Something which became apparent early on when I first discovered CDO back with the first FW LoA sneak peaks, was how differently GW had portrayed Chaos Dwarfs through the years, and how FW, and some collectors here, sought to bring the disparate styles together.
Something related to this which I’ve come across runs something like this:
:hashut Baggronor mentions in passing an infamous hat-on-mask civil war on CDO’s fallen predecessor site Hand of Hashut. Presumably from around the Hellcannon release? Newfangled nonsense!
:hat Ashur comments with disgust on FW’s Bull Centaurs, calling them grotesque and not Chaos Dwarf at all, unlike the 4th ed big hat range. Newfangled nonsense!
:mask Blue_in_VT over on Oldhammer brings up Chaos Dwarfs as a perfect example of how weird the Warhammer world has become after 3rd edition, remarking how disappointing it was that GW turned to some unappetizing stupidity with hats and bulls. Newfangled nonsense!
Chaos Dwarf styles come and go, but some collectors’ disgust at the new miniatures remain.
4th ed. is obviously the peak of Chaos Dwarfs. What would we be without the Big Hats, Hobgoblins, Zharr-Naggrund, Bullcentaurs, Taurus and Lammasu? It's the single most iconic army summarizing the Golden Age of whfb. :)
With all respect to Oldhammer 3rd ed guys but Khorne worshipping no hat Chaos Dwarfs?! Heretics! Barbary!
To me the truth lies in the middle. I love (almost) all 4th edition´s big hats, but I also like some of Forgeworld´s models (both Daemonsmiths are absolutely gorgeous). Then again, there is a certain appeal in the faceless cruelty expressed by some of the masked CDs, like the Hellcannon´s crew or the Infernal Guards (who just need a curly beard transplant to look passable IMO)…
We were led into it by the Hellcannon crew - of course war machine crew aren’t dressed identically to soldiers anyway, but we at least got used to the idea that maybe not all CDs wear big helmets.
It was a few years before LoA models came out. But then the LoA aren’t regular soldiers, they are low in society so aren’t even worth of hats.
I’m lucky that I managed to snag enough big hats to field a reasonably sized army of them, but I also have a ton of mask conversion models that can bulk it p to a grander scale.
For the better. A coherent paintjob will bind together the most disparate models in an army, and a collection with both hats and masks tends to look more interesting overall (in the same manner Dwarf armies with Slayers catch the eye because there’s something sticking out). GW+FW had the right idea with the Hellcannon and LoA range, which also had the bonus effect of inviting back 3rd ed models among big hat armies. Chaotic mix (or at least a strict headgear hierarchy), which sounds about right for these evil midgets.
For the better. A coherent paintjob will bind together the most disparate models in an army, and a collection with both hats and masks tends to look more interesting overall (in the same manner Dwarf armies with Slayers catch the eye because there's something sticking out). GW+FW had the right idea with the Hellcannon and LoA range, which also had the bonus effect of inviting back 3rd ed models among big hat armies. Chaotic mix (or at least a strict headgear hierarchy), which sounds about right for these evil midgets. :)
Admiral
"Evil midgets" humpff a dwarf is no taller than his hat I say :hat
