More Soul

[Angel Barracks]

Do old models have more soul?
Are metal better than plastic?
Are hand sculpts better than digital ones?

I am finding myself more and more drawn to the quirky charm of old metal GW models.
The newer plastic made digitally designed ones just seem soulless to me.

How do you feel?

[Andrew Beasley]

Pass the popcorn 🙂

If I like a figure I like it – never been fussed over resin vs plastic vs metal and tend to older style due to the lack of details being easier to paint rather than looks.

I’ll note my thought changes due to figure size as I find the newer smaller figures more appealing as they have more detail than the gormless (or formless you choose) lumps of old.

[Mike]

Old hammer.

 

I think it appeals for a number of reasons.

Quirky hand made sculpts when it was a new age of discovery and imagination. Things were unique and models could be new and innovative, so much modern stuff has been done before a number of times and oft better.

Oldhammer makes me recall the days of discovery and when GW invited you to play in their world and be part of it. They set a framework and basis and said come be part of it. Make a unit from various odds and sods, chop bits up and convert them. Make a hedge from a pan scourer, a wizard’s tower from a bog roll, hell, even make a hover tank from a spoon  and a stick of deodorant.

It was a time of creativity and imagination.

Want to create your own heraldry and chapters?

Do it, go explore.

I feel that now GW instruct you on how to play, and with what. No more conversions, no more home made tanks, no more bizarre uniforms and certainly no models from elsewhere.

Follow the rules and don’t bring in any ideas from outside.

It feels stifled and spoon fed now.

Less exciting and less full of wonder and potential.

 

No longer does it seem the design team are personally invested in the hobby of gaming, more now that they are financial investors in The Hobby ™.

[Darkest Star Games]

Mike wrote:

I feel that now GW instruct you on how to play, and with what. No more conversions, no more home made tanks, no more bizarre uniforms and certainly no models from elsewhere.

  That is my beef with GW now.  It’s all about the business, and not all about the fun, and the bossiness of it has sapped most of the joy of 40k for me.

Regarding older sculpts, I don’t know about more soul but a lot of the older sculpts certainly have a lot more charm and personality than many of more modern stuff.  I think part of it is that there seems to be less detail on the older sculpts, as well as a lot of quirkiness.  Some of that comes from how figures were molded back then, and some comes from the individual artists style and the difficulty of repeating the exact same details on multiple miniatures.

As for materials, for me metal and 3d printed models offer the best poses, while plastic injection seems to make a lot of poses more wooden or static.  I like the heft and durability of metal, but can’t complain about the low cost of 3d printed minis.  They do often lack durability, but much easier to print a new one if it breaks than it is to order a new metal mini (again, IMO).

"I saw this in a cartoon once, but I'm pretty sure I can do it..."

[Steve Johnson]

I like the simplicity of older hand made sculpts. I can appreciate the awesome quality of digital sculpts, but they are too OTT for me these days. I think there is a touch of nostalgia thrown in too, being of the Airfix generation.

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