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This feels like it is once again down to the paintjob. It's a product to be shown off, anything but a clean paintjob showing all the details would be insufficient for presentattion. If it is not grimdark enough, just paint it more grimdark. If the cherubs are to "cute" (one is a literal skull head, the other is half a replaced head) then just maake the skull dirtier and the half head inflamed. If the base is too heroic just staple various corpses on it and drench it in  blood and ash.   This is a painting hobby, just paint the minis how you think they should be like.  

Just the ones not worth playing

Please, I know this, and as a medievalist kind of do wish to consider this both as media for us - part of my criticism - and within the fictional setting, ie with the period eye (to borrow Baxandall's phrase).   Interestingly, we have lots of lovely imperial characters, some who accept their system (Gaunt), but others who realize the horrors of the system entrapping them while still serving (eg in Bloodlines). And of course we have plenty of normal people who just ... are. I just wished this model was more grimdark than bland, and I was expressing why.   When we have more clean heroic models (eg like many primaris), it feels a bit sad, especially for this faction. This was a chance to show heroism as horrifying - rather than just nice, Joan of Arc-y. I think thats key - the most propagandistic images of sisters probably are terrifying, especially when you consider the wider, horrifying, aesthetic of the Sisters of Battle through much of their history. That can be the image of one in rogue trader as a punishing enforcer nun, or the 2nd edition codex with its blanchian cover, or the oscillating bricolage of religious horror - of 17th century protestant witch hunters with (very post reformation engraving-style) dark catholic imagery - in Codex Witch Hunters itself.   That's what I'm trying to convey, this is a lovely heroic model, it's not what id hope for from the sororitas, who quite literally burn people with over the top flamers for disagreeing with the truths of their creed, lock people within torture machines to eviscerate opponents while dying from the deeds of their act, and punish others in various grisly and/or humiliating ways - and whose whole system of training is to make battle sisters think this is utterly correct (or punish them in one of those many or other ways). The propaganda of the sisters should be through the period eye of the imperium, which itself is utterly disturbing (to us), while of varying levels of horror/subliminality/bodily spirituality/etc to imperial citizens.   Hence this feels too ... Bland. There absolutely are very sororitas heroes we can empathise with (going back to Daemonifuge, although that is an argument almost against the puritanical nature of imperial religion; and various conflicted sisters since - in Fehervari, in French's Covenant books, in the Plague Wars books - and one is the opportunity to make conflicted or compromised characters in FFG's works (sisters famulous are great for this!). But behind these, there are the indoctrinated majority of battle sisters, and then straight up evil bastards, like in the Iron Kingdom novel.    I just wish there was something more discomforting to it, more disturbing - than two cute cherubs that kind of feel the fluffy version of the much more horrific reality of servitorisation. I wish it has the reality of something like Mantel's Cromwell, i.e. a figure not bound to 21st century heroic poster art or our expectations of heroism (which is why I called it propagandistic), but a figure out of the heroic art of the 41st millennium, which is very alien from us (and much closer, due to the setting's sources, to the period eye approach of premodern centuries). I hope that makes better sense. 

Just wanted to say that Grot was a pleasure to work with, was patient with me. I've lost the mini's painted sadly. (long story and I moved) but I loved those mini's and the work was top notch!!!!

Very nice!

This is a very good point and is something that I think I'm going to look to try out on the next batch I do - they'll be skitarii so it doesn't matter too much if I mess up slightly! I feel I've got the reflected glow about how I want it now, but yeah the actual source could benefit from a bit more light/dark contrast.    These are all excellent points. I will endeavour to stay strong!