Dark Eldar Reaver. A new design for Craftworld Eldar Jetbikes. Pics

GW has been doing alot of cool work it seems this past year. Today we have evidence that GW models are being thought out and designed even with future products in mind. The Dark Eldar Reaver.
While designing the Dark Eldar Reaver Jetbike, they simultaneously designed the craftworld jetbike which was apparently flagged for a new model in the future. When GW shows such thought put into our products, they really do make long time 40k players very excited. Here is what they said about designing Reavers and of course some pics.

Jes: The Reavers are perhaps the best example of the similarities and differences between Craftworld and Dark Eldar design. The Craftworld jetbike design was looking dated and had been earmarked for a future remake, so it made sense to work on the designs simultaneously. Although the basic layout of the chassis, the carapace, the rider position, the fins and the weapon pod would stay constant, the styling had to reflect the divergence of the two factions from a common root. A common chassis with maquette rider was produced as the first stage.

Two prototypes were sculpted onto the basic chassis: one Craftworld and one Dark, shown here. Where the Craftworld bike would feature lots of aerodynamic cowling and a uniform look, the Dark Eldar version needed to look more stripped back and 'sharper'. Fins that were blades reflected the fact that the bike itself was the weapon; pierced carapaces used negative space to change the silhouette; concave rather than convex surfaces linked the bike design to the Raider hull. The small pop-up targeter on the top of the carapace was added at this stage, even though it started as a pencilled-on panel line.

The Reavers themselves borrowed heavily from real world bikers and the core elements of the Wych designs. The racing leathers were based on the Wych bodysuits with armour over the chests; the blank helmets were a development of the masks. The hinged neck guard made them look more aerodynamic when seated and served to provide protection for the neck in the arena. Alex Hedstrom joined the project to digitally sculpt the riders, using the computer scans of the Wych plastics as a basis. The Reavers were given standardised fittings at the neck and shoulder so that they would interchange with the Wyches.

More concept work followed, variant fins, intakes and carapaces were worked up. The Reaver bike had to be customisable to reflect the individual riders. The carapaces themselves were the most dominant part of the design, so they varied the most; we imagined that the different piercings would give each bike a different sound as they swept past the arena faithful, each rider having a sonic 'signature'