We’re sure, of course, that the non-Welsh will have a little trouble with pronunciation here, so here’s a quick guide: Galhwch Lladd Llaw is spoken “Gall-huch (as in loch) Chl (the ch pronounced as in loch)-ath (as in the, not in thin) Chl-ow (as in cow)”. Pendyndraig is spoken “Pen-dun-dray-g” and Gwaelod is spoken “Gwy (as in sky)-lod”.
Link: BaneLegion
My my, That Galhwch is a stunning piece. Fantastic sculpt and design. Depending on the price this is one that I'm not going to pass up.
ReplyDeleteI’m not really a fan of Kernsa, Call me a prude if need be, but I don't really like the whole nude thing that Bane Legions has going on. From all the clothing deprived females to the abundance of balls that seem to hang off of most of their mammalian offerings.
Thanks for the heads up ^.^
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Where in this world, other than a basement, are you meant to put that figure on a table and not feel embarrassed? Seems like a quality sculpt but I'm going to file it in the "ridiculous" category.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree, its an excellent skulpt. But that ones not as bad as some of the other Bane Legions ladies. Well it's kind of on par with them anyhow. She just happens to have more up top.
ReplyDeleteI do like a degree of realism from my mini's but somethings are not really needed, if you get my drift. I'm not into this whole nude female warrior thing that seems to be going on at the moment. And Bane Legions isn't the only culpret, Avatars of War, Raging Heroes all a tad boobie happy.
Don't get me wrong I'm not going to shun them and start a patition or anything. I myself am a fan of the humble boobie or boobies. They all produce excellent mini's I'll just get the ones I like, thats all.
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So I'm not the only one annoyed and perplexed that Maelstrom seems to be deviating into porn, then. They do put out good designs and sculpts, but it's a pity their decisions seem to be made by 13 year old boys half the time. At least Avatars of War and Raging Heroes seem to be genuinely trying to fill the Daemonette/Dark Elves/Dark Eldar niche with their sculpts.
ReplyDeleteHopefully sooner rather than later Maelstrom will figure out that porno armies don't sell, and will concentrate more on better designs.
Exactly right. My first thought on seeing the concept art - let alone the sub-par sculpting on the miniatures itself - was "FFS, Maelstrom! Grow the f*** up!"
DeleteI agree that a miniature doesn't need to be that nude. As already mentioned, it is nothing I would like to have in my showcase or on the table. I don't mind the "anatomic correctness" of all of their miniatures, but a simple loin clothes would actually improve this miniature in my book...
ReplyDeleteBut, I disagree that this model won't sell - just remember the Wet Nurse from Kingdom Death...
True, I should've said it better; I mean, people are gonna buy what they're gonna buy. However, Kingdom Death is a different niche, isn't it? Maelstrom seems to be marketing their models as gaming pieces, while Kingdom Death makes no bones about being display pieces. If that's what Maelstrom is trying to do, then yeah more power to 'em, but it isn't clear to me, the consumer, that they're going for that market.
ReplyDeleteIt also seems to be a case of art direction. Side by side, Maelstrom appears to be going for sex for sex's sake, where Kingdom Death is trying to unsettle you by presenting sexuality alongside grotesque images, like HR Giger. Yes, they both feature voluptuous, chesty women, but Kingdom Death's use of sexuality has a point to it beyond "hey, tits!", which is the read one gets from the Maelstrom concept art and sculpts. That's what's putting people off. If you look at Lokman Lam's (the KD designer) blog, his illustrations are art, not just drawings of girls with big boobies.
If Maelstrom is trying to go the display route and be "high art" so to speak, they need to up their game. Kabuki Models is going the Display route, and acknowledges they're doing pin-ups (and indeed, markets them as so), which is something that sets them apart from Maelstrom as well. KD is on a whole different level by presenting their minis as part of a Collector's Package, which no one else is doing.
Maelstrom has clearly stated that Bane Legions is going to be table top Wargame. They have released the figures before the ruleset to help aid the development and funding of the rules.
ReplyDeleteMy problem is that I would feel odd about working on it, I'm not really sure why, but concentrating on getting the shade of a nipple correct just feels wrong to me. Also my other half would not be impressed if I started buying figures that looked like that, lol.
They do excellent work, they really do, Galhwch is on my list as a mini to get in the future.
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For me, it's not really a question of nudity, but more of skill.
ReplyDeleteAll of these nude warriors have been terrible sculpts. Like, Reaper bad.
I don't find them offensive, more laughable.
Does the sculptor understand anatomy at all? Her hips make no sense, her legs are way too long, her boobs defy gravity, etc, etc.
The design brief itself is pretty stupid too; warrior women who fight naked, with huge tits? How do they even fight? How do they swing a sword? Or do they just prance around waiting for a man to fight for them?
If you are going to do over the top "fantasy ladies", at least try and make them look somewhat realistic; these just look ridiculous. There's more realistic looking women in a Snopp Dogg video.
I'm a big fan of the Bane Legions line, and ever since the Frontline Gamer interview, I've been really keen to check out the game Maelstrom have planned, as it sounds like it's right up my alley.
Models like this really detract from their credibility as a miniatures production company, as they are so below the current standard in every way.
On a side note, what is with no one being able to sculpt women properly? Even if you are going for a "stylized" aesthetic, why can't anyone pull it off?
Hasslefree Miniatures. Kev is rather good at it.
DeleteWell reading the blurb the Sword Melusines are part of the Ker-Ys faction, which explains a lot as they have a strong fetish theme running through that range so far...
ReplyDeleteI'm not a massive fan of the model but for me it's a combination of the original concept and the sculpting that's done it. I haven't liked either of the other two Melusines either. I'm not a fan of the over-stacked glamour model look epitomised in the tabloid press and the sculpting on these seems a little clumsy to me by comparison with other pieces in the range, especially on the hair which is such an important part of the model.
That said, don't get hung up thinking that the Ker-Ys faction are representative of all Banelegions females! There is a particularly fine Mercian warrior queen in the range as well as a lovely Dark Elf standard bearer. If topless models aren't your cup of tea then definitely check them out instead.
@Bishop, I think James Van Schaik has sculpted for Reaper and Wyrd iirc.
Nothing wrong with Reaper, they cater for RPG groups that want to see different groups of critters on the table every session at a low cost. For that they don't need to be display quality. I'd say they know their market well, not my cuppa but that's fine. They have some nice pieces in their range as well, though it's so huge it's a daunting task to trawl through for them...
Galhwch is another barnstormer though, utterly brilliant! :-D
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