Warhammer Twitch Preview - Las Vegas Open 2022
The first Warhammer Twitch Preview of 2022 is upon us! From the City of Angels no less! So without further adieu let’s get into it.
Warhammer 40,000
We knew the Avatar of Khaine was coming, it got leaked a few days ago and in fact Games Workshop put up an article yesterday showing off the model in it’s non-grainy photo glory. And today we get to see him in even more glory. For a start, it looks like he has about two or three head options and he has a choice of sword, spear or an axe as a weapon. This looks like a super fun model and I eagerly await the inevitable flood of posts on Reddit by people showing off their paint jobs and conversions.
Next up is the Phoenix Lord Maugan Ra, the founder of the Dark Reaper Aspect Warriors. And he is looking absolutely the avatar of death that he is, with his tattered cloak and armour that puts the bone in wraithbone. But is it just me or are the tactical rocks getting a little ridiculous now? I get that Games Workshop wants their special character to literally stand head and shoulders above the rank and file but these tactical rocks seem to get bigger with every release.
Zooming in next are the Shining Spears, another type of Aspect Warrior, who ride sleek jetbikes. Supposedly they’re so in tune with their jetbikes that it puts the White Scars to shame. Each biker is armed with a Laser Lance, from which they get their Shining Spears name, a short range weapon capable of punching through heavy armour. I can’t say that I’m a massive fan of the pure white paint scheme they’ve been shown off in, but they do look awesome.
The Aeldari have gotten some awesome looking reveals this past month and it warms my heart that they’re finally getting some love. I mean, some of their sculpts were old enough to drink. I’m excited to see what else they get. I think the only Aspect Warriors we’ve not seen yet are the Striking Scorpions?
Age of Sigmar
Moving onto Age of Sigmar there is a new battle box being released pitting the Nighthaunt against the Daughters of Khaine: Arena of Shades. It’s mostly old stuff but in typical Games Workshop style they’ve thrown in a few new ones so people spend too much money to get them.
First up in the new models is Vayon of the Withered Quill, a spooky book-nerd. It looks like he has what is basically a Death Note, in that he can kill someone by writing their name in his book. Joining Vayon are the Craventhrone Guard, spooky boys armed with spooky crossbows that fire spooky bolts. Bolts that can apparently pass through obstacles to hit their target. Like all Nighthaunt models they look rather fragile but also really fun to paint with all their ghostly transitions. I bet you could knock out a decent looking Nighthaunt in no time with an airbrush. Filling out the Nighthaunt side of the box are ten Bladegheist Revenants, one Spirit Torment, two Chainghasts, and four Myrmourn Banshees.
Leading the opposition is High Gladiatrix Yelena who looks a bit like an Age of Sigmar version of Lelith Hesperax. I think it’s the knives in her hair. Honestly, what strikes me first is that his model would be a pain to paint fully assembled, that razor whip is definitely going to get in the way. And you know it’s assembled in multiple parts as well. Also that the tactical rock is about waist height. Do I need to have a rant again? Apart from that, it’s a really nice looking model, she looks like she’s about to wave an army forwards with a crack of that whip.
The Horus Heresy
I think we’re all waiting on those rumours of a new edition of The Horus Heresy as the current rules are based on 7th Edition Warhammer 40,000 if I recall correctly. Plus everyone knows that Games Workshop are going to do something for the Siege of Terra.
Instead we have Ka’Bandha. Which all things considered is a fantastically detailed daemon character. I see a lot of people using him as a proxy for a Bloodthirster. In fact it seems you can use this guy in the Heresy, or Warhammer 40,000 or even games of Age of Sigmar as it seems that Ka’Bandha gets everywhere. The latter might need some conversion as there’s a Space Marine on his base.
I did wonder where the character series was going now that all the Primarchs have been released. Maybe we’ll see some of the Primarchs that have ascended to daemonhood?
Warhammer+
Looks like one of the next animated series we’re getting is Interrogator, a series that promises to be dark in both looks and tone. I’m not sure how I feel about the pitch black colour palette but I’m open to it if the story is good. Speaking of, I can only imagine that Chaos is getting involved in this series, so it will be interesting to see what they do with that as Interrogator is apparently very much not kid friendly. Expect swears and gore.
Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team
Only a single model preview at the moment but it looks like the next Kill Team we’re getting is Aeldari Corsairs. Should be interesting as the Corsairs are aligned with neither Drukhari or Asuryani (Craftworld) factions. They're basically space-elf pirates, and how cool does that sound? I mean the single model shown has a companion bird, all he needs is a peg leg.
I like the direction that Kill Team is going in, they’re really using it to explore some of the factions (or sub-factions) that don’t get much love in regular Warhammer 40,000. I mean sure the Death Korps of Krieg would be ripe for a full release with heavy weapon teams and commanders, but we can’t have everything. I’m keen to see what else we might get in the future. Maybe some Kroot with updated sculpts? Some Eldar Exodites?
Necromunda
No new models being shown off but a trailer for the Ash Wastes, presumably for games set outside of the Necromunda hives. I’ve still been meaning to get into Necromunda, the models and terrain do look very nice. In particular, House Cawdor looks like they would make for some very cool looking Chaos Cultists. Maybe next year as this year I’m focusing on my boardgame miniatures. Speaking of, my tally remains unchanged as this is a news article.
Boardgame miniatures left to paint: 761
Boardgame miniatures painted this year: 5