40 Years of Warhammer: Miniature Retrospective – Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka
Orks are a big part of Warhammer 40,000 and one Ork is the epitome of Orky-ness. It’s Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka time!
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’re taking a closer look at an ork that helped to define his entire faction and a model that redefined what it meant to be an Ork Warlord. This wasn’t the first incarnation of Ghazghkull and it wasn’t the last, but it had a huge impact on Warhammer.
“Ghazghkull is da meanest, da greenest, da fightiest Ork ever to have lived. Possibly. This incarnation of Ghazghkull debuted with Codex: Armageddon, which covered the Third Armageddon War and supported a worldwide campaign run by White Dwarf to decide the fate of the planet – you could even mail in your game results.”
Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka
As mentioned this wasn’t the first incarnation of Ghahzghkull Thraka. However, this was a much larger incarnation than the first official model and was made entirely of metal.
The first official Games Workshop Ghaz (and Makari) models
Ghaz rivaled the classic Dreadnoughts in sheer size (and weight) on the tabletop — exactly as he should! What was great about this model is that it’s release accompanied Codex: Armageddon and really helped that era of Warhammer 40,000 *pop* at the time. And don’t discount his rivalry with Yarrick either. That was the stuff of Warhammer legends!
Between this model’s release, the Armageddon World Wide Campaign, and advances in miniature technology at the time it was an awesome time to play Warhammer. This model really did help inspire Orks in Warhammer 40,000 and helped to shape the future of Orks. They’ve only gotten meaner and bigger as time went on so it was fitting that Ghaz’s latest incarnation made that jump, too.
Hey look, Makari’s back. Oh and Ghaz looks cool, too.
GW said it best about this iconic miniature:
” For now, he enters the hall of fame as one of the purest expressions of orkish ingenuity and brutality. “
We tip our hat to Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, the Orkiest Ork to ever WAAAGH! in Warhammer 40,000!
