yeah just a shame its another 6 months before they fix the overcosted Hybrid units, because its fine to wait another 6 months right? you’ve only been waiting that long… and we did say we would do these updates every 6 months… oh well?!
If those bears and minotaur make it onto a sprue, that’ll be great for RPGs and generic fantasy games too.
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Great stuff across the board. Thrilled that Abyss got the offensive order I wanted (and then some, I just wanted vicious!), interested in the Abyssal spells (my warlock is sort of in limbo currently), hell yea strider command harder to cast, curious about what other updates happen across the non-book armies. Only dark spot for me is the return of bloodworms / super-scarecrows but I spent the last couple years of 3E being chewed up by legions of hammer blorms so color me bitter 
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Plastic Centaurs confirmed!
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The hero guy is so characterful - lovely model.
Now mentally wondering which dwarf torsos will fit the plastic centaurs so I don’t have to use halfbreeds!
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Ooh, good idea! I might have to consider the same thing.
The Infantry being “goblin sized” in the lore also has me wondering if they’ll be compatible with the Goblin kits. I don’t have a specific idea in mind for that… but maybe i will? 
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Really pleased about centaurs. I maintain there is a gap in the market for a good centaur kit going beyond KoW, plus I always wanted some centaurs but they were expensive and metal!
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Well models are up for preorder.
-tribal warriors, with options for hand weapons, spears and slings
-Centaurs
-Guardian Brutes (Minotaurs)
-Beast of Nature (with wings option)
-Tribal Chieftain
-Gladewalker Druid
-Centaur Chief
-Tribal Songweaver
-Avatar of the Father
-And new Green Lady model
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I dig the lil’ bastard tribal warriors, makes the bigger weirder stuff look bigger / weirder. Wood armor is also super easy to paint with speed paints
But anyway, centaurs still take it for me. Didn’t expect to see Mantic minos so high five there too. Very curious what the Father’s rules are going to be like, as he seems a little short as well as wingless (no shade at all, I prefer a H3-4 non-flyer) …
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I quite like those.
Would be interested to see the sprues for the plastics, but like the overall style.
Note that they seem to have looked at some of the criticism aimed at the RDG faun/centaur plastics (now with WGA but not yet rereleased) - where the horse bodies were scaled to the smaller faun torsos so were basically pony sized.
Slight shame that the minotaurs are resin not HIP, but that possibly explains the unit design 
Personally think the split paint schemes of the Green Lady and BoN (which is an interesting design) are a little too stark/discordant between the elements, but that’s a minor issue.
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Personally, I am quite disappointed with the new herd models. Horned felines with hoofs? 
I was really looking forward for the plastic centaurs but I am not happy with what I see. The old metal models suited my taste much better, I would definitely prefer if the new models resembled them. Mantic has completely missed a chance to sell models that would be appreciated even beyond the KoW community … 
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Each to their own, but I rather like them. Of course, they will never make a mini that everyone likes, but I think it’s an interesting take on the classic.
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Sure, one cannot please everyone, I understand this. Let’s just hope the new models sell well, so Mantic can make some profit on them …
BTW, have the new bow centaurs got a quiver. I do not see it on the pictures. I really liked the aestetics of the old metal centaurs but it irked me that there was no quiver for the bow version of them, so I had to use leftovers from different nonMantic sprues.
I hoped that new Herd would double as Dungeon Adventures/RPG/generic fantasy minis.
While these could pass as satyrs and centaurs, they’re definitely beastmen from Pannithor first and not classic Greek mythology.
Which is true of other Mantic mini lines too. Clearly, Mantic have decided to cede generic models to the likes of Northstar and Wargames Atlantic. While Mantic moves more and more to making models that are distnctly for their games.
Which is a pity, because I’d rather support Mantic.
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Yeah, they’re stuck between two possible routes. Either stay generic and get the additional sales for other games, or grow your IP to avoid the “bland” accusation that can come without good lore etc. It’s clear they are trying to build pannithor as a full world, with the novels and the more distinct factions.
I’m in two minds on it. On the one hand, one big reason I chose mantic over GW when returning to the hobby in 2020 was because the GW offering was all Oruks and other weird things - I just wanted some traditional orcs and elves and things. On the other hand, having played mantic games for the past 6 years, I think the world building has been good and I like the more distinct bits and pieces. My preference would be for them to keep the more traditional factions traditional (dwarves, goblins, elves…) and add character to the more novel ones (trident realm, Nightstalkers, Basileans). But obviously their choice will be more based on selling models I guess! For me, as a personal preference, the herd are enough within “non-traditional” to be a bit different (they’re not Tolkien).
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Definitely trying to keep the models in line with their IP and background, rather than going down the generic route.
Until I see them in the flesh (or at least a sprue pics) I can’t quite decide whether I’m a fan of the new FoN plastics, but I certainly like the overall esthetic.
When they redo the dwarfs & elves, which are both very old and very marmite ranges, it will be interesting to see how they go. The various newer models they’ve done for them for things like Vanguard and the handful of NA elves/dwarfs are nice sculpts.
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I’m happy with the Herd plastics.
We don’t need another copy of GWs beastmen. These have a unique aesthetic, and I appreciate that more than if Mantic just tried to imitate what’s been done before.
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Yea, there is a “why not both” question to ask.
They don’t need to go about it the same way for all factions. They can have models that are clearly for Pannitor, like Xirkaali, and model lines with wider appeal, like dwarfs anyone could use in their game.
Different kits in the same faction could even be approached differently. Like a dwarf warrrior kit that’s just dwarfs, but also steel behemoths.
I just would have liked the Herd kits could be more of the latter.
It wouldn’t be Tolkien, though? Tolkien seemed to be more inspired by/based on Norse and Germanic mythology and sagas. Centaurs and satyrs are from Greek mythology, which Tolkien didn’t deal with, to my (limited) knowledge.
A Tolkien style Nature army would be ents and wood elves.
Greek mythology also tends to have an pretty much opposite view of nature (dangerous and mysterious) to Tolkien (wise and precious).
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