The Great Unclean One and the Easy Build philosophy

Yesterday I built my Great Unclean One. Even considering I was watching a film and taking the odd break to let some assemblies dry before attaching them to the main body it still only took me about an hour. Considering my less than fond memories of building the Lord Of Change, I was agreeably surprised.

It is a stunningly simple model. According to this little infographic GW shared on its Facebook page it has a grand total of 59 components. That includes three alternate builds and six Nurglings who are just embellishments. In fact, there are a lot of significant spare parts, all sorts of horns and hands, a bell and a big knife as well as the hilarious collection of Nurglings, all of which I'm keeping aside for when I make a Death Guard Knight.

Now, part of this simplicity is that a Great Unclean One is a big, round dude. In fact, whilst building him I was reminded of a hollow Easter egg. A really, really ugly and yet somehow adorable hollow Easter egg.

Still, I think part of the philosophy here is owed to the recent Easy Build kits. Obviously there's a lot of differences between this kit and the actual Easy Builds (optional builds and the massively higher price spring to mind) but a lot of thought has seemingly gone into cutting the main body into as few pieces as possible.

I certainly can't argue with the results. I finished the building model in a little more than an hour, didn't once have any trouble finding a component and even have bits left over for a future project. If this is the direction GW are planning to go for future huge monsters I heartily look forward to them.

Especially if there's going to be a plastic Keeper Of Secrets because my Dark Elves Cult of Pleasure army would greatly appreciate a one of those. 

My favourite Elf

There are a few models I really regret not picking up when I had the chance and, thankfully, eBay exists so for the most part I've been able to track them down quite cheaply. One that eluded me until last week was a particular High Elves Mage that I always loved but missed the boat on and finally I've found one for cheap:

(Incidentally, yes, I do have the other arm but he fell apart in transit and I need to acid bath him).

It would probably be easier to explain what I love about this model using a properly painted example so here's the version from (I think) an old Army Book:

Now, I'm no metal snob. White metal was a horrible material that hated undercoat, chipped like crazy and somehow hated glue more than it hated paint so the models would just periodically collapse. HOWEVER, for a while in the early-2000s GW used the material to produce some of the best character models they'd ever put out.

Which is where our elf here comes in. He was one of a set of Mages that came out for the seventh edition and I adore the little guy. He might not be the most dynamic model but I feel that works. He's not floating in the air or throwing out fireballs, in fact he's posed more like an Empire Engineer than a typical wizard which is awfully fitting. Elves are the most magical race in the game, naturally, and to them magic isn't a floaty, wibbly mystery its science. This guy is holding a crystal ball as if it were a scientific device because, to him, it is. His clothing is arranged in enough layers that a two tone colour scheme will still look visually interesting but not so many layers that it looks too hard to paint.

He also looks mildly offended, probably unintentionally but that's so very High Elf, isn't it? 

Thoughts on the Land Raider Crusader

First of all, people have been telling me for years that the Land Raider is a living nightmare of a kit. I've been told how awful it is to build, how nothing seems to fit together and the unnecessary complexity of the tank commander add ons and such.

Now, either GW substantially reworked the sprues when they made the plastic Crusader/Redeemer kit or against all logic I am better at building things than my friends.

(I am not. I once rage quit building a Land Speeder Typhoon.)

The only component I've had any problem with is the tank commander: the connecting point between the multi-melta and the commander's hands is rather small and not quite the right shape to make good, solid connection. Its a truly minor complaint fixed by a little trial and error.

Next thought: I love the design of the Land Raider. As much as it is a big metal box, the placement of the weapons around the different facings makes it look like a rolling fortress. You get a much better idea of why the Space Marines view these things as akin to (or, in some cases, as literally) religious relics to be preserved and venerated.

I also like how the Crusader is very, very well optimised for mowing down infantry. Whereas the purpose of a Rhino has always escaped me (“Let's put wheels on a storm bolter!”), the purpose of the Crusader is clear. Its a linebreaker: it drives up to the enemy line, firing mainly anti-infantry weapons and one multi-melta for dealing with barricades and emplacements and then the front ramp smashes down and disgorges a six pack of Terminators or the large family size Crusader Squad.

It literally only just clicked for me writing that sentence that the Black Templars' signature squad is named after the Black Templars' signature tank. I am an idiot. That realisation took almost twenty years.

Funnily enough, I'm not building this for my Flesh Tearers. I want to concentrate more on Fast Attack options there. Rather, this is to accompany some older models I'm reconditioning, though I can't say for what army as my best friend reads this blog and I'm planning a little nostalgic surprise for him when we have our first 8^th edition game. We'll be doing that this week as the local GW is running some taster events for which we're being asked to bring one HQ, one Troops choice and one “special thing”. My special thing, depending on how much I can get done this week, will either be this Land Raider or a Venerable Dreadnought I'm in the process of reconditioning (that is to say, painting better than when I first bought it).

As to the HQ and Troops, well that would be telling and my bestie would guess what I'm bringing but I'll have pictures up when its too late to spoil the surprise, probably on Thursday.

You know, I never thought I would ever be this enthusiastic about 40k again. I'm far more of a Fantasy fan, games wise. Even though its still all theory at this stage, the new edition looks like its been streamlined in all the rights ways to be smoother to play and easier to remember the mechanics without sacrificing depth.

Still, proof of the pudding and all that. Maybe I'll change my mind after playing the thing. I hope not.  

A couple of lucky finds

Most hobbyists, I think, have one or two models they regret not buying when they had the chance, things that we were going to get some day but then went out of production on us. In our modern age, of course, this is a major motivating factor in why many of us have eBay accounts.

In my case, the other day, the chance came up to get two such models at pretty reasonable price and they're two of my favourite models ever.

Eltharion: The Elf Without Fear by Frank Miller

The first is Eltharion the Blind, one of the earliest dynamically posed character sculpts and a relic of GW's first attempt at rolling storyline (the one that didn't end with the world being destroyed). I love the motion of the model, the way the pose captures a moment in personal combat that is very rarely used in miniature design: blocking an incoming attack. It actually conveys the skill of the character more than having him in a static or attacking pose would. Yes, the model has certainly aged but it has a real place in my heart as one of the miniatures that inspired me to start collecting.

The other model I just bought is, I admit, rather less spectacular. In fact, the reason he went out of production is that he isn't as spectacular as the competition.

"Come along, Dobby!"

This is one of four Spellsingers released for the sixth edition Wood Elves book and the first to go out of production. The other free all have these floating poses, held aloft by sculpted magic effects. Next to them, a dude standing there with a staff just doesn't cut it, especially given that at the time characters floating in mid air was this amazing thing we astonished to see achieved in miniatire.

He also, I think, was designed to represent the darker, more capricious side of the Wood Elves. He has a more sinister aspect than the surviving Spellsingers, an impression not helped by the sight of whatever the hell he is doing to that spite. Funnily enough, he fits better with the sort of character the Wood Elves had in the 8^th edition and I'll probably use him as a Dark Magic Spellweaver.

"I walk in eternity (also swamps), Sarah Jane."

He also rather reminds me of Puddleglum as played by Tom Baker in the Chronicles Of Narnia TV series. Not a terribly villainous figure, I admit, but a central character in one of the most mentally scarring viewing experiences of my childhood so you understand the association.