The Castellan is based closely on the iconic cover art by John Blanche from the third edition of Warhammer 40,000. Designing this miniature came with its own challenges as “he doesn’t follow the modern design language of the rest of the range”. We’re not sure how much play this will see (unless against a couple of armies), just for the fact it’s only once per game, then a Psyker can stop your actions. While running your Outriders into combat on the first turn is sweet, it doesn’t do much after that. The newly revealed weapon, called the Pyreblaster, is an elongated and Primaris-styled variant of the Space Marines’ classic flamer, with significantly buffed in-game stats. Like the flamer, its type is Assault D6, and it hits automatically – but, compared to its little sibling, the Pyreblaster gets an extra point of damage, an extra point of AP, and, significantly, an additional 3” of range. It reads like a very strong anti-horde infantry weapon indeed.

Another heraldic detail, which you can see in SRM’s Marshall below, is the painting of the Templar cross in white over the helmet faceplate. It’s a pretty striking effect and looks great on models you want to make stand out. Regardless, if it has value to you, then get it. If it doesn’t, then don’t! Don’t let the FOMO get the best of you if you really aren’t sure about the minis.

One of the creepier relics in the set, the Aurillian Shroud is as macabre as they come with a skeleton blessed by Saint Agatine just visible underneath the cloth. The banner is marked by a crusade seal, similar in appearance to classic purity seals but instead sporting red paper with Templar vows written across them. Several of these crusade seals are also included in the set, adding a bit of variety to your holiest of warriors. This Big Guy will really tip the scales in your games, so keep an eye out for him over on the Forge World webstore. Hefting a customised combi-flamer and Power Axe, and modelled directly from theskull-shoulderedTemplar character in the middle ground of John Blanche’s famous artwork described above, this Castellan miniature is perhaps the Templariest Templar model GW has created. They have access to the best gear, even esoteric weaponry – but being knights, they favour swords and axes. They could wear a power fist if they wanted to, but they’re all about the idea of nobility.” He has no fewer than 60 skulls on him, so he’s probably one of the most Warhammer miniatures ever,” jokes Maxime. Marshal

Everything about the Crusader Squad suggests tradition and, well, eternal crusade. Their tabards become more damaged as brothers move up the hierarchy as “a bit of a symbolism to represent that they are a fleet-based Chapter”. The existence of a Primaris Initiate implies the existence of Primaris Neophytes – the other half of the Templars’ Crusade Squads, these guys are newer, less experienced Astartes who pair with a single Initiate for guidance and training. We’ve no word on pricing or a release date, although– sinceGW commented in its revealarticle that the Templars’ army set would be “a perfect force for Helbrecht to lead”– we can be fairly sure he won’t be too far behind the army set. Now, if only we could see his rules… The Crusader kit will have options for a Sword Brother unit leader with cape, and there’s a 15″ AP-1 flamer. Each miniature is covered with unique details, suggesting that they all have their own personal artificer to work on their equipment. “They even have nicer chains of devotion than the rest of the Chapter,” Maxime points out.Games Workshop revealed its new Primaris Chaplain Grimaldus model, complete with revamped sculpts for the named character’s three attendant, relic-carrying Cenobyte Servitors, on September 27. While GW excited us for a few hours by initially announcing the Pyreblaster had a Damage stat of two, this was swiftly corrected to D1. It’s still a tasty piece of kit, though:

The Initiate is armed with a brand new, juiced up flamer weapon, the Pyreblaster, emblazoned with the Templar cross –implyingnot only that this is a Templars-only weapon, but there might be more to come…

This looks like a really big upgrade compared to the old set and the with the number of different bits they show, we expect this to be a beefy kit, and probably expensive. Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, or our new Discord server, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today! We’ll be taking a look at their new rules throughout the week, which cover all the ways this unconventional successor Chapter wages wars. GW says the model has “two choices of head and a selection of weapons”– though we’ve only seen the above, bare-headed example so far, with a Master-crafted Power Sword and Plasma Pistol. As such, the design team went all-in with the medieval look on these miniatures, from the now-classic tabard and leather belts to bowl cuts. The armour has been updated with Primaris details too – “it’s a kind of Mk III Scout armour designed by Cawl himself”.

The Sword Brethren are the elites at the top of the Chapter, and they have earned the right to fight however they like, Maxime explains. There will be two Crusader Squads: the old one that everyone knows and a new one made up exclusively of Primaris. The latter will be 5-11 Primaris Initiates, 4-8 Primaris Neophytes, and 1 Primaris Sword Brother. Neophytes will have 2W and 2A like other Primaris. Outfit any Adeptus Astartes squad with custom pauldrons, cover your Assault Intercessors with honorific ribbons, and equip a Repulsor with a multi-melta – a weapon that the Templars favour for its ferocity. The old-school influences don’t stop there. The Marshal’s head and the axe are direct nods to the 1998 Captain who was originally introduced in the limited edition of the starter set that was released for the third edition of the game.The Marshal shows his status in fully personalised artificer armour, with layering, rivets, and cables to give him a brutal and archaic look. His left pauldron and the cloak are a reminder that all Marshals are selected from the Sword Brethren (as are the Castellans). At this point, we’d be surprised by more minis. We’ve been expecting the Sword Brethren to get a rework for a while now, and we’re happy the kit got a rework. The main reason we thought they were coming is the artwork on the supplement cover itself, you know GW doesn’t like to put pretty pictures of any units you can’t actually buy! Also among these Relics is the Icon of Heinmann. This symbol carried into battle by the late Castellan Heinmann represents his stubbornness in the face of utter defeat. On the tabletop, it reduces incoming Armour Penetration, allowing Characters to shrug off rending blows. It’s another huge week for Warhammer+ next week. There’s the seventh episode of Angels of Death, in which our heroes find themselves in yet more trouble, as well as a long, hard look at Roboute Gulliman in Loremasters, and the first-ever Battle Report from Warhammer Underworlds, featuring guest host Phil Kelly. The Warhammer Vault meanwhile adds Realmgate Wars V: All Gates and July 2021’s White Dwarf.