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So, I was already excited about Cities of Sigmar. I have been excited about Cities of Sigmar since they first showed off the original model. But then there was a leak last night which forced Games Workshop’s hand and made them show off the entire model range (or much of it.) And it is glorious.

I love this Pontifex Zenestra, Matriarch of the Great Wheel a lot. It very much has the vibes of the Triumph of St. Katherine, both in the fact that it’s a little diorama, and in the fact that they’re lugging around a corpse. And it hits all the right notes for me.

The thing that I like about Cities of Sigmar’s new range refresh, or range expansion, I guess, is that it is reminiscent of The Old World’s Empire, but distinctly different. It’s still humans doing human stuff, with the occasional creature thrown in, but the look is very aesthetically unique. It is baroque and ornate in a way that makes it fit into Age of Sigmar yet still have a flavor all its own.

I was initially attracted to Cities of Sigmar with these glorious horsemen, who are magnificently ornate and yet in a way that feels somehow much more realistic. (Realistic isn’t the right word, I know, but they’re less magical and just very ornately armored.) I have NO doubt that they will be an absolute bear to paint to a good standard, but I’m sure and heck going to try.

Which is not to say that they’re entirely non-magical. There’s plenty of weird stuff going on, like these excellent models from the Freeguild Command Corps. I don’t know the backstory behind the guy with the plague doctor’s mask and selection of carving tools, and I don’t know who the ghoulish thing is sitting next to the priest (?) but they add a flash of magic that is just enough but not too much.

Take the Wildercorps Hunters. These are firmly rooted in reality. They’re not gryph-hounds, they’re just good old doggos and they look great. There is the one oversized crossbow at the top, but even that doesn’t lack historical precedent–early medieval guns were often on bipods to steady them. So it’s weird, but it’s not over-the-top.

But look at this Cavalier-Marshal. He could be straight out of the Holy Roman Empire. And I like that about the Cities of Sigmar. I like it a lot. Is he too encumbered with gear to be a realistic horse warrior? Yes, but you don’t look at him and think “That’s fantasy.”

All of which to say that this is the ONLY model in the range so far that fails to land for me. I don’t mind Freeguild Ogres–I love them. But the guy in the crow’s nest bends credulity a little far for me (there’s no way that that guy in the top with a gun would ever be able to aim at anything while strapped to the back of an ogre.) It doesn’t pass the suspension of disbelief test.

Which is not to say that I don’t love me some weird magical crap in Cities of Sigmar, because this is one of the best models to come out of Games Workshop in a long time, bar none. I think that this Lioness of Parch is universally loved–I haven’t heard a soul complain about it. Yes, the throne on its back is a little big, but assuming that the person in the driver’s seat has something to hold onto, there’s no reason to think a manticore can’t carry it. (There’s also precedent because Gobsprak, the Mouth of Mork is a very similarly shaped model with a similar throne on a similar winged creature.)

But I honestly just love these grunt infantry. Yes, they are very ornate in a way that normal grunt infantry wouldn’t be in a medieval army, but that’s okay. They fit the aesthetic of Cities of Sigmar, and they’re just great sculpts.

But this? This is gold. It is awfully reminiscent of The Empire’s creations, but the design is thoroughly Cities of Sigmar. And honestly, all of these models have so many opportunities for some great diorama/basing work that could really set them apart. There is so much flavor in these models, and I’m sure that we’ll see many of them as Golden Daemon entries in the near future.

I realize that I’m gushing, but there is no sponsorship from Games Workshop here. I just legitimately love these models. It makes me more excited for an Age of Sigmar than anything in recent memory. I thought the Seraphon range expansion was good, but it wasn’t this good. It didn’t have me ready and eager to preorder all of it.

Can’t wait to get my hands on it.