This just refers to the look and sculpt of a model, for cheesiness, ugliness, cheapness, bad posing or for whatever other reason.
Knights I can't shake the kiddy-feeling when looking at these. I find the whole idea of having larger and larger models very debatable, but this is an absolute overload of size and weapon porn. Even lore wise, it all feels a bit as if it was pasted on top of the 40k universe way too thickly and quickly. They seem to be doing well though, seeing more and more of these at my local store.
Centurions The missing aesthetic link between Terminators and Dreadnoughts. There was no need for them, Space Marines, Terminators and Dreadnoughts satisfied the need for square shaped, walking ceramite monsters sufficiently and the whole design feels very immature to me.
Grey Knights I've warmed up a bit to them, but when they came out I got that necron-y feeling of "Here's a ridiculously powerful army with flattering, testosterone-infused lore that you can get game ready with three colors".
Khorne Berzerkers These ones for me have the most missed potential. I like everything about them, lore, color scheme, armor etc., except the freaking posing. I get that they can't wait to get their hands all bloody and sticky, but half of them look like they're slipping on banana peels.
Alarielle the Everqueen Total overload. There's nothing for the eye to hold on to, with components that by themselves would look great, they're just mashed together in a large huge mess.
Contemptor Dreadnoughts Maybe the single ugliest model of recent times. The tall legs, the neat joint attachments, the almost ball shaped torso, the lurking head, nothing feels right to me about this one. Feels more '50s sci-fi than 40k.
(Dark) Eldar As a whole. I just can't get with the helmets and the strong contrasted colors from the '80s. Regarding the DE, I feel that the lore is incredibly strong and captivating and while the models do better than the Eldar, they still lack that gaunt and slender spikiness that I'd like for them, for which I feel the new Sylvaneth, especially Revenants are a beautiful example.
Obviously that's like, my opinion. I'm aware that several of the above get lots of love and that's a good thing.
If I'm honest...about 60% of the current model range. I fully understand it though, GW appeals to people starting around 12-14 years of age so the models are becoming more and more "turn it to 11" caricatures of things which could be cool, or used to be cool.
A good example is the Techmarine
We started with this in Rogue Trader...literally a spanner wielding Marine with sweet goggles.
Not amazing, but we get it...simple, small sculpts.
Then we went to 2nd edition:
Pretty cool update. Lots of character, stands out on the table, has some cool stuff along with that crazy backpack arm.
And then we go fully absurd...
When I see something like the last version I immediately stray from considering spending money. It's just comical overload of an attempt at styling. I'd have much preferred an update to the 2nd edition model. There is such a thing as "too much"
We won't even mention the travesty that is the Wulfen.
Pretty much any model where the figure has wrist, shoulder and leg armor, and then a bare stomach, chest and/or neck.
I'm sure the local wildlife will have difficulty eating your well protected shoulders after you bleed to death from that gut-shot.
I don't mind the Knights as they were a thing back when in Epic, and they've done a good job recreating the 'look'.
Centurions, though, do bug me. The artwork of them looks cool enough but the models are awful. Like the old box dreadnoughts, they literally cannot walk forwards.
I don't know, Knights look fine I guess and they have been around since epic (wasn't aware of that), but they still feel like a way of reintroducing the titan-trope into the game from another angle, working the testosterone pump even harder.
At the scale of 40k the appeal is completely lost on me.
It might be the hipster/snob in me, but the way the hype gets bought into just annoys me, that's entirely my own problem, though.
Wulfen yes, definitely. Lost potential there too, I feel, in terms of styling. A few notches lower could have done the trick but as it was mentioned, entry age is about half as my own, so they need stuff that's somehow still visually rooted in action figures.
So yes, I agree with the problem of overstyling, although in the specific case of the Techmarine I have to admit that I still find the current state still pretty awesome. Observing the evolution itself does give pause, however.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh right, forgot to mention, Kastelan Robots... wtf happened there...
Wraithknights (To big compared to anything else in the Eldar army. It looks off on the tabletop)
The entire Tau line (The models are just ugly.)
Anything Warmachine/Hordes that is in their horrible, horrible plastic.
Grumpy, interesting point on the Wraithknight -- I was planning on buying one for my 2nd edition Eldar army and converting it to the old Revenant titan because it's so large.
I feel like this thread cannot continue without the worst sculpted figures I've seen in the history of the company (let alone...other games). The most absurdly stupid things to creep into the game:
Chaos forces, as expected are comically over the top, but that's been their aesthetic for at least 10 years now and is just getting more and more obtuse (particularly if you look at the AoS offerings).
This is borderline bad...
This is freakin' atrocious.
As we progress with computer sculpts I get the feeling you have far more people who are technically good with computer/3D sculpting modeling, but have never been to an art school or learned anything about actual art/sculpting.
I've never much cared for the Chaos aesthetic - as I grow older, I have an appreciation that often the creepier/scarier stuff is the stuff you don't see, the subdued, rusty, lovecraftian vibe stuff. I don't need blood, skulls, spikes, and more spikes to tell me someone's a bad guy.
Even when you use the over-the-top death's head style motif, I'd rather it be portrayed in a functional/useful way. I laugh when I look at a figure covered in spikes and think 'How does he sit on a horse...or ride in a Rhino...or walk through a doorway...or sit down...". This kind of absurdist design takes me straight out of the story/atmosphere.
The Taurox isn't so bad once you show it a little... Finesse. Wheel conversions are a good start. I've been tempted to develop one into a Griffon, similar to the SDKFz-250 mortar carriers..
I'm with you on the contemptor dreadnoughts. Any space marines with Mark 1-3 armor kinda feels....wrong, which is why I never got into Heresy models as much. Also, the Pilgrim-looking Inquisitors/Witch Hunters. Not sure what a blunderbuss is doing in the 41st millenium, even if it is a "space blunderbuss" -- you're not scaring anyone in a world of bolters and melta guns with your turkey shooter, and the Pilgrim hat finishes off all remaining remnants of intimidation.
Khorne Berzerkers These ones for me have the most missed potential. I like everything about them, lore, color scheme, armor etc., except the freaking posing. I get that they can't wait to get their hands all bloody and sticky, but half of them look like they're slipping on banana peels.
.
In fairness, this is in part user error. It is possible to create poses with these guys where their momentum looks balanced.
That said, they are designed so you can't just stick the parts together and end up with a nice looking model. When ever I use berserker legs in my models I spend like 5 minutes running around and thinking about how my body is moving before I can stick the model together!
Blood Angels Captain Karlaen. The guy has so much potential and is just so badly posed it's almost impossible to make him look good. I think I've seen a grand total one one decent conversion where he had dual lightning claws and didn't look like a complete dork.
To me, some of the bad ones are:
Chaos Furies
Vespid Stingwings
Dark Eldar Talos Pain Engine
Dark Eldar Khymerae
Contemptor Dreadnought
Finally, the worst offender, Logan Grimnar playing Santa Claus:
This model is just bad from concept to execution. I can suspend my disbelief over TWC, but this...no, just no.
I'm not a huge fan of Centurions, but I don't hate them either. As for Wulfen, I think the models are actually okay apart from the ugly heads. I have a friend who replaced the heads with helmeted heads, and they do look somewhat better. If I end up picking some up, I'll probably put regular Space Wolf heads on them (with the beards and everything).
Edit: these are suggestions to the above, not models that annoy me
Thanks, but, not to belabor the point too much more, but yeah, no. I've seen those lines, and others, and the absolutely none of the males compare to the females. Which is sad, but reality.
Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled thread etc.
I actually like a bunch of the ones that have been hit in this thread. Grimnar, Centurions, some of the others. I agree on the Wulfen, though. They have a lot of potential, too, but the terrible poses killed 'em. Especially the wolverine looking one with the twin frost claws. If that exact same model was taken and reposed into a standard fighting stance, it would look a million times better
Tau - the lot of them. Just don't like the aesthetic. Devoid of any real character.
SoB - their faces. woeful sculpting but i get they are ancient so we'll just ignore them. They're used to it!
Space Wolves, in their entireity. Loathe them. The above Santa Grimnar though is beyond ugly and stupid.
Not a fan of the Kastellan or the electro priests. Just sits sideways and three steps into the crapper to the rest of the Mech aesthetic to me. Gamewise the Kas are pretty good but I'll just make my own rather than those robbie the robot sculpts.
Those Space Marine chapters that take their general theme which is super cool and slather it all over themselves. Space Wolves and Blood Angels to be specific. As for other models, non-Cadians need to be redone, seeing as they're all ancient sculpts.
The new Eldar Harlequins. They're over-dynamic, which requires a lot of attention to detail when assembling them to make all the action lines work, and some of the arm options look like they're for specific torso pieces
Moving away from GW sculpts, I nominate Finari, Female Justicar from Reaper. She's a Werner Klocke sculpt, so she has his idiosyncratic face. Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to paint that face that doesn't look terrible.
The Helbrute has always looked a bit wrong to me. I honestly don't know how to best fix it, but,there's just something not quite there.
Most Imperial and Chaos Flyers also look awful in my opinion - too stubby and aerodynamically a joke. At least the Eldar ones look like they might actually be able to fly (if unstably so).
Most of the Tau just looks wrong to me, and I'm part of the never generation of younger wargamers they were supposed to appeal to.
DarkSoldier wrote: The new Eldar Harlequins. They're over-dynamic, which requires a lot of attention to detail when assembling them to make all the action lines work, and some of the arm options look like they're for specific torso pieces
I just picked up Death Masque, and this just turned my insides. Gonna take my sweet time with my Deathwatch marines.
Not a fan of Harlies in general, although I can't put my finger on it. Shadowseer especially with the tubes on his shoulders is sort of swing and miss for me.
Rackham's Red Lioness, in all her incarnations. First incarnation looks like she's trying to lop her own head off (and plain just looks terrible). 2nd incarnation, she's going to war in a Keyhole breastplate and a thong, and looks like she could use a dozen cheeseburgers and a milkshake.
The Contemptor is justhe GW going back and updating the old Epic marine dreadnought for 40k scale. Forge world went halfway with the mk4 dread pattern but I think the Contemptor is a closer overall match to it.
My beef is with models that are overdone. the current Screaming Bell is a good example. I liked the old 90s one, and even the 00s one had some ragtag charm to it, but the modern one with its stonework and ropes and braziers and everything is just such a mess to look at, the eye wants to rebel against it. Same with things like the Vampire floating throne with its hundreds of spikes and spirits circling around, and the less said about Nagash, the better.
DarkSoldier wrote: The new Eldar Harlequins. They're over-dynamic, which requires a lot of attention to detail when assembling them to make all the action lines work, and some of the arm options look like they're for specific torso pieces.
I just assembled a box of these guys, and quite agree. "Over-dynamic" is exactly the word, and I had to work pretty hard to make the leg and arm combos work to my liking. I used to dislike Wyches for this, but I'd take a squad of those guys over Harlequins any day, just because putting them together was far easier. Another one of my peeves are models standing on tiptoe, like the Scourges. Those guys already have massive wings and heavy weapons, why hike their center of gravity upwards by 2 inches with stupid stunt-posing?
Honorable mention goes to Jain Zar. Anyone ever tried to pin her to a base? Wasn't easy.
Agamemnon2 wrote: My beef is with models that are overdone. the current Screaming Bell is a good example. I liked the old 90s one, and even the 00s one had some ragtag charm to it, but the modern one with its stonework and ropes and braziers and everything is just such a mess to look at, the eye wants to rebel against it. Same with things like the Vampire floating throne with its hundreds of spikes and spirits circling around, and the less said about Nagash, the better.
DarkSoldier wrote: The new Eldar Harlequins. They're over-dynamic, which requires a lot of attention to detail when assembling them to make all the action lines work, and some of the arm options look like they're for specific torso pieces.
I just assembled a box of these guys, and quite agree. "Over-dynamic" is exactly the word, and I had to work pretty hard to make the leg and arm combos work to my liking. I used to dislike Wyches for this, but I'd take a squad of those guys over Harlequins any day, just because putting them together was far easier. Another one of my peeves are models standing on tiptoe, like the Scourges. Those guys already have massive wings and heavy weapons, why hike their center of gravity upwards by 2 inches with stupid stunt-posing?
Honorable mention goes to Jain Zar. Anyone ever tried to pin her to a base? Wasn't easy.
At least most of the stupidly top heavy models are in plastic or resin these days. A good rock or a penny in the base will go a long way to lowering the center of gravity. I just finished some old metal swooping hawks, and keeping them upright was an exercise in finding the largest rocks in my basing supplies. I’ve put together two Jain Zar’s, one of which was modified in a way that ended up raising her center of mass. So far they are both still in their original slotta bases.
As a Space Wolves fan, everything that came out for Space Wolves in the past edition rubs me the wrong way. Logan Claus, Flying Dog's Head, Wulfen. I like the new Dreadnought kit but Murderface is stupid.
Castellan robots. I love everything else Admech, but those things look straight out of a "Robby the Robot & Friends" fun time show. They're too smooth and roubded to look intimidating. Really, it's the head. It's so cartoony I want to draw eyes and a smiley face on it. If I ever run Admech I'm gonna have to find some alternatives.
Also, Eldar stuff to me is boring in general. Too smooth and fragile-looking. At least DE take it up a notch, but all the Eldar designs seem so tame.
I generally don't have objections to most of the current range of model from an aesthetics point of view, but it does bother the crude out of me when models are WAAAAAY too big for their rules.
Daemons have some good examples of this. Seekers, Bloodletters and Pink Horrors are all T3 1W models, yet each they are almost as big, or bigger that a Space Marine. Give 'Letters their T4 back please and make Seekers have 2W per model
Galef wrote: I generally don't have objections to most of the current range of model from an aesthetics point of view, but it does bother the crude out of me when models are WAAAAAY too big for their rules.
Daemons have some good examples of this. Seekers, Bloodletters and Pink Horrors are all T3 1W models, yet each they are almost as big, or bigger that a Space Marine. Give 'Letters their T4 back please and make Seekers have 2W per model
I liked the lesser daemons becoming weaker and cheaper per model than marines; I think it better matches the fluff and in-game it means there are fewer S4 T4 guys running around when that shouldn't be the norm. I can definitely see your point though, it's just that we're stuck with a system where a guardsman is S3 T3, a marine is S4 T4 and you can't represent something being stronger and tougher than Geq but not equivalent to Meq.
Forgot about this monstrosity (and not in the cool, Nurgly, daemonic, Chaos-esque way, but in the massive, smelly pile of used jock straps kinda way). Just awful.
Agamemnon2 wrote: Honorable mention goes to Jain Zar. Anyone ever tried to pin her to a base? Wasn't easy.
You cut her off the slotta?! That would be awful.
Honestly, that reminds me... all of the Phoenix Lords. They are all overly chunky and mostly just look like some kid took all the peices he liked off the associated aspect, turned them up to 11, and slapped them together in the most haphazard way. Jain Zar is awful, but at least she has a little motion. Still, the ridiculous amount of hair she has is silly and sculpted unrealistically and she is just so... bland. All of them are.
I think Karandras is the worst tho. He looks so damned top heavy, like a stiff breeze would knock him over into a comic turtle-on-its-shell thing. I added a big swirly mesh cloak, and that kind of helped... kind of.
Funny, I didn't like Karandras until I built him recently and didn't paint him green. Mounted on a thin 30mm base with the head at the correct angle it turned out quite nicely. The helmet is still a bit overkill, but my distaste for the model diminished when it was finished. Maugan Ra isn't bad, though he's freakin' huge by comparison. Not a fan of the others. Asurmen is okay but his face bugs me. Baharroth is just a bit much, Jain Zar I'd have to agree with the hair - I've wanted to try painting her up though - never have. Feugan is just a little too static for me.
I completely disagree with the sentiments expressed here towards the Contemptor. Compared to the regular Dreadnought, the Contemptor looks dynamic and animated, like it could actually move. It's a much more rational, realistic approach to what a Dreadnought represents, by comparison, the conventional Dreadnought doesn't look like it could move, at all. And the centre of gravity is too far up as well.
But I'm not saying I dislike the Mark V Dreadnought, I just prefer the Contemptor.
I really loathe the Centurion. The design is just hideous, the models look immobile in their unwieldy suits, and the miniatures are stuck in static, uninspired poses.
They look a lot like this:
If I wanted to play with meeples, I could be playing Carcassone with my mother.
Here's the issue...the Contemptor "design" is fine, it's a good looking design. The GW plastic kit is completely crap. It's just a terrible model. Poor pose-ability and crap stance.
The Forgeworld ones look fine, so it's not the design, it's the execution of the model itself. It's garbage. The GW plastic kit is like a mannequin version of a normal contemptor. Shame too, considering how good the other plastic Horus Heresy stuff is.
Elbows wrote: Here's the issue...the Contemptor "design" is fine, it's a good looking design. The GW plastic kit is completely crap. It's just a terrible model. Poor pose-ability and crap stance.
The Forgeworld ones look fine, so it's not the design, it's the execution of the model itself. It's garbage. The GW plastic kit is like a mannequin version of a normal contemptor. Shame too, considering how good the other plastic Horus Heresy stuff is.
I always though the contemptor looked pot bellied. Not a fan of the design in general. The plastic is a bit static and mono-pose. If I had more then one I’d be irritated. Or hack it up a lot. I like the angry washing machine. Sure, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense from a “reality” standpoint. But what’s reality done for use lately? Let’s just slap some guns and armor on a walking coffin and send our mortally wounded marines back into the fight. Because grimdark!
As a kit, the venerable dread is probably near, if not at, the top of my favorites of all time list.
Nevelon wrote: As a kit, the venerable dread is probably near, if not at, the top of my favorites of all time list.
I second that. Absolutely love the Venerable kit. I also find that the mark V dread is much more versatile/dynamic when it comes to customization. You have a lot of free room to glue on all sorts of regalia, horns, a throne, etc.
Speaking of thrones, Inquisitor Karamazov is by far the most over-the-top, most wild and imposing of the dread kits in my opinion......and I've been looking forward to getting my hands on one for some time now! I have no army/reason for it. Waiting for a dreadnought monthly painting challenge!
I actually like quite a few of the kits mentioned here especially the space wolves ones.
Last weekend I thought about starting an emperor's children army for 40k as they are by far my favourite of the chaos marine warbands, I went online to have a look at the models and was instantly reminded why I hate chaos, almost all the minis are just so unbelievably ugly and ott. Not a big fan of some of the dark angels' stuff either. Some of the worst offenders are the plastic catachans the sculpting on them is so bad it makes me wonder why they were ever greenlit for production 20 or so years ago as there are models the same age which hold up well even now.
I don't like anything Space Wolf. It doesn't make sense. It's like a kid said "I want to be a grownup, so I am going to go out and make some psychos is skulls who like to waste gene-seed and die because of poor strategy". Actually, that would be insulting children.
Can't stand the new aesthetic (I use that term very lightly). Scale creep is crazymaking, models are sometimes so overwrought to the point of absurdity.
The mark V dread seems more like a walking mausoleum while the Contemptor feels more like a heavily-armored battle suit for a physically-capable marine. I love the lore/fluff behind the dreadnoughts in that the human operator is an interred, more-or-less dead marine, which for me kinda gets lost in the Contemptor model design while the newer dread models certainly look and feel like a walking tomb, and as I mentioned, probably not the most practical war machine ever conceived, granted, but boy do they look cool!!
hybridmoments82 wrote: The mark V dread seems more like a walking mausoleum while the Contemptor feels more like a heavily-armored battle suit for a physically-capable marine. I love the lore/fluff behind the dreadnoughts in that the human operator is an interred, more-or-less dead marine, which for me kinda gets lost in the Contemptor model design while the newer dread models certainly look and feel like a walking tomb, and as I mentioned, probably not the most practical war machine ever conceived, granted, but boy do they look cool!!
Glad you dig them. They do look very tomb-like, but definitely not like a walking tomb. Waddling tomb, more like.
Elbows wrote: Funny, I didn't like Karandras until I built him recently and didn't paint him green. Mounted on a thin 30mm base with the head at the correct angle it turned out quite nicely. The helmet is still a bit overkill, but my distaste for the model diminished when it was finished. Maugan Ra isn't bad, though he's freakin' huge by comparison. Not a fan of the others. Asurmen is okay but his face bugs me. Baharroth is just a bit much, Jain Zar I'd have to agree with the hair - I've wanted to try painting her up though - never have. Feugan is just a little too static for me.
I guess when I think of it, Maugan Ra is the one I dislike the least. He just seems... uninspired and like they really missed a chance to make an Eldar "Grim Reaper" kind of model. That, I would love to see, but he is okay.
For Jain Zar, she does look much better once painted. I left her bare for a long time and decided to paint all of my Phoenix Lords (except Irillyth - he is the only one that I think is actually quite beautiful) for last Armies on Parade. She seems less sad once she has paint, apart from the jumping to her death off my shelf every week or so. He arms always popped off when she hit the floor so now she is pretty far towards the back of the display case. I think it's a top heavy problem - she is a lot easier to tip over.
I am glad you like Karandras. I think my labeling him as my least favorite is just design preference. I always thought he had even less motion than Fuegan, and I really prefer models with motion. And Karandras always came off as a rip off of the Predator from the AVP series, and I find them rather comical for the most part - not something I want leading my graceful and fluid space elves into battle really.
So, yeah, it really comes down to the Phoenix Lords being way more static and bulky. It just does not fit right with my ideal of Craftworld Eldar, especially CWE from before the Fall, height of their empire kind of times.
Edit: Huh, it never occurred to paint Karandras anything other than the super dark green. I wish I would have - your interpretation in the bone-white ish color is actually quite striking. It really overcomes the top-heavy problem I have with him.
It doesn't hurt that I have him on a thin 30mm base...I also did Maugan Ra in a rather "different" paint scheme. They really benefit from a larger base (heck they overhang on the 25's they used to ship with). As I said, I didn't even like Karandras when I started the model (found him cheap on eBay) but by the time I was done my opinion changed completely!
Finally, the worst offender, Logan Grimnar playing Santa Claus:
This model is just bad from concept to execution. I can suspend my disbelief over TWC, but this...no, just no.
.
I keep thinking about picking one up to break up for parts, because there are some good components in there. Haven't done it yet, though.
For me, it's the small things that can ruin otherwise lovely models. I could really get behind some of the AoS miniatures, but the scale of some weapons leaves much to be desired. By far the worst thing, however, is the strange theme of having skulls poking out of holes in characters. Archaon's mount, Dorghar, and the Khorne Lord from the AoS Starter Set are two fantastic models that are horrendously sullied by being pockmarked with skull-filled holes.
Elbows wrote: Funny, I didn't like Karandras until I built him recently and didn't paint him green. Mounted on a thin 30mm base with the head at the correct angle it turned out quite nicely. The helmet is still a bit overkill, but my distaste for the model diminished when it was finished. Maugan Ra isn't bad, though he's freakin' huge by comparison. Not a fan of the others. Asurmen is okay but his face bugs me. Baharroth is just a bit much, Jain Zar I'd have to agree with the hair - I've wanted to try painting her up though - never have. Feugan is just a little too static for me.
I agree about Maugan Ra, he just barely fits on a 25mm base and looks nothing like a Dark Reaper. Karandras I quite like, but mine came sans head, so I gave him a faceless mask from a Reaver Jetbiker and turned him into a renegade Autarch in case I want to build an allied detachment for my Kabalites sometime.
Tim the Biovore wrote: For me, it's the small things that can ruin otherwise lovely models. I could really get behind some of the AoS miniatures, but the scale of some weapons leaves much to be desired. By far the worst thing, however, is the strange theme of having skulls poking out of holes in characters. Archaon's mount, Dorghar, and the Khorne Lord from the AoS Starter Set are two fantastic models that are horrendously sullied by being pockmarked with skull-filled holes.
Yeah, it's like some kind of horrible subcutaneous infection. Thankfully the problem is reasonably easy to fix with green stuff.
I actually like quite a few of the models mentioned, notably the contemptor dread - it seems to make a good deal more sense than the box-dread...and harlequins, I just like them...they're so energetic.
now, I like basically everything GW/FW have made for orks, except one(two?) - the (G/M)orkanaut...it's just such a big, boxy slab of a thing, it looks like a skip/dumpster!
see??
also, something about that new kharn (we don't even need to mention the price)...I just do not like that model, I seriously prefer the old one...the pose makes no sense to me - maybe if he was part of a diorama, with some poor sap that's just been lopped in half by his chainaxe, that might work, but just as he is, the pose lacks context, I guess...I don't know, it just rubs me the wrong way.
oh, beasts of nurgle. I would actually like to try running some beasts in a game sometime, but man is that model bad...
ZoBo wrote: oh, beasts of nurgle. I would actually like to try running some beasts in a game sometime, but man is that model bad...
Wow, that is awful. I mean, what is it supposed to be even? I get that nameless/faceless horrors can be a thing... but that is just comically awful looking.
I'm a huge fan of Raven Guard, been working on my Raven Guard army for a while since I decided to go with them. My favorite character is the CM Shrike, but the model they have of him, just the pose is terrible.
I'm hoping with the new special edition book and a surge in Raven Guard models, that they will update him, since he is now the Chapter Master and not just a Shadow Captain. They are making some pretty good looking Deathwatch marines, a multi piece shrike with some options would be fantastic.
I love it when a Raven Guard player teases you about not painting your army. Oh, and I think anything Nurgle looks okay, because, it's Nurgle for heavens sakes.
lliu wrote: Oh, and I think anything Nurgle looks okay, because, it's Nurgle for heavens sakes.
Yeah I also think some models just represent their lore and just have to have a certain vibe. Nurgle is going to be gross and orcs are going to look like heaps of boxy stuff thrown together
lliu wrote: Oh, and I think anything Nurgle looks okay, because, it's Nurgle for heavens sakes.
Yeah I also think some models just represent their lore and just have to have a certain vibe. Nurgle is going to be gross and orcs are going to look like heaps of boxy stuff thrown together
Oh I totally get that, I just find the beast of nurgle to be a bit of a bad, lazy sculpt, it doesn't fit the lore either imo.
And the orkanaut, I think what bothers me is, there's too much flat, clean space on it...I much prefer the more characterful, patchwork look of the trukk, battlewagon, walkers, etc
So are they eventually going to release human AoS figures that match the scale from humans released a few years ago?
Nothing from the new AoS line that I've seen (haven't seen the new elf stuff) looks good next to their older models. The stormcasts, the heroes from Silver Tower, the Orruk Brutes, they all look so silly alongside the older models.
I hear that's "OK" per the fluff, but dang it's ugly. No. Thank. You.
Straight to their competitors I shall head with my dollars.
The new broodlord, mostly because the old sculpt was so much better.
The new one looks completely out of place in a genestealer brood, because of its leaning pose (while the other ones are moving forward). The old sculpt looked like it was focusing some sort of internal furry, and telling its brother to dismember everything in their path.
Okay, I tried to point to a few different things that are particularly bad yet get good pictures of them.
You know: "Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear."
Spoiler:
I like my chaos but this just looks messy and busy:
It is just looks "wrong" in the wrong way.
The sisters of battle seem to do it right but the dark angels are so wrong:
This could have been an amazing model but the altar is silly.
Please! Update these guys! Yeck!
I play these guys but I see such good "fixes" for this model: I present to you the original baby carrier:
I think the image we were searching for when chaos went off the deep end:
I am in awe of it, I think about painting it and shudder.
I will do it and curse every minute but for the challenge it is gold (but it sucks!!!).
It is so bad it is almost good??
NOW the blast from the past, I should take a picture of the full squad of CSM jump troops with the bat wing packs.
Wow they looked horrible:
Oh necrons.... this is just not right...
Giving the corpse a piggy-back right?
I thought the intent was to put on the victim's skin and look like a human... nevermind.
I will second the Wolfy Mc Wolf stuff, between Santa Claws and even MOAR wolf stuff they are getting to be a funny army.
I think the Grey Knights Dreadknight, if it was enclosed operator, with a head on it, could have been what the Imperial Knight looked like, just larger in size, instead of the hunchback look of the Knights they did make.
Jollydevil wrote: Ive always thought the obliterators looked awful. The posessed marines ive always thought look terrible too, but that might just be me.
You're not the only one.
Comparing older sculpts of (GW) CSM minis to the newer ones (while taking into account the limited possibilities at their time) makes clear how much more effort went into many of the older ones (both concept, consistency with the range as well as look as-is) and how much effort is often wasted for oversculpting these days (Mutilators, X-Fiends, Helbrute, Heldrake). It just screams "Look what kind of wild stuff we can do nowadays! Only 1,5% of the areas are flat and straight" and does not aim for iconic, realistic or cool poses anymore.
A similar trend can be seen with the artwork imho. It just rarely leaves a lasting impression.
Not a fan of the new CSM "tunnel of horror" range. No, seriously; that's how they look like. Just so blatantly in-your-face-evil, it's laughable.
I prefer more subtle evil marines.
I am gonna use the new raptor models as my possessed, however.
My asthesic tastes are less is best, so over the top models bug me senseless. Centurions though, those guys just make my blood boil, foul creatures. Thankfully they haven't really appeared in BL literature.
When I saw the thread title I thought, how strange, I don't think there are any models that really rub me up th- OH WAIT YEAH, that's right! There are. There really, really are...
I'm a huge fan of the superb metal space marine scouts. They look awesome.
But these... these abominations! Look at the faces! I loathe these models and just cannot buy them. Those faces...
I have a feeling they'd really benefit from new heads.. possibly from Anvil.. they've done a bunch of "Regiments" heads, which are suited for Guard and the like.. I think some options would give the Scouts a bit more life.
Is it just that box of plastic scouts with the derptastic heads? I don’t recall the ones from the snipers, scout bikes, or the back of the LSS being that bad.
Oh I'm with you on the plastic standard scouts being derptastic.. I was simply commenting that possibly some of Anvil's heads might get rid of that piece of poor sculpting.
Any head swap improves those models 200%. I, like a lot of people, used Pig Iron ones on mine, but I;ve seen others use Storm Trooper ones to great effect
Oooohhhh the scouts I forgot about those things. Biggest flaw with scouts are they should be so good. They are core units to the game and the fluff, they should be one of the best.
nareik wrote: Anyone tried making scouts with mk VI helmets? does that work?
I'm sure size ratio would work, but scouts with SM helmets? Maybe Astra Militarum helmets would be a better fit aesthetically, but something about scouts donning SM helmets would appear a bit off to me, but my personal opinions aside, I believe the ratio would work out fine.
GW has quite a variety of un-helmeted head bitz these days. If you have a serious problem with compulsively buying GW kits like I do, you'll be knee-deep in head bitz in no time. Otherwise, there's a variety of bitz stores out there, although prices are as you may imagine fairly steep.
Gogsnik wrote: When I saw the thread title I thought, how strange, I don't think there are any models that really rub me up th- OH WAIT YEAH, that's right! There are. There really, really are...
I'm a huge fan of the superb metal space marine scouts. They look awesome.
Spoiler:
But these... these abominations! Look at the faces! I loathe these models and just cannot buy them. Those faces...
Spoiler:
That's why they get helmeted heads. Well, that and nearly everything in my armies get helmeted heads.
Uh, no, sorry - this is the *original* "baby carrier", from 2E...the original Eldar War Walker.
That was back in the day when various armies weaponized lawnchairs. Eg. the old SM land speeder.
But you were to imagine that heavy duty force-field for the elder walker and as for the space marines: what are you going to put in front of them in a light vehicle that is any better than their armor?
See, it all works.
This thread proves there's no accounting for taste... I think the Knights and Wraithknight are amazing as well as a few of the other things mentioned here.
Here's mine.
-Almost the entire CSM line. I thought the Dark Vengeance models were outstanding though, and I hope whoever did that gets to revamp the whole list.
-Space Marine Bikes and Centurions. Stupid bulky. Just stupid. When the bikes came out, it just seemed like the thought was "well we can't let Eldar have something SM's don't have..." How are you sposed to hit anything with those bolters, I mean, c'mon.
-Space Marine Terminators. Those legs...
-Grey Knights. The Orig OopGK termies were great, but pretty much the entire line they've replaced them with is trash.
-The new Deatwatch Torsos. Why are they all carrying ammo around for a weapon that doesn't seem to exist?
-Eldar flyers. Look too much like modern fighter jets. Don't really fit the rest of the line.
-Techmarines and Thunderfire Cannons. Look Stupid and don't fit the line. 30k maybe, but not 40k.
-Grimaldus. Somebody sell me the guy carrying the giant Aquilla tho. I want him for an objective marker.
-Catachans. I kind of want a squad that I can greenstuff to have the Rambo hair tho that I can put next to my Arbites painted like Judge Dredd. Then maybe I can do up one of these half naked Khorne guys from AoS eith 2 power Fists and a Blood Angel head and I can paint him like Rocky Belboa...
Weboflies wrote: This thread proves there's no accounting for taste... I think the Knights and Wraithknight are amazing as well as a few of the other things mentioned here.
Ha, as you as well prove... I may not agree with some things below but at least you explain the viewpoint.
Here's mine.
-Almost the entire CSM line. I thought the Dark Vengeance models were outstanding though, and I hope whoever did that gets to revamp the whole list.
I agree that they are pretty much normal space marines with a little trim put on them. I would say that there are enough blank spaces where some nice painting can be done. The Dark Vengeance models are INCREDIBLY busy so less free-hand is available but an insane paint by numbers extravaganza.
-Space Marine Bikes and Centurions. Stupid bulky. Just stupid. When the bikes came out, it just seemed like the thought was "well we can't let Eldar have something SM's don't have..." How are you sposed to hit anything with those bolters, I mean, c'mon.
I agree the Centurions looked like they waddle, I took out the middle plate and did a couple things and they look pretty good.
Spoiler:
Well, complaining about the bolters in particular for shooting stuff you would have to hate many TV shows and movies that mount guns in those same spots.
They are beefy looking bikes are not far off from a Lawmaster.
BUT how heavy is a marine? It would have to be a beast to carry them.
-Space Marine Terminators. Those legs...
Always wondered where their feet are in all that.
-Grey Knights. The Orig OopGK termies were great, but pretty much the entire line they've replaced them with is trash.
Are you talking about the original tiny terminators or the newer released metal GKs? They seemed like a nice mid-size between the old 1" base guys and our new plastic guys.
-The new Deatwatch Torsos. Why are they all carrying ammo around for a weapon that doesn't seem to exist?
Supposedly they can insert at any given point into the bolter the special ammo as needed.
I suppose that is what those fancy little tabs at the side are for.
They are not as good as Judge Dredd Lawgivers that can handle all that.
-Eldar flyers. Look too much like modern fighter jets. Don't really fit the rest of the line.
No argument there.
Missed opportunity to make something really pretty and strange.
-Techmarines and Thunderfire Cannons. Look Stupid and don't fit the line. 30k maybe, but not 40k.
I think they were looking to have a big gun that looked like it could fit in a drop pod.
Otherwise it would not fit in their style of "shock and awe" at all as you say.
-Grimaldus. Somebody sell me the guy carrying the giant Aquilla tho. I want him for an objective marker.
He is a bit weird but BT players like myself cannot be too choosy.
You cannot have the Aquilla guy, I agree he is awesome, Maybe you can have the thurible guy where he can smoke and flail.
-Catachans. I kind of want a squad that I can greenstuff to have the Rambo hair tho that I can put next to my Arbites painted like Judge Dredd. Then maybe I can do up one of these half naked Khorne guys from AoS eith 2 power Fists and a Blood Angel head and I can paint him like Rocky Belboa...
It's not just new miniatures that can be terrible...
For anyone unfamiliar with old lines - that's Nagash - the big-bad of the undead line way back in... second edition? He's on a 40mm monster base, not a troop base. His head is the size of a squig.
-The new Deatwatch Torsos. Why are they all carrying ammo around for a weapon that doesn't seem to exist?
Supposedly they can insert at any given point into the bolter the special ammo as needed.
I suppose that is what those fancy little tabs at the side are for.
The shells on their chests are too large to be bolter ammo, too short and wide to be heavy bolter ammo, and too small to be frag cannon ammo. they look like ammo for a grenade launcher, bu tI don't think that's in the list. I'm also not sure why they'd want to carry live ammo on their chests where it's likely to get set off by incoming fire.
Weboflies wrote: The shells on their chests are too large to be bolter ammo, too short and wide to be heavy bolter ammo, and too small to be frag cannon ammo. they look like ammo for a grenade launcher, bu tI don't think that's in the list. I'm also not sure why they'd want to carry live ammo on their chests where it's likely to get set off by incoming fire.
I agree the shells are pushing past what is believable for "heroic" scale but that would hold true for the barrel size vs magazine size: a typical sickle mag holds what, 6 rounds tops going by size?
They are indeed meant to be hand fed rounds for the bolter.
Well, the ammo on their chests are rather reminiscent of a dual bandolier, very manly, who says it has to be safe?
I am putting together a DW army and seem to agree with you: I am only using those pieces for SMs with the combat shotguns.
This is warfare where leaders do not wear helmets!
We laugh in the face of danger!
When has realism ever got in the way for 40k?
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Weboflies wrote: Talking about these guys. Still prefer all the old metal Terminators to what's out now. They looked way less cartoonish and silly.
Hey! I have that guy (my only one of that type).
I really liked my metal terminators, the new ones certainly make you wonder how the marine fits inside but what the heck (Though the serious hunchback for the head was weird).
I was rather impressed with the much disliked Centurions because you can at least see from the back how the marine fits in there.
These guys I have an issue with:
When you have bits of tank and terrain wall lying around nothing but the best for our ab-human troops!
Funny, the guns almost look like the ones where you punch someone and it goes off if not for the barrel sticking out.
I'm with you to a point on the Ogryns/Bullgryns.. I found the tank bits part a bit amusing.. it's the heads I have issue with. They look so horridly ugly.. a guy on Warseer had a good idea, he used the Ogre Bulls heads on them, worked out quite well.
This is warfare where leaders do not wear helmets!
We laugh in the face of danger!
When has realism ever got in the way for 40k?
Excellent point. I guess I just don't like esthetic, and I'm rationalizing that. That said, I'm quite certain it said in some bit of fluff somewhere many moons ago that the Marine officers who don't wear helmets have a small Iron Halo type power field bubble that protects their head.
I haven't seen those Ogryns, but I kinda like those models. I think it fits the fluff as well with the scavenged look, as I'm sure the Imperium would be loathe to allocate much of a budget to protect the abhuman filth.
I wasn't truly a big fan of the centurion models, but some conversions can do it right. I rather find SOB models to be GW's response to complaints about a lack of strong female models, IMO. Also, the Stardrakes from SE look fine, but the posing is just horrible. My big cringe is obviously...
CHAOS
SPAWN.
I MEAN WHY.
PLS NO GW.
I think probably the worst figures ever produced by Games Workshop have got to be the Beastmen figures they replaced the cool old metals with - the new plastic Minotaurs, the hideous mutated pig thing...
Gen.Steiner wrote: I think probably the worst figures ever produced by Games Workshop have got to be the Beastmen figures they replaced the cool old metals with - the new plastic Minotaurs, the hideous mutated pig thing...
,
The razagor in person is not so bad. Like the skele horses, on the website their legs are huge and horrible. In person they are soooo thin.
They suposed to be arco-flags? Never ever seen them before. As you say...serious missed opportunity, esp considering the awesome ones they did for Inq54 :/
Look at the faces! I loathe these models and just cannot buy them. Those faces...
