GW News: LAS VEGAS OPEN 2025

And all the other plastic kits are returning too. I've noticed that the Spearmen are getting transfers now rather than keeping the old solid stick-on shield emblems:

 

Lastly, for metal models there will be just Korhil, the formerly-Finecast Handmaiden of the Everqueen and the Great Eagles making a comeback:

 

That guy has a rather odd face

 

That is going to make a lot of people very happy. I hear so many people talk about how the Island of Blood figures were good and the fact they never got their individual release as a blow to any elf player.

 

Though of course this lad is the best part of the announcement by far:


Great to have it pretty much confirmed Beasty Boys will be next, and to see our first special character (and his familiar) in all their glory. Shame to hear that Morghur won't be returning to TOW, but according to the Warhammer Community post he's regenerating after the Wood Elves think they've killed him the first time. At least we have his right-hand Beast!

Plus we have this:


Most interestingly, there is a blank slot in the 'More to Come' section... pretty much a confirmation that more factions are planned! That is the best news we could have for TOW, showing that GW have a long-term plan to keep the hype for the game up.

And a bright spark on Facebook has noticed that the faded watermark is part of a Warhammer: Total War artwork of Cathay:



So Cathay is pretty much confirmed for this year. Given that GW originally claimed that we wouldn't be seeing this faction 'for the foreseeable future', this bodes well that they continue to witness TOW's popularity and are making renewed commitments to keep it going.

 

Korhil is a sculpt that's at least 20 years old, so no doubt he isn't perfect, but he is a classic model to those who are a fan of fielding him in a High Elf force.

 

I just looked up some other pictures, seems like this picture makes his face look particularly wonky.
Looking at other pictures, with different angles, the sculpt is fine enough

I screwed around a bit with contrast and such in photoshop, and while the mountains in the background look rather cathay-ish, whatever is going on the foreground seems wrong for Cathay.

 

I've already shown you the part of the artwork that mountain copies, so I'm fairly certain it is Cathay. Here's a wider shot of the artwork (which also features in the TOW rulebook):


All there is in the foreground of the shot you've shown is more mountain. That whole segment is a background shot with nothing directly in front of it.

 

The new SBGL models look really cool. I don't know that the Wight King or VLoZD are super necessary. I think the current dragon model still look good and the current Wight King is one of the newer models already.

Nice to see the armies still being added to TOW. I like High Elves. Good models.

 

The thing that's throwing me off is that all the other tomes have 1 guy square in the foreground, busy looking cool. And so far, it's usually a fairly normal looking guy (So like a captain, or a knight), no monsters. The big yellow splot in the foreground should correspond to that guy. And nothing in that splot looks very cathay-like. I would expect to for example, recognize the fairly distinct tower shields you see in the artwork you just posted. Or maybe one of those lantern balloons. Those are pretty distinct, and should have a pretty clear contrast with the surrounding area if you turn up the brightness.

In fact, looking in the lower right corner I keep seeing the outlines of a skeleton, or at least something that looks like a ribcage and a pelvis. Which isn't very cathay like at all. And the blob to the left of the ribcage splot somehow gives me ogre vibes. Which could work with the mountains as well, given their kingdoms are in the mountains between Cathay and the empire.

Anyways, it's all just squinting and staring at blobs, so not like we can say anything usefull, but I wouldn't assume it confirms Cathay just yet. I fear you might be dissapointed.