40 Years of Warhammer: Miniature Retrospective – The Vyper
Games Workshop is back with a look back at some iconic models. This is a salute to the Eldar Vyper!
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Warhammer and Games Workshop is taking some time to look back at miniatures that had a big impact on their work. The Vyper was a first for Games Workshop as it brought curved plastic panels AND clear plastic canopies to the mix.
The Eldar Vyper
” The Aeldari are a graceful race with a sleek aesthetic quite unlike the bulky brutalist shapes of Imperial tanks or the ramshackle creations of the Ork Mek Boyz, and the kit needed to reflect this. While the overall shape of Eldar technology had previously been set with plastic jetbikes that came out in the mists of 1991, with the same oval cowlings and wraithbone fins that would help define the rest of the range, seeing it elegantly refined in detailed plastic was a game-changer.”
The Vyper and the Falcon Grav Tank really brought a unique and updated look for the Eldar at the time. These two vehicles helped to set the stage for the rest of the line of miniatures and their impacts are still seen to this day. The influence of the Vyper can even been seen on more modern kits like the current jetbikes in the Aeldari range but also in the Harlequins and even the Drukhari vehicles.
The Vyper kit still holds-up and that’s really a testament to the originality of this kit. As I’m looking at the Vyper compared to the newer models I do wonder if it could use an update. But really the only things I can think to change would be the gunner in the back — there’s really not much that needs to change for the Vyper. Why mess with perfection?
This one goes out to the Eldar Vyper — an inspiration for an entire range of vehicles!
