For future reference, when GW stop making these figures what places make good GW alternatives?

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In response to the original question, I recently emailed GW and asked virtually this exact question. There are a few elements I thought were rather obvious to make given thier importance in the book or movie, that never were (for example, Bill Ferny, or warriors of Rohan with chainmail hoods, you see tons of these guys in the movies). At any rate, I was told that ...at this time there were no plans to produce any more LOTR miniatures...
But I will say, that they did close the email saying that ...new releases are a very closely gaurded secret that not everybody at the company privvy to...

So thats straight from the horses mouth.

Without giving in to my own confirmation bias, my objective interpretation is that they likely will not be making any more LOTR figures, but do not want to come right out and say that. The new releases bit is probably in effort to not paint themselves into a corner, or lose customers by implying or saying that the line is at an end.

Hope that helps.

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I can't see there being any new LOTR minis as GW will be focused on the Hobbit and squeezing every penny they can out of that. Personally I still think there is potential to release alternative poses of existing characters, as some only have one pose currently.

I expect all the metals will be converted over to finecast to begin with (and a few will probably go OOP along the way) and who knows what will happen from there.

Not in the UK- All my local GWs (I live within easy travel of about 9) still have just as much LotR stock as before the Hobbit release.

It's all one game that can use the entire range of models, so there's no limit there to releasing models that are more associated with LotR than the Hobbit. I think the only issue is that newer (younger) SBG collectors might not get the link and see the Hobbit as a stand alone film/story/game. Creating models for LotR would then be risky as GW can't be sure that they'll sell well.

I think GW will realise that there is still alot of money to be made from releasing plastic boxsets of Rohan Royal Guard, mahud raiders, khandish cavalry etc. There are alot of things they could re-do which would be very good and popular. Surely somebody at HQ has to realise this

Plastic warriors of Arnor and such would be great.
£32.80 is way too much for me for just 1 warband of warriors.

I hope gw release loads more lotr minis and that this hobby goes on for ever and ever

High elves and numenor could do with being completely re-done

May I refer you all to King Theoden?



Its extremely unlikely GW will do any of the things people are suggesting here, as much as I would love plastic Warriors of Arnor for my Arthedain army (miniatures which I most likely will not buy anyway because they will probably cost £20 and come in boxes of 10).

We can expect to see miniatures based on the Hobbit films and little more; and, because the range is priced far too high it won't sell well and in the absence of further LOTR movies to generate hype (silmarillion, children of Hurin), GW will eventually decide (in ~ 5 years time I'd say) that the LOTR SBG is no longer profitable.

In which case, the game will at best, be relegated to specialist game status only being available Online / Direct Order / Mail Order / whatever GW calls it these days, with NO shelf space and gaming tables dedicated to it. More miniatures and books will go OOP. Or at worst, the entire range could be dropped altogether (perhaps if the Tolkien estate / whoever granted GW's licence decides that GW is no longer worthy and strips them of it).

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I that case (seems likely ) I'm going to enjoy the time I have with the system while I can!!!

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If this was to be our end then I would have them make SUCH AN END as to be worthy of remembrance

So, again, does anyone know any non-GW models that could supplement for the current range when it expires

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People have been saying that the hobby's days are numbered since 2006. The LOTR ranges survived for at least 9 years after the last movie came out. I imagine the Hobbit will do the same, and by 2024 who knows what licenses will be available for the huge universe of Tolkien.

That's true Sticky, but The Hobbit was in planning even before The Return of the King was released. Even though at that stage it was going to be a single movie rather than three.

Moving into the Specialist Games category would not mean the end of this period anyway. After all, Epic is still a firm favourite in many places and there's still a fair few around who play Rogue Trader.

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True while there are plenty of other gaming systems out there, I think the money-making potential that Lord of the Rings harbours is too great for any one company to resist. If Games Workshop were to drop the ball there are 5-6 other companies at least who'll get their lawyers on the horn trying to wrangle a license, and as Ted Dibiase (WWF) says... Everyone has a price!

I don't think we should lament a potential death of this hobby, afterall even if the above doesn't happy - there are enough figures circulating the world right now for it to live on for a good many year.

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10-25% off LOTR.

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My local GW store has been told to remove all copies of War of the Ring book.

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Harfoots-The first of the Hobbit people to cross over the Misty Mountains and enter Eriador.

Interesting, War of the Ring has now vanished from the trade order forms as well as the movement trays for it

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10-25% off LOTR.

- Model Painting Service also available.

War of the ring has been direct only now for a couple of months.

And after having 10yrs + to redo high elves, numenor, plastic RRG etc...it wont happen. The knights of rivendell are as close to a redo for high elves and numenor getting a mtd isildur model was as close as they'll ever get for a redo.

And I really cannot see them doing the current metals/ FC in plastic otherwise what is the point in making the standard plastic troops if you are just gonna release the elites in plastic aswell. It has always been GWs policy that if you want the better models, you have to pay the higher prices. He who has most money usually wins.

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I guess not even GW know how long LOTR will go on for, as long as it makes them money and the license does not expire then it will continue. As soon as sales slow and the license comes up for renewal then it will be discontinued.

Personally I buy every thing, probably have about 20 years of back log! But hope they carry on making miniatures for years to come.

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Harfoots-The first of the Hobbit people to cross over the Misty Mountains and enter Eriador.

Maybe WOTR Hobbit rulebook in the pipeline thats why the original book been taken down?? Its gonna happen as the battle of five armires couldnt be duplicated with hobbit SBG rules surely? It would have to be on a larger scale

Though releases and support went right off a cliff after 2005. (This was coincidental to a general crash in LOTR merchandise)

Some of that was entirely natural, but there was a time, between 2002 and 2003 (a heinously long time ago, argh), when going to a GW you'd see huge LOTR displays. Hell I remember standing on a street in Berlin with some cool urban sorts oohing and ahhing over the Helm's Deep display they had. Point being, LOTR was a big deal.

After that it was more about maintenance. One key reason was the assumption that The Hobbit would be along "any day now." At one point, everyone was sure the thing would debut in 2007 or 2008. Alas MGM went bust. :p

It's that waiting-for-the-Hobbit placeholdering probably affected the evolution of the game. But support does not just mean "releasing stuff" but also online and in print presence, events and so on. Those things got rarer and rarer, until months would go by without any new online articles or WD mentions.

It's just as likely that without the Hobbit being released "any day now" for so long, the whole line would have gone away in 2008/09 (when the original license ran out). It was probably more economically useful to keep the line minimally operating, fulfill their license terms than it was to shut things down in the hope of starting things up again when the Hobbit came along.

All a long way of saying: there's a reason people have been proclaiming the death of the line for six years.

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Dreaming of getting back to painting...any month now.

A hobby won't die so long as there are enthusiastic people who still persist with it. The basis of rules, formats and miniatures are there... if Games workshop stopped producing models and supporting the system, it would only encourage me personally and probably others judging by this forum, to create and convert more models and house rules etc

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