In praise of the Sanctifiers kit

[de Selby]

edit: well I posted this in Amicus because I was trying to make a general point about the different ways GW designs its modern ranges. But I got moved here. Maybe a bit of a useless post in modelling, it's just some unpainted models.

 

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For some time now I've felt that all the coolest 40k releases are actually kill team releases. The Sanctifiers models came out a while ago but I only built them this weekend.   While I was cutting and sticking I was thinking about discussions I've seen online about how modern models go together and I decided to make a positive post for a change.

 

This is a delightful set. On a single full size frame you get 10 minor 40k 'characters', each with options, plus a cool cherub armed with a cattle prod. The models go together easily and the parts breakdown makes sense, such that the bits I didn't use (a bunch of heads, human-scale weapons, a bionic arm and a big book...) can easily be used on other models. In particular the arms are interchangeable in a very natural way.

 

For comparison I have recently built a load of new 30k stuff and the marines from Armageddon too. The 30k models do have interchangeable parts but rigorous book-keeping is required to keep track of which bits are truly interchangeable, and similar effort to get reasonable value out of the upgrade sprues sold seperately. The Saturnine Dread is made of so many components, there are 20 in each foot and almost none are relevant to poseability. I'm pleased with my new Imperial Fists army but it was almost no fun to build.   The Armageddon marines are monopose and so much easier to build, but with virtually no options except head swaps. The orks come with some clever pose variation built in but the units don't even come with all the standard equipment that's bundled into the power level of the unit. I'm pleased with my new Ork and Dark Angel units but they weren't much fun to build.

 

For people like me who've been noticing they have less fun building warhammer units these days, I wanted to call out the Sanctifiers as belonging to a design paradigm I really appreciated working with.   I really would like more of this sort of thing.

Edited August 31 by de Selby
got moved.