It’s been quite a year for legendary Commissars getting miniatures in Warhammer 40,000 – and now Ciaphas Cain and his trusty sidekick, Jurgen, are making the leap from the pages of Black Library.
Ciaphas Cain – hero of the Imperium, and an inspiration to his soldiers! Or is that all propaganda, and he’s actually just a coward, using luck, bluffs and tricks to keep himself out of trouble? Now you can decide for yourself with his new miniature.
The kit comes with the options to base Cain and Jurgen separately or back-to-back on a larger base to make a mini diorama.
To match Cain’s “valiant” tales, his model stands in a heroic pose, chainsword resting on the shoulder of his billowing greatcoat.* Ferik Jurgen, in many ways the opposite of his self-satisfied Commissar, has a grim expression of desperate survival plastered over his face. While Cain’s weapon rests haughtily on a shoulder, Jurgen’s meltagun is poised to kill in the style of a seasoned soldier.
Jurgen is dressed in the traditional garb of the Valhallans, who are born into icy weather, with a thick fur hat and coat to shield from the cold. Some of our favourite details are the luxurious sculpted sideburns and Jurgen’s flask and mug, so he can keep his Commissar supplied with tanna.**
Author Sandy Mitchell is also exceptionally excited about the new miniatures.
“I’ve been writing the Cain stories for around a quarter of a century now, but I never expected him to make the transition to the tabletop.
“So I was thrilled to hear that official figures for the two of them had been commissioned. Not to mention eager to roll a few dice and see how they perform against some of their antagonists from the books.
Not entirely the same, I suspect, as the ebb and flow of a skirmish in one of the stories is driven more by dramatic necessity than by chance and tactical skill. Then again, knowing Cain, he probably uses his own ‘lucky’ dice…
But whether you plan to add him to your Imperial Guard collection, or simply go on reading and listening to his escapades, I hope you have as much fun as I’ve had in his company over the last couple of decades.
May the Emperor guarantee your saving throw. (Unless you’re playing against me.)”
To celebrate the release of Cain’s new miniature, a special illustrated and annotated version of his first full-length novel, For the Emperor, is also coming out.
The classic tale sees Cain and his regiment of Valhallans struggling to maintain order at an Imperial outpost on the edges of the T’au Empire. This new edition includes 15 brand-new illustrations and 130 annotations by author Sandy Mitchell.
The characterful Ciaphas Cain miniature will be available to pre-order soon, along with the illustrated and annotated edition of For the Emperor, which gives a real glimpse behind the scenes of how the classic novel was made. In the meantime, catch up with Cain’s most recent escapades in Vainglorious.
* The expression on his face recalls some classic Cain artwork.
** A beverage not unlike recaf, excepting that very few non-Valhallans seem capable of tolerating it!
