Bugbears!

[Duncan McDane]

Diablo Jon, the bottom picture, who makes those? Really like them, beefy, strong reptilians  .

[throwsFireball]

Diablo Jon, the bottom picture, who makes those? Really like them, beefy, strong reptilians  .

They're DeepWars lizards, AFAIK.

[Hobgoblin]

On Diablo Jon's point about Otherworld: I had a look yesterday at the section of the Otherworld site showing the old Citadel AD&D miniatures from the 80s. A comparison between the Otherworld range and the Citadel one is interesting in regard to the nostalgia point. I'd say that there's often little to choose between the ranges. In some cases, the Citadel ones are probably better and in others Otherworld has the edge (the Otherworld ones also benefit from some really stunning paintjobs on the site). But they're all great miniatures nonetheless and look like they'd mix well.

One of the things that makes Otherworld so brilliant is that they avoid most of the "bugbears" I set out in the first post. As I said in the first post, I don't think "dual wielding" is a problem if it looks convincing (and is quite unusual). This female half-orc shows how it can be done well. The stance is appropriate; the axe looks like it might be used primarily for parrying - or even for throwing; and the figure is altogether convincing. Compare it with the "dual-wielding" plastic orc I posted earlier, and you'll see a world of difference.

[Malebolgia]

Hey Hobgoblin, here's a new release you must really like...

[Hobgoblin]

I am ecstatic. And Dr. Zombie must love those skulls too. Skulls of what, I wonder? And, while we're at it, what are those (presumably heavy) chains on the axes for?

It's odd - I look at a miniature like that, with its eerie helmet and baroque armour, and immediately think it would looks so much better if it were, for example, standing with one hand on its hip and leaning on an elaborate, but realistically scaled, poleaxe.

And that's the thing that always gets me about oversized weapons. Don't sculptors appreciate how deadly things like these look? Just imagine being hit by one!

[Vermis]

I suspect GW could achieve wonders if only it would transfer Trish Carden to beastmen (with full license to abandon goats) and Jez Goodwin to orcs (with full license to invoke the spirit of Asgard).

Wouldn't kill me. Like I say, I think there are things she does better. TBH I was a bit surprised to learn that the fenrisian wolves were hers, which I thought weren't bad. (YMMV, but they're better than this.)

Hey Hobgoblin, here's a new release you must really like...

 

And Dr. Zombie must love those skulls too. Skulls of what, I wonder?

Thur'ru'''zz''or Gnomeslayer had to play up the vicious nature of his preferred prey, because they were the only opponents he could effectively wield his weapons against.

[Hobgoblin]

Wouldn't kill me. Like I say, I think there are things she does better. TBH I was a bit surprised to learn that the fenrisian wolves were hers, which I thought weren't bad. (YMMV, but they're better than this.)

Yes, those are pretty good, I think - in that modern GW idiom whereby fur is rendered in flat spikes. It's odd: I quite buy the argument that individual hairs wouldn't show up as the relatively thick strands on older miniatures - but on the other hand, the furry look of yore often seems to create the illusion better.

Thur'ru'''zz''or Gnomeslayer had to play up the vicious nature of his preferred prey, because they were the only opponents he could effectively wield his weapons against.

Quite. That model also suffers from Blake's "fearful symmetry", I fear ...

[Garanhir]

For me at least, the difference in aesthetic experience is rather like this:

13th century sword = championship touring car
Giant fantasy sword with recurved barbs and skull runes = chav racer

Both have their appeal, and their fans, but my preference lies firmly with the former.

EDIT: I am a bit soft on dual-wielding, though.

[Vermis]

Quite. That model also suffers from Blake's "fearful symmetry", I fear ...

No, I get it now. He's not a corsair, he's a market trader. He's showing off his merchandise to the passing punters. Luverly ripe axes! Two for a groat!

For me at least, the difference in aesthetic experience is rather like this:

13th century sword = championship touring car
Giant fantasy sword with recurved barbs and skull runes = chav racer

 

I saw something on Police Interceptors a while ago: the rat look.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1189531
http://rat-look.com/what-is-rat-look/

Making a thing's looks match a trend, but making it look like junk in the process, too.

[Reed]

One of my bugbears, aside those you have already mentioned (oversized weapons one of the worst) is boob armor. And not only in fantasy, but in scifi too. It totally drives me mad !