How can you tell when a business is in trouble?

   
    

It starts counting pens! It's an old joke that organisations normally start looking at the little picture when times start getting a bit rough for them; and they start doing stupid things in a desperate bid to stave off the wolves at their metaphorical, and sometimes real, doors. 'Counting pens' is a joke often told by consultant types, but if any of you have ever worked at a place where the stationary cupboard has been locked, and a guardian appointed to protect it, you'll be aware of how depressingly true the old joke about counting pens truly is. I've seen companies implode in this way from the outside, and indeed from the inside. They start attributing their woes to external sources, or not enough micro-management. When the going gets tough in the corporate world, quite often it's the stupid that get going.

Companies do dumb, counter-intuitive things when times start getting a bit tough for them. Rather than asking serious questions about why it is the case that the companies bottom line sucks, or the KPI's are going in the wrong direction, because that would be wise and sensible, they plough ahead, just faster. Nope, they tend to assume that if they do more of the same, just better, things will improve. Rarely will someone ask the sensible question "hey, guys, is trying to sell fridges to Eskimos such a great business idea?". Nope, they appoint stationary cupboard guardians, and set researchers off to assess KPI's in minute details, everything becomes too close to view properly and nobody can see the bigger picture anymore. When that happens companies start making rash decisions that are counter-productive and expose themselves to even more risks.

I think it is part of human nature when in such a company to never want to ask whether actually you are doing a good job yourself. Not if you are working hard enough, just asking whether what you do is needed, or indeed efficient. Everyone is on edge, and people do feel besieged and vulnerable; people put their heads down and motor on, thinking blood, sweat and tears will win the day. So where am I heading with this. Well I'm going to talk about our hobbies favourite topic again, Games Workshop. Over the past few months they've done some pretty dumb things haven't they? I might not have commented on the online sales embargo, or their restriction on free trade for independents; and despite sharpening my pen over their claim to own all literary uses of the words 'Space Marines' I've stayed silent.

The Hobbit

 

Well the worst kept secret since the last worst kept Games Workshop secret is out... yes, they're doing a game based on the Hobbit. I can hear the gasped shocks at the back of the room, and yes, I know, I didn't see that one coming either. OK, so I'll turn the sarcasm down a notch or three, because actually I'm not feeling all negative Nelly about it. True I'm not over the moon, frothing at the mouth and salivating like a starving man staring at a juicy T-bone stake cooked medium-rare, with peppercorn sauce... mmm. I'll let you all into a secret though, despite my floppy Finecast Gandalf I'm actually quite a fan of the Lord of the Rings range of miniatures. Arguably the painter in me feels it was the best range of miniatures Games Workshop have done so far. There were certainly some startlingly good miniatures amongst them... as well as some duffers... yeah I'm talking about the wonky faced Legolas from the Mines of Moria boxed set. However, I did pick up a few pieces and paint them from time to time simply for fun. So the prospect of new miniatures being added to the range is at least appealing to me on some level.

LotR's wasn't as rubbish as many people made out.

The bigger shock though, I'm sure for many of you, will be that I actually quite liked the Lord of the Rings game when it first came out. No, I wasn't duped by 50% off staff discount (although it helped) and being force fed White Dwarf. Nope I actually felt the game was quite good fun when it was played as it was clearly intended, as a small narrative based skirmish game. Honestly when playing things like the Attack at Weathertop missions et al, the game was actually really entertaining. I actually enjoyed it so much I was insane enough to volunteer being the intro games guy on launch day... and you know what? I enjoyed it despite not getting a lunch break due to the never ending queue. Where I personally think the game went wrong for me was the over saturation of LotR product that they brought out, and the fact they started trying to treat the game like one of their normal wargames, with factions and army lists and... blah. Didn't work for me, and I'm not sure the universe, or indeed the 'factions' lend themselves that well to a typical wargame product. Hence I think the reason they went for a narrative game the first time round.

It's all gone a bit Chaotic!!!

  

Right I was actually going to ignore the whole hub-bub that has somehow spread like wild fire over the past few weeks concerning Chaos Space Marines in both Warhammer 40,000 and 30,000. Why? Because quite frankly it has been done to death by so many people I thought why bother? I mean I've always struck out on my own path any way, so why change that now? Well for a few good reasons actually:

1. How many people have asked over the last God knows how many years for the Horus Heresy to be brought to life in miniatures form? It's lots by the way, so it's big!
2. Chaos Space Marines have been in desperate need of updating for far too long.  I know many heretics out there who have been desperate for this release.
3. The fact that Forge World and Games Workshop releases are so divergent in not only physical design, but also design philosophy that I find it interesting.
4. I'm fed up of seeing people being told that they must be blind, either because they don't like the Chaos / Horus Heresy releases... or because they do like them.

It's also because the Horus Heresy stuff has actually excited me. So I'm going to add my own voice to the swirling mass of chatter that is out there.

Sunday Sermon: Beware the Internets version of reality!!!

  
  

I'm going to be honest, this Sunday Sermon wasn't going to be about what I'm going to write about at first. I was still going to write this sermon, as I'd had a significant heads up about the information a few months back now. I just wasn't sure when Games Workshop was going to publish it's half yearly figures. So what am I talking about today? Well, us! Bloggers, forum dwellers, gamers. Or more specifically how we all form small mutually reinforcing networks. Just as in the big wide world we all tend to gravitate towards people who are similar to ourselves, and who enjoy the same things as we do... so we do with our digital selves, our online persona's. I like most people read mainly blogs by gamers who play certain products, because I'm interested in them, or have a certain take on the hobby. I hesitate to say people like me, because the hobby is only one facet of who we are, but certainly people with similar tastes.

In short those who have similar views to those that I have myself. I try to read hobby blogs that are not necessarily cogent to my own hobbying experience, if for no other reason than they keep me abreast of what's happening in other parts of the hobby I'm not interacting with. I don't just mean 40k and Fantasy blogs either. Nope I try keeping in touch with Flames of War bloggers, historical wargame bloggers and most recently a few blogs about 15mm sci-fi wargames. But I'm not going to lie to you, I read way more blogs about games that I do like and play than those I don't. It's only natural after all. So where am I heading with this rambling monologue? Good question. Well I'm heading towards discussing the state of the Games workshop hobby and Games Workshops business performance... yeah OK I'm sorry!

But hear me out. Over the last few months, lets say 6 to 12 to give it a firmer time frame, there has appeared to be a ground swell of opinion on the Internet. A slow bubbling undercurrent of malcontent with Games Workshop, not just as a business but also as a hobby. I've lost count of how many rants I've read about Finecast, price increases, Warhammer Fantasy 8th Edition, Grey Knight, Dark Lances, size of army required and the drudgery involved in painting them... you name it, I've read it. I have of course relatively famously added my own dissenting voice to the swirling nebulous digital milieu. Is it reality though? Well yes, it's our reality, our view of the hobbying world. But, is it representative of the wider community out there, on the streets buying and playing wargames? I've never been sure it is, just like I've never been sure that the myriad of online voices that put so much stock in the tournament scene are present in the wider community, in the same proportions as they appear to be on the Internet. And I'm going to discuss the reason why I think this.

Is the Imperium a Metaphor for Games Workshop? The riposte!

It's a well known symbol, and one that stands for stability above all else

Well a little over a month ago I poured out some thoughts that I had bottled up in my brain, and maybe a few emotions I'd stored up in my heart. I poured them into this article here, and I hoped it would spark a bit of debate amongst bloggers and hobbyists alike. Not nerd rage or the normal play ground arguments we're used to seeing on an awful lot of message boards out there, where insults and ignorance win the day. No, I had hoped I'd get responses from like minded gamers, who care about our hobby, and yes care about Games Workshop. I wanted people to stop and think about things properly, rather than just leap into the pro or anti camps as so often happens with any attempts to discuss Games Workshop. In my first article I really did wear my heart on my sleeve, I was honest about how I felt. I wanted others to respond in a similarly passionate way and convince me of some of the counter arguments.

It didn't happen quite like that, or at all. In some respects the article was a success. I know from the responses I've had to the article and also private emails I've received that the article itself did get many people thinking about Games Workshop properly, rather than just blindly falling into the pro or anti camps we so often get. It was a success on the old hits counter too, if you can measure success in such ways. What I didn't expect though, if I'm honest was that the over whelming amount of responses I got to the article were people agreeing with me in the main or totally. My attempt to create a bit of passionate discussion, or debate without resorting to name calling, mud slinging and nerd rage failed. To be honest it spectacularly failed and as such I view the article as a bit of a personal failiure. Hell in the end I'd have taken a bit of nerd rage if it had sparked a bit of debate. So I've been pondering that article for a little while now.

Yeah so they're cannon fodder, but they're devoted cannon fodder!

You see, I deliberately chose the Imperium as a metaphor because I thought it was such a vast concept with the 40k background that it could in fact be twisted quite easily to whatever purpose you wished, when describing Games Workshop. I still believe the broad brush strokes I made in that article, when viewed from certain angles or perspectives ring true today, but I was deliberately one-sided in my commentary because that's normally the way you spark debate, even if I do more readily associated with those views I passionately expressed. It's certainly true of academia and other fields I have worked in, but not it seems wargaming. Perhaps the article was too long, perhaps people thought it so badly written that it neither deserved or indeed needed a well written riposte! Or maybe the contrary is true, perhaps people thought what I had written was so comprehensive and potentially intimidating that no one dared take it on...

Review: Dreadfleet

 

You'll not find a box with more Cadavers or Broadsides!!!

OK, I think it's fair to say that I could potentially be considered a hostile reviewer, where this product is concerned. My cynic radar went off of the scale with how this product was announced, and then pimped out to the world, via a veiled threat of buy it now or miss out. It is this crass sort of marketing ploy that normally backfires, and does more harm to a companies reputation than good. That's a genuine shame because most people, perhaps even myself included, were judging the game on how it was handled as a product launch, rather than its merits as a game. However, rather than knee jerk into a rapid review of Dreadfleet, like some people have, I've taken my time to read the rules, played some games with various opponents, and have tried to judge the game on its constituent parts, and more importantly how it plays. I'm glad, in a way, that Games Workshop are still willing to give new products like Dreadfleet a go. It's just a shame that this new product isn't going to be given a decent shelf life, to see how it would have performed and evolved long-term, although after playing it I think it's a wise call to have made it a limited release. Although, looking at the shops round by me,  they're all still struggling a week later to sell their 15 to 20 copies they were given. So it's shelf life might be longer than the Games Workshop management wished for. Possibly running into half term, and dare I say it, the start of the Christmas sales period. That was not what they planned!!!

Product Description

It has stuff in the box.

This is a wargame in a box. And yes, there is a difference to all those 'games in a box' I've been buying. Those games are pretty much board games, and while Dreadfleet comes with it's own admittedly nice playing surface, it is not a board game. You get 10 main ships in the box, a few sea monsters and teeny tiny auxiliary ships and other stuff that are really just tokens. There are also a fair few islands, obviously with the now obligatory Games Workshop skulls, so there is also scenery in the box. The rulebook is actually a really nice little book, it's full colour and contains a lot of evocative artwork, but those who can't stand John Blanche's work should probably skip past most of that! The rulebook obviously contains the rules (now that would be an epic fail) but also a lot of background, and what gamers like to term 'fluff'. It's clear a lot of attention has been lavished on the book and those involved should feel rightfully proud of their achievements. There have been reports of some quite serious binding problems with it, but genuinely hand on heart I have not had a single problem with mine, and if I had you'd know I'd let rip with a broadside of my own... sorry I couldn't resist! Their are a few cards, which fulfill various functions in the game and while they look nice enough they don't actually feel that good. I thought looking at the size of the small cards that they might have been Fantasy Flight Games cards, but they don't feel quite as thick, or glossy. They could still be Fantasy Flight cards though, just not their premium cards. However the best thing in the box is undoubtedly the mat, now its not often that I, as a red blooded male (OK, a male) get excited about fabric, but you know what? It's not half bad! Although it's size does limit its usefulness for other game systems really.

With friends like these who needs enemies...

Yes that is what you think it is...

Do any of you have friends you really like most of the time, but that every now and then play the cruelest and sickest practical jokes on you? Because I do!!! I've got through saying how I wasn't going to get Dreadfleet and... well... look what they got me. Because they knew how badly I wanted it really. Motherfu... any way, now I have it I might as well try and work with it and see what it's actually like. I'm going to attempt two runs at it I think. The first thing I'll do is maybe run through it with some of my gamer mates and see what they think of it as a game and product. The other thing I'm going to do is then try and run through it with maybe my two nephews and get a 'kids eye' view of it as a product. Because truth be told that's who I think Games Workshop have aimed this game at, kids. However, here are some pretty pictures of the unboxing:

Dreadfleet playthrough

So we finally are given a glimpse of what a game of Dreadfleet might look like and I think its a very detailed run through. Now whether this was always planned to be shown yesterday or whether it was a hastily put together article in response to the withering criticism they've received for not showing the rules isn't really the point. Nope, they've actually done the right thing by showing a turn sequence in the game and also showing some of the game mechanics, so they get a thumbs up from me for finally doing the right thing. I still think this is what the video should have done but hey better late than never right? Also like to say I love the piece of artwork at the top of the article, I have no idea who is responsible but it looks really moody and chaotic and catches perfectly what the game seems to be about, well if the run through is anything to go by.

I like this piece of art... even if it is a little red

Now I'm not going to go re-write what they have said in the main article because quite frankly what's the point? No I'm going to give my thoughts on what they've revealed so far. The first bit of information we get is that there are 12 scenarios in the game, now to shoot off at a tangent can someone please tell me why it is that pretty much every game in box seems to have either 6 or 12 missions? What's wrong with 10 or 8? Any way I personally think 12 missions is a good number to have and if they're varied enough and offer different challenges then it should keep gamers happy for a fair few months. The next tidbit of information comes in the form of the roll to see the direction of the wind, those of you who ever played Man-o-War should be getting a nostalgia hit around about now. Yep wind direction will affect your speed and as it changes could provide you with a boost or a cause you no end of bother... it is the first random element.

The game has 5 phases to each game turn, although that in and of itself is utterly meaningless information, the phases and their functions are listed below:

What should the Games Workshop do with the Hobbit License

Strangely unlike most people I actually think the Lord of the Rings license was a great thing for Games Workshop to get involved with. I'm not going to go over all the rules and whether it was a good game or not, or even whether Games Workshop made the best use of the license. No for me it was a wise thing to get involved in purely because people loved the books and loved the films, and at the time it was a huge event, it was a merchandising beast. I think on the whole they did an ace job with the miniatures as well. I actually worked the launch weekend of Lord of the Rings and I think its fair to say it was insanely busy and popular and that from a strictly business point of view it seems to me, at the time, to have been a shrewd decision. Certainly initially we as a shop at least just couldn't keep up with demand for months and months on end, that level of interest in the product was never going to be sustainable, however whether or not they've been able to maintain those customers interests in their product is far more fuzzy I guess. I'm not privy to whether or not over the life time of the license it has proved to be a massive money spinner for them, but I think it must have been otherwise why go for the Hobbit license? I think its also fair to point out that I personally do not think the Hobbit will be anywhere near as big an event as the Lord of the Rings was.

So am I excited by the prospect of them doing Hobbit based games? Hell yeah if done right it could provide a good little diversion to my current gaming habits and a new entry level product for them as a company. I think 'The Mines of Moria' box set was a brilliant product and in essence was close to being a proper game in box. If you didn't want to buy anything else then you didn't need to, it stood alone as a great way of getting into the hobby. The Hobbit if used properly as a license could be even better at achieving that aim for Games Workshop and the wider hobby in terms of recruiting new comers. Games Workshops core product, is regardless of your opinion on its quality, an expensive hobby to get into for the first time. I don't want to turn this into a debate about Games Workshops product cost, that's not the point, all I'll say is that the cost of getting started in the hobby is expensive... it possibly always has been, but were I starting out today I'm not so sure I'd get into the hobby because of the cost required, as well as the time required before getting the full reward of the hobby (a fully painted army).

Is the Imperium a Metaphor for Games Workshop?

I don't think this is meant to be ironic, but...

Now I'm probably not the first person to have thought the Imperium could be a metaphor for Games Workshop itself, and I'll probably not be the last. Hell, I'm probably not the first person to commit the idea to paper or the Internet, however I am a lazy bastard at times and I can't be bothered to go search around the place looking at other people's thoughts on the topic, especially when I have so many of my own opinions, thoughts and yes, my own brain dump to achieve. Yeah, I'm sorry this is going to be another one of my "its in my head and it needs to come out" posts, so if you're one of my readers who couldn't give a flying feck about what I think, you may as well go do some painting or something...

Blood Bowl by Yogh-art - Here

If you're still here, put some music on and make yourself a drink, this is going to be a long one. Why am I dumping my thoughts on Games Workshop into a stream of consciousness? Well, I was talking to a friend and he said that my blog should return to the subject of my displeasure with Games Workshop, because it struck a chord with so many people, and that if a few readers could just see that I'm genuinely like them, that I once loved Warhammer and 40k, that I actually brought Gorka Morka and all the iterations of Epic, that I ran Blood Bowl leagues and Necromunda campaigns, that I care, then maybe, just maybe, all my other points and articles might hit home. Yes, I love the 40k fluff. I still think it's great. Yes, I love the back story and characters of the Old World no matter how generic and formulaic it might bloody well be. I love it. I grew up with it. It made up much of my childhood. So yeah, I'm like much of you... except I've seceded from the Imperium. It's also been partly inspired by chats I've had with Jake Thornton over the last few months, and the HoP blogger SinSynn, so I'm acknowledging their involvement here as my inspiration, so to speak.

So why has this idea of the Imperium being a metaphor for Games Workshop suddenly occurred to me? Well, it hasn't; I first thought it might become some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy right about the time the British Higher Education system and I finally got bored of each other and we decided to go our separate ways around 2002. I looked around at the gaming landscape here in the UK and I saw this big, supremely bloated organisation, Games Workshop, dominating the wargaming landscape. They'd crushed out all independents, pretty much, in exactly the same way the Emperor's Crusade had united the known human galaxy (by dubious means of course - he's an emperor not a UN Peace Envoy). Games Workshop had managed to unite wargaming with some of their own questionable methods, primarily buying up exclusive rights to importing products and then... not stocking them. They also at various times stopped independents selling Games Workshop stock and opened their own stores where independents appeared to be doing well... but lets not go into the details too much!!!

Are you in an abusive relationship?

Over the last 5 or so years I've slowly watched all of my fellow gaming buddies become steadily disenfranchised or disillusioned with the hobby... no sorry lets clarify, Games Workshop hobby. I watched Chris 'the cursed' Tapper go away time and time again to Warhammer Fantasy Tournaments and come back saying he had a good time, only then for him to tell me what happened. Only for him to realise he was actually only enjoying the beers on the nights out after the gaming. I've watched others grow tired of the price gouging and the annual above inflation price hike. I've watched as people realise that the tactics in 40k pretty much stop at army building. I've seen gamers grimace while reading the Dark Elves or Space Wolves army books. I've watched as the Games Workshop have systematically trashed their two core systems and pissed gamers off...

Willow Road, off of Lenton Lane Nottingham

So why am I telling you this? Well I'm telling it you because as an 'outsider' of sorts, or someone who always played games by other companies I've always felt that Games Workshop games were something I was choosing to do myself and that therefore my views of these screw ups Games Workshop keep making are quite different. You see I found them funny and tragic at the same time, I've never really had a hatred or anger that some have felt, sure I was pissed off that Matt 'minimum wage' Ward who must be paid in peanuts, so gloriously screwed up Fantasy! But to me it was the final confirmation that Games Workshop no longer wanted me as a customer. They don't want affluent, well informed geeks as customers because we're hard to please and they know they can't do it. Others though saw it as a personal slight or attack. Why? Well its partly to do with something that does annoy me about wargaming here in the UK, I say UK because I'm not sure its the same for the rest of the world... its a phrase, 'alternative wargamming'.

Mark Wells, CEO Game Workshop

I finally have a workable Gyrocopter... and its in Finecast

OK right lets be clear, I do not know anyone who enjoyed putting together the metal Dwarf Gyrocopter, its a shocker, awful, terrible and a right pain in the ar... you get the picture. Although actually a really cool concept, well I always liked it! However once you got the bloody thing together the agony didn't stop there, oh no, then you have to transport the damn thing and game with them without those fecking blades falling off mid game and chipping either your own, or heaven forbid your opponents models. In short its a gaming piece I've rarely used because my modelling skills have just not been up to the task, nice idea but badly executed. Therefore I felt the lightweight nature of resin would see the Finecast version win hands down, no problem.

It should have done shouldn't it? Guess what its not even a contest! Like all metal Gyrocopters before it my current metal Gyrocopter remains partially built, while the resin one is actually built. There's your comparison right there as far as I'm concerned. However it wasn't all plain sailing for the Finecast model, there's a slight miscast on one of the tail fins where it looks like the detail was scrapped by something while still setting, no biggy though, well not as big as I initially thought it was because after the undercoat it wasn't really visible (no undercoat pictures as I've painted it black and they don't show anything interesting). The tail fin spru and the pieces on it were however really quite badly warped and required some quite careful water bath treatment, as did the main blades. Not going to lie it was this which initially caused my ire with the model after about 4 or 5 hours trying to get them right, had they not being so warped and so fiddly to put right, my whole outlook on Finecast would probably have been quite different. There was also some mould lines those little channels that are on all Finecast sprus but compared to both previous models I've had it was minimal.

Too much hysteria!!!

Right I've taken down the Gandalf Blog because following the links to the sites where people have been directed from I have found nothing but ill-informed rants about the issue. I originally posted the article because I was, I think rightly pissed off that a relatively expensive model had a fault with it. But just to clarify:

1. The model did not 'melt' into a pool of goo. 
2. The standing leg was pinned because the leg was bowing quite badly under the models own weight, it was not pinned all the way into the base because the leg was too thin and the angle of the leg and ankle made that impossible to achieve any way.
3. The leg simply gave way, for whatever reason. I'm no chemical engineer so I couldn't tell you why or what happened.
4. The Terminator standing not 2 inches away from the Gandalf was perfectly fine and that suggests to this laymen that it isn't necessarily and issue with Games Workshops Finecast resin alone, but that something about the Gandalf miniature itself perhaps.
5. I have just put together a Dwarf Gyrocopter with parts just as thin as Shadowfax's leg and that has been just fine.
6. Having held another Finecast Gandalf over the weekend I'm now more inclined to think that my Gandalf was actually a faulty product. Because the oscillation on that version on the standing leg was absolutely nowhere near as bad as mine. My Gandalf when wobbled slightly while attached to the base would sway quite far from side to side, this other Gandalf did no such thing.
7. I'm hearing off of people saying they've had Finecast melt on them. Sorry but unless you show a picture and put it out there like I did I'm not going to believe you. As a word of friendly warning or advice though, if you do put pictures out there then be prepared for a shit load of abuse off of angry teenage fanboys.
8. Oh and one last thing the Games Workshop did NOT deny me an exchange, they offered one straight away or a refund, so again people claiming they refused me such options are just not telling the truth.

Welcome to Finecast Month (warning may contain unhealthy levels of sarcasm and cynacism)

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:

Finecast breeds angry panda's!!!

Right as I sit here right now I'm looking at the miniature that I thought would prove that Finecast wasn't that bad, the Gyrocopter. However I can categorically state that its shockingly bad... in fact its shit. £23.00 for a great big steaming pile of shit to be precise, and I've wasted yet another one of my precious evenings trying to rectify some incompetent Games Workshop wonks shoddy workmanship!!! I was trying so hard to be positive for once I really, REALLY was.

I've NEVER in all my life had to deal with such a warped piece of crap, and that's the main gripe I have with Finecast. These faults with the miniatures I have, Shadowfax's leg aside, should be visible to the naked eye!!! Where the hell is the quality control? Why are mini's clearly being pulled before they're fully set? Why are miniatures being released with half a fecking mould still attached to them? I mean come on Games Workshop, you've raised the price for a cheaper substance that is currently providing a far inferior product.

Gandalf the fragile: A comparison between Finecast and metal

This time I remembered to leave both of them in their original packaging. I might not be professional BUT you know what I'm a real quick learner!!!

Health warning: Firstly I'd like to make it clear that the two models I'm comparing are not the exact same figure, the white metal version is galloping forward while the Finecast version is rearing back on its hind legs. But in terms of detailing and level of hobby complexity I felt it'd be as close a comparison as i could get!!! SORRY.

Terminated Librarian: A comparison between Finecast and Metal

Like an eejit I took the metal Librarian out of its blister pack before I took the 'promo' shot... Look I never once said I was professional now did I?

I know I'm not the worlds fastest hobbyist but amongst my friends I am seen as something of a pinning wizard... I don't like to brag, but you know what? Give me a bit of brass rod and a pin vice and I turn into a highly skilled artisan... well maybe slightly above average bodger. I've been known to dabble as well with the old green stuff from time to time. So believe me when I say I fully intended to get this Librarian (and others) cleaned photographed and pinned by Sunday evening at the very latest. The fact that it took me until Monday evening to get close to having these resin and metal comparison articles 'go live' does NOT reflect on my modelling skills and it does reflect on the foul, fetid stinking product known as Finecast Games Workshop has foisted upon us, their consumers!!! I am not a happy panda right now.

Incoming - Metal Vs Finecast

Hi Guys, I'm just about to start putting the finishing touches to my Metal vs Finecast comparison. However I have got some initial thoughts on the Finecast models as I look at them now that I thought I'd share before going into the detailed comparison:

1. The resin Games Workshop are using appears to have a quite high plastic content to it, not quite to the same degree as Privateer Presses 'plastic models', which we all know are a resin really.
2. The casting is quite frankly appalling. I won't go into too much detail here, but there is far too much work to be done on these mini's before I can even consider undercoating them and given the price that's simply unacceptable.
3. The level of minor miscasts will piss the Games Workshops younger audience off I'm sure, not too sure how they'll deal with this challenge IF this poor standard is continued. Will they allow returns for air bubbles on detail, or try and convince kids to try their hands at green stuff... bearing in mind many of these same kinds don't think cleaning mould lines is necessary!!!
4. the amount of ejection fluid on the mini's is quite immense, far more than even I'd expected. They will all definitely need to be fastidiously washed to remove the shiny film on them... again how will this play with their 'hobby light' core market of young children?
5. Packaging... the new blisters with the colour cards are a welcome change from the old blisters and show Games Workshop can learn from their younger nimbler and better competitors like Corvus Belli and their Infinity packaging... however while the blisters will let you view the mini inside and ensure you're getting the best cast on the shelf the boxes are awful. Given how dire the casting is the shrink wrapped card board boxes represent something of a 'leap of faith' from the consumer because lets be honest here you don't know what level of casting you're getting. My advice, open it in the shop, inspect it and if it is crap change it there and then and rinse and repeat until satisfied!!!

Working with resin (Finecast for zealots!!!)

Right it can't have escaped many in the hobby that Games Workshop finally caught up with the last century and have started to produce miniatures in resin, which their marketing department has magically renamed Finecast!!! Huzzah more hyperbolic nonsense. Any who as I'm sure some people out there have never had the delight of working with this amazingly mystical substance I thought I'd share my quick and dirty tips for assembly etc. with you all:

Games Workshop ARE the fun Police

This is a bit of a personal Blog about the on off love affair most wargamers my age will have had with the Games Workshop. However I hope it doesn't come across as bitter or even anti-Games Workshop as that's not my intention I just want to cover why it is that they have almost certainly lost me as a customer, pretty much forever!!!

The beginning

I'm told its a sensible place to start! I'm sure I've mentioned I was indoctrinated into the wargaming universe by a parental unit that was also addicted to toy soldiers, and if I ever sire any offspring I'll be sure to do the same!!! But you see this was at a time when there were more than just Games Workshop games dominating the gaming universe. I used to get really excited when my dad or somebody would bring back a board game or something new, it was almost every month and it was great. Sure some were less than good and some were outright shit, but others were real gems. I remember Battletech as fondly as I do my initial fumblings with Warhammer Fantasy.

However then came the monopoly and Games Workshops decision to stop selling other people's product, I remember the dissatisfaction at this from the adults around me at the time. It is probably the first point in my gaming career where even at my early (read very early) age that I had a gripe with the Games Workshop, I was you see slowly collecting the God awful Ral Partha baby dragon range and all of a sudden I was unable to complete my collection... sure they were shit but these bitches were my Pokemon and the fucks took that away from me... I'm actually surprised at how much this still annoys me after all these years.