Tallarn Rough Riders. With Games Workshop taking the full Warhammer 40,000 range off sale this month (see News ) things will be pretty scarce for the game for a while and the last official release before the new 3^rd edition comes out is the Tallarn Rough Riders. The old Rough Rider figures were among the least popular of all the Imperial Guard range and I was completely surprised when I learned a few months back that Games Workshop was planning to update the Rough Riders for all the Imperial Guard forces. The first of these mounts the desert world dwelling Tallarns on horseback. Of course it has long be known that Bedouins and Arabs make excellent horsemen and this seems to fit in with the entire Rough Rider idea very well.

The range of miniatures are very similar to the old Mongol style Attillan Rough Riders in fact the legs are identical as well as the lance arms that go with the miniatures. The only real difference is that of the torsos of the figures, having been re-sculpted by Michael Perry . The feel of the miniatures is excellent and they seem to fit right in with the rest of the Imperial Guard forces. Painting is simple and best perhaps kept to sand or neutral colours. As with the original figures, care must be taken when assembling the miniatures as the lance arm is pretty brittle and can snap off part way down the lance with little or no warning. Animation is very fluid and the whole range looks as if it would swoop down from the sand dunes at any moment.

Overall a good way to end a range of miniatures. I look forward to the new ranges in the Autumn.

Legion of the Damned. Boxed Set. £20.00. Designed by Jes Goodwin and the Citadel Design team.

The Soldiers of the Empire mark the latest in a return to basics for Games Workshop. If you have been playing Warhammer for over 10 years then you will perhaps remember the old Warhammer Regiments boxed set that used to grace gaming tables everywhere. 60 well sculpted plastic miniatures for £10 was a real snap of a bargain and many gamers where justly upset when the range went off sale a few years back.

Last year Games Workshop released the first in a range of plastic Warhammer Fantasy miniature boxed sets with each box containing enough miniatures for an entire regiment. The first of these was the Chaos Warriors which gave us a complete set of plastic figures along with metal bodies for the Champion, Musician and Standard Bearer with lots of spare parts left over.

Now its the turn of the Empire troops to get a long deserved make over. The box contains enough parts to make a full regiment of 16 miniatures as well as the metal components to make the special models. You can assemble the miniatures in a wide variety of ways and a large choice of heads and arms is given to place on the different torsos and legs. Other accessories include swords, feathers, hats, and even water bottles that will give the regiment a unique feel when assembled.

You have the option of arming your troops with halberds or swords and a neat idea is the devices on the shields (the emblems) are also made from plastic and just pop into the shield, cutting out the need for transfers. Given the amount you get in the box, I was very surprised that Games Workshop have set the price so low. For only £10.00 you get what must be one of the best bargains around

As for assembly? Well the figures go together with little problems, but I would recommend that you take your time and don't rush the process as the torso’s have a tendency to slip if you aren’t careful and all your work could be in vain. Painting is as simple or complex as you wish to make it, but bearing in mind that the figures are just the average levy one would find in an army and perhaps conscripts I wouldn’t go to much overboard on the detail.

The next in the releases should be the Skeleton Regiment, closely followed by the Night Goblins and Skaven. I have seen a Skeleton sprue up close and can tell you that a lot of gamers are going to want to swap to an Undead army when this set comes out, as they are so well sculpted that they put any other Skeleton miniatures to shade. This months 'Gem of the Month'!

Overall 10 out of 10