KS: Hand of Glory: Modular Magnetic Gaming Miniatures

[nic-e]

I'm picturing archaeologists in 2000 years uncovering a small chest filled with severed hands armed with a variety of weird weapons and assuming that our culture must have worshipped DIGITOR, THE HAND GOD!


Really I think this is a nice idea but in practice it's just not amazingly done. The hands look too big, most likely to fit the magents,But why magnets?They're popular yes but why not a plug and pin system?
Why not hoop hands with a variety of weapons to avoid the weird "everyone wears the same gloves" thing that's happening here.

There's alot of potential in the idea of swapable RPG figures but it needs pushing further.

[ced1106]

Another comparison pic:



ADDITIONAL ADD-ONS
We've decided to offer some additional optional add-ons that will be available through the pledge manager after the campaign. These are based on suggestion from backers and we're able to do these in time because we actually have many of these things already designed! If you don't see your suggested idea below, don't worry, we'll continue to make tons of additional items for the future. The list so far is:

Empty Hands Set
Extra empty hands in different poses. Fist, grasping, pointing, etc.
Mostly existing poses, some new.
8 total (4 left & 4 right) - $5

Spell Effects Set
Energy bolt, energy shield, energy ball, wand, etc.
These will be mostly new models to go along with the Flaming Hands set that was unlocked as free for the Legendary tier and as a $3 add-on for everyone else.
6 total (3 left & 3 right) - $6

Musical Instruments Set
Lyre, horn, lute, and flute.
These will be new models to go along with the pan flute from Series 3.
4 total (2 left & 2 right) - $5

OTHER A LA CARTE
We are also going to make each individual figure, individual accessories series, and extra magnet and steel plug sets available as a la carte add-ons through the pledge manager. Price estimates will be:
Hero Figures - $10 each
Series 1 Weapons & Items - $15
Series 2 Weapons & Items - $25
Series 3 Weapons & Items - $50
Goblin 3 Pack - $25
25 extra magnets - $3
25 extra steel plugs -$3

[Tactalvanic]

Ok, thanks for the "another comparison picture".

Where are the others? not easily finding any on the KS page or its updates

Really don't want to sound mean but your comparing a pewter miniature against Reaper Bones Polymer?

So metal against plastic for comparison, great gives us an idea of the scale, but sculpt comparison of a clearly darkened and high-lighted mini against white untouched lower detail plastic polymer?

If you have not already, Stick them against some other vendors modern metal castings, and at least ink those to help detail stand out for a valid comparison? e.g. like for like?

I wish you and your backers all success, its a great idea, interesting project, even if the end user still has to put the magnets in themselves (the holes are pre-made so at least they don' need to make those)

It needs further development and tuning, and I am sure the buyers will enjoy them, but my money is elsewhere.

[nic-e]

Ok, thanks for the "another comparison picture".

Where are the others? not easily finding any on the KS page or its updates

Really don't want to sound mean but your comparing a pewter miniature against Reaper Bones Polymer?

So metal against plastic for comparison, great gives us an idea of the scale, but sculpt comparison of a clearly darkened and high-lighted mini against white untouched lower detail plastic polymer?

I wouldn't say the handy hand bloke comes out looking great against bones.
It's spindly, poorly proportioned and really pretty blandly detailed.
The poses are all static by necessity I suppose but to me those bones figures kind of show up the weakness of these miniatures which is that once you get past the gimmick, They aren't very nice figures.

[Tactalvanic]

I wouldn't say the handy hand bloke comes out looking great against bones.
It's spindly, poorly proportioned and really pretty blandly detailed.
The poses are all static by necessity I suppose but to me those bones figures kind of show up the weakness of these miniatures which is that once you get past the gimmick, They aren't very nice figures.

Well said - you have a better eye and more experience than me for sure in regards to the sculpting and proportions.

 I should be more clear, as I cut my comment short - its more a case that the detail of bones polymer minis does not show well in photos which is well known, putting them at a possible disadvantage. As you point out though, they still show up some of the Handy's disadvantages.

It strikes me as something of a strategic action to compare them to something in a different material to that of your own product.

Pewter to pewter, and shade/highlight accordingly, fair comparison - I am not seeing one.

[nic-e]

Well said - you have a better eye and more experience than me for sure in regards to the sculpting and proportions.

 I should be more clear, as I cut my comment short - its more a case that the detail of bones polymer minis does not show well in photos which is well known, putting them at a possible disadvantage. As you point out though, they still show up some of the Handy's disadvantages.

It strikes me as something of a strategic action to compare them to something in a different material to that of your own product.

Pewter to pewter, and shade/highlight accordingly, fair comparison - I am not seeing one.

Agreed, a comparison should be like to like as much as possible. As much as i don't really like the industry of piggy backing off of GWs visual style, I think these guys might have missed a trick by not going with generic "not warhammer" style sculpts that could cover up the big hands and that way blend into most peoples collections as custom heroes/generals.

[Tactalvanic]

I think these guys might have missed a trick by not going with generic "not warhammer" style sculpts that could cover up the big hands and that way blend into most peoples collections as custom heroes/generals.

That's a valid point - That would have helped a lot with the rubber-hands.

Large rubber hands? No!  In our world everyone is a rubber gloved practising proctologist! You never know where the monsters might be hiding, and you never know where they might have hidden the best treasure..

GM - "Bob whats your adventurer doing?"

"Swapping to 'empty hands' to cavity search the trolls for 'Hidden Treasure'..."

GM - " Ed - your Wizard?"

Rolls up sleeves -" yeah I go 'empty hands' and  do the same on the Dwarves and Halfling"

Silliness aside, its already a long day and now, meetings...

 I think it needs a bit more work and wish them luck with it.

[ced1106]

Good points -- I'm not the creator, so will pass this on to them.

I'd like to see more comparison pics myself!

[Munindk]

Love the idea, hate the huge hands and for the asking price I'm not impressed by the sculpts.

My theory of why this is so successful is that it must appeal to RPG players who want customisable minis, without doing any work. I think they'd be even more successful if they came i colored plastic or were prepainted.

If you're used to D&D miniatures, the huge hands are probably an OK trade off for the hand swapping.

[ced1106]

Yeah, some backers were asking if these were prepainted, so there's the target audience.

Plus, there's always some wiseguy in the party who wants to be special. Multi-class elf wizard ninja? We're covered.

Also, the miniatures should be useful for boardgames that only have standees. And my HeroQuest wizard can wield a staff instead of copper pipe.

It's easy to *say* you can magnetize miniatures on your own, but good luck finding 110 interchangeable hands for a party of adventurers. Multipiece miniatures for armies and zombies are almost a given, but the only adventurer's sprue I've found is a Frostgrave barbarian sprue.

None of them wield katanas.

[Duncan McDane]

It's ideal for players, not so much for collector's and painters imho.
Don't like the figs, so I won't buy them but if you like 'em, please go and back that KS, it is after all your own personal taste, no matter what other peoples think and each backer counts, as always  .

[nic-e]

Despite my criticism I am completely on board with the core idea of a customisable miniature, I just think there are other ways it could have been done that might have resulted in a nicer looking end product.

Swappable arms rather than hands, using pegs rather than magnets to reduce joint size, swappable legs/torso/head and arms to make these fully custom.

[Artemis Black]

I'm on a lot of drugs so I'm using that as an excuse to be honest

I feel like this has basically ruined a decent KS idea with terrible product. Those minis are awful, but 'clearly' there was a target market for this idea. I've no idea why, so it's probably just luck, but it's certainly worked out and now it's unlikely anyone else could make such a killing on it as this has burned through that initial fad buy.

I still do not understand the thinking of using the worst sculpted hands I've ever seen to be the advertising photos though. At least the weapon hands distract from the fact the sculptor seems to have never seen human hands before, use those!

Also, I am still mocking 'proprietary'

(Also, full disclosure, I am also annoyed because we were thinking of doing it for some of our moderns, and didn't because we figured people could just do it easily for themselves. Although if the entire market for this is lazy roleplayers then moderns aren't for them anyway)

[ced1106]

Eh, it's not like another company can't do the same thing. I'd like to see "adventurer sprues", where you can mix and match parts from different sprues, so your thief can hold a scroll that he's trying to read. I'm assuming the problem are undercuts, if you mold in the holes where you stick in the magnets or steel plugs, although you could drill them in yourselves. Yet the only such sprue I've found is Frostgrave's Barbarian sprue, and it's hardly friendly for RPG gamers who want magnetizing, but don't want to do the work. Not all gamers want to assemble and paint miniatures, as several CMON KS have shown.

[Artemis Black]

Eh, it's not like another company can't do the same thing. I'd like to see "adventurer sprues", where you can mix and match parts from different sprues, so your thief can hold a scroll that he's trying to read. I'm assuming the problem are undercuts, if you mold in the holes where you stick in the magnets or steel plugs, although you could drill them in yourselves. Yet the only such sprue I've found is Frostgrave's Barbarian sprue, and it's hardly friendly for RPG gamers who want magnetizing, but don't want to do the work. Not all gamers want to assemble and paint miniatures, as several CMON KS have shown.

Oh absolutely, and I'm assuming that's where this target market lay. Although I'd say more 'Bones' than anything CMON has made.

And yes, undercuts are an issue for minis with holes in, it dictates places the arms can't go 'or' you have to multipart them which means the target market is annoyed cos they don't wanna stick things together too.

Again, s why nobody has done this, more fool us I guess cos it's done very well.