Kill Team really was an amazing breath of fresh air - your favourite faction now had a special ops team, extra gear, extra roles, and (for the most part) some excellent dynamic posing. It added character to a world that seemed to be a lot of massed armies. This has changed a bit this time, with the two factions in Blood and Zeal being a bit more like Warcry warbands than Kill Teams - but the premise is still there. In Kill Team: Blood and Zeal we have two brand new Kill Teams, one based on existing lore - and evenm some older minis - and the other a new force for a very important counter-faction. First up we have the Sanctifiers, who just have to impose The False Emperor on everyone! The set includes a group of Zealots including a Conflagrator, Death Cult Assassin, Drill Abbot, Miraculist, and a Confessor. Some of these minis may look familair - and that's because they are direct tributes to some classic older models. The counter-faction are the Goremongers - Khorne-worshiping zealots, but these guys have been added punch with heavily enhanced bodies to make them the perfect fast killing machines. In their ranks we will see the Goremonger Blood Herald, the Impaler, the Skullclaimer and the Stalker, all for the very first time. Both brilliant looking forces, these will very easily fit into any Cultist, Sisters of Battle or Guard army, and i'm sure the Goremongers would be some of the very first troops to make planetfall for Khorne!
We also have two Kill Teams from the previous boxed set now available seperately - Kill Team: Wrecka Krew for the Orks and Kill Team: Ratlings for the Imperials. There's also the Kill Team Datacards for the Wrecka Krew and the Ratlings. The other miniature release this week is the Killzone Upgrade: Compound Siege, giving you walls and barricades to make your street fighting even deadlier!
It's also a White Dwarf week - so White Dwarf 510 will be available next Friday... though by the look of the contents, it's a bit of a snore-fest.

Goblins are such a huge part of the Warhammer universe - and despite their diminutive size, and their evolution into the Gloomspite Gitz during Age of $igmar - they remain a strong piece of the visual lineage, and some of the characterful minis in the range. This week the little psycho-jerks get their new rules and units, with Destruction Battletome: Gloomspite Gitz 
available in Jumping Death Mushrooms Gamer's Edition or Spears to the Knees Standard Edition. The Green Menace also get some great new minis, with one of the standout releases for a while Droggz da Sunchompa 
finally getting an individual relaase following his inclusion in the Army Box (which is still available from some independent retailers). Do keep in mind how small this guy will be, but personally I've found Goblins to be an absolute joy to paint and would happily do this guy any day! There's two other leader kits, the Snarlboss on War-Wheela/ Frazzlegit Shaman on War-wheela - again who doesn't love chariots - and Snarlboss and Wolfgit Retinue which adds a leader to the existing Snarlfang Raiders. Speaking of wolves, there's also the ​Snarlpack Cavalry who look like heavy hitters and add yet more wolves to the army, which when you think about it makes some fo those Space Wolf bitz some nice customisation fodder. Chariots galore as the Sunsteala Wheelas add yet more wolves and bring some of that John Blanche red back from the good old days. One of the most thematic Gloomspite Gitz weapons was always the Doom Diver Catapult, and it's had a mighty update, making it top-tier for Goblins everywhere. Something that's interesting in this release is the move away from the mushrooms that really stuck to the Gloomspite Gitz in their first incarnation in Age of $igmar. Guess we're seeing less of the Bad Moon wizardry and more of the pointy end of the Goblins! Speaking of those yellow whackos, here's the new Gloomspite Gitz Dice, which hoepfully have the lustre in real life that they do in these pictures! This is a pretty great release - it's full of character and dynamism, some cracking looking minis too. Good job Games Workshop. Don't always give you a pat on the back, but this one is deserved!  
In books this week we have Callis & Toll in paperback, the delayed release of Lucius: The Faultless Blade in fancy Limited Edition format, and while the rest of the world gets White Dwarf 510 on preorder this week,  the Great Southern Lands are a month behind with White Dwarf 509 

So here we are, the Aeldari in their 2025 guise, so lets start with the new Codex: Aeldari, which comes in Not A Glass Hammer Anymore Standard Edition or Pretty But Deadly Sparkle Horse Collector's Edition which comes with a different cover, and some very fancy teal foil detailing and lettering, and metallic teal page edges. I mean if you're an Aeldari fan you have to get this version, right? Interestingly this Codex also includes rules for Ynnari units and Harlequins, while Drukhari will apparently be getting their own Codex much later.
So on the miniatures front we start with the reimagining of a personal favourite - ​Asurmen Phoenix Lord of the Dire Avengers Aspect Warriors. His striking blue and red panoply with his stark white mask is just brilliant, and add his traditional high hlem and back banner and you have the epitome of Aeldari grace and power! I have multiples of this guy in metal and now need this plastic version! Poo-pooed as fake by the toxic Community and keyboard know-it-alls when he was first leaked, we get the impressive Fuegan Phoenix Lord of the Fire Dragons. He is fire incarnate, and is joined by the brand new Fire Dragons, who along with their high helms, also come with bare head options for the Ynnari. Give me fuel, give me fire, give me a dude with big wings and a sword - ladies and gentlemen - Baharroth Phoenix Lord of the ​Swooping Hawks, appearing here in darker livery, but none the less a spectacular miniature who leads a group of other spectacular miniatures, the ​Swooping Hawks. Like the Fire Dragons, these guys and gals also have bare head options for converting them to Ynnari. A brand new character for the Aeldari, and one of the most dynmaic minis in some time, Lhykhis Phoenix Lord of the Warp Spiders Aspect Warriors makes her debut. Her appearance also sees the creepy-cool Warp Spiders also enter the fray, who not only come with the bare head Ynnari option, but sport the coolest rebreather masks you've ever seen. A classic re-release are the War Walkers, once synonymous with Eldar, it's great to see them still around for the Aledari. As you'd expect, there are of course Datasheet Cards and a firey orange Dice Set if you want to augment your game!
This week also sees the delayed release of the recent Middle-Earth line for Australia and New Zealand, which excitedly brings new plastic minis from The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. We have heroes - Haleth & Háma, Princes of Rohan (mounted and dismounted and optional head choices) and we have villains - Wulf, High Lord of the Hill Tribes & General Targg (also both mounted and dismounted configuration but sadly no optional heads). Meanwhile - because she is an individual and no one can tell her what to do -  ​Héra™, The Bride of Death - comes in resin... confusion reigns supreme. Being re-released and added to the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim range is the plastic Rohan House, Rohan Watchtower & Palisades, and the Rohan Stronghold which is a large collection of those two previous kits. An interetsing addition to the range is the old metal Rohan Commanders. Why?
There's also some classic releases for Lord of the Rings, with the ​Morannon Orc Commanders, Mordor Orc Commanders, Gorbag and Shagrat, a Cave Troll, the Gundabad Orc Warband, Uruk-Hai Demolition Team, Isengard Assault Ballista, and Mordor War Catapult. Also in the Lord of the Rings re-release are metals of Haldir, Galadhrim Captain, Galadriel and Celeborn, the plastic Gondor Battlecry Trebuchet, plus metal Command Sets for Lórien, Minas Tirith. There's also two "creatures" with the comedic Watcher in the Water, and Birchseed the Ent both in resin.
The Hobbit also gets the re-released Bard, Hero of Lake-town, Thranduil King of Mirkwood, and the Iron Hills Dwarf Ballista. The bad guys get a big boss with the Goblin King and his Retinue, and the trio of Trolls.
Also in delayed release this week is White Dwarf 508 and the Primarchs Collection: Visions of Glory and Despair, a collection of art prints, one for each Primarch, plus The Emperor and Horus On A Bad Day!

Available to the rest of the world on pre-order this week - except Australia and New Zealand - is the re-released Aeldari Wave Serpent / Falcon Grav Tank combi-kit. In a way it would have been nice to see this rertooled and maybe some more variant options added to the kit, but there you go!

And while we're here admiring the Aeldari and the 2025 take on them, lets take a moment and just appreciate the genius of Jes Goowin. 

Unfortunately, the servers for our site went down, so this update is late, but fear not intrepid friend, for the sake of history, find this week's pre-orders listed below.
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This is the final pre-order to be released before Christmas, so our prediction of a new game coming before Christmas is incorrect. We'll take that on the chin, but you need to make your choices for Santa - there's nothing else new before jolly old St Nick visits and ravishes your mum under the Christmas tree.
Everyone's favourite Universe-expanding game, Kill Team has a new Edition! We had some releases a few weeks back, but this week Games Workshop have flooded us with a new set and pretty much all of the-best-of-the-rest, with minis to satisfy even the most hardened of Beardy!
The new Kill Team: Brutal and Cunning set gives you Ork Wrecka Krew Kill Team and the Ratlings Kill Team as they square off in the new defensive fortification terrain, Compound Siege. Why the Ratlings don't have body armour is beyond me, but there you go. As for the new inddividual Kill Team boxes - where to start? How about the newest of the Kill Teams, the Tempestus Aquilons and the Vespid Stingwings, who have broken free of the launch box for this edition of Kill Team to spread their plastic majesty to us. This is the first expansion to the previous Tempestus Scions kit, this time giving us the first Imperial Guard troops with jetpacks since Forge World, and much more dynamic poses. The Vespid Stingwings on the other hand are the first plastic incarnation of the classic Tau allies, and you'd have to say a very solid update - especially in terms of dynamism. Curiously the Vespid haven't been very present on the Tau FB Community Groups, so maybe they haven't hit the right spot, or do Tau players prefer mechs and gun lines? The rest of the sets are older, and weirdly not all the same price, in fact the excellent Blades of Khaine get the prize for the most expensive followed, weirdly, by the Heirotek Circle. The rest are mostly the same price-point, with the Exaction Squad, Farstalker Kinband, Imperial Navy Breachers, Death Korps of Kreig, Fellgor Ravagers, Novitiates and Hearthkyn Salvagers all rolling in, while Hand of the Archon get a lower price. Considering the Hand of the Archon has Drukhari Kabalites base kit that is cheaper than the others anyway, the maths on this is crazy! Of course these forces need their Data Cards, so there's cards for the Tempestus Aquilons, Vespid Stingwings, Blades of Khaine, Heirotek Circle, Exaction Squad, Farstalker Kinband, Imperial Navy Breachers, Death Korps of Kreig, Fellgor Ravagers, Novitiates, Hearthkyn Salvagers, and our friends the Hand of the Archon, as well as the Angels of Death and Plague Marines. There's also a terrain set, with Killzone: Volkus - a very nice multi-level urban battlefield - available for pre-order this week too.
Legions Imperialis have some releases on pre-order this week too, with the Legions Imperialis: Stalker Constructs,  Legions Imperialis: Serperos 'Overlord' Heavy Stalkers,  and the Legions Imperialis: Thanatar Siege-Automata Cohort all on pre-order. There's also terrain for them too, with the new Legions Imperialis: Civitas Imperialis Elevated Plaza set to add height to your buildings, rolling out too.
In books we have the The Infinite and The Divine Special Edition and it's a White Dwarf week with Issue 506 here to turn up in your Xmas stocking and you'll probably never read.

Well, it's a Middle-Earth weekend and there's no Made To Order! Shocking, we'd like to say we miss it, but that would be a lie...
This weekend sees the pre-orders open for the brand new Middle-Earth/ Lord of the Rings/ ™ game The War of the Rohirrim – Battle of Edoras. This is the tie in to the new animated film screening at a cinema near you. The boxed game itself is chock-full or new goodness with 56 new minis, including Haleth, Prince of Rohan and Háma, Prince of Rohan on foot and on mount, 24 new Warriors of Rohan, Wulf, High Lord of the Hill Tribes and General Targg on foot and mount, 24 new Hill Tribesman, 2 sets of modular Rohan Houses and the hardback Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game Rules Manual. To supplement the boxed set there's a selection of really beautifully sculpted (and painted) resin models, Helm Hammerhand, Wraith of the Hornburg, Lord Thorne of the Wold, Freca, Lord of the West-march, ​Buhrdûr, Hill Troll Chieftain, and his minions the Hill Trolls of Angmar. The plastic Warriors of Rohan and Hill Tribesmen from the new boxed set are also available seperately, so that's happy for hobbyists that already have armies, or maybe people who want to start, plus new plastic Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains. If you want to keep your sanity, don't look at the prices! While we're talking miniatures, the venerable Osgiliath, Ruined City of Gondor has been repackaged too. It has to be said that the paint jobs on these minis are truly beautiful - smooth and clean, and expertly glazed to give smooth transitions.
The new Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game Rules Manual is also availble seperately as well as two new army books, the ​Armies of The Hobbit and Armies of The Lord of The Rings.
It's also a White Dwarf week, with issue 506 availble this Friday.

Here's a question - how old is too old? In the context of this week's pre-orders we're talking about suitability of old Citadel Miniatures being released as Made To Order (MTO). This only really comes up as the Chaos range is one of the biggest and oldest, therefore we have models being offered that are over 35 years old - which for a collector or hobbyist doesn't really matter, but does that interest the gaming community? There's also a question about quality as a lot has changed in the past 40 years - sculpting, scale and even the material. These thoughts come up as this week we have four Classic Chaos miniatures up for pre-order - and they vary quite widely in era and... let's say quality when it comes to contemporary expectations. First off is the Sorcerer Lord on Chaos Steed, which is a great model, have a close look at the horse for example, as it has an ethereal element to it's look. Personally this could easily be transferred to any Chaos army. Then we have two contenders that have to be from the late 80s (late 90s actually. Beefweaver to the rescue!) - the Daemon Prince with Axe and Daemon Prince with Sword. These both have the exagerated features of the day, those strange folded wings (which when using metal as your material make sense), and the very static pose. It's curious to consider, when seeing these, how far back can you go and the minis still be considered "good". The last of the four this week is the Chaos Spawn, from a later era, and really beautifully sculpted (I'm tempted to think this might be Juan Diaz - which it's not, it's Aly Morrison, thank you again, Beefweaver!). You can see this mini being directly transferrable to today's aesthetics, and therefore well worth brining out of retirement. What is curious is the hope that Games Workshop might bring some back some of the many many Chaos Lords and Chaos Warriors from the mid-late 80s who had so much character. That would be quite cool!
In books this week we have the new Twice Dead King Collection, which features the novels Twice Dead King: Ruin, Twice Dead King: Reign, and the short stories Severed, One Million Years, The Life of Jethras the Martyr, and Patience. These are all presented in Limited Edition hardback packaging, with coloured page edges etc etc. Maybe not the most attractive of the Nercon offerings, but for Necron fans i'm sure it'll be a drawcard. Having read only some of these, Twice Dead King was a bit disappointing, but Severed is great!  
It's also a White Dwarf week, with #504 taking some pages to explore the Kroot.

Necromunda has been slowly expanding from the core Hive City and with Hive Secundus now firmly being fleshed out as a horrorshow of ruin and Genestealer infestation, it's time to expand on that and introduce you to ​Necromunda: Book of Desolation. This is a bit of a leap in Necromunda with the idea of the Genestealer infestation being not just contained to the Hive but also outside, plus there's rules to allow you to have your gang metamorphise into various stages of Malstrain mutation. Not only that but there's also rules for the new Van Saar Tek-hunters and various Spyre Hunters. Van Saar are now not only providing the weapons for the really dangerous jobs, they're also doing the really dangerous jobs. With the help of some "discovered" Xenos tech, the rich and powerful can now take some very expensive options into battle too, donning new armour to become Orrus, Malcadon, Yeld, or Jakara Spyre Hunters. This is a dip back into old lore with the rich kids proving their worth while being nigh-on impregnable in the most expensive weapons systems money can buy. Field these new beauties with the new Spyre Hunting Party Gang Tactics Cards and take your game to a new level. While Van Saar are making their presence known, Delaque's favourite bounty hunter, Yageloth, the Master of Whispers has rocked up - and when Delaque are around you just know something sinister and a little more subtle is going on. With your Spyre Hunters and Tek-hunters, you'll want to give them a hefty opponent, and fresh from the places we should stay away from, we have the Malstrain Genestealer Abomination Gang. Want to guard some assests and take fewer casualties? Well the Trazior Pattern Sentry Guns are for you. You get four in this set, two with twin grenade launchers and two with twin heavy stubbers. Last for Necromunda this week are the Hive Secundus Gang Tactics Cards.
Completely away from Grimdark of the far future, we have the horror and wonder of the far lost past, with The Hobbit: Hunt for the Arkenstone, the new board game allowing you to be one of the Dwarves and hunt for Arkenstone. It's all in the title really...
Warhammer: The Old World keeps on giving with some excellent classic kits, the Watchtower of the Empire, Sigmarite Chapel of the Empire, Walls & Fences, Arcane Ruins and Fortified Manor of the Empire (which is really three of those kits combined) and the very old Warhammer Hills. 
Not everything in the Old World is "old", with the new plastic Dwarf King With Oathstone and Dwarf Slayer of Legend on pre-order this weekend. They can lead a collection of more venerable troops who have reappeared to populate the Old World; the Dwarf Miners, Dwarf Gyrocopters, and the Dwarf Cannon & Organ Gun set. The Orcs also get some backup, with the new resin Ogdruz Swampdigga, Da Troll Calla and a personal favourite, the classic Black Orc Mob back in the range (at a hefty price bump)!
In books we have the ​Krieg Special Edition and White Dwarf #503, which hits the shelves this coming Friday.

++ Note to our Japanese reader, that this week's pre-orders have been delayed in their entirety to Japan ++ 
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For those playing along at home, the Mechanicum (predecessor to the Adeptus Mechanicus of Warhammer 40K) are a walking horror show! Very few things typify this than the Thallax, cyborg murder machines with the brain and central nervous system of a human implanted into it, then pumped full of drugs to keep its battle rage hard for heresy. The plastic Thallax make their debut in this week's pre-orders as part of the ​Mechanicum Battle Group. With the Mechanicum being an entirely resin force under Forge World, and one of the first factions in the Horus Heresy, this new boxed set sees the Thallax, Castellax Battle-automata, Tech-thralls and Triaros Conveyor released in plastic for the first time. This is a huge deal for the Horus Heresy and a brilliant addition to the range. Plastic Castellax is an answered prayer to hobbyists as the resin versions are a horror to make! As a big fan of Thallax, this is actually exciting as they are an incredibly faithful reproduction. This new set comes with three new transfer sheets - the a Mechanicum Macro-Constructs sheet and two Mechanicum Construct sheets. Also in the world of the Mechanicum, we have the new Knight Battle Group: Castigator and Acheron, giving you two variants of the Cerastus chassis. Valued contributor Steven tells us that this set actually saves you money by buying in bulk - around $200 AUD - compared to if you bought two seperately.
In the world of mini Horus Heresy (Legions Imperialis) it's time for a legendary battle. A battle purported to be the largest armoured conflict of all time - Tallarn! The new Legions Imperialis – The Devastation of Tallarn book takes you to the poisoned planet and introduces new Battle Honours, Veteran Detachments, Formations of Legends, and new Formations and Detachments for the Legiones Astartes and the Solar Auxilia. Want a quick reference instead of lugging around a book? Well the Legions Imperialis: The Devastation of Tallarn Cards are for you! In any armoured battle you need armour, and praise be to the Gods the Shadowswords/ Stormblades/ Stormswords combi-kit is here. Heavy hitters sharing a common hull, this set lets you choose between these types to build up two models, plus it includes the Solar Auxilia vehicle transfer sheet. It's not just big chassis this week, it's also big guns with the Leman Russ Executioner/ Demolisher Squadron combi-kit, with eight tanks you can construct in either type. This kit also comes with the Solar Auxilia vehicle transfer sheet. Adeptus Astartes get some armoured love too with the Sicaran Arcus/ Punisher Squadron combi-kit allowing you to build four of either type.
​We have some Made to Order this week, and it's Prince Ulther’s Dragon Company - two very old sets. You can get the Command or Warrior sets - or both, You do you!
This Friday sees White Dwarf 503 hit the news stands, and apparently this adds layers to the lore of the Leagues of Votann, probably the least loved 40K faction by Games Workshop (except potentially Dark Eldar). Bungled at release, nerfed very quickly, these great little minis have been exceptionally hard done by.

With the 4th Edition Age of $igmaron pre-order last week, this week there's some extra goodies and the new core book for those who didn't jump into the Big Box. As an aside, it's interesting not to see the Big Box not sold out - I wonder if we're going to have a repeat of the lacklustre sales of Dominion, the 3rd Edition Big Box...
Get ready to end the new era with the Warhammer Age Of Sigmar Core Book, available for pre-order this weekend. Available in $igmar Simp Limited Edition or We Miss The Old World Standard Edition, we're predicting this will be the last hoorah in the Age of $igmar before Games Workshop may decide to bring back The Old World into the main universe.
Now if you want to jump straight into Age of $igmar, then you'll be needing the Warhammer Age Of $igmar General's Handbook 2024-25. But I bought the rule book and the Faction Cards, why do I need this other book? Well, friend, the General's Handbook brings you up to date with the latest narrative events in the Warhammer Universe, plus it gives you the new Matched Play Season Rules 2024-25, including the Grand Alliance-specific battle tactics, 12x Battleplans, the new Tournament Organisers Pack, the all-important changes to endless spells warscrolls and rules, some Advanced Rules for applying to matched play Battlepacks, the Citadel terrain types, and some blank sheets to fill out. If you want to be one of those competitive sporty players, then this is for you!
Warhammer Age Of $igmar: Spearhead – Fire & Jade Gaming Pack is a way to get the four new pieces of terrain at a cheaper price - not but seriously, this will give you a Double-sided gameboard designed for Spearhead games, the plastic push-fit pieces of terrain, 36 x Spearhead cards and the entirely disposable 6" Plastic range ruler and 1x 3" plastic range ruler. Get into Spearhead with this set as it seems to be the game mode GW are really pushing this edition.
The big pre-order this week are the Faction Packs, which is basically a set of cards with your Faction's unit profiles and abilities, army rules, the new Spearhead rules etc. These are available for all Factions, so you can quickly get up to date with the new rules - Stormcast Eternals, Skaven, Hedonites of Slaanesh, Maggotkin of Nurgle, Disciples of Tzeentch, Blades of Khorne, Slaves to Darkness, Flesh Eater Courts, Nighthaunt, Soulblight Gravelords, Ossiarch Bonereapers, Sons of Behemat, Ogor Mawtribes, Gloomspite Gitz, Orruk Warclans (also containing rules for both the Ironjawz and Kruleboyz), Fyreslayers, Kharadron Overlords, Sylvaneth, Idoneth Deepkin, Daughters of Khaine, Lumineth Realmlords, Seraphon, and Cities of $igmar.
Dice, we all love dice (even though there's none in the Big Box, but fear not, there's Dice Sets for Grand Alliance Destruction, Grand Alliance Chaos, Grand Alliance Death and Grand Alliance Order.
Also available this Friday is the next White Dwarf, issue #502.

Sisters of Battle, or the Adepta Sororitas, have the distinction of being probably the first faction released due to public pressure. They'd been in the background since being taken off the main stage, but when Games Workshop brought them back, it caused a storm! The miniatures themselves are brilliantly detailed and pay serious homage to the originals, while at the same time adding extra layers of lore with the new units. Though personally not a fan, we really hope that there is a big fan following for them, because credit where credit is due, GW did go all out on these minis! Which brings us to this week, and the release of the Codex: Adepta Sororitas for 10th Edition Warhammer 40K. The Codex is available in two denominations - Flay and Pray Collectors Edition, and Righteous Zeal Standard Edition. Along with the Codex, there is a new Battleforce, Army of Faith, which includes the new Canoness with Jump Pack, one chunky tank/organ (Exorcist),  5 x Zephyrim, 10 x Seraphim, and three Adepta Sororitas transfer sheets. There's also a new Adepta Sororitas Combat Patrol, which includes 1 x Canoness, 5 x Celestian Sacresants, 10 x Battle Sisters, 10 x super creepy Arco-Flagellants and two Adepta Sororitas Transfer Sheets. The recent trend of releasing the Blackstone Fortress minis separately continues, with the ​Ministorum Priest with Vindictor also on pre-order this week. As tradition would (mostly) hold, there's a set of Adepta Sororitas Dice (cunningly coloured so you can't see the pips on the dice faces) and Datasheet Cards also on their way.
From the purity of the Sisters of Battle, to the heresy of the followers of the Many Armed God - yes it's the other faction that was demanded by fans, and also brilliantly executed by the miniatures team, Genestealer Cults. This faction has to be the single most kitbashed faction in Warhammer 40K, being the basis for many Blanchitsu, INQ28 and other fan-led universes, as well as a brilliant source of weapons options for Imperial Guard AND a fantastic range in and of themselves! With a collection of unique vehicles, the Genestealer Cults really is the miniatures range you could turn into almost anything - from rogue Guard units, to Rogue Traders, civilians, Necromunda gangs, armed miners, a motorized gang holding a planet hostage, deep space explorers - the look is almost universal! In fact the have been the basis for Space Skaven too. So this week, the new Genestealer Cults Codex for 10th edition is also on pre-order, available in Galactic Liberation Collectors Edition and Clandestine Long Game Standard Edition. The new Battleforce - Biosanctic Broodsurge - has the brand new Benefictus mini, an Abominant, 5 x Aberrants, 2 x Goliath Rockgrinder/ Goliath Truck combi-kits, 10 x Neophyte Hybrids, and 10 x Purestrain Genestealers. Meanwhile, the new Genestealer Cults Combat Patrol is a fast hard hitting collection featuring a Jackal Alphus, an Achilles Ridgerunner, 5 x Atalan Jackals, and 10 x Hybrid Metamorphs/ Acolyte Hybrids (the ones you can add Skaven heads to and make Space Skaven). We also have the ​Genestealer Cults Dice (always brilliant!) and ​Genestealer Cults Datasheet Cards, with pretty purple edging!
Speaking of Warhammer 40K 10th Edition, this week sees the pre-order of the new Chapter Approved: Pariah Nexus Mission Deck which gives you updated cards for deployment, primary and secondary objectives, new Secret Missions, and new mission rules, plus some pop-out objective tokens. Also in Pariah Nexus-land, the new Mission Objectives are incoming. Now these are large markers that you place on the game board (or maybe hover over it if you prefer) to show the control range of a regular objective. That seems like a brilliant idea, right? Well it is until you look at the outrageous price. This is the sort of pricing that angers the Community. A crazy price for what is essentially 6 markers. Really, GW, take a look at yourself!
Back to some minis - the new-ish Ork Big Mek comes with some customising options and an especially poorly executed model, the Shield-Captain - who has all the right elements for a great miniature, but he's horribly proportioned. Now they use computers, couldn't they just have stretched him?
In books this week we have the new Siege of Vraks novel with comes in Special Edition and Hardback, plus two "Black Library Classics", Rose in Darkness in paperback and Creed: Ashes of Cadia in paperback.
It's also a White Dwarf week with issue 501 hitting stores this coming Friday - except it is delayed in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

Nothing says "Warhammer 40,000" like spikes and skulls - and who has more skulls and spikes per square centimetre than Chaos Space Marines? This week the Forces of Chaos drop from The Warp with a brand new Codex and some spiffy boxed sets, but alas only one new miniature! Starting off with their tome, Codex Chaos Space Marines comes in Ebony Love Wagon Collectors Edition or Feel My Wrath, Welp of The False Emperor Standard Edition. The bulk of the Chaos Space Marines releases are three specialised boxed sets, starting out with the Veterans of the Long War which includes the brand new Chaos Lord (left) and all his weapon options, 5 x Possessed, 5 x Chosen (beautifully detailed minis which sort of flew under the radar), 10 x Chaos Terminators, 10 x Chaos Space Marines and 5 x Chaos Space Marines transfer sheets. The second box is the Dread Talons which concentrates on the wider demonic sway of Chaos servants, with the Chaos Lord with Jump Pack, the amazing Daemon Prince (which comes with his different options), 10 x Raptors/ Dark Talons, the Dark Commune, 10 x Chaos Cultists, 8 x Accursed Cultists and the requisite 5 x Chaos Space Marines transfer sheets. The third box is the new Combat Patrol: Chaos Space Marines which gives you a bit of a sample of different types of Chaos units, with a Master of Possession (Chaos Sorcerer), 5 x Possessed, 10 x Chaos Space Marines, 10 x Chaos Cultists and only 2 x Chaos Space Marines transfer sheets (how sad!). A bit of a loner outside his original boxed set is the Chaos Cultist Firebrand - he's a leader with no troops. That's a bit sad, and kind of rude to be charging so much for a single monopose miniature that was previously in a boxed set of Cultists. To assist your spiky grumpy noir boys, the new Chaos Space Marine dice and Chaos Space Marines Datasheet​s.
​The delayed release of the Tau for 10th Edition hits Australia and New Zealand this week the new Tau Codex and Tau Kroot Auxiliaries up for pre-order. Rejoice in the new Codex: Tau Empire, available in Reds Under The Beds Collectors Edition and Giant Mecha Pew Pew Standard Edition. The big news on this release though, is the much-needed update and expansion to the Kroot range. The Kroot add a solid melee and selection of fast units to back up the Tau gunline, so to have more plastic minis in this range is a game-changer for Tau players. The Kroot are led by Shapers, and there's three new ones this week, the War Shaper, the Trail Shaper and the Flesh Shaper - all cool models, owing more than a bit to the movie Predator. The troops of the Kroot are the Kroot Carnivores, swift brutal melee fighters, who can fight alongside the Kroot Hounds to make a mess of your enemy. There's also some beasty-lads, with the excellent Krootox Rampagers, Krootox Rider and Kroot Lone-spear all partnering with mounts to bring either heavy weapons, crushing melee power or  precise sniper accuracy to the battlefield. The Tau Empire also gets a new Combat Patrol: T’au Empire, with a Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit/ Coldstar Battlesuit, a Devilfish transport, 10 x Breacher/ Strike Team Fire Warriors, 10 x Pathfinders, 5 x Tactical Drones, a Recon Drone, and a Support Turret, plus 3 x T’au Empire Infantry Decals transfer sheets and a T’au Empire Vehicle Decals transfer sheet. The Tau have to be THE most regularly faction when it comes to Battleforces or boxed sets - it feels like they get two or three a year, so if you miss this one (though it is nicely rounded), then there'll be one with a Ghostkeel in a few months. It wouldn't be a release without Tau Empire Datacards and a set of awesome Tau Dice.
There's two classic Orks in Made To Order this week, with the quintessential Kaptin Badrukk and Boss Zagstruk both available in resin. There were Tau Made to Order meant to be listed this week, but they are nowhere to be seen... They're meant to be Aun’va in resin, Aun’shi in metal, the awesome Commander Longstrike in resin, the towering Tidewall Gunrig terrain in plastic, and the old resin Fire Warrior Shoulder Pads for the Farsight Enclave.
Also this week is the delayed White Dwarf 500th issue and the new Grombrindal commemorative miniature - which like al l things White Dwarf is **yawn**

On this holiest of days it does seem like heresy to be speaking about Warhammer when this is the day to celebrate Star Wars, but here we are. I'm sure Star Wars can share some of the light with their much less vaunted cousin.
Fans of little tanks rejoice - for there is a rumbling on the horizon, and glory-be it is the tracks of the Emperor's armoured fist. The largest Solar Auxilia tank so far, the Stormhammer has arrived, looking a tad different to the original one from Epic days, along with the Malcador Squadron (delayed in the US and Canada). In lore the Malcador was fielded by all arms of the conflict - Militia, Army, Auxilia and Adeptus Astartes - but having not read the rules for Legions Imperialis I'm not sure if that's a thing these days! The foot-sloggers need a way to get around too, so the Dracosan Transport Detachment is here, plus something to pound the enemy with, the Basilisk and Medusa Battery will be very much appreciated. The Space Marines also get some reinforcements with the awesome Sicaran Squadron (delayed in the US and Canada) mixing speed with power, the Dreadnought Drop Pods (which can also be made into shield-throwing Palisade Drop Pods) and Legiones Astartes Drop Pods getting your troops right into the action, and last but not least, Legion Fast Attack giving you speeders, bikes, jet bikes and more. A great little set!
Middle Earth fans get some new terrain this week, with the new Osgiliath – Ruined City of Gondor bringing even more scenery to the table. It must be said though, the price is awfully high, especially compared to third party sellers and especially 3D products in the market!
Made to Order brings us Orcs and Goblins this week, with the absolutely iconic Orc Shaman on Wyvern making an incredibly nostalgic reappearance. He's joined by Stone Trolls 1 and Stone Trolls 2, the fantastic River Trolls (though the plastic ones are pretty much the same), a very cool Black Orc Big Boss with Axe & Shield, and last but absolutely not least, the venerable Marauder Giant. This was THE mini to have in the old days. A mighty presence and formerly a big favourite for Golden Demon entrants. All these minis are in metal, which when it comes to the Giant and the Shaman on Wyvern is a real shame! Both of these deserve the resin treatment AND to be available for longer than this limited window. 
In other products, Darktide: The Miniatures Game is out, featuring previously released minis and some cardboard. The price on this is frankly ridiculous, and even it's existence is questionable.
In books this week we have ​Ciaphas Cain: Vainglorious in paperback spanning the period of time before he's just about to head to the Imperial Retirement Home. 
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Read on for the stuff that's geoblocked! 

It's a worldwide celebration. Everyone is invited to the party. Come see these exciting features in a special-sized 500th issue of White Dwarf... except if you're in Australia and New Zealand.
​That's right you're not included! Oh and not only can't you get the 500th White Dwarf, you also can't get the new Grombrindal commemorative miniature. PARTY ON!! 
Seriously, the fact GW can't get themselves organized enough to get these two products out to everyone is shameful. It's been announced that their warehouses will be shutting down at the end of this month for some urgent works (and we have a theory about what's going to happen), but come on. Exclusion does not a community make! Very disappointing to many fans, I'm sure. 

Well it's going to be one of those weeks again where the Games Workshop Sunday Pre-Order Page doesn't actually match what we get to order on the weekend. That's okay, let's take a quiet step through what we will get and what will one day appear magically like a surprise or catching Santa making out with your mum.
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Space Marines are back, with some splits from recent boxed sets - including the long-awaited Dreadnought and Burn-Boys from the 10th Edition Starter Set. But first cab off the rank is the individual  units from the recent Kill Team: Salvation Set, with the new Primaris-scale Scout Squad and an update of the Eldar Striking Scorpions, the Blades Of Khaine. Both of these kits are mostly multi-pose, which is a nice change from recent times, so well worth a look. 
Space Marines, where would we be without them? Let's not ponder that question, instead being distracted by the glory of this new Captain In Terminator Armour. With multiple head and weapon options, this is the new go-to hero builder for the Imperium. Speaking of heroes, here's a boring kit for you, the Heroes Of The Chapter... so static for what should be a unit to rally your troops! The Bouncy-bouncy Phobos Guy and the Apothecary are both nice, but the Sternguard are so boring compared to the older plastics, and especially the older metals! Come on GW, these are meant to be hardened veterans smashing their way through the enemy, not gun line looking dudes. Showing a touch more dynamism are the Infernus Squad, helping friends and family alike start their weekend BBQs with their big burners! No but seriously, this unit was first seen in the 10th Edition Starter Set, but this time you get twice as many - despite the fact that unfortunately they are push-fit! The Ballistus Dreadnought has finally arrived (also sadly push-fit)! Very much awaited for by Imperium players, this Dread sports heavy long range weaponry and weirdly long legs... not sure what that's all about. Suffice to say, it'll be popular and a nice addition to the range. 
It's a White Dwarf week, let the angels sing in heaven, with Issue 497 here on Friday!
Notice something missing? Read on, fellow traveler!  

So despite being listed in the pre-orders this week, unfortunately we are missing the Legions Imperialis portion! Now maybe this is just an Australia/ New Zealand (maybe Japan) thing, but the news from independent retailers is that there is no release date for these delayed releases. I guess we wait and eventually they will arrive...
Missing this week is the new Legions Imperialis – The Great Slaughter expansion, and The Great Slaughter Army Cards. More disappointing to many will be the lack of the new minis - Solar Auxilia Support, Legiones Astartes Support - great to see Tarantulas back with Space Marines (Horus Heresy scale ones soon please GW??), the Malcador Infernus and Valdor Tank Destroyers and the Spartan Assault Tanks. Those Spartans will cause some grumbling. Don't keep tiny tanks from this Community.
Hopefully this is just a regional thing so at least others get to enjoy them, but meanwhile this part of the world will wait!

​"If I could turn back time, if I could find a way..." Cher had it right with the smash hit from her 1989 album Heart of Stone. Not only did she ask the question, she confused all of us about the use for big guns on battleships. What has that got to do with the pre-orders this week? Well the wheels have fallen off the Logic Wagon, but we're puddling along. It seems the releases not available to the US and UK are also not on the Australian site, but the ones not available to Australia and New Zealand are also not on the Australian site. BUT, fair friend, we have the things from last week available this week, and the things for this week we'll get in 2024. Read on while we cover it all, fear not!.
Hey, I know it's the 60th Anniversary of Dr Who, but this is getting weird!!
As we predicted a little while back, the Flesh-eater Courts are getting a refresh, and the Flesh-eater Courts Army Set is the harbinger of said influx. The entire range minus the amazing new King model are in this set plus the Collectors Edition Battletome.
Robots in Disguise was the catchphrase from 1984, but the Necrons have a whole new spin - they're ancient malevolent warriors disguised as robots... in plain sight! Well here they are in all their glory, with their new 10th Edition Codex and associated goodness. Their new Codex, comes in Spit and Polish Collector’s Edition (sporting green foil pages edges) or Malign Force of Evil Standard Edition. The Necrons also get some lovely new miniatures, with brand new versions of well-known characters Imotekh the Stormlord, ​Orikan the Diviner,  as well as a nifty new Overlord with Translocation Shroud. After some delay, there's two of the best Necron minis to be released since Day Zero, with the Overlord with Tachyon Arrow and Royal Warden, available in the 9th Edition Starter Set but now here to buy separately. Speaking of which, the bulk of the Necron forces from that set are also now available in the Combat Patrol: Necrons. To help you reign supreme over these nefarious shiny evil doers, the Datasheet Cards for the Necrons (with pretty green foil edges) and a themed Necrons Dice Set are also available this week.
Your friend and mine, the toaster-worshipping techno-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus (beep-boop) are also rolling out their 10th Edition Codex, which is available in either Robes Are So This Year Collectors Edition (with red foil page edges) or Mechanoid Radioactive Army Standard Edition. Showing that the Adeptus Mechanicus, once the baby of legendary designer Jes Goodwin, have fallen so far from favoured status, the Adeptus Mechanicus get an absolute stinker of a mini. Fresh from the We Have No More Ideas Factory, is the Sydonian Skratos - comically absurd and ridiculous - this stilt-walker is less sniper and more carnival freak show. However, if you have love for the Priests of Mars, then the new Combat Patrol: Adeptus Mechanicus at least gives you some of the nice Goodwin minis, plus some of the questionable Latham ones. As with the Necrons, the new Adeptus Mechanicus Datasheet Cards are very nice, and come with red foil edges to the cards, plus there's a set of Adeptus Mechanicus Dice.
Da Red Gobbo has competition, and it's the Grotmas Gitz. Arguably a nicer miniature, let's hope these two fight it out to mutually assured destruction and next year we can get back to a White-bearded Dwarf! 
In books this week it's the Vaults of Terra trilogy, available in the very pretty Collectors Edition. Plus White Dwarf is here again - Xmas Edition - with Issue 495.

This week, there are supposed to be a few products that are available in Australia and New Zealand, but not the US and Canada, and vice versa, but that seems to have got a bit confused too, plus the big release for the week is totally missing - 
This week was supposed to see the King of the Dead and Heralds (Clear Plastic) and Warriors of the Dead (Clear Plastic), two great looking new sets made of clear blue plastic giving them the ghostly look they have always needed and wanted. Though technically in Lord of the Rings they were green! Despite GW promises, these have also not turned up on the AUS/NZ site, and won't be available in the US/CAN for a little bit.
The big Horus Heresy release this week is the MKVI Assault Squad, not available in AUS/NZ, but ideally next week. This is a really nice kit - notice the jump packs modelled on the 40K Raptor kit to bring design elements together. Also this week everywhere apart from AUS/NZ are the Brimstein Firegrass tufts. They're kind of cool, but probably limited in usages.

Well it's been a while since we've done a White Dwarf review, but we actually got the issue a few days early here instead of a few days late, so we can take you through the April 2018 White Dwarf.
The current White Dwarf format is a bit of an odd one - where previously in the weekly version we were always guaranteed to only see new releases, now White Dwarf has this odd crossover where we get new releases and some previews. April's issue is a prime example.of this where we have most of April's releases, but only up until the 21st which means we only get to see part of the Idoneth Deepkin and no minis. So by the time the next White Dwarf comes out in May, we will have already seen the minis on the shelf before we see them in the magazine. It's all to do with pre-production etc etc, but really they should take a leap and if there's a major release that spans a month (say it goes into early May) then include those miniatures - they only need to do it once and then everything will line up from then on. Just a thought...

Well ho ho ho! Merry Christmas and welcome to 2018, but it's not Father Christmas paying a visit from Games Workshop - it's the Urfather; the Plague Lord, the Plague God, the Lord of Decay, Grandfather Nurgle!, bringing joyous pestilence to the Age of $igmar universe with some new characters and.... Gods save us - some rather nice minis! I KNOW... bloody Nurgle has even impressed the old Beardy behind the keyboard... sigh!
Look, you may have heard our whinging for some time that Nurgle gets way too much love (as did Khorne) and Slaanesh gets zero, but its true - from Skaven, to Death Guard, Blight Kings to the never ending 40K releases, Nurgle has had a fair run of it over the past two years. Yes, Tzeentch and Khorne also got some love - Tzeentch with some amazing releases and Khorne with some pretty poor ones - but what about Slaanesh?
Anyway, suffice to say that we have a look inside month's special Nurgle Edition of White Dwarf below! But before we do - have you seen the first episode of Malign Portents?

Well well well - look what's here; it's White Dwarf and it's early... WHAAAA?!
As you may have noticed, we haven't done a White Dwarf review for some time, basically because it comes out in the shops before our subscription gets here.
Games Workshop have pretty much put the blame on Australia Post, until a conversation last month where we pointed out to them that it takes more than a week to get from them to a house if you're using the cheapest postage rate. Well it looks like them posting it when they should have has worked and we now have a White Dwarf, a full 24 hours before shelf date - the excitement is palpable, if the word "excitement" is appropriate...
With Chapter Approved on the horizon for this week, plus the imminent release of 8th Edition Codex for two fo the founding Space Marine Chapters of Warhammer 40K, one would think that these would be the focus of this issue, well Padwan, we were both wrong!
++More After The Jump++

It seems like just the other week we were talking about White Dwarf - and in fact it was - that was the delayed June issue of White Dwarf, and this time we are looking at the July issue!
The July issue sports the same image that has been floating around for a number of the new 8th Edition releases - the valiant Ultramarine Captain (love the personal heraldry on the pauldron BTW) going toe to toe with some Plague Marines.
The image itself is probably a bit misleading, because even though last issue was packed to the brim with Warhammer 40K stuff, this issue does have some more general content for the hobbyist also - but don't be too fooled, 40K is the undoubted cash cow right now!
Sadly there is no Blood Bowl supplement this month, nor are there too many exclusive rules. The format that the White Dwarf Monthly launched with of having the exclusive rules all together has gone now, and if you're looking for them then it's a scouting job to find them.
++ More From The Inside After The Jump ++

This month's White Dwarf is late - in fact two weeks late - "and why" I hear you ask? Well fellow travellers on this roller coaster they call "life", it was so the release of Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition wouldn't be spoiled, so we would all gather together around the fireplace as one, like a Tyranid Hive Mind, and enjoy the great unveiling. Now in the days before the internet this would work marvelously - but Games Workshop have managed to saturate the internet so fully with their 8th Edition gushing that there is absolutely nothing new in this issue. We have literally seen it all, read it all, even tasted it all because I know you secretly want to put one of those new Primaris Space Marines in your mouth!
Oh sure there is some new-ish stuff outside of 40k, but if you're getting this issue for 40k, well wait until tomorrow and just pick up the new game! SO... why did Games Workshop hold this off? We're pretty sure it was the game play walk through, that or because they're mean!
++ More After The Jump ++

​Last week we gave you (to use a peculiar Australian-ism) "the good oil" on the pre-orders for this week. With a two week pre-order window, this week was never going to be huge.... unless of course they brought out the tank or maybe the individual boxes of Death Guard and Primaris Marines... which would be smart to keep the buzz alive, but alas they did not! Instead they give us a Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition special issue of White Dwarf.
The last "special issue" of White Dwarf was for Gathering Storm and was boring as bat-shit, so lets see what this issue delivers for readers and especially subscribers, who lets be honest have now waited an extra two weeks to get a White Dwarf they have already paid for!
And this leads us to this thought; do Games Workshop care about their subscribers?
Subscribers pre-pay for an issue hoping it will be good, blindly paying for the issue despite quality-sporadic production - especially in the last few issues.
The new White Dwarf started strongly and was very very good, but recently it has been less so, naff on occasion!
So what does the subscriber get as a reward? The answer - nothing special! Sure you might get the issue a few days early, but if it's crappy then you just get the kick in the goolies a few days early and you can't put it back on the shelf and save the money for some minis or something in real life.
With the advent of WH40K 8th Edition this would seem like the perfect opportunity to reward subscribers. How about giving subscribers a Primaris Marine taped to the front of their issue? They're being given away in some stores, so it's not like it's a crazy idea PLUS it would encourage future sales.
Being a subscriber, and therefore loyal, to Games Workshop seems to gain us as subscribers absolutely nothing. So why do it? The answer is, we won't be again.
Having bought White Dwarf since 1989, been a subscriber on and off in that time, it again comes down to not being treated well by Games Workshop. Why show loyalty when that is not returned?