Few factions sum up the frothing zeal of the decaying Imperium better than the Adepta Sororitas. Born from a minor technicality which prevented the Ecclesiarchy from maintaining a standing army of “men under arms”, these Sisters of Battle are the embodiment of fire, faith, and the fleur-de-lys.
Unfortunately, for much of their history the Adepta Sororitas remained a niche choice in games of Warhammer 40,000, as they mostly hadn’t made the transition from classic metal models to plastic. It wasn’t until 2019 that the first plastic Sisters of Battle miniature was revealed.
Sister Superior Amalia Novena was based on a classic piece of art by Karl Kopinski, brought to life as a statement of intent – the warrior sisterhood of the 41st Millennium were coming back with a vengeance.
The Battle Sister Bulletin lifted the lid on the production of the whole new range, detailing the scope of design involved in this massive project. These miniatures were all informed by the classic metal Sisters of Battle from the late 90s, including the Sisters Superior, Hospitaller, Canonness, and more.
For years, dedicated fans had amassed seriously weighty collections, in the literal sense. The first ray of hope for the faithful came in the form of Celestine, the Living Saint and her Geminae Superia who descended during the Gathering Storm campaign.
John Blanche had set the tone for the Sisters of Battle for many years, via his image of a pious platinum-haired warrior with one foot sternly raised on a pile of skeletal remains, backed by a crowd of ecclesiastical weirdos and flying cherubs.
This image was immortalised in resin as the one-off Canoness Veridyan miniature, but other art also lept from the page to the tabletop – including the Codex art which became the limited edition Tariana Palos, and the Daemonifuge Ephrael Stern who had graced the pages of the Warhammer Monthly comic over two decades ago.
The full range soon followed,including a whole squad of Battle Sisters, the terrifying new Penitent Engines, the athletic and apoplectic Sisters Repentia, and The Triumph of Saint Katherine which once again captured the essence of Sororitas art. These were reinforced by the High Lord of Terra Morvenn Vahl, fearsome Paragon Warsuits, and Castigator Battle Tanks for when flamers and chainswords weren’t quite enough.
Of course the range wouldn’t have been complete without the Exorcist, the most ostentatious and ornate Warhammer 40,000 vehicle yet conceived, which shoots blessed ordnance from a gigantic pipe organ.
More aspects of the Adepta Sororitas war machine are still being revealed, including the Celestian Sacresants and the Sisters Novitiate Kill Team.
