40k players have noticed that the new Custodes models are bascailly 50% off the price of the old five-man kits, as across the board, Horus Heresy kits can be a better deal for a ton of armies!
Warhammer isn’t a cheap hobby, and Games Workshop has never exactly been shy about that. Most of the time, though, the pricing at least feels like it follows some kind of loose logic. Bigger kits cost more, characters get premium pricing, and larger centerpiece models usually come with a bigger hit to your wallet.
Then you run into something like the new Horus Heresy Custodian Guard, and that idea starts to wobble. Because once you start comparing Horus Heresy models to their 40k equivalents, there are some genuinely wild price gaps hiding in plain sight.
New Horus Heresy Models are a Better Deal for 40k
The big eyebrow-raiser right now is the new Horus Heresy Custodian Guard kit. That box comes in at $73.50 for 10 models. Compare that to the 40k Custodian Guard, which costs $65 for five models, and the math is pretty hard to ignore.
That works out to about $7.35 per Horus Heresy Custodian versus $13 per 40k Custodian. There’s not even a significantly smaller amount of plastic, either; it’s about the exact same.
Same faction, same name, and in this case, the Horus Heresy kit is even a newer sculpt. So naturally the question becomes: why is one box basically half the per-model price of the other, especially when it’s a newer sculpt?
Games Workshop reassured its audience on social media in 2017.
Well, we don’t have an answer for you, but this isnt even the first time this has happened, either with 40k pricing.
Games Workshop can set prices however they want, sure. It’s a luxury hobby, and that has been the reality for a long time. Still, when two kits are this close in size and look, why is one of them such a bargain and the other looks like a toll booth?
Is Plastic Count Really What Determines Games Workshop Pricing?
You’ll often hear the usual defense that pricing comes down to plastic, sprue count, or part count. Sometimes that sounds reasonable. However, for the past couple of years, though, that argument has been looking a little shaky.
Take Tahlia Vedra, for example. That kit clocks in at $165 and includes three sprues. Now put that next to Lord Kroak, another kit with three sprues and fifty-six pieces, compared to Vedra’s fifty-nine pieces.
Lord Kroak is $20 cheaper.
So what exactly are you paying extra for there? Three bits and a slightly larger base? At that point, it starts to feel less like a science and more like Games Workshop throwing darts at a price board.
The sticker price doesn’t always line up with what you are actually getting in the box, and once you spot the pattern breaks, you can make smarter buys. GW tries to base pricing on size and sprues, but sometimes something with even a single sprue can cost the same as something with three.
How to Play 40k Cheap by Buying Horus Heresy Kits
This is the part where hobby brains kick in. If a Horus Heresy model is close enough in size, gear, and overall look to work in Warhammer 40,000, there really isn’t a reason not to use it, especially for casual games, hobby projects, or armies where a little converting adds character.
Obviously, this really only works if you’re playing human or chaos armies. Sorry, Xenos players, you have to look other places.
Here are some of the easiest ways to save money with Horus Heresy model swaps:
Compare Unit Sizes
Don’t get hung up on the label on the box. Look at what the unit actually does and the size.
If a Horus Heresy kit fills a similar battlefield role, has roughly the same armor profile, and stands on a comparable base, it can often slot into a 40k army with very little effort. Custodes are a perfect example.
If one kit gives you twice as many bodies for only a little more cash, that’s worth a serious look.
Use Conversions to Bridge the Gap
A cheaper Horus Heresy box can become a much more distinctive 40k unit with a little kitbashing.
Swap heads, weapons (but still try to have the correct weapons so you’re still playing WYSIWYG), shoulder pads, or backpacks. Add bits from your spare parts pile. Mix in upgrade frames if you have them. Suddenly, you’re not just saving money, you’re building something that does not look like it walked straight off the store shelf with everybody else’s army.
Prioritize the Rule of Cool
At the end of the day, the rule of cool still wins.
If a model looks great, fits your army, and gets the job done without wrecking your hobby budget, that’s usually the right call. A slick conversion or a smart proxy can bring way more personality to an army than a straight retail build anyway.
Why Games Workshop Pricing Feels So Random Sometimes
Trying to reverse-engineer Games Workshop pricing is a bit like trying to explain the Warp. You can study it, map it, and argue about it online for hours, but it still does what it wants.
There are definitely trends. New releases often creep upward. Characters and centerpiece models usually carry a premium. Army popularity can also seem to matter too. But then a box like the Horus Heresy Custodian Guard shows up and blows a hole in any neat little theory.
Final Thoughts from Us: Smart Hobby Spending Beats Blind Buying
If you want to play 40k cheap, the trick is not avoiding cool models. It’s buying smarter versions of them.
Look for boxes that do the same job at a lower per-model price. Compare Horus Heresy kits to 40k kits. Check the sprues, the base sizes, and the battlefield role. Then decide whether a little conversion work can save you a pile of cash.
Because when one kit gives you ten shiny golden warriors for barely more than another gives you five, that’s not just a pricing quirk. That’s your hobby budget waving a giant flag.
And honestly, turning a bargain kit into something unique for your army is half the fun anyway.
See the Pricing of All the New Custodes Here
