The first wave of Warhammer: The Old World out for real this Saturday – a glittering Bretonnian host arrayed against the remorseless undead legions of Khemri. But these aren’t the only soldiers, knights, constructs, or nobles coming to the two sides; there are many more classics returning, some in their original forms, others as remasters, and a select few coming on a Made to Order basis.*
There are even a few new models coming – but one of these has a longer history than you might expect. In fact, this Bretonnian Lord on Foot (and his little helper) were actually sculpted back in 2008, but never released. Until now.**
“This awesome model was made in 2008,” explains Old World Lead Rob. “It was shown at a Games Day around then, in a cabinet of greens.***
“As we were writing the new game, someone remembered the miniature and inquired if it was still around. The mould room still had it, but it had never been pressed in rubber as far as we could tell, and they kindly made new master and production moulds so we could release him in metal.”
Martin, who originally sculpted the Lord, was very surprised to learn that his Lord would be released after all this time.
“I was proud to make it, and I have a soft spot for it. Having previously worked on the trebuchet and crew (And a Golden Demon entry featuring said trebuchet…) I do like the Bretonnian range and background,” he said.
“He was made in modelling putty with sculpting tools (dental tools). I had wanted to do a Lord on foot as all of our knight models were mounted. He was intended to be a Games Day exclusive miniature, but in the end, another of my models replaced him, the Exalted Hero of Chaos at Games Day 2009.”
So now, after more than 15 years in the back of the Citadel closet and on collectors’ lists of mythical ‘lost’ miniatures, this Lord and his loyal retainer are finally hitting the action.
“He’s a great miniature for those collectors out there who know all about him,” says Rob. “His squire does not have any in-game rules as such, but we invite people to be creative with how they use him!”
And while there might not be other unreleased models coming to Warhammer: The Old World, he’s far from the only rarity to return. Many factions will receive a few surprises in this vein – and this isn’t the only noble knight on foot mustering for the Kingdom of Bretonnia.
“It's rare to release a new model in metal,” Rob adds. “The last was the ‘Warg Attack’ Gamling on Horse for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game. He’s a unique release, but we have definitely had to make new master moulds from other greens throughout the development of The Old World to replace some that had been lost or worn out over the years.”
We’ve also got some further exciting reveals this week. Those lucky enough to attend the Warhammer: The Old World launch event at Warhammer World in Nottingham this weekend will get the first look at the next army due for release! And for those who can't make it to Nottingham, we'll have the details here on Warhammer Community.
* Those in the last category will blow your mind…
** Well, soon.
*** When miniatures were sculpted by hand, they were first made from a green putty, which would then be used to press the mould.