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The Gate Masters of the Celestial Cities command the Jade Warriors, Grand Cathay’s elite professional soldiers.
Their training focuses intensely on defending their city’s walls, a skill they share with every soldier under their command.
They serve as a critical conduit for the will of their Lord Magistrate, who grants them unparalleled trust among all their military officers.
The Jade Warriors form the steadfast, professional core of Grand Cathay’s disciplined armies. Named for the sacred stone of the Dragon Emperor, which symbolises the unyielding nature of his vast empire, these infantrymen are renowned throughout the Old World for their exceptional training and exquisite equipment.
Each city-state within Cathay fields its own regiments, arming them with finely crafted hand weapons and shields, or elegant halberds with crescent blades. In battle, they stand as an implacable, emerald wall, against which the chaotic hordes and barbarian incursions from beyond the Great Bastion are destined to break, embodying the unwavering resolve of the Celestial Dragon’s domain.
When I made a trip to Warhammer World in June 2025 I was pleased to see the then new models for the Army of Grand Cathay for Warhammer Old World on display. I really liked the Cathayan Sentinel especially the paint job which made it look like it was terracotta. I also saw a posting on the Warhammer Community site about where Lewis from the Warhammer Studio had painted some Jade Warriors as terracotta warriors.
I started thinking about creating and painting a whole army in this style, so I bought a Cathayan Sentinel and the Grand Cathay Battalion.
I started constructing the Jade Warriors.
There are quite a few parts for each model. You can construct the Jade Warriors either holding swords or armed with halberds.
I noticed that after making them, that they were facing in the wrong direction, so I removed them from their bases and stuck them, now facing the right direction.
Next step will be to make some more models.
A testament to the Dragon’s unparalleled command of the Elemental Winds, Cathayan Sentinels are not merely statues, but colossal, animated warriors brought forth from the very earth.
While popular lore often refers to ‘Terracotta Sentinels’, reserving that specific term for the guardians meticulously crafted from magically charged red earth along the Great Bastion, these towering figures can in fact be fashioned from any stone native to the lands they safeguard.
This allows them to seamlessly emerge from the landscape, adding to their mystique. On the battlefield, their true might is unleashed. They are nigh impervious to the sharpest blade or the heaviest blow, their stone forms shrugging off attacks that would fell a lesser warrior. With each ponderous, powerful swing of their colossal armaments, they are capable of scything through entire regiments, transforming disciplined formations into scattered, broken ranks.
On a recent visit to Warhammer World I took some more photographs of the Cathayan Sentinel.
I have a Cathayan Sentinel on the workbench.
The Land Raider MkIIb is probably my favourite Land Raider variant. I do have one of them in my collection. I knew that if I was going to get a Land Raider it would have to be the Forgeworld MkIIB Land Raider. I did get one in the end at GamesDay 2006. Sadly it was retired from the range.
This Raptors Land Raider MkIIb was on display at Warhammer World in April 2026.
The Mark IIb Land Raider Phobos is one of the earliest marks of the standard pattern of Land Raider, and it still bears similarities to both the Land Raider Proteus and the Spartan Assault Tank that served as the models for the design. The Mark IIb Land Raider Phobos is the only pattern of the standard Land Raider Phobos that uses the older armoured sponsons, as they do not allow the weapons they hold to fully rotate. This pattern of Land Raider is mostly extinct within Space Marine Armouries, having been replaced with newer marks and patterns of the standard Land Raider Phobos. However, some Chapters may still possess one or two as treasured relics of their ancient past.
Go to the MkIIb Land Raider Miniatures Gallery.
I wrote up some reflections on my MkIIB Land Raider, on the current state of the painting and what I needed to do next. In the end I went down a different route.
This beautifully painted hideous Troll Hag was on display at Warhammer World.
Troll Hags are loathsome creatures, far larger and more dangerous than their kin. The sight of one shambling from the water in pursuit of prey, their massive bulk glistening with pungent swamp slime, is truly terrifying.
I nearly bought this model on my recent visit to Warhammer World.
I’ve always liked snotlings, the snotling pump wagon is probably my favourite model of all time. On a recent visit to Warhammer World I picked up a box of snotlings. The box contains 28 individual metal snotling miniatures, which fill four bases to create mobs. There are some wonderful characters in the collection.
The first stage was cleaning the metal castings. I decided I would paint them on the casting sprue and then attach then to the bases.
I used some wooden pegs to hold the castings and make them easier to manage when painting and when drying.
I gave all the models a white undercoat using a Citadel White Spray.
The next stage will be to base coat them, I think I will use a contrast paint on these models.
I’ve always liked snotlings, the snotling pump wagon is probably my favourite model of all time.
On a recent visit to Warhammer World I picked up a box of snotlings. The box contains 28 individual metal snotling miniatures, which fill four bases to create mobs. What is nice is that there are no duplication of miniatures, so you have 28 unique models.
The first stage was cleaning the metal castings. I think I will paint them on the casting sprue and then attach then to the bases.
I decided to use wooden pegs to make them easier to paint (and to remain standing when the paint was wet).
I am thinking of getting some more to use on my Warhammer 40K Ork vehicles, but will paint these ones first.
I’ve always liked snotlings, the snotling pump wagon is probably my favourite model of all time.
On a recent visit to Warhammer World I picked up a box of snotlings. The box contains 28 individual metal snotling miniatures, which fill four bases to create mobs.
The first stage will be to clean the metal castings. I think I will paint them on the casting sprue and then attach then to the bases.
Over on the Warhammer Community site we have news that some Made to Order Classic Orc and Goblin Tribes will be available to order from next weekend.
One set of models caught my eye, and that was the Orc Boyz.
They are not the ones I had in the 1980s, but were probably released in the 1990s.
I am really liking how Games Workshop are going back into their archive and releasing these older models. I like that they are in metal as well.