Heresy Miniatures - curse of the dragon

[FramFramson]

Well, I've got nothing to order having placed an order already during the recent dragon is dead sale, but I have to say I've never had anything but the finest and best service from both Andy and minion Dan and you really can't go wrong sending some trade Andy's way.

[Major_Gilbear]

I know the dragon millstone was crippling, but this is very sad to hear! 

I have pretty much ordered anything I can ever vaguely use from him, usually twice or more. I also order my bases and putty from him.

Going forward and re-building, I wish he'd "complete" certain ranges a bit more - I'd buy even more from him if he did!

For example: another futuristic gang (techies or punk girl gangs would be my top choices), a few extra Juvies and some alternative guns for the heavies for the Baldies, some more goblins so that you could make a proper little skirmish force of them, some more undead to do the same with, etc. I also keep asking him for weapon sprues, but this never seems to happen for various reasons and I've stopped bothering him about it.

Basically, I'd love to go to Heresy and buy a core of units and characters to play games with rather than just one small specific unit or a couple of characters.

Games like Mordheim and Necromunda (and their successors like AE Bounty, Frostgrave, etc) don't need tonnes of models, but they do need a good variety, and I feel warbands for these sorts of games would be great sellers for Andy.

I love that he sculpts all sorts of odd miniatures too, but I feel it's difficult to sell random single miniatures in the sort of volumes he needs to keep going. I honestly think that the random single miniatures need to be side projects to doing small ranges, but I realise that it's more for him to sculpt.

As a long-time buyer of (hundreds of) Heresy Miniatures, I can honestly say that I've had the very best of prompt, courteous, well-packaged, and friendly service every time from Heresy.

[Malebolgia]

Totally agree with the Major. I have tons of his stuff and don't really need anything new. But I am always interested in more Heresy stuff...especially if it adds to the collection.
And total bummer to read his blog posts. For me Andy is one of the champions in the industry, but he has a lot of bad luck and the business has become a lot harsher during the last years. Hope he comes out of this one better.

[Vermis]

Going forward and re-building, I wish he'd "complete" certain ranges a bit more - I'd buy even more from him if he did!

For example: another futuristic gang... some more goblins...

Basically, I'd love to go to Heresy and buy a core of units and characters to play games with rather than just one small specific unit or a couple of characters.

I love that he sculpts all sorts of odd miniatures too, but I feel it's difficult to sell random single miniatures in the sort of volumes he needs to keep going. I honestly think that the random single miniatures need to be side projects to doing small ranges, but I realise that it's more for him to sculpt.

Totally agree +2. I have all his goblins for a wee skirmish gang, but all but two or three are archers. It's not that bad, but a few spears or sumthin' might be nice. With the SF troops too: I've made a side order in the weapons side of the site to make a few conversions, but even then I wonder if I'll have to dig up some 40K bits for more variety. Weapons teams and such. (I also think the plastic-plans 3-ups have great potential, and I wonder what state the vermissians are in...)

Anyway, that's a matter for a bit further down the road.

[Quendil]

My Sci Fi troopers came today and they are excellent.  I will have to get more squads.  The inspectors are next on my list

[Rhoderic]

I do (mostly) agree with the observation that some of his ranges or "themes" could do with some consolidating (in the sense of each of them being consolidated separately, that is).

I've figured out how to represent the other gangs in my impending sci-fi gang war project, but there's a great deal of converting involved, and I'll be sourcing figures from at least a dozen companies. The first time I saw the Heresy gangers (before I forgot they existed, that time around), I was intrigued by them but opted out because they felt like only half of a whole. Back then I didn't have my grand plan and I don't think many people now would be interested in doing what I'm going to do - to repeat, a lot of converting, and sourcing figures from at least a dozen companies. I think that a second Heresy gang - either another street gang or some sort of colourful mafia - would make for a "wholeness" that's more attractive to buyers.

But I will say that right now, at the tail end of the whole dragon business (pun intended), Andy does seem to be putting his efforts into items that do make sense. Various kinds of "dungeon nasties" are fairly attractive products even as one-offs or sets of no more than two or three different sculpts, and they may be a serendipitous way to go right now that "dungeon crawling" and "fantasy treasure-hunter skirmishing" seem to be trending again in the hobby community. He's even got a ready collection of fantasy adventurers to go with the monsters and the creepy-crawlies.

Meanwhile, plastic human sci-fi troopers are always attractive and really don't need for their adversaries to be sourced from the same company. The plastics still seem to be a way off, but at least it means he's working on new products that seem likely to sell well.

[Dim_Reaper]

For example: another futuristic gang (techies or punk girl gangs would be my top choices), a few extra Juvies and some alternative guns for the heavies for the Baldies, some more goblins so that you could make a proper little skirmish force of them, some more undead to do the same with, etc. I also keep asking him for weapon sprues, but this never seems to happen for various reasons and I've stopped bothering him about it.

Basically, I'd love to go to Heresy and buy a core of units and characters to play games with rather than just one small specific unit or a couple of characters.

Games like Mordheim and Necromunda (and their successors like AE Bounty, Frostgrave, etc) don't need tonnes of models, but they do need a good variety, and I feel warbands for these sorts of games would be great sellers for Andy.

I remember hearing him mentioning this on a podcast I listen to (Flock & Awe). He gets asked a lot, his response was something along the lines of: "They want me to make more, because they don't understand IP." But then later on he suggests that he'd like to have a go at making more of them, although I think he was considering making Skeleton Regiments. I'm not sure if he's going to stick to that or not. He also plans to make a Dungeon Crawl game, so that's why he did the Kickstarter with all those daemons and beasties.

It'd be rather nice if he continued with the Gangs as well, especially as he mentioned in the podcast that he'd been emailed by John Blanche who said he'd "got it".

[Rhoderic]

I remember hearing him mentioning this on a podcast I listen to (Flock & Awe). He gets asked a lot, his response was something along the lines of: "They want me to make more, because they don't understand IP." But then later on he suggests that he'd like to have a go at making more of them, although I think he was considering making Skeleton Regiments. I'm not sure if he's going to stick to that or not. He also plans to make a Dungeon Crawl game, so that's why he did the Kickstarter with all those daemons and beasties.

It'd be rather nice if he continued with the Gangs as well, especially as he mentioned in the podcast that he'd been emailed by John Blanche who said he'd "got it".

For my part, my interest in the Heresy gangers is not about copying Necromunda. I wouldn't mind some not-Eschers or not-Van Saars, but I'd be just as happy with a gang that was styled in an altogether different way.

[Hupp n at em]

Found a few things I liked and sent an order his way! 

[Dim_Reaper]

For my part, my interest in the Heresy gangers is not about copying Necromunda. I wouldn't mind some not-Eschers or not-Van Saars, but I'd be just as happy with a gang that was styled in an altogether different way.

I wasn't using that quote to cast aspersions, but it does follow that Necromunda players need a good source for their models.

I too would like a few from his own demented mind, or even from Confrontation, the Necromunda precursor. Techs, Brats, Psykers, Clans etc. They had a distinctive look, although they'd need modernising, and again, were the work of Blanche.

[grant]

That is one sad story. I've ordered from Heresy a long time ago, and they were excellent minis.

[Rhoderic]

I wasn't using that quote to cast aspersions, but it does follow that Necromunda players need a good source for their models.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were casting aspersions. I just meant to say that I wish the fact that Andy doesn't have rights to the Necromunda IP wouldn't stop him making a second gang - any kind of second gang - to oppose the trench coat baldies. There's other ways to go. I've given up on the thought of gaming Necromunda because I don't have the figures, and I'd be perfectly happy gaming some other sci-fi gang war setting that's in the same vein but clear from the oppressive shadow of C&D shutdown.

There needs to be a game and a range of figures that is to Necromunda what Frostgrave is to Mordheim. Judge Dredd isn't quite it, in my opinion.

[Dolmot]

I have pretty much ordered anything I can ever vaguely use from him, usually twice or more. I also order my bases and putty from him.

"Quoted for truth" would be the appropriate phrase here. I just checked. I've been shopping there since July 2003, all the way to the dragon and the kickstarter. Now I'm in a weird situation with sufficient funds to buy new toys but very little time or energy to touch my previous hoard. I have piles of shiny stuff ranging from ancient and discontinued to brand new resin master castings. A majority of Heresy fantasy is already here, whereas sci-fi is out of my scope. The only thing I'd really need right now would be a free month to paint a dragon or something...

As a long-time buyer of (hundreds of) Heresy Miniatures, I can honestly say that I've had the very best of prompt, courteous, well-packaged, and friendly service every time from Heresy.

Can confirm this too. Furthermore, finishing the dragon saga was truly impressive and one of the most honourable things I've ever witnessed. 98 of 100 people out there would just declare bankruptcy or run with the money (or whatever remained of it) instead of spending 6 years to finish a putty beast and a couple of months just to cast it, possibly at a loss already on the material level, let alone anyone's wages.

Were I anywhere in the proximity, I'd buy him a beer and a sausage any day. Unfortunately, for various reasons this is not the right moment to add anything to the lead pile. I can still recommend it to anyone whose collection isn't this complete yet, though.

[Dim_Reaper]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were casting aspersions. I just meant to say that I wish the fact that Andy doesn't have rights to the Necromunda IP wouldn't stop him making a second gang - any kind of second gang - to oppose the trench coat baldies. There's other ways to go. I've given up on the thought of gaming Necromunda because I don't have the figures, and I'd be perfectly happy gaming some other sci-fi gang war setting that's in the same vein but clear from the oppressive shadow of C&D shutdown.

There needs to be a game and a range of figures that is to Necromunda what Frostgrave is to Mordheim. Judge Dredd isn't quite it, in my opinion.

As a pointless side note, I would love to write the rules for that. It's my big ambition to top Necromunda with an equivalent system. I probably should have put 'big' in capitals, and increased the font size a few feet.

It's a real shame you've given up on Necromunda. It's a great system. It isn't perfect, and has massive flaws, but it can be a faff to play, especially if you want the official models.

It is doable without though. I've just helped my friend get the makings of a Spyrer Gang from Scotia Grendel. So if you want some thoughts on miniature ranges to loot from, pop me a PM. Necromunda is one of my favourite all-time games, and I always play it for at least a week every year. So I'm always happy to discuss the subject with anyone.

[grant]

Necromunda was one of those awesome games that GW just let die. I had the big hardcover rule book edition, and throughly enjoyed playing it. It was the best of everything GW at the time.

Whatever did happen to GW? Ugh.