the initial launch pictures had shown it seemingly larger, so before you jump at this kit, just have a look at the size and see if it's worth the cash. One of the most evocative, and a brand new design aesthetic is the Deathleaper. Sporting his cloak and many tendrils, this is a brilliant new direction for the Tyranids, moving away from the purely chitinous carapace forms. A more traditional design is the Neurolictor - big brain-things, long arms and a tail - he's your stealth attack dog. Absolute stand out for us is the Lictor. Always a superstar of the range, this new version has three distinct poses, all of which encapsulate the sheer terror and surprise attacks of the Tyrranid hordes. Another more traditional miniature is the Biovore/ Pyrovore combi-kit. More bug than anything else, this looks like a fantastic kitbash opportunity for Dark Eldar or other factions to me... please don't tempt me!! Away from the specialists, lets get into the screaming hordes with the brand new retooled and redesigned Hormagaunts which look absolutely fantastic, their ranged collegues, the Termagants, are a nice update, but seem to lack a bit of the character of the Hormies. Meanwhile the progenitors of the whole Tyranid range, first seen back in the original Space Hulk game, the Genestealers, have also had a refresh - bless their venerable hearts! If all of this is far too exciting, then the new Combat Patrol: Tyranids is a stonking big set with a selection of minis from the 10th Edition Launch Box. Now of course to play these happy little bundles of joy, you will need the new Datasheet Cards and if you so choose, the Tyranids Dice Set is a lovely addition to your games too.
In books this week we have the rather lovely Word Bearers Box Set Collection, the new The Rose in Darkness Sisters of Battle novel in hardback and the ​Blackstone Fortress Omnibus.
The kids at Forge World have brought back the ​Arvus Lighter too, a little early for the soon-to-be-previewed Auxilia forces for Horus Heresy.

After much anticipation and waiting, the Community will finally get their hands on some of the new Cities of $igmar minis, with the pre-order this weekend of the Cities of Sigmar Army Set. Packed with an exclusive cover variant of the Battletome, plus Warscroll cards and three transfer sheets, the Army Box also comes with miniatures - shock horror! You'll be getting two units of Steelhelms, five of the highly customisable Cavaliers, plus the Freeguild Marshal and a Alchemite Warforger. If the minis weren't cool enough, those transfer sheets are amazing! With so much more in the army, it's interesting to see this Army Box launch with two of the same kit rather than a better cross section of the army - which to us sadly seems to make this less desirable.
​This week also sees the new Vanguard: Seraphon box released. This is a great set, with the older Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur, flanked by a unit of Kroxigors and ten Saurus Warriors. These are great minis - bit of a challenge to put together, but it pays off in the end with some excellent minis.
Like to hang the skulls of your enemies around your neck? Well this week there's some very handy  lanyards for you to do so - the ATA-BOY: Warhammer 40,000 Ultramarines Lanyard and ATA-BOY: Warhammer 40,000 Orks Lanyard are here to not only make you fashionable, but hold all the trophies of war!
In books this week we have the Warriors of the Freeguilds Omnibus, featuring a soldier on the front that's no longer available... go team!
The new 2023 miniatures for Warhammer+ subscribers have been announced with the Warhammer+ Year 3: Soulblight Gravelords – Karlina Von Carstein and the Warhammer+ Year 3: Astra Militarum – Unbroken both available for sale, but only if you subscribe! Paying top dollar for these on top of a subscription seems a little rude - surely they could be a free gift to subscribers... They're both nice minis though, and interesting to see a Soulblight Gravelord (especially a named character) appearing and not an Orc or something more mainstream.
Forge World also have a new Horus Heresy model this weekend, the Loyalist Champion Consul, which has some really nice details on it plus and alternative helmeted head. It's an interesting pose for this model, really quite passive, and potentially a little odd on the battlefield. Considering his role - to challenge and fight enemy leaders - you would think something more dynamic would be in order!

Like Warcry before it, Kill Team has given it's progenitor game - Warhammer 40K - more of a boost than any new edition could (hello 10th Edition). New units, additional units, relaunched units - Kill Team has everything a hobbyist would want, and this week not only can you get some of the units last season of Kill Team, there's also a nice heafty book! The Kill Team Annual 2023: Season of the Gallowdark brings together a tonne of information, fluff AND rules for the Imperial Navy Breachers, Kroot mercenaries, the Kasrkin veterans, the Necron Crypteks, the covert Drukhari, Exaction Squads of the Adeptus Arbites, the Leagues of Votann spec ops team, the brand new Chaos Beastmen, Inquisitorial Agents and Chaos Cults. There's also rules for the walls and hatches, close quarters fighting, terrain rules and missions for Into the Dark, Shadowvaults, Soulshackle, and Gallowfall. It's a great recap plus the go to for the newer Kill Teams. Speaking of which, here they are available for the first time outside their large boxed sets... The thing to notice with these first three Kill Teams is that you get the core unit, plus an upgrade sprue to make your spec ops unit - so the Hand of the Archon has the excellent Kabalite set plus a sprue, the Hearthkyn Salvagers have the Hearthkyn Warriors set plus the sprue (and an excellent one at that), and the new Fellgor Ravagers looks like a base unit (still to be released) plus the additional sprue. The only one that doesn't follow that rule is the Inquisitorial Agents set which boasts "lots of options" in what we'd call in the past "a standard GW offering". Also in Kill Team this week we have the Killzone Upgrade: Gallowfall which gives you bits an pieces of scatter terrain, but more importantly you have pieces for a med bay - hello diorama!!
Back with the lumbering behemoth that is the progenitor, Warhammer 40K, there's a "new" Vanguard Task Force that has nothing new in it. Look, the Age of $igmar crowd get a nice new character in their sets, so how about chuck in the Scout dude from the new Leviathan boxed set and keep us all happy? It's not a lot to ask and would be a crowd-pleaser.
Oh, and on crowd-pleasers, three of the best 40K miniatures released last edition are here for your love and attention, the brilliant Captain with Relic Shield, the Lieutenant with Storm Shield and the Chaos Master of Possession. These are all absolutely brilliant, dynamic and full of character. A must have for your army or bits box at least. A little late to the party, but the new Getting Started with Warhammer 40,000 is here. A few years back we got an excellent one (probably 8th or 9th edition launch) but since then they've all been a bit yawn-tacluar. 
In books this week we have yet another incarnation of Warhawk - The Horus Heresy: Siege of Terra Book 6, this time in paperback. It seems like we get a new version of this all the time...
Last but not least, some merchandising goodness with the Devastation of The Imperial Palace Interior Map, which will likely sell pretty quickly, so get on board for that one. Not sure about the detail on this one, but the Community will let us know I'm sure.

Over the past couple of weeks, with Age of $igmar Dominion still on the shelves, we asked the question if this release had failed. Well today, the Age of $igmar Dominion boxed set went into Last Chance to Buy - probably the first time a box of this size and "importance" has done so.

Do you like your exclusive hero minis? Well this week both Warhammer 4oK and Age of $igmar get a pretty nifty release, with the Necron Lord Hasmoteph the Resplendent (he of the squashed head) and the Stormcast Knight-Questor Dacian Anvil on their way.
With Dominion ushering in a new version of Age of $igmar, the starter sets are upon us - Warhammer Age of Sigmar Extremis Starter Set, Warhammer Age of Sigmar Harbinger Starter Set, and the Warhammer Age of Sigmar Warrior Starter Set, all offering different levels to get involved in. If you're new to Age of $igmar, then the Getting Started With Warhammer Age of Sigmar magazine and mini set is fun and a great gift for any kids or a mate you want to get involved in the hobby. There's new paint sets too - the Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Paint + Tools Set, the Stormcast Eternals Vindictors + Paints Set and the Orruk Warclans Gutrippaz + Paints Set.
If terrain is more your thing, then this brand new Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Extremis Edition – Realmscape Expansion Set is a really interesting addition with some cool pieces that take it away from some of the tolder sets. There's also the Penumbral Engine if you'd like a bit of an older fave atop something you've constructed.
There's also two magical sets, the combined Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Malign Sorcery and Nagash-themed Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Forbidden Power.
In books we have the Thunderstrike & Other Stories in paperback and the paperback version of ​Indomitus.

​It's been a bit quiet on the mini front for a while, but that's because we bought a new 3D printer - the Anycubic Mono X - and have been hard at work on some large models. Not to give too much away, but here's a sneak peak!

Overnight the new Age of $igmar set, Dominion was previewed - ushering in a "new era" with updated rules and background for all factions (in the 350 page book included in the set), plus a new expanded narrative campaign system and different ways to play. For most, Dominion will mostly be about the miniatures, which GW say we will be able to buy at a 'significant saving' from when they are released individually later on - no time frame announced on this though unfortunately.
So with miniatures in mind, lets take a look and then discuss... 

As is often the way, there was also a sneak peak of the new minis coming for this Dominion line, and they're all pretty impressive; the Knight-Judicator with Gryph-hounds is a new elite archer unit, and the Stormstrike Chariot drawn by Gryph-chargers is a really impressive light chariot with some new design features, including a very Classical Greece looking helmet on the archer.
The Beast-skewer Killbow is a heavy weapon for the Kruleboyz designed to take out line infantry and monsters - which the Kruleboyz also employ in the form of the ​Breaka-boss on Mirebrute Troggoth, a truly impressive model and probably one of the real standouts in this range.

Right, so what can we glean from this new preview? Well if we take this week's pre-orders, then look at the recent Behemoth release plus Bel'akor, plus this preview's Annihilators, the multiple Gryph-hounds, the Beast-skewer Killbow and Breaka-boss on Mirebrute Troggoth, it's pretty obvious we are going to have a new meta of "bigger is better" with giants and beasties of all descriptions coming out of the woodwork. In fact maybe that's what the little cute insectoid is on the new Warsong Revenant - it's the Sylvaneth's new beastie still to be released.
As for the box, it's pretty cool. For us the Orcs don't really work as any kind of real selling point - the look is a bit too different, but also seems cobbled together from LoTR. The old shield is cool though! The Stormcast are again a further evolution which improve the look of these pretty bland miniatures greatly. Both heroes in the sets are interesting, and the comparison between Yndrsata and Sanguinus from WH30K is pretty fun. It should be pointed out the number of female models in the Stormcast range. This is huge and a great addition for inclusion for all hobbyists in the game. It will be interesting to see if this carries across to any Empire faction infantry forces that may come along in the future. Shieldmaidens in Vikings have opened up the idea in many people's minds of how women in ancient times did fight and die in battle, and this happened across multiple civilisations across the world at various points.
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So, is this box on the shopping list? We'll probably give it a miss, unless some splits turn up on FB.
Let us know what you think.

Back in 2017 - aaaaah, simpler times - I set about doing an Enforcer gang for the then-brand new incarnation of Necromunda. At the time there were no minis or rules for Enforcers, so I made them up!
Combining Imperial Guard and Genestealer Cult parts, they came up pretty well and suited how I saw a unit of private security forces tasked to the Merchant Guild, outside the formal law and order structure. 
Since then Games Workshop has been fleshed out the Merchant Guild and the Enforcers, but still this little unit of hardened private security operators are one of the favourite things I've painted.
When the new 'Jotunn' H-Grade Industrial Servitor Ogryns for Necromunda came out I saw the perfect opportunity to make a hulking brute to escort the Merchant Guild Emissary I'd made. With a tonne of both Green and Brown Stuff moulded to look like a larger version of the Imperial Guard armour I'd used on the Enforcers, he was set to go. I could have added more weapons, but unsure of the game loadout I settled on a fluffy power maul which seemed suited to smashing his way through almost anything.

When it came to painting the Brute. he sticks very closely to the Enforcers, but adds the bling to parts of his uniform that a bodyguard of such a rich Guild would have. I was concerned about the gold with the orange, being to warm tones, but the cold steel between seems to work. The cool greys and white also break it up a bit. The paint job isn't perfect, and I do wish I was an amazing painter, but he stands out on the field and overall I'm really happy with him. Orange is a bit of a pain to keep clean while painting, so I recommend a surgical glove to keep your hand oils from making the orange too dirty or dulling down the overall finish.

It's not until you put this guy next to the other minis you see how huge he actually is! He does look like he would take good care of his emissary though, and the Merchant Guild Enforcers would surely be happy to have their back.
Overall not the best shots - I'll work out this LED photobox thingy one day - but you get the idea. He looks much better in real life and away from the harsh lights and tight closeups!

What's better than a 10-man Heavy Support squad wielding Volkite Culverins?
A 10-man Heavy Support squad wielding mastercrafted Volkite Culverin!!
Meet the Legion Consul Armistos, a backrow leader and heavy hitter who can do just that to your Heavy Support squads. This miniature was a bit of a modelling challenge - not only a senior character with a big gun but the first attempt at working out what mastercrafted weapons would look like.
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More on the War Hounds Legion Consul Armistos on the Project: War Hounds page 

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.

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! 

Warhammer 40K 9th Edition is packing a punch with a very large - and one would expect - expensive launch set boasting a metric tonne of new models. Revealed late last night Australian/NZ time and at a vaguely reasonable time elsewhere, there's a lot to see! Lets have a look at a few of the videos...

With thanks to Steven, we have these great sprue shots form the Twitch stream too. This looks like some fine sculpting, even if they are just push fit models for the most part!

What would a boxed set be without Ultramarines? Probably more interesting, but these minis are great and absolutely packed with character! Be very interested to see how they will come up as other Chapters.

The Necrons rise! It's about bloody time - talk about fashionably late. The new started box is full of brand new minis, including TWO units of Warriors and some big beasties too.

It's not just the launch box that has new minis, there's some other things on the way too. Not sure about these Space Marines ones, but the Necron ones are insane!!

After days of blurry photo leaks of what is almost an entirely new revamped Necron army, Games Workshop relented and released that clearer version - all be it with some humorous captions!
This revamp is a huge leap forward for an aging Necron range, with the Doom Scythe and Triarch Stalker staying alongside the elite bodyguard units, but everything else getting a buff. New Destroyers, new Warriors, new much-improved big floaty pyramid plus brand new units including the Skorpekh Lord which seems to be the poster boy for this release. The massive Silent King model is certainly going to steal the show and attract every piece of heavy artillery towards it in-game! There's some really unusual new shapes and styles of Necron, but they all fit in with the current look at feel, keeping the psuedo-Tomb Kings in space motif going on.
We've got some closeups below of some of the new things, including a mini not a lot of people seem to have spotted lurking in the shadows, plus what looks like some scenery.
This is an exciting new release, assumed to be released alongside the new 9th Edition 40K, so we will see if that's late this year or early next year - either way, we really need to work out a colour scheme for Necrons.

The plan was big - build that army that's been in mothballs, and at the end of lockdown there will be a shiny new army to look back on. It didn't work out that way. Probably like a lot of hobbyists who were working from home, the whole lockdown has been exhausting. It was hard to be motivated, but like JP said in our chat on Hobby In Lockdown, don't expect too much. Don't let it become a burden.
The projects may not have been huge, but they have been varied - finally making headway on the War Hounds Assault Squad, working on the Victoria Miniatures Heavy Mortar (Super-Size), another Slaaneshi Chaos Warrior added to the ranks, a kitbashed Dark Eldar Grotesque that started as an experiment and became something super fluffy and theme-y, and a Fireforge Games Northmen.
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Hopefully in the next little while I can show you more of these projects as they were fun to try - which is what the hobby is all about, having fun and trying new things!

​Who doesn't love a good half-man, half-serpent? Well the good folks at HeroForge have very nicely made all our dreams come true with this absolute beauty.
Of course, like all things HeroForge is it entirely customisable for Fantasy of Scifi, with a tonne of posing, weapon and even body shape options.
HeroForge also offer a printer version of an STL for those of us with 3D printers.
Have a look at the base figure below and you'll get an idea of how easy it would be to swap torsos, or arms, weapons and accessories.
We're working on an idea for some elite infantry for Tomb Kings, or maybe some guards for Cobra Commander. Go have a look at all the other minis you can make too - you'll spend ages customising! 

Although the updates have been few and far between, there has actually been a lot of movement on the War Hounds Legion force. It may just be one or two minis a week, but slowly it's getting bigger all the time with new units forming and a more cohesive look to the markings and feel of the army. Today I was very happy to finish the Tactical Support squad, with their super-fluffy Volkite weaponry. This unit spans a bit of time - actually having the very first War Hound I ever painted amongst its ranks.

For more pics and detailed write up, go to the Project: War Hounds section

Well not literally of course - technically skeletons live forever - BUT the point is, these new Chaos Warriors have us so exited and they really only seems to register a blip on the Community radar.
Apart from the same upside down shields the Mortek Guard have, these miniatures are such a generational leap beyond the now-iconic Chaos Warriors that have stalked the battlefields for decades now. Even if they are mono-pose, the dynamic nature of the poses really sets them into the area that the art for these miniatures has existed in for a long long time. 
A close look will actually show you a melding of the current Chaos Warriors and the ones that came before it - who frankly look pretty squat and sad these days but were once amazing!! The Chaos Knights are a huge improvement to the current range, who do have amazing horses, but the riders aren't that great.
One of the big winners here is the leader of this foul band of brigands who has obviously been pose a a dark reflection of the Astreia Solbright or Vandus Hammerhand or a Lord-Aquilor.
All of it is just clever stuff and although releases come and go, this one is really one to look forward to!

Man these Thallax are a pain in the butt to make!! If they weren't so damn fiddly, we'd definitely have more. The latest addition is the quasi-leader so I decided to go with a more human pose. These are entirely sentient machines after all - robots with thinking, feeling human brains - who will kill you!

Who doesn't love Thallax? Apart from the poor sods you have to build these incredibly fiddly bloody models of course. The Thallax look amazing - the super soldiers of the Mechanicus, these are how the Space Marines would have been in they were human-augmented robots and not robot-augmented humans. During the Great Crusade and through the Horus Heresy, the Mechanicum would task out these powerful sentient robots to the Adeptus Astartes Legions, so surely the XIIth Legion War Hounds would have had some, right? They certainly used Praevians, and Praevians need robots!