Well once again the Beardy Hammer site is blocking log ins, so this update is a tad late - even if it's backdated!
Extra annoying is that it's a staggered week again, with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and China all receiving parts or all of Blood Bowl this week, plus last month's (507) White Dwarf but not all of the other delights the rest of the world gets from Santa. Was it the joke about your mum?
Let's start at the top with the Blood Bowl releases, which include some new heroes taking to the field to help the rest of your team. In the lead is a massive call-back Hobgoblin straight from the 80s, Rashnak Backstabber who keeps the look and feel of the Hobgoblins of old - how they should be! Up against them is Anqi Panqi (oh puh-lease), Rowana Forestfoot, Jeremiah Kool, and Guffle Pusmaw. Guffle should actually look familiar to some, as he was once the McDonalds character Grimace, who after leaving the business fell in with a bad crowd and moved to Blood Bowl.
The other release - and a bit of an out-of-let-field - is the old Forge World Seraptek Heavy Construct with Synaptic Obliterators. It's a beast of a machine, but sort of out of place with nothing else Necron or 40K this week. Anyway, if you want a good laugh - have a look at the price.
Before we move on to the pre-orders for the rest of the world, (this will make you laugh) while Oceania is still catching up with White Dwarf 507, everyone else can get their hands on 508 this coming Friday. Way to feel loved, Games Workshop!

Well, you lucky ducks, 2025 has already shone upon you as a dark cloud hovers over Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand. Here are your EXTRA pre-orders for this week...
Despite everyone getting the new Blood Bowl this week, it seems the Spike! Presents: 2024 Almanac (which includes previous Spike! issues 16, 17, and 18 and you'd think the characters from this week too) is not coming to us all. Alas, it'll turn up eventually.  
The big pre-order this week is for the Orruks Warclans in the new edition of Age of $igmar. With a new Battletome: Orruk Warclans - available in Glorious Green Gamer Edition or Stompin Down To Pain Town Standard Edition - this will give you all you need to field the now-diverse forces of the Orks. This also means there is a new Spearhead box, with some of the nicest Ork models we've seen for ages. In terms of characters we have Killaboss with Stab-grot and Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot (both from the Dominion box) and Hobgrot Slittaboss, possibly the worst miniature released for some time. I fail to see any redeeming quality to this sculpt at all. It's overly busy, the stance is all wrong for a character, and he has zero presence. How can this miniature exist in the same faction as the obviously superior design of Rashnak Backstabber. In terrain there is the Bossrokk Tower/ Skaregob Totem combi-kit, and the Orruk Warclans Manifestations spell-thingies. There's also the Warscroll Cards, but no dice this week.
Speaking of Age of $igmar, the first expansion for this edition, Path to Glory: Ravaged Coast, is also on pre-order this weekend. Will this have an impact on the world as we know it, or again be soemthing that disappears into the ether.
Legions Imperialis deliver the units found in the Mechanicum boxed set as battlegroups forces (of sorts) in the form of the Mechanicum Battle-Automata, Mechanicum Infantry (with the glorious Thallax) and the Mechanicum Triaros Squadron. Personally I think these look better than the Marine releases. What do you think?
In "books" this week, it's a portfolio. The Primarchs Collection: Visions of Glory and Despair is a collection of the artwork of the 18 known Primarchs (and the Emperor). Don't get too excited, there's only 20 A3 art prints, so it';s hardly the definitive collection. It's really just a big poster book! 
And if these releases are on their way to you, then White Dwarf 508 is also with you this Friday!!

Look - I know it's a bit of a cardinal sin to say such a thing, but this Guilliman miniature is just FUGLY! We've waited for Primarch (arguably Guilliman is logical considering how popular Ultramarines are and the great story-arc that will occur when he crowns himself Emperor) for how many years now - and they trot out this?! The miniature itself is over-adorned, yes, it could be a little large, yes, but that head. That beaten up out of proportion, no neck head is just not good enough. I mean you see the beautiful Dark Eldar heads and the others that GW have produced in the last few years - this looks like it's been moulded by a ten year old out of clay with paddle pop sticks!
Now I know that's a strong way to start a White Dwarf review... but honestly it's such a crying shame!
Right, so back to the text... White Dwarf March 2017 is out and about. We got our hands on advance copy, so here's a look under it's skirt, so to speak.
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