Project WoC - Core Set Chaos Warriors!

 Hobby ADHD strikes again, as I take a detour from my Beastmen (and other projects) to work on these new Warriors of Chaos minis! They're new, shiny, and my favorite faction - how can I resist? Besides there may be extra bits that I could use on my Beastmen et al. We shall see....

The Chaos half of the box creates the following:

x16 Chaos Warriors
x4 Chaos Knights
1x Champion of Chaos on foot (can be BSB)
1x Mounted Champion of Chaos on Demonic Steed (can also be a BSB)

These are the 3 sprues that create 8 Chaos Warriors. This set of 3 are repeated once more for a total of 16 Chaos Warriors. If you notice the left and right sprues are identical, so suggesting there aren't too many unique poses. The sprues are pretty dense with bits and pieces and each bit is full of detail.

The flip side of the same sprues. Perhaps these are what will be packaged for a future stand alone box of Warriors. Hopefully GW will throw in a sprue for great weapons and halberds (likely they will sell them separately if it happens)

The diagram showing the various bits for the Chaos Warriors. I count 10 different heads on the actual sprue, 2 more than shown on this page...

Warhammer the Old World New Core Set!

The new core set for TOW arrived a couple days ago! This is one hefty box - I weighed myself holding the box and it's literally 10 lbs (probably the core rule book being a majority of it)!

The model list from the back of the box

The inside is chock full of sprues and accessories...funny these templates have been the same (although differing colors) since I started playing WFB 6th edition. I still have my red ones from the 7th ed collectors set!

Removing the sprues and accessories, there is a paper partition that separates the books and bases at the bottom of the box.

Underneath, the main core rule book is wrapped up in a cardboard box and some more cardboard partitions...looks like mine got a bit roughed up in transport (or perhaps why mine box was discounted; might've been dropped!)

Seals of freshness TM on the booklets and the core rule book box!

The very bottom of the box contains the bases and the decal transfer sheet...strange that some bases are wrapped and the others seemingly just tossed in there (curses!)

Closer shot of the tempaltes...yup they're Warhammer templates! Even have the same markings as the ones I have from years past.

Close up of the decals sheet. Lot of intricate patterns, especially for the Cathayan side.

The dice are the standard white with black pip dice and 2 scatter dice. Simple and easy to read. Essential for playing this game as well.

The 2 booklets that come in this box are the "Muster Lists" (left) which contain the warband rules for the Chaos and Cathay sides, and the "Core Set" (right) one that is a nicely bound, glossy page assembly instruction manual for all the minis in the box. 

A couple pages from the "Muster List" booklet...this one is staple bound

The assembly book is bound like the Arcane Journals - I think this is the fanciest assembly instruction booklet I've seen in a Warhammer kit! The usually is a black and white "photocopy" level of quality booklet. Some of the "better" assembly booklets (like some of the AoS ones) are glossy paper as well with a similar level of detail, but staple bound (not book bound like this). This one fancy! I also appreciate the pics of the sprues base counts so that you have references, especially if you have cut bits off the sprue and have forgotten what number they are.

The rulebook box also contains a paper game mat and 2 copies of "cheat sheet" game rules. Nice of them to include 2 copies for each player.

The game mat...it's printed on glossy "poster" stock. I think this is a nice touch, but will likely be ripped and damaged after a few sessions due to being paper. It would be great if it came laminated or perhaps thicker cardboard. I also imagine minis falling over due the creases on the mat/not laying flat...still nice to have a gaming surface nonetheless for newbies.

One side features a dry badlands type of environment. It looks like they made a flocked game board with painted vegetation terrain pieces and took a precisely overhead shot of it. Visually I like this better than say an illustrated one as it matches the minis better IMO. Perhaps this is also to get new players accustomed to seeing GW terrain and hope that there are future sales. I'm surprised GW doesn't sell their own neoprene game mats!

The reverse side is another map that looks like a greener stony field. The battle mat measures about 44x30 inches (or roughly 3.6 x 2.5 feet). An odd size as I am used to the og 72x48 inch (6x4 feet) gaming surface. Although if I recall correctly, in the later days of my AoS gaming days the battlefield had also shrunk. I think this is to make it so games would fit on dining tables better (a 6x4 table is pretty large!). There are ways around it; my friends and I used to just shorted the depth of the deployment zones for both players to accomodate playing on smaller dining tables).

 

 Closer shot of the grasslands side...

...and of the other side

Time to get crackin' on these minis! More to come!

NEW WARRIORS OF CHAOS MODELS!!!

In their Summer 2026 reveal that happened last Friday, GW revealed a new starter "Core Set" box that features Warriors of Chaos vs Cathay. Funny enough, we're about 3 years in from the initial launch of TOW. Some YT warhammer personalities liken this to be the real launch of the system, with all the prior time being GW easing the player base into TOW. 

So...the rumormongers on the TGA 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 (friggin about time)! The last official BSB model being one from the WFB Storms of Chaos era (I may be wrong, but that's all I remember seeing.)

There was a grand reveal of a character on a 2-headed CHAOS DRAGON! At long last, the old Galrauch metal model from way back when was the official WFB Chaos Dragon (not counting AoS.)

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), and there is yet another Arcane Journal for the warriors to be released...but I'll just wax poetic over the Chaos models in this post!

I've been only playing since the tail end of 6th ed WFB, about after the Storms of Chaos campaign. I'll compare some past models in the range, but there is a wealth of even older models that are covered by other websites and knowledgeable folks!

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The new characters! You can build both a guy on foot and mounted guy. Some of the bits are swappable between the two, to create either one as a BSB. The option for the empty fist looks a bit weird to be honest, likely a compromise between the hand holding the severed head and the standard. Nothing a lil bit of kit bashing couldn't remedy!

Kordel Shorgaar, Standard Bearer of the Swords of Chaos (from the Warhammer Wiki website). Part of Archaon's gang during the end of 6th ed. This is the last official BSB on foot that I have seen pictures of. I never have seen it on sale back in the time that I played WFB, so likely was a limited release.

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

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

Eternus (Be'lakor aligned character, the alternate build of the AoS kit). Be'lakor's million dollar mug on the barding of the horse.

Character models from WFB during 6tth/7th ed I believe...I have both mounted guys! The one on the left is a Sorceror Lord on Barded Chaos Steed (metal figure on plastic horse with metal horse head). The one on the right is the Chaos Lord on Demonic Mounted, released in 7th ed. (all metal)...I had the Finecra-I mean, "cast" one that sits partially completed (the finecast material is not very stable) in storage. The one on foot is a generic Aspiring Champion/Exalted Hero (technically styled as "Champion of Chaos") I believe from around the 5th-6th ed era (again matching aesthetic with 6th ed Chaos Warriors). Originally coming in metal, it went to finecast. These all had a rerelease with TOW available in their original metal glory. I'm tempted to pick up the hero and mounted Chaos Lord...

The o.g. WFB blister of the Champion of Chaos

The current AoS Slaves to Darkness Exalted Hero. One thing that urks me about this one is how the head looks on the body, as if there is something missing....I believe it's the reduced amount of fur around the helmet which makes it look more bare.

Chaos Lord...originally came out during 8th ed if I recall correctly. He used to have a 25mm square base with integrated scenic elements. I had one and used him during 8th, but then had to do some converting to remove him and shave the the rock elements from the base and glue them onto a 32mm round for AoS (where he still remains). I may be compelled to convert him yet again for TOW....we shall see.

The original molded base for the old Chaos Lord (image from Ebay)

Urkhan, The Dark Warden, a limited run in the Warhammer commerative series released for Warhammer Day last year (2025). This guy was hard to find not long after release, but after searching high and low, I snagged him at MSRP new-in-box around (35 bucks) from a random LFGS online.

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The Chaos Knights...big and imposing, though less dynamic than the current AoS ones. They share the armor styling of the 5th ed warriors old. Their poses remind me of the 6th ed knights with their stoic posing. These guys are now base 4 man units (instead of 5). We'll see how much more volume these take up once they're released, though it looks like they take up a lot of room on the bases. From the designer notes article it mentions that the Chaos Warriors' hand weapons are swappable with the Knight lances (which is a nice touch.) These guys (perhaps enhanced by the paint job) seem more gritty than the AoS ones. Although I don't mind, I think the horses seem more stumpy and heavy, due to the low hanging armor and leathers, etc. I suspect if there was a way to view the horses underneath, they'd look more in proportion, albeit still a more muscular breed.

WFB 6th ed Chaos Knights (tabletopbattles.com formerly goonhammer.) This image comes from the old army book; I remember these guys well. They needed to be pinned so that their arms stayed attached (which I never bothered to do.) I have them in my collection in storage somewhere!

7th ed Chaos Knights. I have a bunch of these. These were a nice step up from their predecessors, all plastic being the main "improvement". They were very customizable with a lot of options; the bits could be used on the foot warriors to spruce them up (and vice versa.) The riders were separate from the horses (as were the 6th ed ones) which was nice for conversions; this is not the case anymore with the forthcoming ones unfortunately. These remained available for a long while, even being re-packaged  for TOW. I believe this kit will still be sought after for bits. I remember when first released, these retailed for an astonishingly low price (somewhere in the low 20s USD, which was even low at the time.) I paid somewhere around 50 bucks for the 6th ed ones when I first started!

AoS Chaos Knights (circa 2019 I think). Much more dynamic but I read that they are a pain to rank up on squares (but doable). I have a set of 5 from the now OOP Slaves to Darkness Start Collecting box, which do not have the command bits from the later stand alone box.

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The Chaos Warriors - I like these guys very much. Like the new knights they look like an updated evolution of the old school warriors from WFB 5th ed (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! Perhaps, if a separate options sprue is released, some folks with a lot of patience will convert the arms to have magnets and swap options that way!

The AoS Chaos Warriors; same deal as the AoS Chaos Knights, I have 10 from the Start Collecting box and they are currently assembled but not on the AoS round bases (good thing I procrastinated!). They too did not have the command bits as seen in this image. These are really a glow up of the 6th ones. I have seen pictures of these ranked up on square bases, but have read the process is tricky (lotta overhanging elements.) I suppose these could be regular Chaos Warriors and the upcoming new ones could be used as "Chosen". (though there are currently excellent AoS Chosen.) Their personality/aliveness seem to come through in their individual poses relative to the 6th ed ones.

The 6th ed guys...I have these...a lot of these! I think they still hold up with their own sorta charm. Their rather static poses do lend an air of faceless/emotionless killers marching to smash their enemies! I've read some folks prefer these as they look more regimented, and also more classic/less cluttered with small detail.

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The "pièce de résistance" of the Chaos reveal! This model seems quite massive, looking similar in size and height to the AoS Archaon model (below.)

 I do still like the popular AoS Ionus Cryptborn dragon conversions, but that dragon is much smaller than this guy. I believe the base size is going to be massively increased as well. This a mockup from a poster on Reddit (MolochBaal on r/WarhammerFantasy) to compare the two models

Now, there was a very old Chaos character on 2-headed Chaos Dragon, Egrimm Van Horstmann (a Chaos Sorceror Lord of Tzeentch), that seems to be the inspiration behind this new one. They seemed to have even painted the new one in a very similar color scheme perhaps as a homage.

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A neat feature with this kit is 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 to be a character on foot! Nice touch (and maybe expected for what you are likely paying for this guy!)

The alternate foot versions of the Chaos Dragon rider; you can build a Chaos Sorceror or Chaos Lord. The sorceror does have a helmeted head option. This unhelmeted version looks very much in line with the newly released TOW Chaos Marauders; he could be a Norscan Shaman that leveled up to a Chaos Sorceror Lord...the crippled arm could be the price he paid for access to the powers of Chaos!

A couple of the current AoS Chaos Sorceror Lords on foot. The first one being from the limited release Commerative Series. The latter looks more menacing and ominous...

The current TOW Chaos Sorceror on foot; this is actually from 8th ed. WFB. He's quite slight in build compared to the AoS and even the disabled looking one from the new Chaos Dragon kit....I have this guy as well, and have used him in WFB and AoS...he's not very imposing and I am glad there are other options. Like the Chaos Lord from the same era, the original blister came with a 25mm base that had integrated rock elements.

I'll find out in a couple weeks how the core set models look IRL ~ perhaps take another hobby ADHD detour from the Beastmen to work on them!