New Adeptus Mechanicus Kastelan Robots On Pre-Order For 40k
May 9, 2015 by brennon
It's Saturday morning and as well as meaning you get to watch The Weekender it also means it's the new pre-order launch window for Games Workshop. This time we're looking at the Kastelan Robot launch for the Adeptus Mechanicus of Warhammer 40,000...
Danger Will Robinson!
The set contains two of the big robots that (once again) I think suffer from the paint scheme that Games Workshop have gone for but are otherwise quite nice retro looking pieces of kit. You also get the handler for said Robots who looks awesome.
I'm still not sold on the rounded surfaces instead of janky angles and lots of exposed wire but I suppose the Adeptus Mechanicus know what they're doing when it comes to building battle ready technology. You can however buy a massive amount of them if you REALLY want to with Score Cybernetica...
The Adeptus Mechanicus has won over a lot of people recently so do you think you'll be taking the plunge?
Let us know!
"I suppose the Adeptus Mechanicus know what they're doing when it comes to building battle ready technology..."
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Those are rather nice.
I like the retro styling of these new mini’s from GW but I’m not so sure they fit the look of the army.
I agree with jay188.
The robots look more ‘Fall Out’ 1950s retro than 40k grim dark.
Why on earth would any one want to buy 10 of exactly the same kit for exactly 10 times the price?
Do you have to write combat protocol programs for the robots like you did back in RT?
(That was cool in a very geeky way.lol)
Forge World’s Castellax look much better, so I won’t be buying these. The handler looks good and if he was a separate clam pack I’d be buying, but sadly he’s not.
Just to be boring and repeat what others have said… I like the handler a lot.
The robots themselves look pretty bad – at least in terms of fitting in to the army. I could imagine using them in a different game however.
Shame. I think they’re the first real mis-step for the Mechanicus army.
Well the robots are not supposed to fit the general mechanicus look, since they predate even the imperium, and hail from the dark age of technology.
That’s an entirely reasonable point. My answer is a very unreasonable ‘you’re right, but to me it doesn’t look like it fits the army’.
Perhaps if it had looked even more out of place I would like it better… Then it would look much more like something undoubtedly from a different time and place. As it is, if suffers from looking similar enough to the rest of the Mechanincus stuff to look out of place because it doesn’t properly fit in.
I only read the background to them this morning myself and their look makes a lot more sense to me now. I did think they looked a little dodge but the idea of the Mechanicus recycling and fielding ancient tech that they barely understand really appeals to me. Fits the fluff nicely.
I’m not so keen on the look of the robots, but judging from the sprue’s, the kit itself presents plenty of opportunity for conversion work, and I think the handler on his own is a really nice model.
I might be tempted to buy a set of these, if only to experiment and see how versatile the kit is.
The datasmith gets lost in its own detail. Robots: just OK.
I think the robots are ok but i don’t like the visor / head and the over the shoulder weapon looks a bit limp but overall I don’t actually mind these too much with a small bit of conversion work.
I still have to roll my eyes at that army deal though from GW, they are completely on another planet I think.
The fella in the skirt looks like he has a Cyan/Magenta/Yellow toner cartridge stuck to his front.
For all we know that may very well be what’s on his front. This is the Mechanicus we’re talking about LOL.
++ PAPER JAM ++
++ INITIATE EXTERMINATUS PROTOCOL ++
Perhaps it is just me being contrary, but I rather like the robots now that I have seen them in greater detail and in the 360 degree rotation images on the GW website. As @nosebiter says, the fluff for these things specifically makes the point that they are ancient even by the standards of the archaic-technology-obsessed Mechanicus, and may be the single oldest type of warmachine still serving in the Imperium’s armies, predating even the Imperial Knights (the fabricator general of Mars may have an Iphone somewhere mind you). They quite literally are supposed to hail from an entirely different… Read more »
I think a different colour scheme would very likely help. I quite fancy seeing them in baroque gold. Actually, and although I stand by my comment about not liking them as part of a Mechanicus army, the more I look at them (being featured at the top of the ‘Breaking News’ column on the right helps here), the more I do like them. I can imagine using them in a Rogue Trader-esque gang of criminals, gangsters, looters and misfits. So not so much in a Mechanicus army, but in the 40K universe anyway. When I look at them not alongside… Read more »
Hearing you talk about the Kastelans in a non-Mechanicum context put me in mind of the ABC warrior from the cheesy 90’s era version of Judge Dredd with Sylvester Stallone as the eponymous Judge and Armand Assante as his clone twin/arch enemy Rico (don’t ask).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhuqlPZMe90
I’m pretty sure the robot was the better actor in that scene…
Actually, when I started thinking about old 40K and using these robots out of the Mechanicus setting, I too thought of the ABC warriors!
(background : ‘Steptoe & Son’ theme song)
Aren’t robots banned at this point? I thought AI was not to be trusted by the Imperium ?
I don’t really like them but they do seem to be exactly what they should be.. which is confusing.
They really feel like something from the past i.e. more advanced than the standard 40K tech. 40K is the Dark Age of Technology after all … so these Robots from the past should be more sci-fi i.e. robots that we’re accustomed to seeing in sci-fi movies etc.
The fluff covers that @poosh – these robots do not have anything approaching fully functional AI, but instead simply mindlessly follow the instructions contained in doctrina wafers slotted into a port located under part of their chest armour. In the background, this means that they will march off a cliff unless instructed otherwise, and should their handler be killed while purge protocols are in effect, they will pretty much kill everything that moves until they are destroyed or everything else is dead. That said, once given their instructions they are all but unstoppable and make excellent shock troops and terror… Read more »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG60NMeh3I4
Hmmm… green Kastelans? That could work… 😉
I like these. I think I am going to buy a few to use as heavy support mechs for my WGF shock troop army. Something to give them a little more firepower when facing other factions in my World War Mars games.
Also, looking at the sprues, I think the heads will be easy to swap/convert since they look like separate pieces.
those robots look like toys that you get from the dollar rama store. not interested one bit.
Is it just me or does the phosphor blasters built into the arms look like the old GW paint pots? So far, I haven’t really liked any of the new Mechanicus releases. I guess its not how I pictured them from reading the novels and fluff. The Mechanicus is supposed to be the most technologically advanced faction for the humans and build all the weapons, vehicles, and ships for the Imperium of Man. Yet, they look so retro and clunky.
I’ve just realised what’s bugging me about the handler:
The robe.
That’s the most unconvincing attempt at fabric I’ve ever seen.
Unless the AM are heavily into searching their robes, in which case, the sculptors totally nailed it.
I think you’re exaggerating a super amount lol but you are right actually about it being dodgy and come to think of it the new mounted Farseer model has a similar odd fabric sculpt as well (his arms).
Thats what struck me as well, the robes (and the very ugly looking subtle highlight where the knee cap underneath is) .. looks like hes wearing a hammered out metal cone for a robe. Premium sculpting @ premium prices!
/find “searching”
/replace with “starching ”
Dammit autocorrect! You have one job to do! How many times do we have to have this conversation?!
gotta say it.. worst minis I have seen gw produce. they really need to take a look at forgeworld and get their finger out. The handler looks good but that’s about it
These look a lot like some Epic 6mm robots they used to have!
Top marks for the retro points, although the price is rather high.
Not sold on the heads but I do like the rest, I much prefer the Forgeworld varieties of stompy death robots though.
Although a Mega ancient topic, was just looking at my WD 104, and these Kastelan robots are the exact Castellan class robots from the 80’s.
Will be interesting to see if the Conqueror and Cataphract class are introduced.