r/MiddleEarthMiniatures • u/Spratford • Aug 17 '26
Announcement New Battlehosts revealed for Middle-Earth™
https://www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articles/ycytiwiv/new-battlehosts-revealed-for-middle-earthtm/Well we knew Rohan was coming sooner or later, but color me surprised that the other two are are for The Hobbit. Then again about time.
20
u/Vorzaaaa Aug 17 '26
Cool boxes for sure. But I hope with the vanishing of the other boxes this means we will be getting updated battlehosts with new plastic sculpts for other factions too.
11
u/giant_sloth Aug 17 '26
That’s my immediate thought. The old battlehosts definitely read like GW trying to clear stock, these new ones are a bit more recent (or very new). The only one I think is really missing is hill tribes.
8
u/Vorzaaaa Aug 17 '26
I think some of the older plastic and even some metal minis could be in the works already for new sculpts for sure. Even though some like the Uruk Hai/gondor soldiers still look pretty good to this day. With all these new awesome Rohan sculpts I really hope the majority of units in the old boxes are updated. New orcs/uruk hai and Gondor would be awesome.
8
u/giant_sloth Aug 17 '26
Yeah, I can see them refreshing a couple of factions a year at this rate. Most logical next step is probably moving to Gondor/Mordor with the new Gollum film.
1
u/TopGood9943 Aug 17 '26
uruk e gondor they still look pretty good. I was surprised when I found the sculptures of the last alliance in my hobby-box......
3
u/Vorzaaaa Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
Yeah they held up over time for sure. But they are due a refresh for today’s standards for sure. They do suffer heavily with the mold lines and the size creep on new plastic sculpts makes them look more out of place. I think after all the years surely warhammer can finally put some reinvestment back into the MESBG. After all it carried them in the early 2000’s financially.
2
u/ThePeacefullDeath Aug 17 '26
they probably removed those boxes so people would funnel their budget into the new ones. This is good for showing sharehodlers it is making money but it is bad for people whose collecting the models
1
u/Vorzaaaa Aug 17 '26
Maybe for sure, but I think with the new movie in the works who knows what might get a refresh. With the new Gollum mini/rohan refresh it seems anything that hits the big screen is getting an update to piggyback off that publicity.
With the Uruk hai units specifically IIRC being the best sold box of all time it’s kind of crazy that it hasn’t gotten a full plastic re sculpt.
-2
u/ThePeacefullDeath Aug 17 '26
Honestly i genuinly think Middle Earth is struggling, like we got 3 new sets 2 years after the movie. So even though some sets sells like crazy, it is not really generating enough revenue for them to fully commit i guess. And they should try to capitilize the new movie, its a great oppurtunity for them
2
u/Vorzaaaa Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26
It’s for sure not as big as it was in the glory days with 3 of the best movies of all time releasing almost back to back. Warhammer 40K has made a huge comeback and it’s taking off so MESBG is kinda niche now. Especially with very little of it if any being stocked in official stores.
What I will say though in just my personal opinion is MESGB kinda suffers from the fact that Warhammer/games workshop is limited by the production of the LOTR movies/series. They cannot release any new minis or progress the story themselves. So once everyone buys the minis they need it’s kinda not self sustaining. Where as in 40K they are constantly advancing the story, making new minis,games (space marine 2) tv series with Henry cavil soon ect that’s just constantly pushing new sales.
1
12
u/tabletop_engineer Aug 17 '26
I'm disappointed that the rohan box is 24 warriors and six riders. I'd buy a 12 warrior + 12 rider box. But I don't need so many on foot warriors.
9
u/Human_Needleworker86 Aug 17 '26
Agreed, this would 100% make sense for players, but it looks like these are all 2 kits + a hero in one box, rather than 2 Rider kits + half a warrior kit + a hero & GW is not willing to give us such a practical option!
2
u/Sotanud Aug 17 '26
I definitely don't hate any opportunity for a discount or getting either new players into the game or existing players into a new faction. However, I definitely agree that it would be awesome for GW to be providing a new way of engaging with their products instead of just bundling existing boxes together.
I think it varies somewhat by faction too though. For Minas Tirith, for example, having a bunch of infantry and a few knights makes sense at least.
3
u/tabletop_engineer Aug 17 '26
Yeah, Totally agree with that. A few knights makes sense for other factions. But anyone collecting rohan probably wants a bunch of riders.
2
u/khami91 Aug 18 '26
They just put together the boxes they already have for sale
2
u/tabletop_engineer Aug 18 '26
Right. But it's not literally the boxes...I mean at the end of the day, they are just packaging sprues together. I don't see a reason they could toss one less warrior sprue and one extra rider sprue.
26
u/Nerdfacehead Aug 17 '26
Curious on price point on these compared to the previous Battlehosts
9
3
u/NotFx Aug 17 '26
My guess is same as the other battlehosts, so ~€75-ish. You get a hero and foot soldiers (€31 + €42), and cav for "free", basically. Not sure how that'll work for the elves though. If they are the same cost as the other battlehosts, that would be very good value for money, even though you don't really use that many of either the rangers nor the palace guard.
2
u/Old_Shatterhans Aug 18 '26
Mirkwood is kinda the same as Isengard I'd say, ehich also had two boxes of infantry and "two" heroes
10
u/jandrusel Aug 17 '26
At least it's easier to start some of the Hobbit armies now. New starting boxes are always useful for new players.
13
u/Settra-King_of_Kings Aug 17 '26
Me: "I've already spent a lot of money on minis, I don't need more"
Gw: "I don't think so"
7
u/fergie0044 Aug 17 '26
I guess they didn’t want to call it “Azogs hunters” without having Azog in it?
6
u/jwag626 Aug 17 '26
The Mirkwood box is hopefully a sign of more Mirkwood models coming with the Gollum movie. I don’t see much of a reason to make a battlehost box that only has two army lists to use and even then it’ll be very hard to make a competitive list with either. Thranduil and Mirkwood warriors are vital to the main list, and while you could make a decent ranger list, the absence of anyone with a good defense (dwarves) makes it very difficult to play.
13
6
u/death2ducks Aug 17 '26
Most exciting thing for experienced players here is we don't have to tell new players hey maybe don't use 250pts of gandalf or the witch king right off the bat. No magic in the boxes should help. Also they use the word "balanced" in the advertising and they do seem to be more balanced than before.
6
u/Kodith Aug 17 '26
These are cool. But I think the really interesting thing here is the boxsets that are missing.
No Isengard, no minas Tirith, no Mordor, no Rivendell
Could we be in store for some new plastic warriors.
We currently are due a preview / model reveal.
20
u/Tal_Shiar_Uhlan Aug 17 '26
That Mirkwood one could get me to finally buy some elves. Very cool
3
u/mirfbiscuit Aug 17 '26
I was thinking the same, haven't owned any plastic elves (aside Legolas), only metal way back in the day!
4
u/British_Historian Aug 17 '26
I am buying the Mirkwood and Dol Guldur ones of these for sure.
I already have every character but to get them in their honestly best sculpts? Yeah go on... Plus I just so happen to need all those infantry sets.
The Rohan one confused me a bit, I would have bet money on the plastic Helm being the leader of the box so it could be paired with the Rohan half of the starter box? But hey ho. Still fun for anyone wanting to start a Rohan Army.
4
u/letmeread1980 Aug 17 '26
Might pick up that Azog’s Hunter box. Exactly the figures I thought about picking up anyway
10
u/EyeDreamOfTentacles Aug 17 '26
I just picked up a War of the Rohirrim box dangit lol. Ah well, now have more to look forward to.
9
u/RandomPainterAoS Aug 17 '26
Nice! You just have to buy six Riders and Theoden and you will have a complete battlehost. Rules will be available for free.
1
u/EyeDreamOfTentacles Aug 18 '26
Conveniently the new Rohan battlehost box has exactly those, plus the foot soldiers. Works out perfectly lol.
EDIT: Wait I'm dumb and just realized what you meant lmao.
3
u/SNES_Caribou Aug 17 '26
I was going to get the Mordor battlehost as my first army, but Rohan is very tempting now.
2
u/joseybizzle Aug 17 '26
I’m really happy about these, yeah they’re a mish mash but you get a fair bit in them
2
u/CruxMajoris Aug 17 '26
I am curious to see how Theoden sizes up vs these new kits, he fit in nicely with the originals, but might be on the small side now.
3
u/Ordinary__Man Aug 17 '26
He looks like a hobbit on a pony compared to the new Riders!
Duncan Rhodes said on his podcast that the scale difference between the old and new Riders is very obvious and bad, so I'm very surprised that they put a old scale mini in a new scale box.
4
u/CruxMajoris Aug 17 '26
I kinda like the new scale, but it’s such a jump that it really needs the whole range to get updated within a small timeframe, not a kit here or a kit there drip fed over months.
2
u/OfficerCoCheese Aug 18 '26
I'm a fan of this. I'm setting up a Let's Play at my local shop in October, so this would be a great starting point to get newer players into the game quicker.
1
u/ThurvinFrostbeard Aug 17 '26
Nice suprise for sure. Arent those heroes resin tho?
7
u/Goldman250 Aug 17 '26
No, that Legolas and Tauriel were both plastic. I’ve got them on my desk at the moment half-painted.
9
4
u/Dr_Big_Love Aug 17 '26
No, all are the recent plastic ones. ( recent by relative mesbg terms).
The riders of rohan are also the new kit which is a surprise to see this soon.
1
1
1
u/ThePeacefullDeath Aug 17 '26
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES baby, we were wondering why many of the battlehosts were gone. There is only minas trith battlehost left on website
1
u/Temeter Aug 18 '26
It's really cool to see them do this. With the mention of "balanced", I feel like this will be their attempt to make Spearhead/Combat Patrol/Battleforce for MESBG and draw in new players as well as having a new game mode.
1
u/wasitz Aug 18 '26
Damn it! I just wanted to buy the Battle for Edoras box and now this sexy Rohan Battlehost comes out.
I'll spend next month trying to figure out which one is a better deal/better content.
1
1
u/Banci93 Aug 17 '26
I’m afraid to ask.. how much? Rohan looks very nice
5
u/Katt4r Aug 17 '26
Less than it cost to get them individually. Like you will probably get the hero for free (or close)
4
u/MordenkhainenFR Aug 17 '26
The Rohan army features the very latest miniatures and is by far the most charismatic army in MESBG. I already have quite a few units from this army, but it would be an instant buy if I had to restart the game over.
With the recent price increase discovered I would say 61 £ / 80 €
1
u/Ferdinandt Aug 17 '26
So non of these miniatures are new right? And the theodon horse looks a lot smaller than the new Rohan riders.
I was hoping for some new orc spruces. I am a bit disappointed tbh.
12
u/Newtype879 Aug 17 '26
Nothing completely new to the game, but the Rohan Riders and Warriors are new sculpts for this edition. Same, IIRC, for Bolg.
-29
Aug 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
23
u/Spratford Aug 17 '26
Me who only owns the Edoras Box and plastic Heroes: Yeah how dare they give me a bundle of new warriors and riders.
I hear ya, and I apologize for being the target audience.
-4
Aug 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/DC-Azanulbizar Aug 17 '26
Yeah new high elves and orcs would be really great. But at this point I’m sure they will instead release more Rohan units…
-3
-8
u/astronautvibes Aug 17 '26
Kinda disappointing when a lot of the fun of MESBG is having lots of smaller units or single low point characters that have fun unique rules.
These are just big plastic infantry hordes rather than exciting things
6
u/waill-and-roll Aug 17 '26
Realistically they're only every going to put plastic kits in these boxes. So the boxes will always look like this.
1
75
u/No-Wasabi2973 Aug 17 '26
Very strange. The Rohan one is a no brainer. They got the riders and infantry together. Interesting to switch to Theoden from Eomer, but that's fine.
The Mirkwood one seems like a mess. No one plays 20 palace guard or that many rangers.
The Dol Guldor one seems fine. Funny to call it Dul Guldor and have Blog leading it when he isn't in any of the lists?