The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Games Workshop

[Johnno]

I don't know what to think. 

I understand that the look of the Misty Mountains goblins and Dwarf characters comes from Peter Jackson/Weta/Alan Lee etc's vision but this new is better concept sucks.

I guess I have to see the movie before I can reallycomment on the Gobbos, but for now I think they look like rubbish but are probably very accurate to the movie as are the dwarves (who have short/no beards and no traveling cloaks  )

The hunter orcs look decent and are more similar to LOTR orcs (which I like and can grasp given the geographical distance between Misty Mountains and Moria and the time span between the Hobbit and LOTR.

The tagline on the website states: "A stunning new range of Ctadel miniatures"
I'd say a stunning new way of pricing Citadel miniatures.

[Mason]

To be fair, some of the figures in the range look quite useful for other projects, like the Goblins could make decent mutants or degenerates, and the orcs look pretty good in their own way.
I know that they have to reproduce the Weta look from the films, which has not always been my cup of tea (elves especially!) so that are stuck with that.
If I was doing a LOTR project I would use other figures, but these seem to have a use somewhere, just not my view of what Tolkien intended.

I may well pick a few up later, but will use my usual GW product policy: Wait for a while, until someone has had enough of them and flogs them on ebay on the cheap!

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Today's two GW videos show the products - 1. contents of the boxed set in detail and 2. good views of the other packs.
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/wnt/blog.jsp?pid=6000006-gws

Peter Jackson Production of the Hobbit Video 9 is here.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Video #9

[Funghy-Fipps]

I think that if painted in earthy hues the Goblin Warriors might be more passable. I have to say I'm not overly impressed by the look of the creatures in the forthcoming film: the trolls particularly look very uninspired, but at least the Wargs actually look like wolves now!

I was interested in jumping on board this with my son as a joint-project thing, but at these prices GW have definitely lost a customer. Whatever defenders might claim, £45 for four FC models is utterly ludicrous; even Forge World is cheaper these days!

[Modhail]

even Forge World is cheaper these days!

Not to mention cast better (and better material than FC)...

[fastolfrus]

I was interested in jumping on board this with my son as a joint-project thing, but at these prices GW have definitely lost a customer. Whatever defenders might claim, £45 for four FC models is utterly ludicrous;  

I'm probably behind the times, but what does FC stand for?

How old is your son?
We run a school club so if you want ideas we might be able to pass on advice.

[Wilkins]

Weird that the dwarves walked halfway across Middle Earth without any cloaks or gear (makes you wonder how they're keeping their beards so wonderfully trimmed and tidy!). Weirder still that they all seem to have taken off and lost the coloured hoods that Tolkien went to great lengths to describe on numerous occasions.

[fastolfrus]

Weird that the dwarves walked halfway across Middle Earth without any cloaks or gear (makes you wonder how they're keeping their beards so wonderfully trimmed and tidy!). Weirder still that they all seem to have taken off and lost the coloured hoods that Tolkien went to great lengths to describe on numerous occasions.

And Jackson misses out on an obvious merchandise line - dwarf hoodies.

[Timbor]

And Jackson misses out on an obvious merchandise line - dwarf hoodies.

!

You gotta hand it to GW though, they market quite well.  That video of the boxed set makes it look a bit more appealing.  Not enough to change my mind.  It is somewhat relieving to note that the two dwarfs who seem to have the shortest/most absent beards are Fili and Killi, who, if my memory serves correctly, were the youngest of the dwarfs.

It is rather odd that the only way to get the core game content is to buy the 'limited edition' boxed set.  Once that is gone, there will be no other way to get a starter set for the game.  Likely they will release a 'regular' starter after this one runs out, and it won't have Radagast in it and will likely cost the same.  That and you cant buy they dwarfs separately.

As for the missing dwarf hoods, I think that's likely a matter of taste for the new generation - kids will probably rather see battle-hardened, grim dwarf outfits rather than colourful hoods, shiny belts, and giant backpacks.

[Johnno]

I'm probably behind the times, but what does FC stand for?

Fine Cast

[fastolfrus]

Fine Cast

Thank you.
Is that some kind of resin?

[Hildred Castaigne]

I think the 'hunter orcs' look rather good. Slight flavour of Woodland Indians about them to my eye.
Will be interested to see if this is cited as one of the design references when we get to see all those lovely appendices on the eventual DVDs of the movies...

Over on the website it makes a real point about their mohawk haircuts.
"They sport mainly bald heads with tufts of hair in the centre, lending them a savage appearance," said Games Workshop.
I though they were chanelling Front 242, with the hair and the hunter theme.
But there were no eggs to be seen, so Native Americans makes more sense!

[Westfalia Chris]

Thank you.
Is that some kind of resin?

Yes, it's a kind of plastic-resin hybrid material. They introduced it in June 2011 to replace metal as a manufacturing material for the non-standard figures and sets (i.e. the ones people will only buy small numbers of due to the way the army lists are structured, the core stuff and top sellers tend to be replaced by injection-moulded plastic).

It's a bit hit and miss. I have bought two Finecast items, the first an initial wave Space Marine and recently a box of Plague Marines. The former had some considerable casting flaws (which I only noticed too late, but then rectified in less time than it would have taken to go to the store and exchange it, but still the product should be better), but the latter were very well done, and it seems the material is indeed suited for some fine detail. Not that it would justify the concurrent price hike and the awful marketing hubbub they ran.

I think it works well if you get a good batch of models, and I have not noticed any long-term flaws (yet).

On topic, some interesting things, but nothing that makes me want to venture into Tolkien territory. That LE Radagast looks somewhat awkward in particular. Strange proportions, I guess. The plastic orcs and goblins look rather interesting, and not too expensive in Euro prices for what you get, but I'd rather want to see them in the flesh before making any rash decisions.

[Hammers]

That LE Radagast looks somewhat awkward in particular. Strange proportions, I guess.

It is still much better than the previous sculpt which was done by that, in my opinion, rather talentless sculptor Gary Morely.

[Momotaro]

I reckon the starter set is a good deal, and as Lowtardog says, the goblins are a good source of "degenerates" for a variety of gaming genres.

The rest of the releases are a mix of price increases (a box of 12 LotR/Hobbit infantry now costs twice what it did at the start of the year), the ugly (trolls...) and the insane (the prices for Bolg, Fimbul, the White Council).

I may consider the starter and some of the hunters/wargs, but my Kickstarters are starting to roll in over the next few weeks, and I already have a lot of painting to do in 2013.