40k Charted: Learning The Dance Of The Eldar Harlequins
September 5, 2016 by warzan
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The original Harlequins were great. Hugely characterful minis that let the ‘Eavy Metal team go to town with their palettes and wet blending. Importing historical elements into 40K wasn’t uncommon to begin with. Space Marines were a Medieval holy order, and Jes’ Eldar designs and background are heavily influenced by lots of historical sources. The current range of floaty Harlequins, however, the less said about those the better.
While I like the old harlequins, I really don’t see them as any more “characterful” than the new ones. The old ones just seemed to have more lurid colour schemes and less dynamic poses.
Out of interest, what is it you find more characterful about them? What is wrong with the more dynamic plastic ones?
I’ll take the second part first, and in essence the problem is the attempt at dynamism. Higher quality plastic and CAD-sculpting allows for posing the mini in such a way as this, but the pitfall is you fail to capture any dynamism or suggest real movment. These Harlequins look like they’re posing in that position, not like they’re moving. It makes them look floaty rather than dynamic, a bit like they’re being flown around a pantomime stage on wires whilst holding their jumping pose. It’s bit harder to answer the question on the original models, as you either think they… Read more »
I get the attraction to the old ones. They were some of the 1st 40k minis I owned and they were completely different to anything else in the range. They were certainly characterful for their age but I think any character they have is certainly amplified by nostalgia. We’ll have to disagree on the dynamism bit though. To me, they look like they’re moving, as much as any static miniature can. The hair and clothing flows against the motion of the figure and I would struggle to find any miniatures that portray motion in a better way. The only range… Read more »
It’s not nostalgia, though it is having the original context. I can understand anyone who is new to miniatures looking at them and getting what I get out of them, because they don’t have that context.
This is a mini which is actually holding its post, but still gives off more movement than the plastic Harlequins – http://www.infamyminiatures.com/shop/mad-pete
And this is a better example of how you can use a long coat to convey movement – http://www.beastsofwar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Pa-March-Side.jpg- than any of the plastic Harlequins manage.
That should say ‘not getting’ rather than ‘getting’.
Each to his own but I don’t see anything better in those other minis. I can’t tell whether the guy in the coat is striding forward or slowly backing off while firing his pistols. He is obviously portraying a very different direction of motion to the downward motion of the Harlequin. The infamy mini gives off no better sense of movement either IMO. He just has a big plume of smoke to tell you which way he’s going. Were it not for the smoke, he could easily be on a pantomime wire or have a Michael Jackson style shoe modification… Read more »
I’d love to say I purchased them but GW were expensive for a 14 year old even in ’89. I had the Genestealer Coven, another of our group picked up the Harlequins. I got mine own a few years later when I had my own disposable income. Still have a Death Jester kicking around somewhere but the rest are long gone.
Well, I would have been a few years later getting mine. Sometime around 1992 ish. Good memories, although I quickly switched to Orks. Loved those old beige plastic Orks and you could buy loads for your pocket money compared to the Eldar.
I had the original harlequins , but unfortunately they didn’t all survive the passage of time.
they were so cool . I was all about realms of chaos and didn’t own any elder , but bought the harlequin box set because they were so cool .
I remember my attempt at recreating the paint scheme, at like 12 ,was truly an offence to the senses. happy times.
I’ll have to see if I can find the link to a paint scheme which basically avoided the patterns and just painted them in swirling broad colours so it looked like they had some kind of shimmer shield on them all the time…it was pretty intense.
My housemate has some of the old models and tried painting them in his youth – he had similar problems to you chap haha.
you can tell him he didn’t suffer alone .
bens housemate, solidarity brother .
Halrequins can be quite fun, I use the 3 characters as part of my 1000pt Assasin/infiltrate list which is quite fun to play. (Heroes path(3 harlequin characters), execution force (4 assassins) and allied detachment of 5 sm sniper scouts with sergent Telion as HQ) Outside of being a small component of a mixed list I find they don’t play very well at low points, <=1000' which is the meta for most games at our local store as they are very squishy. At higher points they seem to play quite well though are quite luck driven as one poor turn can… Read more »
Still think the harlequins kiss is the coolest weapon in the 2nd ed wargear book, well that and vortex grenades…
A big thumbs up to that
Vortex grenade was good. Virus outbreak strategy card was better.
Love Harlequins old and new. The originals are what got me into 40k way back when they were first released. Not overly competitive as they are so fragile. But are awesome fun. I took out an Eldar Wraithknight and Imperial Knight at a recent local tournament with the Solitaire, and all the leadership shenanigans can be quite funny. I find they either do spectacularly well or the complete opposite, rarely is there an in-between. I do like the models though in all their iterations and currently constructing a (large) army composed of all three of their model iterations. The Anarchy… Read more »
I love what they are doing in the lore wish with them. They have forces from almost every faction that seem to be in places to help out the eldar. Forces that wear the colors of the Harlequins groups that travel the stars. Most that play their part unknowing that they are just actors on the great stage. To play the parts that they need to play to get things ready for what is to come. And now with the story line seems to be going in that direction I almost can’t wait to see what happens next. Please Plastic… Read more »
A well presented look at one of the stranger sub factions in 40k. Would definitely like to see the Ogryn one though AJ, possibly followed by Ratlings just for Warren’s edification in the finer parts of 40k.
AJ, you forgot to mention the Exodites when going through the different types of Eldar! I’d love to see an episode about this little known but awesome aspect of the Eldar race…and Warrens reactions to “Dinosaurs with frikking lasers!”
Hell yeah, when are we going to see more of your dinosaurs with lasers?! People loved them XD
What if you look at the colorful Harlequin wardrobe from this angle? All Harlequins wear holosuits (it’s even in the rules isn’t it?) that are constantly emitting lights, displacement patterns and all kinds of wonderful and horrible images. They also used to have some kind of hallucinogenic skills. The way the models are designed and painted is actually how they appear to an Imperial soldier with his human perspective on things. That’s why they look like 17th Century (or more likely hive spire oppulence) baroque actors. If you wanted to paint them as they actually were physically they would probably… Read more »
The Harlequins also play another key role in Eldar society, namely reenacting the fall of the Eldar. Through their performances, they protect the history and knowledge of their race and look to remind their kin of the follies of their past. Each performer has their own role to play with a special mention reserved for the Solitaire who, if I remember correctly, plays the role of Slannesh. Because of this, the Solitaire’s soul is already owned by Slannesh. Personally, they are one of my favourite units from the game. When you play them right, they can shred the enemy and… Read more »
I think one is a representation of the laughing god and one for death to.
The other ones I don’t.
I do believe you are correct. The Troupe Master as the Laughing God and the Death Jester as Death if my failing memory serves me.
I also seem to remember that in some incarnations of the rules, the Death Jester was armed with a weapon that, if it hit and wounded, would cause the target to explode in a shower of gory death and cause a blast marker to be placed down, potentially hitting further targets. Was it the Shrieker Cannon???
@redben 1989 was it , that means I was 14 not 12 and makes you and me the same age .
which gw did you knock about in ?
GW Newcastle was my store. Once late night shopping started on a Thursday we used to get the bus into town after school and spend the evening there.
thought we were going to have crossed paths as a couple of snot nosed kids for a second there, but I was gw Manchester .
it was a fine vintage
The Harlequins are definitely my favourite Warhammer 40k army and I was so excited when I saw them getting a full force release once again. I’d started to collect them before coming out here. The number of times I have tried to persuade Warren they are more than just out of place clown, AJ has his work cut out for him here.
Man..I’m still not really convinced to be perfectly honest. Just like @warzan I’ve never really seen the point. Plus they do look really silly to me.
Background story is good no doubt but I do have too deep a dislike of everything jester/ harlequin/ clown like.
Yet another great show gentlemen, please keep ’em coming!!!
Is inquisitor Czevak not from the ordo xenos. I thought he is also mentioned in some fluff from the nids.
I love the Harlequins, which is why I’ve started an army. As someone who really enjoys painting these guys are perfect. So I’m planning on trying out a few techniques such NMM, lots of freehand and wet blending.
I’ve done some harlequins in my ‘Winter Exodite Eldar’ they look pretty cool… but in muted colours rather than the garish way they are usually painted…however the death jester was adapted as a ‘red and white’ father christmas style jester (I guess more like old school krampus sort of christmas jester haha) Also I was going to create an escher gang out of the harlequin bodies and create ‘The Sons and Daughters of Iisha’ with the idea that they’re an old cult on Necromunda with which the Escher name is demised. From interaction with Eldar and people on necromunda many… Read more »