Tag: cathayan grand cannons

Terracotta Cathayan Grand Cannons

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. After finishing some of those models I started on the Grand Cannon.

Cast in the likeness of roaring dragons, the Grand Cannons of Cathay unleash torrents of flame and iron upon the foe.  Whether saturating a wide front or concentrating their explosive power into a single, devastating projectile for sieges, they remain a cornerstone of Cathayan might.

First models to be made were the crew. I constructed two of the crew first. The third crew member was built, as was the Ogre loader.

I have been thinking about how I will paint the Grand Cannon. The human crew will be terracotta like the Jade Warriors. I think I will also need to reflect on how to paint the Ogre Loaders, who are mercenaries. First thoughts are to paint them as terracotta too. As for the cannon itself, that I think will be more brass than clay. I think a cannon made out of terracotta would explode upon firing.

I think I will landscape the base before affixing the cannon.

I have also gone down the cannon route rather than the Fire Rain Rocket Battery option.

Terracotta Cathayan Grand Cannons

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. After finishing some of those models I started on the Grand Cannon.

Cast in the likeness of roaring dragons, the Grand Cannons of Cathay unleash torrents of flame and iron upon the foe.  Whether saturating a wide front or concentrating their explosive power into a single, devastating projectile for sieges, they remain a cornerstone of Cathayan might.

First models to be made were the crew.

These were a lot easier to construct than the warriors.

I have been thinking about how I will paint the Grand Cannon. The human crew will be terracotta like the Jade Warriors. I think I will also need to reflect on how to paint the Ogre Loaders, who are mercenaries. First thoughts are to paint them as terracotta too. As for the cannon itself, that I think will be more brass than clay. I think a cannon made out of terracotta would explode upon firing. I have also gone down the cannon route rather than the Fire Rain Rocket Battery option.

Next step will be to make some more models.

Terracotta Army of Grand Cathay

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.

Though one model does not make an army, and the other Cathay forces would need painting. 

However… in a recent blog post I noted a posting on the Warhammer Community where Lewis from the Warhammer Studio had painted some Jade Warriors as terracotta warriors.

I decided to do something different and paint a unit of terracotta Jade Warriors to match my Cathayan Sentinel. They were painted mainly with drybrushes, which I intentionally left quite dusty and textured to give the illusion of the hard terracotta. This was followed by washes to provide some deeper shadows, then static grass and foliage were added to give them an ancient feel, as if they’ve just been awoken in Grand Cathay’s time of need.

I started thinking about creating and painting a whole army in this style.

The first box for that army arrived, and it was the huge Cathayan Sentinel. The next box was the Grand Cathay Battalion Box.

In this box you get:

2x Cathayan Grand Cannons or Fire Rain Rocket Batteries
10x Jade Lancers
30x Jade Warriors

Good value compared to buying miniatures separately.

I will be painting the Jade Warriors and Jade Lancers as terracotta.

The Jade Warriors can be assembled as one large unit, two units of 15 warriors, or three units of 10 warriors – each with their own optional champion, standard bearer, and musician. Likewise the Jade Lancers can be assembled as one large unit or two units of five warriors.

I am thinking large units at this time.

As for the Cathayan Grand Cannons I am thinking that the crews should be terracotta in appearance, but not sure about the cannons. Something to think about.