A sense of both dread and awe crept up my spine as I saw the announcement. Wētā Workshop is revealing a series Warhammer 40,000 statues.
Wētā do not do things by halves, I have basked in the presence of their wares and a number of big events – so I knew this was going to be tremendous.
And costly.
The video starts with an in-depth look at the protagonist of the upcoming Space Marine II, Lieutenant Titus – standing menacingly on the corpse of a Tyranid Hormagaunt that is estimate to be roughly ‘the size of a cat’. The Wētā crew wax lyrical about how much effort went into making him epic beyond words, with details like swappable weapons and glowing eyes in his helmet. It’s some killer stuff.
The video then gives us a quick look at their next planned figures, including the monstrous traitor Abaddon the Despoiler and the living saint of the Adepta Sororitas – Saint Celestine. Both are in various stages of development, but already look positively incredible.
So the creeping feeling of awe hit a critical pitch. And then the gut-sinking feeling of dread returned – checking out the price. So I took a quick jaunt to the preorder page of Wētā’s website.
And hot diggity damn, of all the things I can’t afford – I can’t afford these the most:
That is a stellar, premium price – deserved of a stellar, premium object. I am somewhat of a statue collector, with a paltry collection of items that live close to my heart – but a price that steep is beyond my humble reach.
But that is not to say they are not deserving of the cost. As mentioned above, a premium object comes with such a price tag – and to those that have the disposable income to own these relics, they are going to be enjoying a seriously cool display piece for the discerning 40k enthusiast. And likely a family heirloom to be passed down through future generations.
And so my awe and despair give way to a content feeling of hope that I may perhaps see one of these in the flesh one day. I can dream that maybe Games Workshop will ship one to a local Warhammer store, and I try and smell the hair of Lieutenant Titus in person.
A bloke can dream.
Do you have the kind of coin to drop over $2000 on the coolest Warhammer statue to ever exist? What about the slightly cheaper $1800 version? Let us know in the comments or on social media, and invite me over for a look when you get it.
