In today’s review, we take a look at the contents of the brand new Leagues of Votann army set, especially the miniatures and all the build and weapon options. Long announced and often teased, the Kin are the spiritual successors to the Squats, and represent a never seen before Warhammer 40,000 faction. Therefore, we are very excited to see what we find in this box.
The Leagues of Votann army set will be available for preorder starting Saturday, September 17 2022, and be on sale one week after. Inside this Warhammer 40.000 army box you’ll find 25 all new models, the Leagues of Votann codex with a special collectors edition cover, a deck of datacards, a cardboard token sheet, and two sheets of transfers.
The Leagues of Votann design
It’s not often that we witness the birth of a brand new Warhammer 40,000 faction. Yes, we’ve had Genestealer Cults, Adeptus Mechanicus and Imperial and Chaos Knights in the past, but these were all based on existing concepts. The Leagues of Votann feel different. They have little to do with the bike-riding Squats of the Rogue Trader era or the Necromunda Squat Prospects. Instead, the Leagues of Votann have their very own identity. The Kin share a technological STC ancestry with the Imperium, but the design language is less cluttered and gothic, and more utilitarian and “retrofuturistic” with many rounded elements. There are some visual references to the Van Saar in Necromunda, who also have access to very old STC templates, and the domed heads of the mechanical Ironkin assistants are suspiciously reminiscent of the Castellan robots of the Mechanicus. Typical dwarf motifs are used rather sparingly, which sets them apart from the Kharadon Overlords from Age of Sigmar, and even if the male Kin have decent facial hair, we’ll look in vain for long beards.
I have to admit that when I saw the first revealed miniatures, I was a bit irritated and would have preferred something more reminiscent of the designs of the Rogue Trader era, in the way Genestealer Cults were for example. But I remember back when the T’au were first introduced, I also thought they didn’t fit the setting, and now they are an integral part of the lore and I can’t imagine 40k without them. And the more I have seen of the “Kin”, how the Leagues of Votann call themselves, the cooler I find them.
Leagues of Votann army set unboxing
The League of Votann army set is not a particularly deep box, but it is well filled, and the presentation is really something special thanks to the slip cover. Besides the codex, tokens and datacards, 25 new miniatures are included: 1 Kâhl (which can also be assembled as special character Ûthar the Destined), 1 Einhyr Champion, 2x 10 Hearthkyn Warriors, and 3 Hernkyn Pioneers.
Kâhl & Einhyr Champion review
Both character models come on small sprues and are supplied with 40mm bases.
The Bastium void armour-clad Kâhl can be assembled with either an Autoch-pattern combi-bolter or a volkanite disintegrator for his sidearm, and forgewrought plasma axe or mass gauntlet for his left arm. Apart from the arms, his pose is fixed, standing atop two slabs of rock, though you can choose between a helmet or bare head, and the kit is also compatible with the heads from the Hearthkyn kit. The sprue also builds special character Ûlthar the Destined, who has his own specific head and back crest, and carries the Blade of the Ancestors, a sword. Honestly, he seems more of an afterthought, as he doesn’t look that much different from a regular Kâhl, apart from the larger crest. He is the only named character in the Leagues of Votann codex by the way.
The Einhyr Champion wears the heavier exo-armour and can have either a Darkstar axe or mass hammer. Assembly-wise, you have the option to choose between two male bare heads, two different crests, and two runic cover plates for his Autoch-pattern combi-bolter. His pose is otherwise fixed, plunging from a piece of rubble.
Hearthkyn Warriors review
The Hearthkyn Warriors are the troop selection in the Codex, the only one at this point. A unit of 10 models is spread across three medium sprues, and you get each sprue twice to build 20 models in total. They come on 28mm bases.
Here is a size comparison with a few other 40k infantry models. Hearthkyn Warriors are not so big after all, and with their 28mm bases scale well with humans and Primaris Space Marines. They’re also about the same height as Duardin models from the Age of Sigmar range, Hearthkyn maybe stand a little bit taller because of their leg poses.
As with most modern Games Workshop infantry models, the legs and torsos are fused. However, the shoulder connectors are flat so that arms can be freely interchanged, although most arms are designed with a specific body in mind.
Per 10 models there are:
21 different and characterful head sculpts, 15 heads with male and 6 heads with female features. As the bodies are unisex, you can use the heads as you see fit, and they are on ball joints so you can freely pose them and swap them with other models from the Votann range. There is also a domed head to make a mechanical Ironkin, and you also have the option to build all 10 models with their visors closed, and/or three models with a half-opened visor. The visors slot into the necks in a specific position, so you have to consult the assembly manual to find the correct visor piece for each body.
There are also a lot of choices when it comes to armament. All 10 models can be equipped with either an auto-pattern bolter or ion blaster, or with a bolt pistol and melee weapon. Strangely enough, the latter is not an option in the codex.
The unit leader Theyn can be equipped with an auto-pattern bolt pistol, ion pistol or EtaCarn plasma pistol as well as a concussion gauntlet, plasma axe or plasma sword.
In addition, one model can receive a HYLas auto rifle, another a L7 missile launcher, another an EtaCarn plasma beamer, another a magna-rail rifle. For every 10 models, you can choose two of these special weapon options in the codex. Three more models can receive a medipack, a multiwave comms array, and a pan spectral scanner. In addition, there is an optional arm that throws a grenade, as well as various pouches and equipment pieces that you can freely attach to the miniatures. Wow, what a kit!
Hernkyn Pioneers review
Last but not least, we have the magna-coil bike riding Hernkyn Pioneers, probably my favourite models from the set. These are quite sizeable models that come on three medium-size sprues and 90mm oval bases.
A magna-coil bike has a similar mass as a Primaris Outriders bike.
There are a few ways to ensure that not all models look the same. On the bikes, the sensor units behind the riders are interchangeable, as are the bags mounted on the back. There are several additional pouches and stowed equipment pieces that can be freely attached to the bikes, and for the riders, there are 10 different heads, including 5 with male features, 4 with female ones, and a dome-shaped Ironkin head, all on ball-joints and compatible with other models from the range. There are also several optional arms that fire either a bolt shotgun or bolt revolver, or throw a grenade.
In addition, one of the bikes can have an optional gunner that can fire either a HYLas rotary cannon or 1 ionbeamer.
League of Votann codex flip-through
The League of Votann Codex is a rather thin codex with just over 100 pages. However, with 30 pages of lore, the background of the Kin is well illuminated (there is even a nod to the Demiurg). There are 12 pages of miniature showcases, which, however, do not show any other models that have not yet been introduced.
The rules section contains everything you would find in a 9th edition codex: Battle-forged rules with detachment abilities, sub-faction rules for the individual leagues, stratagems, army rules, matched play rules incl. secondary objectives, crusade rules, and of course the datasheets and points.
With 5 HQ, 1 Troop, 2 elite, 2 fast attack, and 2 heavy support choices, army selection is limited. In addition, both the Sagitaur and the Hekaton Land Fortress count as separate choices and not as a dedicated transport. I wonder how long it will take for the second wave of models to arrive. It didn’t take too long with Lumineth Realm-lords, so prepare for buying an expansion book or updated codex soon.
Value
With an RRP of £120 / 155 € / $200, the League of Votann army set is the same as previous army sets such as the Black Templar and Beast Snaggaz set. With 26 models compared to the 13 models in the Black Templar set, this feels much more appropriate, roughly in line with the contents of the Beast Snaggaz box. In comparison, Hearthkyn Warriors are rather small infantry models, but the abundance of build options makes up for that. Personally, I would have liked to see a set of Einhyr Hearthguard to go with the Champion instead of another set of Hearthkyn, but for the sake of creating a legal army, two units of Hearthkyn make sense.
As we do not yet know individual prices, it is difficult to determine the exact value of the products included. But with the previous army sets, the saving was usually around 25% compared to buying them individually (plus whatever the special edition codex is worth to you), and with the League of Votann, the value seems to be similar.
With the additional saving of up to 20% on Warhammer products at our partner stores Wayland Games, Element Games, and Taschengelddieb the box becomes even more attractive:
By using our links you’ll support our work here at Tale of Painters at no extra cost to you, thank you very much!
8.5Score
Pros
- 26 all new models plus a brand new codex
- All of the kits have lots of optional parts and assembly options
- No price increase over previous army sets
- Makes a legal army
Cons
- Could have had more variation and less Hearthkyn Warriors
- People who don't fancy buying a big box have to wait for the individual releases
Final Verdict
With the Leagues of Votann, we experience the historic moment of a completely new Warhammer 40.000 faction. The Kin are familiar, yet very different from the Squats we knew. The kits are fantastic and detailed, the codex a little thin but has plenty of lore, and the value for money of the box is alright. We are very excited to see what the community does with the Kin, and Garfy in particular is looking forward to painting the new models and sharing them here on Tale of Painters.
Thanks for posting this! Always appreciate the review of items, particularly when they are totally new like these guys.
The comparison shot is most appreciated.