After building nearly all the new Cities kits, here are some thoughts:
I've just completed building the Gate Gargants, so with that, I've built every one of the new kits with the exception of the Pyrocaster and Deathknell mage. Here are my ratings and some quick thoughts after building all of this over the last week or so.
Freeguild Gallants: 7/10
Very easy kit to put together. There are some poses for them which stand out (derogatory) when you have more than one of them. The bannerman in particular comes to mind as a very "samey" kind of feel, but really I think the kit as a whole looks good. Lots of interchangeable parts and of course, compatible with the Cavaliers, so you can really go nuts on a theme for them, which I wish I would've leaned harder into. Imo, worth having at least two units. Glad I have 3.
Freeguild Grenadiers: 3/10
As with many new GW kits the mono-pose really holds them back, particularly in regards to bizarre build orders. Things like attaching a crotch to a back with a head so you can then put on one arm which holds half a weapon. The good news is, they look awesome, and can't be reinforced. Some psycho will no doubt run a Grenadier-heavy list, and that psycho may be me, but as soon as I finished building the kit I was relieved I didn't have to build another right away. Also notable, some of the worst mold lines/slippage in recent memory.
Gate Gargants: 6/10
Incredibly straightforward kit with zero extra bits, which was somewhat of a shock since every other kit at least has some extra heads or weapons, or even a Gargoylian to slap on the base. Not here. Thankfully the Gargants go together pretty easily. Everything here was simple to do, but I was itching to get through with them perhaps because there was no part of the build I would call "exciting." A few sub-assembly parts here I'd recommend painting before entirely gluing together. I did glue the Scattershot Cannons to their operators, but I left them unattached to the carriage. You could do the opposite; gluing the Scattershot Cannons to the carriage and then leaving the operators separate. That's probably the smarter move. I like this kit, it's fun and unique and the Gargants look great, I just wouldn't be excited about building a second.
Dawner's Triumph: 7/10
Some weird attachments here, but for a floating island you might expect that. There are quite a few bits to glue to the underside of the island, and telling exactly where those parts go was confusing for me, but I don't think I made any mistakes so that's a plus. Incredible amount of extra bits here, and worth building this piece before you build the rest of you army purely to use some of the candles, skulls, parchment, bowls, coins, etc. that come with it on the bases or models of the rest of your army. I used quite a few of the extra bits to adorn by Cogfort, which made me giddy. Also, the helmet, column, and floating rock are all separate pieces, so customization is very accessible.
Erazmus Zonn the Enlightened One: 9/10
Great model. Smaller than I thought it would be. About the size of a Cavalier Marshal with a less elaborate base. Rider and wings can remain unattached for sub-assembly painting, which I recommend at least leaving the wings off. No real interchangeable parts or fun extra bits, that's fine. Super fun model, I love it and I'm very excited to paint it. Feels different; the Lumineth influence on Erazmus is obvious and I think that helps make the kit stand out.
Mallus Forgepriest: 5/10
Cool model with an extra head option. Exactly what you want for a minor foot hero. The war hammer attaches in a very ridiculous manner, but I'll build another one for sure. Even if to just put on my Cogfort.
Jorvan Kreel, Heir to the Kraken: 5/10
Cool pose with a cool cat, but some weird attachments, particularly with the shield and the hair. Glad I only need one, but small enough and simple enough to not be a pain for a hobbyist of any level. The panther goes together in two halves, so no need for any brainpower there.
Finally, the Cogfort: 10/10
Incredible kit. Tons of optional bits, lots of customization, even just picking which side you want stuff to be on. Feet can lean in different ways giving an army of 5 of them a lot of cool movement. Turrets can turn, ramps can extend or withdraw, there's even snap-on bits that can articulate. They'll stay down when closed, they'll stay up when opened. Incredible stuff I hope GW continues to explore, especially since Gundam kits have had this feature for approximately three centuries. Some weird stuff like "glue this door onto this brick wall I guess" or some floating bits that have unclear connection points, but it's fairly obvious where everything goes, just make sure you do plenty of dry-fitting before you glue anything down. Lots of sub-assembly options. I recommend not gluing the Arco-Combuster cauldron on the back or the tassets on the sides. You can glue down the roof if you have no intention on painting the inside as well. In all, glad I have two Cogforts and I have a feeling I'll end up with more. The full Army of Renown will look incredible on the table if done well.
In addition, 6 crew members which can be easily kit-bashed with extra stuff from other kits, left off completely, or replaced with others. The crew will be the most fiddly part of painting. I was going nuts painting the Ironweld Great Cannon, so this may break me. Although I'm incredibly excited to make unique Castellan-Captains and give them names and personalities that reflect their Cogforts. I expect to see many a Cogfort wandering the Realms mysteriously crewed by ghosts, and I don't mean Nighthaunt.
Overall I'm very pleased with the new kits. I feel like beginners may struggle with some aspects, and regardless of your experience level I would recommend just taking your time with them. I missed some steps here and there, confused a couple of parts up other places, but I was able to make corrections and build everything correctly in the end.
I know a lot of people go back and forth about the level of skill required to paint this army, and having painted about 3,100+ points of humans before all the new kits came out, I will say that the army is very fun to paint but it's also laden with details that can exhaust even the most patient painter.
I'm not sure I would say Cities of Sigmar is an army to dip your toe in considering both the cost of the units point-wise and the level of attention the army demands of you. I think the models and the army as a whole really shine if you can dedicate yourself to it and find the joy in painting as you complete your army because the line is truly so beautiful that it deserves some care and attention to detail.