PETA vs. Warhammer 40k: When molded plastic fur sparked a hilarious hobbyist rebellion and GW fired back with perfect in-universe snark.
Originally published in February 2017. Updated on July 14th, 2025, by Rob Baer with more thoughts about the publicity stunt.
In 2017, PETA decided it was time to weigh in on Warhammer 40k. Not on the endless galactic warfare, not the daemonic possession, and definitely not the child soldiers in power armor.
No, they went after plastic fur. That’s right; molded resin cloaks sculpted onto miniatures of fictional murder machines set in the grim darkness of the far future.
Here is how it went down.
The Letter That Launched a Thousand Facepalms
PETA’s letter to Games Workshop asked them to stop using “fur” on their miniatures, arguing that portraying animal pelts sends the wrong message. Their concern was that these barbaric faux fashion choices were normalizing animal cruelty, even if those animals were imaginary and the fur in question was literally molded plastic.
Spikey Bits Fires Back With Green Stuff
Meanwhile, Olivia Jordan from PETA had sent the press release to Spikey Bits. Rob didn’t just read the email; he replied with a pretty fun response, poking fun at the whole thing!
He thanked them for the idea, said it was perfect for a Monday, and wished them all the best with their “publicity stunt.” Hours later, we put out a few tutorials on how to sculpt fur cloaks with green stuff. That’s one way to double down.
Games Workshop Breaks the Silence… Kinda
For a while, GW didn’t say a word. Radio silence. That is, until they slipped a little jab into The Regimental Standard, their satirical Astra Militarum propaganda blog (unfortunately, since deleted). But, luckily, we have the screenshot.
They responded in-universe, stating that wearing fur from defeated enemies was not only against uniform regulations but also spiritually corrupt. Soldiers were instructed to burn any pelts found on the battlefield to avoid “sending the wrong message.”
Subtle? Not at all. Effective? Absolutely.
Why This Still Matters
This wasn’t just about fur. It was about how outside groups can misunderstand hobby spaces. Nobody’s out here clubbing seals to make a Space Wolf cape. We’re using modeling putty, creativity, and a love of lore to build characters that look like they belong in a brutal sci-fi universe.
PETA took aim at something that didn’t exist in the way they thought it did, and the hobby community responded with humor and clarity.
This whole thing was obviously a publicity grab, plain and simple. Just look at what the PETA UK director, Elisa Allen, told the Yorkshire Press about this crusade to ban plastic fur.
“We’ll sleep a little more easily tonight knowing that we’ve managed to get a quarter of a million people to visit PETA.org.uk in the days since we sent our letter, because – whatever their reason for doing so – they’ll now know more about the cruelty behind fur.”
Seriously? Congrats, you pulled in a quarter-million clicks, but what did that actually do for your cause? Most folks showing up aren’t exactly clapping. If you look through the (since deleted) comments on their original article, you’ll see it — about 95% were slamming it.
This is a world that is completely full of war where people will literally kill a whole planet, and they wouldn’t wear rare fur pelts to show riches? PETA get your priorities straight and deal with real animals.
Games Workshop has not stopped sculpting fur on their models either, judging by releases in 2025.
The Hobby Isn’t Your Soapbox
How much cash and time did PETA burn to pull in a quarter million clicks?
That energy could’ve gone toward, you know, doing something useful for animals.
And really, where are all these Warhammer players draped in fur at events? Show us the proof, then explain how going after plastic toy soldiers is somehow helping your cause.
Miniatures are not your billboard. The 41st millennium is a setting where war crimes are Tuesday morning, and planet-wide genocide is just background noise. If we’re drawing lines about morality, molded fur isn’t the hill to die on.
So props to GW for playing it straight-faced in-character. Want to sculpt fur on your Khorne Berserker? Do it. Want to leave it off your Dark Angels? That’s fine too.
But don’t let anyone guilt you into thinking plastic cloaks need ethics panels.
Final Thoughts From Us
We love animals. We really do. Most hobbyists would rather hang out with their cats than with most people. But we also love lore, creativity, and letting our miniatures wear whatever dramatic nonsense they want.
PETA came for the fur. What they got was a masterclass in how not to mess with hobbyists.
Watch out, Khorne—you’re up next! There’s been way too much blood spilled for the Blood God. That’s just plain mean to all those fictional characters. Can someone get the Red Cross on the line?
How To Speed Sculpt Fur Cloaks with Green Stuff
Do you remember when PETA took aim at Warhammer and GW?
