For Cygnar and King Leto!
January 31, 2011 by beerogre
The first unit I ever bought when I started my Cygnar army, was a unit of Arcane Tempest Gunmages.
I was more than happy with them. They were easy to paint and only took about 2 hours to complete the unit using my speed-painting technique.
But now word has reaches us that Privteer Press has decided to resculpt the Gunmages... and here they are...
Now I love Privateer Press, but I really think there are other units that desparately need a makeover, before the Gunmages.
For example, the Khador Winterguard Infantry could seriously do with a new look and they are popular enough to warrent an urgent bit of attention. That's not to say the Gunmages aren't popular... far from it... but the previous sculpt was pretty good, if a bit plain in comparison to the more modern PP fare.
But regardless, it's good to know that the old models are getting a bit of spit and polish, but hopefully this won't hold up the new releases we all crave from PP.
However, the big news is still the release of the battle engines... we've received a 3D mock-up of the new Cygnar Storm Strider.
As you can see it's in grey, whether this suggests a resin/platic model or not is open for debate. However, I think the smart money has to be on a (mostly) resin model, simply due to the size and weight of the model.
But what do you guys think? Do you want the full metal treatment or would you be happy with the resin sculpt?
BoW Andy
-- Edit --
-- Privateer Press - Official News --
My offical sources at Privateer Press have confirmed that the Battle Engines will be resin/plastic. So what do you think now guys?
In hindsight it seems pretty obvious that models that size would have to be resin/platic or a hybrid plastic/metal kit. But does this change your mind about them?
I don’t play Cygnar but these guys will be nice to use in my High Born Covenant force as different models for a second unit
I thought the same thing. I’m primarily a Mercs player, but I don’t really go in for the High Born… these might be a good place to start to diversify.
BoW Andy
I love that storm strider
Interesting to see a 3D render I wonder how much CAD/CAM is used in privateer these days?
Any one here with a bit of insider knowledge?
From the forums and the “Insider” editorials on the website, it seems that most of the “big” models are now done in CAD, including some warjacks… However, it’s only the basis and general shapes for the model that are computer-made, then a cast is made and a real sculptor adds details. It make me crave even more for the new storm rider, because it’s going to be even more gorgeous and detailed than the rendering we have here ! By the way, I absolutely adore the new gun mages models… Even though they certainly didn’t need a makeover. The khadoran… Read more »
I don’t know… I have a soft spot for the Holy Zealots.
They’re nice and easy to paint and they usually don’t hang sround long enough for people to just the sculpt! 😀
BoW Andy
True enough…
Zealots are like nibbles and canapés at a cocktail party. You don’t want one, you want lots of them… They disappear quickly, they’re tasty but not really “main course”… But in my opinion, they do need to be pretty.
In regard to the Gun Mages… I think they would have been better off redoing the Long Gunners or even the Storm Blades. I am a little disappointed with the new sculpts as the picture in the fluff is fantastic and they took out that cool female sculpt. Also, the sculpts themselves don’t really look all that superior to the older models. Unlike the trencher re-sculpts which look great.
Storm Strider looks sweet!
The old ATGM sculpts aren’t bad, really, but they feel flat and not very dynamic. I think a problem a lot of the older PP sculpts share is this weird vibe that everyone is a cardboard cutout of a human, like a standee in a movie theater lobby. When you put the officer UA next to the old gun mages, he looked completely out of place. This new bunch match the officer better. I maintain that the number one unit in need of a re-do is the Kayazy Assassins for Khador. Their UA is a great model. A lot of… Read more »
—- OFFICIAL WORD FROM PP —-
The battle engines are definately going to be produced in resin/plastic.
____
Well there you go guys. The word is out and its resin/plastic all the way.
What do you think of that?
BoW Andy
As a modeler, I am a huge fan of resin and plastic. I actually prefer it to metal, now that the engineering technique has progressed enough : there’s little or no shrikage or flashing on the models, you can easily straighten out any curved part, and when it breaks it snaps in a very clean fashion that can be glued back with ease. Sometimes, the molding process makes some flat surfaces appear rough on a metal miniature… That doesn’t happen with resin. Resin is also lighter, and you can drill it more easily for magnetizing or pinning, making larger pieces… Read more »
Oh dear, going to have to get both of those. Sigh. 🙂
Obviously can’t wait to see a real piccie of the Storm Strider rather than the render.
I wounder if a caster or some one will have to control it.
The concept art showed a Stormsmith.
I reckon that’ll be they’ll be the guys to control the Storm Strider. The Stormcaller model will probably have been scuplted by hand, which is why it’s not in the 3D render.
BoW Andy
I agree that there are other models that could have used a re-sculpt before the gun mages. Most of the time new models look better but I personally like the old ones better in this case. As for the new battle engines, I think they will require a larger table to use. It’s like trying to use WH40K apocalypse models on a standard table – looks out of proportion. Warmachine is my first experience with resin models and I don’t care for them. They glue better than metals but have way too much to trim and the sprue points are… Read more »
I hear that’s fairly rare… Mine had almost no flashing, and no problem whatsoever. What little sprue residue left was soon disposed of with a file and a bit of sandpaper for the finishing touches. At any rate, i’s easier to do than when you’ve got a big chunk of metal blocking a detail, instead of a small chunk of resin.
my khador plastic resin jacks were pretty messy, flash-wise. it was worst on the hands and across the boilers, but it was present on most parts. that said, I still prefer the resin to the metal, flash and all. it’s lighter, the detail seems crisper, and most important of all, no “Khador gap!” 🙂
Yeah, we had a bit of a problem with the Menoth starter kit when it came time to build, but nothing that a quicky rub with a hobby knife couldn’t fix. From what I understand, PP went with the resin/plastic because it retains a bit of weight (not much, mind you) and hold a more defined edge than plastic, when making big plates. Mantic also use the resin/plastic for some of their range. It’s fast becoming the new medium for those bigger models that would be expensive to make in metal. In my kitchen at the moment are a couple… Read more »
The first minis I picked up from Privateer Press was the gunmages some 3 years back. Needless to say I was not to impressed by the sculpts at the time as I had 40k minis that made them look so low quality. Im glad to see new sculpts made as Privateer Press have made leeps and bounds in the sculpting stage and Im now a lover of the new work coming down the pipeline.