Oh Joy - Discontinued models and another price increase!!!!

[Dakkar98]

I went to the new GW Battle bunker in Bowie, MD today.
I spoke with a guy there that I have known for years from the old Glen Burnie Battle Bunker.
I asked him about Citadel Finecast, and here is the answer I got.

Q.) Is GW going to resin because it is cheaper to cast the models in resin?

A.) In the long term, it will be. There is no company in the UK that produces resin, so GW has to bring it over on a ship. That's why Forge World stuff is so expensive. Initially it is a little more expensive, but you are getting a higher quality model. He says he saw a comparison between the metal Abbadon, the citadel finecast Abbadon and the original Master for Abbadon. He said that there was so much more detail in the master that comes through in the citadel finecast that was lost when the model was cast in metal. He said GW had a choice of continuing to make the models in metal and cotinue to raise the prices as the metal used in the process continues to go up in price, or switch to resin now for a better looking model made of a material that is currently more expensive than metal, but not going to be subject to constant cost increases. He says the the price will remain at what it is at for a number of years to come.

On the mold line question.
He said that to remove the mold lines on these models you would (should) only need to lightly drag the BACK of your hobby knife over it. He said if you use the sharp edge or a file that you will likely damage the detail of (at the very least) or severly mess up (at the worst) your model. They are a finer model and require a lighter hand.

Hope that helps answer some questions.


GRAPE KOOL-AID!!! OH YEAH!!!!

[Dakkar98]

Oh!
I forgot to mention. My guy at GW knows a guy at one of the other companies (I think he said Privateer Press).
He said that in September the Whole line (PP) is getting a price increase to triple the current costs.

For all you PP people, I hope it's not true.

-Dakkar

[MagickalMemories]

PP tripling(!) prices doesn't even SOUND remotely plausible.
I reserve the right to kick myself in the *ss later, if I'm wrong. LOL

...but not going to be subject to constant cost increases. He says the the price will remain at what it is at for a number of years to come.

Respectfully, this is the point where your source lost credibility with me.


Eric

[kturock]

He lost credibility with me when it said he a long time worker for GW and a official GW voice.

GW has made crappy models since day 1. For about the same price you could buy finely detail models from Tamiya or any of the other names. GW plastics have been at least 15-20 years behind the quality of other military models.
I built every military model, except for planes, available in the 1970's; vehicle and infantry. GW's models in the 1980's paled to them then and have barely caught up with those. The metal minis are still poor. Better than the past, and about the same as other companies metal minis. but still lower quality.

[Gaijin18]

Forgeworld kits are not better quality yes the models are cool and for the price the dreadnoughts are some of the best kits I've gotten love my BT and chappy dreads but the time and effort spent at filling bubbles,,,miscast mold lines etc is horrid if that is what GW is going to for all its models in the future that sucks.

[TheRhino]

Forgeworld kits are not better quality yes the models are cool and for the price the dreadnoughts are some of the best kits I've gotten love my BT and chappy dreads but the time and effort spent at filling bubbles,,,miscast mold lines etc is horrid if that is what GW is going to for all its models in the future that sucks.

There's no real comparison between ForgeWorld and FineCast. Forgeworld is gravity-cast product from silicone moulds. Finecast is injection moulded in steel moulds. Worlds apart in terms of quality.

[HarlequinZero]

Sorry Dakkar, but I think your source is either feeding you false info or is himself being fed false info. PP tripling price on their minis? That would be out-and-out suicide. I could see some of their older product getting a slight bump to bring it in line with the more recent releases, but triple would be crazy. Although, tbh, I don't know how long PP is going to be able to keep making all their metal kits, (considering there are a crap load of them compared to most companies and their game's scale requires that you have a fair few models per army,) with tin supplies dwindling and prices skyrocketing. I wouldn't be surprised if they're having to take a long, hard look at resin themselves.

[YoungWolf777]

Just ask Dragonforge about the price of resin "not going up".

[HarlequinZero]

Oh, and as far as the mold lines your guy is probably spot on, Dakkar. A hobby knife is likely not just safer for the model, but safer for you as well. Cutting off shavings with a knife is FAR better than grinding out resin dust with a file kiddies. (and if you do need a file then make sure to have your mask on)

[s_o_r_r_o_w]

There's no real comparison between ForgeWorld and FineCast. Forgeworld is gravity-cast product from silicone moulds. Finecast is injection moulded in steel moulds. Worlds apart in terms of quality.

This is either patently false or GW has been misleading us. [<--EDIT -- I'm wrong.]

The whole point of the switch to Finecast was to be able to use a new material in the existing moulds. [<--EDIT -- I'm wrong again.]

Since metal models are presently spincast in rubber moulds, the Finecast models should be as well. [<--EDIT -- Yep--wrong.]

There would be no reason to use a new material in steel moulds--plastic has been working just fine. [<--EDIT -- This is still true.]

As for the cost and price stability issues, both statements from GW are false. Forgeworld is expensive not because of material cost, but because it is a boutique outfit and partly as a consequence of operating costs. Whether resin needs to be shipped in or is produced domestically is irrelevant; as a medium, in bulk, it is not that expensive. And if anyone thinks that GW will not raise their prices on the Finecast models--well, see MM's picture above.

Lastly, since a price tripling at PP would effectively put them out of business instantly, I think it can be dismissed as GW propaganda. Even GW isn't bold enough to triple their prices in a single move. Over a space of 10 years maybe, but not all at once.

[TheRhino]

All the Finecast models are made from NEW injection-molds made from the master models that originally made the metal versions. They added sprues to the injection moulds to make sure they function properly. You can't inject into a spincasting mould.

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/conte ... orkshop%29

[s_o_r_r_o_w]

I stand humbly corrected on a few points there, but I'm not convinced about the moulds.

If these are injection steel moulds, there's no reason for a new material to mould in. The models could be produced just like plastic ones.

[MagickalMemories]

Interesting Finecost review on Dakka:

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/po ... 71719.page

Eric

[YoungWolf777]

They are most likely spincast silicone molds. I seriously doubt they would get that level of detail from a steel mold.

[kturock]

Well, GW I know on one model, at least tripled it's price.
The old metal fantasy model for Empire, the War Wagon. It started about $20-25 for it, the 2 horses and 5-6 riders. Last I saw it was over $100. Then it disappeared.

It was one of the worst model to build. 4 flats sides of a box wagon and a flat btom. All 5 pieces were not square or even flat. It looked like a 3 year old made it out of carboard with safety scissors.

20 years later and the metal models still don't line up and the rules still have pages of erratta.