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I love Citadel Miniatures, but some of the stuff they come out with is... strange.

For example, I played my first game against Blood Angels in 5 years last night, and despite having played dozens of games against them in 5th, it was only during that game I noticed that some of their dudes are wearing flip flops.

No, not flip flops - power armoured shower-shoes.

I'd never noticed it before so at first I was surprised - but then I remembered they inhabit the same universe as Lelith Hesperax and Solarites, who run around the battlefields of the 41st Millenium in their bare feet.

The there's Kharn the Betrayer. Whenever I see that model, I can't help but wonder why he doesn't just put another sleeve on. I mean, he's the chosen of Khorne, right? His whole shtick is killing people dead - would it be so much trouble to stop and pick up another sleeve? Your arm isn't that buff, guy. Put a sleeve on.

There's loads more besides. The camel-hooves of Plague Marines, the giant clown-hats of Dire Avengers (especially Asurmen, who I believe earned his position as Phoenix Lord by accquiring the largest and most ridiculous hat the universe has ever known), the Sicarians and their SMASH Robot mushroom-heads, the weird "Terence & Philip" faces on the Techmarines, the Death Jester's wingtips...

I can't be the only one who finds this stuff a bit odd, surely? Any fluff explanations for any of these odd scultping choices (assuming there are any) would be welcome, as would suggestions of other strange and bizarre models with comedy deformities for me to check out.

Take a look at what's hanging over the biovore's head as he's handjobbing his spores to the wind....

 Stormonu wrote:
Take a look at what's hanging over the biovore's head as he's handjobbing his spores to the wind....

... oh dear. That look on his face as well. Seems very... pleased with himself.

 BBAP wrote:
...the giant clown-hats of Dire Avengers (especially Asurmen, who I believe earned his position as Phoenix Lord by accquiring the largest and most ridiculous hat the universe has ever known)...

Consider that all the Aspects are old enough that they're 2-3x as weird and chunky as more current Eldar models. Look at a Harlequin shuriken pistol alongside a Dire Avenger shuriken pistol and rub your eyes in amazement that they're supposed to represent the same item.

It's a combination of both artistic license, technology having progressed pretty far over thirty thousand years [much, much more than that for some factions], and the factions having styles and values that are not like 21st century Earth.

The Eldar would not see the hats as silly. They would see them as well-designed ornamentation befitting noble warriors.

The Dark Eldar love inflicting pain, so they are used to it themselves. In the heat of battle, they wouldn't mind running across ice, hot sand, or even building rubble in their bare feet, if it meant being a little more agile and capturing slaves or killing their enemies faster.

Similarly, afaik, Kharn is so bloodthirsty that he doesn't care about the odd fleshwound. He probably likes the opportunity to kill and maim with his own bare hand. Though there's probably an official fluff reason behind it.

Nurgle like giving his followers mutations - not as much as Tzeentch, but some - borne out of diseases and chaotic regenerations. Followers of Nurgle as devoted as Plague Marines would see their feet turning into hooves as a symbol of their devotion, or even as a blessing.

I'm not sure on the techmarines, but I'd have to guess that, especially for them, it's function over form. The Techmarines aren't front-line units - they're not even always fighting with their brothers - so they have less need of their armor to look a certain way [be resplendent or intimidating], as long as it works.

Leman Russ have cannons large enough to fit a man through on a tiny turret. My only explanation is that the commander sits ontop of the breach.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Consider that all the Aspects are old enough that they're 2-3x as weird and chunky as more current Eldar models. Look at a Harlequin shuriken pistol alongside a Dire Avenger shuriken pistol and rub your eyes in amazement that they're supposed to represent the same item.

Don't the DAs have special Shuriken Catapults, not pistols? Old sculpts or not those hats are insane. Nothing says "full-spectrum all-purpose ass-kicker" like a hat that's half as tall as you are, I guess.

Terminal wrote:
The Dark Eldar love inflicting pain, so they are used to it themselves. In the heat of battle, they wouldn't mind running across ice, hot sand, or even building rubble in their bare feet, if it meant being a little more agile and capturing slaves or killing their enemies faster.

I forgot about the whole BDSM thing Dark Eldar have going on. I thought maybe Hesperax had kicked off her thigh-highs during a cruise on Vect's special Raider, and when that vanished from existence, so did her shoes. Doesn't explain the lack of pants. Or maybe it does. Who knows what they get up to in Comorragh.


Also, if GW have zapped Vect, why are they still selling those mangled-looking prisoners from his VectMobile as Dark Eldar bitz?

 BBAP wrote:

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Consider that all the Aspects are old enough that they're 2-3x as weird and chunky as more current Eldar models. Look at a Harlequin shuriken pistol alongside a Dire Avenger shuriken pistol and rub your eyes in amazement that they're supposed to represent the same item.

Don't the DAs have special Shuriken Catapults, not pistols? Old sculpts or not those hats are insane. Nothing says "full-spectrum all-purpose ass-kicker" like a hat that's half as tall as you are, I guess.

Terminal wrote:
The Dark Eldar love inflicting pain, so they are used to it themselves. In the heat of battle, they wouldn't mind running across ice, hot sand, or even building rubble in their bare feet, if it meant being a little more agile and capturing slaves or killing their enemies faster.

I forgot about the whole BDSM thing Dark Eldar have going on. I thought maybe Hesperax had kicked off her thigh-highs during a cruise on Vect's special Raider, and when that vanished from existence, so did her shoes. Doesn't explain the lack of pants. Or maybe it does. Who knows what they get up to in Comorragh.


Also, if GW have zapped Vect, why are they still selling those mangled-looking prisoners from his VectMobile as Dark Eldar bitz?

The lack of pants is probably because Hesperax doesn't go into realspace just for fighting, she sells tickets (Who only the richest Dark Eldar can afford) and puts on a show with the killing.

Eldar have tall hats so they can fit their 80s poodle hairstyles inside them without getting "hat hair".

Check out some 80s eldar figures with their towering mohawks sometime.

Like this guy? (Front row, right)



ROCK IT!

Some of them had quite reasonable mohawks:

I agree. The pointy helmet thing is simply an aesthetic choice, namely to be able to easily identify them on the table (and historically it's not uncommon for armies to wear silly hats). I do think some are a bit...egregious, namely some of the Phoenix Lords - but bigger is better and more powerful right? Karandras is a two part miniature and his head is about the same size/weight as his body. It's a genuine two-piece miniature.

 BBAP wrote:

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Consider that all the Aspects are old enough that they're 2-3x as weird and chunky as more current Eldar models. Look at a Harlequin shuriken pistol alongside a Dire Avenger shuriken pistol and rub your eyes in amazement that they're supposed to represent the same item.

Don't the DAs have special Shuriken Catapults, not pistols? Old sculpts or not those hats are insane. Nothing says "full-spectrum all-purpose ass-kicker" like a hat that's half as tall as you are, I guess.

There are pistols for the Exarchs on the sprue. And I put it to you that you're mocking our fuzzy hats out of jealously, because none of your GSC acolytes have any hair (/kidding).

(More seriously go watch the DoW2 opening cinematic for a great example of Banshees managing to look limber and agile despite having giant, giant hats.)

Modern 40k needs more silly hats.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
There are pistols for the Exarchs on the sprue. And I put it to you that you're mocking our fuzzy hats out of jealously, because none of your GSC acolytes have any hair (/kidding).

Nid pattern baldness is a cause for ambivalence, I'll grant you - but what we lack in flamboyant head adornments, we make up for in random kitchen knives that most almost everyone seems to carry for some reason.

 oldzoggy wrote:
Modern 40k needs more silly hats.

Personally I think that 40k needs to lighten up a bit in general, but silly hats are a good start. Orks could definitely justify having some silly hat models (though if you want some ork heads with funny hats Kromlech already sells them), and there's already a precedent for funny hats in the Inquisition. Who else... GSC?

 gnome_idea_what wrote:
Orks could definitely justify having some silly hat models

Like this, maybe?

and there's already a precedent for funny hats in the Inquisition. Who else... GSC?

Comedy wigs rather than hats for GSC, I think. The Patriarch could rock a rainbow afro.

Hats like these would go a long way

GW has a long history with hats. Bigger hats = more important. The most clear-cut example of this is the old WHFB Bretonians. Peasants? No hats. Knight errants (the lowest level) basic helms/circlets. Knights of the realm and Grail Knights get progressively bigger. The King? Some huge musical song and dance number bigger then he is.

 Elbows wrote:
I agree. The pointy helmet thing is simply an aesthetic choice, namely to be able to easily identify them on the table (and historically it's not uncommon for armies to wear silly hats). .

More specifically, they're space elves, and elves (at least the non-half-naked-forest kind) are quite commonly depicted with tall, pointy helmets.