New Hobbit releases. Pre-orders Sat 22nd

Sithious · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 4:53 pm

As some may know, I work in a plastic injection molding plant and we have a full tool room / mold making building here also. I am of the mind that the sculpt, not the sales, are what dictates if the models go plastic or metal/fine cast. These helms on the Gundabads seam to have a lot of angles and undercuts, plastic would not make sharp edges of these and would look like garbage. They have come a long way with plastics, but looking at how much they have to cut a sculpt up to make them work with great detail and still have a cool pose (thus we lose room on a sprue and thus we get less in a box). I think that GW had little choice but to make some troops in what use to be metal and are now fine cast, in order to fit needs, and less models on sprues to fit the plastics they do make more dynamic. if you chopped up large model gundabads to get the angles and details to face front for injection molding, you would most likely get 8 on a sprue or less... So fine cast is about equal but with the model mostly intact.
obviously not every plant is the same, but I would at least consider that a very real possibility about what can be done in plastics. It may not make you feel all warm and cozy, but it makes sense to me.

the big goblin · Last updated 7-1-15

If it is £23 for Beorn AND the bear i'm definitly buying them.

Farmer Maggot · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:06 pm

Pre-orders are up at: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/armySubUnitCatsLarge.jsp?catId=cat970003a&rootCatGameStyle=athletic

The bad news is Beorn & bear is £30.

Looking at all the views of Girion, I think he’s a really nice model.

I like the Gundabads too.

Dorthonion · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:09 pm

The Gundabads look great.

Harfoot · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:26 pm

Just been on GWs website,Thranduil is out of stock!

Coenus Scaldingus · **Joined:** Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:14 am **Posts:** 1121

Such a shame there are no 360 views, was very interested to find if there was any angle that didn't make Thranduil look terrible.

Wait a sec, does that bear have.. mutton chops?

Galanur · **Joined:** Fri Feb 24, 2012 11:28 am **Posts:** 1389

why thran out of stock?
Why guys.... off all the gorgeous models out there, gundabad orcs and all... only the uglier model pre order and already out of stock model...

Johnnie · **Joined:** Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:14 pm **Posts:** 87

Quote:

As some may know, I work in a plastic injection molding plant and we have a full tool room / mold making building here also. I am of the mind that the sculpt, not the sales, are what dictates if the models go plastic or metal/fine cast. These helms on the Gundabads seam to have a lot of angles and undercuts, plastic would not make sharp edges of these and would look like garbage. They have come a long way with plastics, but looking at how much they have to cut a sculpt up to make them work with great detail and still have a cool pose (thus we lose room on a sprue and thus we get less in a box). I think that GW had little choice but to make some troops in what use to be metal and are now fine cast, in order to fit needs, and less models on sprues to fit the plastics they do make more dynamic. if you chopped up large model gundabads to get the angles and details to face front for injection molding, you would most likely get 8 on a sprue or less... So fine cast is about equal but with the model mostly intact.
obviously not every plant is the same, but I would at least consider that a very real possibility about what can be done in plastics. It may not make you feel all warm and cozy, but it makes sense to me.

OFF TOPIC:

Click to: Show

Sithious · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:04 pm

It may be that for GW it is cheaper to manufacture, but that has nothing to do with what they are to charge us in the end as there are always other variable including covering poor sales of other products (losses). regardless, If they had never switched from metal, I am saying that I think the decision of weather to do clam packs (metal or now fine cast) or Plastic sprue has to do with the details in the sculpt and whether plastic can produce the miniature to a high standard in that mold.
With hero models I think it is a given most of the time. That is all, just giving an alternate perspective as to the process may not be "to screw customers with finecast" it may be to give you a better model than some really bad plastic version 8 to a box (gundabads). The fine cast have been a lot better.

Seren Nishiyama · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:15 pm

How can a pre-order be out of stock?
Really?

Highlordell · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:24 pm

Indeed Beorn is £30, not a steal, but acceptable, and what most people were thinking. A the end of the day, that £15 for the bear.
I doubt Thranduil is actually out of stock, probably just a mistake, unless they've read this thread's opinion and pulled him already.

Those Gundabads look so much better with big pictures, especially the captain. :rofl:

LordoftheBrownRing · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:44 pm

I know no bashing blah blah but prices are just stupid. Not buying a thing. That being said, really nice models. But they should be.....what a waste. I wanted Beorn, and like 26 Gundabads. Looks like Im proxying morannons for fun. Or Ill re do some of my 100 Uruk Hai.

Tezzy · **Joined:** Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:42 am **Posts:** 160

Did anyone else notice how on the website they have a blurb about LotR bundles? I'm optimistically surprised they are still pushing it.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catal ... e=athletic

I doubt they are good deals or anything, but its nice to still be recognized lol.

Highlordell · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:57 pm

Tezzy wrote:

I doubt they are good deals or anything, but its nice to still be recognized lol.

The same as buying everything individually...just checked. :roll:

Highlordell · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:01 pm

LordoftheBrownRing wrote:

I know no bashing blah blah but prices are just stupid. Not buying a thing. That being said, really nice models. But they should be.....what a waste. I wanted Beorn, and like 26 Gundabads. Looks like Im proxying morannons for fun. Or Ill re do some of my 100 Uruk Hai.

Sorry to double post but did you expect anything else man? The Gundabads were obviously going to be 3 for £15.

Oldman Willow · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:03 pm

Quote:

It may not make you feel all warm and cozy, but it makes sense to me.

it makes sense to me as well.

legion wrote:

Yeah I also think the change to spears was an attempt to stop the proxying but it also could just be an attempt to be realistic. The spears they carry are way too small to be pikes (but so are the Easterlings halberds, so its not completely convicing). Though Im glad to see them get an update on thier rules. I really hope the GW starts to realize that rules sell models since most of thier customers are gamers.

The change to spears from pikes also makes sense because of the limits of fine cast. :sad:

Quote:

I really hope the GW starts to realize that rules sell models since most of thier customers are gamers

GW writes rules for new models. So no new model no new rule. No siege models for the Hobbit no siege rules. Rules sell lots of models up to a point.
Many of GW's customers are collectors or painters. Just review the forum section. Some of us almost never post in the rules and gaming sections others never post in the painting and work in progress sections. I posted 2900 times mostly in work in progress.Whafrog posted 3082 mostly in game rules. The point is that people have different interest. Most of your friends are gamers most of mine are collectors and painters. Gamers tend to collect one or two main armies and build from the rules. You only need one general so you only buy one. Collectors and painters may buy multiples of characters even of the same pose. I have over 200 ents for example.I collect paint build and game. I have the whole LOTR range. I have larger than average Armies of every faction. I can assure you collectors and painters are a huge part of GW base customers.

I do not collect fine cast. I probably no longer count as a base customer.

Sithious · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:05 pm

edit to put this in a more positive way. If you can sculpt with a bit of ability or if you shop around for a bear toy of the right scale to base off to convert a Beorn model, You have a bit of wiggle room between what I remember from the film, and this GW sculpt, and the real Bears out there with plenty of pictures showing many varieties. So if you are opting out of purchase, you may still be able to pull something off.

VRS.

Erunion · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:18 pm

Let's not "blah blah" the Forum Guidelines, folks.

I'll be purchasing the Beorn pack & Girion first. Thranduil is a pass, as I prefer the previous pose. Gundabad Orcs look great, but are pretty low on the priority list, although I will eventually end up with a warband of them and a Captain.

Lord Hurin · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:24 pm

Hmm, those new "One-click collections" list things like the Cave Troll, the Three Hunters and foot and mounted Rohan Royal Guard but mention only "plastic and finecast models." Have some things just been re-released in fc for this?

LordoftheBrownRing · **Posted:** Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:48 pm

Highlordell wrote:

LordoftheBrownRing wrote:

I know no bashing blah blah but prices are just stupid. Not buying a thing. That being said, really nice models. But they should be.....what a waste. I wanted Beorn, and like 26 Gundabads. Looks like Im proxying morannons for fun. Or Ill re do some of my 100 Uruk Hai.

Sorry to double post but did you expect anything else man? The Gundabads were obviously going to be 3 for £15.

Not true. It was never a 100%. The Mirkwood Rangers and Palace Guard came in 10s. But yeah, I held out hope. I should have learned to not do it with this stuff anymore.....oh well.

New Hobbit releases. Pre-orders Sat 22nd

Who is online