The future of the warhammer "look"

[marjedi]

So up for sale this month is Games Workshop mega baddie faction, the Warriors of Chaos. And with the release comes some new models, that alongside the warshrine sets a completely new and over the top look for the army.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/armySubUnitCats.jsp?catId=cat440005a&rootCatGameStyle=wh

Personally i think it is a new low for the company in terms of design. Poor poses, weird proportions, poorly executed anatomy and muscles and weapons/cloaks/horns of a size only seen on privateer press models.

And for prices that are so high it made me choke on the morning donut when i saw them.

The poor standards and high prices added tothe travesty that was the Dark Angels codex has finally pushed me into to the hands of the competing manufacturers and put of mainstream warhammer and 40k, 20+ years as a customer down the drain. There are a few monsters i would lime to paint, if i manage to buy them before they skyrocket in price in a few months, and then it is FW only from there.

What are your thoughts on the release?

 

[mud duck]

Ah the floating Ogre Dragons. WTF is going on with their front legs and bodies? They are'nt rearing up, balancing against the upper torso (that I can see), they look almost like their doing a stomping up and down dance at a really loud club.

Come on GW! We know you can do better!

 

[supervike]

Yep. I think this is just the next notch in the belt for GW. The models all have an overdesigned style to them that just simply turns me off.

They look more and more like toys for little kids (albeit with a demented twist).

Sometimes, simplicity is your friend. And it looks like GW could use some friends.

 

[PegaZus]

Heh. Here I was getting ready to write up a perfect rant for this thread, and I see that's exactly what was provided in my WIP thread where I asked for one. Thanks, Marjedi!

*cracks knuckles over keyboard*

First, looked at the models provided to see if they were interesting. This will lead into my later wished-for rant <henceforth called the "secondary rant">. But, for now, are these interesting to me? Eh, no. Throgg, maybe. The others? Just really more of the same, to my non-fan-boy eye <see secondary rant>. I'm a sci-fi guy, so I don't peruse the plain Warhammer figures much and couldn't see much excitement there. And the dragon ogres? Reminds me of the demon dogs from Ghostbusters, but with a human-ish upper body. So, no opening of the wallet from me based on appearances.

Then I looked a the prices and I laughed out loud. Not the common "LOL", mind you, but a literal laugh. Those dragon ogres? They serious think that they're worth $20 each?! Poor Throgg. I might have given a pity purchase if I found it in a clearance box, because that's where it would have to be with a retail of $58. And it would have to be a deep discount mind you! Granted, Throgg is big. But, the same money buys a Reaper Brood Dragon, made of metal, at a mere $2 extra. And I didn't pay that as my brood dragon was picked up many moons ago on clearance as well. Sadly, I think there are still enough people that are willing to pay metal prices for plastic. And with Reaper's Bones line coming out this next year en mass? That $58 is going to buy a massive amount of minis. Ouch. It's just bizarre, and I stand in awe.

However, is anybody actually surprised at this? Isn't this just par for GW?

And now time for the Secondary Rant:

It's sort of bothered me that I don't like GW minis. I mean, while I'm doing a voting spree block, it's nothing but GW after GW after GW. Obviously, it is popular. So why isn't it with me?

And I've think I finally know why, and one that's peculiar to me. I like the unusual. It's the reason behind my name and avatar (the pegasus being the only mythological creature in a Japanese horoscope-like fad from many years ago, and so was assigned to the unusual people). What is GW? The same repetitive figure, in slightly different poses. Once I've voted on my 50th space marine of the night, I start to cringe every time one comes up. I see the orks the same way, along with Eldar. Warhammer or WH40K, it's all about the same. Different genres. I will admit that there are two factions that do catch my fancy, and that's the Tau and Skaven. I suppose those have just enough quirks for me.

To a lesser extent, that's maybe why I don't get wound up about War Machine. It looks nice, but then I don't see a lot of differentiation. And I think this is why I gravitate away from GW and towards Reaper and a lot of the smaller manufacturers. The CMON shop is a godsend for me, as there's always something unusual that I could buy. Pumpkin golems, Puss in Boots, weird figures left and right.

Well, that didn't turn out as much of a rant as I imagined. Dinner and a hot bath seemed to have done wonders for my disposition.

 

[AndyG]

Give the man a cold shower and scolding coffe then and turn the rant up! Lol. Got to agree all across the board the only GW minis I've been buying recently are the old jes Goodwin ogres off of eBay quirky old school absolutely love em! As for their new releases they have got to be joking asking the prices they do I'd rather get some studio mcvey or hassle free etc.

 

[QuietiManes]

I must agree. Just about every new addition over the last several army releases has been a total joke, all those big monsters and vehicle/robot things. They had the same WTF? mentality that started a few years ago. We all knew this is where the company was going.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Just because something CAN be done doesn't mean it should.
Overblown detailing = turnoff.

Throgg = £36.00. N.F.W.

 

[freakinacage]

I actually don't think the dragon ogres are that badly priced considering (just over a tenner each - iirc the older, smaller, metal ones were about £9). The upper bodies look great imo but the lower dragon bits DO look shite. I like the troll fella, the big beasts and the characters but as they cost about a months worth of food and bills for my house, I am scratching my head as to who can pay for these.. Also a couple are finecast, I wouldn't even bother paying that much for metal, I CERTAINLY wouldn't pay that much for that crap
I like the way the bundles actually don't save you money. How many shops encourage bundle packages that cost the same?!!

Although I may actually try and get hold of some forsaken bits (I want to see if I can make some 2000AD muties..) the models don't look like models but simply a collection of bits for conversion

 

[marjedi]

I blame 2 things:

The designers are not that skilled at CAD modelling, but the accountants have banned old school sculpting as too lavor intensive.

And the sales people saw that Privateer Press were having alot of succes withh their stuff, and went and told the designers to make " ours look like theirs, cause they sell more".

Those two facts = disaster!

 

[hajmoid]

I bought the chariot and it was a joy to build, I enjoyed the aesthetic of the models in the set and I have to say I am looking forward to painting this guy who came in the set, though I gave him the great weapon instead. I like throgg the most and the plastic chaos Lord is a nice peice too. I gotta say that most of the gear really ticked the boxes and all the guys I spoke to in my group had at least 1 model that they really liked from the new releases. Now for some it was only one or two but I gotta say response in my group has been pretty good. Ima looking forward to painting this chap, though using a different head and making an exciting baseView attachment 18503

 

[Pictish Mini Painting]

Some of the stuff is nice, price wise, well we knew it wasn't going to get cheaper, the rank n file stuff isn't so good I feel, but as a monster force it could be by characterful.

I do like Villitch and will be getting one of them to paint, and the chariots are very nice.

However I do notice a slightly more cartoony style to the fantasy aesthetic, as some have said a tad more privateer press, but things evolve, look at 80's designs, 90's designs and today's, they all have a specific look.

I am actually tempted to get a WoC army and start 8th edition fantasy, but will need a good look into the rules and what army I can make for reasonable outlay.

I suppose it's just the new style, and like every generation, we feel our one was best, the kids maybe prefer the style.

Look at transformers on tv in 85' then look at today, very diff.

 

[marjedi]

I bought the chariot and it was a joy to build, I enjoyed the aesthetic of the models in the set and I have to say I am looking forward to painting this guy who came in the set, though I gave him the great weapon instead. I like throgg the most and the plastic chaos Lord is a nice peice too. I gotta say that most of the gear really ticked the boxes and all the guys I spoke to in my group had at least 1 model that they really liked from the new releases. Now for some it was only one or two but I gotta say response in my group has been pretty good. Ima looking forward to painting this chap, though using a different head and making an exciting baseView attachment 18503

All i see is all kinds of wrong, slapped together. Happy that you are happy though.

 

[PaintMyBits]

Im really in two minds. Firstly im making an imperial fist army, i love marines and mostly because of the fluff and horus heresy, its just really captured my imagination. I cant put it any other way.

Now the rest of me is with this post, i might be inclined to paint a model that is from a different race just for fun, but none of it excites me any more and the prices are too high for what you get. At the end of last year i started buying different brands and it feels good, like ive been released from a sect i was indoctrinated in for the last 20 years! :mean:

Saying that i do enjoy a bit of marine forge world which isnt wallet friendly! Like what was said above, i feel my 20 years in the hobby counts for nothing. Luckily i have a close friend who owns the local indie shop so i can get away with things at the moment but i feel this will be my last army and if my 3 kids want in on war gaming i will steer them away from GW as it will bankrupt me!

Gw has lost its shine for me, this isnt so much a rant, rather an "i warned you" for GW. FW i think keeps them afloat?

 

[Sand Rat]

Ok, here's my take and or two cents worth -

I've been painting miniatures off and on since about 1979. I have some of the old non WH Citadel figures that I love - but I have never been married to the figs of one manufacturer - my collection (or nightmare as my wife refers to it) has figures from GW, Citadel, Ral Partha, Iron Winds, Grenadier, Defiance, Pig Iron and Foundry, just to name a few off the top of my head. My GW Armies (Imperials, Lizard Men, and Beasts of Chaos on the Fantasy side, and Orks, IG, Nids and Witch Hunters in 40k) are made up of minis I like, not the latest crap GW has rolled out because they care not for the current and older groups of players. For years now, GW has pandered to the next group coming up, not the current group of players, IMO and will continue to do so as long as it puts money in the shareholders pockets.

 

[noneedforaname]

Well they're definately not pandering to existing customers, especially seeing as painting in store has been as good as banned at my local. Oh well just means other companies will get more of my money.

 

[ozymandias]

I'm glad it's not just me that had that reaction to the WoC releases. I've been buying GW minis for 20+ years so can safely say that I'm not just GW basing. The lumpen monstrosity that was the war alter thought was a new low, but almost all of the new releases look laughable. I have really liked some of the big kits that GW have done recently, but the cartoony styling and anatomical errors in the "slaughter beast" (random name generator or they're using 10year olds to name the new kits) leave me cold. The same can be said for the rank and file which all scream "spawn" to me or are so bulky (the charioteer above) that they couldn't move.

 

[me_in_japan]

I lost interest in GW when they lost interest in me. I see them as being useful for pulling newbs into the hobby, but actually sticking with them and trying to keep up with their new releases is a mug's game. Financially their stuff just keeps pushing and pushing at the limits of what people will buy. If they continue this sales policy to its ultimate conclusion, they're going to end up with one customer who buys one space marine for a million quid once a month. Fortunately, their recent models (everything post-dark Eldar) has completely failed to inspire me. Fantasy lost me a long while ago. So, I don't feel bad about their prices because I wouldn't buy em even if they were cheap. I do buy the new rules releases for the armies I play (to date that means 6th ed rulebook and a CSM book) so that I can continue to play my mates, but any new models I've bought have been proxies from other companies or Forge World. I know some folks have mentioned FW as being expensive, but it's cheaper to buy FW from the UK and pay shipping than it is to buy GW at local prices. GW offer zero support for gaming in Japan, so I have no personal interest in supporting them. All new gamers here either come from overseas with a pre-existing interest, or are recruited by our gaming group.

In short, GW don't care about me, and I don't care about them.

 

[Dragonsreach]

All i see is all kinds of wrong, slapped together.

GW don't care about me, and I don't care about them.

D'accord (x2)

 

[Avelorn]

Tsss... This is NOT the worst release from GW. However stylewise I don't like the direction they're heading either. Looks like the difference between Diablo I and III. I miss miniatures that try to look genuinely scary instead of just some LSD trip. I do however disagree with that they look "the same". They have a new style going on which feels... 3d computer model. I rather would like that they looked more like the concepts in books and more like the previous batch. These are more garish and ott, if things are simpler you tend to notice details instead.

I usually avoid reviews of GW miniatures before I hold them in my hand, many actually look much better then. But I wanted to chime in with some I hope more balanced opinion.

Miniature per miniature. I do rate the potential as well, if I see that it can be easily converted more to my liking.

Slaughterbrute - Not bad lines, too much going on though and I don't like the head and the raised leg. 6/10

Mutalith - I really dislike the "portal" thingy on his back but I like how it manage to be busy and ott and still work. Chaotic madness, perhaps difficult to paint, but I can see some nice versions coming up (ping Jarhead). 6/10

Dragon ogres - Torso looks good, nothing spectacular though. The dragon part looks... hm. stunty? I think the front legs are the main issue. With perhaps a bolder colourscheme they could be fun to paint. 6/10

Chaos Chariot - I don't think there's anything I like with this one, some things are ok and plenty of things I really dislike. The horns are ridiculous and the proportions seem off. I don't see much potential with it. 2/10

Forsaken - Bit of hit and miss, the majority is miss though, some awfully so. A few even remind me of the painfully bad old chaos mutants(?) from 40k. I like the head giving birth to a new forsaken 3/10

Chaos Lord - I like this one a lot. Nice pose and not overly detailed. The only thing bringing it down is the size of the horns. Remove them, perhaps change the head even, and we have a winner. I'm considering painting this one. 8/10

Throgg - Some parts I really like, some parts I don't. The details of the mantle for example feels unnatural but I like the axes. Head is decent and overall feel, the mouth on the side of his stomach works. Could have potential but the pose doesn't feel natural. This one could be a lot more impressive in hand. 6/10

Vilitch the curseling - Wow, rather bizarre miniature, but I like it because of it. Difficult to paint but unique and interesting idea. If just the pose would have been a bit better and the left arm less beefcake... 7/10

 

[hajmoid]

Averlorn, thank you for posting something constructive