The Avatar of Khaine is one of the all-time Warhammer classics – a flaming colossus born from the shards of a dead war god, who casts down its foes in great bursts of incandescent fury. The trouble is, he’s been around the block, and his model – once so huge and imposing compared to the rivals of its time –has long since been dwarfed by foes and friends alike.
That all changes this weekend, when a gigantic new Avatar arrives for pre-order, ready to reassume his position as the lord of the battlefield. But what does it take to update such an icon? Two heavyweights of the Warhammer Studio, Ben Jefferson and Jes Goodwin, have been kind enough to provide us with a designer’s commentary.
Jes Goodwin: We went back to basics. This wasn't a complete reinvention – we wanted to do the best version of the same Avatar that we've done through the years. The first one was only 40mm tall!
Apart from the added presence of making him properly daemon-sized, we didn't want him too big. We wanted that George-versus-the-dragon thing of putting a smaller figure up against a much larger monster like the greater daemons of Chaos.
This time around, we did three helmets. The classic is the helmet and the spear, but in the original background, it was noted that he has multiple weapons – including a multi-bladed axe. I spent years thinking about how to design one without just making it into a mace, and in the end I just drew a really fancy axe. It was only later that I realised I'd actually drawn one with three blades!
Ben Jefferson: The idea of a daemonic face was something that came later. One thing I really like about this design is the difference between the lava plates and the fiery body itself. Its skin is like magma, while the armour plates are smooth with runic detail. It offers some real textural contrast.
Jes: He has the runes of all the shrines – the different Aspects – around him… And you've still got that whole thing about waking him up by sacrificing the Young King.
The Avatar offers something for painters, too.* Obviously we have an 'Eavy Metal version, but it's going to be really interesting to see how many different takes there are on this.
For an Aeldari army, the centrepiece has to be the Avatar. He may not be as big as the Wraithknight, but he is your focal point. He should really sit in the middle better than anything we've had before.
Ben: Posing-wise, the model had to make a feature of the bloody hand of Khaine. It couldn't be hanging by its side and dripping on the floor…
Jes: As if you weren't going to spot who he is to begin with. ‘Look at my hand!’ I mean, you're on fire, you've got that helmet…
Jes: That old Avatar is so old now. I look at it and in my head I'm just shouting ‘big feet!’ But this new version shares the same vision we've always had – this image has always existed. This time around, it was about doing that image justice.
It's an awesome outcome. When you're designing, you have something in your head – how close you get to that can almost be random, sometimes. But this is the best iteration of the Avatar we've ever done. This character has been around almost since Rogue Trader.
This has been a lifetime job. And I'm lucky enough to have had a bunch of talented people around me, people who want to work on that model, who want to make it the best version it can possibly be.
Pre-order your own Avatar of Khaine this weekend, alongside the hard-hitting Shining Spears, a versatile Autarch, and the new Combat Patrol: Aeldari. Do you have any of the classic Avatars in your collection? Show us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
* Want to see the Avatar given life by a selection of awesome painters? Keep your eyes on Warhammer-Community.com.