Imperial Knights Renegade: A Scaled-Up Battle Report With Giant Joy Toy Knights

Introduction

Some tabletop games are meant to be played at a specific scale. Imperial Knights Renegade, an official Games Workshop rule set released in 2016, was designed for their standard Imperial Knights models. But what happens when you take that rule set and play it with Joy Toy versions that are four times bigger? You get a game played at four times the scale, with custom terrain, a tape measure that measures in hands (which are four inches), giant comedy dice, and two of the most impressive mech models you have ever seen on a gaming table.

This battle report covers the full experience: the rules, the models, the terrain, and the printer that made it all possible. Whether you are a Warhammer 40k veteran or someone curious about the hobby, there is plenty to take away from this scaled-up experiment.

The Rule Set: Imperial Knights Renegade

Imperial Knights Renegade is a one-on-one dueling game, and it is probably the easiest Games Workshop rule set they have ever made. Each turn, both players secretly assign three action points to a small menu of possible actions, each with its own action point cost. Those actions are snap attack, advance, rotate ion shields, standard attack, run, aimed attack, and charge.

You could spend all three action points on an aimed attack, or split them up by doing a snap attack, rotating ion shields, and running. Players reveal their choices at the same time and resolve the actions in a fixed order, one through seven. Knights always face each other, so gameplay is all about positioning, weapon range, terrain, and timing.

One of the big differences in this game is that attacks do not use regular to-hit rolls like 40k. Instead, you aim at a specific location on the knight using a grid for reference, then roll two dice: one for vertical aim and one for horizontal aim, to see if that shot hits its target or scatters. For standard attacks, threes and fours hit their target. For aimed attacks, you only miss on ones and sixes. Snap attacks are wildly inaccurate and always scatter, so you are just rolling to see how much they scatter by.

Once the location of the hit is figured out, there is no strength or toughness. It is straight onto the saving roll, which is a five-plus by default but can be modified by plus one if you are behind cover and plus one if you rotated ion shields that turn. Some weapons have an AP value, which negatively modifies the save. If a save is failed, damage is inflicted on the hull location that was hit. If that location runs out of hull points, it can be crippled or destroyed, causing system losses and negative modifiers like losing weapon functionality, slowing movement, or reducing action points. Destroy three locations on one knight and it is game over.

The rules are simple enough to learn in about two minutes, but the strategic depth comes from the simultaneous action selection and the positioning game. It is fast, fun, and a completely different mechanic from standard 40k.

The Joy Toy Imperial Knights

The stars of this battle report are the two Joy Toy Imperial Knights, which are four times larger than the standard Games Workshop models. These are not just bigger versions of the same models. They are highly poseable, which adds a whole new dimension to the game.

One knight, controlled by Guy, was a House Terran Imperial Knight Paladin armed with a rapid fire battle cannon, two heavy stubbers, a reaper chainsword, and an extra storm spear missile pod. This knight was good at range, but the table, even though it was massive, was quite small for this size of game, so it needed a little extra help with shooting.

The other knight, controlled by Steve, was a House Raven Knight Errant armed with a thermal cannon, a reaper chainsword, and a heavy stubber. Not as strong at range, but once it got in close, the Paladin was in trouble.

The scale of these models changes the game in interesting ways. For example, the weapon rules for the game give all close combat weapons a range, but at this scale, the players decided to ignore that and simply attack where the chainsaw can physically touch. Since the models are poseable, this created some hilarious moments where a knight would stretch its chainsword arm to reach a target that was technically out of range.

The size also lends itself to more granular cover rules. In the standard game, if you are obscured by terrain, your whole body gets the cover save. But at this scale, the players could track location-specific cover, meaning a knight’s head could be exposed while the rest of the body was behind a wall. This added a layer of tactical depth that the standard game does not have.

The Battle: A Turn-by-Turn Breakdown

The game was played at a local club in Colchester, with an absolutely massive gaming board set up with custom terrain. From the first turn, the action was intense.

Turn one saw Guy commit all three action points to an aimed attack, targeting Steve’s knight’s head with everything he had. Steve, meanwhile, used his points to advance and run, positioning himself behind a building for cover. The aimed attack was devastating, with missiles and heavy stubbers scoring direct hits on the head, leaving it critically damaged after just one turn.

Turn two was all about positioning. Both players chose advance, forcing a roll-off to see who moved first. Steve won and charged straight at Guy, getting into range with his chainsword. The close combat rules meant no roll to hit, just straight damage. Steve’s chainsword hit the already-damaged head, leaving it with just one hull point remaining.

Turn three saw both knights with critically damaged heads, reducing both players to two action points per turn. The game became a brutal back-and-forth, with each player trying to land the killing blow. Steve managed to destroy Guy’s tilting shield with his chainsword, while Guy’s shooting continued to scatter wildly, missing more often than not.

By turn five, the game was still going. Steve’s thermal cannon scored a massive hit on Guy’s foot, destroying that section and reducing his movement. But Guy was still in the fight, and his shooting was starting to find its mark.

The final turn came down to a single shot. Steve, using a snap attack, fired his thermal cannon at the top section of Guy’s gyro. The shot hit, dealing three damage and destroying the third hardpoint. Guy’s Imperial Knight was down, and Steve claimed another victory.

The game went on for much longer than expected, but that was part of the fun. The simultaneous action selection and the scatter mechanic created a tense, unpredictable experience that kept both players on their toes.

The Terrain: Imperial Sprawl

The terrain for this battle report was not just a backdrop. It was a crucial part of the gameplay, providing cover and line-of-sight blocking that shaped every decision. The terrain was designed by Steve, who is an architect by trade, and it showed. The buildings were realistic, with proper sight lines and cover positions.

The terrain was printed from a much larger modular kit called Imperial Sprawl. This kit is an absolute steal at 25 pounds, and until the end of February 2026, you can get an extra 10 pounds off, bringing it down to just 15 pounds for the printable files. That gives you the ability to print as much terrain as you want, making it an incredible value for anyone with a 3D printer.

The walls were painted with a combination of spray paints and airbrushing. A base coat of death guard green was applied to the linking parts, followed by edge lord brass for the brassy details. The main wall sections got a stone effect spray to add a speckly texture, then were blacked out. A top-down spray of trench brown, a dusting from below with a red tone, and a light dusting of gray all over created a weathered, battle-worn look. Steve added finishing touches with light gray sponging and airbrush filtering with browns and greens to make the walls look more realistic, especially near the bottoms.

The Printer: Elegoo Centauri Carbon

All of this terrain was printed on the Elegoo Centauri Carbon, an enclosed FDM 3D printer that was recently on sale. The choice between the Centauri Carbon and the Bambu Lab A1 came down to one key feature: the door. The Centauri Carbon is enclosed, which made it a safer choice for a household with four-year-old twins. Having the printing happen behind a door rather than out in the open was a significant peace-of-mind factor.

The printer was easy to set up, and with some pointers from a friend on best practices and settings, the terrain pieces were printing in no time. The quality of the prints was impressive. The walls were printed at half the maximum detail the printer can achieve, with no supports, just for the sake of speed. A wall section took about five hours to print, so the full terrain set represented a significant time investment.

The Centauri Carbon also does a decent job with finer details. A model printed for a future video showed that FDM printing can handle more intricate designs, even if it cannot quite match the detail of resin printing for miniatures. For terrain and vehicles, though, FDM printing is fantastic. The filament cost to print out a tank was about two pounds, making it an incredibly cheap way to build out a terrain collection.

Overall Buying Advice

If you are interested in trying Imperial Knights Renegade, the rule set is a great starting point. It is simple, fast, and fun, and it offers a different mechanic from standard 40k that is worth experiencing. You do not need the giant Joy Toy models to enjoy it. A couple of standard Imperial Knights will work perfectly well.

For the Joy Toy Imperial Knights, these are premium display pieces that also happen to be playable. They are significantly larger than the standard models, so they require a lot of table space, but the poseability and detail make them a joy to own. If you are a fan of Imperial Knights and want a centerpiece model, these are worth considering.

The Imperial Sprawl terrain kit is an excellent value, especially with the current discount. If you have a 3D printer, this is one of the best ways to build out a ruined city terrain collection. The modular design means you can print as much or as little as you need.

The Elegoo Centauri Carbon is a solid choice for anyone looking for an enclosed FDM printer. It is easy to use, produces quality prints, and the enclosed design makes it safer for households with children or pets. If you are new to FDM printing, this is a great entry point.

Conclusion

This scaled-up battle report was a fantastic demonstration of what makes Imperial Knights Renegade such a fun game. The rules are simple enough to pick up quickly, but the simultaneous action selection and scatter mechanics create a tense, strategic experience. The Joy Toy Imperial Knights added a whole new level of spectacle, and the custom terrain made the game feel like a true epic battle.

Whether you are a seasoned 40k player or new to the hobby, Imperial Knights Renegade is worth trying. And if you have the space and the budget, playing it at four times the scale with Joy Toy models is an experience you will not forget.