McFarlane’s Chaos SPAWN

Are you one of those guys that refuses to use any model unless it was produced by GW?  If that’s the case, this post most certainly isn’t for you.

I don’t mean any disrespect.  In fact, I used to be of the same mindset–brainwashed by GW’s propaganda that the model would not be usable in sanctioned tournaments, or for casual play in GW stores.  Lucky for me, we have neither of those things in Alaska, so I’m fortunate enough to be able to use any model I’d like. 

Which brings me to the line of toys by Todd McFarlane, mastermind behind the comic book: Spawn.  I remember some fifteen years ago, I had a friend named Dogknot who really loved these creepy looking figures, and I thought it was weird that a grown man would collect toys (while having my own collection of warhammer figures, mind you.  Yeah, I know…).  Anywho, he collected the spawn series of toys, and while they were kind of nifty, I never saw much purpose in them.

Then a few years back I stumbled upon his Dragons series, and thought what a great models to use for Warhammer.  In particular, I’m quite fond of the Scavenger Dragon from Series 6, but really any of those stylized dragons seems superior to GW’s base model.  Since I don’t play WHFB, I just made a note of it, and didn’t bother to buy it.  Periodically, I like to thumb through the available figures though to see any other nifty offerings.

Enter the  “Warriors of the Zodiac” series of toys, which were apparently released in 2008.  There are just four: Aries,Taurus, Gemini, & Cancer, all of which would be perfectly suitable for chaos models (most representing demon princes), but the one that finally got me to break down and buy a toy is the Gemini.

It’s a perfect rendition of a chaos spawn, so I ordered one off ebay for $7 (plus shipping) and it arrived yesterday.  I have to say, I’m even more pleased with it in person.  The level of detail is amazing, and the paint job is better than I expected.  Granted, it’s not going to win any Golden Demons, and it could be improved with some simple washes and drybrushes, but I’d say this is more than table-top quality, right out of the package.  Now the size is really too big for a normal chaos spawn (see comparisons with Deathwing Terminator), but that does leave me with a few options for Apocalypse games:

• Demon Prince
• Ku’gath (Codex: Chaos Demons)
• Jibberjaw (Imperial Armor)
• Gorefeaster (Imperial Armor)

Or, I could use it as a “counts as” model for many of the Gargantuan creatures in the game (Great Knarloc, Tyranid Exocrine, Malefactor, etc.).  Considering that any of the equivalent models generally comes in resin only for around $100 each, I’d say $7 + shipping is an absolute steal.  I can definitely see myself investing in a few extra toys.  Next on the hit list:

• Ogre (Guard Class) – for another Nurgle Demon
• Aries -who just screams Khorne to me

And I may even go back and buy that dragon I’ve been eyeing all these years.  Anywho, the point is, these are good looking, affordable alternatives to GW models–especially if you’re just talking about fun games.  You’ll definitely want to go look around and see what else is available. 

By the way, for Tyranid players interested in some suitable alternatives, see my post on using Privateer Press models for Tyranids.