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.