Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: tnjrp on 19 September 2012, 10:56:02 AM
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Oh my, they just keep coming, don't they?
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1470153821/effigy-miniatures-havoc-protocol-sci-fi-miniatures
That said, I like the (pix of the) existing Havoc Protocol stuff so I might even consider pledging for this one even if it does not look hugely lucarative at the mo' ($40 for at most 7 minis).
One comment I saw TMP on this struck me as odd: "the trooper looks too skinny".
http://meowcheese.com/files/lolpics/2009/09/o-rly-.jpg
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Hmm, well I backed his original KS - the aim of which was to get the moulds made and models cast for his first round of minis, and to get his company off the ground. It funded successfully.
Looking at this second KS, I'm wondering what he's being doing with his time since the previous KS, and why he's not done anything with his new minis company in the meantime. All I see here is another no-risk pay-up-front project, and it's a bit sad to see that business model instead of just releasing new models through Effigy.
I'm also thinking how much they remind me of Antenociti's GOT stuff (especially the drones). Not that that sort of design aesthetic is unique or anything, but still.
So yeah, a bit underwhelmed really. :?
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I liked a few of the original KS minis (the female recon), but they just seemed too expensive for me to shell out for when postage etc is included and possible import tax from the states.
Duncan
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@dijit - I bought the Effigy Pilot, Recon and Hacker set at the start of the year - great fun to paint :)
Not sure what Denmark's import thresholds are, but $19.99 for the set was below even the UK's ridiculously stupid limit. It was only $5.00 for p&p - and they arrived in a week :)
I ended up with three figures for just under £17.00, so about £5.60 each. Expensive, yeah, but still cheaper than a lot of companies out there ::)
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@zemjw:
They can still be stopped for VAT. Even so, it's the handling charge for doing anything at all if it gets stopped that's so expensive.
I thought that the figures were nice, but at close to £6.00 each, not as good value as other figures out there in terms of sculpting and casting quality. Not that they are bad (I really like them!), but I accepted at the time that the price was a little higher in order to help somebody new out.
That's why it's disappointing to see another KS from Effigy, but that in the meantime nothing new has come from the store we helped to fund in the first place.
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@Major_Gilbear
They should pass into the UK without problem. Below £15, excluding p&p, is okay. From HM Customs Import Limits (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E3rHU1yHpqo/UC-5qU6K_OI/AAAAAAAABQI/JdSpWKiadrE/s640/b71_PilotFront.jpg) - "Commercial consignments i.e goods you have purchased, of £15 or less are free from customs duty and import VAT." The current customs exchange rate for September is $1.5804, which brings $19.99 in at £12.65.
I do know what you mean about the handling charges >:( There was a boxed set I wanted to buy from Amazon US and it came to £15.72 when I converted it. I decided not to risk it, as if it had been stopped I was looking at another £10 in VAT, import duty and the "handling charge" :o
I also agree with the view that Effigy hasn't done much since the first releases. I had high hopes that some more SF stuff might have been produced by now, but sadly not :(
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In and around Denmark then the limit for overseas purchases, before VAT and other duties applies, is set to the astounding high rate of £5 (rough currency conversion).
But the fun doesn't stop there, oh no! The handling fees for the postal service is somewhere in the neighbourhood of £20-25 and then you need to add the VAT, which varies wildly as the state has no idea on how to tax miniatures and resin terrain; but roughly you add +50% of the ordervalue; including P&P.
In short - unless you're really desperate, then it's rarely worth the extra money for buying anything from overseas here in DK.
This however means that I'm quite the customer at various online-shops across all of EU which import US-based miniatures ;)
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I think Tom Mason is the guy who does most o f the sculpts for MERCS, they've just released two or three new factions, so that's probably what he's been up to.
That aside, yes, I agree, why another kickstarter, are we going to see a kick starter every time they want to release a new set of figs? It seems to be just a cash up front pre order thing.
Plus, after the sedition wars box, I reckon I'll be pretty flush for Sci fi troopers for a while, and there's nothing here so far that really catches my eye.
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I think Tom Mason is the guy who does most o f the sculpts for MERCS, they've just released two or three new factions, so that's probably what he's been up to
Well, he sculpted the Sefadu faction AFAIK.
The Keizai Waza were sculpted by somebody else, as were the new Ios faction (they're digital sculpts in fact). No idea who's doing the upcoming Texico faction though
But his work on Mercs is why I backed him; he'd proved he had the talent already and now wanted to go solo - I loved his Mercs models, so was happy to support him.
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I got turned off at 32 mm. Shame, because they are great sculpts, I just am not ready to make that switch.
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The problem with miniatures you haven't seen in a comparison shot is that you really can't say how tall they are if the actually factual full height of the miniature isn't given -- and it rarely is, for example Effigy only lists "scale" for their current offerings. Their "officially" 32mm miniature might not be significantly bigger than a typical "officially" 28mm figure is these days.
I personally prefer more "concervative 28mm" too (like, say, Heresy stuff) as well and am inclined to think these may be a bit on the big side since Mr. Mason's a MERCS sculptor. Might go well with the upcoming McVey/CMON Alabaster stuff tho...
Maybe we could persuade Major to post a comparison pic of the current Havoc Protocol minis?
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Sure, I can do that.
I'll do a lineup of the KS1 chicks (who are quite small), some Infinity figs, some GOT figs and a Space Marine ('cos everyone know how big they are, right?). Anything else for the lineup?
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(http://cdn.stripersonline.com/0/00/366x435px-LL-0053ad6f_two-thumbs-up.jpeg)
If you happen to have any Sedition Wars minis at hand then those would be a very nice addition.
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I do, and I can! ;)
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(http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w519/SteveFlanaganUK2/2012%20-%2009%20-%20Sept/HP-DroneSM_zps7df088e5.jpg)
(http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w519/SteveFlanaganUK2/2012%20-%2009%20-%20Sept/051098025-01-roasted-chicken_xlg_zpsea607c50.jpg)
Robot roast chicken, anyone?
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(http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w519/SteveFlanaganUK2/2012%20-%2009%20-%20Sept/HP-DroneSM_zps7df088e5.jpg)
(http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w519/SteveFlanaganUK2/2012%20-%2009%20-%20Sept/051098025-01-roasted-chicken_xlg_zpsea607c50.jpg)
Robot roast chicken, anyone?
lol lol lol
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Not to steal Major's thunder but there appears to be a more-or-less official scale pic available showing the new trooper + one of the old gals here:
http://www.effigyminis.com/Kickstarter/HavPro_KS/HP-TrooperScale.jpg
Looks like the full height of the trooper is around 35mm (without even standing fully straight) so it appears that they are on the tall side (compared to "real 28mm"), just as I expected. All the same, a comparison pic with better know lines will still be s00per helpful.
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I managed to get the pix sorted out:
(http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/pp154/MajorGilbear/EffigyScaleShot.jpg)
I couldn't find an acceptable Space Marine in the end, so I used a Scout instead! ;)
The chick next to the ruler clocks in at 36-37mm high, but if you take the 4.5mm off for the base, you get a pretty good 32mm to the top of the head. The Marine Scout comes in at about 28.5mm (accounting for the base) by comparison.
I bought these "blind" to use for Infinity scenarios and, as you can see, they're a great match.
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Oo shiny!
Pretty much as expected, they are tall for "real 28mm" but fit in well with Infinity stuff.
As an aside, this (new) Havoc Protocol KS isn't really pulling people in so there might not be robot chicken on the menu...
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I only want the girls. I'm not paying into the stuff I don't want for the privilege of paying an extra $20 to get what I do want.
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Well, I fancied the Founders civvy miniatures, and Tom confirmed that he'd add a pledge level for those of us who just wanted the Founders on their own. But at $25 (including shipping), that's an expensive pair of (unseen) minis!
Classic example of why civvy minis don't usually sell well; they are typically either far too expensive, setting-specific, or both. :o
I also have to say, that if the goals and buy-in prices don't change on this KS quickly, he's going to fail to reach his initial funding request I think! :?
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The Founders are decent in combination with the Squad Pledge. Of course assuming you are willing to buy for a mini based on just the concept.
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Yeah, but I have future sci-fi soldier minis coming out the wazoo from what feels like every other manufacturer already... I personally just want the civvies, and this price-point just isn't tempting me in the slightest. :?
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I have future sci-fi soldier minis coming out the wazoo
An economical alternative to conventional spin-casting or 3D printing.
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@ Steve F:
I'd say that some of them are certainly, erm, ahm, hmm... Well no polite way to put it really! We'll just say they're bad, okay? lol
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There are some proposed changes in the works for the "turkey":
(http://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/266192/posts/320877/image-165648-full.jpg)
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It looks a little less like a turkey.
I wasn't too concerned about the look earlier, mind you.
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Wow, took me a while to spot the difference! o_o lol
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Wow, took me a while to spot the difference! o_o lol
Me too. I was about to ask whether it was a joke spot-the-difference.
Duncan
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This is into it's last 7 days. I like the style of the figures but it took the founders concepts to push me to pledge. I hope it makes it's goal as I'm thinking the heavies and sniper could be added a reinforcement options to purchase (say $10 each) regardless whether they fund or not.
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I like the Founders, but way too expensive for me considering the rest of the KS... Dunno, as I said before, it just seems kinda weak.
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I like the Founders, but way too expensive for me considering the rest of the KS... Dunno, as I said before, it just seems kinda weak.
Totally agree. The founders are very nice, but it sure doesn't seem to be priced to entice.
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Guess I don't follow the price comments. For the base havoc squad they're ~$6.70 per mini with shipping for non-US backers, ~$5.90 for US. Similar figures from someplace like Hasselfree are $7.25 with shipping to the US ( I dropped six 32mm figs in the cart and calculated). :?
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@coyotius:
It's $25 (for me in the UK) to order 2 figures (the Founders) without any previews besides a sketch. Tom's a great sculptor, but these are rather different from his usual fare.
And whilst $12.50 per fig could be good, that's expensive for an incidental figure (a civvy), and his previous offerings (the Havoc Girls) were nowhere near the quality that I have come to expect for that money.
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I was refering to this: "but way too expensive for me considering the rest of the KS"...and I believe it's $15 +$5 for the founders (no extra shipping if added to $35 pledge)...$10 each, right?
Edit: I guess if you ordered them separately I get your point.
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@coyotius:
Yes, and I have no reason to order the other figures besides the Founders; the market isn't short of sci-fi troops afterall, and neither am I! ;)
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I'm not exactly short on futuristic scifi troopers either but I find these have enough personality to be interesting all the same. Just haven't gotten around to pledging yet but will do soonish.
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Another "backers only" update.
Bad business decission, I'd say.
I like the project, but I'm still not sold on it because I have seen little development. The only finished minis are the two that have been shown since the beginning. So what's been going on this month? I'd expect the sculptor to be sculpting. Since no new minis, not even wips, have been shown... I get the feeling Tom doesn't believe in his own project.
And now there's an update. This update may push me to pledging, if I see things are going along nicely. If we are shown some wips, for example; or a master copy of the two finished greens. That can push me over the pledging side of the fence.
But I'm told that I have to pledge first.
Err... no. I haven't pledged because I'm still not convinced about the project. So I'm not going to pledge just to see if I may be convinced by it.
I consider that a horrendous business practice, and a total disrespect for the customer. I'm surprised that KS allows for this, specially when it has become so obbsessed with avoiding risks. Renders are prohibited, but not showing a shit is allowed? No, thanks.
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I wasn't going to back this one anyway, just not my style, but I see absolutely zero sense in a "backers only" update. The only justification I could see is if it were a negative update...
I think Kickstarters may be on the decline if this is the way they are going...
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Well, the Mongoose JD KS just went over $100,000 the last weekend so if "KS fatigue" is indeed in the air then it is probably for the projects by small no-name companies. This one looks to have passed tho all the same, if only by 5%.
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After somewhat more than the usual amount of KickStarter delay, Mr. Mason's finally completed the male Founder:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/266192/posts/469445/image-250535-full.jpg?1367451778
His womanly counterpart should be done soonish as well so I now can start worrying about the customs fees for my Havoc Protocol parcel :?
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Bumping this again...
On June the 9th the female civilian was finished:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/266192/posts/505045/image-271334-full.jpg?1370802238 (https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/266192/posts/505045/image-271334-full.jpg?1370802238)
And on July the 3rd the master copies of the founders have been shown. So hopefully they'll be cast along the troopers, and everyone will receive their minis. And that includes me! It should be a smallish parcel, so let's pray it falls under the radar of the money-grabbing customs office.
EDIT: Today (July the 13th) remaining rewards are being shipped.
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(http://ghettokorestudios.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/oohshiny.jpg)
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Is any of this stuff available for retail yet, or just KS?
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If it's not on Effigy's site one assumes it's not out to retail yet. Which, according to the consensus, it's as it should be since I only received mine yesterday and KickStarter backers must before stuff goes to retail.
The minis themselves are very spiffy. I'm glad I backed the Founders tho it meant a bit of a delay in getting my stuff.
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I received my parcel two days ago. :D
And the Effigy store has been updated, and now the new minis are for general release.
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Looks like. The next Havoc Protocol related project was announced to be producing the heavy weapon specialists that didn't unlock during the KS, plus some other undisclosed specialist troopers.