DOES Games Workshop make the best miniatures in the world?

[Gotthammer]

Reaper metals are great tho and all the bones are copies of them.

I voted no in that I've bought hardly anything since the Dark Eldar release. Used to be that GW releases were all droolworthy but they just don't make anything *new*. I mean I love the knights because stompy robots but it's still a re-do of a decades old design. Same for marines, after almost 25 years of them I'm just done with them you know? They don't innovate any more, just make retreads of the old stuff and the new stuff has felt kinda lackluster. Also Daborder's excellent point about scaling up for much of the new stuff.

Also obligatory dig at GW's near total lack of female representation which has been getting worse as time goes on while their competitors (notably Corvus Beli, Privateer less so) realise that having women represented on the tabletop does not, in fact, drive customers away.

[Arkhan Land]

I have very mixed feelings on this especially because Im an avid builder of sci-fi and historical larger scale non-game miniatures (WWII tanks, Star Wars Fighters, Models of buildings etc.) and I love all the major companies that have for nearly a century in some cases, weather the biz and cotinued to exist producing some range of product. sometimes these are the finest kits ever, sometimes they are less detailed but in favor of a greater variety of units within the range.

When i think about the roots of GWs main components I see early Lead Figure minis for roleplaying/advanced board games meeting the technology of vacum mold multi-part kits alive in the Airplane/Ship/Tank/Sci-fi vessel/ETC which has been around for nearly as long, and how each of these things has helped do things the other could not, Purpose beyond modeling, and advanced customizable/convertable components.

(as a side thought, lead figurines used to represent soldiers for wargaming is an old old concept recognizable as such centuries ago if not even preceeded by the idea of chess. likewise the creation of multi-part scale models for vehicles (very specifically naval vessels) is as old, their synergey is what makes our game what it is today between all companies)

I voted yes to the poll because like it or not GW made the blueprint for all mini companies and how they view their role in the world of art/game, and because they codified and coordinated the process between the infantry mini and the multi-part scale model very well

i do think there are companies that sometimes produce work far more detailed/better looking and others with more fluid/balanced/free/free and worthwhile rules, perhaps that will one day eat GW whole or live past its demise...

sorry if thats rambling or confusing my sinuses are squishing my brain right now due to allergies

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

technically I think their its are a joy to put together - good hard plastic kits, numbered parts that fit well so in that respect I think they are up there. Aethetically I tend to prefer a lot of ther companies though.

[Cutter]

GW's plastics are probably the most technically accomplished out there, but I'd agree with DB, the likes of Corvus Belli are producing better miniatures for realism and detail and Reaper's Bones for affordability and ruggedness.

Best is relative.

Not every miniature in my collection has to be a special snowflake.

Sometimes it's nice just to be able to fire an army into a plastic bag and throw it into the backseat of the car.

But then I'm a wargamer, not a Games Workshop Hobbyist.

They're just fantasy space barbies after all.

[ElectricPaladin]

GW's stuff is fine, but I agree that it suffers in comparison to the stuff coming out of a lot of other companies.

I also think that a lot of folks ignore the fact that GW's stuff is very strongly styled. This, I think, is where their claims to be a miniatures company first is rather... silly. GW uses a very particular scale (heroic, a very strange sort of 28mm scale) with a very particular sort of aesthetic (dark, gothic, over-the-top). I mean... what else are you going to use these minis for? Are you going to use a Space Marine in any other kind of sci fi game? Are, say, Lizardmen models applicable to any other game or RPG setting outside of Fantasy? No, of course not!

Compare that to, say Corvus Belli's Infinity models, which are stylish... but still recognizable as broadly "science fiction" minis. Or Spartan's broad catalogue of space ships. The difference is clear and dramatic.

[Path Walker]

I think the idea is that you don't have to use their miniatures for anything other than owning them, they get more customers who never use their models in a game than people who play regularly.

You might not believe that, because you only see the people who play at your local club, but anyone who has worked in the industry will tell you that a lot more people just like to collect models, its why there are hundreds of companies out there (Dark Sword for example) that just make models without the need for a game system.

[marful]

I think the idea is that you don't have to use their miniatures for anything other than owning them, they get more customers who never use their models in a game than people who play regularly.

You might not believe that, because you only see the people who play at your local club, but anyone who has worked in the industry will tell you that a lot more people just like to collect models, its why there are hundreds of companies out there (Dark Sword for example) that just make models without the need for a game system.

And anyone who works retail of GW miniatures will tell you that this is not true. The vast majority of GW minis are sold to people who purchased them specifically for use in a GW game.

Certainly there exists the handful of customers who buy every single GW miniature that comes out, simply to have, but they are incredibly rare. As a hobby store employee I can recall two such customers who fit this criteria, but the sales figures of these customers aren't even a drop in the bucket compared to the primary demographics: people who purchase GW's minis for gaming in GW games.

[CoffeeGrunt]

'Best' is very subjective, as others have rightly said. I love Anvil, but their models are often monopose for their Afterlife game, and lack in weapons options. That aside, they're bloody beautiful and excellently-sculpted.

Victoria Minis make the best and most diverse Guard parts you could hope for, but they're a bit pricey to make a Guard army from, and the resin takes a little more to work with than GW plastic in my experience. Kromlech and Puppetswar make great minis, but not typically enough to make an army with that isn't Space Marines. They also don't have their own game system, same as Victoria. Maxmini fits into this kind of category as well, they're supplements that make great minis, but would be a bit useless without GW's 40K to play them in.

Privateer Press I personally don't like, but Corvus Belli, Wyrd and Spartan all make stuff I very much like. Spartan's new Halo system is pretty fun to play, and the models are lovely, especially as a fan. I'm tempted to get a Ressurectionists Crew for Malifaux, and still deliberating on what to get for Infinity.

In a nutshell, no GW is not the best, but IMO they're still very good. They're probably the best all-rounders. Good material, good sculpts, customisable and aesthetically pleasing if that's your taste. The fact they're not the best is a great thing, it means we've got so much to choose from that's at least as good if not better!

[Denzark]

Difficult, subjective. CoffeeGrunt has summed it up for me - 'probably the best all-rounders'.

There is no mistaking a GW miniature as it has clear links to the world/fluff. Whereas some of the stuff I see about - infinity etc - I see 'generic sci-fi sculpts' that, whilst technically brilliant, don't seem to have any passion in them. It may be deliberate ('we don't care what game you use them in') but having your own aesthetic is a key thing for me.

Whilst I never had a problem with Finecast because I never bought any - the new plastics are absolutely consistently high end and delightful. Starter sets (AoS/DV) are absolutely epically detailed for snap/push fit and the level of accessories in things like Sternguard boxes, are really good.

So yeah, all-rounders.

[Cutter]

Victoria Minis make the best and most diverse Guard parts you could hope for, but they're a bit pricey to make a Guard army from, and the resin takes a little more to work with than GW plastic in my experience. Kromlech and Puppetswar make great minis, but not typically enough to make an army with that isn't Space Marines. They also don't have their own game system, same as Victoria. Maxmini fits into this kind of category as well, they're supplements that make great minis, but would be a bit useless without GW's 40K to play them in.

That reminds me,


VM have made this peice of lovely available as an add-on to Bones III. I imagine there are a few guard players out there who might like this, especially those hankering after female models.