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Necromunda’s Headsman Comes For Cawdor’s Foes
June 28, 2019 by dracs
Forge World have released a new character to march in the ranks of Necromunda's House Cawdor, the sinister executioner known as The Headsman.
There are many different Executioners within House Cawdor, all identifiable by the means of justice they choose to wield. The Headsman, oddly enough, hands out flowers to kill by pollen allergies.
Or maybe he uses that massive, terrifying axe!
This appears to be an update to a sculpt that was first revealed last year. While the original sculpt was incredibly imposing, it is good to see Games Workshop have taken the legitimate concerns some people had on board. The result is a model that loses none of the character's intimidating presence, character, or close attention to detail.
All in all, this is a model that really captures the sinister nature of House Cawdor and Necromunda in general. I'm looking forward to seeing what paint schemes people come up with for this, especially as all those candles will provide plenty of opportunities for source lighting.
Let us know your thoughts on this figure in the comments below.
"The Headsman, oddly enough, hands out flowers to kill by pollen allergies."
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He must have difficulty hearing with all that wax.
Love the mini though.
I see what you did there 😉 Bravo Sir
While rather nice looking miniature I do think that this one would be even better with less candles. Those candles are example of adding detail just for sake of it and because they can.
still an impressive imposing figure.
I quite liked the cone hat the last one had, but think it was a sensible decision to alter the mini. I think removing some of the nooses definitely improves the model so on balance it’s just as good, if not better. And I agree, the concerns some people expressed were legitimate.
I too liked the original, preferred it even – very reminiscent of the Redemption Cultists who also used to be clad in pointed hats. It’s sad we live in a time where we have to consider that someone might choose to be a dick therefore we have to adapt so they don’t. I hate catering for the lowest common denominator.
I think that’s an unfair misreading of what’s happened here.
If this model had been previewed like this, none of us would have thought ‘oh, what a shame he doesn’t have the pointy hat’. We might have liked it, disliked it or felt indifferent, but no one can look at this mini and say ‘this really suffers for not having XYZ’. This isn’t like removing swastikas from models of Nazis (I understand why this happens in Germany, but it would annoy the hell out of me not being able to model Nazis as they dressed).
I still like the original redeption models and I don’t think GW would have a problem with bringing back pointy, KKK style hats in certain circumstances. Lots of GW models taks design inspiration from all sorts of ‘problematic’ sources and few people are bothered. Usually because while the inspiration may be obvious, the model itself is still something new and different.
The problem for GW with this miniature was not that they weren’t able to put out a model of a KKK nutjob and not that they weren’t able to put out a model of an SF figure that drew inspiration from the KKK. It was that they previewed a model that while obviously not intended to be a replica of a Klansman, was uncomfortably close, especially with all the nooses. And did so at a time when given what else was going on in the world made it appear that they were trolling people with the design.
The question they had to answer was essentially ‘was it our intention with this model to create a character that visually references the KKK but is still clearly something very different? or was it our intention to give people the opportunity to play the KKK in space?’ I think there’s a subtle difference.
If they’d wanted to put out a KKK model, and their audience had wanted one, they could have gone ahead. But their audience didn’t want the opportunity to play ‘KKK in space’ and GW weren’t interested in telling people that they should. So it was right to rejig the miniature so that it still very much fits in with the faction and the setting but which doesn’t needlessly rub people up the wrong way.
I don’t call that catering for the lowest common denominator.
That’s exactly what lowest common denominator thinking is. Even though it was obviously not inspired by the KKK because someone might paint it white to make it look like KKK, nobody is allowed to have the model in its original form. The person who would paint their model like the KKK is the lowest common denominator and the product has been changed such that the lowest common denominator cannot act in that way. The potential actions of the lowest common denominator is the driver for the change and so it is entirely fair to say that.
That pointed hat worn by the original model on, and that on which the redemptionist cults are based is an actual religious hat in parts of Spain – it is part of the Catholic tradition. But now, because of the possibility (not even the reality) that someone might instead paint it white like the KKK, the Capirote is completely proscribed. Because someone might be a dick, everyone else has to change.
Exactly this…
The Redemptionist aesthetic, based as it is on real Spanish/Catholic imagery, is totally awesome. Of course it has some ‘evil’ vibes to it… the guy is walking around using a giant axe to cut people’s heads off, for goodness’ sake.
I hate how because a couple Looney Tunes in the Klan co-opt the style, it’s now off-limits. It’d be like if some terrorist group started using “Winter is Coming” as a tag-line for their conspiracy theories or manifestos. Would we have to start avoiding those references too?
The whole thing reeks of them upping the drinking age for everyone because a few kids drink irresponsibly and drive into a lake. Why are my choices restricted because idiots misbehave or do stupid things? Screw the Klan.
If anyone really wanted to make this mini into a Klansman, it would take about 3 seconds, and one sprue of the plastic Frostgrave Cultists…
All that being said I do think that the one noose as opposed to three is a lot cleaner, though he could still do to lose a few candles.
are redemptionists a thing anymore in the necromunda lore?
i’d probably file back the axe somewhat as well. nether the less a nice model, which builds on the old cawdors but improves and gives more character/lore to them
No thanks.
I have to admit that i am liking this mini alot.
Much as I like the mini (and I’ll be getting one as I’m a bit of a Cawdor Fanboi).
WHERE’S THE JUVES MODELS THE GAME SO DESPARATELY NEEDS!!!!!!!
If they did them and pushed them out at £20 for 3 (like they did with the hired Guns), I’d expect nearly every Necromunda player would grimace at the price and buy them anyway. The main problem with the named NPCs like this in game is that they don’t work in a campaign (ie players buy a Ganger they can keep from game to game rather than spending a LOT on a character for just one game).
i didn’t even realise there aren’t any juve models until now!!! and now I want them…no I demand them to be made!
I’d use this as a fantasy model, especially since nothing is specifically sci fi
Like Petey9 said, it looks more like a fantasy mini than a sci fi one, except for maybe the boots.