I am not sure if everybody saw this or not. I found the reasons why people picked their nominations to be very interesting. Eric and I not to long ago were discussing how people must like different things than we do(and why so many new models are bad), so it was really fortuitous to see an article like this.
I pretty much think people have picked great models so far. I never really thought much of the Cadian Colonel but Brian Nelson's explanations gave me a greater appreciation for it. Anyone have a guess what ork model is made after Elton John?
The Grail Reliquae model seems like it had tons of potential, a dead venerated knight seems like a neat idea, but the pilgrims always looked not right to me.
Picking Jes Goodwin's Plastic Space Marine seems like a little bit of a cheat, but I never really was a fan of John Blanche's artwork or models(conversions) so I am not surprised I find his pick pretty lame. I think that the space marines are good and about as iconic as it can get but a real model would have been nice and not just a sprue . I guess they certainly couldn't use any of the character models, he he.
I did not expect the harlequin model to be chosen, I liked those models but I didn't think that they were groundbreaking. The comment about free-painting surfaces makes sense, so I guess less is more sometimes.
I am glad the orc shaman was chosen, It truly has stood the test of time and is better than any of the other alternatives that are out there. I am surprised to learn that Brain's first attempt at orks were bad. The world would be a different place without his second chance that is for sure. Without his orks I probably would not be playing Warhammer 40k, or any Games Workshop games.
If I had to pick a model right now without giving it much thought I would have to pick Gorbad Ironclaw. I really like the motion of the model and the vibes that it gives off. It really fits as a menacing warboss really well. Too bad the rules for him leave something to desire.
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I am not very surprised about John Blanche's pick, as I remember reading a few years back that the plastic Space Marines were his favorite thing GW put out.
ReplyDeleteGood post, there are not enough discussions concerning model quality. There certainly are some interesting model choices. I for one am glad that both Brain Nelson and Jes Goodwin got some of their dues. The two of them are easily GW’s most talented model designers. I lament the day Jes Goodwin stopped sculpting special characters and Brain Nelson moved away from the orks. While Seb Perbet does a pretty nice job modeling orks, he is no Brain Nelson. Over the past few years I think there has been an increasing trend in model design where sculptors simply pile on as much shit as possible, only feeling satisfied when every centimeter of the miniature is covered with little skulls and scrolls. Since when were Space Marines walking libraries (or Post-it note dispensers)? All these things have a place however I feel as if much of it is just added with little thought for the overall look and character of the model. Here is where I think Brain Nelson really excels, he often opts more towards simplicity, focusing more on the overall pose and atmosphere the model is trying to convey. He is also more than willing to completely redesign the weapons for his models if they don’t fit with the image he is trying to capture. Instead of simply taking one of the stock storm bolters for Commissar Yarrick, he designed a new one.
ReplyDeleteHere’s hoping Jes Goodwin or Brain Nelson design the character models for the new Dark Eldar models.
You raise a good point about models becoming too cluttered. That is pretty much why the Harlequin was nominated, the nominator seemed surprised that a model didn't have to be kitted out to be good. Hopefully some of the sculptors are taking note. What I think was really neat is that people are primarily picking older models and they typically haven't been the 20 dollar special character models (i.e. this isn't just covert advertising) which is refreshing.
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