40 Years of Warhammer: Miniature Retrospective – Adepta Sororitas Amalia Novena
In 2019 Games Workshop updated the Adepta Sororitas with a new plastic range. Amalia Novena led the charge into the new era for the range.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Warhammer and Games Workshop is taking some time to look back at miniatures that had a big impact on their work. Today we are taking a closer look at Sister Superior Amalia Novena. If you don’t recognize the name you will recognize the miniature because she was the herald for the current era of Adepta Sororitas (aka the Sisters of Battle) miniatures.
“Unfortunately, for much of their history the Adepta Sororitas remained a niche choice in games of Warhammer 40,000, as they mostly hadn’t made the transition from classic metal models to plastic. It wasn’t until 2019 that the first plastic Sisters of Battle miniature was revealed.
Sister Superior Amalia Novena was based on a classic piece of art by Karl Kopinski, brought to life as a statement of intent – the warrior sisterhood of the 41st Millennium were coming back with a vengeance. “
Sister Superior Amalia Novena
The new model first new model in plastic for the Adepta Sororitas kicked off a flurry of excitement. The entire range was finally getting attention and a propper update by Games Workshop. This was also the first time GW opted to let folks in a bit on the production process with the many Battle Sister Bulletins. These articles were quick updates on the progress of the development of the range and sneak peeks at the various models or bits the team at GW was creating.
Eventually, the new plastics did arrive and boy were they a massive improvement and quite stunning!
“John Blanche had set the tone for the Sisters of Battle for many years, via his image of a pious platinum-haired warrior with one foot sternly raised on a pile of skeletal remains, backed by a crowd of ecclesiastical weirdos and flying cherubs. “
What’s been really neat about the Adepta Sororitas range is that GW has recreated a handful of miniatures directly from the art. And those models have been pretty faithful recreations, too.
For the rest of the Sisters line Games Workshop really upped their game. They went back and recreated iconic units like the Penitent Engines and Sisters Repentia. And it wasn’t just the old units getting updated, they also introduced new units that leaned into the aesthetics of the Adepta Sororitas like the Paragon Warsuits and Morvenn Vahl.
The new(er) plastic Adepta Sororitas kits have been fantastic additions to the game. So while you might not know her name, we still give thanks to Sister Superior Amalia Novena.
What’s your favorite Adepta Sororitas plastic kit?
