LOTR - Not dead yet. (Plus other upcoming releases for 40k and fantasy).

[Cammerz]

And so GW releases a bunch of new sourcebooks for the Strategy Battle Game (so not the War of the Ring expansion). Now each sourcebook represents an individual force (or group of similar forces) rather than a section of the books/films or area in Middle Earth, making them much more like codicies and army books. In addition we have some new models; the dweller in the dark (mini-balrog), watcher in the water (now out of the water and with the ability to walk along the ground to attck you) and the great beast of gorgoroth (one of the creatures the pulled Grond but with a howdah on its back). In addition, mounted easterlings are now plastic plus some special new ones are finecast, there are new goblin characters, command squads in boxes rather than buying each guy individually, and to top it all off, a set of casualties to be strewn across the battlefield or mounted on scenic bases.
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/armySubUnitCats.jsp?catId=cat750002a&rootCatGameStyle=lotr

For 40k, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 40k, they've made a special model which represents the Crimson Fist Captain on the cover of the 1st edition (the one holding the Ork head in its powerfist). He's finecast, costs £20, is a special limited edition, and comes on a scenic base with a Crimson Fists standard.

And for fantasy, a new massive piece of scenery, Deathknell Watch. It isn't on the website yet but its basically a massive watchtower built on top of a magical vortex. It has a giant bronze skeleton signaling contraption on the top and the giant skulls crafted onto the sides shoot magical energy beams out of their enourmous eye sockets. Comparing the release dates, it'll be on the online store for advance oder on the 11th.

Last thing (will be available even later than the tower), both the Vampire Counts and Necrons are getting battalion/battleforces. The Vampire Counts get; 20 skeletons, 20 crypt ghouls, 10 dire wolves and a corpse cart. the Necrons get; 20 warriors, 5 immortals/deathmarks, 5 bases of scarabs and a ghost/doomsday ark.

Source: WD 386 - Feb 2012

[Dra'Tuisisch-Novae]

The Lord of the Rings models are (almost all) absolutely stunning, though the prices are painful. The Orc rhino-beast type monster is more than the massively larger Murmak.

Deathknell Watch is massively disapointing for me:


The skeleton on top just looks gawky, and the existing scenery like Witchfate Tor and Eternity Stair are much more cohesive looking to my mind. I think it would make a rather nice bit of scenery if you deleted the skulls from the walls and the skeleton toupe all together.

[SILKiam]

The dweller in the dark is just beautiful!!

Although I am worried as to how hard it is to put together if the eavy metal team can't get it together properly.

[Urdnot Seth]

I'm glad to see a more conventional approach to the LoTR books. I think the range is nice, and I'd play the system myself if more people did. The models are pretty sexy too, but those big resin models or just freaking ridiculous in price.

I don't care for the Deathknell Watch at all. It's just so... meh. GW has had a bit of a fetish for completely overdoing what should be simple terrain. Not every tower needs massive skulls and assorted over-decorating. I don't care for it for the same reasons I don't care for that last, three-story tower they released. I've much preferred the more humble, understated terrain sets they've released in recent years.

[Wargamer]

How GW manage to y'xa'uk up Fantasy terrain I'll never know, but they sure do y'xa'uk it up in style.

[Mabbz]

GW have a 3" skull fetish. They just don't realise that only an idiot would build a tower that would attract that much attention from witchhunters.

Although I am worried as to how hard it is to put together if the eavy metal team can't get it together properly.

Can't they? Where did you get that impression?

[SILKiam]

Look at the 360 view, the right arm is no where near actually touching the base.

[Dra'Tuisisch-Novae]

Look at the 360 view, the right arm is no where near actually touching the base.

Did you mean right leg? That is a bit worrying.

What is that thing supposed to be, anyway? A character Balrog? The replacement for the Balrog? I'm a WotR player but I'm not familiar with with the base LotR game.

[Cammerz]

Look at the 360 view, the right arm is no where near actually touching the base.

Did you mean right leg? That is a bit worrying.

What is that thing supposed to be, anyway? A character Balrog? The replacement for the Balrog? I'm a WotR player but I'm not familiar with with the base LotR game.

Apparently its about the size of a troll, so big, but nowhere near the size of a Balrog. Its one of those many things that GW has added to Middle Earth despite no mention of them in book or film. It certainly isn't a character, just another monster.

[salamut2202]

What's up with the scrawny balrog thing? How does it only have one point of contact with the base?

I like the Rhino thing that I remember from the third movie though (don't remember in any Tolkien books I've read).

The watcher in the water is my favorite thing though. Very interesting excuse for getting an octopus to navigate dry land. I guess real octopi? octopuses? octoplural can do that but meh, any excuse to give something insect legs ay GW?

[Torpedo nobiliana]

The watcher in the water is my favorite thing though. Very interesting excuse for getting an octopus to navigate dry land. I guess real octopi? octopuses? octoplural can do that but meh, any excuse to give something insect legs ay GW?

It looks like an octupus (octopodes is the correct plural BTW) grafted onto a crayfish.... freaky.

Doesn't help that it's painted in a sort of zombie green colour. And the eyes. Don't get me started on those.

[Lord Witherfume]

I want to play LotR just to use that watcher model. Stunning. I've always wanted a Moria army in LotR, this only solidifies that.

[Cammerz]

Looking at the 360 image of the Dweller in the Dark, I think it might only be lifting its leg up because its on a scenic base, maybe if it was placed on a normal flat base then it'd all be fine. But I can't see who'd pick one of those over a Balrog.

At least the LOTR range will have some new life pumped into it come December with the release of An Unexpected Journey.

[Squadron Commander The Lord Macho Man Randy Savage]

New LOTR stuff.

And not a single hoot was given.

Utterly pisspoor commemorative mini for 40k's 25th.

And not a single hoot was given.

Quite frankly atrocious bit of Fantasy terrain.

You know where this is going.

And I had been thinking 2012 might have had something good after the utter balls up 2011 was. But nope. Looks like GW's chasing the money and getting ready for The Hobbit.

GW has really lost its way. They go too far with everything now in terms of the details. When you look back at some older minis, yes, they're not as crisp as a modern one. But at the same time there's a simplicity to them that stands the test of time. There are surfaces devoid of details, just flat, ready for you to PAINT THEM ON YOURSELF.  Ready for you to be as simple or as complex as you like.

They produce nice models in some ways but ultimately it's just turning into paint by numbers. Everything has symbols that mark it to a particular faction or force, everything has bling and flashy bits. It's just a waste.

[Lord Witherfume]

I don't know, but I like the new models quite a lot. These Lord of the Rings models make me want to play the game more then any others before them and are some of the best monsters I've seen from GW. The 25th Anniversary model is not one which I can use in my army, but It's certainly not terrible and I think it's quite cool. The terrain has been a bit crazy in the last while and I'm not a big fan of the large intact buildings, but that's just because I play 40k and the rules get awkward with them. I've never been too excited for scenery anyway.

I however am utterly in opposite view to your doom and gloom on 2012. GW has been only getting better with the their models in the last few releases. I'm eager to see what comes next.