![Make Your Own Star Wars: Legion Heroes! Rebel Agent & Officer Set Review [7 Days Early Access]](https://images.beastsofwar.com/2025/12/unboxing-atomic-mass-games-star-wars-legion-rebel-alliance-agent-_-officer-coverimage-225-127.jpg)
New Games Workshop’s Adeptus Mechanicus Released For War
March 27, 2015 by brennon
The forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus have prepared for war and now march from Mars to do battle amongst the stars with some very interesting new models that have divided opinion. See what Games Workshop have to offer as the pre-orders for this new army in Warhammer 40,000 appear on their webstore
40k Chicken Walkers?
First up we have the now dubbed 'chickens' of the Warhammer 40,000 world with the Dragoons and Ballistarii.
These run the gauntlet between a melee focused unit that spears enemies with that glowing Taser Lance (surely it would be better to do a bit more damage than use a Taser?) and the ranged focused walker with its Cognis Autocannons.
Despite what a lot of people have said about them I don't think the models are too bad and after closer inspection I think with the right red and boltgun metal paint job, removing the strange tan colour, you'll have quite the impressive looking force.
Foot Troops Of The Mechanicus
Next up are the troops of the Adeptus Mechanicus in the form of the Skitarii Rangers and Vanguard...
The Rangers look like a more mainstay unit with their rather deadly looking long rifle. I don't mind them once again and I love this clash of metal and heraldry. I could see these being both an easy army to paint and an interesting one for those obsessed with weathering and object source lighting.
The Vanguard look significantly more tooled up and have shunned the hoods in favour of full helmets. They're also carrying more deadly looking weapons into combat that pulse with plasma-like energy.
Have you been won over by the new Adeptus Mechanicus?
"...a melee focused unit that spears enemies with that glowing Taser Lance (surely it would be better to do a bit more damage than use a Taser?)"
Supported by (Turn Off)
Supported by (Turn Off)
"I love this clash of metal and heraldry..."
Supported by (Turn Off)
Looks like the Waco guys have finally lost it.
I certainly haven’t been a fan of everything GW have produced of late, but I think these walkers are fantastic.
The infantry I’d like to see in closer detail, but from what I can make out I think they look very cool too.
I do like the models, my two criticisms would be the weird taser lance just seems odd, but I’d go for the guns so no worries there.
Secondly the rifles of the infantry look like muskets? I thought Mars was at the bleeding edge technology wise so why the old fashioned looking weapons? If it’s just a fluff thing then no worries, and I still like the minis anyway, very nicely detailed from those pics.
There’s a huge amount of sci-fi where the laser/energy weapons look like muskets / have wooden parts.
I read a novel 40K where the less lucky people are given certain weapons which sound similar, one-shot laser weapons which take ages to recharge after a single shot :s
Yep I totally get what you say about being Blanchesque
Really like the infantry, and must say they are reasonably priced for GW .. but 29.50 for that spindly walker, is clearly a joke. Like someone rolled a dice to determine the price.
I actually like the walkers, not the pilots, but if it was just a robot, you could imagine it stalking, swinging its head from side to side like a dinosaur
That infantry is okay but those walkers look really weird.
Truly astonishing models.
Fantastic. If you’re not up for the oldschool Warhammer Blanche look then you won’t like them (in the same manner someone who hates football will hate a football video game).
These are brilliant works of art. Insane. H. R. Giger thrown in as well. Inspired models.
If you don’t understand how this is TRUE Warhammer 40,000, you just don’t *get* it. This sort of imagery is what made thousands of us get into the game in the first place – back in the day when the rulebooks were filled to the brim with insane artwork.
GW can still prove they’re the best in the game. When they can be bothered.
Agree, ironically its the “game” itself GW is sorely lacking in atm.
It’s still Yahtzee with miniatures. Doesn’t really rate as a wargame imo: overly simplistic and abstract, but paradoxically, with more than enough special rules to bog it into frustration. Better systems out there, for sure.
Thats the shame of it all .. It has a universe that deserves a hell of a lot better for rules. It has special rules for just about everything other than factors that makes sense, as someone has mentioned in another thread; Really good sci-fi retains some elements of realism … the game 40k doesnt play even slightly in the realm of real life, its just abstract and random.
Gonna be honest, been writing my own ruleset for a while now so I can play 40K with better rules, as well as use other models from different ranges. That being said, sooner or later, GW are gonna have to pull a finger and make a solid ruleset.
Sounds interesting, anything you want to share eventually? 🙂
At some point late this year maybe :p
I played 1 game of 40k as part of someone’s army and it was some boring, waiting for one person take there turn is boring enough but when you have 2 people to wait for it was game over at the first hurdle for me… Love the minis though
Since this is a miniature war game “getting it” isn’t relevant in any way, shape or form. Blanche may have gotten many people into the hobby but also probably deterred just as many. I gave up 40k some 8 years ago but I know that I really did not like Blanche, with the exception of a handful of his images. Trying to make people who don’t like his visual style appear like they “don’t get it” is just feeble. There is no “true” 40k. It has evolved a long way since the beginning.
I like the walkers. They manage to stay on right side of being detailed rather than busy, which is a rarity for GW in recent years, and I like the design.
I totally agree with Redben. Great models! I saw a robo t-rex not robo chicken lol
Those walkers totally blow. Isn’t there a ‘dust’ mini they stole the idea from?
Definatly, its the allied Honey walker with some extra bits and bobs
Initial thought: bloody stupid!
After some digression and study I actually think these are quite cool. Took me a moment but I do like the walkers and can see them striding across the battlefield in support of the infantry who are quite marvelously sculpted and presented. Quite a nice aesthetic. Thumbs up strangely enough from me.
Mmmmmm, Blanchey 🙂
Maybe I’m going for practicality here but surely it’s not a good idea to have the pilot of you heavy weapon totting support up high, exposed, with very little protection so he can be picked off by any half decent marksman!
I know it’s scifi and there is cool tech that makes improbably things possible, but unless this thing has a power field or some form of counter measures to protect its pilot then that thing, then I don’t think its a cool idea! To me it’s just a little silly!
However I will admit the infanty are good, to cluttered for my liking but they still have a good overall look.
I did wonder if it had some sort of power-field to warrant £30 a model (i.e. it’s not just a fancy sentinel).
But speed over armour seems to be the defence here.
I was assuming it had some kind of powerfield, but haven’t read any rules… Does it not?
I still like the model because it looks like a great mix of early 40K ark with modern model-making tech used well, but I do like figures that don’t look _too_ impossible normally. Hence my assuming it had a powerfield!
…happy thoughts generator 🙂 .
haha 🙂 not to be underestimated
Your happy thoughts generator can’t withstand my laser pointer charged dice!
Ouch! Save on a “1” only. Foiled again 🙂 .
I hope it does because £30 for something that’s a 50-60 points unit is not really worth the purchase when your going to need a few of them!
Or is that now standard for GW now? I haven’t played or bought anything of theirs in years as it’s just too expensive compared to other game systems!
They do have a 5+ coversave as standard (Incense Cloud), and can move an additional 3″ in the move, run and assault phases (Dunestrider). They also have Crusader and Doctrina Imperatives special rules, but I can’t find what those rules are for. They’ll possibly be in next week’s WD.
Definately the best miniatures GW have released for quite some time. If only all 40k was this good.
I really rather like these models, and I concur with @poosh that this is very much core 40K imagery that goes all the way back to the early artwork. You either like it or you don’t, but it is not credible to claim that it doesn’t fit in the 40K universe.
I think both the Vanguard and the Rangers look really good, and I like the eclectic weirdness of the weapons – crafting a high powered energy weapon to look like a musket of jezail is a quintessentially AdMech thing to do.
As for the walkers, I would definitely agree that I prefer the gun options to the tazer lance, but the Ballistarius is a gun platform anyway, and the Dragoon can be equipped with a Radium Jezail (along with a Phosphur Sepentia if you like) in the place of the lance, giving you the option for an interesting unit of mobile light armoured walkers with sniper rifles that can be fired on the move. The tazer lance is only an issue if you choose to make it one.
Really like the models, actually tempts me to come out of retirement for 40k after 7 or so years out of it. However it does kind of sadden me that theres no full on “crazy” tank type vehicle or command unit for them as far as i can tell, would make a nice little army. Do hope it expands quickly even though the price on the walkers seems a little steep. I assume its also supposed to be an addition to an army not standalone though which saddens me.
I don’t mind these figures. I wouldn’t buy the infantry, simply because it’s not an aesthetic that jives with my “vision” of sci-fi, but they actually look cool… in a gothic sort of way. It looks like some effort has gone into the design… a rare event of late when it comes to GW models. Good painting project for those who are into that sort of thing.
The jousting chicken can go, but I’m not entirely unhappy with the other gun-armed one. Gives me a bit of a Star Wars vibe. But I would definitely plasti-card around both crewmen, to armour them up, and to make the whole thing look more functional. It also looks like it could “squat” to present a lower target, so I don’t have a problem with the thing becoming a projectile sponge.
As I stated previously, I got a lot of Robo Gear parts, for much less, to make something similar. Obviously I can’t use those figures at a GW store, but our sci-fi RPG games always happen at our hacienda, so miniatures propriety isn’t an issue. We use what we like.
Oh dear. Just saw that the walker is £29, not $29! That definitely pushes it into the laughable range. Good grief.
The walker really is a sleek design; so much better than the penitent engines, whilst retaining the symbiosis of man-machine meld we have come to love. The colour scheme has also done wonders, and appears very much as a ‘mature’ approach, making it very belieavble as a miniature. The squads are also bursting with detail, as you would expect from a adeptus force. A resounding thumbs up from me
What happened to the KV-2 spider box?
I will be picking up a box of infantry for my 28 mm inquisitor project. Personally don’t like the strider – not a bad model just not keen on the aesthetic. Nice but not wow, long for another wow release from GW – although I do wonder if the weekly release works against that? It more that’s kind a nice, hmm not bad rather than BAM – wow that looks cool as an army effect.
slightly saner pricing @ wayland http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/1934-warhammer-40000
Thanks @hatamoto . I think I’ll stick to my current builds. I can probably get a dozen cool models for about the same price.
I can only echo what other people say; the blanche-esque aesthetic they have going on with these models really does echo what 40k is (was?) about. Especially the walkers whose practicality shouldn’t be looked at too closely (some of the rumoured fluff for this stuff is incredibly oldschool).
Great to see the units sold in boxes of 10 (I am probably going to draw some ire and say it is actually reasonable); maybe a lesson was learned with regards to Scions?
Looking forward to what the rest of the range is tbh. 99% likely I’ll pick some of the stuff up if only just to paint.
Even though there isn’t really a lot in common when you do a side by side comparison, there’s something about those walkers that reminds me of the film “Wizards”.
I love the foot troops, them with the FW stuff will look amazing
some great stuff here 🙂
I have to say the strength 8 initiative 6 on the charge for the Don Quixote walker is pretty tasty
Very nice job with the Walker, a cool design.
I will pass on the walker for the price is not right. I’d be mad to make a full squad at $300! The troops I can live with.
Thought the aesthetic was more Ridic (second film) Necromonger than Blanche.
They don’t personally appeal to me, I do not think they look blanchey at all personally. Blanche’s art is way more weirder and cooler, with that medieval cyber look, scrolls coming out of peoples heads, trailing cables instead of legs, weird floating stuff with peoples bodies nailed to it ect and there is none of that in these models I can see. These guys look more industrial and humanoid. I much prefer Forge World’s Scyllax and Magos miniatures for admech. On a technical level they are good kits though, but not my taste.
Suspect theres some type of “mind altering” substance at work when it becomes just a bit too wierd.
Aw come on! Does this mean I’m gonna have to get back into 40K?!
Obviously, yes. Yes it does. These are astoundingly good.
I really do fancy a couple of sets of the foot soldiers, I’m not sold on the walkers, but the Dune Crawler rumoured for next week sounds interesting too
These models are cool, a pity, I won’t be buying them as I don’t play 40K any more.
That Vanguard vox-caster guy won me over. I wonder what I could do to these to make them Heretek’s…
Hail Chaos!
That Vanguard vox-caster guy just won me over. I would what I could do to make them guys Hereteks…
Hail Chaos!
These would look fantastic combined with a Vostroyan IG force.
I think they have done really well to come up with the Ad Mech look. Nothing like this in my 25 yr collection. Very refreshing, very characterful.
Rumours are these are a mini-codex with a full AdMech following in the way they did AM.
So hopefully much more to come!
Can’t make up my mind with the chickens.
Overall they look cool and the best thing I have seen for a while from GW.
The T-Rex arms don’t look like they have any real function and the guy with the Grandstand camera looks equally redundant. But Don’t mind too much because he is filming the 2:30 at Doncaster.
(You may need to be of an age to know what the heck I am blathering about! lol)
Really quite like the walker, fits really well with how I see the older more advanced and artisan looking tech. The Skitarii I’m not quite so taken by, but that’s purely personal having read Titanicus and Mechanicum. Abnett and McNeill paint a rich picture of the Skitarri as much more imposing and brutal looking in my humble opinion than the standard human sized Vanguard shown here.
They are nice though, just don’t quite fit with my own idea of what the Skitarii look like; too bi-pedal for my tastes. Would have liked to have seen grafted on hard points and a variety of locomotion. Be a great start point for conversion however and the Rangers have a solid ‘Adept’ look about them.
The overall look for the Mechanicum is a solid 8/10 though in terms of heading in the right direction. Much more of the GW of old which is a big thumbs up in my book and I suspect these Ad Mech could be dropped straight into a 30K game very smoothly indeed. Tidy!
I think there are greater tiers of Skitarii, larger ones that models have not been made for (yet). Praetorians for example.
“Harnessing the destructive energies of forge worlds within their weaponry, the Vanguard are so soaked in radiation that even to approach them is to confer a death sentence upon yourself. Victory for them is pyrrhic, as this radiation burns through even their heavy armour plate, slowly poisoning them to death even as their carbines bring about the (much quicker) demise of their enemies.”
The other unit are Rangers (snipers), so neither seem to be the “normal” standard trooper which I assume look more Servator-ish.
lol. Better hurry with your own rules @poosh ! Seems it would take much less time to shoot an opponent, or even chop him with a sword, than it would to stand next to him and hope he comes down with leukemia. Obviously the carrier of the radioactive Chernobyl thingie would perish much sooner than his opponent… that’s bad fluff, even by GW standards.
I really have not played 40k in years, other than one or two pickup games. The new army and models have pulled me back in. I have already pre-ordered stuff….
I am the only one who sees the walker and thinks of gungan cavalry from the awful star wars prequels? The other guys seem to have a flash Gordon vibe going too. Nice to see workshop trying to add new stuff. Rules wise though it looks like codex creeps going strong.
very nice infantry i must say, looks like they scaled them up a bit too? or are they just supposed to be bigger than the average guardsman? hands seems to be smaller, legs longer … “seems to be” from the vid anyway 🙂
Even though I’ve given up on 40k long ago these guys actually make me want to start again. Love the subtle retro look to them. The Dragoon is just awesome. His pose reminds me of the Wizards animated film.
That walker is dorky looking! Looks like they just grab some extra bits and bashed them, Another GW money grab like the Space Wolves sled.
The troops look okay tho, that walkers gotta go!!!
Am I the only person who sees WW2 Garand rifles in the rangers hands?, the Vanguard weapons remind me of the M1 Carbine as well