Well I've kicked things off this month with a brief review of some of the Citadel Finecast mini's ( Gandalf , Terminator Librarian , and Dwarf Gyrocopter if my sanity holds up) and also a tongue firmly in cheek guide to working with Finecast, although it did contain useful hints. However since the Games Workshop invented Finecast I've noticed many other companies have mercilessly ripped them off and stolen their ideas and technology... yes other people are using Finecast and calling it RESIN, the scoundrels!
To add further insult to injury though some of these beggars have had the audacity to invent time machines to nick off with the Games Workshops latest invention and use it before them...in the past!!! Doc and Marty McFly have a hell of a lot to answer for. Sales of DeLoreans must have shot through the roof, Great Scott!!! Even Games Workshops own stablemate Forge World have got in on the act. The BASTARDS!!!There is however further terrible news for the Games Workshop though and its here where I really feel for them. You see some of these companies weren't just content to steal their technology, oh no, they've also had the gall and temerity to implement Finecast in better ways, producing either finer miniatures or cheaper products, leaving the Games Workshops own product metaphorically speaking between a rock and a hard place (and given how delicate their crap is that's not good), neither cheap enough to be cost effective nor good enough to be considered a truly premium product. The culprits in no particular order are:
- Battlefront Miniatures
- Studio McVey
- Spartan Games
- Kingdom Death
- Bane Legions
- Smart Max
You see some of them use it to make far superior, finer miniatures, while others used this über expensive substance to actually produce cheaper miniatures than the Games Workshop, How? Probably because they didn't have to pay for all the R&D the Games Workshop did in the future, or is it the past, or the present? Oh God I just don't know anymore, the space time continuum is all out of whack, I'm going to need some flux capacitors I know it... either that or they've used witch craft, yes its the only other sensible conclusion one can draw, and eye of newt and broom sticks are easier to comprehend!!!
OK enough ripping on the poor sods who work for Games Workshops marketing department or Bob as he's probably known... for now!!! I for one would like to make it abundantly clear that I wholeheartedly support Games Workshops decision to move over to resin, yes that's right I said RESIN!!! Because that's what it is, they can put all the hyperbolic spin on it they like but its a type of substance that many others have been using for quite some time, and while I have no doubt its a slightly new formula with pixie dust or something... its still a resin, and others have shown for years its a damn fine substance with which to make miniatures.
Now we all knew, or should have done, that early doors the Games Workshop were going to have teething problems with the switch over to a new substance especially one as tricky to work with as resin. Well given past experience we should have any way, I mean they had similar issues with their migration over to plastics, something which they did slowly over years. So despite what I see as a very bumpy start for Citadel resin I won't be judging them until they've had a fair few months under their collective belts trying to produce the stuff, a good way down the line... I only think its fair. However in all consciousness I could not advise even my mortal enemy to purchase any Finecast miniatures right now, the key problem is that they've rushed this product to market when its blatantly obvious to anyone with none Games Workshop goggles on that they weren't ready.
However I also think its fair to point out that mass producing miniatures in resin in the scale and quantity a business like Games Workshop requires is no easy task, I assure you. In fact I bet its a sodding nightmare!!! I'd suggest only Battlefront Miniatures from New Zealand would come anywhere near close enough to the sorts of volumes that the Games Workshop would need to produce and even then probably not as complex moulds or even as large a scale. Its a big ask, and expecting perfection on day one would have been insanely unfair. However they're so far off of perfection it truly baffles me as to how they thought shipping this product to market is acceptable, they will have a grace period with their fans and to be fair me, because they need time to sort these major kinks out. That's not to say I'll let them off of the hook if in 12 months time the product is still just as poor as it is right now, and make no mistake, it is very poor.
However Games Workshops move over to resin does provide me with a great opportunity and excuse to plug the products of some of my bestest and most favouratist miniature companies at the moment. You see with many of you having had your resin cherry's popped so to speak hopefully they haven't scared you for life with their shockingly bad product and you're all feeling a little bit more adventurous about the stuff... and maybe... just maybe I can convince some of you to at least look at the products of other companies and even to take the plunge and get some of the cool mini's there are available right now. Because here's the thing, I've been telling people now for a while that resin is a better substance and Games Workshop were right to move over to it, now I don't know what formula they're using but its not as good as any of the resin from the companies I'll be promoting over the next few weeks. Peace out!
Sarcasm and cynicism aside, I tend to agree with you that GW rushed this product to market, knowing full well that all their long suffering fan boys and girls would buy this stuff as well as the "annual" price increase.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I bought a few to test it out. Level of detail? Same as the metal ones. Weight of Astorath the Grim, formerly of the surprise faceplant? Much less. Also he manages to hold his alcohol much better then before.
The Shadow Seer I bought for my girl? Craptastic. Bits missing and no recourse but to use bits of the spru to repair the damage as the GW store I bought it from said I ought to have checked the model before buying it. *grrrr*
Still after some annoyingly tiny repair work....the model is almost what was advertised on the package.
Haha, a well written article I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteRelic_5 its interesting you mention the shop said you should have checked the package!!! Which country did you buy it from, because here in the UK I know a few GW managers and I know they've been told to exchange right away for missing part or miscasts. However if they're starting to say 'hey you should have checked the package!' then I think we can start to surmise that perhaps returns have hit unacceptable tolerance ranges and that staff are now to try and 'dissuade' customers from making returns. I always thought this might happen if my suspicions about quality control turned out to be correct!!! Sorry to hear about your Shadow Seer. PM me and I see if I can help OK?
ReplyDelete@Pacific, thanks. Apparently though, well according to my in-box I don't know what I'm talking about and am apparently many bad things, including:
ReplyDelete1) A son on a lady of ill-repute
2) Various forms of self-abuser
3) Mentally retarded
4) A lady's intimate parts
and many things in-between. I have to admit to some of the more colourful insults being genuinely funny. I also need to die in various painful and and uncomfortable ways apparently. All for trying to express an opinion in an honest and hopefully humoourous way... this is where I call people fanboi's. I notice none actually posted comments on an of my articles. Funny that!
Just to be clear though people I am none of the following:
The son of Satan (although I haven't had a paternity test)
An employee of Privateer
An employee of Chapter house
An employee of Scibor
etc. etc. etc.
Thanks for the kind offer of help. I appreciate the sympathy. My girlfriend was PISSED about it. As for where I bought it? I live in the United States. Washington to be exact. The soon to be manager is the one who told me I ought to have checked it before purchase. However, when I went back today, quite annoyed, the Old manager, who is moving out of state and quitting GW told me that I should have talked to him and he'd have made it right. Then we talked for almost an hour about "finecrap" to use your term. During this conversation, I found that the staff had no internal source of information about this new product until about a week prior to it hitting shelves, and that they were instructed to "talk it up".
ReplyDeleteStill resin for the noobs? Not sure it's such a good idea....especially if leaving it in the sun means painful runny death.
@relic_5 thats really good to hear that they sorted it out for you. Just want to make it abundantly clear that my local GW has offered to swap/refund etc. whatever I want to do, the local GW staff here in the West Midlands are all pretty much awesome, don't have a bad word to say about any of them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, They didn't do anything, but had my Girl not built the model, then had me fix it, I'd have taken the Old Manager up on his offer to replace it.
ReplyDeleteAs it was, I fixed it, and I don't need them to do anything.
Still, the part that bugged me, was the soon to be manager telling me I ought to have checked the package first...
To be fair Relic that could just be him and poor customer training / not having been on any customer training yet. There are bad eggs in all sorts of businesses and you might just have got one. I have to say that here in the UK I have found the majority of the staff in GW's to be really helpful, and friendly. I just don't have much need to shop in them anymore... the businessmen in me always feels liek they're somehow missing a trick because I think their front line staff are really good... imagine what they could do shifting other peoples product as well as that of the Games Workshop!!!
ReplyDeleteNo argument there. I've had good and bad here Stateside. Mostly bad though to be fair.Hell man, when I was medically required to use a cane, one of their staff thought it'd be a fun thing to walk around trying to kick it out from under me. Nice guy, huh?
ReplyDeleteStill though, I do run into those paragons of customer service on occasion, and they are always horrified that I don't get stellar service each and every time.
Personally, I agree, I think they're missing a trick or three in regards to frontline staff being elevated to higher positions....heck, even making some of the good ones into trainers for new staff...
@Relic_5 if that's true about the cane then dude that is just awful. I have to say I've NEVER come across service anywhere near that bad in any Games Workshop... hell for that matter anywhere. What a total jack ass. Just remember people like that have to live with themselves day in day out while we can just walk away from the fuckers!!!
ReplyDelete