NEW WARRIORS OF CHAOS MODELS!!!

In their Summer 2026 reveal that happened last Friday, GW revealed the new starter "Core Set" box that features Warriors of Chaos vs Cathay! The rumormongers on the forums were telling the truth; new models for Chaos Warriors, Knights, a foot/mounted character that has bits to created either a foot or mounted battle-standard bearer (at last!) as well as a grand reveal of a character on 2-headed CHAOS DRAGON! At long last, not since the old Galrauch metal model from way back when has there been an official Chaos Dragon! Also the same for a BSB (the last one being from WFB Storms of Chaos era)!

The Cathay models are completely new too, being around a year or so old. The set also includes other goodies and an updated core rulebook as well as a Battle March booklet (compiling the rules from other Arcane Journals)...but I'll just wax poetic over the Chaos models in this post!

The characters! You can build both a guy on foot and mounted and swap bits to create either one as a BSB. Not since Kordel Shorgaar has there been an official warriors BSB model (to my knowledge).

Kordel Shorgaar, Standard Bearer of the Swords of Chaos (posted on the Warhammer Wiki site)

The bare metal model (from the Stuff of Legends website). Very much in the 6th ed Chaos Warriors design language

The AoS Chaos Lord on Demonic Mount, circa 2022-early 2023

Eternus (Be'lakor aligned character, the alternate build of the AoS kit)

Character models from WFB during 6tth/7th ed I believe...

 

The Chaos Knights...big and imposing, though less dynamic than the current AoS ones. Much more in line with how the old metal on plastic horses Chaos Knights from 6th ed. From the designer notes article its mentioned that the Chaos Warriors' hand weapons are swappable with the Knight lances, which is nice

WFB 6th ed Chaos Knights (tabletopbattles.com formerly goonhammer). This image comes from the old army book as I remember these guys well. I have them in my pile somewhere!

AoS Chaos Knights (circa 2019 I think). Much more dynamic but I read that they are a pain to rank up on squares.

The Chaos Warriors - I like these guys very much as they look like an updated evolution of the old school warriors from WFB 5th ed (in the helmets and shield shape especially). Unfortunately it seems that the initial kit won't have options for halberds or great weapons which is a shame (and similar to what happened to the AoS Chaos Warriors in the (now OOP Start Collecting box with the Chaos Lord on Karkadrak) and the subsequent stand alone box that featured halberd options. Probably some sort of business tactic to drum up repeat sales as they're likely to offer the ToW warriors an extra weapon options sprue in the stand alone box. Having said that, I still pre-ordered this box!

The "pièce de résistance" of the Chaos reveal! What is neat is that, once you have chosen to build the rider as a Chaos Lord or Sorceror Lord, the character bits you didn't use can be assembled on foot! Nice touch (and maybe expected for what you are likely paying for this guy)! I do still like the popular AoS Ionus Cryptborn dragon conversions, but that dragon is much smaller than this guy.

A quick image mockup from a poster on Reddit (MolochBaal on r/WarhammerFantasy) to compare the two models

"Sire of a Thousand Young"

So I've sworn to myself to never again purchase a metal model as I find them inconvenient to prep and assemble (filing metal mold lines, filling gaps, having to pin, etc.)....but there are some metal models (such as Ghorros Warhoof) that I've wanted for a long while now! Normally this is only available online via the GW web store; I caved when I saw this listed on eBay a week ago:

Ahh rails...there's a slight kink in the rail which I'll have to straighten out with some pliers. It may not come through in this pic, but the details are pretty crisp on this model! Now I just have to wait on an order of brass hobby rods for pinning...

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Battalion: Beastmen Brayhherds

I was quite excited at the news of a new battalion box coming out for Beastmen, and I purchased this box back in June 2025 when this box was first released. Typically these type of boxes are a good discount vs buying each unit box individually. Also GW likes to create FOMO with these as once they're sold out, they're out of production. 

The bulk of my Beastmen collection were originally from 5th/6th ed, supplemented with a Start Collecting AoS Beastmen box (back when they were an actual faction in AoS). I have a Ghorgon from the AoS box, so I probably would build the big'un in this box to be a Cygor. I could always use the Ungors as ambushing chaff...however the big draw were the Gors for big infantry blocks!

Also the Gors in this box were from 7th ed and were designed without the rail (attached to the feet) which frees up having to hunt down "slotta" bases, and they featured more variety of poses, and bits options. I remember when these came out, but didn't pick them up back then because I was fine proxying any extra units with empty bases, lol! Now I've decided it's time to build out my collection! 

The box front with the TOW "livery"

The rear side with model content overview

Dassallotta gray....lol!

One disappointing thing is that the assembly instructions were cheapo B/W prints vs the glossy color instructions from the AoS Start Collecting box. The battalion box does come with some decals though.

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Project: Chaos Armored Beast Lord!

I've done some minor conversions in the past, such as head or weapon swaps...but wanted to try something more complex.

My past conversion experiments didn't get too far out there; making a custom weapon for my 6th ed Chaos Warriors, and trying to sculpt a third eye for a Tzeentchian Gor head back in the 7th ed days!

The ToW Arcane Journal for Beastmen introduced Chaos Armor as a magic item option for characters and I wanted a model that represented that. Enter PROJECT: CHAOS ARMORED BEASTLORD!!! I would still use and field the AoS Beast Lord/Wargor model, but perhaps as a Heavy Armor variant or lesser Wargor

Looking at existing kit options from AoS, I decided to get a box of Age of Sigmar Slaves to Darkness Chosen to use as a base. The armor was baroque with great details and the scale was imposing as I wanted this guy to be slightly larger than regular Gors. 

The basic idea is to use the body, arms, weapons of the Chosen model, and the upper portion of the armored legs. I would then saw off the legs from below the knee, and glue on some Gor legs. Then I would make a custom Beast Lord head.

Age of Sigmar Slaves to Darkness Chosen sprue

Beastlord (AoS Beasts of Chaos)

This model is one of, if not the only Beastmen models to be released in (other than the Herdstone) for Age of Sigmar (and in many years for that matter!). I was quite excited to see something new for Beastmen when it was revealed back in 2022 along with the reveal of the AoS Beasts of Chaos battletome, but I didn't pick one up until August last year. This guy will serve as a great Wargor model for my Old World Beastmen army:

Blisterpack (new ToW characters are in boxes now)

Pics of the sprue front and back

Before I assembled the model, I wanted to test out using "blue stuff" to try and make a mold and cast of the leg bits but more of that in another post...

**********  Update 3-24-26) **********

The pieces cleaned up and laid out. Likely due to whatever arcane process GW has for fitting models onto a sprue, some bit pieces are molded together, and don't lend themselves to modularity or easy bit swapping as models past (though this one isn't too bad relatively speaking)

**********  Update 4-9-26) **********

Glued together and next to a Bestigor for scale comparison. Assembly was rather easy, with no major issues!

"Blue Stuff"

So there's a modeling techique that involves using this stuff called "Oyumaru" or branded under Greenstuff world, it's called "Blue Stuff. (which I mentioned back in my Doombull conversion post)" It's a thermoplastic that softens in water at boiling temps, which then becomes soft and pliable, not unlike a silly putty. 

At this stage you can form molds and press plastic bits into them. There is a limited amount of working time as the substance cools. Once cooled you can mix your epoxy putty of choice (typically its a 1:1 mix of "Green Stuff" and "Milliput"). Green Stuff for the resilience and slight flexibility and Milliput for the rigidity and sandibility once cured.

I wanted to try my hand at cloning some bits and seeing if this would be a viable route to get some extra bits (short of setting up 3d printing).

They come in short rigid blocks. Drop em into boiling water, and wait a few minutes and they soften up to a gooey consistency. They cool and become rigid once more and can be use many times. Personally I wouldn't drop them directly into a cooking pot with boiling water nor a drinking glass you intend to reuse; no telling on the microscopic level if bits of the Blue Stuff get left behind in said vessels....rather I pour the boiling water into a small cermanic vase that I had laying around and dunk the stuff into that to be safe!

My first attempt - a belt bit from a "Darkoath Wilderfiend". Once one half cools, you leave the bit embedded and heat up another wad of Blue Stuff to press on top. Per YT videos I've seen, folks suggest leaving divots as registration marks to align the two halves (simply pressing the end of a brush into the soften mold will do).

Close up of one half of the mold

Once both sides are cured, you can remove the plastic bit and fix up some Green Stuff/Milliput to fill into the recesses

I put a dumbbell  weight plate as well as a small medicine ball to press the mold down to ensure the putty material gets well pressed into the impressions on the molds. There's probably more efficient ways, but this is what I had at hand!

The result! Not bad for a first attempt. It cures quite rigid and can be sanded. However the details are a little muddy, and there's a lot of flashing. Definitely there is a lot more experimentation to be had. There's an art to making the mold itself as well how much putty to press into the mold for sure! I'm sure there's also a method to selecting what bits and how much detail you can get away with as well.

Project Tzeentch - Chariot

After ruminating and looking at the mount options for a Sorceror Lord, I wanted an alternative to the standard Warriors of Chaos chariot. Thinking back to the old 6th ed WHFB Storm of Chaos campaign I remember reading/seeing conversions of Chaos God specific chariots being pulled by their respective demon beasts (i.e. Juggernauts, Screamers, Slaanesh Steeds, Beasts of Nurgle, etc.), and thought The Burning Chariot of Tzeentch AoS model could be great for a Tzeentch marked chariot! I also wanted the character riding it to be in unique pose, and the AoS Lumineth Stonemage fit the bill with the cross-legged, meditative pose was perfect.

Pic of the Burning Chariot of Tzeentch sprues