Oops wrong forum

I suppose that we will know for sure at the end of the month/early December?

The finecast detail looked on par with the metal detail, which used to be far superior to plastic detail. I have seen some really nice plastic work but metal/resin still holds better detail in my opinion. I have never had any painting issues w/ metal (responding to a post earlier up the page) except that there is simply more quality detail to paint. Not sure I would list that as a 'problem' though. My only complaint with metal is that, for me, it is more difficult to do custom work with. I haven't picked up any FC still as GW just isn't really getting much of my hobby funds any more, but I have to imagine the FC are going to be easier to mod than metal. Of course...I'm going to be fearful of cracking the FC where such things never entered my mind with metal.

It is sad to realize that what is in the sales pipeline already for LotR is probably close to what we will ever see. Not much reason to go back and FC much more at this point and they're not producing more metal.

At least there are always those hobbyists that have the cash to throw into a game then when the winds change direction they dump what they had and go to the next game. In the lull between RotK and H:AUJ I found several people selling off bulk collections cheap. Every time GW support fades there's a raise in secondary market availability. Initially the secondary market remains fairly tight (as it is now) but interest there fades a little too and bargains can be found. The older armies that haven't had scope-creep support are even more of a bargain. Secondary market is where you can find nice classic metal models still but you need to be careful you aren't taken on price.

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For myself I'm looking to purchase metals so that I can "clone" them for my own personal use once GW no longer sells LOTR

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Has anyone actually asked GW about this?

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Dagster

Good point. I sent them this email this morning.




EDIT: No real news, sadly.

Good call Dags,

Its also worth noting that raw material metal prices have crashed since the boom 5 years ago. However being prone to fluctuation must still represent risk for someone running a business in case India or China stat buying again.

What about the items that are already in FineCast but have disappeared anyway (Gondor Commanders, Sharkey & Worm, Mtd Ringwraith 3 for eg) Does this imply that FC and metal will metal for LotR will be going?

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Thermo got the gondor commanders after they disappeared.

It does seem like it's getting phased out on the WFB and 40k side of things. However I don't see them making a lot of the Hobbit characters is plastic so I think they might stick with Finecast for them. Some good looking plastic characters would definitely be nice but I can't see it happening outside of the ones that'll be included in the boxset release. Assuming there is a second boxset that is. Shouldn't be that long now until we find out what the future has in store for us.

If they can release generic heroes, banners and musicians in the relevant box sets, half the problem is solved.

If they had produced themed plastic boxed set for example:

1. The battle of Azunilbizar with Thror, Thrain, Young Balin, Dwalin and Thorin vs pre hook Azog with a Gundabad captain and banner.

or

2. The Hunter Captains including mtd an ft versions of Azog, Fimbul and Yazneg.

I certainly would buy them.

Perhaps if they changed there miniature release strategy to plastic box sets with groups of figures and released several together rather than dribbling fine cast on to the market.

Also it would be an improvement if they produced a couple of plastic sprues with all the character that they were intending to release for lets say a quarter, packed into a steel mould, and cut themout and packaged them

Agreed, there's plenty of scope for plastic heroes without eating too heavily into the budget. From sets like they used to do with Fellowship, containing some heroes from both sides, a bit of scenery (and maybe pack a scenario leaflet into the box so kids can use the contents as a cheap starter), including heroes with warrior sets (The Master and Alfrid, with 10 Laketown Guards, or "Tauriel VS Mirkwood Spiders"), or even as you say, gang moulding heroes together (though this does raise the issue of one character proving more popular, having to waste resources on characters not selling. This may be solvable still, with some kind of gating system in the moulds.)

Even so, for DOS at least I'd almost guarantee finecast, if only because of the models that were designed, and maybe even produced, way back for AUJ before the late in the day split into three films.

I don't see why they cant gang mould characters that can then be sold seperately.

Well they would be, I believe that's what they were doing with the WH Fantasy Plastic heroes (at least at first, things might have changed now). It spreads the bulk of the cost (the making of the steel mold) across multiple items. Smart move.

The only issue with it is, for instance, a set of four minis - say... Legolas, Thranduil, The Necromancer and Bilbo with web covered coat. It's a bit of an extreme one, obviously, but it demonstrates the basic problem - Thranduil and The Necromancer will probably be very popular, Leggy might sell a bit less (some people might be happy to re-use their LotR versions) and Bilbo is likely to sit there till Mount Doom freezes over. So how do they restock Thranduil or The Necromancer without ending up with enough Bilbos to construct a 1/1 replica of the Death Star when they're melted down?

I would think some sort of gating tech might be plausible within the mould - I know a technology exists to allow sprues to be made with different coloured plastics (with separate sections gated off, and different coloured plastics injected separately), so I think a similar set up could reduce, or even totally remove this problem. One thing seems certain though - GW is marching towards an all plastic future, so this is something they'd need to sort out as similar problems will arise with the Big Two. (Unless they decide to be gits and just delay the all plastic future until the LOTR/Hobbit license expires and then not renew it.)

Good call creaky,

Also we really just don't need or want half a dozen Bilbo's. We have four versions (one of which has multiple modelling options) as it is, and the market really doesn.t want any more unless he has equipment upgrades or armour that is I think not going to happen!

Hampster bedding makes good spiders webs and is easily available from pet shops.

Just come across threads discussing this on other forums. I've not yet read them myself yet so I make no comment. Just reporting them here for anyone interested.

Original rumour.

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/s ... st-is-Dead

Discussion on dakka dakka.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/po ... 63112.page

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Wait up!.....

Perhaps the reason why the rest of Thorin's company in Finecast hasn't been released yet is because GW is indeed stopping Finecast. They made the descision to stop finecast so BAM anything fincecast due for release at that time was either scrapped or at least delayed.

And we know that there were more Thorin's Co miniatures to come (Finecast by the looks of them).

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More likely that they're waiting for the buzz of the new film to drive sales, and release a new fine cast Company at that time.

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I think its more likely that EFGT and the range has been a bit of a non starter (no pun intended), and that they are eeking it out in response to market drivers (sales). Also there is no way that they are going to not release a product that is ready for production.

There are plenty of products that GW intended to include in the Lotr range and were all set for production and then the plug pulled and the models never released. Beruthiel for example. Armoured Boromir without shield - the list goes ever on and on.

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