On Monday, Games Workshop showed off new models for the Imperial Guard, humanity’s first defenders in the world of Warhammer 40k. The new Astra Militarum minis include a fresh take on the Sentinel, now looking more like an AT-ST than ever; a new Kasrkin kit, showing these elite (formerly) Cadian infantry in their prime; and a brand new Imperial Guard character, Ursula Creed.
That’s a surname all Astra Militarum fans will recognise, and indeed Ursula is confirmed to be the daughter of the famous Ursarkar Creed, Lord Castellan of Cadia. She’s kitted out in her dad’s iconic, rather tattered jacket (a possible hint he survived the destruction of his planet?) and can be customised with plenty of optional accessories, including a helmet, binoculars, great big sword, and ornate stick-thing. Imposing and grim-faced, Ursula looks like she’s following the family tradition of being one tough cookie.
There’s no word on any updated or new rules for these models, which were revealed in a Warhammer Community article on June 6. The article does show that the Sentinel can be built with a number of different weapon configurations, however. As with prior iterations, it can stomp along as an Armoured Sentinel, or tiptoe around the battlefield as a Scout Sentinel.
Imperial Guard is one of the few remaining Warhammer 40k factions yet to receive a 9th edition Codex release, so this tease from GW seems to start the march towards the new books. However, it appears the 9th edition Codex: Astra Militarum release date may not be imminent, and neither are the new models, as Warhammer Community says “a few more armies will have their time to shine before these kits drop into the fight”.
One consolation is that the Imperial Guard is likely to receive a sizable amount of new content, which might make the wait worthwhile. The WarCom piece promises “this mobilisation will be far more than a scouting force”.
We can therefore cross our fingers and speculate that the Imperial Guard’s next batch of plastic will be more akin to the Eldar release – which saw a new Warlock, Avatar of Khaine, Shining Spears, and Guardian infantry – than the Tyranids, who only got the (admittedly jaw-some) Parasite of Mortrex.
Check out our Astra Militarum army guide for everything you need to know about this Imperium faction.