September is bringing some useful additions to two fantasy ranges that were already becoming much more complete: Highlands Miniatures’ Norse Tribes and Lost Kingdom Miniatures’ Primordial Herd.

What makes both releases interesting to me isn’t simply that there are more models to choose from. Both expand ranges that already cover a substantial part of an army and add units that make those collections feel broader and more coherent.

The new Highlands release pushes its Norse range further into heavily armed warriors and mounted troops, while Lost Kingdom’s Primordial Herd Vol. III brings in new Minotaurs, Longhorns and a particularly substantial Minotaur character.

So rather than simply running through a list of new miniatures, I thought it was worth looking at what they actually add to their respective ranges.

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The Highlands Miniatures Norse range was already one of those collections that had developed into much more than a handful of Viking-inspired fantasy miniatures.

There are bowmen, different configurations of Norse Raiders and several mounted options, as well as a Starter Army that brings a good chunk of the range together.

The next release adds Norse Huscarls, giving the collection another clearly defined type of warrior alongside the existing Raiders.

The mounted Huscarls also include flail & shield options, as well as the spear/lance and shield builds.

That extra flexibility is particularly welcome.

Alternative miniature ranges become considerably more useful when you’re not forced into one very specific weapon configuration. Modular options make it easier to build units around the look you want, whether you’re expanding an existing collection or putting something together from scratch.

What I like about the way Highlands has expanded this range is that the releases actually build on one another.

The existing collection already includes Norse Bowmen, Raiders with hand weapons and shields, Raiders with two-handed weapons and several mounted Raider configurations.

Adding Huscarls means there is now another distinct style of warrior rather than simply another sculpt for something the range already covered.

The chariot also gives the release a larger model alongside all of the infantry and cavalry.

For anyone who has been watching the Norse range develop, it is becoming increasingly possible to keep a consistent Highlands aesthetic across a substantial fantasy army rather than mixing half a dozen unrelated miniature ranges together.

That is something I always look for when deciding which ranges are worth expanding on UKResinPrint.

Lost Kingdom Miniatures is also expanding its Primordial Herd, with Vol. III adding three new sets:

It is a smaller release in terms of the number of separate products, but they slot into what is already a surprisingly extensive range.

The existing Primordial Herd collection includes Centaurs, Mongrel Archers, Wildhorn Herd, Feral Hounds, a Raiding Chariot and numerous larger monsters and characters including Talvren, Gentilak, Ojancano/Cuegle, Aitzgor, Youta Brennach and The Hunter.

There are already two larger Primordial Herd packs as well.

Vol. III therefore isn’t trying to establish the range from scratch.

It is filling it out.

The biggest addition is obviously the new Minotaur Unit and Command Group.

Large monstrous infantry is exactly the sort of thing that benefits from having a coherent set rather than trying to assemble a unit from individual character models or unrelated sculpts.

The new Minotaurs are designed for 40mm bases and come with a command group, making this a proper unit release rather than simply another standalone monster.

Alongside them is the Minotaur Druid, and this is a very different proposition visually.

Sitting on a 100×100mm base, it has the footprint of a genuine centrepiece model.

Even in a range which already contains some large creatures, that gives Primordial Herd collectors another model capable of becoming one of the visual anchors of an army.

The Longhorn Herd and Command Group fills a different gap.

These are designed for 25mm bases and add another formed infantry option alongside the existing Wildhorn Herd and other members of the range.

This is the sort of release that can look less dramatic than a huge monster when you first see the previews, but it is arguably just as important when you’re trying to build a coherent army.

A good alternative range needs ordinary troops as much as it needs spectacular centrepieces.

Having different infantry units, command models, cavalry, chariots and monsters all sharing the same sculpting style is what turns a collection of cool miniatures into a genuinely useful army range.

There is another reason these two ranges feel particularly timely.

Games Workshop’s recently released Arcane Journal: The March of Chaos for Warhammer: The Old World introduces a new Army of Infamy which brings Warriors of Chaos and Beastmen Brayherds together within the same army.

That makes the combination of heavily armoured northern warriors and savage beast-themed units particularly relevant to hobbyists at the moment.

The Highlands Norse and Lost Kingdom Primordial Herd are entirely separate third-party miniature ranges, but aesthetically they explore two sides of that same broad fantasy theme — disciplined northern warriors on one side and monstrous, feral creatures on the other.

For anyone inspired by the renewed focus on Chaos in The Old World, it is therefore an interesting time to see both ranges receiving substantial new additions.

There are an enormous number of fantasy STL releases every month now, and it is very easy for new models to become background noise.

For me, the interesting releases are increasingly the ones that expand something useful rather than simply starting another half-finished range.

Both of these releases do that.

Highlands is taking a Norse collection that already contains infantry, archers and cavalry and expanding it with Huscarls, mounted Huscarls and a chariot.

Lost Kingdom is taking an already large Primordial Herd collection and adding another major infantry type, monstrous infantry and a new centrepiece character.

That gives hobbyists considerably more freedom to build an army with a consistent visual identity.

And if you already own models from either range, these aren’t releases that require starting again.

They give you new directions in which to expand what you already have.

The existing Norse Tribes and Primordial Herd ranges are already available from UKResinPrint.

We’ll add the new models once their final files, options and specifications have been properly checked.

I’d rather get those details right than rush a new product page out simply because a release has appeared.

Warhammer: The Old World and the Games Workshop ranges mentioned above are referenced for editorial context only. UKResinPrint is an independent retailer and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Games Workshop.