And honestly I just can’s see how anyone can look at things like this

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/CASTELLAX_BATTLE_AUTOMATA.html

and this

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/MAGOS_DOMINUS_WITH_RAD_CLEANSER.html

and say less innovative. Than say this total unselling disaster

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod2130072a

Honestly where forge world is going to me at least is speaking to the direction that GW should go as it embraces the gothic grimdark that separates it from the been there done that aspect of most other tabletop games. I have been a player since the rouge trader days and have seen GW go through a great many changes in sculpts and direction….I just think this is s step back.

I am continually impressed with GW innovating and pushing the envelope, whereas Forge World seems to have largely just given up.

FW’s Horus Heresy book is just one big copy-&-paste from Black Library, down to unit names and named characters. The miniatures are nice sculpts, no doubt, but they are all fairly timid iterations of the same old Space Marine and Terminator aesthetics.

It’s a far cry from the Forge World that dared break new ground for (than) stagnant miniatures lines like the Tau (e.g. XV9 suits) or Eldar (e.g. Shadow Specters)

In contrast, the GW-studio is really not afraid to try new things. The large Walkers like the Riptide or Wraithknight, even the flyers, would’ve been things from the (back than) more innovation-happy Forge World as little as 2 or 3 years ago.

And even in this, GW is not content. They could’ve easily done a “Space-Marines-Riptide”, since they are on a roll. But they choose not to, instead going once again into a brand new, unfamiliar direction.

I get that the Centurions aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (though I do like them, and believe more people will as soon as 360-views are there), but they demonstrate a passion for innovation and experimentation that Forge World has sadly lost in recent years.

If you want anything SM that doesn’t look incredibly stupid you have to buy the premium priced FW models.

Doesn’t seem to be high on GW’s priority, admittedly. That said, the DV Chosen etc.. are very nice, CSM have a plastic HQ for both Power-Armour and Terminator Armour, and the rather cool Fiends (at least I like them):

It’s not as doom and gloom as people make it out to be. They are not more “in the dark” than Tau with Finecast Vespid or Eldar with ancient Aspect Warrior kits, really. And unlike the latter, it’s usually easer to convert up some CSM-stuff from the Space Marines miniatures (I know, not the “ideal” solution, but it does work).

Instead of bumming the Space Marines all the time, how about bringing back the Thousand Sons boxset, giving Plague Marines and Thousand Sons a 10man boxset, a new boxset for Chaos Space Marines so I could actually take the weapon options given in the Codex and maybe a nice FAQ that brings down the points cost of the Defiler……