A leaked 40k Primarch Perturabo model is making the rounds, but hobbyists are spotting red flags fast. Here is why this Iron Warriors reveal feels off…
A new“Perturabo model box leak” is making the rounds, featuring a beat-up package with a brand-new Primarch model pitched as an upcoming 40k release. Some Iron Warriors fans saw the name, and their brains immediately started writing army lists. Rumors about Perturabo have been circling for months, so the timing feels convenient.
The problem: this image has more red flags than a Chaos Space Marines summit.
A New Perturabo Model?
The circulating image shows a boxed product with Perturabo front and center, framed like a modern Games Workshop release. The pitch is simple: “New Perturabo model for 40k, in a new box.”
That claim hits all the right cords for rumors and speculation: Perturabo 40k, Iron Warriors Primarch, Primarch model, Games Workshop leak, the whole deal.
The problem is the presentation screams “not a real retail photo.”
The Packaging Problems That Jump Out
GW boxes tend to look boring in the best way. Clean alignment, consistent printing, crisp corners, and predictable materials. This leak drifts away from that playbook in a bunch of little ways that add up fast.
Off-center logo and layout drift
One of the easiest tells on fake product images is sloppy placement. In the leaked image, the logo looks off-center, and the model image does not sit cleanly in the middle of the box front. GW packaging teams live and die by grid alignment. When a logo is drifting off-center, that is a big neon sign.
The box looks physically wrong
The box looks ripped, bent, and oddly warped to the left. Damage can happen, sure, but the material looks suspect too. The cardboard appears corrugated in a way GW retail boxes typically do not show, at least not like that in normal product shots. A genuine leak can be scuffed. A leak that looks like it was printed on the wrong substrate is a different story.
“Photo” vibes feel like a render
A real box photo usually has consistent lighting and believable depth. AI-generated images and quick mockups often produce strange edge behavior: corners that do not read right, printed surfaces that look too smooth in one area and too messy in another, and shadows that do not match the geometry. The “bent” look, plus the mismatched texture, fits that pattern.
The Model Details Raise Bigger Questions
Packaging can be faked. Model anatomy and trim consistency are harder to fake cleanly, especially on a detailed character like a Primarch.
Leg armor trim inconsistencies
Trim is repetitive by design. On a real sculpt, trim thickness and profile tend to stay consistent across mirrored plates. The leak reportedly shows trim that changes thickness in spots, like the pattern got confused mid-sculpt. That can happen in kitbashes or digital edits. But it can definitely happen in AI, too.
The split thumb issue
Hands are a classic AI failure point. If the thumb looks split, doubled, or oddly merged, that is not “a minor sculpt quirk.” That is a common generative artifact. A real mini can have mold lines, soft detail, or small casting flaws. A weird duplicated digit look is a different category.
Centering and silhouette issues
GW box art photos of models usually feel deliberate. The silhouette reads clean. The pose sits in frame. The leak’s model placement feels off, like it got pasted in without the usual visual polish. That does not prove anything by itself, yet it stacks with the other issues.
Quick Hobby Checklist: How to Spot an AI Fake Warhammer 40k Leak
If you want a fast way to sanity-check the next “huge reveal” image that hits your feed, use this short list.
Packaging reality check
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Are logos centered and aligned cleanly?
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Does the box material look like real retail packaging, not shipping cardboard?
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Do edges, tears, and bends look like natural wear or like image artifacts?
Miniature detail check
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Are repeated details actually consistent (trim, rivets, panel lines)?
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Do symmetry and scale make sense?
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Do hands, faces, and small shapes look “mushy” or indecisive?
Typography and graphic design check
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Does any text look warped, wrong, or subtly unreadable?
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Are fonts consistent with modern Games Workshop packaging?
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Do icons and faction marks look “almost right” but not quite?
AI struggles with clean typography and repeatable mechanical detail. Warhammer models are basically a stress test for those weaknesses.
Is GW Muddying the Waters?
There’s a spicier angle here: GW might be tossing a suspicious “leak” into the wild to jam up the rumor mill right before a big reveal. A messy image can soak up attention, clog timelines, and make real leaks (like we saw with Huron and the 500 worlds books) harder to spot in the noise.
Still, most of the time, a fake leak is just someone chasing clicks and chaos. When a single image shows logo drift, weird box materials, warped geometry, and model anatomy quirks all at once, it looks less like a disrupted reveal plan and more like a rushed fake that got out of hand. But it’s fun to imagine GW doing this to throw people off.
Final Thoughts on the Box?
Rumors about Perturabo in 40k have had legs for a long time, and the Iron Warriors have been primed for a big moment. This image does not prove that the moment is real.
Right now, the safest read is: the Perturabo 40k box leak looks more like a manufactured fake than a genuine Games Workshop product shot.
If today’s New Year’s preview something Iron Warriors-related, we will have real signals to work with. If it does not, this leak goes straight into the hobby bin labeled “nice try.”
