The companions to the dwarves in the last update, a host of hobbits!
These are all old oop classic citadel halflings.
A real joy to paint. One of the things I like about painting commissions is that I get to paint things I otherwise wouldn't, like a bunch of hard to find miniatures! It really had me thinking, and not for the first time, what is wrong with GW? I swear that their decisions can only adequately be explained by a desire to socially condition gamers:
GW exec "They want what? Squats? Zoats? Fimir? New Blood Bowl sculpts? Man O'War? Hell, I haven't seen a fimir around here in ages, we stopped making them and all the rest of that stuff. Why? To make more shelf room for Space Marines that's why! Yeah yeah, I understand shelf room doesn't matter much in the age of internet orders, but it's Space Marines, they'll love em! What? Well maybe they'll stop loving that other stuff once they forget about them- just keep showing the new, limited range we're plugging: that'll do the trick. Yeah yeah, I know the other stuff would sell, but not as well as the big dogs we push, if we continue to remove that other stuff they'll have no choice but to buy what we want them to buy!"
Really, it's all I can think of: Space Marines & certain items, like 40k in general have a greater profit margin, so there must be a belief that eliminating the *less* profitable choices will increase sales in the *more* profitable. Nonsense. Just because something sold is less profitable, doesn't mean it isn't worth selling- if it does sell, then they made money, and expanded the customer base & customer happiness, which will create more & more loyal customers as time goes on. It seems completely illogical to think that if people can't buy a new GW Blood Bowl team, or new (or old classic they chose to stop making) Epic armies that instead these folks will just play 40k instead. Some might, but I'm guessing most won't: they'll head to Impact minis, Greebo, Willy, Gaspez-Arts, Neomics, convert their own, or more for Blood Bowl, or maybe pick up Dropzone Commander for their small-scale fix.
What if all businesses did this? Should Coca-Cola stop producing Dr.Pepper simply because it doesn't sell as much as Coke? An absurd idea. Without the choice of Dr.Pepper some may choose Coke, but many might chose a replacement that isn't something they produce.
I'm just a small unimportant little business, much like a hobbit, so far from me to know everything that goes on in the concerns of the 'Big People' but my common hobbit sense says people will be happier with your stew if it has potatoes, onion, celery, and tomatoes in it, rather than just load it with nothing but potatoes just because it's the favorite and it's easier to plant nothing but potatoes.
A lot of the new stuff GW has come out with recently is great, but people still want these classic sculpts, as well as other things, and I can't help thinking GW is crazy for not continuing to make them available and maintain and expand the older games many still love.
And this is sometimes where my mind wanders as I paint some great classic sculpts that are out of production and can't for the life of me think why they should be.
Mental meanderings /off.
... Hobbits!
These are all old oop classic citadel halflings.
A real joy to paint. One of the things I like about painting commissions is that I get to paint things I otherwise wouldn't, like a bunch of hard to find miniatures! It really had me thinking, and not for the first time, what is wrong with GW? I swear that their decisions can only adequately be explained by a desire to socially condition gamers:
GW exec "They want what? Squats? Zoats? Fimir? New Blood Bowl sculpts? Man O'War? Hell, I haven't seen a fimir around here in ages, we stopped making them and all the rest of that stuff. Why? To make more shelf room for Space Marines that's why! Yeah yeah, I understand shelf room doesn't matter much in the age of internet orders, but it's Space Marines, they'll love em! What? Well maybe they'll stop loving that other stuff once they forget about them- just keep showing the new, limited range we're plugging: that'll do the trick. Yeah yeah, I know the other stuff would sell, but not as well as the big dogs we push, if we continue to remove that other stuff they'll have no choice but to buy what we want them to buy!"
Really, it's all I can think of: Space Marines & certain items, like 40k in general have a greater profit margin, so there must be a belief that eliminating the *less* profitable choices will increase sales in the *more* profitable. Nonsense. Just because something sold is less profitable, doesn't mean it isn't worth selling- if it does sell, then they made money, and expanded the customer base & customer happiness, which will create more & more loyal customers as time goes on. It seems completely illogical to think that if people can't buy a new GW Blood Bowl team, or new (or old classic they chose to stop making) Epic armies that instead these folks will just play 40k instead. Some might, but I'm guessing most won't: they'll head to Impact minis, Greebo, Willy, Gaspez-Arts, Neomics, convert their own, or more for Blood Bowl, or maybe pick up Dropzone Commander for their small-scale fix.
What if all businesses did this? Should Coca-Cola stop producing Dr.Pepper simply because it doesn't sell as much as Coke? An absurd idea. Without the choice of Dr.Pepper some may choose Coke, but many might chose a replacement that isn't something they produce.
I'm just a small unimportant little business, much like a hobbit, so far from me to know everything that goes on in the concerns of the 'Big People' but my common hobbit sense says people will be happier with your stew if it has potatoes, onion, celery, and tomatoes in it, rather than just load it with nothing but potatoes just because it's the favorite and it's easier to plant nothing but potatoes.
A lot of the new stuff GW has come out with recently is great, but people still want these classic sculpts, as well as other things, and I can't help thinking GW is crazy for not continuing to make them available and maintain and expand the older games many still love.
And this is sometimes where my mind wanders as I paint some great classic sculpts that are out of production and can't for the life of me think why they should be.
Mental meanderings /off.
... Hobbits!
Click for larger:
The fancy guard was missing his weapon, so I supplied him with a spear.
So much character in these sculpts, hard for me to pick a favorite, but I'm leaning toward the one at the upper right corner.
14 comments:
Hear hear.
Great hobbits!
Great stuff, Ferret. I'm partial to the little guy holding the pulled-pork barbecue sandwich!
Friggin Awesome!
Just delightful; fabulous work sir!
I concur with your thoughts on GW, I think the love for the game(s) went out of the company when it was sold off to 'the men in suits' - who didn't know the hobby but just wanted to make as much money out of it as possible... by whatever means they thought right? Space marines, space marines and yet more space marines... yawn...
I have feeling some of the old citadel molds went to Foundry, as I have seen several models there, things like vikings, that used to be GW models...
I love these little guys, I had a unit of about 30 of them yeeeaaarrs ago... but sold them off on ebay... when I stopped playing WFB...
GW Pffft. Can't stand them and won't buy from them. When I do a Bloodbowl team next year, it's coming from Impact. I'm leaning toward the Scotlings right now.
Really liking these Hobbits Ferret. My favorite is the one on the top left with the tankard in his hand.
Nice work sir. Lovely classic figures. I have to agree I don't buy anything from them anymore.
Great looking hobbitses! You don't see enough of the wee guys on the net. Nice.
Those are really neat mini's. Look like fun to paint. Really nice work on those LF. And I applaud your common hobbit sense sir!
I remember these, you've done bloody well there mate!
LOVE them!!
A counter arguement is that, if GW didn't drop Blood Bowl, all those companies you mentioned would not be around to supply us with their figures, thereby we get the variation the market requires, without all the problems of a monopoly.
Just a thought, oh, ane great job on the Hobbitses, and very timely!
Thanks all :)
Jay: the one with the sandwich is a strong contender for my favorite too.
Scott: I regret selling some old minis too, I had a couple hobbits from this era, but not sure what happened to them.
Anne: the scotlings are fun, and very fun & easy to paint: like painting cartoons :)
Derek: Possibly. There are plenty of companies making their way by producing alternates for 40k and WHFB though, so I'm not sure it would have that affect. If so, I wouldn't trade GW stepping back in to Blood Bowl for all the great independent companies: wouldn't want that at all, not saying it is what is good for us or not I'm just saying I don't understand GW's motivation, it seems counter productive for themselves, like someone saying "my right hand is more important than my left, I will cut off my left hand and then my right hand will be even more important!" sure- even if the right hand grows a couple new fingers, you still lost a left hand.
As someone who played genestealer cults in 1st ed i can definately concur with you.
On a positive note in recent years there's been nods to the old school, the razorwings of 1st eds bestiery are now in the dark eldar range, Fimir showed up in the Storm of Magic supplement and the latest 40k rulebook has an artwork of a Zoat and the text mentions abhuman beastmen and squats in it!
But these are just nods, and the mangled handling of the Tyranids both in rules and releases has me spending far less on GW than i used to.
GW seems to have long forgotten that like many others it was Adeptus Titanicus that got me into wargaming and Space Hulk that got me into 40k.
My entire War Rocket collection costs less than some warhammer units! For a doller-to-fun ratio the little guys are far better value for money... even though the economy of scale should be enabling GW to be the cheapest product!
Post a Comment