Old Warhammer 40k models like Doomrider and the Steel Legion would wow a new generation of hobbyists, so here are 25 sculpts we want back in plastic.
Yarrick came back, and everyone lost their mind for a solid week, basically forcing GW to promise the return of the Steel Legion. So, that’s pretty much the comparison now whenever Doomrider comes up after somebody posts another dope conversion.
It’s not really “is this model good?” anymore. It’s “would everyone go nuts if GW made a new one?” And honestly, there are two dozen kits sitting in the lore that clear that bar without GW inventing anything new.
Some don’t have a model on the shelf at all, either because they got squatted, sent to Legends, or just never got a proper modern kit. The rest are still being sold right now, at 2026 prices, with sculpts older than a lot of hobbyists themselves.
That’s why it’s probably worth checking the age of the miniature before you hit “buy” next. Plus, with 11th Edition dropping new releases, this is exactly the sort of backlog GW could finally start clearing instead of dragging it into yet another edition.
- 40k’s resculpt backlog: It isn’t just a few forgotten characters. It’s 25 models deep and reaches all the way into troop choices that entire factions still rely on.
- What it’s built on: Finecast characters with current rules, troop kits from 2010 still doing most of the work for an army, and a Land Raider that turns 26 this year.
- What could come next: 11th Edition has a pile of easy plastic wins sitting there already, and every reveal week that skips one means GW is choosing a harder sell instead.
GW isn’t Picking These at Random
Popularity clearly isn’t deciding who gets updated first. Half the models below are the ones hobbyists keep bringing up unprompted, yet they’re still waiting on new versions while brand-new kits get invented out of thin air.
Sure, tooling costs money, and GW has sculptors spread across a pile of game systems. But when you look at what’s already gone to Legends compared with what got a full range refresh, the logic gets harder to follow. Kits older than a decade are still doing front-line duty on the table, and some like Catachans are approaching the ripe old age miniature age of 30.
Finecast is probably the easiest example. GW moved away from the material years ago, yet some characters with current rules are still stuck in it. Meanwhile, the rumor mill is talking primarchs again too, and to be honest, we’d happily trade one surprise primarch for four names off this list any day!
Twelve of These Models Don’t “Exist” Anymore
Yep, that’s right: these bad boys no longer have a model or a box to put in a cart, while some still have rules and others have been sitting on hobby wish lists for years.
- Kaldor Draigo. Squatted in 10th, and Armageddon is pulling Grey Knights back into the light. So to us, this feels like the easiest “yes, please” on the whole list.
- Asdrubael Vect. He still doesn’t have a proper modern kit, which is pretty wild for the guy sitting at the top of the Kabal structure. He is rumored to be a centerpiece if Drukhari get a big revamp in 11th, and that’s the version we’d put money on.
- Armageddon Steel Legion. GW already blinked, confirming they’re coming back after the backlash. They’re still years away, though, which is a long time to leave a public promise sitting there.
- Traitor Guard and Lost and the Damned. They had a full army list in 3rd and 4th, and now you’re basically looking at Blackstone Fortress leftovers and kitbashes. Hobbyists have been filling that gap with third-party bits for years, but it would be nice to see more.
- Doomrider. This rascal hasn’t had a model since the 1990s, and a Yarrick-style return would own the hobby internet for a week if this Slaaneshi champion returned.
- Pedro Kantor. He still has 10th Edition rules while his model comes from the metal and Finecast era. Crimson Fists players have probably waited long enough for their main man.
- Kaptin Badrukk. Orks are getting plenty of attention right now, which makes leaving Freebooterz waiting in the corner feel even stranger.
- Legion of the Damned. Previously in Finecast, now gone from the shelves. They get dragged back into the rumor mill basically every preview season. Eventually, you’d think the rumors would turn into a kit, even if it was only for Kill Team
- Grotesques. Mono-pose resin, then Legends’d, and now Drukhari Covens barely have anything left to work with. That’s not much of a sub-faction without models to build it.
- Red Butchers. World Eaters got a full plastic range, and somehow their most recognizable Terminators didn’t make it. That still doesn’t make much sense, honestly.
- Tyranid Shrikes. The Winged Prime landed in the 10th starter without a unit to lead, which is a pretty noticeable hole when you think about it.
- Chaos Furies. They got a gorgeous refresh in 2019 and went to Legends the next year. Weird decision then; that’s still a little weird now.
These Glow-Ups Sting More, Because We’re Paying 2026 Prices for 2000’s Plastic
Every kit below is still on the shelf, but we’re spending 2026 money on a sculpt that’s around 20 years old, which can be harder to shrug off than something GW simply stopped making, lol.
- Land Raider. It’s 26 years old and still one of the first tanks people picture when they think of the Imperium. Most of the Marine range has even gone through multiple generations around it.
- Rhino, Razorback, and Predator. That 2002 hull still supports a huge chunk of the Imperium, Baal Predator included, and its age shows in the tracks. Updating one chassis would also clean up a pile of datasheets at once too.
- Deathwing Terminators. The 2013 kit now shares shelf space with the 2024 Deathwing Knights, and seeing them together doesn’t do the older kit any favors.
- Hammerhead and Devilfish. They’re well over 20 years old while the T’au range around them has kept moving forward
- Ravenwing Black Knights. Dark Angels’ 10th refresh leaned heavily into Deathwing, while Space Wolves rumors have been getting more attention than new bikes.
- Thunderwolf Cavalry. This is one of the Space Wolves’ signature units, but the current wolves really don’t hold up anymore. There’s a reason so many Thunderwolves on tables use third-party models.
- Deathwatch Watch Master. A 2016 sculpt that looks noticeably stubby next to Primaris Marines, which isn’t ideal when the faction is built around Marines.
- Chaos Space Marine Bikers. These are genuinely from the last millennium. Most of Chaos got a huge refresh, while the bikes still look like they rolled straight out of 1999.
- Karandras. He was the Phoenix Lord left behind in the 2026 Aspect refresh, so he’s still Finecast (and missing from the rules) while four of his peers are plastic.
- Trazyn the Infinite. He’s the last Finecast Necron character standing and one of the faction’s biggest fan favorites after the Infinite and the Divine book put him in front of a wider audience.
- Catachans. Cadians got their update in 2022, and the Death Korps in 2025, while the jungle fighters are still using sculpts from around 1997 alongside the other Guard regiments people keep asking about.
- Kabalite Warriors and Wyches. Two kits from 2010 are still carrying the whole Drukhari troop slot. We’ve already covered which Drukhari kits need updates most, and these haven’t gotten any younger either.
- Dire Avengers. They’re the last Aspect unit without a recent design update, leaving them next to a bunch of much newer Eldar kits every time they hit the table.
Final Thoughts on Old Warhammer 40k Models and the Sculpts GW Owes Us
GW Model From the 1990s
Twenty-five is a lot, and GW obviously isn’t short on new model ideas, sure. But some of the easiest plastic wins in the range keep getting passed over like nothing.
But honestly, the glow-ups bother us more. A model that’s disappeared completely is disappointing, but selling a 26-year-old sculpt at 2026 prices is a bit harder to excuse.
If 11th Edition comes and goes with Trazyn still in Finecast and the Land Raider still riding on its original tooling, calling that an oversight will be pretty generous.
đź”— Related Reads:
- Armageddon Steel Legion Return After 40k Fan Backlash
- RUMORS: 40k Drukhari Still Getting A Full Range Refresh?
- 40k Legends in 11th Edition: New App Rules and Classic Models Guide
- Updated Warhammer 40k 2026 Roadmap, 11th Edition Release Schedule
- 40k RUMORS: Leman Russ Returning With New Space Wolves Models
- Goodbye, Finecast? A Tale Of Two Materials
- Top 5 Drukhari Kits GW Should Update
What old 40k model would you put at the front of the resculpt queue?
