One of the reasons I enjoy Warhammer 40,000 is because it allows for some chill times away from the screen. It’s just me, some tiny little guys, and a paintbrush to pass the time. But I also enjoy how its little ironies add up to thick layers of sarcasm, a vibe that has been with the game since its inception. Ultimately, lots of the 40K universe is just downright silly, and no faction is sillier to me than the Death Korps of Krieg.
The Death Korps of Krieg comes from a world where a long-running military stalemate was neatly ended by global thermonuclear war. And by neatly, I mean that most everyone died.
Using the same logic that creates entire desert planets in Star Wars, that means the Death Korps of Krieg is particularly good at fighting siege warfare in extremely hazardous conditions. Their penchant for attritional warfare gets an awful lot of them killed, but this is heralded in the lore as a feature of their military tactics and not a bug. On the table, it also helps that they look like a cross between World War I German soldiers, World War II German Nazis, and sad-sack futuristic military conscripts with woefully inadequate gear. Because if you’re going to move poorly equipped troops in great numbers toward certain death, they may as well remind you of the worst people who’ve ever lived.
Meanwhile, whatever awkward looks you receive in the checkout line when purchasing your little space fascists are at least somewhat offset by the quality of these models. The field gun in particular is a delight, with multiple weapons to choose from and multiple points of articulation – including a lovely little opening breach for those interested in making action-packed dioramas. The infantry as well is excellent, and a huge upgrade from the now long-in-the-tooth resin sculpts that previously formed the core of the Korps.
If you’re looking to pick up the new army set, which went up for pre-order on Jan. 11, the $230 Death Korps of Krieg — Astra Militarum Army Set is a pretty good deal. It even comes with the complete Codex: Astra Militarum rulebook in a fancy collectible cover. Although, as with most things Warhammer, you’ll need two or three boxes of them for a full-sized army.
You’ll also need to paint them up, which brings us to another of the set’s ironies — its proximity to the release of a new set of paints from none other than John Blanche. For nearly 50 years Blanche set the tone for the entire 40K universe with a wild, gestural art style and a uniquely warm color palette. That palette has been captured and celebrated not by his employer of some 46 years, but by one of its largest competitors, New Zealand-based The Army Painter. On Jan. 10, one day before the Krieg pre-order went live, Army Painter’s Masterclass John Blanche Volume One and Volume Two went up for pre-order, complete with a print of Blanche’s artwork and a selection of colors you simply can’t find anywhere else.
So how do you use Blanche’s color range? Golden Demon award winner Jon “Ninjon” Ninas gives is a try, and with spectacular results. You can watch him work in his latest video on YouTube.
Death Korp of Krieg – Astra Militarum Army Set is available now from Games Workshop, and will arrive soon at your local game store. The set was previewed using retail product provided by Games Workshop. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships, but not with Games Workshop. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
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