Mantic drums up Project Pandora

[Patrick Lefèvre]

I must admit that I was largly dissapointed with those Veer-myn, I was hoping on the 8th race being not-Tyranids (or some other bug).
I see no problems however with copying GW-stuff since a/they've been doing it themselves and b/they cover a bit all so it's a nigh on impossible to come up with something new, one can only make so many versions of a laserrifle armed bloke in space.
It all boils down to gamesystems in my opinion, esteatics are a personal thing and therefore irrelevant in a game as a whole (eg I play Deamons of Chaos, Nurgle, but I don't like the GW Plaguebearers so Andy Foster from Heresy Miniatures gets a regular order from me for his Blights)
Will I buy this game? Not likely, a game is simply no good if you don't have an opponent to play against and I seriously lack in those both at home and the gamingclub.
I gave Warpath a try once and I must admit I liked it a lot, unfortunatly there was only a minor intrest for it at our good old TSoA.
Armies of Arcana went down the same alley with us too you know, a lack of intrest due to the fact that WFB and 40K are still dominant gamingsystems.
And that's why I don't see anything wrong with Mantic riding on the back of it's bigger 'cousin' because, let's admit, GW's prices for their products are way to high and if I can bulk out my armies with some other company's models then that's just fine, they have to make themselves known in some way anyhow.
I personally like their 'amateurish' way of promoting stuff, at least it's relaxed and fun and not the 'Hysterical American BUY!BUY!BUY!!!' style of GW (Dreadfleet? Limited? Whatever...)
In short: Games Workshop's a sinking ship and their captains shouldn't be too surprised that the sharks are now jumping up to bite them in the ass, ugly as they might be.
Or maybe I will buy it anyway, it should be a blast making modular spacecraft corridors and then inviting some friends over to play that thing in the evening... with most of the lights out.... oh dear 

[cheetor]

The old demonblade line had rats with guns.

Megaminis sell those figures now, HERE.  They are a bit more post-apocalyptic looking than spacefaring I reckon.  Quite nice figures though.

I must admit that I was largly dissapointed with those Veer-myn, I was hoping on the 8th race being not-Tyranids (or some other bug).

Mantic have bugs (called the Z'zzor or something goofy like that) in the pipeline.  If Project Pandora sells in a similar fashion to Dwarf Kings Hold then a subsequent add-on Pandora set is highly likely to have bugs in it I reckon.



I am indifferent to spacefaring ratmen, but I was disappointed that the above guy in particular looks so much like a fantasy skaven equipped with some sort of warpstone gas weapon or something, like a globadier. 

I dont really care if they wear shoes or not, but I was hoping that the Veermyn would look a little more like more Flash Gordon space ratmen than a race of space hobos.  Ho hum.

[tnjrp]

Indeed the upcoming Zz'or are the Mantic "bug race". Maybe they'll surprise us and make those more fantasy-oriented than the 'Nids

---

On the completely unrelated subject of GW cease & desists, doesn't anyone else think that everybody and their uncle is doing pretty visible sales of rather-closely-similar-in-style-to Wh40k stuff these days? Especially in Poland but there are some Brits doing it even IIRC. Has GW lost some IP realated lawsuit someplace or what has caused this new boldness?

[YPU]

On the completely unrelated subject of GW cease & desists, doesn't anyone else think that everybody and their uncle is doing pretty visible sales of rather-closely-similar-in-style-to Wh40k stuff these days? Especially in Poland but there are some Brits doing it even IIRC. Has GW lost some IP realated lawsuit someplace or what has caused this new boldness?

Perhaps rather then more companies doing so its more of an awareness thing with internet marketing being easier and word of mouth trough modern media having an all time high. And then if one dares show is Not-gw thing and not get bashed with the CaD more companies dare show their stuff a little more publicly?

Mantic does have balls of steel when it comes to this tough, IIRC they are less then an hour away from GW HQ.

[Brummie]

Look like they'd be great for Post-Apoc mutants.

Dunno about anything else though, wouldn't want them in my sci fi stuff.

[Froggy the Great]

The 9th "race" will be Dolmansaxlil Shoe Troopers.

"I was going to have them shot, but now I'm going take them back to my office and like them."

[majorsmith]

All mantics stuff is poo!

[Patrick Lefèvre]

All mantics stuff is poo!

And you have every right to not like them, you could express it a bit more respectfully though.
But if you fancy yourself a better sculptor then the ones they have then feel free to have a go at it, I wont stop you.

[majorsmith]

I could express it more respectfully, but I choose not too, basically a wanna be gw company with poor figures, detail is very shallow, they maybe cheaper than gw but the quality isn't there, I have some mantic stuff and it doesn't do anything for me, as for me sculpting I'm man enough to admit I can't!

[Patrick Lefèvre]

I could express it more respectfully, but I choose not too, basically a wanna be gw company with poor figures, detail is very shallow, they maybe cheaper than gw but the quality isn't there, I have some mantic stuff and it doesn't do anything for me, as for me sculpting I'm man enough to admit I can't!

In that case the old saying 'if you don't have antything nice to say, then shut up' should fit you like a glove.
If you expect a starting company to have the same level of detail as GW at cheaper prices then the only thing shallow here is your sence of realism.

[majorsmith]

Why can't a new company have the same level of quality as gw? It can be done, I'm nota fan of everything gw does but the quality is there, your been a bit bitchy about it all I'm free to express an opinion, sorry if it doesn't agree with yours! I hardly think 'poo' is a harsh comment! As for the mantic stuff I have I've already given it away, I had the new space ork sprue and a few fantasy bits,

[fastolfrus]

the one thing that shits me about manitc guns is in their dark future all firearms are made by a company that had its roots in plumbing and pipe equipment manufacture who hired a design team consisting of drunken gibbons with a self harm fetish. At least it looks that way going on these greens and my Orx. Worst guns ever!

I think they had some background fluff that said all the weapons were based on dwarf designs, and that the Corporation were basically an evil empire expanding across the universe but that they recognised the advanced dwarf engineering so bought guns etc from them. The Corporation then supplied (older models) of guns to orcs they had recruited as mercenaries.
Something like that anyway.
So that's their excuse for everyone having similar designs of weaponry.

[fastolfrus]

Why can't a new company have the same level of quality as gw? It can be done, I'm nota fan of everything gw does but the quality is there, your been a bit bitchy about it all I'm free to express an opinion, sorry if it doesn't agree with yours! I hardly think 'poo' is a harsh comment! As for the mantic stuff I have I've already given it away, I had the new space ork sprue and a few fantasy bits,

The undead were quite reasonable looking figures.
The elves are very slim, but the elf artillery works well for me as either retro si-fi or as VSF inventions.
As for quality.
How do you define it?
I haven't seen any miscast figures or excessive flash.
Unlike the newer resin pieces from GW.
And as for duff designs, there are a few LoTR figures that have belts etc, on the front half of the figure but not on the back.

[majorsmith]

I received an ork sprue and the details there but not there if you get me, I'm not a fan of plastics to be fair, but perry miniatures have raised the bar, but I still think gw make the best sci fi plastics, I know fine cast is crap and I wouldn't pay the money they charge for them either, just not a fan of mantic at all and I was really looking forward to seeing how their sci fi range panned out, what are their games like?

[Gibby]

In that case the old saying 'if you don't have antything nice to say, then shut up' should fit you like a glove.
If you expect a starting company to have the same level of detail as GW at cheaper prices then the only thing shallow here is your sence of realism.

My problem with them is their utter lack of imagination and shameless cashing in on GW i.p. I mean, the first unique race they've done is... Skaven, IN SPACE! I've had some of their stuff in the past and it is just a poor alone of GW stuff, with the only advantage being cheap. Guess what, I don't buy bargain bucket food either. Mantic would be fine if they didn't have such a cynical copy-GW policy. They haven't even attempted to change the elf and dark elf aesthetic!