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The old bat wings helmet look better than the new Kamen rider helmet. But they're alright kit overall.

 Fayric wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:


My main complaint remains that they look too weedy relative to the bulkiness of the decorative bits on their armour.

But I guess a pro of that is that they're all androgynous enough to be female if you want them to be called female. Maybe they were going for a trans vibe with them.

Either way, not a fan. I like the horses but unless I can find different riders for them, meh, I'll think I'll pass for now.

They are supposed to be sophisticated decadent aristocrats living on blood, yet blessed with superhuman Vampiric strenght -why would they bulk up like some brutish peasant?
Any indication a knight like this would be fit to engage in manual labour would make him or her the laughing stock of the clan.

Not sure what you were hoping for, but perhaps you could try some conversion with chaos knights, they are pretty buff.

To be fair, most Blood Knights were knights before they became vampires so probably the most likely to be "buff" and at least one in Neferatas service is describing a huge hulking muscled woman easily able to be mistaken for a follower of Khorne.

Female vampires should be one the easiest for people to accept as warriors - no matter what they look like - they are superhumanly quick and strong....

 Fayric wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:


My main complaint remains that they look too weedy relative to the bulkiness of the decorative bits on their armour.

But I guess a pro of that is that they're all androgynous enough to be female if you want them to be called female. Maybe they were going for a trans vibe with them.

Either way, not a fan. I like the horses but unless I can find different riders for them, meh, I'll think I'll pass for now.

They are supposed to be sophisticated decadent aristocrats living on blood, yet blessed with superhuman Vampiric strenght -why would they bulk up like some brutish peasant?
Any indication a knight like this would be fit to engage in manual labour would make him or her the laughing stock of the clan.

Not sure what you were hoping for, but perhaps you could try some conversion with chaos knights, they are pretty buff.

Vampires are magic, so I've always assumed they don't follow the normal rules of "do exercise, get buff".

I don't know if GW even has a fluff surrounding how that works. You have in other fiction that Vampires retain whatever musculature they had in their previous life as part of their eternal life / regenerating deal.

Given they're Blood *Knights*, they should be Knightly IMO, and Knights generally aren't weedy little things, they're warriors. I'd be happy with typical soldier-like proportions.

I'm not expecting something super beefy, but what we've got now just looks too svelte for a Knight. Like, I'm not expecting The Mountain from GoT, but these look scrawnier than Loras Tyrell.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Mr Morden wrote:
To be fair, most Blood Knights were knights before they became vampires so probably the most likely to be "buff" and at least one in Neferatas service is describing a huge hulking muscled woman easily able to be mistaken for a follower of Khorne.

Female vampires should be one the easiest for people to accept as warriors - no matter what they look like - they are superhumanly quick and strong....

Of course, I think the slim female vampire is a perfectly fine aesthetic.

Slim blood Knights? Nah, not so much.

I think the comparatively bulky decorative bits on the armour and large horses make it worse, being skinny even with armour on just makes you look even more skinny. Armour isn't worn skin-tight after all.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

Sarouan wrote:

 CMLR wrote:


No, nobody said female vampire sculpts = bad.

Neferata = good.
Lauka Vai = good.
Female Blood Knight (Blood Lady?) = good.
Plate boob armor = dumb.

Ever heard about bikini armor in D&D and videogames? a similar thing here: instead of wearing too little protection, why would they wear "protection" detrimental to them?

Men don't go around with perfectly shaped armor for their crotches in fantasy settings (well, sometimes they do, in parody ones).

Sure, but you know, that's how they are depicted as GW miniatures. Sisters of Battle are the same.

That's what I don't understand ; why the Blood Knights specifically while GW is doing the exact same thing for all female warriors wearing armor. It's not like it's something new - like oversized weapons, bigger hands and more "heroic" proportions.

I could be wrong, but I think part of the problem is that they're just not very nice looking models (though I'm sure some people are going to love them, "nice looking" is subjective obviously).

People are finding features like the boob plate or the lack of torso options more grating because the models as a whole just aren't that good.

Bat-centaur lady also has boob plate and I haven't noticed people complaining about that.

Lots of people seemed to hate the bat-centaur. When they were shown, the Blood Knights definitely seemed to get a better reception.

 ImAGeek wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

Sarouan wrote:

 CMLR wrote:


No, nobody said female vampire sculpts = bad.

Neferata = good.
Lauka Vai = good.
Female Blood Knight (Blood Lady?) = good.
Plate boob armor = dumb.

Ever heard about bikini armor in D&D and videogames? a similar thing here: instead of wearing too little protection, why would they wear "protection" detrimental to them?

Men don't go around with perfectly shaped armor for their crotches in fantasy settings (well, sometimes they do, in parody ones).

Sure, but you know, that's how they are depicted as GW miniatures. Sisters of Battle are the same.

That's what I don't understand ; why the Blood Knights specifically while GW is doing the exact same thing for all female warriors wearing armor. It's not like it's something new - like oversized weapons, bigger hands and more "heroic" proportions.

I could be wrong, but I think part of the problem is that they're just not very nice looking models (though I'm sure some people are going to love them, "nice looking" is subjective obviously).

People are finding features like the boob plate or the lack of torso options more grating because the models as a whole just aren't that good.

Bat-centaur lady also has boob plate and I haven't noticed people complaining about that.

Lots of people seemed to hate the bat-centaur. When they were shown, the Blood Knights definitely seemed to get a better reception.

Yeah, maybe a bad comparison, because the things people hate about the bat lady is the disconnect between the lower half and upper half. If you take the upper half of the bat lady she looks like a good model. By comparison I think the problem with the Blood Knights is bad proportions which IMO is maybe why people are taking issue with the boob plate more than I've seen levelled at other boob plate models.

So yeah, sorry, bad comparison.

People hate both the bat-centaur lady and the bat-centaur dude equally, perhaps the guy even more

Oh Dakka ... sigh.

If I like a mini, most people must agree with me.

If I don’t like a model, I hate it, all other GW minis are equally bad, most people agree with me and I can objectively prove why it’s a bad mini.

I mean does it matter what “people” like or don’t like? Does your opinion depend on what you think “people” think. By all means express your opinion but don’t be telling what “people” think of a mini as if my opinion should be swayed by the peers pressure.

 MonkeyBallistic wrote:
Oh Dakka ... sigh.

If I like a mini, most people must agree with me.

If I don’t like a model, I hate it, all other GW minis are equally bad, most people agree with me and I can objectively prove why it’s a bad mini.

I mean does it matter what “people” like or don’t like? Does your opinion depend on what you think “people” think. By all means express your opinion but don’t be telling what “people” think of a mini as if my opinion should be swayed by the peers pressure.

I don't really understand the point of your post. I'm not telling you what to think, I'm trying to figure out why people feel a certain way. We do this with art all the time. People are still talking about what is evocative about the works of Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, da Vanci, etc.

Unless you're talking about the folk who imply that not liking a particular female sculpt automatically makes you a sexist, in which case, sure, that's genuinely peer pressure that I'd be happy to see die.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
People hate both the bat-centaur lady and the bat-centaur dude equally, perhaps the guy even more

Yeah, the actual vampire part of the model looks pretty good. And the bat part of the model also looks pretty good.

It's joining the two together that's the problem.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

Yeah, the actual vampire part of the model looks pretty good. And the bat part of the model also looks pretty good.

It's joining the two together that's the problem.

This.

I recall seeing a photoshop a while back that took the Sister walker legs and stuck them to the lower half of the Vamp-Taur Lady's torso instead of the monster bit. And it looks good. Giant Vampire Lady. (Hmm, where have we seen that recently?)

And the monster bit, I suppose if you replaced the Vamp torso with like, a Terrorgheist neck and head or something similar to the Vargskyrwotsit it would look good as well.

The two together are...questionable. It honestly feels like they were done as seperate pieces and then muddled up as a short notice idea.

 DarkStarSabre wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

Yeah, the actual vampire part of the model looks pretty good. And the bat part of the model also looks pretty good.

It's joining the two together that's the problem.

This.

I recall seeing a photoshop a while back that took the Sister walker legs and stuck them to the lower half of the Vamp-Taur Lady's torso instead of the monster bit. And it looks good. Giant Vampire Lady. (Hmm, where have we seen that recently?)

And the monster bit, I suppose if you replaced the Vamp torso with like, a Terrorgheist neck and head or something similar to the Vargskyrwotsit it would look good as well.

The two together are...questionable. It honestly feels like they were done as seperate pieces and then muddled up as a short notice idea.

At first glance it looked like someone photoshopped it as a joke.

Maybe if the bottom part was at least painted with the same colour as the armour it'd look a bit better? I dunno.

But the upper part by itself definitely had me thinking about conversion options until I saw it was too big to mix with normal legs.

Yeah, you'd have to find proportionately bigger legs (hence the SoB Palantine walker) - the Big Lady could well work as a Vampire basically swollen up with raw power without going all Yiffcon as seems to be their logic now.

It's a shame. Both parts look good, combined they look awful.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 MonkeyBallistic wrote:
Oh Dakka ... sigh.

If I like a mini, most people must agree with me.

If I don’t like a model, I hate it, all other GW minis are equally bad, most people agree with me and I can objectively prove why it’s a bad mini.

I mean does it matter what “people” like or don’t like? Does your opinion depend on what you think “people” think. By all means express your opinion but don’t be telling what “people” think of a mini as if my opinion should be swayed by the peers pressure.

I don't really understand the point of your post. I'm not telling you what to think, I'm trying to figure out why people feel a certain way. We do this with art all the time. People are still talking about what is evocative about the works of Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, da Vanci, etc.

Unless you're talking about the folk who imply that not liking a particular female sculpt automatically makes you a sexist, in which case, sure, that's genuinely peer pressure that I'd be happy to see die.
.

O no, I wasn’t referring to that. I was more talking about the people who say, ‘lots of people don’t like’ this or that mini, rather than, ‘I don’t like this mini’, as if they’re the spokesperson of the masses instead of just expressing their own view.

 MonkeyBallistic wrote:
O no, I wasn’t referring to that. I was more talking about the people who say, ‘lots of people don’t like’ this or that mini, rather than, ‘I don’t like this mini’, as if they’re the spokesperson of the masses instead of just expressing their own view.

So it's mostly a semantic complaint? Would it be okay if we said "several people" instead of "lots"?

We make much extrapolation, if a handful of people on a forum don't like something, it's not unreasonable to guess there's hundreds if not thousands of people in the broader community that don't like it.

Wrongly or rightly we make assumptions about how much a model is liked or disliked based on comments we hear and read, I wouldn't read too much into it, nor take it as a sign of peer pressure.

It's pretty clear looking here, Facebook, TGA and anywhere that the reaction to Lauka Vai's model is mixed. Doing the pedantic "you don't speak for everyone!!!" defence doesn't change that there's been no lack of discussion about her (and the Lord version) of which a great deal of it wasn't positive, especially in comparison to the initial Soulblight reveal.

My 2 cents - that 1 model was the catalyst which made me question the entire range. The rules added to my misgivings and made me quit LoN/SG.

I'm a fan. It's something different--plus a wizard did it.

 Arbitrator wrote:
It's pretty clear looking here, Facebook, TGA and anywhere that the reaction to Lauka Vai's model is mixed. Doing the pedantic "you don't speak for everyone!!!" defence doesn't change that there's been no lack of discussion about her (and the Lord version) of which a great deal of it wasn't positive, especially in comparison to the initial Soulblight reveal.

A great deal of it WAS positive as well. Many people, myself included, praised the model for trying to do something interesting rather than just being another generic undead-esque fantasy monster with a rider.

It's almost the exact inverse of Belakor where a great deal of the discussion was positive but there was a significant camp calling him generic or uninspired.

It's almost like...people...think different things about stuff?!?

 Kanluwen wrote:
a wizard did it.

The wizard should have done a better job.

Nobody really questions whether it could exist - Warhammer has a massive range of various centaury things - just that it looks poor. Had hoped it would grow on me over time as the two separate elements are largely great - ornate vampirey armour, creepy batdragon - but the lacklustre combination continues to be jarring.

It's important to realise that not everyone who comments (positive and negative) on a model is a customer for that model and/or the army its within.

I'd also say that for any physical product its important to balance impressions both with photos but also with real life interactions with a model. There are some models that look awesome, but you get them in your hand and you don't like it - and vis versa.

I would say that dropping a whole army over one optional model is somewhat hyperbolic, but I can appreciate that if you were already on the fence then it might be enough to help you justify making a choice; just like one super awesome model might make you swing into the positive. In both cases its not so much just that one model, its the whole "glass half full/empty" angle where you are on the line and just need convincing to tip one way or the other.



I do think that on Dakka we CAN get drawn into long arguments/debates on liking and hating things, often because there is a somewhat negative lean online in general (and on Dakka) so the positive people tend to push back a little harder from time to time even when the negative comments are purely personal opinions and not framed in debate or argument




In the end every model will have fans and haters for whatever reasons. In the end our impressions of a model can change through time; in the end most armies have enough choice within them to avoid a few models and never use them if you really hate them

And in the end this is Warhammer, if you don't like it, then grab the base size and some bits and get to converting!

I think it goes without saying that someone somewhere is going to like damned near any model. If you are that person, its both nothing to be ashamed of nor should you feel peer pressure to dislike it just because other people do. But there's definitely some janky models out there that wouldn't rank highly if we did a poll. I reckon those Blood Knights and Batcentaur-Lady would be pretty low on the list if we did a survey.

Aesthetics is subjective, but there are definitely objective features you can point to and say why on a whole a certain model will be more or less liked.

It would be great if Radukar is up for next week as he looks far more badass than his Cursed City model.

Lauka is definitely a kitbashing opportunity for two separate models. Lauka could still be a monster with alternative demon legs and wings from her back, while the other part of the model just needs a suitable monster head. What head that would be I'm not sure, but it might be passable as a zombie dragon battleline, if going for that blood line? Hero character and battleline monster in a box?

Her form could be seen as a cruel curse by Tzeentch, which he takes delight in mocking; she has wings but cannot take flight, like a bat that must forever crawl upon the ground.

The Crimson Court is a good way to get four alternative Vampire lords for little more than the price of the standard Lord model. They would be ideal as a hero party for use in AoS:HOTHL and can't wait to give that a whirl...

At first I winced at the price of the Deathrattle Skeletons kit, but the sprues are quite big and there is four of them. Its technically two battleline units in a single box, so if starting out small one can just add a Wight King for £10.

SamusDrake wrote:
Her form could be seen as a cruel curse by Tzeentch, which he takes delight in mocking; she has wings but cannot take flight, like a bat that must forever crawl upon the ground.

The warscroll for Lauka Vai has the 'FLY' keyword.

 Ghaz wrote:

SamusDrake wrote:
Her form could be seen as a cruel curse by Tzeentch, which he takes delight in mocking; she has wings but cannot take flight, like a bat that must forever crawl upon the ground.

The warscroll for Lauka Vai has the 'FLY' keyword.

Oh, I haven't seen her warscroll yet. I was taking her model at face value and have trouble visualising how she would take flight.

I'd imagine by leaping off of things?

 Kanluwen wrote:
I'd imagine by leaping off of things?

Well, yes, obviously!

 Kanluwen wrote:
I'd imagine by leaping off of things?

She leaps from Tactical Rock to Tactical Rock to Citadel Swirly Bull Gak, which seem to nearly entirely cover every single battleground in Age of Sigmar nowadays.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2021/05/16/sunday-preview-soulblight-space-marines-and-the-scions-of-mars/

Lots of pre-orders next week...

Hmm. Wight King up for pre-order next week, and temporarily locked in a Start Collecting set with 5 Black Knights and 20 Grave Guard. Good if you want to start the army in earnest, but a bit dirty for those who just want that fantastic new sculpt.

 Tim the Biovore wrote:
Hmm. Wight King up for pre-order next week, and temporarily locked in a Start Collecting set with 5 Black Knights and 20 Grave Guard. Good if you want to start the army in earnest, but a bit dirty for those who just want that fantastic new sculpt.

Pre-Orders next week are a massive FU from GW it seems.

Mounted Wight King? Start Collecting box exclusive atm.

Oh hey, look, direct only Radukar's court from Cursed City. I know we said it was all sold out but...uh...surprise?

The absolute massive balls on the man who decided to start relasing Cursed City miniatures, without the Cursed City, with absolutely no news on Cursed City