A new era of galactic gourmandism is almost upon us, as part of the total refresh of the entire Kroot range comes to pre-order this weekend. To find out how the Warhammer Studio designers tackled a project as extensive as this one, we hunted down project lead Matt for a few armour-piercing questions.
Warhammer Community: How did it feel taking on a project as important as updating this 20-year-old range?
Matt: I was really excited! I’ve been heavily involved with the T’au Empire range for the last 10 years. We hadn’t properly been back to the Kroot since they were first released in 2001, so I’ve been keen to do more with them for a really long time and my notebook was bursting with ideas to try out.
One thing I felt we really needed to do was widen the scope of models we could make by opening up their background a bit, and with the help of the writers we painted a richer picture of the Pech system and Kroot culture. Fleshing out their planets – especially Nokoh’mys, the artificial planetoid-spaceport they have in their system – helps establish Kroot in the wider universe, and lets them stand on their own a little more.
This gave us some room to play around a bit more with what models we could make for them, such as showing the Kroot making use of creatures that don’t share their genetic heritage for the first time.
WarCom: The new Kroot show more evidence of traditional adornments like charms and bangles than before, like the armbands on the Krootox. What were the inspirations for these details?
Matt: The cultural elements present on the new Kroot range were partly extrapolated from the older models, and partly inspired by tribal cultures from various parts of the world. These details are really important to drive home the difference between the more traditional Kroot, straight from the kindreds of the Pech system, and the hard-bitten mercenaries of the Farstalker Kinbands.*
Showing how they dress up the old Krootox Rider against the young Rampagers was also a fun way to illustrate how they respect their ancestor creatures. A subtle detail you might not catch is that the Kalamandra has a bit in its mouth and reins to steer it, while the native Kroot creatures do not – showing the cultural and physiological bond that Kroot riders have with their kin-beasts.
WarCom: How did the designers go about distinguishing the new Kroot Shapers to reflect their different battlefield roles?
Matt: The different Shapers are themed around their character archetypes. For instance, the Trail Shaper is a ranger and guide, so they’re shown pointing the way – their design, with its hood and rifle, is essentially an update of the original Shaper model. In contrast, the Flesh Shaper is both a murderous butcher and a gene-shaman, so they have more in the way of totems and fetishes – including the skull of another Kroot – and they’re posed aggressively lunging forward.
The War Shaper is a skilled champion and combat-leader of their kindred, so they carry traditional weapons that display great honour in Kroot society, with an ancestor cloak made from the hide of a yet-unseen Kroot subspecies that has really long quills. The War Shaper was sculpted in a noble, commanding pose to emphasise their honour and prominent place in Kroot society.
WarCom: What kind of challenges did the team encounter when designing wholly new units like the Lone-spear and Krootox Rampagers, compared to updated units like the Carnivores and Hounds?
Matt: There's lots of challenges with these sorts of things. On the Kroot Hounds and Carnivores we had to really nail what to keep and what to change, and how to preserve the magic of the beloved original kit while adding new details that kept them distinct from the Farstalkers. This was done mostly in the details of their outfits, but also in their poses – the new Carnivores are loping forwards, tracking their quarry, while the mercenary Farstalkers have more of a cocky swagger to them.
With the Kalamandra the challenge was to create something that looks like it makes sense within the Kroot range despite being a non-Kroot, fully alien creature. Most of this is achieved by its low, gangly anatomy and pose, with a dash of Kroot-ness from the harness, gear, and rider completing the look.
WarCom: What are your favourite parts of the new Kroot range?
Matt: It's hard to say what my favourite parts are, the whole team did an amazing job! I think all the models embody the tribal Kroot theme we wanted to get across, and I love the poses – especially the Krootox Rampagers.
I'm really excited by the Kroot Lone-spear model, but honestly, I’m just glad that we now have loads more Kroot! They have always been a really cool, intriguing group and it's great to see more of them brought to life in miniature. There's plenty more we could add but you'll have to wait for that!
Thanks Matt! The first wave of new Kroot come to pre-order this weekend in the Kroot Hunting Pack army set, which includes a special launch edition of the new Codex: T’au Empire, a full pack of datasheet cards, and more than half of the new units – a total of 26 miniatures.
* Notably, the new Kroot Carnivores kit includes an option to build the leader with a T’au headset and pauldron – perfect for kindred that work closely with Hunter Cadres.