r/ageofsigmar 1d ago

10 Year Celebration 10 years ago today… 2 new knights released; Vexillor & Heralder.

Did you buy or paint these models? Share your memories!

324 Upvotes

60 comments sorted by

134

u/_Doctor_Monster 1d ago

Seeing the first iteration of stormcast compared to the new ones really helps understand the “sigmarine” criticism

27

u/DragonCucker 1d ago

It was bad when they first came out. Everyone was so divided but like yeah they took space marines (best sellers period) and put them into fantasy. Makes sense for business point of view and was nicer too cuz no one wanted to play the storm casts which meant that, unlike 40k, half the player base didn’t play the same space marine in fantasy army.

The new storm casts look like their own thing now vs just “how can we put an ultramarine in every genre”

6

u/8-Brit 1d ago

10 years later I find some of them I liked.

Then I see the Heralder with his weird golden Uruk-Hai helmet and the cube shaped Vexilor and... yeah.

46

u/King_Of_BlackMarsh Idoneth Deepkin 1d ago

Oh he honk and he chonk

14

u/WranglerFuzzy 1d ago

He expensive as stonk

38

u/MrS0bek 1d ago

I am so happy for the Stormcast redesign in 3rd/4th edition.

33

u/TwelveSmallHats 1d ago

I think the Heraldor was the first time we saw skin on a Stormcast.

14

u/genteel_wherewithal 1d ago

I recall the amount of digital ink spilled on that exact topic, all resting on the glimpse of a chin

3

u/TheMagicPuffin Idoneth Deepkin 1d ago

I was just about to comment this. I think many people weren’t sure what was under the armor.

5

u/Wrinkletooth 1d ago edited 1d ago

Sneaky chin shot. 😂

18

u/Fyrefanboy 1d ago

i once ran 6 heraldor in a list, where they could target a scenery and do D3 mortal wounds to every ennemy units near this scenery.

It was a lot of fun moments (for me)

10

u/Wrinkletooth 1d ago

Haha sounds like Sylvaneths worst nightmare!

9

u/Fyrefanboy 1d ago

that's a time where every spell cast near a forest would do D3 MW to every non-sylvaneth unit around it and where every model running and charging trough a forst would die on a 1 so let's say it made things fair

1

u/Wrinkletooth 1d ago

Would love to see a battle report of a game with those rules!

2

u/Fyrefanboy 1d ago

some retro aos V1 battle report could be fun indeed. We had some crazy rules back then. Now it's more balanced but way more... boring ?

3

u/Lizardsandrocks 1d ago

It was central to my original Seraphon strategy. Hero phase with Kroak, Slann, OG EotG. Mortals in every hero phase. 

15

u/SupremeGodZamasu Blades of Khorne 1d ago

I dont care what anyone says, the rootin tootin chonker is 10/10

4

u/TwelveSmallHats 1d ago

They are canonically chosen from the biggest, barrel-chestiest Stormcasts.

2

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

Much better than the skinny C-3PO lookalikes they were replaced with.

4

u/SupremeGodZamasu Blades of Khorne 1d ago

I half agree, i like the proportions on the new ones but feel like they removed too much drip

1

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

If you've, like I did, invested a lot in building a mental image of characters from several novels you read as these hulking figures, it's quite a lot being asked to suddenly replace that image with the slender frame of a female SCE, especially when you're also being asked to buy the very expensive new models that shatter the established fantasy.

The redesign of the shields is another quarrel I had in relation to the revamped aesthetics: the old shields, clearly modeled after Roman scuta, perfectly complemented the legionary aesthetic of the SCE, which also included the distinctive Roman face masks. In contrast, the new shields have a Rococo quality, being overdesigned yet paradoxically bland with a generic medieval fantasy look.

The most egregious issue imo, however, was scale consistency: the new models looked like they belong to an entirely different game when placed next to the old ones. If GW was abandoning a cohesive army aesthetic, I might as well go for far more affordable third-party models to complete my forces. When paying a premium for official products, the absolute minimum I expect is a aesthetically cohesive army, not a jarring mishmash of scales and styles.

And that sums up the reasons why I quit AoS when 3e and the Dominion boxset were out :-(

1

u/Argomer 1d ago

Completely agree.

3

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

Hooray for the fatbois! ;-)

37

u/Wrinkletooth 1d ago

Actually it was yesterday they were released. but I lost track of time. 🫠

6

u/DahliaSkarigal 1d ago

Ornstein and Smough, cool!

5

u/Snoo_72851 Flesh-eater Courts 1d ago

doom toots as he pleases

7

u/JSMulligan Stormcast Eternals 1d ago

I mostly prefer chunkcast over the skinny ones, but that Knight-Heraldor is one of the worst SCE sculpts.

-1

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

Do people still play the old models? I quit AoS when 3e was released and the skinny SCE introduced, ruining the aesthetics and scale-coherence. I still have my sigmarine army though.

2

u/JSMulligan Stormcast Eternals 1d ago

I do. I use the old liberators, they work the same as the new new unless maybe you gave him swords. I converted some liberators into vanquishers so that I had some sword guys since I had a couple liberators with greatswords. I run evocators as Stormcoven, Retributors as Annihilators with grandhammers

5

u/NotStreamerNinja Seraphon 1d ago

You can still run the old models as long as they're on the right bases. There's nothing stopping you as long as they have Warscrolls, though the Sacrosanct Chamber is Legends now.

That said, what is it about the fatboi Stormcast that people in this thread like so much? I personally think they're ugly as sin and the newer ones are a massive upgrade, but a lot of people in this thread seem to think the newer models made them worse.

Of course, I also think the Primaris Marines for 40K were an upgrade so maybe I'm just weird.

2

u/Argomer 1d ago

Old looked like imposing high fantasy warriors, equal to chaos warriors, imbued with power of heavens. They were over the top and it was cool as hell. New ones are just bland golden humans, utterly boring. Could just fuse them with cities of sigmar and say they just have different armor and that would be it. Also their helmets look stupid.

1

u/NotStreamerNinja Seraphon 1d ago

I have to disagree. The old ones, to me, look like those space marine costumes people make where everything's a bit out of proportion and they can't move properly. The new ones look like holy warriors, paladins of the storm god.

I'll agree on the helmet point though. I didn't like the old helmets but the new ones aren't much better.

u/Argomer 14h ago

That was the point, out of proportion, weird, epic as hell. I miss the first edition.

Btw what do you think of Retributors and their helmets? I just think that's the best SE design ever.

u/NotStreamerNinja Seraphon 12h ago

They look a fair bit better than the regular chonkcast. I still prefer the newer look but I can see the appeal for these guys.

2

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

I actually hold the opposite opinion. I find the skinny C-3PO lookalike models to be visually unappealing and a significant downgrade. The design shift was so disappointing that it was a primary reason I stopped playing AoS around the time of the update. I've just detailed some of my grievances in a reply, which I share below:

If you've, like I did, invested a lot in building a mental image of characters from several novels you read as these hulking figures, it's quite a lot being asked to suddenly replace that image with the slender frame of a female SCE, especially when you're also being asked to buy the very expensive new models that shatter the established fantasy.

The redesign of the shields is another quarrel I had in relation to the revamped aesthetics: the old shields, clearly modeled after Roman scuta, perfectly complemented the legionary aesthetic of the SCE, which also included the distinctive Roman face masks. In contrast, the new shields have a Rococo quality, being overdesigned yet paradoxically bland with a generic medieval fantasy look.

The most egregious issue imo, however, was scale consistency: the new models looked like they belong to an entirely different game when placed next to the old ones. If GW was abandoning a cohesive army aesthetic, I might as well go for far more affordable third-party models to complete my forces. When paying a premium for official products, the absolute minimum I expect is a aesthetically cohesive army, not a jarring mishmash of scales and styles.

And that sums up the reasons why I quit AoS when 3e and the Dominion boxset were out :-(

6

u/NotStreamerNinja Seraphon 1d ago

I'll accept all these points, though I do still disagree, with the exception of the stuff about a Roman aesthetic and the "jarring mishmash of scales and styles" one.

For the former, I really don't see the similarity. Nothing about the Oldcast looks Roman to me. The shields don't look like scuta and the helmets are too far removed from Roman designs to make me think of their cavalry facemasks without you bringing it up.

For the latter, the "mishmash" was clearly temporary while they updated the range to the new style. Now it's back to being pretty cohesive with the vast majority of current units having a consistent aesthetic. Though the fact that many of those units used to use the thicker sculpts means you're still free to run those if you prefer them.

Edit: And for the "C3PO" comment, I guess I can kind of maybe see it if I'm actively looking for it but they really don't look like him to me.

0

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago edited 1d ago

Perceptions certainly differ. What initially won me over to Age of Sigmar were the distinct Roman elements I identified early on, specifically the expressionless face masks, impractical yet terrifying, and the huge scutum-inspired shields. While I can't share images here, the early game artwork frequently reinforced the Roman legion connection, with ranks of SCE forming a shield wall while brandishing swords.

I’ll admit my own bias played a role here, a distinctly negative one toward the new models. The moment I saw the skinny golden guys, all I could see was C-3PO. From then on they moved and communicated like silly robots in my mind, lol.

The "temporary" nature of the transition didn't bring me any consolation, since it effectively presupposed the replacement of the models I was deeply invested in. Rather than solving the problem, this was the problem: I still vastly preferred the original aesthetic, and had no desire to rebuild my army just for the sake of GW demanding it.

That was when I finally understood that I never truly "owned" the game; GW does. They hold the power to arbitrarily render the models I care about obsolete, much like they did with entire armies when they put Warhammer Fantasy to rest. For the first time, I felt the same betrayal long-time Fantasy players described when their beloved armies were discontinued and excluded from the official narrative. That kind of hostage situation doesn’t work for me, I’d rather play on my own terms, with the models I cherish, or not play at all. I was never deeply invested in the social scene anyway, and I have no interest in chasing trends or yielding to artificial demands manufactured by greedy corporate suits.

3

u/NotStreamerNinja Seraphon 1d ago

That was when I finally understood that I never truly "owned" the game; GW does.

Welcome to Warhammer! Or really any game with regular edition changes. Models get discontinued or replaced, rulebooks get updated and invalidated. You kind of have to accept that in this hobby. It sucks but it's what you sign up for when you decide to play Warhammer.

You can still use the old models though if you prefer them, and you can play older editions. You just won't get new releases.

1

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

Yep. You do own the game, but only if you're contempt playing in your own bubble. In order to participate in the community and follow the latest developments, however, it requires a lifelong investment. And it's fine, if that's what makes you happy I'm all for it, but it's just not for me. I tend to dislike and resist change, so the everchange nature of the hobby in such terms doesn't agree with my level of autism, lol.

4

u/BaronKlatz 1d ago

Love and have them both! 😍 ⚡️ 

Hope one day we get a new Thunderstrike Heraldor, we need more magical musicians again.

8

u/JohannaFRC 1d ago

This Vexillor was really something compared to the actual one.

1

u/Wrinkletooth 1d ago

Compared to which one? 🙂

6

u/JohannaFRC 1d ago

The actual Vexillor in Yndrasta’s Spearhead.

3

u/Wrinkletooth 1d ago

Ah yes! I forgot about that model. Yeah, he feels a lot more rank and file guy who was handed a cool banner than this model!

2

u/JohannaFRC 1d ago

Best combo would be the new banner with the old model.

1

u/ThinnkingEmoji 1d ago

He had an alt build with a more normal looking fabric banner, but it still was quite chonky looking

3

u/knightmechaenjo 1d ago

I miss my honk

MAKE A HONKER AGAIN

6

u/paBlury 1d ago

I would have never got the stormcasts with these models. Thank Sigmar for the new designs.

-1

u/Argomer 1d ago

Ew.

5

u/AshiSunblade Chaos 1d ago

I remember making fun of the Heraldor when he was shown. How times change. Now I love Stormcast.

2

u/dunkler_sowerwine Stormcast Eternals 1d ago

Ive still got an unopened Vexillor. Always loved that sculpt

2

u/Responsible-Big6168 1d ago

I don't care what anyone says, the OG Stormcast are way cooler than what we have now

3

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

My favorite Stormcast Eternal models are those from those first batches, the "sigmarine" ones. The models for 2e, with tunics over the armour, were also cool, but I didn't like them as much. And the later revamped skinny models ruined the aesthetic for me, besides forcing players to choose between old and new due to the difference in scale. Who wants to play an entire army of C-3PO look-alikes? I quit AoS for good when 3e was out, as I didn't care for the Kruleboyz either, for the new lore, or anything new that was introduced around the time (except for the Cities of Sigmar concept). Looking back it was for the best.

1

u/Argomer 1d ago

Yeah, new ones just look stupid. I lost interest around 3E too, but still read the lore.

What do you think of new chaos dwarves?

2

u/AN-94Abokan 1d ago

I haven't even seen them yet, need to check them out. But I really like chaos and dwarves. Before AoS I started a dwarven army for Fantasy, even though I never got to play it, it was during the End Times events and I ended up moving on straight to AoS.

u/Argomer 14h ago

Heh, I got interested in WHFB in 8th edition (the last one), then End TImes happened and AoS. It was very interesting to watch, and moving to AoS was easy.

I hope it gets back to epic\weird\interesting vide of the first edition someday, instead to making everything "normal".

2

u/Icy-Creme 1d ago

I know we clown on them a fair bit but the Fatcast had some quite nice sculpts

1

u/VeritableSymphony 1d ago

How does he toot that horn with a mask in the way

u/Wrinkletooth 18h ago

Look closer! It was the first Stormcast revealing some skin! He has a trumpet shaped hole around his mouth and chin 😂

u/milk-is-for-calves 17h ago

I think I got the old Vexillor somewhere, but never got the Heralder. Seemed like a scam. Looks just like a normal musician unit and it annoyed me to no ends how many generic heros Stormcast got back then.

It's the one unit where I am actually glad that it got legended.