The lord of undeath has returned to the fantasy world, and it is time to either bow down to this eternal master, or take up the fight against it. Nagash is a character steeped in history, from his epic back-story and novellas, to his somewhat awful original sculpt. But now, years later, we have a new model that is bigger, more detailed and scarier than before.
This large character model is £65 RRP. Now, that does seem a lot when you consider it is a Hero/HQ choice. But rather than seeing it as “GW’s most expensive HQ”, it’s better to see it as “GW’s best value super-monster”. Let me explain.
As shown above, a marine is about the height of just the torso of this model.
The detailing is superb on this model. Because it is a large kit, the designer has been able to add much more detail to it, and the flat spaces are larger, meaning a better surface area for intricate freehand work. An early favourite element of mine is the intricate armour plating covering Nagash’s torso, and the many haunting spirits floating around. Regardless of your opinion on the overall look, you can be pretty sure that it is a massive improvement on the previous model, which many see as an ancient well-worn joke. Time to retire the old model to a footnote in history I think.
You can get more for your money with this kit too if you’re clever. It would be very easy to not use the floating spirits surrounding Nagash, and base them separately to make some spirit swarms. You don;t get many actual options on the kit (a few arm choices), but that has never stopped modellers before, and the kit has a lot of potential, even before you consider additional bits.
There are a number of neat little pieces that could have alternative uses. Take for instance these skull-vials. Personally, I think they’d make a very nice set of ostentatious Melta-bombs for a lord or sorcerer. This kit offers plenty for imaginative modellers.
And to finish off, GW have been nice for once, and offered free rules for this model for use in your Warhammer Fantasy armies; in English, French and German. This is a nice addition, and saves you buying an extra £50 book (though I have heard it is a fantastic tome of knowledge, so maybe it is worth buying too).
To reduce this review down to the bare conclusion, I’d say this kit is both well-detailed and well-priced, and offers a lot for people who either want a bad-ass leader for an undead horde, a source for conversion and parts, or even just a nice display piece. I wont be showing you the built model, as I have something very special planned for this kit. Keep an eye out over the coming weeks for more on this project.