Ulthuan

2020 brings us this weird little teaser.

Looks like the Teclis figure is very new Warhammer.

https://youtu.be/977qaeqBTzw

What do people think?

Well. My High elf collection contains every sculpt from 4th-8th. 90%+ of 3rd edition, and probably about 50% of 1st and 2nd. I very much doubt I'll be adding these. But with luck perhaps I'll be surprised.

I hope I will be very surprised with the style of the new high elves. It has been a long time since I bought something connected with our elves, I'd gladly change that;)

At least they've got a sense of humour and they acknowledge the silliness of elves riding sharks and turtles...

We'll see what they come up with. But more proper elves is always good

Will this kind of fill the last major elf gap for AoS? Or are we expecting more varieties?

MY god these new riders and spearelves are amazing





Mod Note: I only just came upon this post and authorised it around 10 PM GMT. Apologies Tpyo and welcome!

So photos have been released:









I like the Silver Helms are pretty nice and the spearmen are okay? I reckon they would make good unit champions. Teclis looks absolutely awful personally.

Frankly I feel sorry for Eltharion - he's been on a gryphon, he's been blinded, he was fine again and now he's just a spirit.

Thoughts?

So with the top two pictures I though, oh-no I might have to start saving up the hobby budget. They aren't great, but they are good. Then I saw the the next two pictures. What?

Olthannon wrote:
I like the Silver Helms are pretty nice and the spearmen are okay? I reckon they would make good unit champions. Teclis looks absolutely awful personally.

Frankly I feel sorry for Eltharion - he's been on a gryphon, he's been blinded, he was fine again and now he's just a spirit.

Thoughts?

Same. Teclis is terrible...

I like the bases, though. The wheat is a nice touch.

Though the mounted ones do say Eldar on horses more than Silver Helms to me, but that was to be expected I guess.

Well, after a few days of digesting I came to the conclusion, that I dislike many of the design choices, as they moved away from the classic high elves aesthetics (which they were allready doing while whfb was still alive and kicking btw):
- the scalemail is way to chunky
- the pointiness was all but completely extinguished (from the helmets to the shields to the overall silhuette)
- the acient greek (macedonian?) design elements are very strong and somehow replacing the subtle japanese or scythian (?) elements of before.
- the decorations are way to thick (sadly a thing with most of the AOS product line)
- not gonna start with teclis' model

So what is there for me to like?

- the weapons are clearly recognizable as "gw high elvish"
- the proportions !!!!! (I guess I would need my surgeries and dissections if converting from this range - head swaps and some trimdows ftw) 32mm scale is a blessing in disguise for elves!
- fresh ideas: a sphinx? a hollow armor dude (it's hard calling "it" Eltharion for me atm) - I am intrigued...
- the fact that things are progressing with high elves is imo always good - I am eager to see, if the range becomes more likeable with different conversion- and paintjobs.

I will buy the Battletome and try to figure out the whole picture with this reboot. Until then I will try and hold of my emotions in regards to these "aelves" as much as possible...

The spearelves and silver helms (or whatever they'll be called) are pretty nice. I'd happily get them if I need more of either. Especially the SH are much better than the previous SH models. Will they fit into my current units? No, probably not. The shields and helmets are too different. But a couple of swaps and that's fixed, although if I would get them they'd probably just get their own unit.

If the third picture is Teclis, then wtf? I think the model is decent, though it does look like the different bits of armour (like the arms) are simply floating in the air without there actually being any limbs there. Which is just weird. But I could work with that. Actually, looking at the right leg (left in the picture) there actually might not be any limbs there at all. Anyway, it's a decent champion on foot. But it's no Teclis, not by a long shot.

As for that last thing. What happened there? It looks like a griffon ran into a statue and got its head stuck in a piece of it. As for the thing floating next to it (what's wrong with simply sitting?) it reminds my of an angry nun. Something like the mother superior at the beginning of Sister Act...

TL;DR: small models decent, large models blegh.

Rod

Unfortunately the floaty nun is Teclis. The empty armour is Eltharion somehow.

I quite like the idea of the empty suit, but it definitely doesn't say Eltharion to me. The infantry and cavalry are quite nice, but the style is just that bit too different to fit with Old World Asur.

More pictures of the units, I do quite like these models but the characters are awful. The spearmen would be great for a Yvressi army..

Olthannon wrote:I do quite like these models

Me too.

I'm torn. If Warhammer High Elves didn't exist, and if Eldar didn't exist, I think I would like these models a fair bit. I'm not sure how I feel about space elves on horses though, and I can't help but see it. The big models are bad enough to put me off the range for sure though.

Yeah I think that's my main concern as well. Every new model just looks like 40k? It's not the Fantasy design I loved when I first went into the hobby. That being said, in small doses I like them. I think they could add flavour to my existing units, rather than being by themselves..

Have we got any idea when they’re meant to be released?

Considering the GW's MO in recent times 4-8 weeks from now should be a good assumption.

I really don't know what to think about these. GW is loosing me with their new aesthetic and I have already found the new aesthetic that I like for my elves the one done by Last Sword miniatures.

I'm a bit torn. They look pretty decent (the horses + riders are definitely better then the old SH models for instance). But they are on the bulky side of things. And I do prefer slender elves aesthetically. And the characters aren't very good.

Still, it's miles ahead of flying sharks and elves riding turtles. So there's that...

Rod

Prince of Spires wrote:
Still, it's miles ahead of flying sharks and elves riding turtles. So there's that...

Exactly

I might pick up the not silver helms if they aren't £60 for 5 models..

Olthannon wrote: I might pick up the not silver helms if they aren't £60 for 5 models..

Nah. Judging by GW prices I guessing they will be around £45 for 5 or £30 for 3.

Rod

Yet more models being shown and perhaps arguably weirder than the rest.











So new archers basically, all well and good. Quite like them, even if the three stringed bows look dumb.


Then they go and show you the mage...



I'll leave it up to you guys to comment on that model

Insert <look how the massacred my boy> meme.

The archers are pretty decent. They're good enough for core models and they look pretty elven. I like the banner dude with the bird. The three string bows are just dumb. They're weird and I can't think of a single reason to put them on. Luckily it's something a simple bow swap or a hobby knife will fix easily.

The mage,

He's just weird. That helmet is utterly ridiculous. And why have a model sit on a rock that floats on top of a rock which is being carried by a rock? I guess they wanted a model that rocked. Other than that, I can't think of a reason for doing this.

Rod

Is anyone else getting the "we need to penetrate the east asian market" vibe?

The archers are strange and I think I like the Mage more because it is one head swap away from looking "normal" as opposed to the archers.

I think my main issue with all GW models right now is they're just too much. Even normal infantry are individually ludicrous models. That to me means that when they need a character model they go to even greater extremes to differentiate them.


I mean we get it you've got better casting technology now, but just chill out a bit eh?

The reason I like the archers is that they're a bit more average and could work as core units. I also like a couple of individual little details like the champion banner pole being the same design as the 6th edition standard. I like the Dacian style helmets, fits their general look. It's not too much of a far cry from older models. I think I'd have to wait till I had them on sprues to see what conversions would best fit the models.

I'm interested to see what they do next, are White Lions, Ellyrian Reavers, Dragon Princes going to have some sort of analogue?

Probably, as there is Tyrion's side of the army still to be shown at Adepticon

Also elves always have stupid hats. Look at the Phoenix guard and Swordmasters. Yeah, these might be a little out there, but its kinda mimicing World of Warcraft, which is the worlds no.1 selling game.

I kinda like them and will just do a head swap for the Archers/mage on rocks (I like the spearmen helms so may use those for Archers)

Tryion will be on a dragon I am 99% sure now

Prince of Spires wrote:That helmet is utterly ridiculous.

Anyone seen the old Tom Cruise movie Legend?

SpellArcher wrote:

Prince of Spires wrote:That helmet is utterly ridiculous.

Anyone seen the old Tom Cruise movie Legend?

Oh my, yeah like someone dehorned Darkness