These new Sons of Behemat models are exactly what the Warhammer Age of Sigmar army needs

There's something deeply satisfying about switching off your brain and stomping across the battlefield with a Sons of Behemat army. OK, yes, there are still strategies to draw up unless you want to get swiftly overwhelmed by those smaller, punier factions. But this is an army all about stomping everything into submission, Godzilla style – it isn't subtle.

That's changing with the latest models and Battletome, though. This update for Warhammer Age of Sigmar's fourth edition introduces a surprise addition to the formula: versatility. Before now, the faction has been focused on getting in close and smacking stuff so hard it disappears into a fine red mist. And that's still the case… but with the update, you can do so from a distance – or magic up a spell that lets your gargants hit even harder. Suddenly, the Sons of Behemat have gone from feeling a bit one-note to a force with nuance.

I was able to get my hands on the new models and Battletome early, so here's what I thought after piecing them all together. Should you add these new units to your army, and what are they like as a hobby project? Let's dig in.

Note: You'll be able to order these models direct from Warhammer, but I'd recommend checking out indie retailers like Miniature Market in the US and Wayland Games in the UK. They traditionally offer a discount of 10-20% on new miniatures, so should hopefully provide money off these new additions.

Ma Maegran

The Sons of Behemat are usually brawn and brute strength, so we're breaking new territory here with "creepy pagan witch." Besides being incredibly unnerving to look at, even unpainted, Ma Maegran fills a role that no other model in the range can – a spell caster. That makes her worth considering straight out of the gate, and these powers are going to come in very handy during games. She's a support character first and foremost, so she'll make your army hit even harder than before.

Gameplay

As the only magic-wielding model in the entire Sons of Behemat army, Ma Maegran already has a lot to commend her – she fills a unique role not met by anyone else. She isn't going to be slinging spells or throwing fireballs at foes, but she can help turn the tide with her 'Creepy Cantrips' ability that adds 1 to rampage rolls (a series of faction-specific boons) and 1 to hit rolls for a nearby gargant of your choice. As an icing on the cake, she can also draw on three generic spells from the Lore of Behemat section of the Battletome. These enhance your gargants' prowess, reduce the strength of foes, or provide Crit (Mortal) to lucky units, so Ma has access to a reliable library of buffs/debuffs.

She's not just a wizard, though; she's also a 'Chooser of the Mighty.' Rumor has it that she can bless 'Little' gargants so they grow to monstrous sizes, and this translates in-game to a power that lets gargants deal mortal damage on 6s or will resurrect a Big gargant that was slain. (The way she does this is quite thematically fitting – you remove a Little model and replace it with the slain Big model, representing the Little one 'growing'.)

Her other abilities revolve around those Ancient Gyrochs that follow her around. These are nasty enough in themselves and are very difficult to kill due to regenerating three wounds each turn, but she can also add 1 to their damage, get them a bonus move (potentially into combat), or draw on their lifeforce to increase her spellcasting ability.

In short, she's a great backline asset that'll keep foes on the backfoot while your other troops do the grunt work. There's nothing else like her in the army list, so I'd certainly recommend adding her to your force.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate
• Build time: 60mins
• Customization: None

For a leader figure, Ma Maegran is pretty straightforward to make. Most bits went together quickly, and while some leg details are too close to connections on the sprue (making it hard not to hit them with clippers), the rest of the process was a breeze.

The Ancient Gyrochs aren't too bad either. One was quite 'bitty' with lots of extras to stick on, but that niggle is the only criticism I've got. For such a seemingly-complex model, Ma Maegran was far easier to build than I expected.

Boss-stompers/Rock-hurlers

While they may seem like standard gargants at first glance, these are as close as we'll get to rank-and-file footsoldiers; they're described in the Battletome as giants that take pride in some organization and better-kept weaponry (though that doesn't say much). This makes them reliable all-rounders with more attacks than similarly-sized Mancrushers, even if the latter have more unique abilities.

Actually, their overall similarity to the Mancrushers makes me wonder if we're looking at the latter's long-term replacement. The Boss-stompers are very similar in design and function but come in a pack of three rather than a single model, so it'd make sense for the Mancrusher to finally retire in the next edition. Which is only right; the poor guy is 20 years old, seeing as he first launched for Warhammer Fantasy Battle back in 2006.

Gameplay

As you might have guessed from their enormous weapons, these guys aren't tremendously complicated; they like to smash stuff, be it up close or from a distance.

To begin with, the Boss-stompers aren't to be messed with; their core club strike offers seven attacks that hit on a 4+ and wound with a 2+, causing 2 damage each. They also pack a health of 12 and can goad Big gargants into using a fight ability immediately after theirs, representing how annoyed everyone else gets at these spunky upstarts.

As for the Rock-hurlers, they have the potential to score even more damage from a distance because the "Hurlin' Rocks" ability provides three attacks that deal d3 for each blow. You can then customize this ability with a selection of modifiers like being able to Shoot in Combat or adding +1 to hit rolls, and these guys have a potent melee option too.

In terms of which one to choose, the Boss-stompers fit better with the overall "smack first, ask questions later" approach, and they're undoubtedly more powerful on paper. However, the Rock-hurlers are some of the only ranged units in the faction and provide valuable cover fire for everyone else. (Plus, a single trio of Rock-hurlers make up the Sons of Behemat Spearhead). With that in mind, I'd actually recommend making Rock-hurlers if you already have melee-first units on your list. They'll fill a much-needed gap.

Build

• Complexity: Moderate
• Build time: 40mins
• Customization: Alt. weapons, heads

It was surprisingly straightforward to build these goliaths; despite being huge compared to other miniatures, they came together much faster than I'd expected. Although there were a couple of moments with an arm or two that made me go "huh?" out loud, I was quickly able to figure it out… largely by rotating the piece in question and waiting until it 'snapped' into position. The instructions could be slightly clearer with those parts as it's not always obvious how everything fits, but these snags are few and far between.

Even if you're relatively new to Warhammer and Age of Sigmar, you shouldn't find these to be much of a struggle.

There's a lot of fun to be had here too. Much like the old Mancrushers, there are loads of references to other Age of Sigmar factions scattered across the build. Stormcast Eternal armor, Soulblight Gravelord coffin lids, and even Helsmiths of Hashut shields are being used as makeshift gear for these guys.

Just be aware that, with so much exposed skin, there are a lot of prominent mold lines to remove.

For more tabletop warfare, be sure not to miss our Duel of Meloch review - it combines two beloved games into one streamlined package.

• See all Age of Sigmar deals at Amazon