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.

As the title suggests, what do you all think is going to happen with the Aeldari model line?

As a bonus question, which Eldar models do you all think need to be remade the most?

Nothing. They don't sell well enough to be re-done, and because they aren't re-done they wont sell.

Aka "Sisters of Battle syndrome".

A few years ago I would have no chance, but these days, I don't know, gw is definitely cooking something up for the eldar based on a pic on there sneak peeks pictures, so it could be possible.

My buddy told me they have some new nobs and a ghazghull all done and that's orks, god knows when they are released though.

The Eldar are in a rather unique place. And by Eldar I mean, normal, Craftworld Eldar.

They're one of the only "races" currently in the bizarre no-man's land of models. Every other range I can think of is more further along being revised/finished in plastic.

Models which won't be replaced in the next 10 years:
-Wraithlord
-Wraithknight
-Wraithguard
-War Walker
-Wind Riders
-Bike Warlock/Farseer
-Plastic Farseer
-Flyers
-Support weapons
-Probably a few I'm forgetting

The above are the latest plastic kits for the Eldar and if we follow GW's history, plastic kits (of good quality) are normally around 10-15+ years.

On the "edge" of being replaced, or in need of an update would be:
-Falcon
-Wave Serpent
-Fire Prism (least of all)
-Vyper Jetbike
-Dire Avengers
-Guardians

These plastic kits, with the exception of the Fire Prism/Dire Avengers/Guardians date from the mid-90's. They could do with some updates/replacement, but are generally "okay" as far as plastic kits go. The Guardians are getting long in the tooth, lack a proper Storm Guardian sprue, etc. The Dire Avengers are okay but at $35 for a box of five...poorly priced and silly.

Almost the rest of the range is buried in the Finecast dungeon. In metal, these would be fine but aged, but Finecast is terrible and they're expensive to boot.

Finecast dungeon:
-Striking Scorpions
-Fire Dragons
-Howling Banshees
-Swooping Hawks
-Some Autarchs
-Scouts
-Shining Spears (currently "kind of" available as old bikes w/ metal components still...never had a proper kit since the first one)
-Some Warlocks (still in metal/finecast and who knows what the future there is...)

The aged and forgotten:
-Phoenix Lords
-Warp Spiders
-Avatar

These models are currently still available (in Finecast or metal) and are the original sculpts from 1993. Yep, 24 years and counting.

On the whole, a wealth of the Eldar models are derived from older metal sculpts. While many of these are attractive, the wargear options are exceptionally limited, and generally speaking the range is terrible frustrating/confusing/angering for Eldar players and collectors. Try explaining any of the above to a new player - or show a brand new player that most of their special infantry are fiddly resin...it's a garbage line to comprehend. Couple this with the fact that Codices are losing any wargear options which aren't modeled

This weird desire to stick to some of the older sculpts (as nice as they are) is penalizing some of the units in game now as well. The Avatar, for instance, used to be roughly the same size as a Greater Daemon when it was released - it had stats similar to them and was easily on par with them. Now it's dwarfed by the size and scale of plastic greater daemons (and even its own Forge World iteration) --- and its stats show that. It's no longer the incredible war machine it should be, but more akin to, say, a Daemon Prince. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that it fits on a 40mm base and would be hard to justify it being particularly strong.

Going forward

While I would love to see plastic multi-part kits for Aspect Warriors, updated tanks (update the turret and weapon sprues, recut the original mold and service it a bit, etc.), etc...I think we're going to see the opposite. I do wish the time and effort spent on launching Harlequins as its own range of plastics would have been spent fixing the proper Eldar range. I "think" we're going to get a Primaris treatment at some point. I think Ynnari will be back in a big way, and I do think in the far future the basic Craftworld Eldar will fall by the wayside. I'd hate to see it, but that's my gut instinct.

You also see one of the big issues with plastic-characters showing up along the Eldar range (as with many other armies). Finecast sucks. Metal is "too expensive" (not at all when compared to plastic single character sprues really). Plastic is expensive and takes more expensive machinery. This begs the question, what becomes of the Phoenix Lords? Surely GW will never justify six new plastic character kits for them, etc. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see where those would fit in as a priority. Perhaps they divvy them up into two plastic kits, three a piece. Perhaps we get a 3-5 model kit of psykers which can make plastic Warlocks/Farseers/Spirit Seers, etc.

A full line of modern plastics is feasible, but I just get a weird vibe from GW about Eldar. I don't think we're going to see a huge investment in refurbishing this incredibly aging line. I hope I'm wrong. I really do.

Lots of them need replacing. Like almost all Aspect Warriors, the Phoenix Lords and Rangers. But I expect precisely none to get updated. Not when they can make more Starcrafty primaris.

Don’t care as I have a “full” Eldar army.

The Wave Serpent is fairly new as well. It came with the 5th(?) or 6th edition book for Eldar.

The really bright cover with the Autarch and the warhost behind him.

I'd definitely love to see some plastic Aspect Warrior kits. Not sure I expect to any time soon. :( I do expect an updated Avatar though, but only because I've done my own out of the Cauldron Of Blood statue.

I do hope they eventually release plastic aspects /phoenix lords but I am not holding my breath. Serpent Chasis tanks , while old, do hold up so there really are other kits that need updating earlier ( basic CSM, SoB,...).

People have old models. But nobody had new models (like Ynnari), meaning everyone had to buy them = no re-releasing 20-25 years old fast attack choices / phoenix lords.

That's the same argument which is brought up a lot for "older" models. But the reality is that people will always buy new kits. You'll bring in new players, people will add to their armies, and people will, in fact, replace older models.

I would bet you money that plastic Aspect Warrior kits would have outsold the entire Harlequin range 10:1 if it had been released properly. It's a tired argument which really doesn't reflect gamers purchasing habits.

It's kinda weird that eldar are so unsupported because in most franchises a constant is that the elves sell like hot cakes. And this is a grudging acceptance from someone who hates elves of all stripes.

 Formosa wrote:
A few years ago I would have no chance, but these days, I don't know, gw is definitely cooking something up for the eldar based on a pic on there sneak peeks pictures, so it could be possible.

What pic?

Some sharp object with a spirit stone. It might be just a box of terrain.

craftworld_uk wrote:

 Formosa wrote:
A few years ago I would have no chance, but these days, I don't know, gw is definitely cooking something up for the eldar based on a pic on there sneak peeks pictures, so it could be possible.

What pic?

This one from the Rumour engine

Looks like a Wraith fin. Honestly I feel like it'll be for Ynnari or something.

With the Ynaari kicking around, I honestly think a proper unification of some stuff will happen, that or a flat out new army with the Ynaari box as the starting point.

The biggest problem that Eldar face in terms of the likelihood of new models, is that so many of their older models are fething gorgeous.

Look at the Vyper, a really old sculpt but beautiful model, even by today's standards.

They have a number of models that desperately need an update though - Avatar, Shining Spears immediately jump out but I'm sure there are others.

Biggest problem is nothing's in stock.

craftworld_uk wrote:

 Formosa wrote:
A few years ago I would have no chance, but these days, I don't know, gw is definitely cooking something up for the eldar based on a pic on there sneak peeks pictures, so it could be possible.

What pic?

It's on the community site, it's a long very eldar like thing akin to the Veins on the wraiths, it also seems to have soul stones, it is very very eldar

 An Actual Englishman wrote:
The biggest problem that Eldar face in terms of the likelihood of new models, is that so many of their older models are fething gorgeous.

Look at the Vyper, a really old sculpt but beautiful model, even by today's standards.

They have a number of models that desperately need an update though - Avatar, Shining Spears immediately jump out but I'm sure there are others.

Gaze at Jain Zar and know horror.

For what it's worth I think they would do the aspects in plastic if they were able to do credible multi kits for them. They tried to do such multi kits with nids and IMHO failed with the key ones the venomthrope/zoanthrope and the hive guard/tyrant guard. The different models were too different and trying to multi them just left uglier and frustrating versions of both, especially the guard both of which came out hideous compared to the older sculpts.

I think the same goes for aspects, which of them could realistically be multi-kitted, they are substantially different. You could go for a base body with head and weapon swap outs but the armour is too different.

This picture reminds me of the helmet of the guys from bottom left below

I still can't believe we saw plastic Harlequins before we saw plastic Aspect Warriors. The vehicles are fine, even though they're old they still look great. Considering how core the Aspect Warriors are to Craftworld Eldar I won't even hazard a guess as to updated models, my money would have been on them getting plastics 10 years ago and yet here we are.