The Darkside of Miniatures

So, what the heck am I talking about? Well…

Chinacast, 3D printing and Copyright

But that, doesn’t have as catchy a title.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room. Games-Workshop. The only reason we are having this discussion is because of them. If you are an independent trader you aren't charging 150 dollars for a single model. If you are a major studio with a licenced IP let's say star wars and you have a licence for Darth Vader you aren't even charging that much. But if you are Games-Workshop...

Thus begins the discussion.

Games-Workshop (GW) as a company… doesn’t have the best reputation, on multiple fronts, socially, fiscally and loyalty. Socially they have really just gone with whatever goes, and never really stood for anything unless they believed it what is popular to say… I think it is better to say nothing and let people think you’re stupid on this part, because… no matter what you do you are going to offend someone. Games are meant to bring people together not tear them apart. And them no longer crediting artists, sculptors, or creators in any way now.

Fiscally, well damn they raised their prices during a pandemic and things may be lean in the future, but I can safely say much like someone predicting an earthquake up in here. There is going to be another price hike while people are doing it tough. Finally, loyalty, no one and I mean no one is more bitter about their break up than an ex-Games-Workshop fan and their love affair. Scores of specialist games were abandoned almost as soon as they were created and classics thrown to the bin due to them not being money makers: Necromunda, Mordheim, Battle Fleet Gothic, Inquisitor, Gorkamorka, and so on… not to mention their first flagship game, Warhammer Fantasy Battles aka the Old World..

This isn’t even mentioning their use of Lawfare (Lawfare a portmantua of Lawsuits and Warfare commonly used when discussing civil lawsuits used as a weapon against those who don’t have the means to protect themselves). If the Emperor had Text to Speech which would be covered under parody in any courtroom. Then more nebulous cases such as Chapter House who technically won their suit which Games-Workshop brought. And finally, those cases which were out and on GW’s side but so very foolish to prosecute such as the forcing of Syama Pedersen, the maker of Astartes to be ‘forcibly’ hired by Games-Workshop.

Speaking of Chapter house and how Games-Workshop doesn’t credit artists, here is Discourse on the matter.

So this is a pretty long pre amble, which basically says.

Games-Workshop Bad

At least that is how every fanboy will interpret it, but I want you to get into the mindset of someone who truly dislikes Games-Workshop and even hates them. I mean really hates them… But loves the hobby and well… they could make a lot of valid points, like: How Games-Workshop likes to claim that Warhammer is the whole Wargaming hobby. Then, deliberately uses terms such as Warhammer to blind customers to the greater hobby as a whole. How they use FOMO (Fear of missing out) to target a large minority of their autistic and habit-strained customers to make these vulnerable people part from their money. Or… add your own I am sure you are thinking of an example right now…

BUT

And its a big but, but, there reasons to like them. They are doing some of their best design work ever right now. They are listening to customers and bringing back some of the oldest and most obscure and interesting parts of their lore right now. Zoats are appearing in both 40k and Fantasy at the moment in Blood Bowl and Blackstone fortress pretty obscure but still its for a small and passionate fan base, they might like obscure. Squats aka Space Dwarves are coming back in a major release in the newly revamped Leagues of Votann. Age of Sigmar is targeting the ‘dad bod’ audience and trying bring fresh blood into the game in the form of fathers and figures, and perhaps the occasional son or daughter. Warhammer Underworld presents an affordable (kinda) way to get into the hobby.

I wanted to say all of that so I can finally get to the real crux of the matter.

There is a lot of reasons to hate Games-Workshop and money is a thing…

So, let us start at the grey zone.

Proxy Models

Some people may call them counts as other people may call them, proxies, but anyway bend it they aren’t the official model, but by the same token.

No body in the know could have any confusion as to what they are. Or how do you put it Rick?

This is the I don’t like version of protest, people know you are annoyed by the thing but your not exactly saying I hate everything and everyone. And it can be done for a number of reasons, one your model range hasn’t been updated since the late 80s, or you don’t like the current model or any number of other reasons that don’t expressly say I hate this company. Indeed it could just be because you like this other company more. Also, it allows the support of all sorts of smaller companies who are trying to fill a niche that seems abandoned by the company. For the longest time, Raging Heroes the people seen above were the people to goto for female miniatures and GW just didn’t have them. Their sisters’ range was decades old and these people had sexy sisters and didn’t judge. However, it can be a dark path…

Sometimes protests just aren’t protests and its just someone looking for an excuse to hit someone… This next on is closer to that than anything else.

The Straight Rip

Much like many people who know of certain things but would never try them… I don’t know where you could find illegal things in anyway, both in real life and online nor would I condone it in anyway. But let’s just say you looked for things lost on fishing trips, a horned savanna herbivore or the girlfriend of Spider-Man, it could lead to many interesting paths…

Okay, so the cat out of the bag, its 3D printed version of official models. They exist, now let me be clear, I am not saying some sort of variant on something that doesn’t yet exist or someone’s version of X,Y or Z I am talking about straight rip-offs of copyrighted work. You don’t want to buy the official version so you do this.

well…

It is hard to condone.

But…

There are a lot of reasons to hate Games-Workshop, and justifiably you may feel you shouldn’t support such a company… but if so why are you playing their game and more importantly… You can’t seriously hurt a major company in that way but you know who you can hurt?

Your local FLGS (Friendly Local Game) Store

I wrote a whole article on how and why you should support them, click this to read more.

Games-Workshop isn’t going to miss your 100%, at least individually. But your local game store guy or gal very much might, those margins they make on these aren’t big.

BUT

So long as you pay your rent and keep them in the black well. I honestly have as little problem with you doing this as I do with people pirating movies. I do think, that if your doing this why are you so invested in the game, why are you pouring so much time into something made by someone you hate.

BUT
(okay the gag is a bit run to death)
I do understand and I think their is new addage, “Don’t give money to people who hate you… give it to me instead!” Seriously keep me painting miniatures, so I can… ummm eat? Anyway, this leads to finally the darkest of all paths but, much like Vader (call back to the start of the article) there is still some good in him.

Chinacast

Chinacast is the fake Gucci of Games-Workshop, it can be just as hard to find as these knock off brands and they can be almost as expensive and it has a culture all its own. Indeed merely by me talking about it, I am technically breaking one of the rules about it. Like fight club your not meant to talk about Chinacast.

Okay, so what is it, 3D print rips maybe someone's closest attempt to rip off a Games-Workshop model, but someone designed the file and made it, Chinacast doesn’t even do that. It is literally a resin cast of an official Games-Workshop model.

So, why may people do this? Well obviously the cost. but…

Sometimes the quality of the Chinacast, is superior to that of the actual Forgeworld or Warhammer/40k model… Yeah, yeah, yeah, nah mate, I am not kidding. Forget world has a reputation for shoddy resin work. The ‘Finecast’ models can be anything but-

Okay no I won’t do it again. BUT

Games-Workshops ‘Finecast’ a polystyrene resin has a repuation for being one of the worst work with hobby materials for figures in the world. And thus some people would prefer to use dodgy underworld black market Chinese connections instead of using the official product.

YES it is that bad.

NO, I am not kidding.

Okay… So other than those two reasons, is there any other reason to seek the power of the Dark Side?

Well actually legitimately yes.

No ifs, no BUTS, or maybes. It is a definitive yes as to why you may wish to seek out this dark power for yourself.

This is literally an image from one of these dark and forbidden tomes… notice something?

You literally cannot buy these miniatures anymore.

No I am not kidding. You can’t, you might be able to find something close online, but literally the only seller of these older models, these legacies of days of yor…

Is a Chinamen somewhere, fearful of his goverment and perhaps just as fearful of the Lawfare hanging over his head if he is found.

I find a bitter sense of irony in that, the only way to show how much you love an old hobby is to literally find a pirate and hope that he will sell you stolen booty.

It is a bit of pure madness, but life is stranger than fiction.

I hope you learned something, about the dark side of the miniature world and why some people pursue it. But no matter where you find your models from…

Keep those brushest wet

Til next time friends