Thursday, December 1, 2011

These are not the droids we were waiting for... A Necron Codex Review (part 3 of 4 - The Models)


The Models Verdict
0b010 Scarabs 


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Models summary

Is anyone really surprised that they get 0b010 scarabs based on my review of the fluff?  I already dislike the ‘Tomb Kings in Space’ theme of this codex release and the GW has certainly done due diligence enforcing this theme with the models.



This is purely a personal preference thing for me, but I just don’t like having that much “bling” on the models.  I think it takes away from the horror factor and turns them into beings that can somehow be reasoned with.

Rowboat power
The absolute literalism with the Arks really bothers me.  GW really wanted to make them look like boats… with Rowers and even a Cocksman!!  Row!  Row!  Row!  They were quite successful; they look ridiculous.  They look much lower tech than they should as machines from millennia past.  The Barges aren't much better.  Instead of rowers, these vehicles are equipped with Necron robotic paddlers.

Drones be damned!
The more I look at them, the less the boat theme bothers me, but one thing I will not get past is the idea that all vehicles must have a driver and/or crew open on the model.  The Arks have them, the Barges have them, and rest assured that the Stalker and Scythes will have them too.  Personally, I believe that if GW were designing all the models from scratch, the Monolith would have a throne right one top.  Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they put a sphinx on there somewhere.  Meow!  Damn, Mat!  [Rolls eyes]

Energy orb here, energy orb there, energy orbs everywhere
Ok, so what is up with the new ‘energy orbs’ that seem to show up everywhere?  They are on their heads, on their backs, on their guns; hell, they even have them coming out their ass.  (Yes, I’m serious.  Just look at the back of the Deathmark model.)  Tone it down, GW.  The crystals and rods were better but if you are going to use the orbs, one is enough.

The new “Pariahs”
The new Elites (Lychguard and Praetorians) look interesting, but still have a bit too much bling.  Why is there a backbone on that shield?  It may not look that cool but I’m sure it gives us a 3++ like the Space Marine Stormshield, right?  Right?  Damn.  Sorry to diverge from the model review.  The Lychguard, Praetorians, Overlords, and Crypteks are a good example of the Tomb Kings theme taken a little too far.  The crowns and chin pieces are just too much.

Flaked Ones
On to the Flayed Ones…  Other than being metal, what was wrong with the old models?  Not only do the new ones have no internal consistency (backwards legs on one, backpack thing on another, etc), but they look like Mexican Day of the Dead idols.  In fact, I can’t help but picture a big sombrero on the new Flayed One with skulls hanging around his neck.


C’tan Shards
I never really liked the Deceiver model.  I always thought he looked like an evil Ronald McDonald.  I figured that they would use this move to shards as an opportunity to revamp/add to the C’tan models.  Not so.  They just redid them as Finecast and dropped them on the shelf.  Disappointing…  Seems to be the case with all the models that went Finecast.  Glad they left the Nightbringer alone though.

The next wave
Unfortunately, it looks like one of the models I liked the most (the Necron Wraith) is going to get redone based on the artwork in the new codex.  I really liked that model and the artwork that went with it.  I think the Wraith was probably the most ominous and scary model in the old codex.  [Shakes head]

Didn’t you like anything?
Gee, is there anything you like?  Why, yes!  I really do like the Deathmarks and the Immortals.  I am happy to see them go plastic with most of the models and I do think that the Immortals got an upgrade.  The Deathmarks just look cool.  I also like the artwork that depicts them in the codex.  The one criticism I have is the lack of green rods.  I like the green rods much better than the new gauss rods on the Immortals (and other models).  It seems to work well on the Deathmarks though.

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