Are miniatures getting "cartoonish"?

[Bryan Blaire]

If you want to see cartoonish, reference basically any model from 2nd Edition, those models were BRIGHTLY painted.

[Ishagu]

Less so in my opinion.

 

Compare a Primaris Marine to the old, hero scale guys.

As for colours - you can make them whatever you please.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Ishagu

[deathspectersgt7]

Yup they seem to be . Having Stalagmites (or is it tites ) sticking out of your shoulders is funny.

[rendingon1+]

Not cartoonish? And it's not about painting.

[Doghouse]

I'm not sure comparing modern and old edition versions of the game with the stuff we have to day is a fair comparison. A lot of the older stuff looks goofy because it was all done by hand and the further you go back the more tongue in cheek it gets plus sculpting standards were a lot lower back then. 40k has evolved a lot since those days.  

[Garreck]

I wanted to like the new Khârn model but the more I see it, I think GW did miss the boat on that one.  Trying to do too much in too little space.  I think if Khârn was scaled more to new Death Guard size, it would work so much better.

 

I find the overall trend more "fantastical" but not really "cartoonish."  They're definitely going for an intentionally over-the-top look in many cases.  But this is an over the top setting!  It works for me.  I know in my own SW circles, many disagree.  Notably, I like the new wulfen.  Many don't.  In fact, the sentiment is much stronger than simply not liking them.

[Shockmaster]

We all have our own vision of what 40k is or should be, as much as I got lots of enjoyment from the years GW took a noticeable style shift towards a more serious vision of 40k, I personally am enjoying even more much of the newer minis as they feel more in tune with the 2nd edition era that I have discovered in a bigger way thanks to my older brother during my five year absence from the current game.

 

I do appreciate though that I am in the minority view point among the more hardcore fan base as I personally love minis like Logan on his grav chariot, as it just screams the fantasy in space imagery that makes me love 40k over more serious sci fi words & games.

[Ishagu]

Not cartoonish? And it's not about painting.

That particular model does look cartoonish yes, but there were Ork rockers and a guy on a Ghostrider bike in earlier editions.

 

There's no evidence the model style is heading in any particular direction.

[sockwithaticket]

Certain factions have always had more cartoonish elements than others, though the oft mentioned examples of goff rockers etc. were somewhat exceptional in just how they were.

If we're talking about aspects of the current model range becoming cartoonish I think they are and it's deliberate, but it is restricted to factions with a history for it in the main. GW has been mining stuff from its past to find 'new' releases over the last few years.

Since pretty much all the egregiously cartoonish stuff has been absent from the game in an official capacity (obviously individuals have always been free to break out their Goff Rockers if they wanted to) for many years and multiple editions it can feel like a new trend having been all but stamped out for so long.

[Ishagu]

I'd argue that anything Khorne is very cartoonish and it has been around from very early.

 

Bloodletters look like little red devils

[Brother Christopher]

I'd lean towards what the OP said. There definitely is a change of style towards something else, something that brings Age of Sigmar to mind. Cartoonish may be the right word (especially with the new Death Guard models), as they seem to be moving in the direction of a more generic/fantasy aesthetic (again, some Deathguard, Guilliman, Primaris brining to my mind Starcraft). Plus, there's a lot of 'excess' in design, both 'aesthetic-wise' (as in the looks of the models) and 'game-wise' (as with the gun on top of a gun and stacks of rocket launchers on the Repulsor). Generally, I'm not a fan of what's going on right now and would like the new releases to be 'more of the same' or 'more conservative'.

 

Then again, this is my very subjective opinion based on rather superficial observations of what's been going on in the hobby.

[sockwithaticket]

I'd argue that anything Khorne is very cartoonish and it has been around from very early.

 

Bloodletters look like little red devils

 

These are the two most recent incarnations of them. I think saying they're little red devils is somewhat reductively characterising them for the sake of making a point. Modelled right (see the back left one in the current picture) they can look pretty darn sinister.

 

http://pro.bols.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Bloodletters-1999-2.jpg

Edited September 2, 2017 by sockwithaticket

[M@verik115]

The models have and always will look cartoonish. 
How you paint them is what makes all the difference. 

Hence why I always preferred Forgeworld's painting techniques, they make everything look good, even cartoonish GW kits. 

[Volt]

I think the paint jobs are largely responsible for the cartoonish feel. Though obviously CAD multipart plastic models aren't restricted in the same way that older metal and resin models were by the limitations of both design and production technology, and that means they can do more outlandish things, it's also just a fact that there were a lot of straight up goofy, literally cartoonish (as in stretched/bulging/popping, like a Tex Avery character's tongue unveiling and eyes ejecting from its head) features on old models. Atia's Temporal Distort posts prove that!

 

Actually, in a lot of ways I think modern models are less cartoonish. People have criticised the different crozius style for the Primaris Chaplain, especially lacking a winged head, but proportionally most older croziuses look like they'd be the thickness of a leg from a grand piano. Likewise, compare the sculpting of the skull face on that helmet, or the ribcage on the armour, to the finecast chaplain with powerfist.

 

I understand the "more is not necessarily more" attitude; I'm really glad I could get one of the old Thousand Sons upgrade kit sorcerers from a poster here before the new line came out and the old kit went away, because I love that sculpt even though it's much more simple. But I also like the new, complicated Thousand Sons Sorcerer kits.

The new Primaris Chaplain actually wields an accurately proportioned mace. Maces are supposed to be tiny balls of iron or have thin flanges because the whole point of them is to concentrate force on a small area to deliver nasty concussive blows. 

 

 

I wanted to like the new Khârn model but the more I see it, I think GW did miss the boat on that one.  Trying to do too much in too little space.  I think if Khârn was scaled more to new Death Guard size, it would work so much better.

 

I find the overall trend more "fantastical" but not really "cartoonish."  They're definitely going for an intentionally over-the-top look in many cases.  But this is an over the top setting!  It works for me.  I know in my own SW circles, many disagree.  Notably, I like the new wulfen.  Many don't.  In fact, the sentiment is much stronger than simply not liking them.

My issue with the Khârn model is that Age of Sigmar has a better looking one to convert into a nice looking Khârn. Take Khârn's new helmet and stick it on this body.

 

 

This model has way better action posing compared to the new Khârn model. I do like the new Khârn model, but I feel like the skulls hanging from his belt detract from it severely.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Volt

[Volt]

-snip- 

Edited September 2, 2017 by Volt

[Ishagu]

I don't think it's anything to do with the miniatures. I think Codex and rulebook artwork might be the reason people feel things are more cartoonish and less grim-dark.

 

Gone are the black and white blanche style sketches, it's all bright colour artwork of heroic action now.

 

I really think the minis are no more cartoonish now. The old Khârn is just as silly as the new one for example (I love Khârn btw, awesome model in person) and some of the older stuff is much more cartoonish than anything currently coming out.

 

The old Necrons for example are more cartoonish than the current ones. That was an entire army that was Egyptian Robots in space - now that theme is much more subtle.

[Lexington]

The old Necrons for example are more cartoonish than the current ones. That was an entire army that was Egyptian Robots in space - now that theme is much more subtle.

 

 

[SpecialIssue]

Yeah GW really doubled down on the Tomb-kings in space for 'crons. Before they were a clear blend of Cthulian existential horror, Terminators, Egyptian undead, and science and logic taken to its horrific, extreme conclusion.

 

For the most part, these newest releases look cartoonish because of the paint job - nothing more.

[Ascanius]

The old Death Guard models were plenty cartoonish:

 

 

Taken from this DakkaDakka thread.

[Ishagu]

 

The old Necrons for example are more cartoonish than the current ones. That was an entire army that was Egyptian Robots in space - now that theme is much more subtle.

 

 

Hah, the top one there isn't the old Necrons I'm talking about.

 

They had very different models before that.

This is what I mean:

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nR6ou6HY1r0/VPY62i1tHTI/AAAAAAAAFP8/g-EGzcu958g/s1600/Classic%2BLord.jpg

Edited September 3, 2017 by Ishagu

[Xwingt65]

I'd lean towards what the OP said. There definitely is a change of style towards something else, something that brings Age of Sigmar to mind. Cartoonish may be the right word (especially with the new Death Guard models), as they seem to be moving in the direction of a more generic/fantasy aesthetic (again, some Deathguard, Guilliman, Primaris brining to my mind Starcraft). Plus, there's a lot of 'excess' in design, both 'aesthetic-wise' (as in the looks of the models) and 'game-wise' (as with the gun on top of a gun and stacks of rocket launchers on the Repulsor). Generally, I'm not a fan of what's going on right now and would like the new releases to be 'more of the same' or 'more conservative'.

 

Then again, this is my very subjective opinion based on rather superficial observations of what's been going on in the hobby.

Uhm, AoS is moving away from generic fantasy, and into a more "we can do what we want" type of models.

[Ishagu]

AoS is moving into a high fantasy/steampunk direction - it's certainly less generic than it used to be.

[Plaguecaster]

Grimdark is in the eye of the beholder, what one may deem grim dark or cartoonish another has the complete opposite view, sometimes people should get off their high horse on what clearly is a personal opinion

 

There is nothing wrong with GW's design or style for their minatures and that is my personal opinion so who cares if it isn't what you believe I don't , frankly I don't care if slightly cartoonish as it can still look pretty epic :D

 

 

The old Death Guard models were plenty cartoonish:

 

 

Taken from this DakkaDakka thread.

And nice and mutated too which is nice since most chaos minatures were back then even though people get iffy about mutated chaos marines claiming a large number shouldn't be

But again personal opinion :D as I loved the mutated look of the old school chaos so having them unmutated (especially Nurgle ones ) just makes them as bland as loyalist marines ;)

Edited September 3, 2017 by Plaguecaster

[The Yncarne]

Whether the newer models are more cartoon oriented is subjective, but having to paint more, smaller bits on models does increase my painting time.

 

Many of the details such as the curvy armor trim on recent Thousand Sons models can't be seen across the table but are obvious when taking pictures from 12"-18" away.

[Halandaar]

Noticed a couple of posts bemoaning that things aren't like they used to be when Jes was designing miniatures. That fails to acknowledge that lots of models coming out now are 1:1 (or near enough) reproductions of Jes' concept sketches (Primaris Chaplain being a very recent example)