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Taste like crab, talk like people. With the God Legion head options Valrak mentioned:

Damn GW works fast when ultramarines are in question

Yes, absolutely! That's why it actually looks good.

Now THAT's a glowup

Oh good, new 13th Company Grey Slayers!

It's actually tragic to me such a cool concept, calling back to the glory days of the hobby, will be erased when the new edition drops. GW, you need to get back to this as the CORE of the hobby.

Warjack? I hardly know him! Eye of Terror book reveal next week probably, according to the article.

Isn't nature beautiful?

This has been something I've been pondering for a while and have finally decided to put into words. Quite a lot of words as it happens. Yep, that's right boys- it's time for an EEE (Evil Eye Essay)! So even as someone that has...issues with some (OK, quite a lot) of Games Workshop's modern output, credit where credit is due, the actual sculpting quality of their models is generally quite good. There are some exceptions, of course, and artistically I could list a long stream of complaints, but objectively speaking GW puts out well made models. However, whilst the sculpts are on the whole very good, in my opinion there has definitely been a decline in GW miniature design- and I don't mean subjective things like "this helmet looks silly" or "the pose isn't my favourite". I'm talking about something that affects the actual suitability of the models as gaming pieces and model kits, and that's how the parts are split up on the sprues and how they go together during assembly. This is a bit of a complicated one to explain so rather than go on a rambling diatribe I shall try and keep things organized into a few key points, and where I think GW could be doing better with the actual engineering of their minis. So without further ado, let the grumbling begin! 1: Assembly I think the first, and most obvious, problem with a lot of modern GW plastic kits has to do with how they go together as a collection of parts. The advent of full CAD sculpting and parts-splitting has enabled more sophisticated joint setups and more "seamless" sculpts, but they have IMO at least come at the cost of making models far, far less well-suited to customization and, by extension, being suitable for building an army from- and has also made the simple act of assembling the models considerably more of a chore. In the "before times", with the vast majority of basic infantry kits, the instructions were something of a formality. For the most part, you could crack open a box of Marines, Orks, Gaunts or Guardsmen etc and pretty easily put together the mini you wanted to from the parts on the sprue, without even looking at the manual. This gave two advantages; for one thing, the kits were very simple for even newer hobbyists to comprehend and quickly work out how to assemble, which means not only was the barrier to entry much lower for new players but more experienced modelers could create some really unique models with fairly little effort. The second is that no two models had to look the same; even a subtle difference in pose could make squads look quite distinct from each other. For a game where you are building an army, this is obviously something you want, as nobody wants the exact same models repeated ad nauseum through a force. The current assembly system, however, has done away with all of this, with bespoke connections for every part and a far more limited range of poses for most kits. On top of making variation in the army much, much harder to achieve, it massively complicates assembly. Before, it was quite simple to just clip the parts off the sprue and put your models together as you saw fit. Now if you try and do that you will be making things much, much harder for yourself as each arm only goes with its respective body and so on. One good example of the difference between the two design philosophies is the Tyranid Termagants kit. The last-gen kit (admittedly dating to 3rd edition and definitely showing its age) was extremely simple to build- stick body halves together, attach head and arms, add any accoutrements you might want, done. And with the balljoints for the necks and shoulders, you could get a surprising amount of variety out of a very simple kit. The new one, whilst objectively better sculpted, is I would argue a worse kit. Each gaunt is completely monopose, with static heads and fixed arm positions due to the elimination of balljoints, the heavy weapons are meant to go on specific bodies so if you have multiples of a heavy weapon in the army the repeats will be obvious, and even the RIPPERS are monopose; instead of being single models you glued to their base in whatever number or position you wanted, they now only go together in one position with dedicated peg holes. How to you monopose a swarm!?!? And given Termagants are something you will be fielding rather a lot of...oh dear. The argument I hear in favour of the newer "jigsaw puzzle" design is that it gives more seamless sculpts and allows for greater detail, as the jigsaw assembly is meant to work around undercuts. Which is partially true, however I would argue that when most of the added detail is things like Marines having sculpted undersuit-clad cheeks in positions that would never be seen in a game anyway, I would rather have a slight decrease in detail amount in exchange for kits actually being fun to build again. It should also be noted that, ironically enough, the parts breakup often leads to some very ugly seams in obvious areas, which can be difficult to deal with and are eyesores if not filled in. 2: Sprue Design I have heard GW sprues touted as the best in the industry due to the sheer amount of parts they can squeeze into a single frame. Which is sort of true. However, there is a catch; due to the prior-mentioned parts breakdown, you aren't really seeing any increase in value, as instead of fitting 4 arm options into a space on the sprue they have instead opted to consume the same space with 4 parts for a single subassembly (like an arm). Furthermore, any leftover parts you DO get are generally odds and ends with very little use. In this way the value of the kit is actually lower than an older, more "empty" sprue because not only do you get more assembly options, you also get actually useful spares for conversions. In addition to this, the organization of the parts on the sprue is completely baffling often, with no rhyme or reason to what parts are on what sprue. Different sub-assemblies have their parts scattered across multiple different sprues, again making assembly more confusing and also seriously decreasing the ability to supplement the kit via switching different frames in. For example, the venerable Falcon kit, whilst absolutely ancient and having a LOT of unused sprue space, is quite sensible in that each sprue makes a different part of the kit. The hull and turret are their own sprues and the parts for the Wave Serpent are their own sprue again (recently packed in to the Falcon box). On the other hand, the Contemptor Dreadnought- which I should add is a very nice kit- has everything scattered across the sprues to the point where the weapon sprues have a few unrelated spare parts on there too. Finally, I would argue the sprue setup is actually less efficient than older kits in terms of GW's bottom line, as shared sprues are basically a thing of the past now, and this actually leads to some missed opportunities. A common complaint with the Intercessor kit is that the sprue space is mostly wasted on different actions/receivers for the boltguns, significantly limiting the variability of the kit. And whilst GW could just nix the existing kit's gun options in the next refresh it gets, they could also use a "more shared sprues" approach, and have the Intercessor bodies themselves be constructed off one or two larger frames whilst the bolters are much smaller sprues which you get enough of in the box to arm the entire squad, much like how WHFB kits used to have shield sprues which each contained 4 shields, but due to the smaller size of the sprues you could fit plenty in the box. Not only would this allow more meaningful options to be crammed into the kit, it would save money in the long-run too; sprues could be shared between kits, reducing the amount of R&D cost on tooling a bespoke set of moulds for every new unit box. 3: Actual Miniature Design This is a more minor point but does connect with the previous paragraphs. Whilst what GW can achieve with plastic kits is very impressive, they are ironically enough not necessarily the best-suited designs for actual game pieces. I have touched upon this already (lots of detail you won't even see during a game, models being harder to meaningfully customize etc) but one other point that should be mentioned about modern miniature design is the increased detail often comes at the expense of actual playability. Exaggerated poses atop tactical rocks with weapons splayed in all directions makes storage and transport more difficult, let alone actually playing with your models; minis breaking off the tiny plume of smoke connecting them to their bases or getting their enormous weapons tangled in scenery or other minis are considerable problems with some of these kits. The desire to make every model a mini-centrepiece has compromised their function as playing pieces. And again this is without touching on my personal views on artistic merits, as I am trying to stay focused on more objective/practical concerns. 4: Conclusion Now I will say, the actual solution to these issues is quite simple, and not exactly beyond GW's means. They can and indeed do still make nice kits (the Tormentor kit for the Emperor's Children is a really nice, simple and fun to build box). The real issue is more a mindset one than anything especially practical. Realistically, all they really need to do is swallow their pride a bit on sculpting every last nook and cranny of every model (regardless of whether it can even be seen or reached with a paintbrush) and start thinking about model design with each sculpt being part of the game/kit ecosystem rather than as a standalone piece that exists in a vacuum even from the rest of its box. If they started designing kits with similar layouts to, say, Wargames Atlantic, which have similar parts-per-sprue counts but are far better value in terms of how much you get out of a kit, they could be onto a winner. And GW sculpts are generally much sharper than WGA ones (and I say that as a big WGA fan), so it isn't like slightly more consideration for modularity, ease of building and sprue ubiquity would make every model look like a 6E WHFB Clanrat. ...Of course, more efficient sprue design would give GW even less excuse to keep their ridiculously high prices, so it would never happen. Anyway. Discuss!

No AI this time.

This is without a doubt one of the most over-blown complaints I have come across.

My mate Lachy from Zorpazorp was involved with the Horus Heresy 2nd edition release and needed a few models done for his Mark of Calth Campaign and hit me up regarding this Reaver Titan I've had sitting in my collection longer than I'd like to admit and agreed to paint and swap it for a replacement Reaver. He needed it painted up in Legio Suturvora and after searching that up was dead set keen at trying to do the Hot Rod Ghost Flames on this model. For my first time attempt I reckon it went pretty well but I'm convinced I can do better in the future, luckily I've a Chaos Warhound also sitting here I will be having a crack at using the Legio Suturvora scheme again.

Look Madrid City Choral City

The Repulsor and Land Raider may be similar. But the Land Raider is better looking, is more 40k-esque and is actually cool.

Have finished off some more War Hounds: A jump pack Centurion, and a couple of Rapier teams. I am using the MkIII command kit & the bits box as a way to economically add some officers to the force.

Do you think it's simply a coincidence that the skull on the night lords box is from an Imperial Fist or is GW sending a message to Valrak for being correct once again with his rumours?

See, I prefer the hinged door on the rhino and land raider- that way you can store stuff in it AND the model doesn't suck.

I do like the new Heavy unit but I can't help thinking of these guys from back in the day. Cheers Vogon

Not to be pompous and also betray my age a bit (though not as ancient as the creators), but rpg's generally, and D&D specifically actually grew out of historical table top role playing in the 70's, where Gary Gygax and the rest of the d&d crew first introduced fantasy rules for their medieval battles, then added individual heroes and leaders with more capabilities then the basic trooper, and slowly refined it down into the single character per player rpg in the original d&d releases. There's nothing wrong with playing 40K as a competitive game, using stock characters from the books, or using the chapters/warbands/legions etc presented by GW, but for me one of the biggest draws of Warhammer was the ability to create your very own army, without necessarily being held down by actual history of any sort, with leaders and units that you can theme around. In the past few editions, GW has steamrolled over the ability to customize characters and units by reducing options and seeming to concentrate on Unique Named Heroes, which definitely has watered down that part of the hobby, while also making kits themselves more difficult to mix and match then before. They've also removed numerous units from play, invalidating whole armies in some cases. It doesn't matter to me whether it's matched play available or not, my friends and I are more collectors that roll out our armies 3-4 times a year when life makes it possible to actually get together and play a game. It's exciting to see GW embracing any form of customization these days instead of further making everything cookie cutter and the same. Going forward, I hope they do expand upon it and bring a lot more of that "your guys" magic feel to making your army, even if it is "optional" or "narrative" rules , because I feel that has been withering away more and more since 8th.

You thought it would be a Defiler, but it was me, Mutilator!

Vow complete! More photos in my Legio Marines gallery.

Vow complete but I need to take pics of the weaters yet.

There some great models in here, the Legio recieved a fine amount of new marines. I managed to finish up as well, even though it took way too long. I'm a technical painter with little actual talent, so it takes me an insane amount of time to get a paintjob to a satisfactory result. My wife was none too happy about the time I spend on these three little plastic dudes, but we got there at the end! So here are my contributions to the Legio: Veteran Squad Athos is comprised of Veterans from various other parent Chapters, seconded to the Great Company of the Justice of the Emperor. In the tradition of the Legio, veterans are allowed to paint their greave with heraldry of their parent chapter. Since the squad is solely comprised of veterans, each member has some kind of embellishment on his greave. Veteran sergeant Athos leads his squad of close combat specialists. Hailing from the Ultramarines, his greave is decorated in the style of Ultramar. As a reward for his achievements, he is allowed to wear an aiguillette in his former Chapter's colours. Veteran Skander from the Space Wolves used to be a Blood Claw. He became the sole survivor of an encounter with a Bloodthirster during the Siege of Fenris. He managed to slay the daemon in the end, which resulted in his ascension to the Wolf Guard. Contrary to the usual exotic attire of the Wolves, Skander only visibly wears an Aquila made from bone of a Fenrisian Kraken. He proudly displays his former heraldry on his greave though. Veteran Dassian of the Imperial Fists is a specialist of siege, like the rest of his Chapter. His methods aren't subtle though, there are few fortifications that can withstand a bandolier of grenades. It isn't uncommon for Dassian to spend more grenades than bolts during a mission. His aim with thrown objects is as accurate as his skills with his bolter. And a group shot with my previous Mini-me mini. This does mean I'm just one marine short for an actual valid squad...

Mechanicus Jump Scare.

Dorn Heavy Tank need to finish cooking first, when we get a version with a bloody floor then we can use it as a example of a FINISHED model. People bashing open topped vehicles when GW rolled out a open bottom one.

It's a rare techno-relic, the Archaeotech Restorative Solenoid Engine (or A.R.S.E for short). It restores mechanical parts by its mere presence, and can even cause machinery to upgrade itself- some Skitarii reported merely witnessing the A.R.S.E turned their floppy discs into hard drives.

You know what made me happy about this reveal? There was no talk of it beforehand, or any potato cam images. Just a nice, unexpected surprise.

I got inspired, went overboard

courtesy of gidthedestroyer on reddit, the options we know of so far

I... I don't like it. It really barely resembles the classic Defiler design at all. The old one was definitely showing its age and 100% needed a replacement, don't get me wrong. But I would have preferred a proper refresh of the same basic design with refined detail, rather than this whole-cloth reinvention. Ironically this has the opposite problem of the Mutilators; it feels too much like a mass of flesh and bone amalgamated with bits of machinery rather than a mechanical beast with a daemon bound within its shell. Too much daemon, not enough engine. It isn't a terrible model, but I don't think I like it as the de facto new Defiler.

I could've sworn I put WIPs of these up but whatever haha The Repulsors are for a local guy who regularly beats me, so I made sure to fart inside of them before sealing up And this was a used one I got locally I've done literally nothing on Disco and the Knight I'm so good at finishing things in order

Update from yesterday Need to add highlights to robes, reds, and metallics and some touch ups.

I, bouargh, engage in 12MoH 2026 and pledge for the month of February: - 1 ooP Epic Warlord Titan - 10 Dark Eldar Wytches - 1 piece of scenery made out of a cut Container Here I go!

Looks like the Catachan power fist

Finished the Night Lords Thunderhawk. This was quick, easy and fun to do. Now I am tempted to get some more Legions Imperialis vehicles, just for fun....

I, andes, continue the 12 Months of Hobby Challenge and for the month of February pledge to complete the 5 Assault Terminators I didn't finish in January.

I finished Lysander, so here he is. The Terminators are coming along nicely but aren't going to make it for January, so I'll carry them over for February.

I, Dwango, embark on the 12 Months of Hobby Challenge, and for the month of February pledge to complete 1 land raider, 2 vindicators and a rhino for the weaters as well as a squad and a bit of a blackshields force by month's end.

Didn't get to the terminators as I painted and stripped them, then had to pin all the hammers, they'll have to be February's problem. Got 5 incursors and a combi lt done though!

Yo for people curious, the hand size is the exact same for normal marines and the new terminators. So if you wanted to use the melee weapons on other models you can.

Corvidaen Journal – Fragment on the Choice at Completion Tutelary incursion: moderate–high. Harmonics aligned. Interpretive pressure increasing. (Designation: Aaetpio — attentive, patient, unsettlingly hopeful.) The work upon both engines nears its conclusion. The Fellblade Khatek stands completed in the radiant hue of Tizcan Ruby. Layer upon layer of crimson has been laid by venerable artisans—each coat sanctified by erudite tech-rites, then refined again through precise Prosperine numerology. Fifteenfold, as it must be. The red holds true. It does not fade. It does not rebel. Ancient sigils of power now adorn the mighty hull. The Serpentine Sun blazes across its flank like a beacon of illumination, unambiguous in intent, declaring the Legion’s purpose to any who still possess the wit to read it. —a signal cast into darkness— —who will answer?— The weapons remain untouched by artifice. Their barrels are scorched, their housings worn, their mechanisms oiled and scarred by the memory of a thousand battles. I have allowed this. Such marks are not flaws, but testimony. War remembers its servants, and Khatek wears that memory with pride. Only the final rites remain now: the lenses and sensorium arrays, the last measures of weathering, the reassembly of the tracks that will carry this engine back into history. Karakh, too, stands almost complete. Its sacred ruby lies partially shrouded beneath blackened ash, as befits its Fellowship designation. Where Khatek proclaims, Karakh endures. Soon, both relics of war will stride forth once more—crimson giants reborn. And yet… What of my brothers? —you build monuments— —but monuments do not bleed— The labours of the forge have been unrelenting. They have stolen my hours, consumed my focus, demanded sacrifices I did not fully account for when Magnus first decreed this work. I will deliver what my Primarch commanded—of that there is no doubt. But unease gnaws at me still. A Legion restored in metal alone is a hollow triumph. Flesh must return. Will must return. Brotherhood must return. And here—unexpected, unbidden—a boon revealed itself. Two Osiræan brethren, newly arrived, clad in the fabled Saturnine plate. Relics of a deeper past, walking once more into the present. Their restoration will be slow, exacting, demanding everything I have learned in these months of reclamation. But the Legion grows. —see?— —metal ends— —flesh continues— This is the moment I did not foresee, and yet recognise all the same. The engines stand ready. The forges fall quiet. And the path divides. I must choose where the next labour falls— whether I continue to perfect what already stands complete, or turn my hands once more to the broken, the waiting, the reclaimable. —choice is the last luxury— —use it while it is still yours— Perhaps this is what the skein has been drawing me toward all along. Not completion, but decision. If salvation is possible, it will not be forged from adamantium alone. — Ahzek Ahriman Chief Librarian of the XV Legion Standing between iron and blood, and unwilling to abandon either ++ Completion reveals not an ending, but the shape of the next choice. ++ The Last 20% (or: Death by a Thousand Little Fixes) Work has continued… and as is usually the way, about 80% of the job came together fairly quickly — then the remaining 20% decided to consume all the time. There’s been a fair bit of back and forth: reapplying varnish, dealing with some red leeching through the white, adding oils, removing oils, more chipping, masking things off, reapplying base coats that got peeled away… you know, the usual joys. Add oils. Remove oils again. And somehow I still haven’t even started the streaking yet. The good news is that the metals are largely done now. I’ll just add a few light glazes to push a subtle green hue, maybe a touch of verdigris on the copper elements, and then bring everything together with final highlights. The barrels have also had some heat distortion added — very understated, but I’m really pleased with how they’ve come out. I also had a lot of fun working on the viewports using multiple thin glazes… right up until I realised one of the Land Raider’s windows had a damaged lens. That led to some delicate surgery, followed by a frantic rummage through the bits box to find something suitable to patch it up. Thankfully, it worked out in the end and I’m pretty happy with the result. Next up is fitting the tracks and finishing the weapons, which has involved an unreasonable amount of indecision. The laser destroyer sponsons went through several identities: all white, then white with metal muzzles, then back to white housings again. Naturally, this meant the hull bolters also needed to be white — which would have been much easier if they weren’t already glued in place. Live and learn. Despite all that, the end is finally in sight for both tanks. The trick now is resisting the urge to rush and undo all the careful work by being sloppy right at the finish line. On a brighter note, the Saturnine models have been a very pleasant surprise — I’m really happy with how they’re shaping up. At least I’ll have some infantry finished soon… anything to avoid going back to the tactical marines, right? More soon — hopefully with streaking, final assembly, and at least one model that can be called “done” without qualifiers.

Been working on my iron hands and have been getting a hankering for another box dread. But not sure on load out, maybe twin las or twin auto cannon.

Hello, I've never used a forum before so please bear with me. Been a warhammer fan since I was in my early teens but only really owned a couple of metal high elf and dark elf models. I have only really been following the hobby from afar until a few years ago when a mate of mine gave me a big box of spues and old models and I decided to give it a proper go. I bought a box of blood angels tactical marines to get started ( I have only just finished them) but quickly decided that I like so many different kits out there i dont want to collect one faction. I am much more interested in the painting side of the hobby and am starting a blog to give me some encouragement and focus to finish painting what I have and to hopefully improve as a painter. I am looking forward to becoming part of the comunity!

My wife says that chess in our house is. You should see it when she moves the knights and 'neighs' accordingly.

this is perfection

I, JuliusAgricola, embark on the 12 Months of Hobby Challenge, and for the month of February pledge to complete 5 Deathwing Knights (carried over from Jan) and 5 Hellblasters by month's end.

Just in time I finished the last 2 models for the month of January (I was able to paint more than planned due to being cooped up at home in the grip of Nurgle). Finished the second Broodlord for my Tyranid army (battling against Titus) as well as my Maleceptor.

And the weaters. Still missing one assault marines. It seems to have done a runner, although I have it's jump pack so can't have got far.....

Okay Not great, but in my defense I did a lot of SM vehicles I hadn't been planning on? So... yay? 3x Plagueburst Crawlers 2x Blight Haulers The rest... no on: 1x Lord Discordant, 3x Chaos Bikers, 1x Warpsmith, 1x Knight Errant, 1x Abhorrent Class Knight Looks like my stubborn queue will be strong for February haha