Games Workshop has revealed that a cult Warhammer 40k flyer, the Arvus Lighter, will go back into production for the Horus Heresy game line. This adorable and absurdly un-aerodynamic air transport “will be returning to the Forge World webstore soon”, according to a post on the Warhammer Community website on Thursday.
We last saw a new and much smaller Arvus model in the dogfighting board game Aeronautica Imperialis, where it was usually doomed to a fiery demise beneath the guns of the other Warhammer 40k factions and their hypersonic flying deathmachines.
This Forge World resin kit has been on a “long hiatus” from production, and will return “retooled”, according to the WarCom post – which hopefully means that it’s a little easier to put together than the older version.
Here’s Tim Walker hobbies unbagging the old version of the kit, to show you the kind of resin challenge you had to contend with to build the older version of this kit:
The Arvus is a dedicated transport choice for the Solar Auxilia and Imperialis Militia in Warhammer: The Horus Heresy, capable of holding up to twelve models.
Usually unarmed, effectively unarmored, and scarcely capable of in-flight evasion, it’s the ultimate underdog – but as the Warcom article points out, it’s also the “cheapest Imperial flyer in service” by points cost.
While the return of the kit will be welcome for fans of the Imperium of Man’s aerospace design, or fans who like painting miniatures that look like half-bricks with jet engines, it’s a disappointment that the kit remains in resin.
Games Workshop announced at Warhammer Fest 2023 that we would get a new plastic Horus Heresy faction in Winter 2023. With the reveal of Horus Heresy: Legions Imperialis, we’ve seen that Games Workshop has digital models for much of the Solar Auxilia range.
Fans have pointed out that one marketing photo for the Legions Imperialis Baneblade kit appears to show a 28mm scale model, rather than a teeny-tiny Epic scale figure. This all makes plastic Solar Auxilia feel more likely, but far from a certainty.
For more examples of Warhammer 40k models that look cool but would make a grown mechanic cry if they ever had to make one function in the real world, check out our guides to the Space Marines and Astra Militarum. Imperial tanks and aircraft have a certain charm, and a lot of wind resistance.