Reaper to produce pre-painted Plastic minis - Non-random

[mhensley]

-Oh Merric, is that FUD?

No, it isn't. The equipment needed to produce plastic figures is much more expensive than what it used for metal ones. That's why usually only large companies like GW and WOTC produce plastic minis.

 

[MerricB]

I think this is great news. (I just hate the tone of the announcement... saying this will be the biggest success before the first mini is sold just rubs me the wrong way).

I'm also very interested in seeing how they'll distribute these minis. I doubt many will be sold directly in Ballarat, but getting them from Melbourne will be feasible.

Does anyone have any numbers on how many new Reaper sculpts in metal there are each year?

Not that I am an expert on such things, but back when I was into Mage Knight, some of their figures for their Dungeons expansion (the heroes, specifically) were actually based on old lead miniatures from Ral Partha. While obviously presumably they can't use the same molds, it's probably not that hard to use the same sculpts. (Since otherwise Wiz Kids probably wouldn't have bothered).

Back in the early days of DDM, I heard the designers discussing why you couldn't use the same sculpts for plastic as for metal. Later on, I've discovered more details... this may be a legacy of the softer plastic that DDM uses, though.

It's quite interesting: there is some shrinkage between steps, but it can't be predicted accurately in all cases. At least, that's the excuse for the Fire Giant Forgepriest from the last set of DDM.

Cheers!

 

[Mighty Halfling]

Heck, if they were smart, they'd sell them for $1 each and try to get someplace like Dollar General to buy into them.

 

[TarionzCousin]

This is great news. Competition is usually beneficial to the consumers: increased variety, competitive pricing, improved quality, losers' self-esteem gets crushed, etc.

Personally, I use DDM plastics exclusively for D&D and don't care about the stat card/rarity other than for how it drives the prices for cool singles out of my reach.

 

[thedungeondelver]

God, what terrible news.

 

[MerricB]

What I'm really hoping is that the Reaper line makes available at a reasonable price a lot of the rare-type minis that have been overpriced due to the rarity structure of DDM. Esp. giants.

Cheers!

 

[CharlesRyan]

I can't wait for these. I'm totally digging the way AT-43 and Battlefield Evolution have bolstered my collection of modern/SF minis at relatively low cost, and I'm looking forward to being able to further build my fantasy minis collection at a faster pace and lower cost. (And to add an alternative aesthetic sensibility to the mix.)

As with AT-43 and BE, though, I'll buy early. My enthusiasm for the product is not matched by my confidence in the business model. Will these minis still be around a year after launch? I hope so, but I'm not putting off any of my purchases on that assumption. . . .

 

[dargoth3]

What I'm really hoping is that the Reaper line makes available at a reasonable price a lot of the rare-type minis that have been overpriced due to the rarity structure of DDM. Esp. giants.

Cheers!

I wonder if the new DDM Icon format is in part a response to Reapers entry into the Plastic mini market.......

 

[MerricB]

I wonder if the new DDM Icon format is in part a response to Reapers entry into the Plastic mini market.......

Hmm - if the new Scenario packs were bunchs of 20 orcs and the like, I'd agree, but we haven't seen any sign of that yet. Instead we just have a Gargantuan White Dragon + 2 unique figures. Not quite the same.

Cheers!

 

[Imaro]

Yes! If the price-point on these is reasonable then I will so be replacing my already dwindling purchases of DDM with these. Yes I understand there is a secondary market, but it's also a question of convenience.

I usually purchase minis as a side purchase or spur of the moment thing like to round out an order on amazon for free shipping or while in the store with only a little extra cash(though lately my mini purchases have dwindled to almost nothing, I've been replacing them with a pack of Dungeon Tiles where possible.). I think they should try to get these on Amazon if at all possible. If the price is right they would become my new "extra purchase".

As far as the releases, I'll buy a pack or two of minis that I already have(orcs, skeletons etc.) just to support them, but my main purchases would be things like the trolls, ogres etc. which I have little or none of. I think about the number of copies and minis I will probbly never use from DDM that I own and it seems that I've already purchased alot of unneccessary stuff, and for a business model I don't really care for. I think that this is where the DDM line breaks down for me. I'm not an avid enough mini fan to want to track down stuff on ebay or other stores, so the convenience this offers for me is great.

Once again though, most of the above is dependant on the price point(though I am willing to pay more for both getting what I want as well as superior casts and paint jobs).