Reaper Minis?

[MerricB]

I've just received an e-mail from Mil Sims, one of the larger mail-order gaming businesses in Australia - if not the largest - saying that they're getting rid of their stock of Reaper Miniatures and will not carry them again.

Does anyone have any idea why this may have happened? Does this signify for Reaper, or Reaper in Australia at all?

(According to the product list I've downloaded, the sale includes about 800 different products; a total of 1320 products in all, about 1-4 of most items)

Cheers!

 

[Aus_Snow]

Yeah, I was wondering about that too. . .

 

[Asmor]

I've often wondered how Reaper's stayed in business as long as it has. With the rise of pre-painted, relatively cheap plastic minis, it seems to me like Reaper's offerings are a niche product in an already niche category of products. Heck, I honestly don't know if I've ever even seen a Reaper mini, except online.

Truth be told, though, I don't have any insight to add to this discussion. I'm just curious and wanted to subscribe to the thread.

 

[Xsjado]

At my FLGS they sell like hotcakes. Before the shop moved to their new location an entire wall was dedicated to them. Prepainted miniatures never really caught on here for most roleplaying purposes. When its a choice between a flimsy piece of poorly painted plastic and even a semi-decent metal miniature there isn't any contest. Nearly all of our players come from a wargaming background so we're used to painting which probably has something to do with it.

Reaper has some great stuff in its product range, especially some of its old-school stuff. My only grip is that they don't come with proper bases. Still, I'd hate to see them go under. If you're in the UK then www.thegamersguild.co.uk can order in anything reaper distributes here, though they don't show all of on the website.

 

[frankthedm]

Reaper did just announce another price increase.

 

[Transit]

With the price of tin recently skyrocketing to a historic high and the current exchange rate for the US dollar dropping, Reaper is having a hard time producing metal minis at prices people are willing to pay. I think that's one of the reasons they've introduced their line of prepainted plastic minis.

Although Reaper is currently looking at alternative casting metals that don't include tin, I think we might be entering an era where metal minis will be regarded as "luxury items" and most figures on the gaming table will be plastic.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Ugh, even unpainted, Reaper Minis look miles better than plastic minis. It'll be a sad day when quality metal minis are history.

 

[crazy_cat]

When its a choice between a flimsy piece of poorly painted plastic and even a semi-decent metal miniature there isn't any contest.

QFT.

Pre-painted plastic minis for the win - they are cheaper, so much more convenient, don't require painting, and are easier to store.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Plastic minis are also LIGHT.
Alas, my health sucks, as the DM, carrying DMG, PHB, MM etc and metal minis sucks!!
love my collection have tons left needed ot paint, but..limits

hence I have tons of cheap WOTC plastic ones, a large box full of plastic tubs sorted out in "kobolds", "goblins" etc, and a very light plastic chest of drawers has larger minis and only weights 10lbs or so, full.

ideally I'd love to be well off and have a large gaming and painting room, but, sigh, not an option

Reaper minis are beautiful though!
my painted minis page:
http://www.silverblades-suitcase.com/minis/index.htm

 

[frankthedm]

I love metal figs, but thier cost to but and the time it takes to paint them is a big hurdle. Not to mention most metal mini lines forcus on player character minis.

Prepainted plastics put the monster mini on the table, ready to kill PCs right away.