Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Darth Bob wrote:A) Their rendition and they have full artistic license to make it look how they please.
B) Not necessarily a D&D Tarrasque; it's based off it but they haven't given any inclination that it has anything to do with the D&D Tarrasque other than a similar name and look.
C) More ready to incorporate into WFB games because it seems to fit on one of the big chariot bases.

I'll just point out that "Tarasque" is not a D&D-exclusive term. It's basically French for "Dragon".

Maelstrom Games wrote:Also, for a rider or chariot type conversion, the armoured back carapace is one seperate piece that is removable and is fully detailed underneath like the rest of the warty reptilian skin. So fitting a rider(s)/howdah is entirely possible. Should you wish.

I couldn't bring myself to do such a thing! LOL
That carapace is too awesome!

Eric

Friggin. Awesome.

I would have no issue using that in any of my armies or in D'n'D or buying it purely for display.

DO. WANT.

That is pretty sweet. The removable carapace is a great idea.

Any chance of getting a spare carapace part so that the end use could have one naked carapace and one with a howdah built onto it? I am not ready to buy one mind you, just think that would be a really clever idea. Perhaps someday when I have a real income again

Psare parts are something we may look at in the future - bit not ofr a wee while. We're pretty busy!


Finally! The first Monday of the month has arrived, so it must be BaneLords preview time!

Here's Alassar our High Elf Standard Bearer. Sculpted by Thomas David, painted by Sebasten Picque.

ALASSAR, BEARER OF THE DRAGON STANDARD
The tale of Alassar Ælfenden is a long and unfinished one. He has lived for a thousand years and will live for another thousand, so it is said, for his skill in battle is unmatched and his spirit will never yield. He has served his enclave since he was a youth, a mere stripling of an Ælf, and in that time he has fought the enemies of his people without fear or respite. So valiant is he that the Sun Kings themselves have paid homage to his tale, for to bear the Dragon Standard is the highest honour they could ever bestow. To be entrusted with such an ancient treasure, an artifact of the Ever Living Ones that has been borne through the history of the White Ælves from antiquity, is recognition of Alassar’s integrity and strength, his noble lineage and his implacable leadership, for all know none other could take to the field of battle with his surety and conviction.





More info here http://banelegions.maelstromgames.co.uk/?p=587

Available to pre-order here (released 2nd of July) http://www.maelstromgames.co.uk/index.php?act=pro&pre=mae_blg_bnl_cha_008_000



Automatically Appended Next Post:

It is nice, but doesn't match your usual standard I think. Also, quite a wide nose for an elf, isn't it?

Scottywan82 wrote:It is nice, but doesn't match your usual standard I think. Also, quite a wide nose for an elf, isn't it?

I was going to say he looked asian :x

Saw a lot of these at the UK Games EXPO this last week. They really are some impressive models, was tempted by the double headed giant rat ogre (would use as a HPA) & the Beastlord.

Really, reallly nice stuff

Scottywan82 wrote:It is nice, but doesn't match your usual standard I think. Also, quite a wide nose for an elf, isn't it?

It looks like the 'wide nose' is an illusion. He's got a 'guard' hanging down from his helmet's rim which makes the bridge of the nose appear a bit bigger.

Absolutely gorgeous though Maelstrom. I especially dig the 'pure black eyes' as a, intended or not, callback to Norse myth.

Had some requests for bare resin shots - voila!

Kanluwen wrote:

Scottywan82 wrote:It is nice, but doesn't match your usual standard I think. Also, quite a wide nose for an elf, isn't it?

It looks like the 'wide nose' is an illusion. He's got a 'guard' hanging down from his helmet's rim which makes the bridge of the nose appear a bit bigger.

Absolutely gorgeous though Maelstrom. I especially dig the 'pure black eyes' as a, intended or not, callback to Norse myth.

Actually no. The guard hanging down force the sculptor to separate the eyes further so they wont be half hidden under the guard.
Which force the width of the nose to go along with the wider spread eyes.

Love the Tarask, hate the Elf. Looks too..plain maybe?

I might just be too used to GW blingfest models though.

Loving the monsters!

The Tarask is simply amazing, the elf is one of the coolest I've ever seen, Good work guys !

SlaveToDorkness wrote:Love the Tarask, hate the Elf. Looks too..plain maybe?

I might just be too used to GW blingfest models though.

Loving the monsters!

This may be my problem. I just expected something more with the elf.

The elf does seem to lack the detail and crispness of the other sculpts.

Also not really digging the face. I've never particularly thought of elves as being asian, which is as others have pointed out what the soldier looks like.

Superb sculpting on the elf... I think people are used to to much bling on the models and forget that simple stuff is many times more enjoyable to paint

I don't think anyone is saying that. It just doesn't suit our expected aesthetic. It doesn't quite look elf-ish.

Scottywan82 wrote:I don't think anyone is saying that. It just doesn't suit our expected aesthetic. It doesn't quite look elf-ish.

Scottywan82 wrote:I don't think anyone is saying that. It just doesn't suit our expected aesthetic. It doesn't quite look elf-ish.

No Games Workshop Man-Hands and 12 inch pvc pipe for spears and banner poles is un-elfish

Right, that's exactly what I meant.

On an unrelated note, who moved the rock?

Scottywan82 wrote:I don't think anyone is saying that. It just doesn't suit our expected aesthetic. It doesn't quite look elf-ish.

Looks 100% elfish to me. Not as comical as others we used to see... its a middle ground between comical gw elf and better proportioned rackham and redboxgames elfs.. IMO

Interesting that you'd cite redbox, actually. I would say you're right that it's much closer to that aesthetic, but as another Rackham-devotee myself I don't see much of a resemblance. Rackham had a flair for depicting the ethereal and fae nature of their elves. This figure looks like he'd spit instead of responding to a question. Not too elf-y.

Unless you meant the armor. I suppose that's kind of Rackham-esque.

Also - comical? GW has some bad sculpts on the elf lines, but I wouldn't categorize them as comical on the whole.

Scottywan82 wrote:Interesting that you'd cite redbox, actually. I would say you're right that it's much closer to that aesthetic, but as another Rackham-devotee myself I don't see much of a resemblance. Rackham had a flair for depicting the ethereal and fae nature of their elves. This figure looks like he'd spit instead of responding to a question. Not too elf-y.

Unless you meant the armor. I suppose that's kind of Rackham-esque.

Also - comical? GW has some bad sculpts on the elf lines, but I wouldn't categorize them as comical on the whole.

Yeah the armor and shield and hands sizes head sculpt is close to rackham even if body is a bit more bulky...I say Comical in the sense of cartoonish proportions and not in the pejorative sense

Oh, as in - like a comic (DC/Marvel/etc). Gotcha.

And I do like the armor in the main. Not wild about the elf/dragon theme that won't go away, but I can live with it. I wonder if the head is separate. I think I still have one of the Cynwall boxes somewhere, and I think the champion's head would do nicely...

[overthink]What is the difference between an elf and a human in fancy armor?

In some aesthetics, there is none. An elf is just a human with a good diet/skin care plan and the technology to make lots of nifty decoration on their armor that would not be effective at human level technology. This is the D&D elf... balanced against the other races of the world to be no more or less appealing.

In other aesthetics, elves are otherworldly. They are fundamentally alien to the human mindset. While they may look beautiful, there should be something off about them that makes us uncomfortable. Maybe they are too angular or too thin. Maybe their eyes are formed wrong. They are haunting. We should feel simultaneously drawn to them and repulsed, because they represent a life humans should desire, and yet a doom that will ultimately lead to them fading away and being supplanted by us. This is the Tolkein elf... they don't have to be balanced because they are a literary device. They are a symbol of our longing for past, "better" times contrasted with our need to move forward into the future.

Of course there are other aesthetics for elves as well. I would say that this mini fits squarely in the first camp. I prefer the second, but there are very, very few miniatures that effectively convey that aesthetic. GW elves sometimes make a stab at it, but are let down by the afore-mentioned giant hands, ridiculously large spears, and general silliness. The closest examples I can think of are maybe Studio McVey's Ar-Fiach or Ar-Fienel. It's probably quite hard to make a functional gaming piece that conveys that ethereal quality clearly.

So I don't think Alassar is a bad miniature at all. It's just not what I want an elf to be. And maybe part of it is the paint job. The palette looks to be quite realistic. Perhaps if the colors were more expressive, it might look more the way I want it to.

The banner is great. The shield is good. The sword looks excellent in the miniature but a bit clumsy in the painted version. Maybe it's just so astoundingly fine that it's hard to work with without breaking it. The nose definitely doesn't fit with my pre-conceived notions of elven-ness, but I could live with it. It's the armor. It's not bad, it's just, well, mundane looking. Compared to the other Banelords it represents an obvious depiction of superior quality, but it just doesn't quite look as alien as I would want.[/overthink]

I think the pose kills it for me. The overall stance is not as self assured as the concept sketch, which throws off the casual grip on the sword.

I think... lol

You are all wrong, the problem with the Elf is that it not a huge world shaking monster if it had been an Elric on a Dragon mini it would have compared well to the previous beasts. Compare any GW chaos warriors to the Forge world Bloodthirster-same problem.

I'm sorry... What?

What does the elf not being a dragon have anything to do with what we are talking about?

Several people said it didnt stand up to other figures on this post, i was making the point that a single figure is always going to look insignificant and not impress when viewed against "centre piece" models.