I’d like to revisit a topic I talked about a couple weeks ago. Modern Games Workshop models.
This is a controversial topic because people are passionate about both old and new. It’s really great that people have found things they genuinely enjoy, and I do not meant to diminish anyone’s interest in anything.
This is a longer article than I usual write, so if you want to skip right to the uncanny valley section, it starts in section 3.
I’ve been trying to psychoanalyze myself as to what drives my personal preference in miniatures. Opinions and biases are 100% subjective. I am in no way saying something is right or wrong. I’m going to be talking about my own personal preference. I’m sure this won’t ingratiate me with anyone.
To break it down, I’d say there are 3 factors driving my preference toward older miniatures.
- Gamepiceability
- Assembleibilitude
- Aestheticness
All of those are real words, I assure you.
1. Gamepieceability
Older miniatures are generally a single piece of cast metal or injection molded plastic. That limited the dimensionality of the miniature to something that can be easily released from a mold. Multi-piece kits certainly exits, however the standard mini would be a single piece with maybe a shield glued on. So you see lots of arms akimbo, and wide/flat stances.
You can see that the miniatures are kind of flat-ish and symmetrical, split hemispherically. Not particularly exciting, but that makes them great game playing pieces. They’re chunky, easy to pick up and durable.
Above is a modern Blood Bowl Skaven (left) and a 90s Advanced Heroquest Skaven. I quite like the Skaven Blood Bowl team, but that tail. That tail is not going to be like that forever.
Name a 2020+ Games Workshop miniature that a child could safely carry in their pocket?
Me – 2024
Older minis were sculpted from a lump of clay and carry on that touchstoneness. A lot of these minis are lovely little gems that you could carry in your pocket. Name a 2020+ Games Workshop miniature that a child could safely carry in their pocket? But at the same time, I get it; times change, tastes change, markets change. The new ones are pretty clearly made for adults.
Modern models are amazing. They are so sculptural and dynamic. They’re mind blowing compared to minis from the 1980s. However! I’ve almost broken every piece off The Light of Eltharion at least six times already. GW is in a bit of a no-win situation. If they’re criticized for both innovating, and not innovating enough.
My kids PLAY Hero Quest. I barely let them touch my new minis, and that’s kinda sad.
One of these skeletons is 35 years old, the other is 3. I have a pretty good idea which one will still be in one piece 35 years from now. Don’t get me wrong, that new skelly is sweet. It’ll just break.
I really like the new ogre in Cursed City. He does kind of take up three squares, but it isn’t normally a problem.
There’s a reason chess is a timeless classic. Those pieces are clear, definite, and bulletproof.
2. Assembleibilitude
Hand-in-hand with the beauty and science of pushing the injection molded plastic envelope, the assembly of new models can be… problematic.
This is a good segue because it ties in with game pieces and acquiring a new game. I’m pretty sure the original Hero Quest could go from shrink wrap to tabletop in one hour. It took me a week of spare time to assemble the Cursed City models. And sure, that was hobby time, but I was pretty ready to play the game after about hour #3.
I’ve assembled a few Blood Bowl teams in the past couple years. The Wood Elves and Dark Elves were pretty much at my personal limit of small piece assembly. Yes, I’m no longer a spring chicken, but my eyesight and dexterity are still pretty darn sold (unless I’m in denial).
There were multi-part hands. Three part heads. Multi-part FACES! Lots of pieces required tweezers. The pieces were so small. I found myself gluing on individual spikes and rivulets of hair. Yes, they look great on the box, but they must have been photographed with a microscope! And remember, all these hand and head pieces are on modern-truer-scale miniatures, so they’re even smaller than they would be on the big-ol’-headed models of yesteryear.
And yes, this has turned into a rant, but the Blood Bowl boxs really should have some indication of the skill/experience necessary to build.
I’m not always on the wrong end of the difficulty though. I was able to buy a copy of Combat Arena for a reasonable price because the original owner (rightfully?) thought they could buy it for their kid. The Blackstone Fortress Ascension hero models are some of the spindliest, most cut up CAD models I’ve ever seen. Here’s a picture of an unassembled Neyam Shai Murad character (at right). What is that even? But then again, maybe these models aren’t for me. Maybe I’m the one out of my lane.
So holy smokes, slicing these models up like this doesn’t make them easier to put together. It doesn’t magically conceal mold lines. It doesn’t make them easier to customize. Maybe it makes them easier to manufacture? But it definitely makes them tedious to assemble. I don’t know if GW thinks they’re giving us more bang for our hobby dollar by making the models inordinately difficult to put together or what.
Didn’t I say I want to stay positive? The new models are amazing. They’re great. Here’s what Neyam Shai Murad looks like fully assembled. You can like new stuff, old stuff, both, or none. There’s no wrong answer. All the hot takes are right.
Not all modern models are like that though. The new Grombrindal model does have some spindly parts, but the whole thing is eight chunky pieces, including the base! Went together like a dream. A bunch of those Dark Elves were more than 8 pieces.
3. Aestheticness
How the models look. Again, this is 100% subjective. I don’t mean to Jerry Seinfeld or Larry David this to death. I understand that neuroticizing toy soldiers is ridiculous and even goes contrary to the tone I try to achieve in this blog. I want this to be a positive and inclusive place where I’m usually positive and occasionally critical (mainly of GW pricing. Seriously! $60 USD for Galen and Doralia Ven Denst. Seriously!!? $30 USD PER FIGURE??).
I should point out that I don’t buy models that I don’t like, so I don’t have minis on-hand that I don’t like the look of. That’s awful grammar, but you know what I mean.
I’ve found I enjoy the fantastical aspect sci-fi and fantasy art. I’m not super into realism in my imaginary worlds. I don’t even like photography all that much. I prefer ‘Eavy Metal style photos of minis rather than smokey mock battle scenes.
I like the “other-worldliness” of fantasy settings. Making it look too real kind of pulls me out of it.
And pictures of people really break the 4th wall for me. I enjoy the occasional comic or graphic novel, but I would NEVER read them if they were pictures of people acting out the scenes rather than artwork.
I saw a 4k resolution movie once, and it was jarring (I don’t remember which one, sorry). The characters looked like actors standing on a set. I could see the texture on the foam rubber rocks. It didn’t look like a movie to me. This is a separate issue than “soap opera effect”, in case you’re wondering. That’s not a good story at all, I know, apologies.
Besides breaking the 4th wall, I think the uncanny valley factors into my opinion of new miniatures. It’s taken me a while to get here, but I’ll explain what I mean.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the uncanny valley is essentially when you expect something to look or behave in a familiar way, but it very much does not. Those differences can be glaring, or they may be subtitle. Horror movies make extensive use of this. We all know how cute little kids act, right? But when they turn their heads 180 degrees and crawl up the wall backwards, that creeps us out! It’s not what we’re expecting and that’s now how we think “things should work”. Turns out there’s no “should work”, there is only that to which we are accustomed.
In the graphic above you can see that an industrial robot doesn’t enter the uncanny valley because it’s not cute an cuddly. We have no interactive expectations from a welding robot. A store bought plush stuffed animal is higher up. Most people would have no problem petting a plush rabbit. But a taxidermy rabbit? Not everyone would be OK with that. It drops into the uncanny valley. See also, Teddy Ruxpin.
There are two sides of that valley, essentially beings without their own animus (left side) and those with their own animus (right side). The left peak would be something like an affable robot, and the right peak would be a typical human.
I feel like some of the new Games Workshop minis are somewhere along the right side of the uncanny valley for me. I notice it the most with the Cities of Sigmar minis. To me, they look like a cross between automatons and historicals. And this is unusual for me because I normally like just about everything, even if I don’t prefer it.
It’s as if they’re too realistic. It’s something about the shields. I look at them and think “There’s no way they could lift those shields, they’d weigh 200 lbs.” While at the same time, the fancifulness and magic imbued by my mind into older miniatures has no problem with a mini wielding what is clearly an 8ft long sword. I think it’s because they look cartoonish that I immediately suspend disbelief. Sure, they can do it, it’s magic.
Here’s a gallery of minis that trip my uncanny-valley-o-meter. I even included two minis that I do actually own (Alchemite Warforger and a member of the Freeguild Command Corps). They bug me a bit, but not enough to not own due to their inclusion in Cursed City. In fact, half of the Command Corps bother me some, but I’m going to stop thinking about it, I want to like them so I will stay engaged during games.
So that’s my take on some of the modern Games Workshop miniatures. I think that some of the sculpts would fit right in at https://www.myminifactory.com/. That should be worrisome for GW. Those are my opinions. They are not truth, or the right way, or anything like that. I like the playing-piece / gameplay-ability of older miniatures. I’m probably being too harsh on the new stuff. Though I’m definitely still put off by some of the micro pieces included in some kits.
In the end, they’re toy soldiers. They’re supposed to be fun. So if you don’t like something initially, give it another try later on, you just might warm up to it. I’m not saying I am just yet, but I’m consciously trying to keep an open mind. I’m not old enough to be cantankerous yet!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. SLAMBOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
