In that we agree, the TK are so far above them that there is no comparison.
These look pretty bad in my eyes. A strange cross between Necrons, undead, Tyranids and ugly.
I think they’re still much better than the three Vampire Counts-based armies though, and some of these I think would look pretty decent as part of Tomb King unit conversions if one has missed out on the original stuff and is willing to put the time into it. This chap for example would look great as the priest on a converted Casket of Souls:
These chaps would be good as Ushabti with extra hand weapons as a horde blender (yes I’ve just started reading the To b Kings book I received in the post yesterday) or, in the case of the one at the bottom, with Great Weapons (you’re right
@NIGHTBRINGER, these chaps do have a Tyranid feel with their 4 arms - perhaps giving them spare Tyranid Warrior heads would make them a bit more bestial and Ushabti-like):
And these chaps would make good Tomb Guard with hand weapons and shields - I agree with
@Aginor that the faces do look odd, but bearing in mind GW now sell a massive pack of skulls, I’m sure this could be amended pretty simply without having to buy VC Skeletons:
As for this new Mortarch, yes I can foretell right now he is going to be horrifically expensive, but the fact that he looks quite like a statue and his large size means that he might make a good Necrolith Colossus or Heirotitan conversion, again if you’re willing to put some effort in:
Also the various heralds/servants/bootlickers would make fun little extras in a Tomb King army - I can certainly see that chap with the scroll following in a Tomb King’s footsteps.
And the best news is that we haven’t even seen all the models yet, so I’m interested to see what else GW cooks up for them.
I agree that on face value these chaps cannot replace Tomb Kings, and that they do look strange in places, but personally I think they look so much better than the Vampire Counts-based stuff GW have filled the Death Grand Alliance with until now, and as I mention above, if one were to do some kitbashing, paint them with gold and turquoise armour and give the bone bits a Seraphim Sepia wash to make them look as if they’ve been lying around in the desert for a few millennia, they would look a lot more Tomb-Kingy (bear in mind I missed out on the old stuff, so anything that has some sort of similarity to a Tomb Kings unit looks much more inviting from my position, especially as I’m certainly willing to kit bash and convert to meet those goals). Between these and Mantic’s Empire of Dust range, I think I could be pretty much sorted if I wished to actively collect a physical army.
EDIT: I've also found that because these cavalry are too large and well-armoured to be horsemen, perhaps they could be proxy Necropolis Knights (considering the original sets are so damned expensive on EBay now), as Necropolis Knights only have 1 less Movement than Skeletal Steeds, and this could be explained by their larger size and bulk?
Tyranid toxin sacs could be stuck somewhere on the monstrous horses to give them poisoned attacks as Necroserpents have, and these chaps have better-looking heads than the infantry do (no Joker grins).
