Recent representations of Catachan Jungle Fighters

[MechaMan]

The recently announced Owlcat rpg Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy features a veteran guardsman from Catachan as a companion. It shares a design language with recent miniatures and artwork of Catachan’s that GW have released. I think it makes a Catachan release, whether a kill team or a complete refresh even more likely and gives us some clues as to what they would look like. I thought I’d post a compilation of recent visual representations of Catachan’s in anticipation of their possible refresh. 
 

 

I can’t think of another time where recent artwork has portrayed a regiment in a consistent fashion that diverges from the existing miniatures (presence of Cadian flak etc). I think the consistency between the art and exclusive/limited miniature releases anticipates what the refresh will look like, when it comes. I, for one, am excited. 

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

We can’t take video game characters too seriously.

 

iirc gravis class in SM2 can take weapons that aren’t available in the codex.(but who knows maybe 11th we’ll PC gravis marines.)

[MechaMan]

I mean we first saw assault primaris through the space marine 2 trailer. I think my point was more that in the art he’s shown wearing exactly the same flak armour as the colonel and the plasma gunner. I would say when we get new Catachan’s, and I’m pretty confident it’s a matter of when, not if, they’ll look like the recent art - and I can’t think of a time where a range refresh has been so extensively represented before the full miniature range has been released. 

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

3 hours ago, MechaMan said:

I mean we first saw assault primaris through the space marine 2 trailer. I think my point was more that in the art he’s shown wearing exactly the same flak armour as the colonel and the plasma gunner. I would say when we get new Catachan’s, and I’m pretty confident it’s a matter of when, not if, they’ll look like the recent art - and I can’t think of a time where a range refresh has been so extensively represented before the full miniature range has been released. 

I mean the art is fairly varied and not quite as uniform as you make it out to be.

each book cover you shared has 3 guardsmen 2 of which are just wearing tank tops and maybe a generic cargo vest.

sgt ripper likewise doesn’t have a flak vest either.

 

so maybe we see a mix like what we see in the pictures you shared, or maybe it’ll be one style or the other, or possibly even a third style.

[MechaMan]

2 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

I mean the art is fairly varied and not quite as uniform as you make it out to be.

each book cover you shared has 3 guardsmen 2 of which are just wearing tank tops and maybe a generic cargo vest.

sgt ripper likewise doesn’t have a flak vest either.

 

so maybe we see a mix like what we see in the pictures you shared, or maybe it’ll be one style or the other, or possibly even a third style.

Yeah I’m not suggesting they will all have flak armour. Maybe I am articulating myself poorly. 
 

To my eyes, there is a shared design language/style/aesthetic in recent art and models that feels cohesive to me, and also distinct from the old plastic/metal models and the attendant/related art from that era. 
 

I feel like when we get the new Catachan’s they will share this style, rather than being another reimagining. I think the art and the two miniatures, in terms of scale aesthetic etc give us a preview of what the new models will look like. 
 

And I think that differs from say Death Korps, where we only saw the range refresh aesthetic (new masks etc) in art after the models were released. The same goes for the cadians, the space marine 2 guardsmen look like old plastic cadians, we did not get a preview of the new knee pads, helmets, shoulder pads etc in art/games. 
 

while Catachan’s differ in not exactly being uniform, I imagine the new kits will have things like flak armour, more women, knee pads, etc etc - I.e., they’ll be consistent with this aesthetic/style/visual representation. 
 

it wouldn’t surprise me if the range refresh, at least in some form - I.e., one kit - is already finished, or at least designed. And the artists got the books/game designers have seen the designs, or maybe even finished models. 

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

On 5/24/2025 at 5:47 PM, MechaMan said:

Yeah I’m not suggesting they will all have flak armour. Maybe I am articulating myself poorly. 
 

To my eyes, there is a shared design language/style/aesthetic in recent art and models that feels cohesive to me, and also distinct from the old plastic/metal models and the attendant/related art from that era. 
 

I feel like when we get the new Catachan’s they will share this style, rather than being another reimagining. I think the art and the two miniatures, in terms of scale aesthetic etc give us a preview of what the new models will look like. 
 

And I think that differs from say Death Korps, where we only saw the range refresh aesthetic (new masks etc) in art after the models were released. The same goes for the cadians, the space marine 2 guardsmen look like old plastic cadians, we did not get a preview of the new knee pads, helmets, shoulder pads etc in art/games. 
 

while Catachan’s differ in not exactly being uniform, I imagine the new kits will have things like flak armour, more women, knee pads, etc etc - I.e., they’ll be consistent with this aesthetic/style/visual representation. 
 

it wouldn’t surprise me if the range refresh, at least in some form - I.e., one kit - is already finished, or at least designed. And the artists got the books/game designers have seen the designs, or maybe even finished models. 

Other than the inclusion of women and flak vests it seems more or less the same. I guess more lean fighter body types than the traditional body builder 80s action hero, but otherwise it seems the same to me.

[Morovir]

To be fair re. the flak vests, they've been on Catachan models since the Catachan Command Squad was released in 2009?, so they're not exactly a recent development.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

1 hour ago, Morovir said:

To be fair re. the flak vests, they've been on Catachan models since the Catachan Command Squad was released in 2009?, so they're not exactly a recent development.

Yeah I think going forward it will be flak vests for officers, but not for troopers. Help the officers stand out a bit 

 

I think the two biggest changes will be inclusion of female models, and leaner body types.

Edited Monday at 01:09 PM by Inquisitor_Lensoven

[MechaMan]

I feel like we're seeing two "patterns" of Flak armour here almost. The "old-Cadian" pattern of Flak armour, included in the 2009 Command Squad, and shown on the  Deathworlder cover - and the new Pattern worn by the Catachan Colonel, Haymar Devos, and the character on the front cover of "Catachan Devil". This pattern might also be worn by the Ghosts. 

[Bonehead]

Hell, they can't be any worse. Right? Please tell me they won't be worse.

[MechaMan]

Haha I feel I did a bad job of framing this post. My most basic point was, I feel like recent art and models give us insight into a range refresh, and it’s rare you get such an embellished insight into a refresh as yet unreleased. 
 

if the new Catachan’s look like the colonel, sgt ripper, the death world and devil art I’ll be very happy. 
 

I also am one of those weird guard collectors who happens to think the metal lieutenants and the plastic final Perry kit are some of the best guard releases we’ve ever had. 

[apologist]

Agreed! The mere fact that Catachans are still being written about, appearing in the background, and popping up in artwork here and there is at least confirmation that someone at GW is carrying a flame for the Jungle Fighters.

 

To your more specific point of whether we'll see a release anytime soon, I don't think there's enough there to hang much hope on. With that said, I think we will eventually see a Catachan release. Will it be a large-scale release, like Cadian or Death Korps? I think it more likely that we'll get Catachan Devils popping up in Kill Team. The KT release model of a one-off niche kit that pulls double duty for both an elite choice and (with different weapon options) a line infantry choice for 40k just seems tailor-made.