# GW ends indie online sales in US



## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

GW is stopping all online sales unless they are from their own site in the US and Canada, full details found *here*

Is everyone ready for the coming shit storm?

Thanks go to Jezlad for bringing this up.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

i think this is direct result of the US retailers picking up the trade from down under customers after the EU embargo came into force, but if memory serves didnt the US already have a pretty tight restriction on online sales? they couldnt have shopping carts and such if memory serves, some got around by taking the kits out of the box and selling them second hand, which now they cant do either.


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## DeathKlokk (Jun 9, 2008)

GW has had that policy for a while though. They cannot restrict indies who don't buy directly from them though.


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## ChaosRedCorsairLord (Apr 17, 2009)

I wouldn't say it's as big a deal as the other embargo. It's not like Americans pay that much of a markup compared to Australia/New Zealand/"insert other place". Still a bit shitty though.

Speaking of trading terms, what's worrying me more is this: 


http://www.3plusplus.net/2013/03/tau-minis-sighted-and-some-silly-lawyering-by-gw-again-the-bitz-debacle/ said:


> And this excitement brings us to a new low for Games Workshop – making policy to disallow companies to break open boxes and sell the contents. AFAIK this is legally fine – lots of organisations do this but Games Workshop has a terrible history of pissing off its customer base (which just keeps coming back for abuse again and again and again) so this isn’t going to be something appreciated by many. It will be interesting to see two things here.
> 
> 1) Will GW start doing bitz again – unlikely since they’d prefer customers to buy whole boxes. The result? more fake casting and GW gets nothing rather than something.
> 
> 2) How it impacts companies which built a solid business based off selling bitz and whether this will trickle down into ebay policy (where a lot of these ‘stores’ reside). Here’s to hoping GW doesn’t hamper small business again. Poor European shippers to Australia.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

i see GW also snook in a export embargo to the US terms and conditions too, no more shipping outside the US.


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## OIIIIIIO (Dec 16, 2009)

I got into this hobby as a way to spend less monies on my various other hobbies. I have 3 Jeeps titled to me as well as a Harley. HD does not stand for Harley Davidson it stands for Hundred Dollars ... any chrome piece you buy from them costs that or more. Jeep stands for Just Empty Every Pocket, I have dropped about $900 on a rear bumper/tire swingout to get the weight off the body and on the frame, because I run oversized tires and the extra weight can mangle the rear door.

I ZERO qualms with spending money on shit that I like because, if I have kids, they do not speak English. More toys for the wife and myself. I have bought everything that is a GW product from my FLGS as he has given me a 20% discount because of online sales. I have almost 15,000 points worth of Blood Angels shit ( most of which is not yet assembled ) in my basement.

I am personally glad that I have nothing left to buy as the prices (even with a discount) are borderline IGNANT .... even for my standards. I find it harder and harder to be the ONE guy that is not motherfucking GW and the way that they are doing things. This is perhaps just a tad bit far even for them.

I understand that this practice has been in place in America for the last ten years but, if they are pushing up into the great white north now as well, it will not be long before they start coming down on the retailers like a fucking anvil. Such a sad day.


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

Hmm, so does this effectively mean the death of MWG, The War Store and every other online retailer in the US?


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

I suppose it depends on how much they make selling stuff like Warmahordes, it would be a good measure of how much market share GW's competition really have.


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## OIIIIIIO (Dec 16, 2009)

If anything this will increase the popularity of other mini wargaming, I would think.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Load gun, cock striker, aim, pull trigger, and shoot self in foot.

Is it me or is that coming across as a new business strategy?

Very detrimental... but, I guess time will tell.


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## d3m01iti0n (Jun 5, 2012)

Death of teh line?


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

d3m01iti0n said:


> Death of teh line?


Maybe, but, probably not. People will still buy the products one way or another.


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## Masked Jackal (Dec 16, 2009)

People will still want to buy the products. Certainly, the line will be hit somewhat, but I imagine people will just suck up and pay GW's price. You weren't getting that much a discount from what I recall, anyways. They basically screwed that over pretty well. This is just the final nail in the coffin.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Masked Jackal said:


> People will still want to buy the products. Certainly, the line will be hit somewhat, but I imagine people will just suck up and pay GW's price. You weren't getting that much a discount from what I recall, anyways. They basically screwed that over pretty well. This is just the final nail in the coffin.


We were paying half price and this new thing prohibits exports from the US to Aus.

There are ways around it tho' !


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## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

man this is going to suck.

we allready pay about 115 pounds for a battleforce at nz retail, which is $215 nzd, where people in the uk pay 80 pounds.

thats enough to get a bloody predator aswell as a battleforce if we were paying the same amount.

we are getting soo raped by gw here its not funny.

worse thing is, most of us have to travel for atleast an 30mins to get to a shop selling gw, some even an hour. there is a real lack of online stores in nz, i only know of 3 that sell gw products, all at full retail. we used to have a discount online store, offereing 15% off retail, but they got closed down due to gw not being happy with how many sales they were getting...

thanks once again GW for turning an enjoyable hobby into something i cant afford.

p.s, i also own a 4wd and boy do they soak up some money.

just spent over a grand getting some shocks and springs, looking at spending 2 grand for some decent mud tyres.


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## Logaan (May 10, 2012)

dirty-dog- said:


> man this is going to suck.
> 
> we allready pay about 115 pounds for a battleforce at nz retail, which is $215 nzd, where people in the uk pay 80 pounds.


Thats fuggin' scandalous.

I live in the UK but have tried to source any GW products from indie online suppliers simply because its cheaper. Most of my usual sites have 30% sales most months which is really handy. My last few purchases have been made in store but thats only because I wanted them quickly and since moving I live 15 minutes from my local store.

I honestly do feel sorry for folk trying to get into the hobby in the current climate.


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## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

its bloody rediculous.

admittidley its because the nz dollar is strong but it doesnt look like its going down anytime soon.


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## Purge the Heretic (Jul 9, 2009)

Putting your fingers in your ears and closing your eyes will not make the internet go away GW...


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Lets have a little look at this now shall we?


"This POLICY reflects the unilateral decision of GAMES WORKSHOP after a careful review designed to assess and pursue the best interests of GAMES WORKSHOP’S business and its brand. In issuing this new POLICY, GAMES WORKSHOP is not seeking your agreement to the requirements outlined below. The decision to comply with this POLICY is left to each individual Retailer. However, GAMES WORKSHOP does reserve the right, pursuant to this POLICY, to terminate sales of GAMES WORKSHOP products to any Trade Account who chooses to violate this POLICY or any Authorized Distributor supplying a Retailer that chooses to resell in violation of this POLICY."

What GW are doing is allowing themselves a discretionary power to stop retailers who are taking the piss and screwing the hobby for everyone.

Sounds like a good thing for all of us.


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## Masked Jackal (Dec 16, 2009)

Magpie_Oz said:


> We were paying half price and this new thing prohibits exports from the US to Aus.
> 
> There are ways around it tho' !


Ah sorry, for some reason I had only thought about for the US, for New Zealand and Australia, it's basically like cutting off the entire market there. It can't possibly be *that* expensive to get the models over there.


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

Magpie_Oz said:


> We were paying half price and this new thing prohibits exports from the US to Aus.
> 
> There are ways around it tho' !


_Indeed._


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## Wusword77 (Aug 11, 2008)

MadCowCrazy said:


> Hmm, so does this effectively mean the death of MWG, The War Store and every other online retailer in the US?


the War Store has no online shopping cart. Any orders are made over the phone so they have no internet business for GW products.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Wusword77 said:


> the War Store has no online shopping cart. Any orders are made over the phone so they have no internet business for GW products.


Ya think?


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## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

Masked Jackal said:


> Ah sorry, for some reason I had only thought about for the US, for New Zealand and Australia, it's basically like cutting off the entire market there. It can't possibly be *that* expensive to get the models over there.


were paying 115 pounds for something elsewhere being 80 pounds.

thats expensive.

or were paying $175 usd for something that is advertised on their website for $125 usd....

its not that its expensive, its that were getting charged more, for the same bloody product, hence why everyone in nz/oz, were buying from the uk/us,


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## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

Gw really dont want us to participate in this hobby any more do they. But i will find a way to have my models and keep the minimum amount of money going to gw. The funny thing is i have no issue spending the money,it is not about being able to afford it, it is about not enjoying being screwed over.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

shaantitus said:


> Gw really dont want us to participate in this hobby any more do they. But i will find a way to have my models and keep the minimum amount of money going to gw. The funny thing is i have no issue spending the money,it is not about being able to afford it, it is about not enjoying being screwed over.


All I can say is "Bitz Barn"


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## Achaylus72 (Apr 30, 2011)

*Makes perfect sense.*

As i said, this makes perfect sense for GW to do this, not only this but i ties into its overall global aims to one day be the only sourse of GW and GW related products, and that is that we will all be forced to buy GW products from GW only.

Eventually GW will impose an embargo on the US/Canada like it did with the EU to other parts of the world.

Also eventually GW with have EBay and other online auction sites ban any and all GW related products, either brand new or 2nd hand.

GW will one day control everything in the sale of its products, all inhouse, then as 10's of thousands of folks walk away from GW each year, the GW Global business will collapse and GW will have no-one else to blame but themselves.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Achaylus72 said:


> As i said, this makes perfect sense for GW to do this, not only this but i ties into its overall global aims to one day be the only sourse of GW and GW related products, and that is that we will all be forced to buy GW products from GW only.
> 
> Eventually GW will impose an embargo on the US/Canada like it did with the EU to other parts of the world.
> 
> ...


Except that nothing of the sort will happen.

You cannot ban the sale of second hand items no one has any form of right to do that under any circumstances with any product.

GW have made their stance and reasons for it quite clear and if you take the time to read them you will understand and see theya re quite reasonable.

Basically what it comes down to is the GW sees that "Brick and Mortar" hobby centres contribute far more to sustaining the hobby than online retailers who are simply interested in supply of product at minimum overhead.

In the interests of ensuring that online sales do unfairly disadvantage the higher overhead B&M shops they reserve the right to restrict supply of their product to online retailers.


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## Achaylus72 (Apr 30, 2011)

Magpie_Oz said:


> Except that nothing of the sort will happen.
> 
> You cannot ban the sale of second hand items no one has any form of right to do that under any circumstances with any product.
> 
> ...


Maybe not right at this time, but in 2008 no one saw the embargo coming, i bet as of last month no one saw this coming, GW are alway unpredictable in its business dealing.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

What effect has the 2008 embargo had ?


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

Meh, I fully expect GW to fold within the next 10 years, mainly because of 3D printers but also because of all their stupid business decisions. They piss off allot of their consumer base with all their bullshit and customer loyalty is one of the most important things, especially as alternatives start popping up.

GW are slowly killing themselves, with kickstarter anyone can create an alternative plastic line of minis, allot cheaper than GW with same or better quality as allot of GW kits are hitting the 10years old mark.

3D printers will be the death of the miniature hobby as we know it, it will also be the rebirth of it. We have the technology today to print models of near perfect quality and have them fully colour printed as well. The problem atm is cost, but as the tech develops and becomes more available the prices will drop.

So why buy some unpainted, overpriced shit from GW when you could have 2x-4x the number of models, painted to better than golden daemon standard for the same price?

I fully expect this within 10 years, we are almost there now and if you have the money you can get it with todays tech. It's only the initial investment of the 3D printer that's prohibitive today, also it's size might be a problem as well :crazy:

Within the next 10 years though you will be able to get one that's the size of a regular printer, the prints 3D models in full colour with a resolution similar or better to todays plastic cast models.


As you can now print in metal, I'm surprised that no one simply 3D metal prints the casting molds. I guess the tech isn't perfect enough but I'm sure it could work for terrain pieces or other models with large flat areas. I've seen some really awesome stuff printed in metal so it should be possible to get it faster and allot cheaper than the tooling required by normal means.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

How is a new method of production going to kill the hobby?

It will change it but won't kill it by a long shot. The ability to create moulds have been around for decades but hasn't changed things.

Digital Cameras changed the photo market but there are still camera houses and photo processing shops.

Bubble Jet printers changed the printing market but there are still 1000's of professional printing services.

Mini's will follow a similar course and GW is one of the few companies with the moola to be able to take on the new technology.

"GW folding in 10 years" was the same thing they said in the 80's when computer games began to become widely available.

The absolute LAST thing I want in the hobby want is one piece, pre painted miniatures. I can get them now and it removes a huge section of the hobby for me and I suspect a great many others


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## Jace of Ultramar (Aug 2, 2011)

MadCowCrazy said:


> Meh, I fully expect GW to fold within the next 10 years, mainly because of 3D printers but also because of all their stupid business decisions. They piss off allot of their consumer base with all their bullshit and customer loyalty is one of the most important things, especially as alternatives start popping up.
> 
> GW are slowly killing themselves, with kickstarter anyone can create an alternative plastic line of minis, allot cheaper than GW with same or better quality as allot of GW kits are hitting the 10years old mark.
> 
> ...


Interestingly enough, my wife has mentioned this to me concerning minis once already. I was rather shocked since she doesn't particularly care for my hobby at all. I don't know about it painting something, mostly because I'd want to do that myself.


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

The 3D printing revolution will be when you can freely pose the model, swap out wargear to your liking, then select a colour scheme you like or create your own, then simply hit print and you get a model posed and painted just the way you want it.

Think of it as that company that 3D prints your World of Warcraft character.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

MadCowCrazy said:


> The 3D printing revolution will be when you can freely pose the model, swap out wargear to your liking, then select a colour scheme you like or create your own, then simply hit print and you get a model posed and painted just the way you want it.
> 
> Think of it as that company that 3D prints your World of Warcraft character.


And who's to say that GW won't offer this ?

It's their designs and creativity we pay for, how the mini's are made is pretty much irrelevant.


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

Magpie_Oz said:


> And who's to say that GW won't offer this ?
> 
> It's their designs and creativity we pay for, how the mini's are made is pretty much irrelevant.


Except for when I download a design that's free, that may or may not be made by GW but that I use to play a GW game with.

So if one wanted to they could download the rules, download the blueprints to make the models and play the game without giving GW a single dime.

The only thing GW would have at that point is the game itself and we all know how good GW are with rules and balance....


Every single person out there who plays with unpainted minis, would they be more inclined to buy printed models that get painted to better than golden daemon standards in their own favourite paint scheme for allot cheaper than todays prices? Of course they would!

What about the gamers who enjoy the painting part of the hobby, will they be happy to play against someone with printed models that look 100x better than their own models?

Today we complain about playing vs unpainted models, in the future people will complain about playing vs prepainted minis of a standard unattainable by 99% of the population.

Paints, brushes, glues will all be a thing of the past. Painting services will seize to exist as we know them as well.

What we will see are companies who have 3D printers ready to print on order. The bits market will be changed as well as bits are printed on demand and you can get all the bits you want, then again you could probably just have your conversion 3D printed for you so no need for bits unless you break something.


Next death and reincarnation of the hobby after this will be those holographic models. I've seen a video of this, you currently need to wear special glasses or use a camera on the battlefield to see what happens.

I believe a system like this was previewed at one of the larger gaming conventions in the US. You place these poker chip like things with markers on them so the program can interpret direction etc.

I believe there is a dating doll type thing in Japan, you have cards or cubes with icons on them and you need a webcam to look at it, then the program adds the character on your screen. You can then interact with the virtual girl with hand icons etc to remove clothes, stroke her etc.

There are vids on youtube about this I'm sure.

Just found this, the tech is called Augmented Reality





Need to get myself an AR Sisters of Battle :crazy:


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

MadCowCrazy said:


> Except for when I download a design that's free, that may or may not be made by GW but that I use to play a GW game with.
> 
> So if one wanted to they could download the rules, download the blueprints to make the models and play the game without giving GW a single dime.


Who's going to be supplying all of this content? Sure there are things that are about for free but you get what you pay for. Free MMoRPG are a perfect example. I can see the business model for the future being Mini companies offering a starter build for free but all the really good stuff will cost.

It will be many many years before the concept of printing your own mini's at home will be any thing like the quality you'd get from a professional 3d print house. Just like I said before home printers changed but didn't destroy the pro printing market, if anything they enchanced it.



MadCowCrazy said:


> The only thing GW would have at that point is the game itself and we all know how good GW are with rules and balance....


The game is about fun, if you want balance go and play one of those games that no one plays because it's as boring as hell.



MadCowCrazy said:


> Every single person out there who plays with unpainted minis, would they be more inclined to buy printed models that get painted to better than golden daemon standards in their own favourite paint scheme for allot cheaper than todays prices? Of course they would!


There are plenty of pre-painted minis or substitute minis out there now you could use and no one does that I know of.

I make it a rule to never say never but:

There will never be an automated process that will be able to mass produce a Golden Daemon Level paint job.



MadCowCrazy said:


> What about the gamers who enjoy the painting part of the hobby, will they be happy to play against someone with printed models that look 100x better than their own models?


Yep. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from achieving something by your own efforts. Any knob can pay someone else to do something for them.



MadCowCrazy said:


> Today we complain about playing vs unpainted models, in the future people will complain about playing vs prepainted minis of a standard unattainable by 99% of the population.


Couldn't care less and most people I know don't care either. "Oh I won't play you cos your mini's aren't painted as well as mine" = wanker = don't want to play you anyway.



MadCowCrazy said:


> Paints, brushes, glues will all be a thing of the past. Painting services will seize to exist as we know them as well.


You mean how cameras made portrait painters disappear ........?



MadCowCrazy said:


> What we will see are companies who have 3D printers ready to print on order. The bits market will be changed as well as bits are printed on demand and you can get all the bits you want, then again you could probably just have your conversion 3D printed for you so no need for bits unless you break something.


You won't need bits as like you say you can custom print your mini's. At it's root this is really no different to how it works now. The only difference that might come about is that the mini companies will simply print on demand rather than have to stock pre-made kits. So the local GW shop will be a computer terminal and a printer.



MadCowCrazy said:


> Next death and reincarnation of the hobby after this will be those holographic models. I've seen a video of this, you currently need to wear special glasses or use a camera on the battlefield to see what happens.
> 
> I believe a system like this was previewed at one of the larger gaming conventions in the US. You place these poker chip like things with markers on them so the program can interpret direction etc.


I can see that electronic gaming tables might come about but regardless of the advances in virtual technology the allure of a something you built yourself and can hold in your hand will always transcend that. My son is proof positive of that who now spends his spare time painting and table topping rather than the computer.



MadCowCrazy said:


> I believe there is a dating doll type thing in Japan, you have cards or cubes with icons on them and you need a webcam to look at it, then the program adds the character on your screen. You can then interact with the virtual girl with hand icons etc to remove clothes, stroke her etc.
> 
> There are vids on youtube about this I'm sure.


I'll not be trading my wife in anytime soon.


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

Here we have some stuff from "That's My Face" using 4 year old technology. I dont know about you but I'm not good enough for a paintjob like this, and these are videos made over 4 years ago... Yeah, they are 3D printed and coloured as they print. They offer heads the size of lego heads which isn't too far off from 28mm miniatures, it's cost prohibitive though. Think it was $70 for 1 head or some such.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

MadCowCrazy said:


> Here we have some stuff from "That's My Face" using 4 year old technology. I dont know about you but I'm not good enough for a paintjob like this, and these are videos made over 4 years ago... Yeah, they are 3D printed and coloured as they print. They offer heads the size of lego heads which isn't too far off from 28mm miniatures, it's cost prohibitive though. Think it was $70 for 1 head or some such.


That's printing a photo. Nothing to do with GD level painting.


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

Magpie_Oz said:


> That's printing a photo. Nothing to do with GD level painting.


I use it as an example of the quality 3D colour printers had 4 years ago.
If you took a photo of yourself and then had a head 3D printed to scale so it fits on one of your minis.

What I'm talking about are 3D printers with the same quality as your desktop photo printer. In the future you will be able to have a model printed with photographic quality. Basically a lifelike miniature copy. Far beyond what the best GD painters can do today. I've never seen anyone give a model a lifelike paintjob, not to the point where you are not sure if it's a model or a real person.

Far better than this printer for instance:


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Still looks shit house.

There is a world of difference between a photo print and the stunning works of art that GD guys put out.

It's like I said before it's the difference between a painted portrait and a photo. They are two different things.

I guess from a certain perspective you could get a GD level guy to do a render and print that but it still wouldn't cut the mustard for me.


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

Here's another video of the World of Warcraft models you could get 2 years ago.






As I've been saying, in the future the quality will be much better. The technology we have today can still make full colour models of really good quality. I would say you can get just above tabletop quality with todays tech.


This was done using a shitty home 3D printer, price of material is about 4 AUD. Paint that up and you probably wont notice the difference between the real thing and this thing unless you look closely.





The models are out there for free already, heck I could make the models myself as I used to work with 3DS Max when I worked at the local TV channel. You can export the models from the Dawn of War games if you were really lazy.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

the thing people always forget about the whole 3D printing of models and such is desire to put in the effort and hand over the cash for the tech, most folks are quite happy to pop online or to the nearest store and hand over the cash for a box with sprues in it. For them that is how the hobby works, its no different to casting your own models, most people dont, same as scratch building,most people dont, same as converting up a character or unit or tank to fill a codex gap, most people dont. Like i say i think people over estimate peoples desire to buy a 3d printer and then either scour the net for half assed templates or render them them selves vs buying a product they know will be fine right out of the box, i like the idea of 3D printing but its hard to really put too much faith into it as its just a bit of a novelty really, the only people i see really taking advantage of the technology is small businesses like me.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

bitsandkits said:


> the thing people always forget about the whole 3D printing of models and such is desire to put in the effort and hand over the cash for the tech, most folks are quite happy to pop online or to the nearest store and hand over the cash for a box with sprues in it. For them that is how the hobby works, its no different to casting your own models, most people dont, same as scratch building,most people dont, same as converting up a character or unit or tank to fill a codex gap, most people dont. Like i say i think people over estimate peoples desire to buy a 3d printer and then either scour the net for half assed templates or render them them selves vs buying a product they know will be fine right out of the box, i like the idea of 3D printing but its hard to really put too much faith into it as its just a bit of a novelty really, the only people i see really taking advantage of the technology is small businesses like me.


This.

As I have said repeatedly history has shown us that new technology doesn't quash the businesses that make a living out of manufacturing things, it just changes the nature of it a bit.

The only threat this stuff is to GW is if they don't embrace it.


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## EmbraCraig (Jan 19, 2009)

Magpie_Oz said:


> This.
> 
> As I have said repeatedly history has shown us that new technology doesn't quash the businesses that make a living out of manufacturing things, it just changes the nature of it a bit.
> 
> The only threat this stuff is to GW is if they don't embrace it.


And since I'm sure I've read that they already use 3d printing for rapid prototyping etc, then they're already making use of the tech where it's appropriate for them. GW tend to be ahead of the game when it comes to using and developing new tech to make better models, and I'm sure when it becomes a viable thing to do on an industrial scale, 3d printing will be no different.


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## MadCowCrazy (Mar 19, 2009)

The problems start when you have this choice: You can go buy a GW kit for £50, or you can go buy a 3D printer for £50 and print the GW kit for £2-4 for each kit and the rest of their product range as well.


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

MadCowCrazy said:


> The problems start when you have this choice: You can go buy a GW kit for £50, or you can go buy a 3D printer for £50 and print the GW kit for £2-4 for each kit and the rest of their product range as well.


We are a long long way from that! A 50 quid printer does a shit job on printing a word document much less something in 3d

Think you can be pretty much assured that as the manufacturing process changes so too will GW.


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## effigy22 (Jun 29, 2008)

Plus, there are those of the Hobby that enjoy GW sponsored Tournies, now you wouldnt want to be caught there with Non GW stuff. For the ultimate fan boys of the universes they have created, we will always find a way to buy the plastic crack they provide. 

Although i sometimes think it may dissolve into stealing car radios and TV's to fund their hobby.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

MadCowCrazy said:


> The problems start when you have this choice: You can go buy a GW kit for £50, or you can go buy a 3D printer for £50 and print the GW kit for £2-4 for each kit and the rest of their product range as well.


I agree that would be a viable alternative, but you would be hard pressed to find a reliable inkjet for £50 these days and most of the low end budget printers in that price range are targeted at people who nothing about printing or pcs and are hoodwinked by the low price machines(lexmark) but get stung by the expensive inks, Printer ink is now one of the most expensive liquids on the planet thanks to the surge of home printing per ml.

i dont know enough about 3d rendering or 3d printing, but for 3d printing to become so cheap it would endanger GW it would need to be in every home like an ink jet, but not many people outside of this forum will ever have need of a 3d printer,so the units will stay fairly high priced for something that can do the job we need it to do to get the level of detail* i *would want.Not to mention that the companies who will make them may not want them in every home, just because consumers want something on the cheap does not mean the manufactures want to make them cheaply or even in the public domain, and even if a company makes a cheap model for home use, there will be sacrifices,generally speaking the more you pay the better and more reliable a product tends to be, including printers, i have chewed up and spat out no end of cheap ass inkjets while running bits and kits, so i bit the bullet and spent the money and bought a printer fit for purpose. 

I see a 3d printer in the same way as i see an airbrush, the advantages are obvious, the results speak for themselves, but its a bit pricey for a good one and can i really be arsed and will i really use it? 

plus then there is the legal side of things, GW are no shirkers when to wielding the legal hammer, i can see any legit host sites for any templates dropping the templates as soon as they get a cease and desist from GW, which would leave non-legit sites hosting them which brings all and everything from trojans to god knows what else down the pipe when you down load. 

anyway everything aside i dont ever see 3d printers ever being sub £500 without sacrificing the quality and detail we simply take for granted with GW and other manufactures models


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## dirty-dog- (May 14, 2008)

dam and i thought this was a thread about gw ending online sales in US.

not some hot debate about 3d printing gw models.....

but anyway, it doesnt matter how good a 3d printer can print and paint a model, i would be one of the many that would still rather go and buy a tank on sprues, put it together myself and then paint it myself.

why do you think there is still plastic kits of air planes, model tanks etc?

of coarse there are the kind of people that only want to play the game/dont have the ability to paint the models, which is why the likes of blue table painting are doing so well.

but, heres my final point.

would you go rather buy a ferrari?, or a toyota mr2 with a ferrari bodykit?

3d printing will never be the same as buying gw products.


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## Melikor40k (Feb 7, 2011)

ive been buying from the US for the last few years (im in australia) due to the fact even with postage the prices were less than half of what i pay here, i think this will limit me to ebay purchases only, i'm kinda glad i recently bought all of my vehicles before this happend


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## Magpie_Oz (Jan 16, 2012)

Melikor40k said:


> ive been buying from the US for the last few years (im in australia) due to the fact even with postage the prices were less than half of what i pay here, i think this will limit me to ebay purchases only, i'm kinda glad i recently bought all of my vehicles before this happend


There are still online shops in the US that won't be affected by this.


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