The New Year’s Preview hit 40k with a gear-packed Red Corsair Raiders kit, Aeldari Corsairs, updated Iron Warriors, three refreshes for AoS, new Custodes, and more!
GW’s New Year Preview just kicked the door in and yelled, “Pick a pirate crew.” If you play 40k, the Maelstrom is going full chaos buccaneer with a brand-new, proper Red Corsair Raiders kit that finally looks like renegade Marines who actually loot for a living, and a Lords of the Maelstrom battleforce built to get you on the table fast with the right icons, upgrades, and transfers.
Aeldari fans are not getting table scraps either. Prince Yriel is back with a fresh mini and a helmet option, Corsair Skyreavers are landing as jump pack shock troops stacked with weapon choices, and Kharseth the Void Dreamer is pure “space piracy, but make it strange.”
This preview was also loaded with side quests
- Hour of Ruin (Age of Sigmar) is bringing new kits for: Ossiarch Bonereapers, Tzeentch, and Lumineth Realm-Lords
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Horus Heresy: Legio Custodes is going all-plastic, with a Battle Group and new grav armor goodies to flex on everyone’s resin trauma.
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And then there’s the big oily wink: Eye of Terror is teasing chunky Iron Warriors bits that look way bigger than a token upgrade sprue. Hazard stripes, claws, machine parts. The kind of stuff that usually comes with a kit that has its own zip code.
40k Maelstrom: Lair of the Tyrant Is Going Full Pirate Mode
Updated on January 17th, 2026, by Rob Baer with all the new previews.
Huron Blackheart just got a slick new mini, but he’s not showing up solo. The Masters of the Maelstrom bring the Badab War flavor, but the real headline is the new Red Corsair Raiders kit, renegade Marines with a clean, gear-heavy pirate look.
There’s also a Lords of the Maelstrom battleforce with Raiders, a Reave-Captain, and a solid Chaos core, plus upgrades and transfer sheets to make it all read “Red Corsairs” fast.
Corsairs Just Got a Real 40k Upgrade
Games Workshop finally threw Aeldari Corsairs a proper bone, and it is not just a single character toss. Prince Yriel is back with a fresh mini and a helmet option, plus the new Corsair Skyreavers are swooping in as jump pack shock troops loaded with weapon choices.
Then you have Kharseth, a Void Dreamer psyker who screams “space piracy, but make it weird,” and a brand-new Vyper kit that actually matches modern Aeldari design. Toss in the Starfang Corsair variant, plus the existing Corsair Voidscarred kit, and the Eldritch Raiders Battleforce starts looking like the easiest on-ramp to a full pirate-themed Aeldari force.
Hour of Ruin Drops Fresh AoS Toys
The Hour of Ruin is handing out shiny new problems for everyone, and three factions are cashing in hard. Ossiarch Bonereapers show up with chariots, a proper ranged option, and stealthy hero-mulchers.
Tzeentch gets a slick new Fatemaster plus Argent Shards terrain to crank the magic phase into full “you sure about that?” mode.
Meanwhile, Lumineth rolls in with a new Lord Regent and battletome tricks built around runes that let them shape the battlefield like it is their personal art project.
New Legio Custodes Reveals: Plastic Auramite Is Back on the Menu
The New Year Preview just dropped a full tray of all-new plastic Legio Custodes, and it is the kind of reveal that makes both Horus Heresy players and 40k folks do a double-take. The Battle Group box looks like a legit starter force, with fresh Custodian Guard and shield-toting Sentinels, a new buildable Contemptor that can go Achillus or Galatus, and enough golden swagger to make your paint station nervous.
Best part for 40k players? A Custodes rules update is slated for later this year, and a bunch of these new kits already look perfect for representing current units.
GW Teased Iron Warriors in 40k too
If you caught the New Year Preview tease and thought, “Wait, was that hazard striping?” yeah, you’re not imagining it. GW flashed bare metal, yellow and black stripes, and a spread of mystery parts that feel way bigger than a token upgrade frame. We’re talking claws, a heavy hammer, a pintle flamer, industrial exhaust-looking gubbins, and what looks like a massive Chaos boot stomping into frame.
GW only confirmed one thing so far: it’s all tied to an upcoming Warhammer 40k supplement called Eye of Terror, due out in a few months. But we know these are all for the Iron Warriors!
Final Thoughts on the GW New Year’s Warhammer Preview
So yeah, this New Year Preview didn’t gently suggest hobby plans. It basically handed everyone a boarding pass and a shopping list. Chaos players get a Red Corsairs glow-up with a new Raiders kit that finally looks like it belongs raiding shipping lanes in the Maelstrom.
Aeldari Corsairs get the kind of support that turns “cool side project” into “whoops, I own an army now,” thanks to Yriel, Skyreavers, Kharseth, and a Vyper refresh that does not feel like it escaped from a past edition.
But don’t worry, the other games all got plenty of support as well!
See All the Latest 40k Rumors Here!
The High Elf Blood Bowl Team is currently in Legends and has no minis. Seems like a good bet. And a Undead Pirate starplayer or an Undead Pirate Team.