I dearly wish that PP would make available 3D print-on-demand the older (pre August 2022) models.
Some context first. I came to Warmachine, in Mk2 era. And fell in love with it. Then Hordes came along at it was awesome Fury! The models of the Circle were everything I wanted in a beastly faction. Then Retribution came along and it was love all over again. I grabbed whatever lore I could find and slowly (due to budgetary constraints) built up my chosen factions. The setting is really meaty and well…metal!
So it was with great dismay and consternation that I learned that the Iosans became eldritch?! On top of that the older models are to be nuked. And the older factions, phased out and going out of print.
Now, I fully understand that PP is a small company with limited resources and WM now commands less shelf space at FLGSs - which is certainly true in my area. However, I am a bit confused as to why, since PP is going to 3D printing, the older models (the better ones) could not be 3D scanned and then 3D printed and shipped by PP itself. It would take some work but surely doable.
The shelf space could be reserved for Mk4 releases and starter boxes. Carrying this further, some select models could be printed and packaged into smaller “expansion” boxes. Which would serve the smaller total SKUs issue.
I would be extremely sad to see my favourite factions go away and become unavailable forever.
Aside: In this day and age of 3D printing STLs, it doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to think that some others will create 3rd party STLs and make them available whether for free or for money. Different looking enough to avoid legal trouble. If there’s interest, there will be enterprising modelers who will fill the gap. One only needs to browse MyMiniFactory (and Kickstarter) for a whole host of models usable in any number of current game systems. Perhaps not in official tournaments but surely in private games and leagues. Unfortunately this would be a loss for PP.
Please take this post in the spirit it was written by a big fan of the setting, lore and models of Warmachine and Hordes. Thanks for reading.
It’s been addressed many times that old models aren’t selling and it’s not worth the time and effort to resculpt and print them. Especially since they are having a tough enough time keeping up with demand for brand new stuff.
MKIV is also meant to be a soft reboot of things. Saying things got bloated over the last 20 years is a huge understatement. Producing models and then telling people that they aren’t going to get regular rules updates is very backwards messaging.
As a cryx player going back 17 years it is sad to think about potentially never getting new models but there’s also over 100 different SKUs and probably not enough time in the rest of my life to build, paint and play all of that. But I’m glad they are going to have rules in MKIV and not get completely binned off.
+1 to everything Glitchy said basically. I’m sad there won’t be new Retribution releases going forward but this seems to be the best way forward for the game and company. Trying to maintain any sort of presence with the old product line at this point would just be more confusing to new players and retailers I think, plus I can’t imagine the quality of a print made by 3D-scanning a production model would be nearly as good as the original or the newer models which just doesn’t look great as part of your product lineup.
Not asking for the full range. That would be madness. However, a curated list perhaps. The later models. Also, I specifically mentioned that the retailers should concentrate on the new releases. Only taking a hypothetical starter box for other factions as an option.
I think the reason older models are not selling anymore is because they have become obsolete. The newer pre Mk4 models are often better options for the points. And of course, we need more new players. There are other manufacturers that have models 10-20 years old still being offered after all. And I am not just talking about GW (eg. Ork Boyz). So those older unpopular models can be culled from the list. Of course, I am not asking PP to build and keep stock. Just have the STL ready to print demand. They can print and ship from PP HQ.
@SaltTitan I have seen 3D scanned bootleg reproductions of Forge World models from China and Russia. They are really good. What they do is 3D scan the model and then reprint from the generated and cleaned up 3D model.
Anyway, that’s just my 2 cents. Based on my personal feelings as well as grumblings from the local players. Hoping for the best, personally.
I would certainly love to have some old models still available, I just don’t see it as a viable business strategy for PP unless something changes; a couple members of the team have mentioned on other social media that resculpts and reprints almost never sell well. Not trying to shoot down ideas, just temper expectations
What I would love to see - in the distant future when everything is settled - is some throwback limited release armies built around prime/primal only. Sell them as one big print-on-demand bundle.
Today, I received a shipping notification for the OpenScan Mini (16mpx) I ordered a few days ago. I’m really curious about the quality I can get with it. I feel like I might have to add a bit of details on the 30mm models in blender after, but should be pretty good with >=40mm. I could post results in this thread if people are interested.
Just to be clear, I have no intention of giving/selling STLs of copyrighted models nor do I possess a resin printer capable of reproducing physical copies of said models. Sharing results on this thread is simply about showing the scanning/reconstruction capability of the OpenScan Mini. If an “analog” (as in non-digital) hobby sculptor is curious about the quality he/she could get by scanning his/her own physical models, then this might help him/her make a choice. Scanning rocks, small branches or physical patterns may also help with terrain creation.
So, Negation Angel, first try and I know I could make it a bit better with a bit more texture on the scanned mini.
I’m using the OpenScan Mini and the demo version of Agisoft Metashape for reconstruction.
