The Old World team at Games Workshop has spent the last couple of weeks peeling back the curtain on how Grand Cathay came to life.
But with the miniatures now on the cusp of pre-order, the spotlight shifts from lore to the physical kits themselves. To mark the occasion, the sculptors behind the range—Alastair, Giorgio, Nicholas, and Ray—sat down with ’Eavy Metal’s Dan to share what it took to translate Creative Assembly’s digital art into tabletop-ready plastic. As someone who’s fielded my fair share of Empire swordsmen and Dwarf Longbeards, this kind of design deep-dive hits the sweet spot between lore and hobby.
Designing with Digital Expectations
Alastair pointed out something that every Total War: Warhammer III player already knew—Grand Cathay wasn’t a mystery faction. By the time GW’s sculptors got to work, CA had already dropped a full playable army, backed by tons of concept art. So naturally, expectations were sky-high. The sculpting team wanted to meet that bar—and go beyond—by adding the kind of layered detail and Warhammer grimness you can only achieve in physical form.
However, translating that game art into actual sprues wasn’t simple. The digital designs were rich with trinkets and scrollwork—great on screen, but overwhelming in plastic. So the team distilled those details into recurring motifs across the kits. Scale armour, for instance, had to be rethought. Traditional lamellar looked gorgeous in theory, but it risked becoming a painter’s nightmare if too noisy. Instead, the sculptors leaned into layered plates that retained the historical Chinese influence but kept things readable at tabletop scale.
From Scrollwork to “Sausage Dragons”
Nicholas and Giorgio doubled down on historical references for elite models—especially weapons and ornate trim. They tried to add elegant flourishes wherever they could. For example, the Gate Master’s horse bears a swirl pattern that the team tried to echo throughout the range. Still, not everything made it through. One attempt at a Dragon-themed belt buckle affectionately became known as “the sausage Dragon”—and was quickly shelved.
The key, Giorgio explained, was filtering. They took the rich visual language of the concept art and boiled it down into consistent, sculpt-friendly design elements. You want the mini to look lush without becoming an eyesore—or worse, impossible to paint.
Jade Warriors: The Goldilocks Unit
The Jade Warriors were the lynchpin of the whole range. Not quite bottom-tier militia, not quite ultra-elite—just right. They set the visual tone and defined Cathay’s middle military class. These are not ragged militiamen like you’d find in the Empire. They’re trained, well-equipped, and proud. Think of them more like Bretonnian Knights Errant, but on foot and in scale armour.
Alastair mentioned that these troops helped ground the faction in its philosophy of harmony. They have scale armour layered over cloth, giving them both bulk and uniformity. Each unit comes with enough heads to build them all as male, female, or a mix. That’s a big deal—it reflects Cathay’s different approach to warfare and societal roles. The result is a force that feels coherent and versatile.
Jade Lancers: The Cavalry Upgrade
When it came to the Jade Lancers, the job was to level up everything. The shields got larger, the armour heavier, and the detailing more ornate. The raised collar carried over from the infantry, giving them that locked-in, ready-to-charge silhouette.
The team leaned heavily on Creative Assembly’s design palette, especially for color choices. Miao Ying’s Northern Province theme meant a lot of red and jade-green across the force. Red dominated the underclothing, while jade popped on shields and trim. Dan noted that while hobbyists can paint however they like, the studio has its own visual standards to maintain. Still, it’s great that the official range sets a baseline while leaving hobbyists room to experiment.
The Grand Cannon: Boom with Personality
The Cathayan Grand Cannon is classic Warhammer madness. It’s massive, impractical, and totally believable within the setting. Alastair explained that while the Total War crew had the gunners in uniform, the sculptors gave each one a distinct personality. One guy is smoking a pipe while handling explosives. Another wears makeshift earplugs and does the classic “safety squint.” Then there’s the veteran loader—probably wise enough to stay out of the line of fire.
The Ogre loader was a natural addition. In a world full of mercs, why wouldn’t you hire a brute to lug cannonballs? You even get some build options—like removing the Dragon-head muzzle for a more “historical” feel, if that’s your thing.
Painting with Purpose
Dan also shared how the ’Eavy Metal team approached skin tones. Painting East Asian skin tones respectfully and accurately required nuance. They didn’t want to fall into caricature or default to a single tone. Instead, they used a palette of five core shades and varied the tones with glazes and shading. Even among the rank-and-file, the painters added personality—trinkets, gourds, and even teapots. These little touches remind you that these are still people, not just plastic soldiers in a Dragon Empire.
Gate Masters: The Generals Arrive
The Gate Masters were the final reveal in this article, and they were designed to stand out. These mounted leaders wear capes, flaunt ornate swirl patterns, and sport full Dragon masks on their horses. The sculptors added modularity so you can mix and match weapons, banners, and heads between the two kits. Giorgio explained that these generals had to bridge the gap between Total War concept sheets and Warhammer tabletop needs—and they succeeded in making it feel like both.
Closing Thoughts:
Grand Cathay’s journey from pixels to plastic has been a meticulous one. The team didn’t just reprint Total War sculpts—they refined, filtered, and reimagined them for the tabletop. They balanced detail with usability, rooted their designs in history, and made sure every kit could tell a story.
For lore fans, collectors, and painters alike, these models are more than gaming pieces—they’re a reflection of a society that blends myth, martial discipline, and aesthetic harmony. And now, with pre-orders just days away, it’s almost time to start building your own corner of the Celestial Empire.
Stay tuned—we’ll be covering the Sky Lantern, Shugengan Lord, and Miao Ying herself next, as the full range takes flight.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
