Games Workshop unveils "The Hobbit" - thoughts and first impressions.

[Bailey03]

The Lord of the Rings is the one product line where GW actually has a legitimate argument for higher prices. Not only do they have all of the regular costs associated with creating a mini but they also have to pay for the rights to make Lord of the Rings figures. That being said it's pretty clear from their 40K and fantasy lines that reasonable prices are not their thing. Sure, there may be companies that make poorer quality stuff and charge the same or more... but there are a lot of companies that make minis that are just as good if not better and sell them for far more reasonable prices. In regards to how GW treats their customers, just look at finecast. Increased prices and from what I've seen the quality control on GW finecast is practically nonexistent. I can't think of a single other company I've bought from where their figures even look half as bad in terms of casting defects and clean up required. While I still buy from GW from time to time it is more about nostalgia for how I got into this hobby. Please GW do not mistake my purchases for approval of how you treat your customers.

Despite my rant, nothing GW has done with this set surprises me. The real impact this has made on me is fear that the movie characters really are going to look like that!

 

[Griffin]

Well i don't think its on the back, it looks like part of the mold. But the front has TWO fingerprints right on it. I mean thats just sad.

"Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit miniature of exquisite detailing, and he comes with two variant arms - with one he is gripping Sting and with the other variant he holds his walking staff. The miniature is garbed in a long coat, short trousers, scarf and waistcoat, and displays the thick hairy Hobbit feet" (from the official release)

Yup, counted at least 3 noticeable fingerprints on Bilbo's left arm, coat-flap and back. But perhaps that is what they meant by exquisite detailing.

 

[Fereian]

"Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit miniature of exquisite detailing, and he comes with two variant arms - with one he is gripping Sting and with the other variant he holds his walking staff. The miniature is garbed in a long coat, short trousers, scarf and waistcoat, and displays the thick hairy Hobbit feet" (from the official release.

I Guess thats what you call creative choice of words.

 

[Avelorn]

I'm going to comment on the quality of the paintjobs, as that is my expertise I figure, being a collector /photographer as well as competion painter.

This is what quality paintjobs look like when they are photographed the way GW photographs them. They are very sharp and revealing... What you generally see on other manufacturers sites and on here are less revealing photos, sometimes the paintjobs truly are better, but most of these are actually really fine works.

"Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit miniature of exquisite detailing, and he comes with two variant arms - with one he is gripping Sting and with the other variant he holds his walking staff. The miniature is garbed in a long coat, short trousers, scarf and waistcoat, and displays the thick hairy Hobbit feet" (from the official release)

Yup, counted at least 3 noticeable fingerprints on Bilbo's left arm, coat-flap and back. But perhaps that is what they meant by exquisite detailing.

I think these are from handling the mini rather then imprinted in the sculpt as they emerge from different angles depending on how the light is cast. Could be wrong, but awful if they let fingerprint the size of 1/4th the mini slip...

 

[cannon_fodder]

Isn't it the job of the photographer to photoshop these kinds of mistakes, and/or bring them to attention so that the figure is photographed in the best way possible rather than illustrate (4) faults? Especially in the world of retail?

Also...Why is Galadriel hamfisted? (Right Hand under the dress)

Lastly, is it just me, or is Bilbo very grainy. . .as if they ignored thinning their paints?

 

[Kalidane]

Given the importance of the financial turbo boost the company is counting on with this range, I'm a bit concerned at how the next 12 months plays out.

With LoTR they brought out a bunch of cool stuff at agreeable prices and the population of gamers and collectors bought their fill. A bunch of new people joined one/both groups and shopped it up too.

This time around the existing population sound like the level of financial commitment to the range is several orders of magnitude lower. Certainly new people will be introduced and that's always great but it's outright impossible that there be so many of them spending so much that it make up for the community saying 'pass'.

It's pretty easy to guess at what the range of modelled outcomes look like from GWs perspective (if you're into that sort of thing) and I'm highly confident the actual results will be well south of what they anticipate.

Train wreck city.

inb4 doomsayer etc. I've played with minis for 25+ years and this is the first time I've seen proximate cause for GW actually bumping into the brick wall at the end of the alley they've spent years strolling down.

 

[Avelorn]

Isn't it the job of the photographer to photoshop these kinds of mistakes, and/or bring them to attention so that the figure is photographed in the best way possible rather than illustrate (4) faults? Especially in the world of retail?

Also...Why is Galadriel hamfisted? (Right Hand under the dress)

Lastly, is it just me, or is Bilbo very grainy. . .as if they ignored thinning their paints?

I don't know... there are some extraordinary bad PS jobs there. Look, if someone can't properly cut out a miniature shot on white background and put it on a white background... maybe that someone should do something else? Or read a quick tutorial? And the 360 view would of course go unedited. Look at the different white balance settings on Gandalf on the 360 and on the regular photo? That is NOT professionally done.

What you mean by grainy? Do you mean that the surface has some structure? Well if you're not thinking about the awful fingerprints then I think you are looking at how miniatures look in general by top painters like the EM team. Remember the size of the lotr minis! There aren't much more texture on this one that there usually is. Sure I have one or two pieces in my collection that are very smooth. But photographed this way, to this magnification, most of everything I have in my collection would show some faults.

These pictures are pin sharp with an unforgiving light setup, meaning this is what you see when you hold a miniature in bright light and look at them very up-close. I'm not saying everything from the release looks awesome, but it has a high standard.

 

[10 ball]

Maybe the painting is of game quality so as not to scare off new customers who see GD winning standard painting on the box and then loses interest when they carnt achieve that standard on the their first try and get fed up?

 

[uberdark]

Maybe the painting is of game quality so as not to scare off new customers who see GD winning standard painting on the box and then loses interest when they carnt achieve that standard on the their first try and get fed up?

No that would just be wrong. I mean if I see something that I want to buy, its gotta be the nicest and of the best quality. If I buy a GI joe action figure I want it to be in pristene condition. Same for miniatures.

 

[MightyChad]

Wow, price is outrageous. The sculpts may be matching the movie, which has me very worried about the movie!

As for the fingerprints, I can see them on several minis, but I suspect it may have to do with the painted version being a rapid-prototype and not a finished plastic mini. At Gamesday I saw the HM version of the TK Necrosphinx. I looked at it very close, and the wings (or whatever) you will see what looks like wood grain on the "feathers". I asked the HM member who painted it what the texture was. I thought it was painted to look like gold leaf over a wooden structure, my thought being it was part of the detail. I was informed that the HM version was a resin copy, and the wood grain texture was an artifact of the 3D printing. Which makes sense when you see that the lines form neat little layers, being built up to the top of the mini. And they appear in almost all of the newer releases, but only on the HM version, the actual minis sold do not have them because they were not "printed". Now whether this is a fact or not, I am not sure, but after looking at these new minis I feel like it could be. I know that after being told this about the TK mini, I looked at a friend's copy and it did not have the pattern.

If you look at the 360 view, you can make out what I am saying:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat570035a&prodId=prod1190053a

That could be true, or it could be fingerprints, I am just throwing out what I was told.

 

[Griffin]

The more I look at this new Bilbo, comparing it with the old version cast in metal, and the way each was painted, sculpted and cast, the difference is quite incredible. One looks like something a customer would be proud to buy, and own, and looks like a quality product. The other looks like something they will be giving away to new customers for free with a demo painting lesson.

The Goblin Captain looks like something GW would have made 30 years ago, pre-slotta base days. It is just appallingly ugly.

I still think the paintjobs for some of these look wonderful, like the orc faces, I like the tiny little highlights and details. The Goblins on the other hand, well I don't work for the 'Eavy Metal' team but I know I could do a lot better, and were I given that project, I would be embarrassed to submit those goblins.

Characters, the Finecast in particular, like Elrond, look good, I think, but again, I am really just only taken by the faces, I think the price of that set is in itself an insult.

I don't know why these sets cost so much for what is in them. (I mean I do.. but worth and value are two different things) I do however know first-hand that the darker grey plastic, as apposed to the lighter grey plastic of several years ago, is much cheaper, and the sprues themselves cost pennies at the very most.
Escape from Goblin town is more than 200 dollars in Australia for half a dozen frames. Now that is daylight robbery and I'm happy I don't work for GW and need to defend such rubbish.

 

[ischa]

i love the white council as a general principle. but honestly, i might just pick the old models up. that galadriel model, the thranduil model, and cirdan... those were good days! also, 5£ cheeper each! i love the radagast model of the goblin town set, and the upper part of the goblin king. some of the dwarves seem nice. but what is up with bilbo? uglyest model i ever saw...

 

[cannon_fodder]

The graininess on Bilbo I mentioned is specific to his face. . .it seems more textured than the rest of him, such as his coat (yes, the thin lining is magnified and is undoubtedly better in person, but still. . .)

@MightyChad. . .Actually, I think we have a little of both going on...The back of Bilbo's coat is what you are referencing, I'd imagine, but the spot on his arm seems to have traditional fingerprint patterns (swirls, etc.)

@Griffin. . .I agree on the Goblin King sculpt...his large left arm seems to have been sculpted at last minute, or the sculptor ran out of inspiration or time. His fist in particular looks blocky and lacking finesse. Overall, it just seems. . .unfinished

 

[MightyChad]

@MightyChad. . .Actually, I think we have a little of both going on...The back of Bilbo's coat is what you are referencing, I'd imagine, but the spot on his arm seems to have traditional fingerprint patterns (swirls, etc.)

Yeah, I see what you mean. The bottom of the coat was what I was referencing. On the arm it does seem to swirl a bit, instead of the straight lines like on the coat.

 

[funnymouth]

the lines are definitely what i have seen from a 3d printer. most minis painters and mfgs who use them usually spend the time to clean the print first, though. must have been a rush job.

the models themselves are....unexceptional.

when i saw the price tag on the white council i unintentionally laughed. 4 tiny unexceptional minis for $75USD? i could compare it to other minis companies but, really, what's the point? i could scour the web and i doubt i would find a WORSE deal in the hobby.

 

[Zilo]

when i saw the price tag on the white council i unintentionally laughed. 4 tiny unexceptional minis for $75USD? i could compare it to other minis companies but, really, what's the point? i could scour the web and i doubt i would find a WORSE deal in the hobby.

Yup and if you're Canadian, the price is $90 CAD which today is the equivalent of $91 USD. I dont even know what to say to that. This kind of marketing prices people out of their products. When they could be making money with lower prices, they're not making anything at all by driving away customers due to sticker shock. That whole line of models bugs me. I'm glad the mini world is filled with alternatives, but just knowing that someone out there is pricing products like this is just bothersome.

 

[Avelorn]

The more I look at this new Bilbo, comparing it with the old version cast in metal, and the way each was painted, sculpted and cast, the difference is quite incredible. One looks like something a customer would be proud to buy, and own, and looks like a quality product. The other looks like something they will be giving away to new customers for free with a demo painting lesson.

The Goblin Captain looks like something GW would have made 30 years ago, pre-slotta base days. It is just appallingly ugly.

I still think the paintjobs for some of these look wonderful, like the orc faces, I like the tiny little highlights and details. The Goblins on the other hand, well I don't work for the 'Eavy Metal' team but I know I could do a lot better, and were I given that project, I would be embarrassed to submit those goblins.

Characters, the Finecast in particular, like Elrond, look good, I think, but again, I am really just only taken by the faces, I think the price of that set is in itself an insult.

I don't know why these sets cost so much for what is in them. (I mean I do.. but worth and value are two different things) I do however know first-hand that the darker grey plastic, as apposed to the lighter grey plastic of several years ago, is much cheaper, and the sprues themselves cost pennies at the very most.
Escape from Goblin town is more than 200 dollars in Australia for half a dozen frames. Now that is daylight robbery and I'm happy I don't work for GW and need to defend such rubbish.

I more and more realise that GW is cheap here in Sweden in comparison.

I really like the Goblin Captain. Honestly, one of my favourites of the release. Can't really see what's wrong with the paintjobs of the goblins either. Less impressed with Narzug for example. I don't really like the goblin sculpts apart from the captain though. Might grow on me but they look a bit too inbreeded...

 

[Griffin]

@ Avelorn and Cannon_Fodder - Hi guys, just to clarify, I am pretty unimpressed by the Goblin Captain - this one here
and think that that one looks like the pre-slotta base kind of low-detail yuck sculpt (when viewed now, here in 2012-2013), but I am not fussed about the Goblin King here, although the paint job is lazy and shows no real artistic thoughtfulness or desire to set this brute apart from all the other pasty-white goblins and such.

Also, going back to the previous point of these models perhaps looking so bad because maybe GW didn't receive enough source materials to work from - I was thinking about the older line of LOTR models and one model, which I own, Ghân-buri-Ghân, the chief of the Drúedain, the character from the book but whom never appears in the movies, is quite a good sculpt, a cool little wildman warrior from the woods. Pretty sure no reference materials whatsoever would have been given by WETA Workshop to GW for this model to be based on, yet I still think this model looks better than some of these Hobbit Line models. This to me makes no sense.

Anyone know if long-term staff members from GW - painters, sculptors - concept artists etc etc, have jumped ship? Would make a lot of sense, considering the state of this fiasco -cough cough- quality product launch.

 

[Avelorn]

lol honestly I really like that gobbo, it has character! Especially looking at the 360 view. I think this one, one of the dwarfs, white council Gandalf and perhaps Thorin are my candidates for painting. I really like the face of the goblin king but the left arm looks wonky and unfinished as earlier mentioned. Legs look sloppy as well. Very weird, it's like 2/3 of an awesome miniature.

But is it a poor release? Remember, the initial lotr release got a lot of flack as well, and some of the plastics were crap. We should never forget the elven bowmens with like eyes that weren't even parallel... they were atrocities. The characters however, wow! Some of them remain the best sculpts GW has made in my opinion. Still a lot of people claimed that all lotr miniatures were piss-poor.

So as usual it's a mixed bag. I wished there would have been more wows, but I don't think it's poor.

/**SPECULATION WARNING:*/
However I also agree with Kalidanes observations. I suspect this will not be the success they might be anticipating. The pricing is too steep (in some countries ridiculous) and I anticipate the economy might take a turn for the worse again which will render this a luxury not many parents can afford. I also know some stuff about GW now that I didn't know earlier, about how the company works, which I think will be destructive for the company in the long term. Hopefully their IP will be bought by someone wise if they do crash, there's a lot of dead meat to chop off. Certainly a wounded and undervalued GW would be a great buy... I'll just amass a fortune.

Companies come and go... IP lives forever!

 

[meaty_nosebleeds]

i have avoided the gw range since the finecast and price hike. i've mostly been very dissapointed by their work, and this recent set is no exception. i would be happy forking out that much money for some really good wow sculpts, but there just isn't enough of them in there to make it worth it.
there is one thing i have to be thankful for though. if they hadn't hiked the price, i wouldn't have discovered the other amazing companies out there