Games Workshops Excess Units Trend

[Night System]

Just a thought that has been nagging me for quite a while, and so what better place to express it....

My new thought, after reading many a posts on blogs and forums, is people's problems with the new units in codexes that do not yet have models for them.

To name a few in the past few months....

Tyrannofex
Tervigons
Harpy
Voidraven Bomber
Storm Raven
Thunderwolf Cavalry
*most imperial guard artillery*

...

It seems most people's problem, is not that these units exist, but that there is no immediete available for them. But what is wrong with this? What happened to the joys of scratchbuilding and converting?

I do not know is this is just a *british/european* thing. But the players i share my area with love a good bit of conversion, and the more oppurtunities GW gives us, the better! Is there really such a lack of creative talent in the current generation of 40k players that ALL models must have an option?

I have personally seen many a Tervigon conversion that will probably be better than the actual released models (whenever they arrive...)

And my final point, is that this isnt a new phenomena either, remember the 3.5 dex - the arrival of the Defiler was a good year late...

So yeah, what gives?

[BuFFo]

I do not know is this is just a *british/european* thing.

I assume you either 1) Polled every single European and non European to come to this conclusion or 2) your local group of friends somehow constitutes all Europeans?

[Night System]

Well, i played people in 4 cities in britain, and spoken to people from far more, so for britain alone, i can make a overall assumption which doesnt require a mass consensus. And from reading BOLS posts, there seems to be some idea that we play/have differing opinions on the gamesworkshop hobby.

Also i said "i dont know if...." so im hardly making sweeping statements.

[BuFFo]

You do know people that post on BoLs are from around the globe?

I thoroughly enjoy missing models for conversion opportunities personally.

[Lerra]

I would much rather have rules for 8 units with 5 available models than only have rules for 5 units. Conversions and variety are fun.

Plus, it gives GW the option to release models in between codex editions. I like having new things for my army while I'm waiting for the next codex.

[DrBored]

Not everyone can scratch build or convert something to look decent on the tabletop. I've seen some pretty craptastic Tervigons that were just a mash of green stuff and extra bits. The creativity was there and the desire to have a Tervigon was there, but even the owner of some of those Tervigons expressed their desire to have a kit readily available that they could purchase and build.

You see, the kits that GW makes have a certain style and quality to them that is hard to duplicate through conversion (unless you play Orks), and when you do poorly at a conversion, it stands out against the rest of your army, or against an opponents army, and often times it stands out in the worst possible way.

There are also problems with time, and the extra expense of craft tools, green stuff, and the like. For example, to make a decent Tervigon, you'll need to buy a Carnifex to begin with, and then add green stuff onto that. If there was a Tervigon kit, then the cost of the green stuff is nixed out (granted, it's a small expense, but it's still an expense of money and time).

And there's also the potential for even MORE conversions if the kit exists! Imagine all the extra bits, all the things that a conversioneer could do with a Tervigon, or a Hydra Flak Tank, or any of the other things (without spending the exorbitant cost of Forgeworld stuff, and dealing with the higher level of expertise needed to work with resin).

And finally there's a 'love' factor. If GW doesn't make a kit for it, they must not love that unit, or that army. After all, this is a hobby where a lot of love has to be involved. You have to be in love with your own army to build it all, to slave over making a fluff or competitive list (or mix of both) and then love playing it and painting it, and so those that don't end up selling their armies after a couple months really invest a lot of love. These hobbyists just want to extend their love to more models with greater ease, to be able to paint details that they themselves could not recreate with green stuff and plasticard. Yes, GW is a business and so they have probably predicted which kits would sell the best and make the most money to them (from their own arbitrary cards and graphs and whatnot) but look at the Tervigon.. imagine how many would have sold if they had a kit!

Now I'm just rambling..

In my opinion, GW should do better at supporting the entries they make in their codexes. I'd hate to get all the way up to 6th edition and still be missing entries in the Tyranid or Imperial Guard Codex, only for them to get an update, have even more units available to them without models... or even have units CUT OUT because GW was too 'lazy' to make models for them! What a tragedy that would be!

And yeah, the Defiler took a year to appear... but it still appeared.

[scadugenga]

Not everyone can scratch build or convert something to look decent on the tabletop. I've seen some pretty craptastic Tervigons that were just a mash of green stuff and extra bits. The creativity was there and the desire to have a Tervigon was there, but even the owner of some of those Tervigons expressed their desire to have a kit readily available that they could purchase and build.

There's a reason why independent resin artists have good trade going on. Chapterhouse studios has a Tervigon kit, as well as lashwhip/bonesword options, and some rather stunning eldar warlock/farseer jetbike sculpts. They even have combi-bolter kits where you get rare earth magnetized versions of all possible combi-bolter weapons.

Paulson Games does an awesome laswhip and bonesword bit, with Tyrant sized boneswords as well. They also have thunderwolf cavalry kits--and for what you get--they're very reasonably priced.

If you don't have the skills to convert w/green stuff (I certainly don't!) then these are but two good examples of how to get your mojo working and get unreleased models into play.

And as for long waited releases--do you know how EARLY GW made rules for the Vyper? Years before the actual model was released...

[DrBored]

There's a reason why independent resin artists have good trade going on. Chapterhouse studios has a Tervigon kit, as well as lashwhip/bonesword options, and some rather stunning eldar warlock/farseer jetbike sculpts. They even have combi-bolter kits where you get rare earth magnetized versions of all possible combi-bolter weapons.

Paulson Games does an awesome laswhip and bonesword bit, with Tyrant sized boneswords as well. They also have thunderwolf cavalry kits--and for what you get--they're very reasonably priced.

If you don't have the skills to convert w/green stuff (I certainly don't!) then these are but two good examples of how to get your mojo working and get unreleased models into play.

And as for long waited releases--do you know how EARLY GW made rules for the Vyper? Years before the actual model was released...

This is true, but all it would take is for some randy tournament player to point at your model and yell "THAT'S NOT 75% GW PRODUCT!!" and bam, your mojo is shot down as you pack your stuff up, disqualified from a tournament that you were just planning on having fun/practicing at.

[BuFFo]

"THAT'S NOT 75% GW PRODUCT!!"

Which is not a blanket requirement for tournaments in the least.

The Necronomicon, a GW sanctioned tournament in orlando, which was (and maybe still is) a GT some years back before GW dumped its tourney scene, allows non GW models to be used. If you want to enter a Mage Knight Marines army, go ahead.

Yup. There are tournaments with GW prize support/personnel support that do not even require GW models to be used.

[scadugenga]

This is true, but all it would take is for some randy tournament player to point at your model and yell "THAT'S NOT 75% GW PRODUCT!!" and bam, your mojo is shot down as you pack your stuff up, disqualified from a tournament that you were just planning on having fun/practicing at.

Except (I believe) that rule only applies when there's already an existing model within the range.

That, and most things will be at least 75% GW product. Check out their sites and you'll see.