The miniatures themselves - resculpts???

[Coil]

Thanks, Christof.

The HMG and the Flamer specialists look really cool. I love the poses on those two. I hope the unhelmeted troopers are just in progress pics because they don't look that inspiring at all (with the unadorned shoulder pads and bald heads they look a bit space marine-ish).

[Jibbajabbawocky]

Great pics, thanks dude!

I want 'em! I want 'em all!

BTW, how does that site get all these pics?  I assume the sculptor is Polish?

[Sylvas]

now I want those Stormtrencher...beats me having to do the conversions that I was planning to do....

B.
more Mandibles...never a bad thing...

[Christof]

4 new photos here:
http://liniafrontu.ehost.pl/index.php?galeria=47
(I love that paratrooper emblems)

[paulpratt]

I'm not sure how into this idea you folks over at Excelsior would be but i would love to see a mini documentary about the complete process on creating a miniture. Get a camcorder with firewire and start filming the decisions, the talks, the ****tail napkins, then move into the conceptual drawings, then the prototypes and the sculpts, etc. Have each person that has their hand in the process really talk about what they are doing and show us a few sculpting techniques. I would love to the see the entire process start to finish visually. Edit it up a bit, put some background music in it from garageband and post it on the website.
I think it would be an AWESOME community builder and information piece.
You could always do similar projects with other aspects of the creativity of the business too. Writing expansions, talking and working with "the best talents in the industry", etc.
Just an idea.

[Stalker]

Although I really love this idea for many of the same reasons stated in the last post, I don't think that at this time it would be a good idea.  EE is already stretched with the projects that they have going on currently.  To try and document and produce this "How To & Why" project would only delay anything that they are working on.  Maybe when the company is a little bigger and has some PR people to spare.

[paulpratt]

I think people are thinking a bit more elaborately then what I had intended. It wouldn't take more then one person, a camcorder and a few great questions to ask while standing there. Or with some advanced notice for the subject to get ready, simply walk up to them and just watch and ask questions. It doesn't need to be any bigger then that. No crew, lights, producers, nothing like that. If they are as busy as that then this would be a great time to simply put a camera on a tripod from a good angle and just record. You can always edit out the slumps and focus on the meat of the situation.
Obviously the things that make the money and support the business need to come first, but I think its low key enough not to intrude on anyone's productivity or detract from the ability to make the maximum amount of potential business for the day.
For an example of what I mean check out David Eick's Video Blog over on the sci-fi channels Battlestar Galactica mini site.
http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/bts/videoblog/
He just takes a camera guy around with his as he explains each thing that is going on. It doesn't even need to be that elaborate. It's needs to be fun, maybe tongue in cheek, and people shouldn't hesitate to be themselves.

[paulpratt]

Look a the success of the video blogs and diaries at the King Kong Website too. These are filmed by Peter Jackson himself. Very low key.

http://www.kongisking.net/index.shtml

I think that things like this, coupled with more interactivity on the website would lead to a stronger community and more "converts" that might walk in because of the upcoming film and retain more people that might stumble on because of Chronopia and table top gaming in general. It really would blaze a trail for the "miniatures" hobby field.

[Catinator]

Those Storm Trenchers look excellent!!!

I'm glad to see the Surveiler from all angles. It looks great except the ammo storage looks very strange. On the original picture the ammo came from the drums on the legs. The drums are there...
Otherwise I think they would use a covered ammo storage less prone to get dirty or hit.
But a very nice model I'm waiting to get released...

There is another "Surveiler" green but I can't understand what it says.

             Greetings,
                               Catinator

[Pietia]

A lot of minis sculpted for Excelsior are "outsorced" - all those WIP greens that can be seen on Christof's site were made in Poland for example. I guess that the sculptor would request additional payment for making such documentary, so EE could afford less new minis -> I guess we all would be less than happy with this. Not everybody is interested in sculpture (and it would be much more useful to get some real classes in sculpture than watch 10 such videos if you want to know "how to"), so the market probably is not too big. Finally - do you know how much more time any action takes, if you're recording it? Try to play a game and do a battle report from it at the same time ;-) - the same with sculpting, painting etc.

Catinator - that other Surveiler is an early sculpt of another sculptor, that (thankfully IMO) has been rejected. The Storm Trenchers would be very good - but I do not like two things about them:
-"Space Marine'ish" shoulder pads
-bare heads (not very realistic and too big)

[Jibbajabbawocky]

the more I see those Jobians, the more I want to do a Job army.

[paulpratt]

Again, i think people are thinking WAY to large on the whole idea. 

[Brother Jim]

a kinda liked the other Surveiler as well.

[semai99]

I love the new Jobians especially the one jumping forward.

I think some of the first stormtrenchers pictures are test pieces as the flamer & HMG figures both seem finished of to me but the others dont' look quite the same.

the Surveiler looks really cool  lets hope the rest of the missing miniatures get the same level of scupting  I wonder what the rest of the tribes mounted figures will look like?

[OLD Dwarf]

My group got into WZ1 early so all our figs are from the  the orginal sculps.When WZ2 came
out and the scale got smaller we just quit buying as the size/proportion difference just was
too much.

But the "big Guys"have held up over the years for us & frankly the cost of replacing all
of them is just too much to seriously consider.

OD