Space Slann...where are they now?

axiom

axiom

Baron
fw87tsf18slann.jpg


Space Slann - star-hopping amphibians looming large in RT, given roughly equal billing as Orks, Space Elves and abhumans. Just 12 figures were made on general release in 1987. A single unreleased Slann was mysteriously later produced:

Unreleased_-_Space_Slann.jpg


In spite of the detailed background given in RT, I have no idea who sculpted the Space Slann, how the concept was derived, or why they never appeared in 40k again. Were frogs in space just too comedic as 40k became darker? Were sales disappointing or was the studio team coerced into crowbarring the Slann in as continuity with WHFB? What's the deal with mystery frog #13 (our unreleased friend)?

And just where did they go?
 
I really wonder why all that makes the core of the multiverse (as described in the RoC tomes) has gone apart from Chaos itself, Gods of law, slanns and all, I suppose they just didn't know how to make them something else than fantasy frogs with laser guns... just like they abandonned the squats after realising the biker way wasn't the best of ways...
Truly a sad thing because there is such potential in an ancient race and things in the vein of what Sean (Ottovonbismark) did would have been grand... I dont know if the Taus were meant to somehow replace the slanns but this could have been a way I suppose, the greater good, cold blooded logic and all would have been nice (with advanced technology) that leaves us with our imagination and modelling skills I guess...
 
I think the Space Slann came from the time when 40k was going to be 'WFB in Spaaaaaaaaaace', so they were just transposing fantasy races into the future with no real direction or plan.

The real kicker was that no one in the design studio really liked Slann that much, they were already pretty much obsolete in 3rd Ed, being out of the focus range of the Old World, having a single figure per unit type for the most part. So there ended up with a half-arsed initial 40k range that no one really gave a shit about.

It's a shame, as I love 'em, and I've got a fair number, (and some converted WFB Slann) seeing Andy's painted up recently has made me want to get them finished!
 
Also, weirdly, the unreleased Slann tab looks 'earlier' datewise (with the fixed, embossed letters) than the released range (which was scribed greenstuff). Probably just a single figure made by someone in the studio, again during the 'do what the hell you want' era whilst RT was being developed.
 
If you're posting over on the FB group, you'll have seen Andy Hoare's lovely green Slann. Looks like Trish Morrison did the original 12 and the unreleased froggy.
 
Wot this lot is Andys recent Slann off of FB can be seen here? And David Woods natty red ones (sideways photo here?

Space Slann started off in WFB2 as "High Age" Slann - as they were the first intelligent settlers of the Warhammer world, and subsequently had space ships, ray-guns and whatnot in the prehistory of the setting. By the "now" of the timeline, the Slann had fallen from power, broken the warp gates, allowed raw Chaos into the world, and only the Amazons remembered how to maintain the alien tech, When Rick wrote 40k he left some hints at this, but eventually their centrality in the space version mythos got shifted to the Eldar.

So if you wanted to game earliest wars in the Warhammer setting, say Slann vs. rebelling Orc slaves, then Space Spann are a good start. IMHO that might be where GW heads after The End Times. Not with the WFB2E timeline, but with campaign sets / army updates at different points in the warhammer story (War of the Beard, Sigmar clearing out the Old World of Goblins, etc.) anyway, that's not Oldhammer!

As for why they got dropped, it's almost certainly that the sales didn't warrant their development. Space Marines sold by the boatload, Space Orks, Space Elves, Chaos, Genestealers (helped no end by Space Hulk). Imperial Guard sold. Space Slann, Space Dwarves, IG Beastmen didn't. The great simplification of the setting into cartoon caricatures of itself in 40K:2E was almost entirely commercial decisions to streamline the range.
 
axiom":t9weil2f said:
If you're posting over on the FB group, you'll have seen Andy Hoare's lovely green Slann. Looks like Trish Morrison did the original 12 and the unreleased froggy.
Click to expand...

I'm not a member of the Oldhammer FB group, but this thread has pushed me to put up a bit of a blog post about my unfinished Space Slann warband!
 
dieselmonkey":2vcydjpg said:
this thread has pushed me to put up a bit of a blog post about my unfinished Space Slann warband!
Click to expand...

And looking good they are too (even in an unfinished state).
 
Incidentally, has anyone got any duplicates? I've got doubles of Sschoi, Llamas and Scoitz, and I'm looking for Haxl, Xix and Holx.
 
Though I've read the background in RT, I've never much focused on the slaan. But having now read this thread, I confess to being quite intrigued. Especially because I loved the recent sculpt I saw on TOVB's blog. I wish there were more variety in original models and that they were sold for more accessible prices . . .
 
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