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I try to browse Cool Mini or Not to see what the elite in the hobby are doing to set trends that we often see showing up in painting and modeling. Having only trolled the site enviously, I often stumble across works that truely inspire me and make me proud to be apart of the hobby. Tonight, I found a very disturbing, but real piece of work titled "Alien Contact".

Here's the link, and to be safe, I would classify this Warning: NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

http://www.coolminiornot.com/266249

I don't want to post this to start controversy, rather I'd like to discuss if this work has its purpose. Do you think such a work has its place, because it reminds us of the grim attrocities commited in warfare? Do you feel as if the piece simply is meant to execute some sick fantasy of the artist? Or do you feel otherwise?

Personally, its a very grim and real piece. Rape and warfare, sadly, often go hand in hand. Given the ammount of work placed in the piece, I don't see this being something that gratifies it nor was the work created to fill out a sick obsession. The fact that the act isn't occouring yet leaves the audience to wonder, which in my opinion is the scariest part of the piece.

*Mod Disclaimer* Once again, I'm not trying to start a controversy here. I feel as if discussions like this need to happen, and I hope our dakkadites keep their maturity through this thread. If things get out of hand or if you feel as if this thread is simply too controversial, please take all necessary action.

This kind of thing happens in real war, yes. However, we don't need to think about that kind of thing with our tiny plastic spacemen. It's not an aspect of the fluff that's explored, and I think it's best to be left that way. The actual technical skill behind this piece is incredible, but I have a feeling there's just some fat neckbearded guy behind this who just wants Internet attention.

I am not bothered by this at all. This sitaution is quite common throughout human history during warfare, don't see why it would change in the 41st millenium. Not that I condone it's message, just no point in trying to glom over what has happened in history or what would probably happen in a situation like this.

The sad part is that the diorama is brilliant looking. Well done, but ultimately graphic.

Brother SRM wrote:This kind of thing happens in real war, yes. However, we don't need to think about that kind of thing with our tiny plastic spacemen. It's not an aspect of the fluff that's explored, and I think it's best to be left that way. The actual technical skill behind this piece is incredible, but I have a feeling there's just some fat neckbearded guy behind this who just wants Internet attention.

Well, basing it off the fluff, the eldar would have no problem taking out those guardsmen, seeing how only one is really providing overwatch. That, or she could simply run. I'm no expert on "Xeno-human anatomies and their realations" but I'd bet a nickel that this simply wouldn't work out the way the artist thinks it would.

Attention is another great theory behind this work. It could be good or bad; perhaps he or she is an advocate for stopping sex crimes and is fed up with the term "rape" being thrown around in wargaming.

It's a fantastic piece of work.

I find the disturbed reactions to this piece to be rather curious. Why does a rape scene disturb so much when the context of 40k is death, death everywhere? Is rape a more heinous crime than murder? If everything about the diorama was the same except it showed a commissar about to execute the eldar in place of the guy opening his fly would it be less disturbing? More? The same?

I suspect that at least some of the reaction to this piece is the way sex and violence are handled in the US media. Films shown on broadcast TV are edited for sex, but not so much for violence because of our puritan roots. In Germany the emphasis was reversed. Films are edited to take out the violence and leave the sex in.

While the content is rather taboo, the piece is very well pulled off (no pun). I can't even imagine the talent that went into creating it...or the money it cost, either.

Rape is one of the main aspects of warfare in 40,000. Daemons want to rape the material universe, and the premise pretty much devolves from there. Human-alien hybridization is one route through which competing entities invade human space and soul. Daemons possess psyckers, Genestealers infect humans, Pariahs represent a fusion of Necron technology and human biology, hence the Ordo Xenos protecting the Imperial underbelly from alien infiltration and subversion.

Speaking of NOT SAFE FOR WORK,

Here's why you don't rape Eldar

Arschbombe wrote:It's a fantastic piece of work.

I find the disturbed reactions to this piece to be rather curious. Why does a rape scene disturb so much when the context of 40k is death, death everywhere? Is rape a more heinous crime than murder? If everything about the diorama was the same except it showed a commissar about to execute the eldar in place of the guy opening his fly would it be less disturbing? More? The same?

I suspect that at least some of the reaction to this piece is the way sex and violence are handled in the US media. Films shown on broadcast TV are edited for sex, but not so much for violence because of our puritan roots. In Germany the emphasis was reversed. Films are edited to take out the violence and leave the sex in.

The "taboo" status of the piece does come from western ideas on censorship. I'd hate to sound too liberal in my posting, but that is, by far, the dumbest oxymoron our country has.

Then again, Americans like to think of war as a quick and speedy process. Sometimes, I wonder if they know that people are dying everyday in our wars, beit an American or an insurgent. Death, regardless on what side, is a loss of human life.

It was posted here too. After much thought I decided to delete it.

It was a tough call but the old rule about "this is a family wargame" won out. True there's a double standard on sex and violence in the US and to a lesser extent the UK but the question is does it violate those standards, now whether or not the standard makes sense.

Nakatan does fantastic work and by every measure, save family friendliness, it's a great diorama.

Wow, 3rd or 4th thread I've seen on it, it is certainly getting people talking like it or not lol -

MajorTom11 wrote:Wow, 3rd or 4th thread I've seen on it, it is certainly getting people talking like it or not lol -

According to CMoN, it was a piece which was one of the top rated works in the past 7 days.

well i already had this discussion on warhammer.org.uk. If the author would make it bit clearer what he tried to say with this diorama, it would be much easier (oh yes, i know, artists is not supposed to say blah blah blah). Watching it I unfortunately have a feeling that its equally possibly that instead of showing grim reality of war in extreme, author was thinking more along the line "hur hur hur, ledar bithc will get it..".
I know its grim universe and its all death and destruction but come on, there are some limits. (and to be clear- I do not like especially violent dioramas either). After all if we start concentrating on grim parts, whats stopping us from having diorama of city aftyer chaos incursion and little children impaled on poles? surely thats what Chaos guys would do?
To me it that piece was disturbing and quite sick. As I said- if the author would explain his motivation, it could have helped a lot. If he wanted to achieve controversy, surely he managed. That doesnt oput him in my good books though.

I'm starting to think that the knife is placed curiously close to her hand for a reason....

very well made piece... subject matter is clearly a bit on the controversial side... but looking at the sculpt and paint jobs, definitly a well done model.

ill say nothing on the scene it depicts, since thats been mentioned on both sides and repeating it here is just beating a dead horse imo.

I think its a brilliant piece, and I have nothing against it morally, ethically, etc. etc.


However, I do prefer that things like this NOT be done, simply because wargaming is a hobby for me, i use it to get away from the realities of the world, and prefer not to be reminded of them.

Is there some reason for this thread to be duplicating the other thread on this work?
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/forums/show/73.page

I saw this yesterday and I am in the "leave this for the real world" camp of things. Not that our game isn't about war, death, and violence, but its just too grim even for this game.

Not that it isn't beautifully done, but its still just a bit over the top.

I'm gonna have to agree with em_en_oh_pee, this really has no place in the world of 40k. Yes I understand war and its brutalities, but I think this piece was intended greatly to be a work of art, and certain things just take away from that aspect. The painting is stunning and looks excellent, but the subject matter is too over-the top and, honestly, distasteful.
Granesh

People have been watching too much Oprah. It's a good diorama.

This piece is trying to depict some actual grimdark but fails because:

A) 40k grimdark is cartoonish.
B) The subject matter has been approached by, at worst, a neck beard. The boobs are just a dead give away aren't they?

Something that a few seconds of googling found for me on similar subjects.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rape_of_the_Sabine_Women

Just makes this diorama come out looking even worse.

This piece is incredibly well done and the narrative could play out a couple of ways. While I agree its a distastful scene to model it does give a little bit of reality to the 40K enviroment in a grim future grim things will happen. Historical modellers can't show wounded miniatures in some competitions I remember the furry caused some years ago by a dio rama showing S.S about to excecute prisoners

Work of art? Hum.

Given the vast size of the IG, there must be a lot more IG-on-IG chummery going on than Eldar Rape. Why not make a diorama about that?

It's just as legitimate a subject, if you want to make artistic statements within the context of an SF wargame.

It has current day resonance given the US Army's toils regarding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

But of course, No Bewbs.

If the artist has a certain point he is trying to prove then
I would like to hear it, otherwise this is a sick perverted
scene that some creep made.

Viewing this diorama again it just reeks of poor execution.

Whats the centre of the diorama?

Boobs!

Wheres the light source?

Boobs

Whats the focus?

Boobs.

This Alien chick is gonna get some! High fives and whooping all round!

This would have been better (if you would want to go down this route and its still needlessleyfairy graphic) had the alien been lying off to the side, muted and in shadow and the troops were walking away with one figure straggling a little doing his BDU's up. No visable cleavage would be necessary. That is just one way.

Less is more, get the viewer to think.

Even if it wasn't 40k based it would still be poor. In a proper event this would rank way down, and not just for subject matter.

To neither praise nor condemn it, it is interesting to observe how torture, the devouring of one's very soul, the killing of 10 billion innocents with no remorse, and the most depraved acts of violence are accepted, while the notion of rape is seen as exceptionally distasteful.

I posted a much more complete answer in the DCM forum but basically I think it is a great diorama well modelled, well painted and thought provoking. I couldn't care less what kids think. Don't condone rape but it would definitely happen in the grim-darkness of the far future so I have no problem with it. I feel if you can't look at it and see it as thought provoking and depicting the guardsman as wrong then you are a little to sheltered and maybe need to grow up. I don't like seeing images of women who have been beaten up by their husbands on the news but I could look at a piece of art that depicted it and raised awareness of a problem and not feel disgusted by it just as I can make jokes about rape, murder, paedophilia and pretty much anything else even though I neither condone or think the real thing is funny.

The modelling of death and mutilation is applauded, yet modelling a potential rape scene is worng??? Guys need a hypocrisy check!

I can model headless corpses, tie Prisoners riddled with bullet holes to the front of a Chaos or Ork Tank, or have a DE Reaver with a slave girl, and I'm applauded. But should I show another reality of war, your flamed by the Politically Correct brigade who themselves have done the above.

Maybe the diorama (which I think is excellently done, although the boobs are a bit comical) is showing a 'too reality' of war for people to grasp. Its too much from the 'dark side' of war.

Personally, I'd applaud the courage to produce this peice.

Edit: I must second ph34r, ED_Bodger and TheSecretSquig, who said basically the same as I do below.

I find it distasteful how a bunch of people happily collecting and painting miniatures that depict people or creatures whose main purpose is causing death, destruction and misery suddenly become moralistic when it is pointed out that rape is part of that whole agenda.

Do you not realize that the games you play are fine as games, because they are fictional, because they do not cause actual harm to anyone, but that the content of this fiction is inherently cruel?

The 40k fluff talks at length about murderers, or about an inhumane empire where whole planets are destroyed just because of internal power struggles within the inquisition - "the inquisition!" - and often the fluff text even praises the actions of such persons and institutions - and you worry about a scene portraying rape?

Is it alright to talk about murder, and to talk about how cool this or that miniature of a professional torturer is, or about how orks are so cool because they love killing and destroying things so much - but not about rape?


Maybe this strange and absurd difference in reaction is because rape seems to be a much more realistic kind of violence than genocide in our real world. But it is not.

Dedicated no doubt to all the victims of rape by occupying soldiery and condoned because "Boys will be boys."

The quality of the model making is no justification for the diorama, nor does mere technique make it a work of art.

It is purient titilation ant best, and wholly unecessary.

This does no good for all those victims of this sort of bestiality. As for "courage" to produce this utter drivel, you obviously fail to understand the meaning of the word.

Edit: removed my post because it is pointless to argue this with people who do not realize that wargaming means allowing the fact something is fiction to make it acceptable as a hobby.