new griffon model vs the previous model.

[Ludaman]

Am I really the only one that thinks the bicycle seat saddle is just god-awful? I mean really, as if riding a wild flying predator the size of a garbage truck wouldn't be dangerous enough, lets do it on top of a glorified unicycle...

[Spiney Norman]

The new griffon (and all the new plastic monsters) looks like a fisher price toy. I prefer models to be the proper scale.

"proper scale"? How big exactly do you envisage a griffon to be? It's a monster it's supposed to be ruddy huge, if anything I'd say that the new plastic griffon is still probably smaller than an accurate representation of a griffon should be, the old metal one was a tiddler.

I much prefer the new one, though I may still use my old metal from time to time depending on which character I want to use riding it (made my plastic up with the wizard because I already have a general on my metal).

Am I really the only one that thinks the bicycle seat saddle is just god-awful? I mean really, as if riding a wild flying predator the size of a garbage truck wouldn't be dangerous enough, lets do it on top of a glorified unicycle...

I'm not sure what I think of it to be honest, it was at least a creative attempt to do something about the ridiculous neck-mounted saddle that every other ridden monster seems to have. I'm not sure about the aesthetic design of the seat itself, but I like the idea of the rider being in a semi-seated position with his legs braced against the animal rather than swinging on leg either side of its neck (which clearly wouldn't have worked on an animal that size anyway).

At least they weren't surfing on top of the griffons head holding on with the reins over its head...

[pkain762]

i like he griffin model (old) better, but i like the armor and the rider better on the new one..... the riders for the old griffin were not good

[snyggejygge]

"proper scale"? How big exactly do you envisage a griffon to be? It's a monster it's supposed to be ruddy huge, if anything I'd say that the new plastic griffon is still probably smaller than an accurate representation of a griffon should be, the old metal one was a tiddler.

Griffons aren't supposed to be all that huge, they took inspiration from a lot of early Dungeons & Dragons stuff, in which a griffon isn't much bigger than a lion, still dangerous as hell though (imagine flying lions, & no modern day weapons, they could very well be just as dangerous as descibed even at that size then).
I for one like the new one sculptwise, but agree on that it's a tad too big.

[Dr Death]

Griffons aren't supposed to be all that huge, they took inspiration from a lot of early Dungeons & Dragons stuff, in which a griffon isn't much bigger than a lion, still dangerous as hell though (imagine flying lions, & no modern day weapons, they could very well be just as dangerous as descibed even at that size then).

Why is early D&D an authority on this matter? While of the same ouvre, the Warhammer world is very much separate now from it's roleplaying predecessors. What's more, on a roleplaying level i daresay a griffon the size of a lion would be quite dangerous, but this isn't a roleplaying game, this is a wargame, and so in a world where they are the prized battle mounts of the most high ranking and rich individuals, taking large portions of their valuable time to raise from infancy and tame and to strike fear into the vast hordes of his enemies, they have to be robust enough to make it through a battle in one piece where there are all kinds of nasties- like i've said before: gunpowder, magic, other monsters, magic weapons, these living investments have to run the gauntlet of all this and more- therefore they have to be something a bit more substantial than a slightly upscaled guard dog. Having now actually got the model, it's of a at least believable size to doso, but my preferences would have it about 50% bigger, maybe up to twice the size (is there anyone in GW that can blag me a 2-up cast?)

Am I really the only one that thinks the bicycle seat saddle is just god-awful? I mean really, as if riding a wild flying predator the size of a garbage truck wouldn't be dangerous enough, lets do it on top of a glorified unicycle...

Actually the saddle is quite the reverse- the fact it is actually a chair with a back to it, and pretty tight, so the rider can cling on snugly means that it certainly is concievable as a practical saddle. That said i'm not too keen on the styling so i'll probably fabricate my own for my official take on Karl Franz. Realistic saddles for something that is basically a open-topped jetfighter (ok, not quite as fast, but you always feel like you're going much faster in a convertable car than a fully enclosed one) are a questionmark. I mean part of it comes from the orientation of the animal- with something that big and unruly, you want to stay upright whether you're plummetting from the skies or it's rearing up to smash it's foes. More importantly, you also want to remain in the saddle- slipping off at 40000 feet can't be fun, but at the same time a bucket seat with harness would seem rather anachronistic. Real saddles do occasionally have 'horns' that dig into the thighs and buttocks slightly to provide greater grip, so in a fantasy world, that would probably be more fitting- they'd probably have to be significantly larger though than you get on a horse- after all the horse tends to remain level with the ground even if you don't, a dragon or griffon isn't quite so kind when in flight. I am toying with ideas of a hinge and counterweight or other form of gyroscope- one that hopefully won't look too ridiculous strapped to the back of a griffon.

Dr Death