Since Games Workshop's Smaug will surely be the center of attention this week, I thought it would be interesting to poll people's opinion on what disappointment(s) would cause them to NOT buy the model.

I'm assuming for the purposes of this poll that the price point isn't prohibitive and that you are intending to buy the model if it meets your expectations. We already know the price, what we don't know are the rules, scale, sculpt, or material.

Please pick your top two.

I am sure the model won't be suitable for gaming. I will not buy Fine Cast ever.

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At $490, it would have to be massive. So massive that Finecast wouldn't even be an option to make it in. Being massive, it would have PLENTY of room for details. If it weren't the insane price, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

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I loled when I read this.

1-Price. Never in my life no matter the size will I pay $500 for even a series of models at one time. Let alone one....which leads me toooooo.....

2-Ability to game with it. Its not going to exist. It will never be fit in an army other than a scenario. And I believe many tournaments are going to specify No Smaug. He's going to be more powerful than the Balrog. Anything under 750 pts would astound me.

Even if he can make it in a large scale game, the game will be turned into an hour of boredom with fifty dice rolls where he either wins fights, kills whords, or takes attacks from enemies and doesnt get hurt. Wash rinse repeat. Ive seen it in games with smaller models, and its dull. 10 x as worse with this thing. Which leads to...

3-Inadequate rules/non interest of gaming I doubt this thing will have a good rule set. It might be cool, but at its scale it will be a burden rather than fun for anyone not all about the movies.

4-Model size. Its already difficult enough to store my collection. Why would I want a model I need the space of a soccer ball to store. I have a dog, I plan on having a kid in the future. I dont wanna put this thing in a glass case in a closet somewhere.

5-Finecast. Need I say more?


Lol. I have no interest and I find all the excitement funny and interesting for anyone expecting to game with this. I understand for painting, modelling, collecting, etc....but nothing else.

PS-AW man, I can only select two options!? Hahhaa

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Is the price confirmed?

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Sort of... But I've heard some rumours about him being able to used in a game..
But it's the price that's too much for me, I'm sort of broke, I guess. So, if I had th money I would definatly buy this dragon.

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Firstly, Finecast. If I'm paying £300 for a dragon I expect it not to sag under it's own weight in the mild english summer. I expect it to be free from defects and to be absolutely perfect. Any minor flaw is unacceptable at that price. This level of quality can only be achieved by actual high quality resin, or Plastic injection moulded sprues. It cannot be achieved with finecast. There is always some sort of imperfection, even if it's small and irrelevant, on the 28 mm tall figures. On a three foot dragon, yeah no.

Secondly, sculpt. If it's just Smaug in erebor, I'll buy the Weta version and save myself the hassle of painting it, mucking up, and trying again - never to really do it justice. It needs to be practical. By which I mean, if I try to use him to burn down a miniature village, with a bowman in it carrying an outragously large arrow, will he still be swimming through gold, or will he be in a more neutral pose? At £300, he needs to fulfil my needs exactly, or I'll spend that money, time and effort elsewhere.

I agree with everything Creaky said.
For myself if the model is resin I'm not touching it, if it's flawed (and plastic) I'm returning it, if the pose is bad I don't want it.

I want a pose that is aggressive enough to look good on a Table-top or as a display piece, which if I purchase Smaug is what he'll be doing 99.9% of the time

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Well, personally i will buy it, as someone else commented on another thread, one day you will not be able to buy it. It will be sort after. Look at Weather Top, yes by FW but made of resin and its price has risen because you can no longer buy it.

I'm pretty sure its going to be made of plastic IMO and talking to GW staff (yes i know they are not the best informed) The price has yet to be announced.

Another way of looking at it is, hope it has a really high price and only a limited run, buy 3 or 4 wait a few years and sell them for a good profit, wish i had done it for some of the releases! I will not be doing this by the way, not enough money and its a gamble.

I'm really pleased with the release so far, for 2 years i have been wanting a Smaug, now i am really excited and can't wait, don't care what material its made of, its a genuine licenced product, probably by the Perry Bros and will look superb, BRING IT ON GW

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

1. Sculpt.

The only way I'd spend $500 on him is if the GW model predates the final 2 legged version and instead had 4 legs:

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2014 ... 22_23Z.jpg

(very doubtful - although since there is no elk, I haven't given up all hope.)

2. Pose.

On the remote chance it is a four leg model, it has to be in a moderately useful action pose - even standing would be fine, just as long as he's not given the typical "coiled up on a mound of treasure" often associated with Smaug art.


Everything else is irrelevant.

I assume that even at it's largest it won't be all that much larger than a mumak. With wings. And a long neck. And tail.

Material will be what it will be. If finecast though I'd have it shipped to my local GW store and open it there in the presence of staff to confirm it is $500 worth of perfection before accepting receipt.

Gaming - plenty of potential for asymmetric scenarios involving the sacking of Dale/Erebor/Burning of Lake Town.

Rules - Given that it's greatest potential is for scenario play GW rules are somewhat irrelevant - just create your own to balance it for the scenario in question.



But back to #1 the probable lack of legs will lead me to source out a more suitable, and probably vastly more reasonably priced substitute.

If he is finecast I will not buy him ever, and if his rules are utter rubbish why would anyone pay that much for a model that will see almost no game time.
Also if it is a limited time only thing, I will not have over £300 to spend any time soon

I will buy it and he will never see a gaming table in his life.

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Who will buy it and not play it if they don't have near godlike painting skills?

Because you can only ever use GW official rules in your games...

I dunno why guys have so much against resin and all so concerned about godlike painting skills, you all got a bad habbits about it, FW got large kits made of resin and things even more expensive and fragile/bigger than Smaug, and see the quality of many people who paint them(all huge models have only been made out of resin)
Look for example a tyranid hierophant at 220£, every 1 afford that model at these days and I´ve seen godlike painting and extremely awfully painted ones, if this was a godlike mode painting model only to adquire I bet 90% of the hobby guys (me included) would be kicked off the mark..

There will be people who got bad painting skills and still afford it cause they can, and we got nothing to do with it..


so get use to it they will make 1 out of it and stop whinning about...

If it was a model worthy of Smaug, I might do it, but as a display piece. I cannot see it being for gaming purposes, not unless it is a plastic enormity (then how do you transport it?)
We can speculate until the wargs come home - we'll see what GW have cooked up on Saturday. It's not like I am beside myself with anticipation this time around

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Resin? No problem at all, I'd be happy with that. Forge World resin? That too, it's decent stuff and works well, with rare defects.

"High Quality Resin" (or, "The Material Formerly Known As Finecast"), no. Never. It's awful, and would probably give Smaug a miss if he came in at £100 in that material.

Also, you're incorrect with your assumption that large kits are always resin - many large model kits in a similar price range are plastic, and since GW has never attempted a $500 miniature before all bets are off. Some sources have said plastic, none have yet said resin I believe. We'll wait and see.

really we need a poll? Hasn't every other thread about Smaug fallen to this community complaining about it even though it has never been seen? You all have complained for a year about there being no Smaug. Now there is a Smaug, and guess what? You're complaining about it. Unreal.

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Totally agree. I don't mean to be rude in anyway but the fact that GW are even producing a Smaug model is something to be anticipated and enjoyed, not complained about, whatever the "game-ability" of him is. If you don't want the model for whatever reason, you don't have to get it. Simple as. But there's no point complaining about it, especially before we've even seen it or know for sure price, material, pose etc.

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I have to say I have been thinking the very same thing. Forever it seems the community has been debating the possibilities of GW giving us a Smaug and more often than not siding with the distinct eventuality that they would not release one. Well they are releasing one and come on guys we knew it would not be cheap. Either buy it or don't .. simple.

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