Games Workshop had a free gift for us, as new Warhammer previews started on Christmas Day with new minis to reveal!
The last time Games Workshop did the Advent Engine preview was in 2021, and they capped it off with a massive Christmas Day preview to show off a bunch of miniatures from the calendar. While they haven’t officially announced another big box preview this year, we expect something similar! In 2021, most of the rumors were for two big battle boxes, Eldritch Omens for 40k and Fury of the Deep for AoS. Then, in 2022, we got a teaser for the new Azrael miniature. The Advent Engine is all over the place this year, so we expect some of these to go unsolved for a while.
Games Workshop Christmas Previews 2023
Here’s the latest on all the new Warhammer and 40k miniatures Games Workshop previewed over the holiday in 2023.
- GW Previews What’s Next for Warhammer 40k in 2024
- Warhammer The Old World Launch Boxes Arrive
- GW Reveals New Belial & Deathwing Assault Army Launch Box
- 40k Battle For Macragge Box Returns For One Last Time
- 5 New Miniatures Coming For Age of Sigmar in 2024
- GW Previews New Miniatures for Horus Heresy in 2024
Games Workshop Christmas Previews 2021
Back in 2021, this preview dropped early in the morning on Christmas Day. From the looks of it, this year’s Advent Engine is shaping up to be the same thing.
However, the previews may not be focused on just a few armies this time. Either way, there’s a chance you want to set your watches and let the families know you might need to take about an hour’s break on Christmas morning!
At this point, we have some pretty solid hints for new Death Korps of Krieg, Swooping Hawks, Skaven, Kislev, Chaos, and possibly Death or Slaves to Darkness for AoS. Which means we have at least some idea of what to expect!
The 2020 Advent Engine brought the new Sisters of Battle 9th edition release wave, Cursed City, Soulblight Vampires, Hedonites of Slaanesh, Ordo Malleus Inquisitor, Beastsnagga Orks, Kruleboyz, and Gaunts Ghosts. The last time we got an advent engine was in 2021, and most were linked to Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar.
In 2023, this looks more and more like 2020’s previews, where it’s a lot more mixed, especially compared to the Eldar and Chaos one. So perhaps we’ll see quite the range of factions represented with new models once all these teasers are finally fully revealed!
Let’s rewind to everything covered from the last Advent Engine, then jump into what we could see from another GW Christmas Day preview.
What Was Revealed On Christmas Morning 2021:
Eldritch Omens included 16 miniatures, which were all new except the Maulerfiend! This box contained plenty of new miniatures but didn’t quite cover all the Advent Engines.
Then, the day after Christmas, new Fyreslayers and Idoenth Deepkin arriving in the Fury of the Deep box set were revealed as well. So, whether you play Age of Sigmar, Warhammer The Old World, or 40k, this year, there should be a little something for you!
What Could We See This Year?
The latest Death Korps of Krieg rumors come from Valrak.
The rumors initially were about a brand new regiment coming to the Astra Militarum, but as they get closer, it’s looking more and more like DKoK may be getting the rework. Especially considering they already have a giant Forge World line, we’ve seen the Kill Team, and there’s even a Rumor Engine that could be for them.
While they might not get everything currently from Forge World in plastic, things are looking good for a big refresh. With the Rough Riders coming back to the Guard, we expect that to come over for them, some of the tanks, the characters, and maybe brand new Heavy Weapons Teams.
Not only that, we’ve also seen a banner with a Krieg symbol, and maybe more importantly, we’ve seen a bolter that could belong to Yarrick.
Well, the minefield part is pretty obvious, as the sign just straight-up says it! However, who would use it? Who are masters of trench warfare in 40k? It all points to Krieg!
Someone even said Sappers for Krieg on the official 40k Facebook page, and GW answered, we like your style. This one seems more obvious than some previous rumors if you ask us. We’ve heard rumors for a really long time for DKoK, and after their Kill Team came out, the rumors only intensified.
They currently have the Engineers but in resin. So, we could easily see them rework this kit into less of a mining group and more of actual sappers who put down minefields on the battlefield to protect your units of guard from advancing enemies!
Well, we’re going to say this looks like a banner to us one way or the other, as these symbols look very Imperial! We’ve seen plenty of Death Korps of Krieg rumors and hints in the Advent Engine, so let’s start with the possibility of a banner for them.
While the current banner doesn’t have the little skull in the bottom left, the skull in the shield looks extremely similar. Plus, how would a new Krieg banner not have a little battle damage on it? This model above is still in resin, and we’ve said if they are redoing Krieg, they would have to redo the Command HQ Squad, and it would need a new banner bearer.
New Eldar
The new Swooping Hawks rumors come from the B&C via Valrak.
Aspects:
- New Swooping Hawks (Linked to KT Apparently)
- New Fire Dragons
- New Warp Spiders
Phoenix Lords
- New Asurmen
- New Baharoth
- New Fuegan
- New Warp Spider Phoenix Lord
They have been slowly reworking the Aspect Warriors, as they are all very old kits (other than the reworked ones). So it would be nice to get more of them updated. In every codex release so far in 10th, each faction has gotten a new miniature release. Games Workshop has updated Banshees, Dark Reapers, Shining Spears, and now Striking Scorpions.
If they do these three that are rumored, we’d only be left with a couple of old kits at this point. Most notably, the Dire Avengers (but at least they are in plastic) and the other lesser-known aspects that may not get models. Could we possibly see a DKoK versus Eldar this year?
Chaos Space Marines
Who loves spikes and trim more than the Chaos Space Marines? We can’t really think of anyone, and they have slowly been getting most of their line reworked. However, this is always the option for World Eaters, as they only have a small portion of the models an entire faction should. Lastly, who knows? Maybe this is the year we finally get Dark Mechanicum!
First up, we have the Forgefiend. The rounded back, the spikes, and the age of this model make it a great option. This kit came out over ten years ago, and it would make sense for GW to put out a new model. Especially with Vashtorr out, the daemon engines need some reworks.
The Heldrake is about as old as the Forgefiend and could use a rework. Again, the back piece matches pretty closely with this. While most people aren’t too hyped on flyers right now, this could easily get a new mini.
New Skaven
Well, it looks pretty obvious to be something for Nurgle, and GW even mentioned a sticky book. While it could always be Maggotkin, that arm and nails look much more like a rat to us! We’ve also seen three or four rumor engines that look exactly like Plague Monks (at least to us). Plus, they need an update badly, and maybe we’ll get a huge resurgence of Plague Monks!
The Plague Priest is already modeled very similarly to the rumor, and he’s holding a book! It wouldn’t be too hard to imagine this super old would get a rework. Obviously, this could be for Maggotkin, but when you compare the hands of the models, they look almost identical to the existing models.
Even the regular Plague Monks have a model holding a book. Who would have guessed the rats are more literate than Maggotkin? Either way, this could be great news for all you Skaven lovers out there!
Kill Team
We already saw that Night Lords will be getting a new upgrade kit, but we don’t know the other side of the box; luckily for Drukhari players, the rumors point to Mandrakes as the other half. The Mandrakes will be a completely new kit, and they really need it! While the existing Mandrake unit looks great, it is still in Finecast and is super hard to get (not even on GW’s US site at the time of writing this.)
Most people seem to be currently looking for ways to proxy their Mandrakes, so this is a much-needed change. Let’s just hope you can actually get these ones, and they aren’t paywalled for months. Since we are wishlisting here, could this also be the start of a more extensive range refresh for the Drukhari, as some of the models are quite old, and maybe a new character (come on, just give us Vect)?
Kislev Coming Back to The Old World
This looks like a pretty fancy fur-lined boot. Even better, there is an old Kislev model that matches this exceptionally closely. You can also see in the groin area that this is a pair of bent legs, meaning it’s most likely a cavalry model that is meant to be mounted on top of a horse.
This foot could be either of these old units above. If you ask us, they look more like the Ungol Horse Archers as they don’t have any stirrups, and the boots don’t have any armor. Obviously, it will be reworked a little, so it’s not 100% exact, but it’s about as close as we’ve seen for a rumor engine this far.
It could also be for a new character on a bear! Especially since GW released updated concept artwork for this back in 2020. While there isn’t much about the boots on this drawing, who doesn’t want to ride a bear into battle?
Tomb Kings Army Box Leaked: Warhammer The Old World
The Tomb Kings Army Box pictures were spotted all over, but these come from Reddit.
First off, remember, GW said the game will have plenty of the old miniatures, so don’t expect boxes like this to have completely new stuff inside. Oh, yeah, and these are still technically rumors; while the picture looks very legit, as if someone took it with their phone from what we assume to be the GW warehouse, nothing is 100% true until GW confirms it.
Games Workshop’s Christmas Day previews have become a highly anticipated event for Warhammer and 40k enthusiasts all around the world. While they haven’t officially announced another big box preview this year, based on the rumors and hints from the Advent Engine, we can expect to see a wide range of new miniatures from various factions. The Death Korps of Krieg, Swooping Hawks, Skaven, Kislev, Chaos, and possibly Death or Slaves to Darkness for AoS are just a few of the factions that are rumored to be getting new models.
What do you think about the new Games Workshop Christmas Day Preview hidden in plain sight?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
