The Week Two Warhammer Dwarf Releases Sighted!
February 5, 2014 by brennon
The leaks for the second week of Warhammer Fantasy Dwarf releases have trickled out onto the internet. Bugman's Brewery understandably have picked up plenty of images along with Plastic Krak...
The first thing to note is that the Dwarfs rulebook is coming sooner rather than later. It features artwork that we saw during the preview video for issue one. That's a rather epic front cover and it does also come with a limited edition version. It features a plain cover with runes written across it. As much as I like Dwarfs I won't be dropping the money for that one.
Next up we have a selection of characters for you to be using on the battlefield. The first two images are a pair of alternative builds for the Runesmith/Runelord. I'm quite the fan of those, some great looking sages that also look like they could handle themselves on the battlefield.
The last of the shots is of Grim Burloksson who is the new Engineer special character who will be buffing your cannons and all sorts during the game. As a taster he can add re-rolls for cannons and increase the range of guns and crossbows by 2d6. Talking of tinkering, it seems as if Organ Guns can now have runes applied to them. The Engineers Guild must have approved them finally.
The character models are looking very good indeed, at least in my eyes, and Burloksson is quite the bad ass, especially when you check out that gun. I'm not entirely sold on the colour choices they have gone for in-house but I do tend to like my figures more grim.
Taking to the skies we have the Gyrocopter and Gyrobomber variants. I saw these and immediately felt a little bit of bile rise in my throat. On first impression these made me feel all kinds of wrong, but, I have no changed my mind.
After taking a closer look at the models I think the little Gyrocopter itself looks awesome. It's been armoured up and looks like a real weapon of war compared to the scouting-like vehicle of previous editions. The Gyrobomber is a tad over the top and certainly not my favourite but I can see it looking good with a different paint scheme.
Keeping control of the mine shafts and underways we also got a sneaky look at the upcoming Ironbreakers which will no doubt be coming out next week. They have a very, very cool look to them and seem to be just the miniatures we've been looking for to update those metal figures.
Ironbreakers really are quite the epitome of Dwarf-dom and it's good to see that they are looking awesome - at least for now. There is also a fuzzy image of the alternative build for these Ironbreakers and you can see that on the links above.
Last but not least we have an upcoming supplement for Warhammer which takes you down into The Underway. Skaven, Goblin and of course Dwarf players are going to be loving this change of scene and it should be neat finding out what kind of alternative rules they're using to simulate the scuffles below the surface.
What do you think?
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Really not keen on any of them sculpts. Looks like I’ll still be using my 80-90’s dwarves. They’ve lost their dwarfiness and look like manga gone wrong. Rule book yay though.
I genuinely think one of the problems is the painting. I have mentioned this before, but it seems GW are stuck in a cycle of ‘colourful, colourful, colourful’ right now. But, understandably the models aren’t going to be for everyone.
BoW Ben
I don’t mind colourful paint jobs per se, but these just look too clean. Where’s all the dirt, grime, and gore you’d expect on a real battlefield?
Also, is it just me or is GW getting more economical with their designs? Those top two characters seem to be the same basic sculpt with different beards and holding different items.
We’ve seen that in the past. I would imagine this is a duel kit like the older Empire Captain or High Elf Mage kit that allowed you to make a variety of them from one pack. Not sure on that though of course.
GW use to produce multi-part kits with multiple arms, heads, legs, heads and options for characters, such as teh Empire Captain and High Elf Mage, as you say, and Orc Warboss and Empire Mages; and the Space Marine captain. All had multiple options and builds, torsos etc.
These seem to be the mono-pose £18 plastic clam packs GW now make but have at least thrown in a different head and arm. Same basic deign though and they look basically the same.
Some nice models but the gyrocopter and bomber look completely ridiculous. Personally, I think flyers go against everything the dwarves stand for. They are people of the earth so surely wouldn’t be interested in flying about like elves! If I was designing I’d have gone for some really cool looking larger artillery pieces. Much more in-keeping with dwarf mythology.
Well Dwarfs are nothing if not stubborn. Their enemy uses dragons and flying creatures, so when your bolt throwers can’t bring them down, you build something that can – therefore the Gyrocopter comes to life. Also I think the culture of flying machines in Dwarf society is born from a drive for trade. It’s the same thing that developed a naval arm to the army. With the Underway essentially sealed off for most holds and overland travel becoming even more dangerous due to the nature of the Old World it almost makes sense for them to take to the air… Read more »
Dwarves are supposed to be the best artisans, engineers and craftsmen in the Warhammer world are they not? I would have thought it unlikely they couldn’t build a warmachine to bring down a dragon or other flying monster! Sorry but it just doesn’t work for me. Dwarves taking to the skies is just ridiculous. As for the seas, I cant imagine dwarves being bothered on that front either. Wasn’t it Elrond in LOTR who said it best? “The dwarves stay in their strongholds seeking riches… they care nothing for the troubles of others”. That’s what they should be, not Biggles… Read more »
Dwarfs are also ambitious and tenacious. They think they are the best at everything they do. So, why be outdone by some creature with wings when you can do the same and build it with your own two hands – airships, dirigibles and the like? Gryocopters were also used as messengers too, so instead of sending the rangers – who might get killed – send the Gryocopter and you’ve got the message there in half the time. The quote from Elrond would be right for Warhammer Dwarfs during their time with the Elves and such but now, with their mines… Read more »
I have always loved the idea of dwarfs being great inventors, but also held back by their strong sense of tradition, so that most of the things like the gyrocopters are made by younger engineers. It is very akin to the state of things in the real life Renaissance era of scientific discovery. Also the dwarfs of Warhammer are well known in terms of seamanship, specifically the dwarfs of Barak Var, which is their only sea port. Their ships are iron and steam powered and they believe they are far superior to any flimsy wooden ship. They also have submarines,… Read more »
The dwarfs and Empire have an affinity with each other, and their engineering and steam technology is exchanged : both have mad inventors who create insane stuff.
Not sold on the flyers yet – feel like they’re way too modern in the curves and lack of rivets etc… like the characters though – a little darker/dirty colours and they’ll look great 🙂
Goodness !
The dwarves look like kneeling manga vikings with colorful slap-dash halloween costumes (they have silly hats and banners, and yet still no knees), and the flyers look like a sixties’ Bond Villain escape plan, with runes added.
This isn’t a dwarf release, this is Grendizer.
My complaint has always been they lack knees… These chaps look like they have a bit more leg… Still, I think GW are taking too many ideas from World of Warcraft…
Other way around, originally…
“It’s the circle of liiiiife…”
😉
if that was a dwarven Duke Fleed Piloting a gyrocopter, i would buy that mini so fast. Gyro Robo Runedizer
There is a definite dirigible look about those flyers. The more I look at them the more they grow on me, it’s the paint job that does them no favours.
Maybe the great @elromanozo can work some magic on them, would like to see a more gritty look to them before passing final judgement.
Thanks for the vote of confidence… I’m sure I could do something with that if push comes to shove, but honestly, I’m not touching that overpriced egg if I don’t have to.
The….hell?
Steam boiler banner? Gyrocopters that look like 40k models? One of them is a f…. chinook helicopter.
What next, Bugman Rangers will wear boonies and “stalk the greenskins”?
GW keeps on disappointing me. It can only be a personal opinion, but they keep missing the target for me. Doesn’t seem likely that I will buy GW for a long time again. Those dwarves have little character compare to what they use to do in the 90’s. The ‘plastic’ direction they are taking is completely wrong for me. All I see now is a perfectly symmetric CAD object, with no flavour, safe, clean…. May as well play a video game for the same render. I know that many here love GW for their ‘all plastic’, well that is the… Read more »
Why can t we have minis like the cover of this book. Badass pose, badass details, etc, not a playmobil!
I reckon you could get the miniatures looking like that if you gave them the right painting treatment. It wouldn’t look so playmobil if you battered it up a bit, gave it a more ‘just out of the forge’ look.
I can see some awesome rust work being down with them.
Shouldn’t the title of the book be DWARVES anyway and not DWARFS? I refer you all to the following…
“Dwarfs is the standard plural of the noun dwarf. Dwarves is a newer variant popularized (though not invented) by English author J.R.R. Tolkien in his fantasy fiction works, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The Tolkien spelling is appropriate when referring to little people in fantasy worlds. Dwarfs is better everywhere else. “
Games Workshop have always used Dwarfs as far as I can tell. But yes, Dwarves is the Tolkien-esque way.
Lots of thumbs down it seems on the dwarf models. Personaly I am rather happy with both the first little wave and this second. I agree totaly with Brennon on the Gyro’s and why they would be built and when you think about it, having something that can fly “around” the mountains to keep a good safe eye on your vast holds would be critical for how large the dwarf empire is. The bomber is a bit…over the top, as most of there big dual kits seem to have one of the builds being way too bizarre and un-fantasy like… Read more »
frffffffffffffff go home GW , you’re drunk! horrible, just when you thought things couldnt get worse. I think GW models are also more expensive than Lego by now ? rather buy the 3 stunties from FW, those are imho great looking dwarfs. those gyrocopters are a joke, a bad rip off from Rackham dwarven chariot tbph. shameless. GW you never seem to amaze me with utter disgust.
Meh. As stated previously, I’ll stick with my AoW and Scibor miniatures. ‘Nuff said.
GW shoots and misses. Some nice models but very lacking in detail those characters there, well below the standard GW has put out for a decade. Very simple and uninspired and certainly not centre-pieces that GW use to make. Gyrocopter and Gyrobomber look terrible and a joke. They for one look like something from out world. Idiots. The oldschool Gyrocopter at least looked as it should do – something a fantasy race of creatures would build – i.e it could blow up at any time. When GW come to re-making the Steam Tank, I think it’s safe to assume it… Read more »
Do you know what GW would have done 15 years ago when making a Dwarf Bomber?
It would look like it was about to explode/fall apart and the pilot would clearly be drunk and the bombing mechanism would be DWARFS AT THE BACK LITERALLY DROPPING THE BOMBS.
That they have what looks like the Ork Dakka Bomber (or whatever) shows that they still haven’t fired the people who gave you Flying Eagle Elf Chariots and Giant Flying Cartoon Bugs.
I am just so mad right now ’cause GW seemed to be back on track last year.
Yeah Poosh I am surprised but you seem to be the only other person (apart from me) who has pointed out that plastic simply does not hold as much detail as forgeworld resin or white metal. You can buy 3 full dwarf characters from forgeworld for £31, which is cheaper than games workshop and also a lot better in terms of detail. The fact that forgeworld figures are cheaper and also more detailed is no longer an opinion, but a scientific fact. The fact that GW are able to charge such high prices for a single plastic figure does look… Read more »
Plastic does not hold as much detail as metal or resin. Happy now :p
Yes that much is obvious, but in that case the price clearly looks odd.
Plenty of people know resin – including Finecast – and metal produce superior models i.e detail, it’s science. But it may be economical to make everything in plastic overall, and far more kiddy friendly.
I agree that plastic as a material costs way less but making the moulds in order to >produce< plastic… well, that's an entirely different matter (since it costs tenths of thousands of pounds). How many companies do you know of that produce miniatures on plastic sprues? And as far as detail, the level of it the new Hammerers bring for instance, I think it's more than I need. As for metal, although I used to find it nice, I now believe it to be outdated. I prefer resin or plastic-resin to it, much nicer to paint, you can easily drill… Read more »
That might be what games workshop tell their customers but it is not what they tell their shareholders. The figures simply are not worth £13 for a single plastic figure.
I agree there is a place for plastics in the market (particularly for tournament play and armies you want to transport around a lot). However when you pay £13 for a model you would expect it to be resin. The characters GW is selling here simply look like average plastic figures, nothing special.
I’ve seen plastics hold a LOT of details lately, though, both from GW and from other companies. Maybe not as much, but almost as much as resin (and it’s debateable), and quite enough to do better than that.
I simply don’t agree that plastic can create detail in the same way as resin. Look closely at the hair, beards and chainmail. Things like hair always show the limitation of plastic compared with resin, whilst flat surfaces such as powered armour and skeletons can be made to look better in plastic (particularly if you can paint them properly).
I never said THESE plastics were good. I said I had seen some that were.
My my. Silly Dwarfs they may be but with these and the Titan Forge releases my 2nd edition Squat army seems more and more likely.
I have no damn idea what people are talking about when they say the new sculpts are like manga characters. The 80s-90s sculpts, in my opinion, are absolutely awful; utterly goofy and poorly done. These new ones capture the correct proportions of a conventional fantasy dwarf without the old squatty, thick, face-smashed-with-an-anvil sculpts of the past 20 years. They seem extremely characterful and much more towards the clean cut, noble and strong warriors that the race is typically described as. I wouldn’t choose those colors (should be a bit more dirty/rugged), and the gyrocopters do look a bit silly from… Read more »
I agree, I think they look awesome. Not surprised to see a load of negative GW comments on here though.
I don’t agree. I think they look awful, but I am also not surprised to see the well deserved negative comments.
Regardless of my opinion, the fact that the technology is worse than forgeworld is a scientific fact, rather than an opinion.
Case in point.
Looking at quality/price im not suprised either .. totally justified
I agree. The 80’s and 90’s sculpts were terrible. This doesn’t make this release any less silly and disproportionate, IMHO.
A lot of the 80s and 90s dwarfs had CHARM though. Just as the ol’ gobbos did.
You can get away with being a technically poor miniature if you’ve got charm
*Screamer Killer made me say this, he’s behind me…*
Sure. I actually had 500 point’s worth of GW metal dwarfs when 4th edition was around, and I dry-brushed the hell out of it. What can I say, I was young…
The ones with rifles were lovely, with their renaissance attire, berets and sleeves… Charming, quaint even. Cartoony. So was the king’s throne.
Retrospectively, I still see : no knees, big gorilla arms, very same-y.
Some ugly close-ups of the 3D printing here. Hopefully this doesn’t carry over into the actual release.
http://masterminis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/the-future-of-games-workshop-bugman-or.html
Oh dear…
That is a sumptuous article, though now I fancy eggs.
thanks, great article. GW, wake up guys!!!
Im thinking GWs next move is to sue the internetz to get rid of all close up pictures of those
I’m usually against simply dismissing any model as poor, but these really are. I’ve been really looking forward to some exciting new Dwarves from GW and instead they give us a slayer who looks like he’s halfway through falling over and some flying bubble cars!
I now feel sorry for my mate who plays Dwarfs. Great that the new rulebook’s out, but a few of the models look a little disappointing in my humble opinion. 🙁
Not a big fan of the new Gyrocopter kit. I think they should’ve made a dirigible. Be awesome to have a model of a Dwarf Airship. 🙂
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Images/Product/DefaultFW/xlarge/Dwarf-Command.jpg
There is a comparison of forgeworld’s dwarf command (which could clearly be used as 3 character models).
One of the things it does clearly show is that close-up detail of hair, beards, armour, chainmail, facial expressions are handled much better in forgeworld resin than in hard plastic. To clarify what I mean, just look at some of the close-up pictures of the dwarfs from all different angles. The detail in forgeworld is much more sharp, deep and realistic looking.
So why then is GW more expensive than forgeworld?
“Because they can” ?
The Gyrocopter really reminds me of Dr. Robotnicks ship from the Sonic the Hedgehog games.
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs43/i/2009/076/4/0/All_hail_Dr__Robotnik_by_EkimElrico.jpg
That Gyro thing just looks like a toy. Not my cup of tea.
Scibor dwarf, pro painted. No comparison.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/PATTTTTRY-PRO-PAINTED-Warhammer-Dwarfs-D-D-RPG-Dwarf-standard-bearer-/191055727689?pt=Games_US&hash=item2c7bcf0c49
The scriber does not look pro painted to me, but it is admittedly better than the games workshop stuff, and would be better than GW even if it had not been painted at all.
I love these gyrobombers. I have been wanting a big ass bit of Dwarf kit for ages. Even the smelly rats have some awesome big models. So this ticks my boxes! I love the wooden bombs. It looks a bit heavy at the back, so I am worried about it falling over. But the fine detail is gorgeous.