Tag: cathayan sentinel

Going all terracotta

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.

Well…

The first box for that army arrived today, and it was the huge Cathayan Sentinel.

Cathayan Sentinels are massive animated statues brought to life by Dragon-tier elemental magic. These behemoths are terrifyingly durable and possess immense striking power, capable of clearing out enemy formations with ease.

This is how the Warhammer Studio painted their model.

So, the first stage will be store the box in the garage for a few years….

Sorry, no, the first stage will be to build the model.

Terracotta Warriors

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… I was intrigued by a recent 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.

Lewis went on to say:

This is a great way to get a unit painted quickly. I even contemplated painting a whole army in this style, but I prefer the idea of having a unit or two done like this, given context by the surrounding army of living, breathing warriors.

 I started thinking about creating and painting a whole army in this style. I think the use of grass and foliage would enhance and break up the muddy look of a terracotta force, which would otherwise could be quite bland.

Thinking about it.

There are some guides out there from the community on how to paint terracotta, so useful help there.

Army of Grand Cathay

I made a visit to Warhammer World in June 2025, in the display cabinets were the new models for the Army of Grand Cathay for Warhammer Old World.

Charged with the defence of the Great Bastion, the Armies of Grand Cathay are experienced and battle-tested warriors. For centuries, they have kept the legions of the Ruinous Powers at bay. Though the Empire of the Celestial Dragon lies far from the nations of the Old World, Cathayan merchants have plied the ocean waves for hundreds of years, and vast armies of Jade Warriors and Lancers pledge to fight alongside or against the armies of the west in times of peril.

Since I started playing Warhammer Fantasy back in the 1980s I al ways liked the idea of a Cathay army, now we have the models. I really like the Cathayan Sentinel and the Sky Lantern.