Armageddon Steel Legion returning.

[apologist]

As a Steel Legion enthusiast and collector, I largely bit my tongue when we saw we were going back to Armageddon but weren't getting SL models – cathartic as complaining on the noosphere can be, it rarely improves things! However, now there are some actual rumours about new Steel Legion, I've gotta say that I'm cautiously excited.

 

 

Metal conversion work is fun... but it gets wearing after a while.

 

I do agree with @Ayatollah_of_Rock_n_Rolla that the sketches aren't quite hitting the spot for me at the mo. A bit of an 'uncanny valley' not-quite-Steel Legion, but perhaps they'll grow on me.

 

Of the four options below, the second in from the left is what I'm hoping for. 

 

 

The great joy of the Armageddon setting, of course, is that there are lots of Steel Legion armies, and I think it'd be entirely appropriate to use any new models as (say) the forces of Armageddon Prime, and the old ones as those from Secundus – but equally, I rather relish the idea of the new design literally being the same forces but a few centuries onward. If GW are going to advance the storyline, I'd rather they did something solid with it.

 

 

Either way, rules come and go, background can be personalised and re-interpreted, history can be refought, but cool models are forever and more options is always good :)

Edited 13 hours ago by apologist

[TheVoidDragon]

3 hours ago, Ayatollah_of_Rock_n_Rolla said:

It's nice to see that they have been working on the ASL after all. But I don't like like these. The top one are nice men at arms for my Knights, but this is not Steel Legion.  In general I don't understand why meddle with an already good design.  They clearly want the gloves gone - OK, maybe they are a too much of a retro design language. Gas masks with hose going to the back  - OK, maybe front respiretaros would be too Kriegish for most people, especially after they've given them also to the grenadiers. Gas masks with no hose - bruh.  The Cadians can take their armed knee pads back, thank you very much - again, clearly pushing for it in all the designs. The boots - let's see what they settle for. The coat - nothing terrible in these proposals, but why not just go with Smith's art?  Not sure abut the cuffs on the top picture. Armoured shoulder pads? Chest armour? Bro, what are you doing. And why are the designers on some weird crusade against the original helmets?

Are we really changing the thunderbolt emblem for an "A"? Like... really? You sure about that?

Lasguns are nice.

 

 

 

 

This is how I feel too. It's great to have them returning, but those change so much about the design that if it weren't clearly said, It would not have been very apparent they were meant to be Steel Legion. 

 

It's all the extra armour, it gives them such a different feel. I don't think they need huge shoulder pads, a clearly shown chest plate, and helmet sides. Out of those concepts I think the one that gives the closest resembles the Steel Legion and gives across at least somewhat the right style, is combination of the First one in the first image / the last one in the 2nd image with no chest armour, and the 2nd one from that image's helmet and shoulder pads. 

Hopefully they don't actually change them that much as these imply. 

Edited 13 hours ago by TheVoidDragon

[Mogger351]

3 minutes ago, Son of Rawl said:

Glad they listened, it is a welcomed announcement. They could have just done that from the start, but its a quicker response than the Custode faq.

Legitimately happy for those who are happy with the response, I just worry that if this is a knee-jerk to appease people, you all rise to the challenge I guess.

 

Don't burn the opportunity by not buying it when it drops.

 

It does pave the way for people kicking off for lots of other stuff as well though. Would quite like a lord, legionnaire and specialist squad for each legion.

[apologist]

5 hours ago, Mogger351 said:

Legitimately happy for those who are happy with the response, I just worry that if this is a knee-jerk to appease people, you all rise to the challenge I guess.

 

Don't burn the opportunity by not buying it when it drops.

 

Nostalgia's a hell of a drug.

 

Fundamentally, if they released Steel Legion that were identical to the old ones I'd be disappointed. The metals ones have the charm of nostalgia and hand-sculpting, but I'd expect something more refined and engineered these days. However, if they change things so much that they lose all the identifying features of the originals, I'd be equally disappointed.

 

Doubtless there's a very personal middle ground that would be ideal for me personally – but it's really down to GW to earn money from customers – and they don't owe me as an individual anything. They should make the kits that will appeal to the greatest number of buyers. Models are models – if people like them, they'll buy them; and if they don't they won't. I don't think anyone should expect collectors of a particular army to automatically buy new stuff just because they're named the same as something they already have. The plastic Catachans, for example. I did buy those at the time, but quickly realised that the plastic infantry didn't scratch the itch the metal ones did. Conversely, I do like both the old and new Kroot, and so over the years have bought both sets.

 

There's hundreds of reasons why people will or won't buy things, but ultimately it's really only hurting GW's sales if they choose to sell models that people don't like instead of ones that they do. It's business.

 

Anecdotally, the Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum have a large fanbase – not at Space Marine levels, but definitely one of the more popular factions – and I have no doubt that new plastics for them will sell well. New Steel Legion will definitely 'wash their faces' in terms of profit; whether old players/collectors buy them or not.

 

I simply hope I like what they eventually release as Steel Legion. I've every hope that I will – and if I don't, no harm, no foul. :)

Edited 7 hours ago by apologist

[ZeroWolf]

I'm more in the camp that they were planning this anyway but here's a quick pr boost by making it look like we can pivot faster than we actually can. At the sketch phase tells us two things: 1) the guard book is going to be a late hitter in 11th editions life cycle or 2) these will either be for 12th edition or an end of edition narrative like the cosair stuff.

 

That being said, i don't think these will be for Kill Team? I think it would have been pointed out if we were getting a krieg case.

[phandaal]

8 hours ago, ThaneOfTas said:

Honestly this is objectively very funny, after weeks of some very smug people asserting with extreme confidence that there was no market for another greatcoat and gasmask guard army and that obviously GW knows that, suddenly it turns out that GW knew nothing of the sort.

Initial sketches look interesting, looking forward to seeing more as it develops.

 

I'll admit, I was not expecting to be proven right quite so quickly. This has to be the fastest flip flop they have ever done. 

[Marshal Reinhard]

Honestly feels like there was plenty of smug to go around. About as unsurprising as the moaning continuing unabated. Its always something

[grailkeeper]

The Legionnaire on the left looks Cadian. The Legionnaire two to his right looks Valhallan. Maybe they'll be easy to convert to other regiments.

 

I'd prefer if they dont have armour plates. It would make them easier to paint. Nothing wrong with simpler models.

 

Left looks Cadia

[Joe]

I'm honestly quite impressed with the new regimental logo design; A for Armageddon, a bullet (tank shell?) to form the center of the A, and the damn thing is shaped like an arrowhead / spearhead to drive home the "at the target" nature of the regiment.

 

As for the concept art, seeing definite shades of the old Necromundan Guard concept in there. I do appreciate them leaning a bit more gothic as well. Hopefully, we'll see the Infantry Squad launch with missile launchers, that new autostubber the veterans have...

[Ayatollah_of_Rock_n_Rolla]

11 minutes ago, grailkeeper said:

The Legionnaire two to his right looks Valhallan. 

 

That was my first thought, but it's just a Stahlhelm-like helmet with an added front armour.

[Marshal Rohr]

The copyright on the photos is 2025 lol

[zarkkarn]

Can believe these are concept artwork generated at some point in the past and rejected but the announcement is definitely a knee jerk reaction to the backlash. If they were playing a marketing game with the just paint it yellow there would be models to show off.

 

GW realised they messed up and are course correcting which is a nice thing to see. Unfortunately from the concept art it looks like there is little left of what made steel legion iconic. The helmets gone, their iconography has been replaced they have been up armoured.

 

I want to support GW making a good decision for the community but unfortunately there are far better revisions of steel legion models already out there and I dont need to wait 2 years to buy them.

[EmprahsStrongestGuardsman]

1 hour ago, grailkeeper said:

The Legionnaire on the left looks Cadian. The Legionnaire two to his right looks Valhallan. Maybe they'll be easy to convert to other regiments.

 

I'd prefer if they dont have armour plates. It would make them easier to paint. Nothing wrong with simpler models.

 

Left looks Cadia

 

They just look like Kriegs with slightly shorter coats tbh. Helmet is wrong shape, no gloves, no webbing thingy around the torso (aside from the rightmost one).

 

These are still better:

 

 

(Got a squad of these ordered btw, Maybe I'll report how they turn out in my thread next week.)

Edited 10 hours ago by EmprahsStrongestGuardsman

[Joe]

15 minutes ago, EmprahsStrongestGuardsman said:

(Got a squad of these ordered btw, Maybe I'll report how they turn out in my thread next week.)

 

Ironically, mine turned up yesterday a few hours before the stream. I've been a patron of TL for a few years though anyway. 

 

As always, same great quality.

[DemonGSides]

1 hour ago, Marshal Reinhard said:

Honestly feels like there was plenty of smug to go around. About as unsurprising as the moaning continuing unabated. Its always something

 

I'm not even sure what there is really to be smug about. The arguers lamented that they should've been announced when Yarrick was (even though we knew he wasn't coming alone, so there was always room for some sort of SL announcement) and the opposing side was more or less "GW (corporate, specifically) probably doesn't want two gas mask model lines, especially one right after another." Which was mostly supposition anyways, since there's no real way for any of us to know. So no real fight to be had just an understanding/expectation of logistics and business practices and slight disagreement about that. 

 

Now those same people who said that they should have been announced are crowing about how right they were... But they weren't right?  We still don't have a real SL announcement, and like anything (Hello, Kislev in TOW!) that's planned for the 'future', it may pan out to be nothing, and this is an unadulterated win in their book.  On top of it, they're acting like everyone who wasn't up in arms about SL not being released was AGAINST SL, but that's just a complete revision of the argument, which was more of a "these are the realities of a universe where theres basically an infinite variety of sub factions for this specific army.". I don't think there was anyone who was rejoicing that SL weren't announced prior to yesterday, just sort of ambivalent about it considering the expected (and now confirmed by GW) logistics of ANOTHER IG regiment. 

 

Just strange behavior. Happy they're coming back, for sure, but it'll be more interesting when there's an actual model to look at. 

Edited 9 hours ago by DemonGSides

[Marshal Reinhard]

I just think this is a case of everything can't come at once. Steel legion coming obviously predates this internet spat, as the 2025 dating attests to. While it's possible the whinging forced GW's hand to reveal that the Steel Legion were in fact coming, I'm hesitant to ascribe credit to the 'outrage'. Could've been, but feels rather self aggrandizing.

 

Also, in before any obligatory "GW can't prioritize their production schedule for :cuss:, *I* would've done better" takes.

Edited 9 hours ago by Marshal Reinhard

[Marshal Rohr]

3 hours ago, apologist said:

As a Steel Legion enthusiast and collector, I largely bit my tongue when we saw we were going back to Armageddon but weren't getting SL models – cathartic as complaining on the noosphere can be, it rarely improves things! However, now there are some actual rumours about new Steel Legion, I've gotta say that I'm cautiously excited.

 

 

Metal conversion work is fun... but it gets wearing after a while.

 

I do agree with @Ayatollah_of_Rock_n_Rolla that the sketches aren't quite hitting the spot for me at the mo. A bit of an 'uncanny valley' not-quite-Steel Legion, but perhaps they'll grow on me.

 

Of the four options below, the second in from the left is what I'm hoping for. 

 

 

The great joy of the Armageddon setting, of course, is that there are lots of Steel Legion armies, and I think it'd be entirely appropriate to use any new models as (say) the forces of Armageddon Prime, and the old ones as those from Secundus – but equally, I rather relish the idea of the new design literally being the same forces but a few centuries onward. If GW are going to advance the storyline, I'd rather they did something solid with it.

 

 

Either way, rules come and go, background can be personalised and re-interpreted, history can be refought, but cool models are forever and more options is always good :)

To me the concept art feels like they’re waffling on compatibility with the overarching goal of moving towards a universal guard design language so you can buy a box of Cadians, Steel Legion, and whatever else is coming and they will look compatible painted in the same schemes. The Krieg were clearly designed in a previous studio era where they wanted to bring the FW into the main GW range, but the scale of the feet and lasguns match the old Cadians and not the newer human scale models in the kill team and 40K ranges. Kasrkin stuffer from this too. 

[ZeroWolf]

The idea of a universal body and upgrade sprues (which would allow tank crews and generic characters to be converted) would fit best with how many regiments they are, but I do wonder how feasible that as an idea is. It'd probably mean a bland base body.

[LSM]

The art also feels like concept art.

 

Like: here's some late-stage variants to present to the person in charge, who will choose the final look.

 

Those are different helmets; on the left is very Cadian-ish, the right rather Krieg-esque. I don't think they both end up in the same product. Same thing with the shoulder pads, and the boots, etc. They're minor variants, but... I expect someone took these, took a red marker, and started circling. "I like this, I like this, I like this."

[DanPesci]

8 minutes ago, ZeroWolf said:

The idea of a universal body and upgrade sprues (which would allow tank crews and generic characters to be converted) would fit best with how many regiments they are, but I do wonder how feasible that as an idea is. It'd probably mean a bland base body.

 

I dont know enought about SL to know if it would work (i sued to have some valhallans in 3rd edition but thats all ive ever 'guarded'), but is it feasible that they could just release things like Steel Legion, Valhallans and Mordians as upgrade sprues to the Krieg kit?

Like you get the longcoat body but then different heads and arms - ive no idea how the krieg kits go together either but that would seem a smart way to go for them, then maybe have a couple of unique characters/models for each, an upgrade sprue and release a detachment each time, and go.

[EmprahsStrongestGuardsman]

7 minutes ago, LSM said:

The art also feels like concept art.

 

Like: here's some late-stage variants to present to the person in charge, who will choose the final look.

 

Those are different helmets; on the left is very Cadian-ish, the right rather Krieg-esque. I don't think they both end up in the same product. Same thing with the shoulder pads, and the boots, etc. They're minor variants, but... I expect someone took these, took a red marker, and started circling. "I like this, I like this, I like this."

 

The concept art pic looks like various different IG regiment designs jumbled up together randomly, eg on the left you got a cadian helmet with armageddon gas mask, krieg back pack, generic longish coat, body armour and shoulder pads (krieg??), arms with greatcoat cuffs rather than gloves (krieg), etc.

The middle left has more of an armageddon helmet, while the middle right has a sort of ushanka-shaped valhallan hat. The right guy looks more or less like a krieg, but he has a sort of armageddon-style torso with the eqpmnt straps. 

The legs on all of them don't really look like anything to me, but I'm not 100% on every design element of the newer kits tbh.

 

I really don't know what the purpose of this image is, is it really concept art for steel legion when so many of the design elements are from other regiments?

[LSM]

8 minutes ago, EmprahsStrongestGuardsman said:

I really don't know what the purpose of this image is, is it really concept art for steel legion when so many of the design elements are from other regiments?

 

Concept artists kind of have to present variance - if they've totally dialled in on a single look, then there's nothing for the higher-ups to actually choose between. It's important to make them feel like they've contributed.

 

(And a good way to guide the higher-up into choosing the helmet you actually like is to make the variant helmets too close to other extant things, etc, etc.)

[roryokane]

1 hour ago, EmprahsStrongestGuardsman said:

 

They just look like Kriegs with slightly shorter coats tbh. Helmet is wrong shape, no gloves, no webbing thingy around the torso (aside from the rightmost one).

 

These are still better:

 

 

(Got a squad of these ordered btw, Maybe I'll report how they turn out in my thread next week.)

Those MP-40s lascarbines are bit too on the nose for me. Also, the frag grenades could do with being the more cylindrical ones we see in 40k rather than the Mills Bomb/Mk II Pineapple. I agree they are very cool models otherwise, very much in keeping with the old ASL models.

I'm just glad GW has decided to bring back the ASL - I'm not entirely convinced they were going to commit to doing it until they saw the outrage at the idea they no longer existed (especially when Cadia is literally gone and yet we just have infinitely spawning Cadians!).

Good announcement, just a shame none of them were in the trailer as an Easter Egg.

As for the four figures lined up next to eachother in the concept sketches - the one on the left with the visible gas mask hose looks best.

[Marshal Rohr]

Someone pointed out on Instagram they’ve done away with the Steel Legion icon in favor of an A design. 

[EmprahsStrongestGuardsman]

 

35 minutes ago, roryokane said:

Those MP-40s lascarbines are bit too on the nose for me. Also, the frag grenades could do with being the more cylindrical ones we see in 40k rather than the Mills Bomb/Mk II Pineapple. I agree they are very cool models otherwise, very much in keeping with the old ASL models.

 

Yeah, there's an option for regular lasgun-type guns too, which is what I ordered.

 

 

Quote

Someone pointed out on Instagram they’ve done away with the Steel Legion icon in favor of an A design. 

 

Looks like a starfleet badge. 

Edited 7 hours ago by EmprahsStrongestGuardsman