Here they are... Dark Angels Jan. 2013

[Mr Mystery]

Constant price rises, $80 landspeeder? Deathwing Terminators are $10 more than regular ones? Storm Talon with wings, $90? Ravenwing knights $10 more than regular ravenwing bikes? I say this is ridiculous. Games Workshop is one of those companies that doesn't give a d#mn about their customers. I'm sure that most people here would agree that this hobby is expensive, and in my opinion overly so. I draw this conclusion from the fact that models were much cheaper in 4th edition, and Games Workshop still thrived. The idea behind the prices is so people can't easily afford the armies they want to play, and thus must keep buying over time and making compromises to better reflect their budget. In addition, the cost of finecast is less than metal, yet the miniatures are more expensive. Furthermore, at initial release, the Ogre Kingdoms hard cover army book was but $40, $10 more than a regular codex, now a hard cover codex is $60. But what gets at me the most is how pompous Games Workshop is, they never justify their price increases. As a consumer, I believe it my right to know why I am paying more.

Why are you paying more? It's called inflation, which in real terms runs above the official figure.

And at the end of the day, vote with your feet. Don't like the price? Don't buy the product. Nothing GW produces can be considered a life essential. It's all luxury.

Do however stop focussing on the price, and consider the entirely subjective term of value. As an active (at least once a week) gamer, and someone who however slowly does paint all his stuff, the hours I spend actively engaged in hobby activities, I get pretty terrific value for money. Yes I still make budgetary choices, but lucky is the person who can spend without one and not have it pinch before payday. But when I spend £100 on models, I'll get more out of them than any equivalent spending. Cinema for instance. To get there, in, fed and watered and home again? Thick end of £30 for not much. Pub? Dunno about you, but I can easily tank my way through £40 in a night with little to show the next day except some happy, if hazy memories, and quite likely an evil hangover the next day.

So.....price is a problem because?

[RGilbert26]

People who complain about prices make me laugh, it's a luxury product which you do not need.

[Gir]

Considering the price of plastic, it is a bad deal. However, the original point was to illustrate that Games Workshop is greedy, and judging by their business practices, they are. The point is that GW wants to see how much they can get out of us before we boycott their products, then the prices will go down until we buy again, then up, and so forth.

As a public company, GW is legally required to make money.

[jonsgot]

The Dark Angels release is always lets see how the consumers react to this.... If we all go out and buy dark angels in bundles we'll see the same price tags for the Space Marine release next year. If the Dark Angels don't sell well the Space Marine kits will be less; in real terms meaning the same

GW hasn't always positioned itself as luxury product, but only the old men (and women) remember when they were trying to create a market and you could choose between a CD or some models, or choose between a computer game or an Games workshop game. Now it's a choice between a computer game or models or a choice between a Nintendo DS or Games workshop game. New consumers can just accept the prices as they stand and not worry about what they cost back in the day.

The positive thing about this release is that you only need to spend £30 to keep on playing with your existing Dark Angles army. Most of the new products are optional to a Dark Angels army and you can even still get the old metal models at the same prices, which shocked me. Many of the new units you could convert yourself. I can't claim I not a little underwhelmed at some of the prices though. The Terminators and Flyers are not priced how I had expected. I wonder how much the new Space Marine Tactical Squad will be, probably the same as the standard Terminator box set?

[Kirsten]

I would love the stuff to be cheaper sure, but I spent many years working in pubs serving the same people every day who spend £100- 200 a week on alcohol, my GW spending probably averages out at around £20 a week, so I feel pretty good about it :P

[Farseer Uthiliesh]

Why are you paying more? It's called inflation, which in real terms runs above the official figure.

And at the end of the day, vote with your feet. Don't like the price? Don't buy the product. Nothing GW produces can be considered a life essential. It's all luxury.

Do however stop focussing on the price, and consider the entirely subjective term of value. As an active (at least once a week) gamer, and someone who however slowly does paint all his stuff, the hours I spend actively engaged in hobby activities, I get pretty terrific value for money. Yes I still make budgetary choices, but lucky is the person who can spend without one and not have it pinch before payday. But when I spend £100 on models, I'll get more out of them than any equivalent spending. Cinema for instance. To get there, in, fed and watered and home again? Thick end of £30 for not much. Pub? Dunno about you, but I can easily tank my way through £40 in a night with little to show the next day except some happy, if hazy memories, and quite likely an evil hangover the next day.

So.....price is a problem because?

I have to endorse this post. Although I'm an Australian and hence, must pay high prices for imports, paying that level of money on a luxury good does not bother me. My astronomy passion costs me more. I've always said that its not as though I have to buy models every week (generally every couple of months), and they are not expendable items. However, they see a lot of use. Further, I also order through dicebucket, which means I get cheaper models anyway.

This post of mine comes from someone who moaned loudly two years ago when the embargo and price rise hit. I crossed the fence to join the warmahordes crowd, and found the models lacking and setting tedious. It may me realise (that, and my group dropping WM/H) that what I play for is a fascinating setting with great models. Hence, why I see it as a luxury hobby and worth the cost.

But my credit card hates me; the DA preorder just cost me $AU390, the very day I flew out of the UK (goodbye UK prices lol).

[greendragon]

Games Workshop simply can't cope with the Dark Angels release! I am a little shocked.

In other news my site is running Free U.K Shipping SURPRISE SPLASH CODE - Free U.K Shipping until Sunday 6th Jan at 11pm, use code JAN3-SLASH-DXBZKDUI