# Chapterhouse May Release: Tau Battlesuit Heads



## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Chapterhouse have just sent out their newsletter with some new releases for May:

From the email: 



> Hello Chapterhouse Studios customers and fans,
> 
> This week I have added something for the Tau players out there. We have designed 6 new head sculpts that are compatible with Games Workshops Tau Crisis Battlesuit model. Two separate kits, set #1 and set #2 are available for purchase for $4.00.
> 
> ...


I really like the first head, makes me think of one of the options in Blacklight Retribution.

$4 also seems like a reasonable price to me. 

What do you think guys and girls?


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

I do like those, add some nice variation.


----------



## the-ad-man (Jan 22, 2010)

meh

[10 character limit]


----------



## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

the-ad-man said:


> meh
> 
> [10 character limit]


Instead of a pointless 3 character response, how about you actually contribute to the discussion by saying _why_ you think they are meh?


----------



## Jormungandr (May 11, 2011)

Neck seems a bit long, tbh, but the 3 in the first set, and the first of the second set look alright.

The other's have far too many lenses...


----------



## GrizBe (May 12, 2010)

Personally I think they look poorly sculpted.. like someones just grabed a block of green stuff and stuck some random cuts and bits on it... They barely even and misshapen in places... and as for the actual designs, they don't fit any of the suit asthetics at all.

I'm with Add-man.... Meh.


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

GrizBe said:


> Personally I think they look poorly sculpted.. like someones just grabed a block of green stuff and stuck some random cuts and bits on it... They barely even and misshapen in places... and as for the actual designs, they don't fit any of the suit asthetics at all.
> 
> I'm with Add-man.... Meh.


When you releasing yours?


----------



## GrizBe (May 12, 2010)

Sakura_ninja said:


> When you releasing yours?


In 5 minutes when I finish sculpting a better one while blind folded.


----------



## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

GrizBe said:


> In 5 minutes when I finish sculpting a better one while blind folded.


I'd pay just to _see_ that!


----------



## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

Yeah I'm not liking the look of them either, with the exception of the first one on the left. The rest seem 'inspired' by the likes of armoured core heads and many of those were pretty meh in the aesthetics department.

Its the hard geometry on some, or the over-abundance of lenses on others that kill it for me.


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

GrizBe said:


> In 5 minutes when I finish sculpting a better one while blind folded.


I'll be awaiting the pictures and the link to your online store.

Been over an hour now grizbe, you should have loads sculpted by now and up for sale surely.


----------



## Grokfog (May 4, 2009)

I think they're ok, possibly a little too cluttered when considered alongside the clean lines of the suit, but nothing a little filing and green stuff couldn't adjust. It's mainly the "venting" that bothers me, it doesn't appear anywhere else on the model. But like I said, nothing 5 minutes with a needle file and some green stuff couldn't handle


----------



## darkreever (Apr 3, 2008)

And you should:

1. Use the edit button rather than double post in the future, and

2. Get over the fact that Griz thinks they are poorly made. He expressed his opinion, gave fair resent behind it, and then you came in with an unnecessary comment and are now being a bit of a prick for no reason.


Of those six heads, none of them have a very Tau feel and (in my own opinion) only one of them is worth buying and that doesn't add to much variety for the suits.


----------



## imm0rtal reaper (Jul 15, 2008)

Thinking about it, I think the ones full of lenses would be good on broadsides, extra targeting and all that. And the other heads would make good commander options, or perhaps the bodyguards (can't remember what they're called)


----------



## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

I like them. They're about the same aesthetic-wise as the GW Suit heads, and add some variety to a large number of them - I'd use them for the Shas'vre models, personally.

Midnight


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

I would not consider it fair to claim you can do better in 5 minutes, stupid yes, fair no, not without any proof or intention to show proof, its only fair to do so, especially when gw and fw have done far worse in the past and present yet nobody batters an eyelid at that.

But because its chapterhouse and there recent activity with gw the large majority of dislike of there product has nothing to do with quality.


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

Sakura_ninja said:


> I would not consider it fair to claim you can do better in 5 minutes, stupid yes, fair no, not without any proof or intention to show proof, its only fair to do so, especially when gw and fw have done far worse in the past and present yet nobody batters an eyelid at that.
> 
> But because its chapterhouse and there recent activity with gw the large majority of dislike of there product has nothing to do with quality.


just maybe its just that someone simply dosnt like their products :dunno:


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

khrone forever said:


> just maybe its just that someone simply dosnt like their products :dunno:


And that's fine, i dislike allot of things out there, but I don't claim I can do better in 5 minutes and show no proof of it.

I dislike an awful lot of recent gw models, but I can't sculpt better in 5yrs, let alone 5 minutes, so I would never claim to, otherwise I would be rolling in money.


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

i dont think it was an actually claim, more like a statement of how much he didnt like them, but i could be wrong


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

khrone forever said:


> i dont think it was an actually claim, more like a statement of how much he didnt like them, but i could be wrong


Even so the claims are a little daft "like a block of green stuff with random cuts in them", bit extreme really, and being "they barely even and misshapen" come on, anyone can see there not actually that bad, no worse than gw products, and this isn't a giant company, its blokes DIY-ing them


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

> its blokes DIY-ing them


and i believe thats the problem


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

khrone forever said:


> and i believe thats the problem


I dont see why, there are plenty of companies out there that are small operations, in a shed, this is no different really, you can't expect top quality A grade bits, honestly even GW can't provide that or even FW, and they are major companies


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

but if you are selling a piece of sculpting as a parasite company, it might be a god idea to make your stuff well, otherwise people wont buy it


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

khrone forever said:


> but if you are selling a piece of sculpting as a parasite company, it might be a god idea to make your stuff well, otherwise people wont buy it


And if your selling a piece of sculpting as the creator company (GW) it might be also a good idea to make your stuff well, otherwise people won't buy it.

And you can't deny gw has sculpted some right dregs even recently, you can't knock an independent company doing this small time when a big company doing it as a business also has allot of failures, its unfair.


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

Sakura_ninja said:


> And if your selling a piece of sculpting as the creator company (GW) it might be also a good idea to make your stuff well, otherwise people won't buy it.


or it is just a clever buissness plan, so a couple of months after a main release they release some nice tasty looking units and people will think, that looks cool, ill buy one. but lets get a couple of other units to go with it........and a character......and then they start another army



Sakura_ninja said:


> And you can't deny gw has sculpted some right dregs even recently, you can't knock an independent company doing this small time when a big company doing it as a business also has allot of failures, its unfair.


i can if i want to, if i dont like some of their models/sculpts then i will knock them


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

I don't see how your first point relates to quality sculpting, if gw sculpts 100 amazing models and 100 bad ones, and you buy a squad of amazing ones and you buy a new army?

That has nothing to do with quality, and its not a clever ploy, necrons for example, if I buy imotekh (amazing model) I won't buy flayed ones (5 bad models) so that ploy failed.

And its fine to knock a company, but it pays to look at what others fail at before unloading on them, Cus you can say these heads are crap all day, these heads probably molded by a couple of guys in a shed, but you should first look at how badly a major company spending millions a year fails first before passing judgement


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

> That has nothing to do with quality, and its not a clever ploy, necrons for example, if I buy imotekh (amazing model) I won't buy flayed ones (5 bad models) so that ploy failed.


no, but someone might by a triarch stalker, then Imoteck, then some warriors, then some imortals etc. which would have been a good ploy



> And its fine to knock a company, but it pays to look at what others fail at before unloading on them, Cus you can say these heads are crap all day, these heads probably molded by a couple of guys in a shed, but you should first look at how badly a major company spending millions a year fails first before passing judgement


i will knock any company that makes a bad model/release, and will praise them when they do something good.

for example kromlech (or something like that) have recently made some awsome running IG legs, which i duly gave them credit for, whereas these heads i don't like, so i will say so


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

So the good ploy is to make people buy your good models, and ignore the bad models, but continue to make them...that seems...flawed.


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

no the ploy is to make people buy any models, and if they dont buy some models, they will probably spend money on other models in the range


----------



## HOGGLORD (Jan 25, 2012)

I think what he means is that the good models will seem better next to the bad ones. Flayed ones aren't horrible models, not amazing, but not bad.


----------



## GrizBe (May 12, 2010)

"The hate against Chapterhouse has nothing to do with their quality" ?

:laugh:

So you've forgotten about the stumpy legged farseer, the 'hideous blobs' studded shoulder, and the ' that looks like badly casted plasticard' conversion kits?

Seriously... people think I hate CH because of the lawsuit... NO, I hate them because the guy who runs it is a dick who came on these forums and started to threaten to sue people some time ago for libel when the case was first starting to be discussed.

Now... I've nothing at all against 3rd party companies making add-on accessories... heck, I like kromlech and puppets wars stuff alot for instance... but face it, Alot of CH stuff looks like what GW was making 10 or more years ago. Compare it to other companies stuff, like the afore mentioned Kromlech and PW, and CH's stuff is just not quality goods.



HOGGLORD said:


> I think what he means is that the good models will seem better next to the bad ones. Flayed ones aren't horrible models, not amazing, but not bad.


Thats a good point.... Personally, I hate the new flayed ones, I think the old ones looked a thousand times better. However, the new ones are vastly superior in design and quality compared to the older ones. I just think the look crap.


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

Problem is if some of CH models look like ones GW made ten years ago, allot of characters are still models from 10 years ago.

Modern stuff ain't so great either though.
Jarran kell
Master of ordnance
Ogryns
Ratlings
Draigo
Crowe
Dreadknights
Stormraven
Jakaero
Flayed ones
C'tan
Tomb blades
Dante
Mephiston
Sanquinor
Lemartes
Tigurius
Cassius
Cyberwolf
Ulrik
Lukas
Canis
Logan
Grey hunter standard bearer
Urien
Lelith (why is the art so gorgeous but model is a tranny)
Hellions

All just as bad if worse than allot of things I've seen


----------



## SavageConvoy (Sep 21, 2011)

I actually like a few of the heads, but for the most part I'm not too impressed. I've seen much better modifications with some spare head antennas and target locks. 
And really the heads were probably the least important thing that people wanted kits for. Legs, arms, body, jetpacks, or weapons. I would prefer any of those to the heads.

Really I can't say for quality. They look decent, just not really something I'd jump up to go get.


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

Sakura_ninja said:


> Problem is if some of CH models look like ones GW made ten years ago, allot of characters are still models from 10 years ago.
> 
> Modern stuff ain't so great either though.
> Jarran kell
> ...


ones in green i like, most of the others i dont know so cant comment on

and this is personal opinion..................what we are currently stating


----------



## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

Sakura_ninja said:


> Problem is if some of CH models look like ones GW made ten years ago, allot of characters are still models from 10 years ago.
> 
> Modern stuff ain't so great either though.
> Jarran kell
> ...


Oh for fuck's sake. It's subjective. Aesthetics are entirely subjective. If you're saying they're disproportionate, or, like Lelith, a "tranny" (bordering on offensive language there, but whatever) then fine, but merely saying you don't like the look is unimportant to ANYONE but yourself. We're discussing the CHS Tau heads here, not Sculpting 101.

Additionally, Mephiston dates from the 90s, Lemartes the same era, and Cassius, C'Tan and Jarran Kell - these are not recent models, by any appreciable application of the term.

Back on-topic - the Red one looks funny, it may be the painting, but the lines aren't crisp. I like the bottom left one. Very Mass Effect. The third looks like a Tau with an Iron Gob upgrade...


----------



## Sakura_ninja (Apr 29, 2012)

Tranny is no more offensive fuck
Mephiston was re-released, so its modern now
Lemartes, you might wanna check that as his model is brand new.


----------



## khrone forever (Dec 13, 2010)

so making something in resing counts as making it modern, the sculpt was still from the 90's


----------



## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

Ah yes, Lemartes is a new model now, I forgot. Me making a mistake means what with regards to your post?


----------



## SavageConvoy (Sep 21, 2011)

There is so much butthurt resonating in this thread. It's an optional bit for a freaking head on an old blocky unit that everyone complains about being poorly made. There is no point arguing over the point for so long. It's a shallow thing to say, but looks is all that matter. And that is a very subjective issue. Some will hate it some will love it. You can't change a persons nature in this regard. I for example love the blocky look to suits vice a smoother look. I'm not wrong, nor is anyone who likes the smoother designs.

Tl;dr Like it or loathe it, just deal with it.


----------



## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

I am inclined to agree with Savage here. Get over it people. This isn't a Chapterhouse love/hate thread, it is about a new product they are offering. Discuss the product itself instead of derailing the thread entirely. If you have already offered your opinion of the product and why you have that opinion and can't think of anything else to say but a regurgitation of that opinion, you have said enough.


----------



## hungryugolino (Sep 12, 2009)

One good head in an entire batch is still an improvement on the Chapterhouse standard.


----------



## Deneris (Jul 23, 2008)

I actually like the looks of all of them, and it's a fair sight easier just to swap in a few heads than entire FW resin bodies for a distinctive look. BUT that's just my opinion, and everyone in here should be a tad bit more respectful of ANY opinons posted...


----------



## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

Diversity is the spice of life, and on that basis chapter house has my support.


----------



## the-ad-man (Jan 22, 2010)

*not everyone agrees with me, this cannot be!!!*

this thread makes me laugh, can we put the teddy back in the pram now?

my original 'meh' was because of the mediocre sculpting/casting quality (some of the edges are down right wonky, don't say its because CH are a small studio when others can do just as well) 
generally, they are too busy, too much detail crammed onto these heads works against the sleek aesthetic of the tau.


perhaps future chapterhouse releases shouldn't be posted here as people clearly cannot handle it.


----------



## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

jee i was about to say what happened to all the supportive people on heresy?

i think good on them for doing their own thing and trying to do something they like, so what if some people dont want to buy them, this thread isnt for you, its for the people that appreciate the work that goes into it, and like their stuff, if ya dont like it, keep your opinion to yourself.

and in my opinion im not impressed with most of the forgeworld stuff. The last kit i got you can see where the plasticard joins are, the back end of the tank had a MASSIVE mold line and not to mention the turret ring had to be filed considerably for it to fit into the bit they cast.

i say good on them, to me they look good. Some people may not like the look, but that doesn't mean they are bad sculpts.


----------



## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

By the time I'd finished reading the trolling I'd forgotten what the heads even looked like...

I suppose they'd be fine for marking out commanders/sergeants but then you can do that already with paint and other bitz, so shrug. The entire model needs redoing, not just the head.


----------



## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

dirty-dog- said:


> if some people dont want to buy them, this thread isnt for you, its for the people that appreciate the work that goes into it, and like their stuff, if ya dont like it, keep your opinion to yourself.


I think you'll find that if this were actually the case, Heresy (and forums in general,) would be empty wastelands, the same dozen people circle-jerking over the same couple of things, and little or no mention of GW releases...

There is nothing wrong with stating your opinion on the subject at hand if it is negative. If you don't like it when people do, then perhaps ignoring it would work better than passive-aggressive comments.


----------



## SavageConvoy (Sep 21, 2011)

And I like to think negative comments help the business become better. If the people at CHS sees that nobody is ordering the items they would just assume nobody wants Tau bits or it's not popular. If they see people comment on things like too messy, too much on a small piece, and not the bit we want then they can take the message to heart and try to make better products.
With things like this you can't just look at it with rose-tinted beer googles and tap your clogs together to make things better. You have to actually try to find out what the fans find lacking from GW and FW to offer a better product.


----------



## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

well i suppose that is a very good point SavageConvoy, 

but when it comes to people saying i can do better than that in 5 mins, that isnt constructive criticism. thats just people putting them down to make them feel better about what they can achieve. 

and @ TheKingElessar i suppose that is another very good point. i think i got caught in the moment because im trying to start my own business at the moment and its hard to get the kind of comments that are helpfull. And i guess i joined the forum for the wrong reason then.....


----------



## TheKingElessar (Mar 31, 2009)

dirty-dog- said:


> well i suppose that is a very good point SavageConvoy,
> 
> but when it comes to people saying i can do better than that in 5 mins, that isnt constructive criticism. thats just people putting them down to make them feel better about what they can achieve.
> 
> and @ TheKingElessar i suppose that is another very good point. i think i got caught in the moment because im trying to start my own business at the moment and its hard to get the kind of comments that are helpfull. And i guess i joined the forum for the wrong reason then.....


I don't know if there IS a wrong reason to join a forum, apart from 'to troll' - and even then, it might be the right reason for you.

I understand what you're saying, but the thing is (it appears to me, with no experience in this) that you need to separate the criticism of your work from yourself. As a writer (occasionally) I suppose it's the same thing - people hating your stuff is difficult, because it's a PART of you, de to the emotional investment - but you need to shrug it off, soldier on, and understand the NATURE of their criticism. You can't please everybody all the time, and trying is pointless - but if you don't listen to and accept criticism either, then you'll become too insular and end up ignored.

Hope my pseudo-wisdom helps.


----------



## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

dirty-dog- said:


> well i suppose that is a very good point SavageConvoy,
> 
> but when it comes to people saying i can do better than that in 5 mins, that isnt constructive criticism. thats just people putting them down to make them feel better about what they can achieve.
> 
> and @ TheKingElessar i suppose that is another very good point. i think i got caught in the moment because im trying to start my own business at the moment and its hard to get the kind of comments that are helpfull. And i guess i joined the forum for the wrong reason then.....


you should also remember that heresy online isnt a chapterhouse focus group here to provide feedback on there models, this is an internet forum,which means people will say things like "those look shit" or "wouldnt waste my money on that crap" because people can and will give an honest(or dishonest) opinion without any thought to why they dont like the models in question, And why shouldnt they? yes, its great to list your reasons for disliking something but its unlikely that at this stage any changes would be made to the sculpts or that the comments will be taken on board for future models of the same type,plus to make matters worse Chapterhouse is considered a parasite by many people on boards like ours and its law suit with GW is blamed for the slow or non-release of certain GW kits, so peoples opinions of there models will be swayed by that, add to that the ever present quality comparison with the host company GW and people are always going to scrutinize every release CH see to put out, plus CH's cause wasnt helped by the owners cock sure "fuck you" attitude about the legality and quality of product CH started producing when they came on to the scene a while back, people on forums have long memories.

I dont think the heads are too bad, they could be better sculpted,they look sufficiently tau-like to pass, I dont think they are breaking any ground with them. If i had a Tau army i would consider buying them to give some models a different look.


----------



## SilverTabby (Jul 31, 2009)

Leaving aside my thoughts on the fact that 40k is not open-source material, those heads are not something I would consider buying, even if I were a Tau player. The lines are not clean and sharp as Tau stuff should be, they are far too busy and crammed with superfluous 'bits', and just don't fit the aesthetic of the battle suit in my opinion. They draw far too much attention from the rest of the figure.

The painting on them doesn't help their cause any, either.


----------



## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

@ Bitsandits,

I just looked at some of the older threads about them, and i would have to say it has changed my opinion on them already after reading a few posts. i can understand why people dont like them now.


----------



## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

No thanks please


----------



## Adramalech (Nov 10, 2009)

dirty-dog- said:


> i think good on them for doing their own thing and trying to do something they like, so what if some people dont want to buy them, this thread isnt for you, its for the people that appreciate the work that goes into it, and like their stuff, if ya dont like it, keep your opinion to yourself.


----------



## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

Lol, Sanity is for the weak my friend, by the way nice pick to go with that


----------



## Firewolf (Jan 22, 2007)

>> CH does some ok stuff, but personally I dont liike these heads, for a lot of the reasons already posted eg too shabby round the edges. If I played Tau, i wouldnt buy these horrible blocks of shite.:so_happy:


----------

