The LAF Games Workshop Discussion Thread

[Citizen Sade]

Many Oldhammer armies looked like they were compromised of warbands rather than regiments. The varied kit shown in Hobgoblin’s images - and the labels on the Half Orc one - reflect their D&D roots.

What’s Oldhammer is one of those perennial questions and opinions differ. For me, it’s WFB 1-3  and Rogue Trader 40K.

[jon_1066]

A convenient line can be drawn at either the 1991 buy out or 94 floatation of GW.  Personally I’d pick 1991, after that it’s downhill into plastic tat with fewer and fewer exceptions each year.

[beefcake]

Norse Berserkers were still in the 4th edition battle bestiary as well. I don't think they made it into the army books but I could be wrong there. No mention of Zoats or gnomes in the 4th.

[Belligerentparrot]

Sorry to derail the conversation in this thread, but....

The Empire Free Company/Militia box set is coming back!

To be honest, that was what I was most hoping to get out of the Old World coming back. That box was my go-to for building make-your-own hive gangers 20 years ago, really looking forward to doing a bit more of that with the luxury of the modern plastics.

[Elbows]

Is it a new box, or the same old tired one?  I'd have a hard time investing in that when lines like Frostgrave, Baron's War, Victrix, other Wargames Atlantic lines, etc. all exist and are vastly updated plastics in the same concept.

[Return of the Modhail]

New box, new price, but the same quarter century old sprue....

[Mammoth miniatures]

Is it a new box, or the same old tired one?  I'd have a hard time investing in that when lines like Frostgrave, Baron's War, Victrix, other Wargames Atlantic lines, etc. all exist and are vastly updated plastics in the same concept.

Same old kit. they were looking OLD when they went out of production the first time around.

[Belligerentparrot]

Yeah, same old kit. I agree, it wasn't the best if you just built it as you were supposed to - really only the Flagellant kit was ahead of its time and still stands up today (and is I think the only Old World release that has always been available?)

The newer plastics give you much more dynamic poses, and the "mono-pose" nature of many of them doesn't bother me as with a little bit of thought they carve up brilliantly for converting. But the Militia kit was still a great source of bits, so I am pleased it is coming back. I thought they might not bring it back.

[HerbertTarkel]

New box, new price, but the same quarter century old sprue....

Yeah, that box was old back when it came out. Just didn’t age well.

[boneio]

=But the Militia kit was still a great source of bits, so I am pleased it is coming back.

No idea if it'll translate into sales for GW in any meaningful measure but there are a LOT of happy Mordheim fans 

The old kits really aren't a patch on the new ones aesthetically but they are generally far, far easier to work with for conversions etc than nu-GW, which are often largely monopose now. Plus a decent number of us prefer the older, more 'readable' aesthetic of toy soldiers rather than hugely complex models designed more for painting and photographing than for playing*

*Or both. I like both.

[Elbows]

Yep, but I think that's where the other brands outshine current GW.  Most of the Frostgrave kits are exactly that...simple, modular, and more 'classic' than anything GW produces today.  Fireforge is simply brilliant.  Wargames Atlantic is pretty damn good, and Victrix is superb.  Gripping Beast does some solid kits as well.  They are almost all interchangeable as well, with the same variety...but fresher castings, and more options for the most part.

If someone buys that ancient kit, they're doing it solely out of nostalgia when heaps of alternatives exist.  Heck there are vest selections of Mordheim-designed STL's which are modular kits now which mimic the original design perfectly.

[Storm Wolf]

Engage rant mode -

I can't help but agree, whilst I like the finished article with GW plastic kits I find their "fiddlyness^TM" and lack of conversion-ability without a lot of hassle to be a real downer, I used to like putting Marines, et. all together now it's 

Northstar and the other manufacturers you mentioned are a breath of old-fashioned (in a good way) air!

GW need to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid or Keep It Stupidly Simple) not the bloody travesties that they put out now, the sprue designs themselves follow no real system that I can see.

Sorry rant mode off

[Mammoth miniatures]

GW need to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid or Keep It Stupidly Simple) not the bloody travesties that they put out now, the sprue designs themselves follow no real system that I can see.

Sorry rant mode off

The current sprues are laid out digitally - software like fusion 360 will take a solid digital sculpt and explode it within pre-set parameters into the optimal orientation to avoid undercuts. It's not laid out randomly, it's just very efficient engineering.

[HerbertTarkel]

The current sprues are laid out digitally - software like fusion 360 will take a solid digital sculpt and explode it within pre-set parameters into the optimal orientation to avoid undercuts. It's not laid out randomly, it's just very efficient engineering.

That’s actually kind of cool, I wondered how they barfed out all the parts like that. It just seemed so random, and like they could claim “puzzle level assembly!” as a feature or benefit or whatever.

[v_lazy_dragon]

That’s actually kind of cool, I wondered how they barfed out all the parts like that. It just seemed so random, and like they could claim “puzzle level assembly!” as a feature or benefit or whatever.

At some stage on this thread I recall someone positing that some markets consider the number of parts-per-kit a metric of value (I can't remember the example market they used, perhaps something like Gundam?); such that a 18 part single 28mm figure is better 'value' than a 5 part 28mm figure at the same price. And that this fitted into the 'boutique' market image GW were working toward a few years ago.