Gripping Beast new plastic Dark Age Archers

[WimVdB]

A low number of poses, less time spent on 'sculpting' and few additional options, optimises the profit margin too.

Yeah, but where's the profit margin if nobody buys them?
(I won't, I really don't like them)

[delbruck]

Gripping Beast could have increased the head count on the sprues by recycling old designs - from the Hird, Thegn, and/or dark age warrior boxes. I doubt if that would have cost them much.

[Jacksarge]

They certainly seem rather basic:





Pictures from here:
https://wargamesgazette.com/2017/05/06/the-dark-age-archers-by-gripping-beast/

Not my blog, a helpful review though.

[Ogrob]

Wow, not even a spare head per sprue? That's really bad.

[Kitsune]

10/10 for laziness, corner cutting and gall.

[fred]

Really disappointing. 3 figure sprues, cast on arms.

I was quite excited when I saw an add for these the other day, but am now really not interested at all.

[Captain Blood]

10/10 for laziness, corner cutting and gall.

Couldn't agree more.
I sincerely hope nobody buys them and they learn a lesson from it.

But probably they'll sell by the truckload... 

[Nord]

Currently out of stock on their website. Either they are selling in truckloads, or GB have messed up their stocking (which has been known several times in the past on new items).

I don't like them, very poor in my eyes. But then I look around at the alternatives and there is a similar lack of inspiration, certainly in the dark ages ranges. If the Perries or victrix moved into the dark ages my wallet would suffer. But as it stands, I am prepared to pay a premium for resin figures for my dark ages collection, fed up with substandard plastics (and, to be frank, lacklustre metals too).

[Maxromek]

So we are literally going back in time, when buying plastics meant buying a box of the same miniatures...

3 miniatures per sprue, buy 4 sprues for a SAGA levy unit or buy 10 to make a unit for Swordpoint... I'm pretty sure someone thought this was a brilliant idea... but how do you explain the fact that you are literally selling less models, with less options for the same price as the rest of your plastic range?

This annoys me to no end, especially because neither Conquest nor Fireforge archers are particularly good either. Why is it so had to make a good DA/Early medieval archers set in plastic?

[Breazer]

Currently out of stock on their website. Either they are selling in truckloads, or GB have messed up their stocking (which has been known several times in the past on new items).

I don't like them, very poor in my eyes. But then I look around at the alternatives and there is a similar lack of inspiration, certainly in the dark ages ranges. If the Perries or victrix moved into the dark ages my wallet would suffer. But as it stands, I am prepared to pay a premium for resin figures for my dark ages collection, fed up with substandard plastics (and, to be frank, lacklustre metals too).

assuming you are talking about gripping beast in general. If not I'd want to refer you to footsore. They have some pretty nice metals when it comes to dark ages. sadly no plastic here either. But i agree... these and a lot of other kits are not up to standards.

[SotF]

They certainly seem rather basic:





Pictures from here:
https://wargamesgazette.com/2017/05/06/the-dark-age-archers-by-gripping-beast/

Not my blog, a helpful review though.

Yeah, the Perry English Archers would probably work better...there's a pic of that sprue here...a lot more options, and a lot more things. Sure, there not exactly for the same point, but would probably be more useful anyway

[Norm]

Being a primarily a gamer rather than a painter / modeller, I quite appreciate not having to glue arms on (after recent work on Russians, trying to force sub-machine guns into the hands of awkward arms), but something like 5 or 6 different poses to a sprue would have been a more satisfactory compromise for me.

[Duncan McDane]

Well, I guess they wanted to cut on the sculptors' fee... 
Seriously though, this is really sad. Not even an extra head on the sprue. Shame!

[Calimero]

Being a primarily a gamer rather than a painter / modeller, I quite appreciate not having to glue arms on (after recent work on Russians, trying to force sub-machine guns into the hands of awkward arms), but something like 5 or 6 different poses to a sprue would have been a more satisfactory compromise for me.

I had this problem too… I’ve since take the habit to glue the weapon to the arm that’s holding it before I glue the arm to the figure’s body.

As for the DA archers, they are pretty plain but a few head switch and some pouch from other plastic sets could add a little variety…

[Too Bo Coo]

Disappointing... I cold use one, maybe two sprues then.