The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[Nord]

I must be getting old, pretty much every new GW release I like less and less, and I find myself muttering "not as good as it used to be". And then I tell everybody on the GW fan thread. 

Insert grumbly old sod emoticon here.

[mcfonz]

Nothing wrong with that, their style has changed hugely over the years and there is some stuff I don't like so much stylistically. Others I prefer.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Sorry, me again, rudely interjecting a hopelessly naïve query into a proper discussion. Just wondering whether GW has a department that replaces defective parts, such as the base in my Aeronautica Imperialis set which only has numbers in the altitude window, or are they too big to be bothered with things like that? In short, is it worth even asking?

[Lost Egg]

Yep its definitely worth asking. I believe heir line is that if you got it from GW then go to a store or call them up and they will sort it but if you got it from a 3rd party then contact them first.

I've not had problems with GW bits before but I have with Forge World and they always sorted it.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I receive GW's newletter, but have made no attempt to navigate their website for mundane information.

[Andrew_McGuire]

And it doesn't look like I'll be doing so today, either - site down for maintenance.

[Lost Egg]

No probs...you could always try to message them on one of their Facebook pages or check the packaging, that might have a customer services email or phone number.

[Andrew_McGuire]

The site's back up. I'm just composing my email to customer services, after getting distracted and browsing the statement on IP,  specifically requests to make a model based on part of their IP they haven't got around to producing yet. This is because I encountered someone on YouTube quite recently who claimed they allow people to make a single recast "for personal use", which I found difficult to believe. I don't thus far see this specifically prohibited, but that rather depends on a pretty liberal reading of the statement. I'm not a lawyer, but GW can afford the best.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Well, well - a reply within 15 minutes. It's in the post. Normal procedure, however, is to go to the store, I was told, even if independent, I assume.

[Lost Egg]

Ahh, glad to hear it..

I believe that you can make your own minis and cast them for personal use but if you sell them then you're in trouble. I think this is fairly standard with any IP as the minis are effectively 'fan made' and done so for the love of the thing rather than financial gain.

[Andrew_McGuire]

Hmm...that surprises me, if only because a home copy means a lost sale to the manufacturer of the original, assuming it is still in production, of course. In any event, copying a flight base would require a 3D printer, as well as technical knowledge I lack.

[Westfalia Chris]

Recasting existing figures or parts thereof without permission by the rights holder, even if long OOP,  is a copyright violation which GW, and rightfully so, are likely to challenge. Under various legislations, they are obliged to do so to protect their IP.

I therefore find claims that they will generally allow or tolerate any "personal use recasting" highly dubious.

LAF does not endorse recasting in any way, so please cease discussing this aspect immediately.

If you do a sculpt yourself, 100%, of a concept created by GW, this is a bit different, but can be asking for trouble depending on the circumstances, e.g. Chapterhouse miniatures. Again, this depends on the legislation, but using trademarked names and designs is generally risky.

[Lost Egg]

OK Chris but I would like to clarify that I was only talking about casting your own personal sculpts for your own use, and not those produced by a company.

[Westfalia Chris]

OK Chris but I would like to clarify that I was only talking about casting your own personal sculpts for your own use, and not those produced by a company.

Yes, I saw that, but this kind of discussion usually veers off in the potentially litigious rather quickly, and as they say, "on the high seas and in court, you are in God's hand".

[Daeothar]

Interesting discussion this, always.

Chris, hopefully I'm not fueling any fires here (not my intention), but I clearly recall reading (at least) several articles in White Dwarf in the past (I'm talking early 2000s) where the authors (all GW employees btw) explained how they went about making a specific conversion. And in the process, they explained that they made recasts of certain elements they required a lot of.
Either they simply referred to this as 'I made a cast of (this element) and made a number of these for this project', or (in at least one case), they actually explained the process of making Green Stuff press moulds! Heck; one time, when I wanted a dozen of a very specific WHFB banner pole they only sold assorted, a mail order troll told me on the phone that he would make sure at least one would be included, and that I could then press mould copies to my heart's content!

So apparently, in the past, GW not only allowed the casting of certain elements for personal use, but they actively promoted it! Now, this was before the rise of massive internet commerce and Ebay, and they were still doing mail order for parts. It was, for all intents and purposes, a different time.

And I suppose that the entire message that GW allows single casts for personal use originates in that era.

Back in the nineties and early 2000s, before Ebay and webstores, it was actually pretty difficult to actually flog any recasts you made in any meaningful number. Oh; you could sell a few at your local club(s), but reaching out to the rest of the world was a bit of a challenge. So any recasting done, and it obviously was (GW knew about it and wrote about it themselves) was so contained and local, that it was no threat to GW and in fact, it had been a staple of the hobby for decades, so was just accepted as fact.

But with the massive changes in availability of materials, commercial channels, online instructions etc, etc, I do not find it strange at all that GW (and all the other miniature companies) have changed their stance on the 'casting for personal use'. And I think they're right in doing so too.

TLDR: GW used to allow copies for personal use, but with the advent of internet commerce, they have changed this and do not allow it any longer...