Games Workshop revealed its latest Warhammer releases, featuring new 40k Made to Order, Old World, and Horus Heresy products hitting pre-order this week.
That’s right, Games Workshop announced its latest pre-orders this week for Warhammer Old World, featuring tons of new Grand Cathay Rules, Models, and new Mechanicum kits for the Horus Heresy as well.
Here’s the full lineup, along with our thoughts on all the new products available to pre-order soon.
- Grand Cathay gets a “real army” bundle: Defenders of the Great Bastion drops for pre-order Saturday, Feb. 28 (about 1 p.m. EST), with a March 14, 2026, release.
- Horus Heresy Mechanicum wave hits too: Myrmidon Destructor Host, Skitarii Battle-Pilgrym Marshal, Battle-Pilgrym Corpus, and the plastic Vultarax Stratos-Automata bring heavy firepower, flexible squads, and nasty angles.
- 40k Made to Order nostalgia trap: Kaptin Badrukk and Ammo Runts return as GW Made to Order; the window closes 8:00 am GMT on March 9, 2026 (fulfilled within about six months).
Warhammer The Old World Pre-Order: Grand Cathay Releases
These products will be available for pre-order on Saturday, February 28th, around 1 p.m. EST in the States, with a shelf release date of Saturday, March 14th, 2026.
If you’re still waiting on something else to hit pre-order, though, be sure to check out the latest new release lineup in our updated Warhammer Roadmap for 2026.
Defenders of the Great Bastion Army Reinforcement Set Pre-Order
This is the “your army has a theme now” bundle for Grand Cathay. The key here is flexibility; you get magical support, cheap bodies, and multiple flavors of ranged firepower in one package.
Included units and highlights:
- Two Astromancers: one on foot (great for babysitting your core infantry), one mounted (perfect for keeping pace with faster elements like Jade Lancers). They manipulate Elements of Yang and Elements of Yin, which means you are not just bringing more damage, you are bringing more control.
- Thirty Peasant Soldiers: straight out of the villages, armed with warbows or long spears. These are the “hold ground, screen threats, score points, be annoying” troops that make the rest of your list function.
- Eight Crane Gun Teams: long-range threat with tower shields for protection. These read like your “stand still and delete something important” unit.
- Twelve Iron Hail Gunners: closer-range brutality with blunderbusses that are built to shred ranks.
Why This Box Matters on the Table
Grand Cathay wants a combined-arms identity, and this box leans hard into that with:
- Astromancers help your army play smarter, not just louder.
- Peasant Levy gives you board coverage and objective play without spending your whole points budget on “real” troops.
- Crane Guns and Iron Hail Gunners cover opposite ranges, so your opponent does not get to solve your shooting plan with one simple move.
If you are looking expand your current army, this is the sort of box that turns “I have some Cathay models” into “I have a list.”
Arcane Journal: The Breaching of the Great Bastion
If you pick up the reinforcements, you will want the rules support in Arcane Journal: The Breaching of the Great Bastion. This book includes rules for:
- Astromancers
- Crane Gun Teams
- Iron Hail Gunners
- Peasant Levy
That matters because a reinforcement box is only as good as the rules that let you field it properly.
Lore and Narrative Hook: The Battle of Nan-Li
Beyond rules, this book leans into Grand Cathay’s identity and the Great Bastion’s “hold the line” energy. The big narrative carrot is rules to fight the legendary Battle of Nan-Li on the tabletop, including a defensive showdown against the Warriors of Chaos.
If you are a narrative player, this is the kind of book that turns your army from “painted units” into “a story that keeps escalating.”
New Horus Heresy Pre-Orders: Mechanicum Releases
New pre-orders are here for The Horus Heresy Age of Darkness, bringing a tidal wave of excitement for all 30k players out there!
Myrmidon Destructor Host Horus Heresy Pre-Order:
If your Mechanicum list ever looks at a target and says, “I do not have a clean answer for that,” the Myrmidon Destructor Host is basically the logical response.
Loadout options:
- Irradiation engine for melting infantry
- Darkfire cannon for cracking armor
- Shock charger for close combat crushing, because the Mechanicum is nothing if not committed to overkill
Hobby bonus: two head options (bare or hooded) and interchangeable servo-skulls across the six miniatures means you can build them as a coherent unit or make each one feel like a different flavor of nightmare.
Skitarii Battle-Pilgrym Marshal: The Weird, Wonderful Toolbox Character
This Marshal is the kind of leader model hobbyists love because it screams, “I have opinions about relics and I will enforce them with violence.”
Weapon options include:
- Voltlock handgun or archaeotech pistol
- Auctorit sceptre, phase claw, or corposant stave
Three head options also means you can run multiple Marshals without the awkward “clone army” look.
Skitarii Battle-Pilgrym Corpus:
The Corpus is a unit that gives you actual choices instead of fake choices.
- Sixteen miniatures
- Can be fielded as one big unit or two units of eight
- Each smaller unit gets an Ordinator squad leader
- They fit inside a Triaros Armoured Conveyor, which is the kind of detail that makes list builders grin because it turns into a real plan: load up, roll out, claim objectives, and secure “juicy bits of lost technology” before the enemy can stop you.
They are armed with voltlock arquebuses, pitched as devastating anti-infantry weapons, so they are not just passengers; they are also a moving threat.
Vultarax Stratos-Automata: Air Cover With Teeth
The new plastic Vultarax is described as a floating weapons platform, and it absolutely reads like a unit designed to solve positioning problems:
- Arc blaster for suppression
- Airburst for horde clearing
- Shaped charge missiles for punching tanks
- Vicious talons for anyone who gets brave
Speed and flight mean it can get angles that ground units cannot, and that is often the difference between “nice guns” and “winning games.”
Loyalist or Traitor Friendly, Paint What You Want
The new Mechanicum miniatures are noted as having no allegiance-specific markings, so you can run them whether your force is loyal to the Emperor-as-Omnissiah idea or you are on team “false prophet.”
That is excellent news for hobbyists because it means your paint scheme can stay personal, and you are not locked into one side’s iconography.
40k Made to Order: Kaptin Badrukk and Ammo Runts Return
These models are available exclusively as a Made to Order release directly from Games Workshop. These items are usually fulfilled within 180 days (6 months) of their availability window. So, if you want them, get your orders in by then!
Kaptin Badrukk: The Freebooter Legend Lives On
Badrukk is the kind of classic model that instantly adds character to an Ork collection. He is packing Da Rippa, and he comes with Legends rules. You can also use him as a Warboss in the Freebooter Detachment from The Maelstrom: Lair of the Tyrant, or simply as a centerpiece model that screams “pirate nonsense, but dangerous.”
For 40k players, this is mostly about flavor and collection value, plus a nod to Freebooter fans who like their Orks loud, flashy, and interested in shiny gubbins.
Ammo Runts: Tiny Models, Maximum Personality
Ammo Runts do what grots do best: keep the big lads supplied and add comedic menace to your army’s vibe. They can be used to add character to a Gretchin squad, or support units like Nobz or Flash Gitz.
These are the models you toss on the base, then later realize they are everyone’s favorite detail.
Made-to-Order Deadline
Both Kaptin Badrukk and Ammo Runts are available for made-to-order until 08:00 am GMT on 9 March 2026.
This Week’s Warhammer Pre-Order FAQs
What is in the Defenders of the Great Bastion Army Reinforcement Set?
It includes two Astromancers (one on foot, one mounted), thirty Peasant Soldiers with bow or spear options, eight Crane Gun Teams, and twelve Iron Hail Gunners, designed to expand Grand Cathay with magic support, bodies, and shooting.
Where do I find the rules for the new Grand Cathay units?
Rules for Astromancers, Crane Gun Teams, Iron Hail Gunners, and Peasant Levy are in Arcane Journal: The Breaching of the Great Bastion, which also includes lore and a narrative scenario for the Battle of Nan-Li.
What does the Myrmidon Destructor Host do in Horus Heresy?
It is elite Mechanicum infantry built for heavy firepower. Each model can be armed for infantry clearing or anti-armor punch, and they also bring close-combat crushing with shock chargers. Their rules are in Journal Tactica: Skitarii – The Steel Hand of Mars.
Can the new Mechanicum models be used for Loyalists or Traitors?
Yes. The minis are described as having no allegiance-specific markings, so they fit into either side thematically, depending on how you build and paint your force.
When does the made-to-order window close for Kaptin Badrukk and Ammo Runts?
They are made to order until 08:00 am GMT on 9 March 2026.
Quick Buying and Hobby Tips
- If you are starting or expanding Grand Cathay: The reinforcement set is a strong “one purchase, many problems solved” option, especially because it adds magic, bodies, and both long and mid-range shooting.
- If your Mechanicum needs punch: Myrmidon Destructors plus Battle-Pilgryms gives you a nasty combo of elite damage and flexible troop presence, with the Vultarax providing angle abuse and threat projection.
- If you collect Orks for style: Badrukk and Ammo Runts are pure character, and made-to-order windows are not the time to play chicken with your future self.
Final Thoughts from us on New Warhammer Old World, and Horus Heresy Pre-Orders
Whew, that is a pretty loaded pre-order week for Horus Heresy, Warhammer Old World, and even 40k, and it hits three totally different hobby lines at once.
So if you are building Grand Cathay, the Defenders of the Great Bastion set is the kind of box that stops your collection from feeling like “cool models” and starts making it feel like “an army with a plan.” Magic support, bodies to actually play the board, and shooting that covers both long lanes and mid-range brawls is a combo you do not usually get this clean in one grab.
For the Horus Heresy, this wave is straight-up candy. Myrmidons for solving problems with unreasonable force, Battle-Pilgryms for flexible board presence, and a Vultarax. Plus, the no-allegiance-markings detail is a quiet win for anyone who does not want their paint job locked to one side forever.
And if you are here for 40k nostalgia and pure shelf charisma, Made to Order Badrukk and the Ammo Runts are the definition of “buy it now or regret it later.” Legends rules or not, those sculpts are peak Ork personality, and the made-to-order clock is always louder than you think.
So yeah, February 28 is the shopping day, March 14 is the payoff day, and March 9 is your “do not procrastinate” alarm for the Ork stuff.
See The Latest Warhammer Old World Roadmap here
What do you think of the new Warhammer Old World and Horus Heresy pre-order releases for this week?
