I've noted before that Reaper does 2 things really well. The first is covering fantasy standards and staples. Orcs, werewolves, bards, all that, filling ever-smaller niches. OK we have a catfolk rogue (male and female) but what about a catfolk bard?
The other is the stuff you never thought you needed but once you see them you do... Yeah weresharks are nice, but have you seen our dwarf pirate wereshark?
And this month we have both!
First up some news, free shipping will not start at $50 rather than $40. Sign of the times.
New Free Shipping Rate Starts January 1, 2022
December 30th, 2021
Effective January 1, 2022, our new minimum for Free Shipping in the USA will be $50. Canada is $80.
UK shipments are raising to £50, and shipments into the EU from the UK warehouse are €60.
However, free promotional minimums will remain at $40 for the time being.
Please contact us if you have any questions! Thank you!
This month's freeby (with$40 purchase, that didn't change) is a Gnoll Ravager, so you've got gnolls in need of some ravaging he's you man. Dog. Hyena. I forgot which.
One of the Christmas minis gets a regular release. I dunno how many of these they'll sell from January to October but I can definitely see myself picking up this lil boy come November.
Undead get some new stuff, a rotting skeleton and a rather nice ghost.
Barrow Rats are a good staple for any dungeon, but the $6 for 2 price worries me. Are they like really big or something? Titanic Rats? Cause they already have 6 Dire Rats for $4.50. I miss the size indicators.
Humanoids also get some staples, goblins, kobolds, wolves. Stuff just about any fantasy player would find a use for.
So that's the staples, now for the WTF section.
75mm cyberpunk.
Looks a lot better painted.
A chibi demon, standing in front of some monitors. Apparently a mascot from the Reaper Virtual Expo, so I mean, yeah, that at least gives it some context. But it leaves me wondering how many of these they could possibly sell.
And finally...
BONES 6 announced tonight on Reaper Live, scheduled launch date of March 24th
Per "I dunno, Orcs I guess?" on Facebook. He sounds like a credible soul. So warm up your wallets now.
That is probably the first fantasy rpg monster encounter that I, as a person and not my character, could confidently defeat in real life. The gingerbread golem ain't got nuthin' on me!
That is probably the first fantasy rpg monster encounter that I, as a person and not my character, could confidently defeat in real life. The gingerbread golem ain't got nuthin' on me!
I don’t know. He’s got that candy cane licked down to a pretty good shiv.
I don’t know. He’s got that candy cane licked down to a pretty good shiv.
Pastry, please! I grew up in the 80's. I know exactly how to disarm him. Hint: it's how you get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop in only four licks.
That is probably the first fantasy rpg monster encounter that I, as a person and not my character, could confidently defeat in real life. The gingerbread golem ain't got nuthin' on me!
That is probably the first fantasy rpg monster encounter that I, as a person and not my character, could confidently defeat in real life. The gingerbread golem ain't got nuthin' on me!
Yeah but the diabetes would get you in the end.
I've been practicing my entire life for that encounter. Ever since I defeated my first gazebo...
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Barrow Rats are a good staple for any dungeon, but the $6 for 2 price worries me. Are they like really big or something? Titanic Rats? Cause they already have 6 Dire Rats for $4.50. I miss the size indicators.
Those rats are really big. I bought them years ago to use in frostgrave so unless they shrink them down for the rerelease…
You may have a civet. No worries. People routinely mistake rats for other things... see that Fawlty Towers episode with Manuel's pet 'hamster'.
I have bushy-tailed tree rats. They routinely attack my house (not even kidding. One tried to break into my kitchen by chewing through the window frame. It wanted the peanuts I had on my kitchen table.) There were other incidents. Now I have a pair of Jack Russell Terriers. So far, terriers 20, squirrels 0.
The Gingerbread Knight is a fun little mini. I've just started to paint mine. I'm thinking about giving it chibi eyes. The candy can is a two handed weapon, one end for stabbing, the other, hooked, end for all sorts of mischief.
So reaper announced that Bones USA is actually Siocast. This is good to know as other companies start looking at termoplastics and Siocast itself as reaper will be way more available to a lot of people to try out the material.
Could be a good fit, Reaper a big enough to be able to afford the optimisation time this new kit will almost certainly need, in a way i fear some of the smaller companies picking it up might not be
I have several of the Bones USA models, from the earliest up to December releases. They have IMO become better in many respect, not the least of which are mould lines. They used to be more prominent on older models, but some of the newer ones have almost not had mould lines at all.
I believe this indicates they have been testing and refining their mould making and casting to a point where they now are mass producing enough to support releasing most new releases in this material.
Reaper has said they now have three siocast machines in their Texas factory.
ya. Thermal plastics aren't new but this one is really targeting models by basically using molds made more or less the same way you would for metal. Big appeal for people that already have that knowledge set as it's easier to transition. The end goal is for this to replace PVC for probably everyone but the boargame makers as you can make it locally on demand way more affordably then you could plastics. Reaper isn't the only big name starting to use it as it's being used for a few models in Infinity now.
You may have seen some new bases floating around on social media, it's true, It's coming! Base Boss 2 Kickstarter is just around the corner and if you want to be notified when it goes live sign up here.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: It depends how cheap they are. They’d have to compete with Renedra’s plastic bases.
Renedra's are nice and cheap, but only come in flagstone and cobblestone. Which admittedly covers a lot of fantasy gaming needs. If they cover other types they could have a hit, particularly given that Renedra's arent widely available.
I see these and go "Oh I should get those, I hate basing" but then I release I have like hundreds of Secret weapon bases laying around I got from the Bags o' Crap that I don't use as I'm too lazy to even paint a base now days and just flock.
They covered a bit more on base boss on Reaper Live they are doing 32mm sized bases and inserts and up they won't be doing 25mm or 28mm bases. They showed off some very large bases in round and oval upwards of 160mm by the look of them.
The other theme shown is urban rubble. Shipping is direct from the factory in the US so that's a factor for non-US based backers.
32mm and up? All I can think is Games Workshop decided to show non-marine armies some love so now Reaper has to take up the slack and neglect everything on smaller bases for them.
I have the Renedra bases, they're thin disks, I use them as toppers on taller bases. They're also only in 25mm which in today's madness of base sizes just isn't enough.
I also have the Champ Industries/Rezolution 25mm urban bases which I love but again, are only in 25mm.
Just base toppers?
I’d have preferred if they were actual bases.
Toppers give a little lip.
Lack of 28mm may run some of my things I’d have potentially got some for.
Maybe not though, as everything is going 32’s..
Anyone know what happened to the Gingerbread guy? He's nowhere to be seen on Reaper's site (though curiously the pic ITT is still live on it), even searching for the product number, found in the filename of the aforementioned pic turns up nothing.
Did they backtrack and make him Chrimbo only again?
Grimtuff wrote: Anyone know what happened to the Gingerbread guy? He's nowhere to be seen on Reaper's site (though curiously the pic ITT is still live on it), even searching for the product number, found in the filename of the aforementioned pic turns up nothing.
Did they backtrack and make him Chrimbo only again?
Grimtuff wrote: Anyone know what happened to the Gingerbread guy? He's nowhere to be seen on Reaper's site (though curiously the pic ITT is still live on it), even searching for the product number, found in the filename of the aforementioned pic turns up nothing.
Did they backtrack and make him Chrimbo only again?
From last weeks Reaper Live base boss should go live in 1 or 2 weeks.
They showed a tech base and field of skulls also mentioned a ruins theme. The tech base was done on a 1 foot square rendered plate and they cut base designs from the plate. Ron mentioned casting the full plate for their own use no mention of releasing it.
This month's freebie (with $40 purchase) is another historical model, in this case a shopper circa 2020 hoping to score some toilet paper or "white gold" as it was then called.
Then there is a slew of METAL models. Now you all know how I feel about METAL , or God's Own Casting Medium as we call it here.
But then you see the prices...
Very nice Elven sorcerer, or perhaps sorceress, but is it $9 nice?
A dwarf. I see he has an axe, and a beard, and a hat with horns on it and everything you could want from a dwarf. But $11?! I could get 5 Bog Skeletons for that kind of money!
Another human wizard (or possibly 2 dwarves in a bathrobe) but $12? I think you get my point.
An Orc fighter, should you need someone to fight orcs.
Some drunken pirate skeletons, which raises all sorts of philosophical questions...
I note they are more reasonably priced than the various PC models, I can only assume this is because of lower costs since the sculptors don't have to sculpt flesh and can stop at the skeleton stage.
While for this halfling rogue they had to sculpt all that treasure which costs a lot more than sculpting barrels or bottles. It's just economics.
And finally Human Sorcerer Evil Erebus!
Ha-ha Matthew Anderson! Human Sorcerer Evil Erebus laughs at your grammatical conventions! He laughs!
There's more METAL on the site, some monsters and such, feel free to check it out.
Over on the Bones side we have more cheap and cheerful monsters.
Zombies and skeletons, for about what you'd expect to pay for an Elven Sorcerer.
Giant Tomb Rats for any Giant Tombs you might have in your campaign.
Can also be used for Cyclops Tombs, if you're willing to drill out an eye on each one.
Doggies!
And finally Reaper intrudes into GW's turf with a spikey chaos steed.
So yeah, nothing too odd this month (barring the METAL prices) but some good standards for your fantasy games.
The next Bones campaign is due this year, when it gets announced let's start a new thread and keep this one for standard releases.
Then there is a slew of METAL models. Now you all know how I feel about METAL , or God's Own Casting Medium as we call it here.
But then you see the prices...
Spoiler:
Another human wizard (or possibly 2 dwarves in a bathrobe) but $12? I think you get my point.
Spoiler:
And finally Human Sorcerer Evil Erebus!
I do actually really like the two wizards. I'm a bit more conflicted about them melting down new GPUs for their base metal to use in casting them though. It seems like there should be a better way...
In all seriousness, Reaper has held the line on prices for decades now and I can't fault them for going up. I understand some of that price savings was due to the type of sculpts (one piece limited poses), scale (not cranking it up to 40mm+ like so many other companies), and material (bones) but I'm glad that they exist as an affordable entry into the hobby along with the wizkids unpainted figs.
Base boss is live- all sets are $5 each. Looks like they are doing 25s and 28s after all. Only 1 design per size (for each theme) will get very samey very fast - cheap enough to cut up for variation but it kind of defeats the point.
lord_blackfang wrote: Glad there's all the AoS cavalry sizes but then again you can get exact copies of GW bases (except cast in hard ABS) on aliexpress for even less.
I'm looking for the toppers, not the bases themselves. Less time flocking is always good.
Dear lord, those wolves are bad. Someone take em behind the shed and put those sculpts out of their misery.
Did metal prices spike recently? That orc fighter is almost $12! I guess there's a reason I only see bones on shelves nowadays. The bones rogue looks good... I assume the new USA Bones dont droop under their own weight?
And finally Human Sorcerer Evil Erebus!
Ha-ha Matthew Anderson! Human Sorcerer Evil Erebus laughs at your grammatical conventions! He laughs!
Lol, no. There are great dragons which are green and there are green dragons which are great. How, prithee do tell, does one distinguish them? Ah, green great dragons and great green dragons respectively. People can mess with word order to their heart's delight. A fool this guy obviously is. A silly old fool or an old silly fool. Not sure which. Maybe both.
Tomb Rats are okay, but I want to see a Death of Rats mini. C'mon Reaper, make it happen.
Nice offerings. Shame about the METAL prices, but as noted tin prices have been going nuts.
The March Freeby is a one of the lil people, in honor of the Annual Reinforcing O'da'Stereotypes celebrated on March 17.
Red Harvest wrote: Lol, no. There are great dragons which are green and there are green dragons which are great. How, prithee do tell, does one distinguish them? Ah, green great dragons and great green dragons respectively. People can mess with word order to their heart's delight. A fool this guy obviously is. A silly old fool or an old silly fool. Not sure which. Maybe both.
I'd say the closer to the noun, the more intrinsic a quality is. A green great dragon, is a great dragon who happens to be green. "Great" whether it means size or status or age is the important quality to that sort of dragon. A great green dragon is a green dragon who happens to be large. So there is a difference. Moving adjectives around does chance the implication.
So my big German car, is different from my German big car. And a writer will sit there and wonder which is better for whatever is being said.
The encyclopedia of Ukraine, " The nightingale is commonly invoked in Ukrainian folk songs and folklore in the image of a creator of sweet sounds, a builder of homes, and a harbinger of spring. The word soloveiko is a term of personal endearment." Seems fitting. I'll also point out that the song, "Where have all the flowers gone?" by Pete Seeger was based on a Ukrainian Cossack song. So you can imagine the mini playing that song. Listen to the version with the additional verses by Joe Hickerson.
Siocast uses many of the same casting techniques as METAL so it should be fairly quick to go from a digital render to a production run.
> I see these and go "Oh I should get those, I hate basing" but then I release I have like hundreds of Secret weapon bases laying around I got from the Bags o' Crap that I don't use as I'm too lazy to even paint a base now days and just flock.
Same here, but playground sand. Unfortunately, Happy Sepuku is out-of-business, and I really like their rubber texture stamps. At $5, they're cheaper than texture rolls, and you could just place the epoxy on the stamp, then press a recessed based into it. Before the epoxy fully dries, cut off most of the miniature base, then stick it into the epoxy. Being lazy, I prefer this to pinning.
> I've said before that when you want to give to charity, it's better to give to charity, but I won't begrudge any act of goodness in these dark times.
A little OT, but, if you're familiar with the Song of Blade and Heroes game designer (you may be using your Reaper Bones with his games!), Andrea Sfiligoi, he's actually a Ukranian resident who has had to abandon his studio. Funds through his Patreon will be for his new studio in Italy and in-laws. As Andrea's Patreon member, you receive game content for games from Ganesha Games. Of course, now that we are weeks into the war, there may be other charities you may prefer to support.
Back to Reaper, another pic of the bird, and some fuzzy upcoming Bones soldiers in the background...
And here's one of their encounter sets, basically a thematic package deal.
EDIT: ksbs on the Reaper forums posted this screenshot of the core set. I don't need more zombies (and already have a mausoleum), but we'll see what the KS has to offer...
You know what they say, March roars in like a Triceratops and goes out like a Fairy Dragon.
So too do Reaper releases!
First off we have...
"Thunderfoot Behemoth (Dinosaur)" which already sounds like a GW name, at least it comes with a parenthetical note to tell you what the heck they are talking about.
I know Reaper used to sell a line of prepainted dinos to museums under the name HobbyQ but I can't find that anymore so it may have gone away. This is (another) case where Sir Forscale or a ruler would be really handy, I think the B is supposed to be a half inch on a side but it's not that helpful.
Then we have a bog witch. I assume one of her skills is the potion of mosquito repelling cause otherwise that bare midriff is gonna be covered in bites like 5 minutes after she steps out of her chicken-legged hut.
While Tara the Silent she has a bare midriff so uh, her shirt doesn't make noise when she's sneaking. Yeah. That's it.
Familiars and animal companions fill out a good part of the new releases, mostly real world animals but with some fantasy creatures sneaking in. I can see these being popular with RPGs and the 'just to paint' crowd.
Random thought, my kids would LOVE a set of nothing but Good Boys and Kitties, different breeds and such. Anyway...
Some goblins round out the month, a good bread and butter type offering.
I like how the goblin warriors really remind me of the animated Hobbit from the 70s.
The goblin skirmishers should be good for a lot of games, I like how they reflect the concept art.
And finally the goblin pillagers, these guys are just too funny!
So there we have it, another month, another bunch of cool stuff. The dino for me is the clear winner, I really want to just cover him in boxes and make a pack dino being led to market.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh Bones 6 opens March 31, but let's keep that news here:
I know some of you guys like metal instead of plastic, and found some Reaper metal (as well as other metal) on Noble Knight's "3 for 2" sale and Clearance rack. A little hard to tell what's metal and what's Bones from the pics, but I'm pretty sure it's mostly metal.
Free shipping at $150, so sort also look at the "3 for 2" sale and clearance sorted by price. NK has bundles of games and mini's to start you off, and graphic novels to top off the cart.
MM also has a 20% off sale, with customer holds to help reach their $99 threshold.
With Kickstarter madness behind, we can once again take a look at stuff that's like, actually available to buy now rather than arriving in 2 years
This month's freebie (with $40 purchase) is Gabron Farpath, Ranger! A male human ranger with a sword, bow and axe, ticking off one more box of the possible permutations of gender/race/class/primary weapon/secondary weapon/back. Next month look for Karbon Nearroad, a male elven ranger with a dagger, bow and backpack sword!
Only 38,023 permutations to go!
Some other PC permutations, none Earth-shatteringly original but all good. The barefoot monk is the standout here for me.
The noblewoman is also a good figure, I can see a lot of uses for her.
The Ogre Clubber, Smasher and Guard. I like how Reaper uses subtle differences in stance and posture to make it clear which is which.
Finally Bloodscale and Nightclaw Kobolds, once again look at the subtle touches the clearly differentiate the two tribes!
I think a less observant person could mistake Ogre #1 as the Smasher with Ogre #3 as the Clubber! Of course, I would never do such a thing, but others might!
I also love the barefoot monk. He would go along well with the other guy with the staff, but they put a sword/dagger thing on the other guys waist. Bah!
I have a general question about Bones quality these days.
When Reaper publishes a new miniature in "Bones" plastic rather than "Bones Black" (I got a few and am very happy with the quality) or "Bones America" (or whatever it's called), is it the same old, original white "Bones" quality? Or have general "Bones" cast miniatures also been elevated in quality?
Put another way, I bought a few original white Bones years ago, and despite being very cheap, the quality wasn't high enough for me, so I stopped there. Bones Black level quality or better, on the other hand, is great, but not everything is offered in those iterations. Is general "Bones" plastic for new minis the same quality as it was for old minis, or is it now better?
Apologies if this question betrays my ignorance in an annoying fashion.
While I'm here, I also wanted to thank Kid Kyoto for his puckish reviews of Reaper releases. Even when I'm not looking to buy any, I always tune in for his jokes. One of Dakka's highlights for me.
i find the material is similar, but the recent stuff is a lot more likely to have been sculpted for bones plastic (so chunkier, deeper detail, larger) compared to the first bones ks when they were converting existing metal sculpts some of which really didn't suit the material
Do they even make the old rubbery white Bones any more?
I already have plenty of the Bloodscale Kobolds in original recipe bones, but I can tell from the photos (and my experience with America Bones), the new kobolds look so much sharper.
I just painted a Bones USA mini. Detail was great, but there were a couple of mold lines I had to remove, but the material isn't really great to work with. It doesn't behave like metal or polystyrene. Difficult to cut or sand cleanly.
bbb wrote: I just painted a Bones USA mini. Detail was great, but there were a couple of mold lines I had to remove, but the material isn't really great to work with. It doesn't behave like metal or polystyrene. Difficult to cut or sand cleanly.
Alas my Kitty Karacter is specialized in a sword and a CROSSbow, so I guess I have to wait till next month to see if that combo appears. Also he's a Siamese and these are clearly British Shorthairs.
The recommendation for the mold lines on original Bones was either a very sharp scalpel, but cut rather than scrape; or, a kind of round sanding stick that I think is ceramic. They both seemed OK. Dunno if they'd work well on the newer variants too.
This month's freeby (with $50 purchase) is Lars Ragnarson.
Such a shame to see Reaper going back to old cliches of impractical armored bikinis with sexy warriors showing off their bare abs and legs like this is some sort of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. I hope future models will be more pragmatically armored.
Barrow Rats are a good staple for any dungeon, but the $6 for 2 price worries me. Are they like really big or something? Titanic Rats? Cause they already have 6 Dire Rats for $4.50. I miss the size indicators.
They are pretty big, perhaps the same volume as a human figure:
Free ghouly bag with your $40 order. Witch, paint, candy, better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick amirite?
The other freebie this month is Kasper Von Somethingortheother, 3-time yodeling champion of the Transylvanian Alps.
Grimkel Bloodbeard, a somewhat generic barbarian who gets extra points for the name. I mean does he use blood to style his beard? Does it make for good hair gel? I want to buy him just to find out.
Call central casting, I need a wizard, a fighter, a paladin and a dwarf right away.
Nothing wrong with playing the classics, but nothing particularly memorable about these either.
Nor these alas...
I do like Thess Ironfaith though.
Finally there's a mess of new paints and washes and a wet pallet if you're in the market.
This is my new favorite color.
So a pretty meh month from Reaper, hoping the October releases will be properly crazy.
However, I suspect fedora man finds the first one to be “poorly written”.
A total Mary Sue. Fedora Man has no issue with female paladins but this particular one is always heroic and saving the day and overshadowing more interesting characters like that dude with the torch.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Working on an order, I really wish Reaper would work on their tagging system.
Did not come up in searches for townsfolk, civilian, fat, or cane.
Eventually I found the metal version and used his name (the wonderful "REEVE IRREMBORG PLANOMAP") to find there's 3 versions of him. Metal, Bones Black and Bones USA, and none of them have any of the tags I was thinking of.
A chance to submit tags would be so useful. Yeah theres a chance of spam and trolling, but if limited to registered users it should be OK. Dakka's wiki-like system has worked for years without trouble.
Unfortunately, the video is no longer around, but Ed gave a "State of the Industry" video that explained why Reaper went with the Bones KS. Nowadays, KS is (rightly) perceived as a FOMO hype machine, but, back then, companies like Reaper couldn't make enough money (cash flow) for more than a few metal steel molds for their Bones line, despite it being their most popular line. Much worse, distributors were "cherry picking" products from everyone, so Reaper's (and other company's) fans weren't able to get the miniatures (or product) they wanted. (Ed mentioned that even HeroClix was initially not picked up by distributors.). KS was how Reaper, and companies like them, made enough capital for projects retail could and would not support. Reaper Bones I was my entry into the miniatures hobby, (although my retiring gave me the time to paint). Will miss Ed a lot.
*****
On the brighter side, the "12 Days of Reapermas" starts on December 5th! Free mini and other stuff at $40, free US shipping at $50. Prices are MSRP, so better to buy mini's you can't find elsewhere. : https://www.reapermini.com/12days
My sympathies to Ed's family and friends. He did a fine job in making Reaper the go to company for just the right mini for every occasion. Such a wonderfully deep catalog.
-------------------------
That Santa Claus. Moose antlers and a fox head for a hat. The reindeer belt buckle is a nice detail.
On the brighter side, the "12 Days of Reapermas" starts on December 5th! Free mini and other stuff at $40, free US shipping at $50. Prices are MSRP, so better to buy mini's you can't find elsewhere. : https://www.reapermini.com/12days
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Cat Dragon is definitely the breakout star, I could see a whole line of Cat Dragon figures appealing to the general market as well as mini painters.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also Christmas Eve, Christmas Knight, and Christmas Carol are back!
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Cat Dragon is definitely the breakout star, I could see a whole line of Cat Dragon figures appealing to the general market as well as mini painters.
The Cat Dragon is the star?? What about the Eldritch Snowman? How can you beat carrot face tentacles?
That guy has me seriously tempted, but after all the Black Friday sales, I am tapped out.
My condolences to Ed Pugh's family. I've only known him through the work of his company, but it is a great company, which under his stewardship showcased the work of many great sculptors, particularly from the Ral Partha era. Without Reaper, I have to wonder what would have become of outstanding talents like Julie Guthrie, Bob Ridolfi, and many more. Even some of my favorite British sculptors, like Bob Olley and Tim Prow, have a respectable footprint in Reaper's products.
I never knew Ed personally, but he clearly had great taste and a keen eye for talent. Long may his legacy continue.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Cat Dragon is definitely the breakout star, I could see a whole line of Cat Dragon figures appealing to the general market as well as mini painters.
The Cat Dragon is the star?? What about the Eldritch Snowman? How can you beat carrot face tentacles?
By having the carrot tops grow out the top of his head in a mock hairstyle.
METAL 
Unfortunately, Happy Sepuku is out-of-business, and I really like their rubber texture stamps. At $5, they're cheaper than texture rolls, and you could just place the epoxy on the stamp, then press a recessed based into it. Before the epoxy fully dries, cut off most of the miniature base, then stick it into the epoxy. Being lazy, I prefer this to pinning.
