Games Workshop are going to be bellowing "Cadia Stands!" this weekend with a new host of releases for Warhammer 40,000 and the Astra Militarum. This is going to be your chance to snap up the new Codex and plenty of those new plastic miniatures for use in the grimdark future.

Lord Solar Leontus // Warhammer 40,000

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Leading the way, we have Lord Solar Leontus who is riding into battle atop his mechanical steed. He is the new supreme commander of the Astra Militarum in the Segmentum Solar and is as much a frontline fighter as he is a strategist and tactician. He is often seen on his aforementioned horse, Konstantine and can be found in the heart of the fighting. He is quite Zapp Brannigan but I think that might make him even more interesting.

There is also another character making her way into the midst of the fighting. Even with the demise of Cadia and the "fall" of her father, Lord Castellan Ursula Creed is as stalwart as ever.

Lord Castellan Ursula Creed // Warhammer 40,000

She can issue multiple orders per turn and make sure that those soldiers fighting under her command do everything they can to defend the Imperium. She's not going to be the biggest powerhouse in combat but what human is in the grimdark future? You'll find most of her strength coming from cunningly issuing the right orders at the right time, and punishing the enemy for their mistakes.

New Astra Militarum Troops

As well as the new characters, there are also some solid new sets of plastic troops for you to use when battling as the Astra Militarum. You can lead the way in the heart of the fighting with this new Command Squad.

Cadian Command Squad // Warhammer 40,000

Keep the spirit of Cadia alive or maybe do some tinkering and turn these into a regiment of your own design. I do quite like the fellow with the cigar in his mouth and powerfist at the ready. I would imagine that works as an effective way to spur on your own troops as well as a way to brutalise anyone who comes near.

The standard Cadian Shock Troops are also going to be coming up for pre-order this weekend, allowing you to build the backbone of your Astra Militarum army. Tanks are great but you need some grunts to secure objectives!

Cadian Shock Troops // Warhammer 40,000

This set comes with plenty of male and female Cadian Shock Troops plus plenty of options for arming them in different ways. You've got some special weapons in the mix plus options for making radio operators and the like. At least then the rest of your army can hear your death screams as you get melted by Tyranids.

Heavy Weapons!

One of the ways that the Astra Militarum can level the playing field is with the use of some heavy firepower. So, you are going to be able to pick up the new Heavy Weapons Squads!

Heavy Weapons Squad // Warhammer 40,000

This gives you options like a Heavy Bolter or a Lascannon which can be used to thin the enemy out or indeed blast them to pieces. They might be manned by squishy meatbags but the guns still do a LOT of damage.

If you want to take things to the next level, you can also play around with the Field Ordnance Battery. Big guns never tire as they say.

Field Ordnance Battery // Warhammer 40,000

As well as being helpful weapons for use against pretty much any enemy of the Imperium, these are probably my favourite kits from the new releases. I like that they come with so many bits and pieces which turn them into fun dioramas or vignettes. These properly add to the pomp and ceremony that you get when fielding a massive Astra Militarum force on the tabletop.

New & Updated Vehicles

Going up yet another level when it comes to firepower, we also have a new and updated Sentinel kit which can be dropped into the mix.

Sentinel // Warhammer 40,000

Equipped for a variety of different situations, the Sentinel comes with a variety of different weapons from brutal plasma cannons to terrifying (and noisy) close combat blades. I'm not quite sure how effective the latter is but I guess I'll eat my words when that is deep in the stomach of a Carnifex.

The last of the big new release is the addition of the Rogal Dorn Battle Tank.

Rogal Dorn Battle Tank // Warhammer 40,000

This is somewhat of a stopgap between the classic Leman Russ and the mighty Baneblade. It is absolutely festooned with guns and is quite the rumbling command post. Much like with a lot of the Astra Militarum sets, this comes with a bunch of extra kit that can be used to personalise your Rogal Dorn to your heart's content. A potential solid option for those that want to put holes in the enemy.

In addition to what we see here, you can also take a peek at the Baneblade, Leman Russ Battle Tank, Primaris Psyker and more over on the Warhammer Community blog post.

A New Codex & More

Rounding things out for the Astra Militarum, we also have the Codex itself.

Codex: Astra Militarum // Warhammer 40,000

The Codex does what it says on the tin. It will contain all of the updated rules for you to use when playing as the Astra Militarum on the tabletop. The cover properly captures the massed ranks of the forces of the Imperium, battling as one to try and keep the enemy at bay. Bring me all the Commissars, please.

You can also get your hands on the new Data Cards...

Datacards Astra Militarum // Warhammer 40,000

...and the Astra Militarum Dice. The cards will help in the heat of battle and the dice are there for the Astra Militarum player who wants to properly represent their army on the tabletop.

Astra Militarum Dice Set // Warhammer 40,000

All of these new miniatures, books and accessories are going to be available to pre-order this weekend. Keep an eye out!

Could you be tempted by the Astra Militarum and a new army?