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What does all this golem talk mean for the nature elemental?

The nature elemental was supposed to be based off the golem body, wasn't it?

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Are they actually supposed to be made of obsidian? I thought they were just named that because obsidian sounds edgier (heh) than black. Also, Black Golem would have been better used as the name of a classic 70's trash film.

Black Golem and Dolemite team up in Funk Revenge II, now playing in cinemas nationwide!

Forty dollars??

What? Mantic, you so silly.

 Alpharius wrote:
I thought the golem was comically awful when I saw it.

Then I saw the $40 price tag and...think it is even worse now.

I wish the House Style at Mantic wasn't so cartoonishly exaggerated on many large figures, but it is what it is.

that's... a lot of money for a not-great model.

I wouldn't want to be trying to market that, especially against this:

http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Bones/price/77185

 Polonius wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Are they actually supposed to be made of obsidian? I thought they were just named that because obsidian sounds edgier (heh) than black. Also, Black Golem would have been better used as the name of a classic 70's trash film.

Black Golem and Dolemite team up in Funk Revenge II, now playing in cinemas nationwide!

I would watch those.

I'm not a fan of the golem, the more I look at it the more I dislike it. Its proportions just look silly to me but I do think a better paint job would help it. What it does look good for is conversion fodder. As a base to put other pieces over/onto I think it would work well.

Perhaps part of the reason the golem looks so bad is its pairing with that dwarf caster who looks so good. Though I suspect their inclusion together may be intentional, which at least means Mantic knows the golem... could be improved.

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
What does all this golem talk mean for the nature elemental?

The nature elemental was supposed to be based off the golem body, wasn't it?

Yep



I guess the shoulder pads and head are separate and there will be a piece to fit into the front of the torso and a different head.

The concepts looked so much nicer

I actually like the Great Golem. It ties in well with the regular golems, and won't be a pain to paint. The price tag is a bit steep for a model that isn't stellar, but it's also a big chunk of resin, and there are plenty of even worse looking $40 models out there.

Really really like the Dwarf sorcerer!

Mantic.... Almost....

That Golem is a terrible sculpt. Whatever about the stylistic choices, I can live with those, especially for a Golem, but the actual detailing is terrible. Those crystals jutting out of the back seem to come out of nowhere, and the textures on the golem itself are god awful.

I actually think the painter did a fair job of trying to save that terrible mini, but I reckon there is just no excuse for producing something so poor. That will not sell in large numbers, and it will lose them money because of it. Poor choice. If I'd pledged for a deal containing one, I would be feeling pretty annoyed.

Mantic BADLY need better QC.

Edit: The longer I look at it, the worse it looks. I'm definitely someone who wants Mantic to succeed, but for that reason I will NOT be defending miniatures of such low quality because in the end it does nothing good for the company when they release drek like that.

Where is the change log for this update to the PDF?

The Golem is terrible :(

Skinny legs that would never be able to hold its weight, the crystals in the back look very off and the paint job is awful too with a hard visual disconnection between body color and crystal color instead of the colors blending in.

 Commissar-Danno wrote:
Where is the change log for this update to the PDF?

I think they just split the double pages into individual pages so it can be used on tablets but I haven't looked at in detail.

 DaveC wrote:

 Commissar-Danno wrote:
Where is the change log for this update to the PDF?

I think they just split the double pages into individual pages so it can be used on tablets but I haven't looked at in detail.

Plus restored an omitted paragraph in counter-charges and fixed a bunch of typos.

I don't think its bad, but the price tag is almost GW level crazy. I'll stick with the Reaper bones Stone Golem. $6. Yeah...that's perfect.

Really dont like that Golem. Also thats very pricey.

Well it's proper resin, hence the price.

People would complain it's too heavy/hard to build if it was metal.

People would moan if it was restic, even though that works fine for big stuff.

It won't sell enough to justify HIPS.

What SHOULD it have been made in?

I think the argument is that at $40 it should be a better model, regardless of the material. At least that's where I'm at.

 Alex C wrote:
Well it's proper resin, hence the price.

People would complain it's too heavy/hard to build if it was metal.

People would moan if it was restic, even though that works fine for big stuff.

It won't sell enough to justify HIPS.

What SHOULD it have been made in?

It would have been far better in restic. A cheaper and more deserving medium.

But let's be fair--people would moan no matter what medium it was made in because that mini is...well, it's Mantic's pumbaagor.

It just makes me wonder who approved the sculpt. Surely even the people who like it can see that it could have been made more attractive to the larger market. When some Mantic guy saw this cross his desk with a provisional $40 price tag, did he just yawn and stamp the form?

Paint job and details on the body look fine to me.

My biggest issue is the way it's positioned. It's legs are so far back from the rest of the body, with almost gorilla- like proportions.

Which would have been fine, had they put one of his arms resting on the ground possibly.

That price tag too. I'd have been good for a 20 buck restic one. At that size and price I wouldn't feel bad about chopping into it to convert the pose on it.

Yeah, for 15 who gives a gak, at 40? Cmonnnnnn. Not personally offended like some, but at the price why not dig up something awesome like the Ilyad earth elemental?

HEH if it was in restic at least all the mould lines and flash would give it some detail

Yeah, at $20 I'd probably get it if I played Abyssal Dwarves. At $40, is be looking at alternatives. I'm a Mantic junkie, but that model doesn't impress me.

I don't mind the golem thingy.. not a model I need, but I wouldn't turn it away if it was a KS freebie I do like the majority of the dungeon saga minis I've seen though, looking forward to painting em up.

That dwarf, on the other hand, is quite good!

I agree the greater obsidian golem is weak, a shame since the lesser golems are pretty awesome - one of just a few I've decided to go for the official models on. I think they're better than any alternative full unit of golems (although there are some really impressive individual golem sculpts out there).

 judgedoug wrote:

 carlos13th wrote:
Yeah I wouldn't buy models from Mantic based on concept art alone either. They have shown us that's a losing proposition for the customer.

I agree in 2012/2013 but since then everything has panned out quite well.

Unless you're not a fan of the giant upper torso/skinny legs look, of course...
I'd buy a WMH Troll model to proxy for that golem any day of the week.

I do like the Chaos Dwarf sorcerer. I'll pick that up at some stage.

ArtIsGreat wrote:
Not personally offended like some, but at the price why not dig up something awesome like the Ilyad earth elemental?

Regarding this, I have never been able to find that model despite searching really hard for a while... my other problem is that it's just a single model in a very specific pose, so you can't make a unit.

Also note that it's only the right size for a lesser obsidian golem (fits on a 40 or 50mm base and I think is actually smaller than Mantic's lesser golems). But if anyone finds one, let me know

Oh dear, those legs. I've passed on a lot of Mantic figures that I would've bought in a heartbeat if not for their legs. Their tralls are awesome... but gak son, they need to do some squats. Their ogres are like gym buddies who always skip leg day. And now this golem.

I'm glad their Undead are still ace, and I might be buying Forces of the Abyss because I like what I'm seeing so far. But these? I'm sorry Mantic I really want to give you my money on these but I just can't.

Personally I love the golem. It looks awesome. Makes me more excited to the see the Earth Elemental.

 heartserenade wrote:
Their ogres are like gym buddies who always skip leg day.

You might be thinking of the trolls. The ogres are quite nice models, if a bit deceptively limited in options: