Rank FW's Primarch models

[Indefragable]

Time for an entirely scientific and objective exercise rooted in reason, good faith, and cordial interpersonal etiquette.

 

Nah, who are we kidding? Let's just rank based on personal opinion.

 

My picks:

 

1. Curze

2. Dorn

3. Alpharius

4. Vulkan

5. Perturabo

 

6. Horus

7. Angron

8. Lorgar

9. Ferrus Manus

10. Gulliman

 

11.Magnus

12. Fulgrim

13.Corax

14. Russ

15. Mortarion

 

My Analysis:

 

Hidden Content

 

For me, there's three tiers: the Good, the Perfectly-neutral, and the Tried-too-hard-or-not-enough.

 

There's 3 elements that I think of when looking at these models:

 

1. Does it capture the nature/character/traits of the given character?

2. Does it visually say:  Primarch, son of the Emperor of Mankind?

3. Overall look/feel (entirely subjective)

 

For me, the big 3 are really Curze, Dorn, and Alpharius.

 

Curze: I would have to say that I think this is the best Primarch model they've done. It has all 3 of the above criteria in spades. The pose is perfect, with the looking-down on the rest of the world angle as well as the lightning claws ready to strike again in a "come at me bro" stance. Just enough horror between the shinies all over him as well as the unidentifiably carved up bodies at the base. It's overall fit/feel also screams "special character" that pulls the eye to it.

 

Dorn would be # 2 for me. Stoic and silently commanding, he is an immovable statue. If one were to paint this in marble or bronze and use it as scenery it would fit right in...in a great way: just the way the immovable wall of a man was in life. That overall effect is what really makes it stand out as a "hero figure" to me. The epitome of the less-is-more approach.

 

Alpharius: like Curze, I think this one just drips character: he's literally stabbing a wounded comrade in the back. That iconic faceless helmet is different enough to stand out while also giving just enough mystery to make you think any "Alpharius" could be there.

 

Vulkan and Perturabo round out the top 5 with similar less-is-more simple potency. Vulkan is elegant, powerful, heroic. Perturabo is commanding as he presses the attack on some presumable fortress on the horizon....just as he is stepping over the crushed remains of a titan.

 

The middle of the pack are all perfectly acceptable to me, but nothing particularly striking compared to the above.

 

Horus is the epitome of this: absolutely nothing wrong with his model, but nothing particularly compelling about it either. It looks like Horus doing Horus....fine! But what made Horus so epic?

 

Angron, Lorgar, Ferrus Manus, and Guilliman fall in line with this theme as well: perfectly competent, but nothing particularly striking. I really want to like Angron more than I do....it's a great idea and it's well done (especially compared, IMO, to other dynamic poses), but it lacks a certain "oomph." Lorgar feels like it's missing just a bit something more...an audience to his ramblings preaching, perhaps? A daemon on a shoulder whispering to him? Ferrus Manus is cool. Not much else to say there, but there's not much else we know about him. Guilliman is a boring stately general. Just as he should be

 

 

On the bottom end of the spectrum unfortunately is Mortarion (for me). He's just boring...nothing that would really scream "Primarch" or make him stand out other than scare of the model and his unique livery. 

 

Morty aside, I find the other ones at the low end of my list all have something in common: they're trying too hard; there's just a bit much going on. Granted, I can appreciate what the sculptor's were going for, and who doesn't like the idea of a dynamic, action-y pose? But think of all the great statues of heroes throughout the ages...they tend to be symbolic and stoic for a reason: it's hard (IMO) to capture action in sculpture.

 

Russ's head is turned a bit too weird for me; looks like he's trying to break his own neck. Simply altering the angle wouldn't help, I think: the whole body needs to be re-posed to be slightly less dynamic and a bit more natural.

 

Corax has a million cool points. Definitely a cool idea for a pose and as dynamic as you get. However, the hair really throws it off for me. Secondly, while it's cool to see a Primarch using a ranged weapon for once....it doesn't really speak to Corax's character as much as something different could....we get less of the stealthy warrior we know and love.

 

Fulgrim: same ideas of the above. Hard to accurately capture motion, IMO.

 

Magnus: everytime I see this on the website, I think there's spaghetti shooting out. Take away the warp-y things and this would rise much higher up for me. I get that they wanted to do another duelling diorama, but it would have been an interesting opportunity to go a bit more less-is-more in their approach.

 

 

Have fun with it.

 

 

NOTE: I think all of the models are quite well done...don't get me wrong. It's like ranking Olympic sprinters: even the last place finisher is faster than all of us combined.

 

Edit: typos

 

EDIT 30 Jan 2020: 

Sorry to necro this topic, but

 

A. another one made me think of this: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/360649-what-makes-a-model-cool/?p=5448285 

 

B. with some time, I would put Sanguinius in the mid tier in my own personal rankings. I am biased as he is not only my favorite Primarch, but one of my favorite parts of the entire setting (40k and 30k). That being said, I am torn on his model. It is such an amazing idea, with the St. Michael inspiration behind it and it fits the character so well. But there are some conflicting aspects that keep it from being top-tier IMHO: 

 

-In person, the model looks incredible. On the table top it's just nuts. But he does not photograph well at all. Again, I think it's the sense of motion and the damn hair. Almost anywhere you photo it, it just comes off weird. 

 

Hidden Content

 

compare official photograph:

 

 

...to my own photo from an event: 

 

 

 

-I think more than any other model, the base makes all the difference. The "normal" model is ok. But with the Limited Edition base? :cuss yea! It just takes it to such another level. And thus it becomes a matter of which version is better, and one version is not meant for everyone to have, thus the overal model gets knocked down a peg. 

[Lord Raven 19]

I like the Corax model but haven't looked at the others as my policy is don't look at stuff I can't afford.

[Lord Marshal]

It's surprisingly tricky to decide because some of them are excellent models taken on the details of the actual Primarch, but are then ruined by otherwise terrible diorama poses - notably Corax and Fulgrim.

[LukeTheButcher]

Hmmm. Interesting... Very close to my own take...

 

1. Dorn

2. Alpharius

3. Curve

 

13. Lorgar

14. Corax

15. Fulgrim

 

 

Fulgrim - His face and pose just seem so … off. Where is the arrogance? He looks wild, not 'perfect'. And is that a swordsmans pose?

Corax - I think I have an issue with the 'dynamic' poses. For me the Primarch's 'larger than life' almost more 'real', the jumping/running/dancing just makes them look silly. I have seen a conversion of Corax, more static, on the Ground with his wings down and holding a heavy bolter. Now that is how I picture Crorax. 

Lorgar - Too thin, too slight. I think he suffers from early model syndrome. He never really portrays the 'magnificence' of Lorgar in his ascendance.

 

Russ - Love the Character, fond of the model, but I would have much preferred a 'stalking' Russ. The impending dread of that next unstoppable step....

 

Angron - For the Love of the Emperor why is he not standing, howling at the sky and screaming his defiance of... well... everything? Again, running? The very aspect of 'movement' has the effect of making the model less imposing. And I picture Angron (and Russ, Corax, Fulgrim…) as imposing.

 

And subsequently, the top 3 are just that, magnificence. Here I am... see me and know your doom. I Love the small, almost casual Alpharius thrust. The 'Oh, there you are' pinning the butterfly nonchalance. Dorn is just that, the man of Stone - but so badass. And Curze, just drips with malice. All three poses speak of casual power, they wear there status, where as the moving ones feel like they are trying to earn it....

 

 

Just my thoughts....

[LutherMax]

I would go...

 

1. Ferrus Manus

2. Lorgar

3. Curze

4. Alpharius

5. Corax

 

6. Perturabo

7. Dorn

8. Fulgrim

9. Horus

10. Russ

 

11. Angron

12. Vulkan

13. Magnus

14. Gulliman

15. Mortarion

 

 

The two main factors for me are how the renditions compare to my imagination of the character – influenced of course by their various descriptions. And how awesome of a model they are independent of that.

 

Both factors are completely subjective of course

 

 

Biggest disappointment for me was Mortarion – furthest from how I imagined him, and could have been so much cooler in my opinion.

[Spinsanity]

If I could afford to, I’d giveCurze’s legs to Angron, and he’s instantly rise to my top 3... As it is, I agree with the ongoing consensu tegarding the top 3. The rest is somewhat hard to judge, but I tend to prefer those with traditional marine armour legs (like Dorn or Curse) over the sleeker ones like Fulfrim and Angron...

[Vykes]

Hmmm, iiiinteresting, very interesting.  You know, I don't think I've ever quite just ranked them based on anything but their personal appeal before.  I'll add the caveat that I'll base it on having only painted about half of them, and I've found more often than not, I'm kinda surprised and delighted with the models in different ways based on the small details or nuances that I never saw when just presented a picture of them.  Naturally, each of these are subject to change (I still fully intend to do every single primarch one of these days). 

 

Likewise, I think there's probably 3 tiers but they get to be populated  differently.  

 

 

1. Horus Lupercal

   -Everything about the miniature just seems to scream 'This is the Warmaster'. It's so close to so many of the pictures that I've perfectly engrained, and everything from pose to equipment just works for what it's trying to do. Horus Lupercal might be my favourite, so there is some bias, but in and of itself the model was an absolute joy and everything feels dynamic and aligned with his personality. Extra points for an absolutely killer base!  Y'know, once upon a time I said, "Oh yeah, Horus is an awesome model.  If I ever did a traitor army 'pffft, like that'll ever happen.  Hooray for Blood Angels and Loyalists, For the Emperor!... oh yeah, if I ever did that, I'd probably have to get him too.  But Abaddon, he sucks."  I was young, and foolish, and unfabulous then.  Honestly, I enjoyed the model enough I'm thinking of getting a second and painting in Great Crusade white with a sword and bolter as a 'capstone' model.
    

2. Vulkan.
   -Honestly, Vulkan is a bit of a sleeper hit for me that could even creep up into #1. I haven't painted him before, but the pose and personality on display just fit Istvaan to a tee. Part of the issues I have is just not seeing the nuances, not being a particular fan of the base though I adore the pose. It looks like great quality overall that is absolutely 100% in keeping with artwork, personality, and working as a snapshot to him.  It does him justice and feels great. 
    

3. Fulgrim
   -Fulgrim was the first Primarch I painted, but honestly there's a lot to be said about that model. I've always been 'okay' with the way Fulgrim was painted and presented in FW, but what I found was that the model itself was surprisingly more dynamic and detailed than the pictures seemed to suggest. The positioning of the dead on the base, the standard, the actual pose even felt a lot more solid. As much as I'd have preferred the 'alt' version of him, I actually do think that the model is one of the best, which is a surprise as most of the other primarchs of the time just felt a little more 'clunky' in comparison.  Like the creep that he is, he lured me into 30K more than almost any other factor. 
    

4. Russ
   -I hate Russ as a character, but the dynamic flow and great care done on the features in particular make him a stand out. While there's a large number of primarchs who have faces that are just 'grumpy bald guys', it's the expression and clenched jawline melded with that fluid movement that gets me. It's a surprisingly competent model that I had thought might struggle from a weird pose but it felt a lot more natural close up. He feels like the physical fighter.
    

5. Corax
   -Corax is another primarch I haven't touched on yet, but definitely want too. By far and large I adore the pose and interaction between model and 'base' especially with the base model. It's another case of it 'I need to see it' because there's a change Corax could move both up or down the list depending on what it looks like in person. I like the general angular armour, which shares a fair number of similarities with Russ's plate, but I am at least apprehensive of the face just not feeling right.
   
   "Mid"-Tier 
    

6. Lorgar
   -There's something to be said about character when you can have a sedate pose and it still comes off perfectly fitting of the individual. But it's at this point we start to get nit-picky and I'm going to be getting nit-picky over something that really isn't the designers fault: with how prevelent Cochisian is on the armour and wide open spaces for the parchment, the fact that they can't really represent the golden script of his skin will always bother me some. One of these days I may have to try a test to see if a decal can conform enough to satisfy some of my issues there. Anyway, it's a surprisingly conservative model that happens to fit the figure of a scholar and priest rather than a fighter. I'm glad that the posture works to that effect.
    

7. Alpharius
   -Alpharius is a crazy good model, but I'm wondering if it's more 'potential greatness' rather than imbued greatness. I mean, part of it might be the whole 'face' thing still being helmeted that throws me, but even looking at the model in my hands now, I got more of a sense of self from Dorn than I did Alpharius. But the actual scaling, plating, everything there is fantastic and definitely superbly crafted, it just doesn't give me a sense of the 20^th legion any more than 'he's a fighter in a dramatic pose'. For a character, his wargear is setting him apart more than the pose or the characteristics which is a shame when the marine on the base feels more impactful than he does.
    

8. Dorn
   -Dorn is Dorn, unfortunately for me it translates to 'more interesting base than face'. Even that's not quite fair. I'd rank him up there with Lorgar in the stoic, sedate pose, but while everything is in keeping with Dorn's personality, part of me laments that he isn't a 'two-part' model like Russ and Magnus, Manus and Fulgrim, so he could have gone toe to toe with Alpharius which would have loaned more of a narrative to the model. As is, I wasn't joking about the base: it's kinda gorgeous, and one of the top two right next to Horus's in being evocative of his position. I'm just not sure how I feel about that even if he is a great showpiece.
    

9. Magnus
   -Magnus is conservative. I mean, like Alpharius he's a great model, and like Alpharius the craftsmanship is definitely there. I happen to love the cloak and the musculature in particular was a bit of a stand out. But when I think Magnus, I think more arrogant, more self assured, and particularly more grand. Yet the model has a stock pose that looks like it comes straight from Hero Forge 'make-a-model' (as an aside, that's a ton of fun). All the detail is there but the 'magic' literally is on the base and not in the model.
    

10. Kurze
    -Kurze is fine. That's about it, maybe in person there's more to it, but between a base that feels like it was ripped from the Abbadon/Loken diorama, and the over reliance on more corpses to get him 'across' as mister batman, it doesn't quite have the magic to me. But it has a ton of potential to leap up the standings depending on what I can see of the face in person. I do want to work on Kurze, and a little Kill-team Terror Squad, so maybe there's just something I'm missing. He just feels a little bit disingenuous as a model, not quite bestial perhaps. I'll note that Kurze has rapidly become one of my favourite side characters but he's almost dead centre of the pack in the model form.
     

11. Manus
    A lot of the issues I have with Manus are petty, but in this state of 'All the Primarchs are terrific, OMG, how do I pick?!' I just never quite liked the tech-marine snaggle of servo arms and such. The pose is fine, the features are fine, I do like the way the arms were done and the whole thing works in a good dynamic to Fulgrim in particular, but I've just never quite felt it with Manus. Part of that is the character, I can't get a great read on hm so I'm stuck with 'does this feel like him, or does this feel like that scene with Fulgrim?'. It' weird, dudes.
    
    "Low"-Tier
     

12. Mortarion
    -Alright, number one thing I don't like and it's super petty, is no mask. I always imagined Mortarion's rebreather for the poisons would be a little more prominent, so while I love the more firmly set 'reaper' stance, his weapon is rocking, and the whole thing really feels great, I actually have a few elements I actively dislike. The cloth covered pauldron always felt a bit wonky to me, the face I'm not a huge fan of, and the way the pose translates to the base feels like a hair's breadth out and stiff compared to what I feel they could have done with a little bit more of a lean and rise to the weapon. Overall, it's in a weird place where there's a lot of really tiny elements that hold it back from being much higher on the list for me. He was my second primarch to paint and still tons of fun, mind you!
     

13. Perturabo
    -Oh Lord. I just did Perturabo and I'm not quite sure what to think of him. He was actually a little tough, I had a lot of manufacturing faults around the munitions feeds, the model seemed to want to spite me, and I actively hate a lot of how the base goes together compared to the simple magnitization of the others. He's already one of those characters I have a lot hate relationship with, but the model just reinforces that. The face has always bugged me as he feels very techno-cherub like, the armour is cool, the pose is cool, but the base always vaguely overshadows it and it does everything in its power to get across 'frustrating warlord' but none of the sedate cold, calculation that I kind of expected.
     

14. Gulliman
    -Gulliman... I have him half done, I'm not looking forward to doing the rest. And that's a shame as I'd rapidly found Gulliman entering my 'triumvirate of triumph' in the heresy as far as personalities go. I get that he's supposed to be Space Julius Caesar , but something about the face feels like a bit of a chibi bowl-cut parody, the base massively overwhelms the figure, the pose is interesting but the dynamism is restricted to the cape, I'm just not 'feeling it'. And what's worse is I desperately want too, but he just feels too much like a glorified captain. I can't even tell you what I'd like different, and that bothers me too.
     

15. Angron
    -Angron is the lowest on the list, and here's a weird thing, if you have to be bottom of a list, this one's not a bad one to be on. He's a cool figure that I still haven't done, every time I wanted to pick up my favourite under-rated problem child something else came up, so it's possible (like fulgrim) that with the model in hand he'll spike up the rankings. But part of it feels like Angron is betrayed by the limations of FW getting their feet wet as the first primarch (He was the first, wasn't he?). Anyway, he's pretty cool, but it's a messy somewhat blah base with a none-too-interesting pose that I feel was more or less a test-bed in refinement for Russ, he feels slightly disproportionate between top and bottom, but he's still cool. Seriously, I love Angron, he, Lorgar, and the Khan have come out of the Heresy series as some of my absolute favourites and I never once suspected that would be the case. The model is fine, it's still heads and shoulders better than what I have nostalgic memories for 23-odd years ago, and even if I put him here, like I said, I've been tempted to buy him for ages. I just feel like if I started World Eaters I might not stop.
    
    As a really weird aside, while I don't always mentally give primarchs soundtracks as a rule... every time I see Angron I just mentally hear. 
    

    
    

    
    
    If you ask me, I can't tell you why.
    

[Biscuittzz]

Bias aside, I think Corax is an excellent model and the pose is quite dynamic. 90% of the dislike towards him comes from his head and hair, which is fair in my opinion. A simple helmet change solves this in fairness.

 

I've chopped up Edryc Setorax from the overkill box set and used his head. It works very well.

 

Guilliman and Dorn, yes Dorn, are ranked bottom for me, the static poses just feel out of place when I see them on the battlefield.

[Indefragable]

Interesting to see, though in hindsight not unexpected, that there are two camps seemingly forming: those who prefer the dynamic poses and those who prefer the more stoic.

[Kizzdougs]

What a great topic! So far I've only painted two of the Primarch minis, but I have seen most of the others up-close and in person. Personally I think that seeing a model in the flesh (resin) is really important, as photography, lighting and paint-jobs can massively change the overall look of a mini. I nearly always like a model more when I've held it in my hand and had a proper look at it. Most recently I saw the Ferrus and Erebus (yes Erebus, not Lorgar) models up-close for the first time and realised just how detailed they were. 

 

My Fulgrim. Personally I think that Fulgrim is one of the most underrated Primarch models. People always complain about his face, but it's actually a really nice sculpt. 

 

My Alpharius.

 

And my list :)

Magnus

Horus

Fulgrim

Vulkan

Alpharius

Russ

Corax

Curze

Ferrus

Guilliman

Dorn

Perturabo

Lorgar

Mortarion

Angron

 

 

 

Of course it goes without saying that all of the Primarchs have fantastic models and I'd love to paint all of them if I ever get the chance :)

 

[Ranwulf]

Fulgrim and Russ are my favorite models exactly because of the feel of movement they have. Angron is not exactly my favorite Primarch, but I love his model for the same reason.

 

Fulgrim is all about flair, and nothing says it like a sword cut coming from above. Reminds me a bit of some sword techiniques from some chinese martial arts (as its a movement of sword with a movement of hand alongside).

 

Russ looks exactly what I imagine every way you see him you can tell he is attacking. Advancing, cutting an enemy with a weapon, maybe finishing with the other; shoulder padding someone, his face saying exactly that how he hard he is fighting. But honestly, what REALLY sells for me is his shield. It has no rule, but damn if doesn't look amazing at his back, specially when you play and put him in game.

 

Angron is same with Russ. All abour agressiviness, charging along and killing stuff. You can tell how much he wants to be engaged in combat with how he moves.

 

Lorgar and Dorn are the worst for me. I honestly dislike any character that is just standing there posing. Mind you all, I like taking photos of my games, so this might just be the case I don't like models that don't look like they are fighting each other in combat. A few examples:

 

 

Ran

[Tymell]

Tough one to rank: I have a clear least favourite, and plenty I could lump together generally, but to actually order them...

 

For me:

 

1.) Leman Russ

2.) Alpharius

3.) Vulkan
4.) Ferrus Manus

5.) Perturabo

6.) Roboute Guilliman

7.) Rogal Dorn

8.) Magnus the Red

9.) Angron
10.) Horus

11.) Konrad Curze

12.) Corax
13.) Mortarion

14.) Fulgrim

15.) Lorgar

 

The only ones I actually dislike are Mortarion, Fulgrim and Lorgar. Mortarion just doesn't really work for me. Fulgrim I liked a lot in the alternative version where he had a different head and pose, but those aspects spoil this one for me. Lorgar's model is, to me, just atrocious, with no spirit or character coming through. Not because he isn't in a fighting pose or anything, but simply because he feels bland and ugly, without any of the composure, charisma or fiery drive Lorgar is supposed to have.

[Fire Golem]

I might do a full ranking when I have a bit more time, but (as my pic suggests) Dorn is my number 1. I wasn’t even a Dorn or Imperial Fists fan really, but the Dorn reveal was possibly the model that has most wowed me, and he’s up there as one of my favourite models ever. He’s just brilliant, the armour design, the stoic pose. Love it.

 

Much harder job picking my least favourite though.

[Charlo]

In terms of overall pose, detail and incorporating details from various art sources, I think thus far Russ is a clear winner for me.

 

His pose is fantastic and characterful, he has loads of additional details like the small axes, excellent fur and gorgeous hair with braids.

 

He just looks "right" on the table too, gunning forward into the fray.

 

It's also why Angron looks so great.

 

Lorgar is low key amazing too with the sheer detail.

[queen_annes_revenge]

Dont understand all the hate for morty. I enjoyed painting him, although his cloak was a pain to get on. my least favourite has got to be Fulgrim. his pose is awful..he looks like he's trying to do an over exaggerated gay pose (and I mean no disrespect with that) his sword sucks too.

 

Angron is great. I initially thought his legs looked too chicken like but when I actually got him I realised this is an illusion caused by his oversize pauldrons.

 

Curze is also awesome, so much so that I bought his torso/leg piece from ebay and started a fantasy kitbash using it.

 

The only others I have are Horus (which I like, especially the base), and Sanguinius, which is fantastic..seriously, ignore that initial photo... in the flesh he's an amazing model. they've really knocked it out of the park with him. I'd probably even put him at the top of my list, which as a traitor legions guy is something.

 

All the others are pretty good. I'd like to do Russ, Alpharius and Magnus as they all look sweet. not bothered about Guilliman and Dorn but thats because I dont really like their lore/legions, rather than their actual models, which are cool. Same with Vulkan and Ferrus.

 

Perturabo looks cool but I dont know if I could face all that mechanical detail.

 

Corax doesnt interest me at all really, so him and Fulgrim would be bottom of my list.

[depthcharge12]

1. Perterabo

 

2. Horus

 

3. Alpharius

 

Best by and far

[Ranulf]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my .02 cents...

 

My top three would be:

 

#1 - Russ. The movement of the miniature and the ferocity it depicts, it's a beautiful sculpt that captures many of the traits ascribed to Russ. Love it.

 

#2 - Dorn. Stoicism personified. The regal bearing, the implacable stance - he's the praetorian of Terra cast in resin.

 

#3 - Alpharius or Perturbo. The former is supremely detailed with great movement and a superb base - the latter because it looks like the trans-human workhorse I picture in my head - like he'd fight doggedly through the trenches for months on end without pause. 

 

Bottom three:

 

#13 - Curze. With the exception of the head, the mini is just meh - pose, details, it's just a mess.

 

#14 - Mortarion - It might just be the FW paint scheme, but there's nothing menacing or otherworldly about Morty's mini.

 

#15 - Lorgar. Everyone's favorite punching bag. Most pathetic Primarch with a mini to match. Nothing about it screams 'Primarch', he could be any rank and filer. 

 

To early to tell with Sangy - I need to time to think about the sculpt, he doesn't quite sit well with me but it's early days.

 

-Ran

[Blindhamster]

Sanguinius is beautiful, his head does feel quite slim beside marine heads, so im currently wondering about trying to source the head of a different primarch to use as a base, or sculpting my own (lol, yeah because thats going to be better......).

I think my favourites are currently Sanguinius, Horus, Magnus, Dorn and Alpharius.

[Ishagu]

1: Horus - Absolutely perfect. Charisma, leadership, power. All on show.

 

2: Guilliman - The statesmen and General, Ceaser of the Stars.

 

3: Dorn - Regal and Stoic, great model.

 

4: Alpharius - Very cool aesthetic and pose.

 

5: Ferrus Manus - Really captured what I imagined him to look like. I've seen better painted ones than FW's own and they look amazing.

[Balthamal]

What a great topic! So far I've only painted two of the Primarch minis, but I have seen most of the others up-close and in person. Personally I think that seeing a model in the flesh (resin) is really important, as photography, lighting and paint-jobs can massively change the overall look of a mini. I nearly always like a model more when I've held it in my hand and had a proper look at it. Most recently I saw the Ferrus and Erebus (yes Erebus, not Lorgar) models up-close for the first time and realised just how detailed they were. 

 

My Fulgrim. Personally I think that Fulgrim is one of the most underrated Primarch models. People always complain about his face, but it's actually a really nice sculpt. 

 

My Alpharius.

 

And my list

Magnus

Horus

Fulgrim

Vulkan

Alpharius

Russ

Corax

Curze

Ferrus

Guilliman

Dorn

Perturabo

Lorgar

Mortarion

Angron

 

 

 

Of course it goes without saying that all of the Primarchs have fantastic models and I'd love to paint all of them if I ever get the chance

 

To quote ADB, your stuff is awesome and I :cuss hate you

 

On topic, the Podium

 

1)  Alpharius - Legion bias aside, the detail on him is unreal plus the realistic dynamism of his pose is everything the character should be. Though that spear is a right :cuss

 

2) Magnus - Perfect representation of the character

 

3) Curze - First Primarch to have something more than a regular base and his pose is the most aesthetically on point out of all of them

 

Honourable mentions:

 

Perturabo

Vulkan

Russ

 

Bottom 3

 

Fulgrim

Lorgar

Corax

[StruManChu]

Somewhat selfishly, this is based purely on how I think they should look, rather than anything else -

 

Top Tier (95% - 100% Matches what was in my head before it was released) -

• Ferrus Manus
• Vulkan
• Alpharius

 

Almost Top Tier (80%-95% - Close, but just not as good as the Top Tier in terms of matching my image of them) -

• Dorn
• Horus
• Russ
• Angron

 

Good, but just not interested tier -

• Corax
• Magnus
• Perturabo

 

God, I wish he had a different head and a raised foot/leg tier - 

• Guilliman

 

Don't like it but know how I'd change it if I was up to the task -

• Mortarion (add mask, remove handles from scythe)
• Curze (smaller torso, more deliberately aggressive pose)

 

Bad and wouldn't bother fixing it, just start again -

• Fulgrim
• Lorgar

Obviously this is all completely objective, but it's a fun exercise!

[Ishagu]

Guilliman's face has a bad paint job from FW.

I Comissioned a talanted artist to paint one up for a display piece and it looked a lot better.

[StruManChu]

Forever tireless in the defence of all things XIII, I see, Ishagu.

 

I said head, not face. The whole head is, to my eye, too narrow and drawn. Dorn has a fuller face which appears more noble and something similar would be, IMHO, more fitting for Bobby G.

[SkimaskMohawk]

I feel like a lot of the primarchs either suffer from bad paint job, bad photography, or both.

 

I wasn't super keen on corax ( a solid indifference) before I painted him up, and now he's one of my favourite; his dynamic landing and sense of movement really go perfectly with his character imo.

 

Lorgar was one of my most disliked primarchs. And again, I painted one up and I really like it now. The pose is solemn and contemplative, and his armour really gives me a warrior priest of sigmar vibe.

 

Those are obviously subjective, but another issue is I feel with the faces on some of the schemes, where the lines around their mouth and the eye sockets are shaded too much and a lot end up looking like old men with droopy faces

[Kizzdougs]

I feel like a lot of the primarchs either suffer from bad paint job, bad photography, or both.

 

I wasn't super keen on corax ( a solid indifference) before I painted him up, and now he's one of my favourite; his dynamic landing and sense of movement really go perfectly with his character imo.

 

Lorgar was one of my most disliked primarchs. And again, I painted one up and I really like it now. The pose is solemn and contemplative, and his armour really gives me a warrior priest of signal vibe.

 

Those are obviously subjective, but another issue is I feel with the faces on some of the schemes, where the lines around their mouth and the eye sockets are shaded too much and a lot end up looking like old men with droopy faces

I've found this to be true of nearly every model that I've owned. There really is no substitute for actually seeing the model in the flesh or painting it up yourself, no matter how good the official art and photography. It's the same with the lore behind the Legions. Once you actually read about each of the individual Legions it becomes a lot more difficult to dislike or simply dismiss them than when you've only read small blurbs or what other people have written about them on the internet...

 

Of course it's only anecdotal, but that was definitely my experience with the Fulgrim mini. He wasn't one of my favourites based purely on the promotionally pictures on the FW site, but once I bought one and painted it up myself I had a much greater appreciation for the detail and quality of the mini.