A few years ago, Games Workshop finally began taking unprecedented steps to update the models of one of warhammer 40,000The most popular factions: the ranks of the Aeldari, the agile elven aliens who have been part of the tabletop game for almost 40 years. But even with those major updates, the Aeldari model line was still home to some of the oldest miniatures that Games Workshop was still selling… but next year, that will finally change hugely.
As part of a special preview event ahead of the next war hammer World Championships, today Games Workshop revealed the upcoming revamp of the Aeldari rulebook for the latest 10th edition of Warhammer 40K. Accompanying the updated rulebook will be a series of new miniatures focused on one of the unique elements of Aeldari culture: the Aspect Warriors, clans of specialized elite operatives dedicated to specific schools of martial thought, and their legendary and legendary leaders in the Phoenix Lords.
While these units and heroes are key elements of Aeldari lore (and often foundational pillars of an Aeldari army), players in the faction have spent literally decades running those Aspect Warriors with the same models while watching Games Workshop find ways each time. older than selling people a new Space Marine. Until relatively recently, many key Aeldari models were based on sculptures that had been around for almost 20 years. Some of the oldest models were those of the eight main Aspect Warrior archetypes: Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Swooping Hawks, Dire Avengers, Warp Spiders, Fire Dragons, Dark Reapers, and Shining Spears. Many of these models were so old that they were still cast in metal or, eventually, resin, and Games Workshop took their time updating them little by little over the years. The Howling Banshees received a model overhaul in 2019 (replacing the 2006 models), while the Dark Reapers and Shining Spears were updated as part of that 2022 lineup overhaul (replacing the 2006 and 1999 models, respectively), and the Striking Scorpions were updated this year through smaller-scale skirmish gameplay kill team (replacing models again, starting in 2006).
Today’s news brings almost all other Aspect Warrior classes up to the contemporary plastic miniatures standard. The Fire Dragons, Swooping Hawks, and Warp Spiders will receive updated multi-piece plastic models to replace the metal and resin kits from 2006, 2000, and 1994respectively. In addition to those main squads, the company also revealed updates for the accompanying Phoenix Lords, the elite hero units that are the bosses of each Aspect, in the form of Fuegan (the lord of the Fire Dragons), Baharroth ( the Swooping Hawks) and, for the first time in miniature form, Lhykis, Lord of the Warp Spiders, alongside Lord Dire Avenger Asurmen. Lhykis aside as a completely new character, all of these other miniatures replaced the “current” 1994 models.
Notably, Games Workshop charged these practically ancient miniatures the same price as any of their contemporary miniatures, despite their increasing age, and Aeldari players were supposed to simply deal with them and regard them as other. Factions received new miniatures and updates periodically. As a long-time player of the faction, it’s been crazy for me in my on-again, off-again journey with Warhammer 40K as an adult it has been played with the same miniatures that I could buy when I was 10 and got into board games for the first time. And it has taken most of that life for that to change!
But finally it is. There are still some Aeldari models that show their age; At least among the Aspect Warriors, Asurmen’s Dire Avengers also haven’t been updated since 2006, and Striking Scorpion leader Karandras is now the last remaining unupgraded Phoenix Lord sitting around in 30 years (and counting). Hopefully, with new rules for the faction coming sometime in 2025, it won’t take much longer to see these remaining alien legends get the shiny new plastic treatment they also deserve… and hopefully, these new models, so beautiful as they look now. in 2024, they won’t still be on shelves in the 2060s. After all, in the bleak, dark future of the 21st century, there should always be new plastic soldiers to buy.
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