T&H Miniature Review No.1

T&H Miniature Review

This is the Tusks & Horns review, a part of the blog where I will look at the new releases which Games Workshop have brought out for that particular week in question. If the White Dwarf Daily has a Warhammer Fantasy miniature in it, then I'll be writing about it here - these will try to be out on a Monday following the new magazine. Unfortunately I do not have the funds to be able to purchase every single new kit that Games Workshop produces so I cannot go into a huge amount of detail as to how the kit works or looks. However using my extensive experience in using their kits, I hope to be able to shed some light on what is good and what is bad about each release - as well as a bit of history behind the miniatures. So on with the reviews!

Belegar Ironhammer

Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs - Plastic Hero Clampack - £13.00

To begin with, this model looks outstanding! Out of all of the plastic heroes released so far I can truly that this guy is clearly one of the best miniatures that GW have released and here's why.

To start with he's lavished with details from head to foot, even his Oathstone has little Dwarfen ensignas inscribed onto it to give him a wealth of depth and history. The paint scheme that GW has chosen also suits him down to the ground, and overall you'll be able to paint him however you like as the miniature is pure class. Because he is a plastic miniature the hobbyist within us can add bits too him, and even leave certain elements off (like the banner on his back) if you so see fit. And due to the more malleable material you'll be able to customise him with bits from other kits allowing you to turn this miniature into your own Dwarf Lord with ease. I don't have enough time to go through all the good elements about this miniature, and I'll definitely be picking one up just to paint him.

Overall I think 'Every' Dwarf player is going to get this guy and either use him as Belegar or their own Dwarf hero/lord. He is simply, in my opinion, exactly what the Dwarf range needed which is a new design ethic and route to try and breath new life into a tired and old range of miniatures. I believe that this character and the plethora of Dwarf miniatures which are still to be released are really going to get hobbyists enthused about collecting a Dwarf army - and I'm one of them! 

T&H Score (9/10)

 

Dragon Slayer

Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs - Plastic Hero Clampack - £13.00

This miniature is exactly the same as Belegar, and by Joe! He's another fantastic miniature! The Dragon Slayer is extremely dynamic which is something Dwarfen miniatures suffer from as they're usually extremely static and grounded - however this guy really is showing some serious agiliy.

Now initially this miniature may be a bit like Marmite, some people enjoy the dramatic poses where as others would prefer their models to be rooted too the floor. The kit has a Dwarfish piece of masonry on the floor which the Dwarf is jumping from which adds a great deal of drama to the miniature but can also put people off. Personally I really like the effect it gives, and adds an extra element to a model which is effectively very simple and uncomplicated. One piece of note about this miniature however is that it seems the general Slayer units are not changing which is a big shame as it would be great to have this guy running rampant alongside a load of battle frenzied slayers - I'm sure everyone has they're fingers crossed that GW will be bringing a new Slayer kit in the future just to work alongside this guy. 

T&H Score (8/10)

Hammerers & Longbeards

Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs - Plastic Regiment - £30.00

After years of waiting, a new plastic regiment for the Dwarfs is finally here - and they've definitely not disappointed... This duel kit makes 10 miniatures and in 3 variations, Hammerers, Longbeards w/ Hand Weapon Shield & Longbeards w/ Great Weapons, so it really does come with a lot of bits to get you going.

The Hammerers element of this kit are less impressive than the Longbeards, again like Belegar, the miniatures are adorned with intricate designs and heraldry but the Hammerers don't seem quite as natural in comparison to the other builds. The Hammers are impressive but they seem a tad big, and the helmets are not as streamline and profound as the Londbeards. This isn't to say that they're terrible, and usually when a duel kit is released one of the variants isn't quite as impressive as the other, but it is a surprise that the 'Special' option within the box has the least 'wow' factor. 

The Longbeards on the other hand are stunning, and like Belegar totally change the way we all look at Dwarfs in the future due to their newly developed scheme and design. I don't have anything bad to say about this miniatures, each of them has a sense of individuality and the command group look fantastic. Overall the new shield designs incorporated with the heavy 'tank' looking armor gives them an extremely new look that I hope is evident in any other miniatures GW are going to release for this range. I want to buy lots of these guys, perhaps even use them as Warriors if GW don't release a new kit for them but I'm not sure my bank balance will allow me.

Together this kit is great, after looking at the sprues it seems that you can use the Longbeards heads for Hammerers if you so wish, as they're the better of the two designs. But in general this kit is one of the finest regiment kits GW have done for a while, and they don't tend to release a lot these days with all these monstrous cavalry and gribblies flying around. So although they're expensive in comparison to every other regiment box (bar Black Guard/Witch Elves/Executioners) these guys will be a worth the money as you won't need a large host of models because they'll undoubtedly be 'mega' expensive to field on the tabletop.

T&H Score (8/10)