I probably want one of everything they listed except for the Laketown and Erebor models. My wallet is clenching...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
On a slightly less-related note, has anyone else had long delays ordering stuff from FW recently? I placed an order (preorder actually) for Rutabi and Brorgir (the new Easterling heroes), plus 2 packs of Dragon Cult Acolytes and the Defenders of Helm's Deep models, back on the 25th of February. It's now the 18th of March and the order is still listed as pending. When I look at my order details it says that it should ship within 6 business days. Is it because I'm in the USA and things take longer to ship across the pond?

I don't know what's going on with FW.

I placed on order on 2/21 that still hasnt shipped, yet my order from 3/7 shipped right away.

They don't respond to emails. I emailed asking about the 2/21 order. The web page says email them if not shipped in 20 days. I also had emails from back in January about and order issues from last year they still never replied.

I'm glad I pay for overpriced models.

100% a 'Forge World not shipping your order' issue rather than delivery time issues.

I sell regularly on eBay to North America and Australia. My packages to NA (Canada and USA) arrive in 5-7 days, and my packages to Australia arrive no later than 8 days. This is with the basic Royal Mail International Tracked service, which presumably is what FW would be utilising too. Any dedicated courier service would presumably have BETTER delivery times.

So I'd say this is just them not shipping your goods.

A small mixed bag of assorted Middle-Earth sculpts are on Last Chance to Buy

- Erkenbrand
- Eorl the Young
- Sons of Eorl
- Feral Uruk-hai
- Black Numenoreans
- Orc Trackers
- Morder Siege Bow
- Gondor Avenger Bolt Thrower

Groblog and the mounted Dragon Knight are there too, but we already know about their repackaging (EDIT 10 new SKUs get announced, so 10 current SKUs disappear, that explains it)

Seems most are already sold out in most places. Can't help but feel it defeats the purpose of the label to wait until most items are out of stock before applying them

zombie_sky_diver wrote:
I don't know what's going on with FW.

I placed on order on 2/21 that still hasnt shipped, yet my order from 3/7 shipped right away.

They don't respond to emails. I emailed asking about the 2/21 order. The web page says email them if not shipped in 20 days. I also had emails from back in January about and order issues from last year they still never replied.

I'm glad I pay for overpriced models.

I likewise have an order on day 19 of not having shipped despite being 100% in-stock items. Really awesome, modern-feeling buying experience...

Ugh. Why bring back minis in FailCast? WHY?!

Blastaar wrote:
Ugh. Why bring back minis in FailCast? WHY?!

From what I'm seeing they reverted Minis to metal that were sold in metal when they were first released (but got failcasted later on), but they don't turn figures into metal that were released in Failcast.

Blastaar wrote:
Ugh. Why bring back minis in FailCast? WHY?!

The Middle Earth MTO are usually metal, everything I've ordered since the scheme launched has arrived metal.

Eiríkr wrote:

Blastaar wrote:
Ugh. Why bring back minis in FailCast? WHY?!

The Middle Earth MTO are usually metal, everything I've ordered since the scheme launched has arrived metal.

Well see what it says when they go live on the we store. The article states several are FailCast. I would like to be pleasantly surprised.

They are usually, but not always, done in the last material the model was available in, hence why the dragon is resin.

I have mostly metal, but some of the Hobbit-era stuff is resin.

Every Made-to-Order miniature so far has been cast in the material it was last available. Often this is metal but if the model was last available in resin (or never available in metal like the Hobbit miniatures), it will be cast in resin.

Nice of them to give us plenty of advance warning so that we have time to actually get them.

They don't use the original failcast stuff anymore, so anything that's actually been cast recently will be in actually good resin.

 Snrub wrote:
Nice of them to give us plenty of advance warning so that we have time to actually get them.

It's disappointing that there's no consistency when it comes to the range rotation. They've announced which things would be going well in advance before, and the 40K LCTB wave that went up at the same time has come with what looks like an MTO guarantee

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/03/20/sunday-preview-avatar-autarch-and-aspect-warriors-aeldari-reinforcements-inbound/

The following units will be going off sale on the 3rd of April, but if you order any of them between now and then, you’ll be guaranteed to get one.

At least they will be back, I guess.

Also, re: resin, as much as I still don't like the material, I've still picked up a few and it's vastly better than the nightmare days of Finecast

 NinthMusketeer wrote:
They don't use the original failcast stuff anymore, so anything that's actually been cast recently will be in actually good resin.

Are you sure about that? I thought they had merely scrapped the label for obvious reasons and redid some of the worst examples of Failcast like the Gorgorothbeast.
I'm still reading bad Reviews about GW Resin.

I'd agree with Ninth on that. I've had some of their resin *finecast* pieces lately and the quality is pretty sound all around. No noticeable holes, not overly thin. Gates are still a pain in the ass, as are bendy spears. But other than that, it's fine.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I'd agree with Ninth on that. I've had some of their resin *finecast* pieces lately and the quality is pretty sound all around. No noticeable holes, not overly thin. Gates are still a pain in the ass, as are bendy spears. But other than that, it's fine.

Now you make me feel bad that I didn't buy those mirkwood elves before the price rise I'm having on my list since years

Well bear in mind they could have been cast years ago in the crappy resin.

Missing MTO's up next week:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/04/03/sunday-preview-tyranids-are-coming-and-the-realm-of-beasts-awakens/

FINALLY!

Boromir full o' arrows here I come!

I definitely want the classic metal Fellowship, and I probably want the Khazad-dum set also (I'm probably masochistic or something as I've heard that Balrog is a real PITA to put together). Might also pick up Escape from Orthanc, depending on what my money situation looks like in a week or two.

As someone who has built it, yes it is. You'll need pins and even that's not a guarantee it will hold together.

Tempted by the Orthanc set, the FW Gwaihir being £67 on his own

 Slinky wrote:
Tempted by the Orthanc set, the FW Gwaihir being £67 on his own

Have you seen how tiny the Orthanc one is?

Truthfully, you can make a Gwaihir easily out of the Great Eagles kit. Bonus: you get a second eagle!

Whoohoo. Time to get me weatertop and the balrog. Already got the fellowship and Amon-hen. Bought Orthanc a few months ago off ebay but didnt realise until after that it was missing the palantir.

Why would you want a metal Balrog?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Why would you want a metal Balrog?

He's clearly planning to commit murder.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Why would you want a metal Balrog?

Why wouldn't you want a metal Balrog?

I want the Balrog because i'm a completionist. Can't have the complete collection of every Lord of the Rings mini without having all 3 versions of the balrog (4 if you include the one that they changed the wings from metal to plastic).


Edit- 5 if you include the unreleased ice balrog. Impossibly hard to get your hands on though.

Made To Orders are live. (Along side Eldar and marine captains.)


Wowee! I've glad I've already got 3 of the 5 of these kits, as they've hiked the price up on them. Amon-hen was $120AUD last time. Now it's $135.
$165 seems a high price for the balrog and gandalf. But considering the metal balrogs tend to be priced upwards of $350+ on ebay, it seems not all too excessive.

Was the The Battle at Khazad-dûm AUD$198 when it came out?

Wait, never mind, I was on Kiwiland prices. Still, was it AUD$165 originally?

Holy price hikes Batman!

Yes I realize the prices I looked at on GW's site are in Aussie dollars (the MTO has yet to go live in the USA), but even when you figure in the conversion those are probably going to be beyond the pale here as well. I may be giving this MTO a miss. Damn shame, as I wanted the metal Fellowship, and I also wanted the metal Balrog as it's cool looking. Amon Hen and Weathertop I was already going to skip, and I was on the fence on Escape from Orthanc. Oh well, maybe next time.

In other news, my FW order that I placed over a month ago finally arrived last week, and wouldn't you know one of the packs of Dragon Cult Acolytes had the wrong arms in it (had 2 of the C arms and none of the A arms). What else could go wrong? I already contacted FW about fixing it, but they haven't replies (it's only been three days, I'm giving them time for now). Very frustrating.

H.B.M.C. wrote:[s]Still, was it AUD$165 originally?

Nah. Likely in the $65-80 range i'd say, from waaay back when the movies were released. I'll check my old white dwarfs, I might have it in one of them.

ZergSmasher wrote:Damn shame, as I wanted the metal Fellowship,

If you get but one thing, make sure it's the Fellowship. They're such nice miniatures.

Looking at the old collectors guide, everying was £25 originally apart from Khazad-dum which was £40. So the Balrog has gone up by less than £1.00 a year and the other sets by just over £1.00 a year.

 Snrub wrote:
I'll check my old white dwarfs, I might have it in one of them.

Found it.... and sort of wished I hadn't.

The fellowship are tempting, but not that tempting.

Hard to believe I got Khazad-dum and Escape from Orthanc for about 60% of the GW asking price off eBay last year, but just as well.

Was inevitable, but it's a shame that GW now uses Made To Order as a way to get in on the scalper price points

 Snrub wrote:

 Snrub wrote:
I'll check my old white dwarfs, I might have it in one of them.

Found it.... and sort of wished I hadn't.

So a 235% increase in 21 years.

Tim the Biovore wrote:Was inevitable, but it's a shame that GW now uses Made To Order as a way to get in on the scalper price points

They have slowly been going up over time. Things like Haldir's Elves started out at like $25 for 3 when they first went up for MTO ages ago. The other month when they went up again for about the 4th time, they were $40 a pop.

H.B.M.C. wrote:So a 235% increase in 21 years.

I wonder how that compares to actual inflation over that time (October '01 they were up for pre-order). As I don't doubt for a second GW's inflation is higher the Australian inflation.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/04/21/the-next-supplement-for-the-middle-earth-strategy-battle-game-focuses-on-the-dragon-emperor/

Boom! He looks very pretty, how about those rules though?

- F6 A3 M3 iwth heroic strike
- Board wide stand fast
- +1F for easterlings within 6"
- 12" banner
- Palanquin is a "completely new type of wargear" with W6 and gives him an additional S3 attack for each wound remaining. Plus the expected in the way protection.
- All black dragon upgrades in his warband are free. As a hero of legend this gives you 36pts back (18 warriors at 2pts each)

He's awesome and i want everything to do with this release, but even my patience is getting worn with the constant "soon TM"

Due to the new article, the book has been delayed by another six months.

 Arbitrator wrote:
Due to the new article, the book has been delayed by another six months.

Don't make me slap you.

Damn, he's beastly and no doubt. Be interesting to see how many points he's worth, as that's a lot of buffy goodness.

He looks impressive but for the emperor of Rhûn it seems fine. Specially being such a warrior culture.

The other two heroes, specially the new commander, feels less deserving of her beffy stats.

Anyway , easterlings are my main army and I'm very excited for actually having hero choices and options! Black Dragons were one of the worst unit upgrades in the game, but looks like they'll be worth it now! (because they are free lol)

Well only free for warbands led by the emperor or knights. But they'll be no brainer takes for those bands.

His rules are interesting. The full stat line and built in banner was expected. The +1 fight is interesting, but limited. The board wide stand fast is the real standout for me personally. I'd be interested in seeing if there will be any sort of degradation rules for the palanquin as it take wounds. Or if it's just going to be 6 outright wounds and then destroyed. Or if there's an option to take the emperor just on foot.

Can't wait no more for this supplement

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing if there will be any sort of degradation rules for the palanquin as it take wounds. Or if it's just going to be 6 outright wounds and then destroyed. Or if there's an option to take the emperor just on foot.

The wording "This means that the model can dish out up to nine Strikes after winning a combat – three from him at Strength 4, and up to six Strength-3 hits from his porters." makes it sound like a degradation profile, but it'd be hard to justify any movement value if the profile accommodates for the deaths of individual porters (unless there were some fluff hand waving involving them being too injured to fight and instead just giving their all to support the palanquin before all of them are overwhelmed and felled)

 Snrub wrote:

 Snrub wrote:
I'll check my old white dwarfs, I might have it in one of them.

Found it.... and sort of wished I hadn't.

Those are AUS prices, correct?

I believe the troop boxes (24 infantry or 12 cavalry) were $20US and the scenario box sets were $40US.
Characters were $10US, and 3-pack metals were $12US or 15.
These prices held thru RotK.

It wasn't until after the Battles game came out that they started bumping prices & stripping out sprues from infantry boxes.

Edit: I seem to remember getting the game boxes for $60US?

I know I got FotR & TT for $40 each when RotK came out.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

 Arbitrator wrote:
Due to the new article, the book has been delayed by another six months.

Don't make me slap you.

Nine months.

 Tim the Biovore wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing if there will be any sort of degradation rules for the palanquin as it take wounds. Or if it's just going to be 6 outright wounds and then destroyed. Or if there's an option to take the emperor just on foot.

The wording "This means that the model can dish out up to nine Strikes after winning a combat – three from him at Strength 4, and up to six Strength-3 hits from his porters." makes it sound like a degradation profile, but it'd be hard to justify any movement value if the profile accommodates for the deaths of individual porters (unless there were some fluff hand waving involving them being too injured to fight and instead just giving their all to support the palanquin before all of them are overwhelmed and felled)

The previous sentence:
"And if he wins a Duel roll, after he has made his Strikes, the Royal Palanquin may also make Strikes equal to the number of Wounds it has remaining."

Yeah, but that doesn't really tell us if it gets weaker with wounds. Like if it loses speed (although i don't imagine so as it can't be more than mv 6) or if it gets destroyed after losing x wounds etc.

 skrulnik wrote:

 Snrub wrote:

 Snrub wrote:
I'll check my old white dwarfs, I might have it in one of them.

Found it.... and sort of wished I hadn't.

Those are AUS prices, correct?

I believe the troop boxes (24 infantry or 12 cavalry) were $20US and the scenario box sets were $40US.
Characters were $10US, and 3-pack metals were $12US or 15.
These prices held thru RotK.

It wasn't until after the Battles game came out that they started bumping prices & stripping out sprues from infantry boxes.

Edit: I seem to remember getting the game boxes for $60US?

I know I got FotR & TT for $40 each when RotK came out.

Your memory sounds right. When I got back into the hobby on the back of LotR, the main games were £40 and troop boxes were £12 for 24 infantry or 6 cavalry. That was 2002.

Back then it was £1 UKP to $2 USD, so the US actually caught a break for once - your $40 starter set "should" have been $80.

That was also the period when the Battle Games in Middle Earth magazine was running. It came with a frame of 12 troops or a metal figure for £4.

The switch to boxes with a single frame of 12 troops was the spring before the first Hobbit movie (I'm going to say spring 2012). The boxes went from £16-17 for 24 to £15 for 12, if I remember aright.

Join us again next week as we welcome a vicious, hard-hitting surprise that even a dragon has reason to fear.

Article!

Probably a non-terrible looking Windlance for Dale.

I wonder if they will be plastic. Not that it matters to me.

They hinted next week "something hard hitting a dragon would fear" so I assume it's a bolt thrower or similar.

zombie_sky_diver wrote:
I wonder if they will be plastic.

The second sentence says "Now you can add them to your own army with the upcoming Dale Commanders set from Forge World." so I doubt it.

Nice. GBHL's going to be memeing the hell out of the banner.

Beautiful and unexpected! I bet on a new windjammer me too.

How did Dale lose against Smaug with such might hats?

The Dale Windlance

It's still as hideous as the Bard version, but I think that's because without the bowstrings there's no real indication 'why' the metal is bent that way.

Wouldn't that be "Precise", actually?

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
Wouldn't that be "Precise", actually?

No, since it can still scatter in any direction, but is closer to the intended target.

One thing that bothers me, why it's in AA mount? Did Sauron have that many dragons/balrogs? Because you can't hit any ground target with it, unless enemy is on a hill...

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
Wouldn't that be "Precise", actually?

No. 'Precision' in measurement means you're hitting the same point, even if it's off of what you aimed for. 'Accuracy' means you're hitting close to aim target, even if not the same spot each time, like this thing

I wasn't a fan of the windlance in the movies, but apart from the lack of strings it does look accurate to the movie, so... that's fine.

Now with good (hopefully) shooting phase and knights that gains +1 to wound when charged Dale becomes a full wait-and-see army.

Finally something good from this show

Very understated, but I like them a lot. I wasn't listening to the feed, did they mention a release date for DotN?

Not yet. Still sitting on Soon TM

Bonus points to anyone adding a fish into Grimbeorn-bear-form's mouth.

I'm pleasantly surprised that Defence is still getting new models. I think this is the biggest overall sourcebook in terms of new things since the soft reboot right?

It is. If it had all been released together, it would have been a massaive release.

Note 1: The Beornings all come with alternative head options and options to build them with either bows or axes.

Note 2: What the hell colour is Grimbeorns' tunic? I've been staring at it and i can't puzzle out what it actually is.

Unexpected and beautiful!

GW surprising me again with something I actually like. Nice.

Are those going to be plastic or resin?

3 pack unit and a specialist character, guranteed to be resin.

I figured that would be the case. Gorgeous figures, not sure I'll pay the resin prices through. A 'want' vs a 'need' for me.

I could bear to get some of those guys,

 krijthebold wrote:
I could bear to get some of those guys,

ba-dum tish!

I'll be tempted to get the bear just because it's a really great bear model.

Well, consider me pleasantly blind-sided.

Grimbeorn and the Beornings are really nice sculpts, detailed but uncluttered. They are some of the nicest woodsmen/villager type sculpts I think i've ever seen. The bear however... Oh dear. Really shows up how terrible GW's current method of digitally sculpting fur is. Admittedly, better then the "fur" on this praetor and these terminators, but not a patch on the likes of the fur on Hvarl Redblade or the Wolfkin. The head on the bear however, is fantastically detailed. And whoever painted it certainly earned their paycheck with those eyes

I basically need those. They're delightful.

 Snrub wrote:
The bear however... Oh dear. Really shows up how terrible GW's current method of digitally sculpting fur is. Admittedly, better then the "fur" on this praetor and these terminators, but not a patch on the likes of the fur on Hvarl Redblade or the Wolfkin. The head on the bear however, is fantastically detailed. And whoever painted it certainly earned their paycheck with those eyes

Charitably, and contrary to the face, I have to insist the main problem with the fur is the way it's painted. They went too bright with the highlight, and they've highlighted far too much of it. It's the traditional Citadel style of painting to show the details of the miniature rather than the miniature itself. Certainly isn't the best looking fur they've sculpted by a long shot, but they'd done themselves no favours with that approach.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
It's here at last

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/05/08/sunday-preview-witch-aelves-spectral-hordes-and-the-defence-of-the-north/

Bafflingly, all of those sculpts "returning to the range" are listed here as Made to Order. Hopefully a mistake? Considering they're all profiles in the supplement that won't even be out before they disappear again if it's true.

Well that's a massing pre-order release next week. Didn't expect it all at once. Man am I screwed.

zombie_sky_diver wrote:
Well that's a massing pre-order release next week. Didn't expect it all at once. Man am I screwed.

Can we get an F in the thread for this person's wallet, please?

Finally, good god. Although it would be during the same week as the DoK book as well.

So GW lets us all think those models are coming back to the range on a (semi) permanent basis, and then announces that they are actually a MTO thing? Dick move GW. Now it's just another FOMO cash grab. Hoo boy, now I have to buy all of the stuff I want at once or I miss it. Somebody better press F for my wallet too...

Rob Alderman, head of the MEBG team at GW, has confirmed its a mistake in the article and they are not MTO.

It never rains, but suddenly it pours down releases! DotN and the mounted Easterlings are a must buy. Black Dragons and their Emperor will likely cost the earth and so can wait a while.

Aeneades wrote:
Rob Alderman, head of the MEBG team at GW, has confirmed its a mistake in the article and they are not MTO.

That makes sense, it seemed like more an issue of poor formatting.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
So GW lets us all think those models are coming back to the range on a (semi) permanent basis, and then announces that they are actually a MTO thing? Dick move GW. Now it's just another FOMO cash grab. Hoo boy, now I have to buy all of the stuff I want at once or I miss it. Somebody better press F for my wallet too...

wow what a reaction

Okay, I turned out to be mistaken. Mea culpa. But had I not been mistaken and those items had been MTO instead of range rotation, my reaction would have been totally justified. That would have been them jerking the rug out from under a lot of people. I'm glad to have been wrong, and I'm glad they cleared it up, as I'm confident I wasn't the only one who was, shall we say, irked?

I'm gonna want at least one of just about everything listed, but at least now I don't have to do it all at once!

Well that's a bloody relief. I would not have been well pleased if that was a MTO, with Nu-Heresy coming in hot on it's heels.


A small part of me does remains skeptical about this being a MTO though. Take the Blackshields for example. They normally don't re-release full warbands into the range when they could have released it as "Blackshields" and "Blackshield Command" or even the disparate command elements. The complete warband is something they've started doing for MTOs (See previous Easterling and Goblin Warriors) but not as a general release.

 krijthebold wrote:

Aeneades wrote:
Rob Alderman, head of the MEBG team at GW, has confirmed its a mistake in the article and they are not MTO.

That makes sense, it seemed like more an issue of poor formatting.

Lotr part was poorly written to begin with. Claims you could preorder stuff right now...

Men, GW needs to hire someone who is capable to manage their web site.

 Snrub wrote:

A small part of me does remains skeptical about this being a MTO though. Take the Blackshields for example. They normally don't re-release full warbands into the range when they could have released it as "Blackshields" and "Blackshield Command" or even the disparate command elements. The complete warband is something they've started doing for MTOs (See previous Easterling and Goblin Warriors) but not as a general release.

The ME team mentioned they will be doing this as it allows them to keep more SKUs available, takes up less space that multiple packs, is easier to run one warband on a mold at a time. (see: Dunland Warrior warband, Ruffians, Khandish warriors, and all the Finecast Hobbit-era releases which went from packs-of-three to boxes-of-twelve). The nice side effect is that warband sets are always cheaper than individual packs.

Ah well that's good to know. No complaints about that then.

Seeing them bring back all the Moria stuff (much of which has been OOP for a long time) gives me hope that they will eventually get around to bringing back Arnor and Far Harad models; I would certainly grab Arnor stuff in a heartbeat just for the cool factor, and I really like the Far Harad army as well (the idea of War Camels is just so cool!).

Yeah, Moria is in real need of having the better part of their range available again and i'm glad to see it return. Arnor and Far Harad would also be greatly received. Mostly because Camel riders go on the 2nd hand market for about $60AUD a pop. Which is proper bonkers.


If you don't mind 3rd party stuff, there's a few guys who produce really nice not!-Arnor models. Very convincing stuff.

 Snrub wrote:
Yeah, Moria is in real need of having the better part of their range available again and i'm glad to see it return. Arnor and Far Harad would also be greatly received. Mostly because Camel riders go on the 2nd hand market for about $60AUD a pop. Which is proper bonkers.


If you don't mind 3rd party stuff, there's a few guys who produce really nice not!-Arnor models. Very convincing stuff.

Speaking of 3rd party stuff, is there a lot out there for Harad stuff?

Davale Games does some nice "Snake Army" minis. Unreleased Miniatures do some not!-Far Harad although you'll have to scroll through and find them.

 Snrub wrote:
Yeah, Moria is in real need of having the better part of their range available again and i'm glad to see it return. Arnor and Far Harad would also be greatly received. Mostly because Camel riders go on the 2nd hand market for about $60AUD a pop. Which is proper bonkers.

I think I missed the camalry the first time around - got a link to any pictures?

There was a Mahud King on camel and 2 camel riders sculpts.

 Snrub wrote:
Arnor and Far Harad would also be greatly received.

Yeah, when they announced the range rotation on Far Harad I went ahead and just bought an army, as I figured it would be a long time until it would come back.

I just missed the Far Harad stuff when it rotated out I think, literally a week or two after they went I was looking for them. Really like those models.

Apparently the book has leaked (because of course it has).
Anyway, Orophin (Haldir's second brother).

Okay, something weird is absolutely going on in GW - who would bother leaking Middle Earth stuff?

Dang, I like that.

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
Okay, something weird is absolutely going on in GW - who would bother leaking Middle Earth stuff?

Contrary to popular belief, it is a long lasting, popular game. Just not 40k/sigmar big.

Don't engage, just yellow triangle and move on.

I wonder if Rumil will finally reappear? I've held off on getting any of the Galadhrim Court guards since he's unavailable.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
Okay, something weird is absolutely going on in GW - who would bother leaking Middle Earth stuff?

Contrary to popular belief, it is a long lasting, popular game. Just not 40k/sigmar big.

Yeah, but when was the last time people leaked anything about it? It doesn't exactly get big relases. And the fanbase isn't exactly so demanding of news like the Warhammer ones.

 Kanluwen wrote:
Don't engage, just yellow triangle and move on.

I wonder if Rumil will finally reappear? I've held off on getting any of the Galadhrim Court guards since he's unavailable.

If this guy's FW, (which is highly probable,) maybe a repack to put him in with the Celeborn and Haldir pack.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
Okay, something weird is absolutely going on in GW - who would bother leaking Middle Earth stuff?

Contrary to popular belief, it is a long lasting, popular game. Just not 40k/sigmar big.

Yeah, but when was the last time people leaked anything about it? It doesn't exactly get big relases. And the fanbase isn't exactly so demanding of news like the Warhammer ones.

Actually this whole release for the Defence of the North has been massive. Just spread out over a period of time.

Ooh I like him. I wonder if they'll go for a complementary trinity type thing with the brothers. You've got Haldir for range, Rumil for defence and Orophin for attack.


Now to me, that model looks plastic. So part of me wonders (hopes) if we'll see a plastic triple kit for the three brothers.

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
Okay, something weird is absolutely going on in GW - who would bother leaking Middle Earth stuff?

It goes up for preorder this weekend, so almost certainly it's from preview copies GW sends out to reviewers/youtubers/etc

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Actually this whole release for the Defence of the North has been massive. Just spread out over a period of time.

No kidding. I nearly asked the other day what new supplement were we expecting Grimbeorn and the Beornings to belong to, I'd thought for certain we'd seen all of Defence of the North by then.

Also, the reason we don't often see leaks for Middle-Earth is that there's often nothing to leak. New things get previewed fairly well in advance, and the printed material is released either simultaneously or subsequently.


Orophin is pretty good, even if he's adding yet another aesthetic variation to the Galadhrim armour style. Would be nice if he was plastic, but I'm not convinced GW would spend the resources on such a minor character

 Snrub wrote:
Ooh I like him. I wonder if they'll go for a complementary trinity type thing with the brothers. You've got Haldir for range, Rumil for defence and Orophin for attack.


Now to me, that model looks plastic. So part of me wonders (hopes) if we'll see a plastic triple kit for the three brothers.

Don't give me hope...

I could see it though.

Easterlings get War Drakes apparently?

Would be on theme with their dragon obsession to have as some sort of warbeast.

 Arbitrator wrote:
Easterlings get War Drakes apparently?

I thought that was a battle companies thing?

 Fergie0044 wrote:

 Arbitrator wrote:
Easterlings get War Drakes apparently?

I thought that was a battle companies thing?

They're in the Legendary Legion.

Is there photos of something floating around?

Edit - nevermind, I found the twitch stream; https://m.twitch.tv/brianbartoky/clip/AnnoyingAlluringSnakeANELE-lFGc2aUKodb1ys2o

Multi leaks suggest to me GW may well be using a new printer with english speaking staff who know about the games

(as opposed to china were print shop staff are far less likely to be in a game social media group/forum etc)

 Kanluwen wrote:

 Snrub wrote:
Ooh I like him. I wonder if they'll go for a complementary trinity type thing with the brothers. You've got Haldir for range, Rumil for defence and Orophin for attack.


Now to me, that model looks plastic. So part of me wonders (hopes) if we'll see a plastic triple kit for the three brothers.

Don't give me hope...

I could see it though.

Looks like your hope could have a little foundation after all Kan.
A new Rumil perhaps?

That's very cool to see. I wonder if guard are with him.
I was hoping they would do plastic Mirkwood Armourd Elves since they might be part of this book.. Doubtful, but it's one of the few units in crapcast.

Those are lovely models, armour looks great.

I wonder when they will clamp down on these leaks.

Well hot diggity dog. That certainly looks like Rumil. The helmet, shield and pose all match.


Now show us Haldir.

The shield looks different from the metal version, so it might be a new Rumil?!

How do you mean? It's got the same pattern on it. The only slight difference I can spot (I can't tell if the metal version has the square bit around the boss in the middle) is that the metal models shield is a bit more pinched at the top. Where as this new one is more rounded.

It looks more detailed than the metal version was all I meant.

I'm trying not to be excited dangit!

Ah ok I see. I don't have the model myself, so I'm relying on the pictures from the army list book and off the net. Funnily enough none of which show the shield face on...

I don't have one handy either, but from what I can tell the shield looks a bit smaller on the metal one?

Yeah, shields aren't exactly the same AND the old one has his mouth in a neutral, closed position rather than grimacing. New Rumil confirmed.

Edit: The more I look at the new one, the more I think it's in a different(but similar) pose with the sword arm more forward and the shield closer to the body.

Ah yes. The shield is somewhat different. The new one is a different shape, larger and has more detailed detailing.

 Snrub wrote:
Well hot diggity dog. That certainly looks like Rumil. The helmet, shield and pose all match.
Now show us Haldir.

Haha, do we really need another Haldir? He must have the most sculpts of any elven hero apart from old lego-lass.

At first I was not interested in the book. But now the legendary legions are leaked:

 Fergie0044 wrote:

 Snrub wrote:
Well hot diggity dog. That certainly looks like Rumil. The helmet, shield and pose all match.
Now show us Haldir.

Haha, do we really need another Haldir? He must have the most sculpts of any elven hero apart from old lego-lass.

Yeah...and only a few are actually available.

He had the sculpt in Heroes of Helm's Deep, then the same profile but with sword out that's bundled with Celeborn now. And then the Marchwarden, which combines two different "encounters" sculpts into one SKU.

If you give me a shot for a new armoured Haldir with bow out? I'll take it!

Ooof. While I'd long given up hope of the Black Dragons being a plastic kit, I had at least hoped for a sensible price given that you are probably going to want 10, maybe 20 of them.

I'm not sure what I was thinking.

£46 for 6? Thanks but, er, no thanks.

Black Dragons have better proportions, but you can pay £27.50 for 20 and paint the cloth with more black, or pay £46 for 6. I know what most people are going to be doing.

The Emperor(tm) being £82.50 looks about what I expected. It's a nice model but I'm not sure it's THAT nice.

Could be worth it if you were happy to do the conversion work to turn some pikes into hand-and-a-half axes for alternate Captains and press mold the shields to put on the plastic Easterlings, but yeah, you've got to really want them at that price.

At least with the Knights of Dol Amroth, they're the only official option for that unit that doesn't involve scrounging for the old metals. These fellas are more expensive than them, on top of being completely optional

Oooh some tasty prices for the goblins. Both the Black shields and prowlers work out to 8.50 a model. Compared to the 2nd hand market, those are fantastic prices. The Khazad guard, slightly less so at $12.50 a pop, but still less then what you can generally get them on ebay.
Not sure how I fell about paying $43 a pop for the warg marauders. But shockingly still less then what I see them for on ebay.

By-the-by, it's nice to see that dragon in resin. I remember many moons ago, a bloke at the local GW had one when they were metal and always said it was an absolute bastard to work with. Had to pin the gak out of the wings.

 Siygess wrote:
Ooof. While I'd long given up hope of the Black Dragons being a plastic kit, I had at least hoped for a sensible price given that you are probably going to want 10, maybe 20 of them.

I'm not sure what I was thinking.

£46 for 6? Thanks but, er, no thanks.

Yikes, that was more than I hoped. Will probably get one set eventually to complete my collection, but its a low priority purchase.

The actual DotN book is more than I expected too. Is that typical for LotR books?

 Snrub wrote:
Oooh some tasty prices for the goblins. Both the Black shields and prowlers work out to 8.50 a model. Compared to the 2nd hand market, those are fantastic prices. The Khazad guard, slightly less so at $12.50 a pop, but still less then what you can generally get them on ebay.
Not sure how I fell about paying $43 a pop for the warg marauders. But shockingly still less then what I see them for on ebay.

By-the-by, it's nice to see that dragon in resin. I remember many moons ago, a bloke at the local GW had one when they were metal and always said it was an absolute bastard to work with. Had to pin the gak out of the wings.

Yeah I am really happy with the Moria prices especially the prowlers in 6s instead of 4s. Snatched 2x Prowlers, 2x Marauders, 1x Blackshields and the shamans. Durburz and groblog I already have and I am not really sold on the dragon. I guess i can find a nicer dragon STL somewhere. I do like the cave drake tho

I made sure to get a preorder in for the new book, plus the dice and the mounted commanders. The price on those mounted guys was a lot more reasonable than I had originally figured. Now at some point I need to get the Dragon Emperor, but that's gonna have to wait, as I'm not made out of money!

I was pleasantly surprised that the Moria Blackshields and Prowlers are being released in metal. I have now preordered them and wouldn’t have otherwise.

callidusx3 wrote:
I was pleasantly surprised that the Moria Blackshields and Prowlers are being released in metal. I have now preordered them and wouldn’t have otherwise.

Indeed. GW could make a lot of money if they turned the Failcast models into metal as well (not just reverting models that were metal at release), but I guess it's technically not possible or at least not as easy as it was to turn metal into Failcast.

 Fergie0044 wrote:

 Siygess wrote:
Ooof. While I'd long given up hope of the Black Dragons being a plastic kit, I had at least hoped for a sensible price given that you are probably going to want 10, maybe 20 of them.

I'm not sure what I was thinking.

£46 for 6? Thanks but, er, no thanks.

Yikes, that was more than I hoped. Will probably get one set eventually to complete my collection, but its a low priority purchase.

The actual DotN book is more than I expected too. Is that typical for LotR books?

All of the supplements are now £32.50 except for Scouring of the Shire (£24). Granted, that price includes the recent price hike.

Defence of the North™ is available for pre-order! Whilst you decide whether to defend or assault the northern provinces, check out these new Elven heroes featured in the book – they’re heading to tabletops near you soon!

I know these are 99% a FW two pack, but there is something about them that seems plastic to me. Can't quite say why though.

Aw man, I was hoping for Haldir too.

Those are really nice though. I wonder if this is the start of more Lorien plastics?

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I know these are 99% a FW two pack, but there is something about them that seems plastic to me. Can't quite say why though.

As I said before, there is *something* about them that just doesn't strike me as being resin. Some detail on them that I can't pin down is just screaming plastic at me.
Though, to be fair they do match the trend of FW double packs and as of yet, GW hasn't released a duel plastic character kit. (unless you count Gandalf/Pippin and Eowyn/Merry.)

 Snrub wrote:
Aw man, I was hoping for Haldir too.

Those are really nice though. I wonder if this is the start of more Lorien plastics?

Or just updated Lorien plastics?

 Kanluwen wrote:
Or just updated Lorien plastics?

Honestly, i'd rather see the hideous plastic wood elves redone before any of the other units/characters.

I know I'm jumping the gun pronouncing these plastic before we actually know. No doubt in a week or two's time when they're revealed as FW, i'll look quite foolish.

The Wood Elves are part of Lorien, it's implied.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I know these are 99% a FW two pack, but there is something about them that seems plastic to me. Can't quite say why though.

It's the swords for me, they don't have the traditional LARP foam look of FW resin (from these angles at least)

Among all the space marine garbage, bears!

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/05/29/sunday-preview-the-age-of-darkness-descends/

Which was certainly faster than expected.

They will be expensive for sure. But at least you don't need many miniatures to build a force.

Man, the more I look at those Beornings, the more I like em. Gonna be hard to pass up getting a few sets.

Yea, they look awesome in a very understated way. Will also be tempted to get some. I hope they come with some different arm options though.

 Fergie0044 wrote:
Yea, they look awesome in a very understated way. Will also be tempted to get some. I hope they come with some different arm options though.

Each blister comes with option to build the figures with bow or axe.

Even with those options, a whole force of Beornings is going to have a bit of "Attack of the Clones" syndrome. That said, at least the models are cool.

The arm proportions are off, but maybe fireforge 'Folk Rabble' would mix in well? https://fireforge-games.com/northern-kingdom/370-folk-rabble.html

 ZergSmasher wrote:
Even with those options, a whole force of Beornings is going to have a bit of "Attack of the Clones" syndrome. That said, at least the models are cool.

To be fair, they're not meant to be a full 'force' so to speak. More like a complimentary unit to a bigger ally or a very small skirmishing force.

Bears are up:

https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-GB/searchResults?N=250394657+3206404541+3637769477

Grimbeorn's a touch more than i thought he would be, but the Beornings are cheaper than i thought they would be. So i guess it balances out. Grim and 4 packs Beornings for myself.

Ooh. Those are even better then I imagined. Grimbeorn's a touch expensive, but no shock there.

The Beornings though, damn those are nice. Bow/axe and 2 heads per person is nice. Gives you enough variety. Kind of a shame they don't come with quivers though.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Grim and 4 packs Beornings for myself.

When you get your hands on them, can you throw up a picture of the parts please? I'm interested to see how interchangeable the heads and arms are between bodies. That would give some real potential for a varied force even with even so few bodies.

Sure, no problem.

Might be something, might well nothing, but the wood elf warriors and wood elf command now have the word LOTHLÓRIEN added to their names on the store page.

Have something to do with the upcoming elf releases one has to imagine.

That's definitely interesting...maybe it's to differentiate them from Mirkwood more?

Interesting:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/21/middle-earth-range-rotation-dunedain-and-dale-heroes-retire-as-old-warriors-re-enter-the-fray/

Wild speculation time, plastic Faramir on the horizon and possible supplement focused around Harad or possibly Numenor's subjugation and occupation of Harad?

*whoops, what i get for having too many tabs open

Did you mean to post the rotation article?

But yep. It's definitely interesting. I'm excited for the heckin' Blackroot Vale Command to show back up.

Mahûd!! Mahûd are back!! Bout bloody time.

Most games are improved by the addition of camels - naval games and dogfighting games being notable exceptions.

 Dysartes wrote:
Most games are improved by the addition of camels - naval games and dogfighting games being notable exceptions.

Dogfighting games? Excuse me?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Camel

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Interesting:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/21/middle-earth-range-rotation-dunedain-and-dale-heroes-retire-as-old-warriors-re-enter-the-fray/

Wild speculation time, plastic Faramir on the horizon and possible supplement focused around Harad or possibly Numenor's subjugation and occupation of Harad?

*whoops, what i get for having too many tabs open

plastic faramir? As a ranger, or all armored up? (fingers crossed for all armored up. or some kind of all armored up Gondorian or Numenorian leader type all armored up)

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:

 Dysartes wrote:
Most games are improved by the addition of camels - naval games and dogfighting games being notable exceptions.

Dogfighting games? Excuse me?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Camel

I see what you did there! Have an exalt!

I'm also pretty stoked about them bringing back the Far Harad range. I shudder to think of the cost, but I might just have to build myself a proper army of them. I don't know why, but the idea of charging in with a bunch of honest-to-Eru camels makes me smile.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Interesting:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/21/middle-earth-range-rotation-dunedain-and-dale-heroes-retire-as-old-warriors-re-enter-the-fray/

Wild speculation time, plastic Faramir on the horizon and possible supplement focused around Harad or possibly Numenor's subjugation and occupation of Harad?

*whoops, what i get for having too many tabs open

Around the time when GW rebooted Lotr & Hobbith with Middle Earth, there was talk about a "2nd Age" suppliment.

RazorEdge wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Interesting:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/21/middle-earth-range-rotation-dunedain-and-dale-heroes-retire-as-old-warriors-re-enter-the-fray/

Wild speculation time, plastic Faramir on the horizon and possible supplement focused around Harad or possibly Numenor's subjugation and occupation of Harad?

*whoops, what i get for having too many tabs open

Around the time when GW rebooted Lotr & Hobbith with Middle Earth, there was talk about a "2nd Age" suppliment.

Yeah and with the upcoming Amazon series a 2nd Age supplement would make sense

Johanxp wrote:

RazorEdge wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Interesting:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/21/middle-earth-range-rotation-dunedain-and-dale-heroes-retire-as-old-warriors-re-enter-the-fray/

Wild speculation time, plastic Faramir on the horizon and possible supplement focused around Harad or possibly Numenor's subjugation and occupation of Harad?

*whoops, what i get for having too many tabs open

Around the time when GW rebooted Lotr & Hobbith with Middle Earth, there was talk about a "2nd Age" suppliment.

Yeah and with the upcoming Amazon series a 2nd Age supplement would make sense

If GW does that, then there are multiple people around here who will need to eat their hats for how insistent they were that such a thing would never happen.

Dedicated Middle-Earth preview show on Saturday. Didn't see that coming.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/31/sunday-preview-continued-carnage-in-ghur-and-a-horus-heresy-haul/

 Arbitrator wrote:
Dedicated Middle-Earth preview show on Saturday. Didn't see that coming.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/31/sunday-preview-continued-carnage-in-ghur-and-a-horus-heresy-haul/

Interesting they've said they have nothing official tied to the Amazon show, but we have to assume they'll be doing something to capitalise on it.

Interesting, but god i hope it's nothing to do with the show.

Sweet! Maybe that new osgiliath box set that was rumoured? Or a new Last Aliiance source book to pick up on the interest from RoP?

Johanxp wrote:


Yeah and with the upcoming Amazon series a 2nd Age supplement would make sense

As if this show represents the second age of middle earth in any way.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Interesting, but god i hope it's nothing to do with the show.

To do something based on the new show would require a licensing agreement with Amazon Studios at the very least (assuming their licenses with the Tolkien Estate, New Line and the others would allow it).

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Interesting, but god i hope it's nothing to do with the show.

Last Alliance plastics are ancient but still pretty popular. Wouldn't put it past them to revamp those kits and release a book to cash in on the hype. But would they even risk mentioning Amazon explicitly by name if they didn't have some direct connection lined up?

I always said from the start it was never going to happening due to the licensing hell. But there's always a lingering fear.

But in regards to the plastics, the only issue i see is that it starts a slippery slope. If the redo the last alliance, then they have to start redoing the others or there will be such a visual disparity due to the age, it will just look totally out of place.

It is odd to name drop the show if they have nothing directly tied to it. Maybe just addressing the elephant in the room rather than pretending all these new LA models are for no reason?

More likely they're just trying to time it in with the hype.

I can't see anything in that linked article about mesbg at all...

Right at the bottom in the warhammer live schedule

Maybe Second Age Suppliment with complete new Plastic Range?

The Last Alliance plastic sprue is ancient even for GW Standards and shows much of its age.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I always said from the start it was never going to happening due to the licensing hell. But there's always a lingering fear.

That fear came and went when GW followed Jackson and Co. into the gak-show that was the Hobbit trilogy (particularly Gundabad, radiation mutated goblins and Iron Hill Dwarves). Yet, plenty of people love those aesthetics and design choices. So bring on the Amazon Series-inspired models, I'm certain plenty of people will like them even if we don't.

But hell, even I have to admit there were some decent models that came out of the Hobbit... no doubt there will be a few good designs to come out of the Rings of Power (John Howe is involved after all).

...what's wrong with the Iron Hill Dwarves?

Not a lot. Pretty much all the Hobbit designs are gorgeous.

Hmm. I'm not sure whether this bodes well or ill, but it certainly bodes. I'm always up for more Middle-earth minis though.

If it's not something related to Rings of Power, what do we think it is? New edition? Faction redo (eg- plastic Far Harad/Fiefdoms.)? Something else entirely maybe?

Faction redo feels the most right. It was weird they did nothing for the anniversaries of the movies.

 Snrub wrote:
Hmm. I'm not sure whether this bodes well or ill, but it certainly bodes. I'm always up for more Middle-earth minis though.

If it's not something related to Rings of Power, what do we think it is? New edition? Faction redo (eg- plastic Far Harad/Fiefdoms.)? Something else entirely maybe?

I don't know where this popped up from, but apparently there's a rumour floating around about a new starter based around Osgilliath. Along with a new plastic Faramir and Gothmog. But again, don't know where that originated from.

 Olthannon wrote:

 Arbitrator wrote:
Dedicated Middle-Earth preview show on Saturday. Didn't see that coming.

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/07/31/sunday-preview-continued-carnage-in-ghur-and-a-horus-heresy-haul/

Interesting they've said they have nothing official tied to the Amazon show, but we have to assume they'll be doing something to capitalise on it.

Then again gw is known to deny having any plans of something they announced week later. They have habit of saying "no" until they want to admit.

So while not proof it is it's not proof of no either.

I just hope.we get some new plastic Gondorians/Numenoreans. *fingers crossed*

It’s an exciting time for Middle-earth fans. Let us add to that excitement with the announcement of our first ever online preview – dedicated entirely to the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game™.

Before you get too excited, we won’t be revealing anything that ties in directly to the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power TV show (though we’re all pretty excited to watch it). Instead – we’ll be continuing to celebrate 20 years of the Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy.
Tune in this Sunday for an hour-long show that will reveal plenty of what’s coming to Middle-earth this year.

There are lots of incredible new miniatures to be announced, all linked to our celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy. One extra special reveal is tied directly to Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers™…

If that sounds as appealing to you as a second breakfast does to a Hobbit, make sure you join us for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game: Warhammer Preview Online on Sunday the 7th of August at 2pm BST.

Helm's Deep?!

Could be a re-issue of the old scenery kit. Or perhaps a FW piece of the deeping wall. Or something totally different.

huh? A preview with lots of fanfare, gotta be Sauron....

A reveal with fanfare? You're getting two Hobbits in a trenchcoat, mate, and you'll like it

 Dysartes wrote:
A reveal with fanfare? You're getting two Hobbits in a trenchcoat, mate, and you'll like it

Sauron was already mentioned dude, smh.

Crossing my fingers and toes for Isengard terrain

Helm's deep terrain, new or old, does sound quite feasible.

Whether that arrives before i fix my 3d printer...

I'm sure they will be using the new TV show as hype to promote the MESBG again.

I'm willing to bet on a new starter set for the Two Towers eara and terrain set. I do hope for Osgilliath terrain.

Would be nice when they redo all that old plastic units.

Maybe a Last Alliance themed release?

 Wha-Mu-077 wrote:

 Dysartes wrote:
A reveal with fanfare? You're getting two Hobbits in a trenchcoat, mate, and you'll like it

Sauron was already mentioned dude, smh.

Well, he ain't mentioned in the text in the article about the preview, nor in the copy in the "Next Week" piece from Sunday, so... [* Citation required]

And now you're down to one Hobbit with a trenchcoat dragging along the ground behind him...

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Not a lot. Pretty much all the Hobbit designs are gorgeous.

My post was meant to take the piss out of your intransigent position. I am a student of Tolkien, reading through most everything his son published regarding Middle Earth (and creating my own faithful rules for LotR in the Saga game system). Peter Jackson's Warhammer-like take on the Iron Hill Dwarves (huge chariots, repeating crossbows, goat riders, heavy plate armor) are incongruous with Tolkien's Third Age warfare which was based on early medieval European history. Many other decisions by PJ's team do not follow the source material, like beards on Aragorn and Boromir or all hobbits being lily white-skinned beings.

Nonetheless, I can accept PJ's adaptation for what they are (i.e. its own thing) and appreciate the brilliance of the films overall (as to the LotR trilogy; elements of excellence in the Hobbit like Thranduil and his Kingdom). Amazon's The Rings of Power is again, its own thing. It will have elements that are faithful to Tolkien's writings and elements that are not. It will have its fans and its detractors. If one does not like it, that is fine. But no need to suck the joy out of it for those that do, including those that would like miniatures for the series.

All i'm reading is blah, blah, blah.

Some people said there was no way GW was going to make anything tied to The Rings of Power show... And they were right!

 frankelee wrote:
Some people said there was no way GW was going to make anything tied to The Rings of Power show... And they were right!

Good!

 frankelee wrote:
Some people said there was no way GW was going to make anything tied to The Rings of Power show... And they were right!

We don't actually know that yet - for example, if GW does end up going down the path of elaborating on Numenor we can be pretty sure it's happening because of the Rings of Power. Is it a tied-in licensing agreement? No - but it's certainly tied to it thematically.

That said, while I get the growing apprehension with the show (one good look at Galadriels armor convinced me I wouldn't be happy with the show, despite the initial goof prospects of elven helmets elsewhere) I don't get the pure vitriol about the idea of GW making tie in minis.

Like, Jackson's LoTR is a giant disservice in a lot of ways, and I have a mixed relationship with it. But at the end of the day I can enjoy the Gondorians for example, even though I know their design is wrong.

Meh, people are picking and choosing what they want to be "tolkien" when it comes to media representation. I'm looking forward to the show and hope GW will do something with it, but if they don't we still have rules and the 3d printing community will come to the rescue.

 .Mikes. wrote:
Meh, people are picking and choosing what they want to be "tolkien" when it comes to media representation. I'm looking forward to the show and hope GW will do something with it, but if they don't we still have rules and the 3d printing community will come to the rescue.

Usually based on what is actually Tolkienesque. eg not this current mess being burped out by amazon.

Can I use your time machine?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Actually I can't be arsed getting into a back and forth on this.

I'm old enough to remember the same arguments that the Lord of the Rings movies being made by this new Peter Jackson guy would be crap because he veered so far away from the source material.

Saying something will be bad now is guessing. Stating it as fact is wishing, and almost always dressed up to create some kind of morally superior high ground that's intended to gatekeep

...anyways, it's pretty much confirmation that GW didn't want to dip their toes into the licensing mess that would be Rings of Power, and who can blame them? A different rights holder, different license, would almost certainly require a separation of brand from the current Saul Zaentz Company licenses on LOTR and The Hobbit, just making the product offering a giant cluster.

However, it also seems to mean that GW's going to push some new Middle-earth stuff, which is great news regardless.

A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say. Regardless of how you feel on RoP, the extra attention for all things Tolkien will be a boom for our community.

Reboot of the original "three movies" content?

Doubt it. If the Osgilliath rumour holds any truth, then it gives them a chance to knock out plastic Faramir, Gothmog, Frodo, Sam and Gollum. Which would leave just Gandalf (amusingly, with all his sculpts) and Boromir to get a fully update Fellowship and quite possible a chunk of new scenery.

 .Mikes. wrote:
Can I use your time machine?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Actually I can't be arsed getting into a back and forth on this.

I'm old enough to remember the same arguments that the Lord of the Rings movies being made by this new Peter Jackson guy would be crap because he veered so far away from the source material.

Saying something will be bad now is guessing. Stating it as fact is wishing, and almost always dressed up to create some kind of morally superior high ground that's intended to gatekeep

Appeal to history means nothing. It's an irrelevancy, especially as the situations are totally different. Pj actually respected his source material and also Tolkien's source material.

Theres no dressing it up on my part. Gate keeping from a morally superior high ground is absolutely what was required here, Christopher was doing a hell of a job, shame his kids has no qualms about whoring off their grandfather's legacy to be claimed by these idealogues.

These two were available at the doubles tournament that just passed. Usually means they're imminent for general release.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

They should have been plastic with a Haldir.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

You know as well as we all do they're never going to give plastic kits to secondary characters.

King of the Dead and Heralds say "sup".
Merry & Pippin additionally say "sup", being packaged with no less than 3 different boxes allowing for them in plastic.

Haldir's a fairly Big Deal with the portrayal of Helm's Deep in the film. His ONE armored model put on general sale is also trash compared to the Heroes of Helm's Deep version.

Having all 3 of the brothers together in plastic would have been a smart move. But no. It's more Forge World fodder meaning it's a big ol' yawn for most people.

King of the Dead's not a secondary character and he's the head of a specific faction. Merry and Pippin got put put together with another major in Treebeard. Rumil and Ororphin are not major unfortunately, as the films still take something of a precedent.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
These two were available at the doubles tournament that just passed. Usually means they're imminent for general release.

They are very nice

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
King of the Dead's not a secondary character and he's the head of a specific faction.

He's absolutely a secondary character, if you've chosen to deem Haldir as one. The King of the Dead is a plot advancement point and nothing more per the films.

Merry and Pippin got put put together with another major in Treebeard.

They've also got two other versions, both packaged with plastic heroes for other factions.

Gandalf the White in Minas Tirith comes with Pippin in his "Peregrin Took" setup as a Guard of Minas Tirith.
Eowyn includes Merry as a Knight of the Riddermark.

Rumil and Ororphin are not major unfortunately, as the films still take something of a precedent.

Yes, hence why I mentioned Haldir.

Y'know, the Elf that was a Big Frickin' Deal in Two Towers the film where he was armoured up exactly like his two brothers Rumil and Orophin?

Either way, this crap took way too long to finally show up in the wild. Defense of the North came out in MAY.

I didn't say Haldir was, i said his brothers were.

Indeed, but they're both the armoured versions. No good for the Fellowship.

Oh christ now the plague of people demanding resin company should stop producing resin. Yeah makes financial sense to have company pay full expenses and produce no income.

Kids these days. No sense of any business sense. Likely end up homeless running own economy to ruin.

There's no bloody sign in the book saying it's resin or Forge World.

I wanted plastic because plastic means that it's not as bloody frustrating to get.

The Entmoot podcast also weighted in with the rumours, repeating the Osgilliath box set rumour, with a new rule book. Not a new edition, just the existing book updated with FAQs etc (phew!).
Also mentioned getting 'Battle host' box sets, effectively start collecting sets for Middle Earth. Which sounds nice, but I'm hoping for more new minis, rather than existing ones being repackaged, even if they do come with a discount.

Interesting thought. The only issue I see however is that all the generic heroes (captains and what have you) are still in metal and resin. And I don't believe they want to do starter boxes unless it's pure plastic these days. It could mean of course that they're redoing them all in plastic, but that's very likely a stretch.

I hope they redo all those old Unit Sprues, they're mostly single or two part Models and very very dated.

They could use this to put Command options in the Sprues.

I wouldn't get your hopes up about more options or anything like that. The design ethic from the very beginning has been to keep the models simple, more akin to historicals. I don't think that'll ever change.

Interesting choice of spot to magnify.

Rivendell = High Elves = Last Alliance?

 Kanluwen wrote:
There's no bloody sign in the book saying it's resin or Forge World.

I wanted plastic because plastic means that it's not as bloody frustrating to get.

You're better off just assuming every release is resin unless it's stated otherwise.

This comes up literally every single time a FW model is previewed and 99% of the time that it's not stated outright to be plastic, it's resin.

Newest round of FAQ's are up:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/08/04/the-latest-middle-earth-strategy-battle-game-faq-has-arrived/

Yawn. Still having a requirement of Frodo, Sam, and Smeagol in the Ranger Legion is bleh.

 Kanluwen wrote:
Yawn. Still having a requirement of Frodo, Sam, and Smeagol in the Ranger Legion is bleh.

Yeah that sort of destroyed my interest in building a Ranger list. I mean with friends at home, not an issue. But if I feel like being in a store, meh.

Got to have some weakness to avoid otherwise free bonuses. What you are willing to give away to not just be all ranger list with free bonuses?

Ll's are mistake to begin with catering to power gaming min maxers who don't care about fluff

tneva82 wrote:
Got to have some weakness to avoid otherwise free bonuses. What you are willing to give away to not just be all ranger list with free bonuses?

Ll's are mistake to begin with catering to power gaming min maxers who don't care about fluff

You say that while arguing against fluff.

Faramir is already mandatory. Nobody will argue against that. There's a set number of Ranger heroes: 5.
Faramir is Valour, Damrod is Fortitude, the last 3 are all Minor.

It wouldn't be a big deal if Faramir were optional but made Frodo, Sam and Smeagol mandatory when taken...but there's 4 mandatory heroes.

tneva82 wrote:
Got to have some weakness to avoid otherwise free bonuses. What you are willing to give away to not just be all ranger list with free bonuses?

Ll's are mistake to begin with catering to power gaming min maxers who don't care about fluff

Rangers were operating with out the Hobbits cramping their style for a while before they picked them up.

So, no Countdown add today?

 VictorVonTzeentch wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Yawn. Still having a requirement of Frodo, Sam, and Smeagol in the Ranger Legion is bleh.

Yeah that sort of destroyed my interest in building a Ranger list. I mean with friends at home, not an issue. But if I feel like being in a store, meh.

In certain missions that LL was too much powerful, they had to nerf it.

There's other ways than just throwing three mandatory characters that aren't even a big part of that setup's story arc!

Lets give this lil lumpy man a facelift....

Plastic Imrahil would be amazing.

ugh, I would love a plastic Ibrahim... almost as much much as plastic Dol Amroth infantry!

Makes the lack of a plastic triple brother pack all the more daft!

Well, Lorien is the obvious focal point, but then you've got Moria, Fangorn and Dol Goldur on the periphery. So who knows.

The first one was Rivendell. Now Lorien.

Elveses.

 Kanluwen wrote:
The first one was Rivendell. Now Lorien.

Elveses.

Filthy Elvises... we hates 'em, we do!

Rivendell > Moria > Lorien

Part of the RIng Bearers route >>> Movie Trilogy

And about to go live. Just in the pre-show reel.

I know they’ve said not to expect our relating to the Amazon show, but part of me reckons they’re dirty fibbers…

Last preview tease was "an hour before..." and had Minas Tirith shown. The preorder article yesterday teased terrain as part of today's preview.

So, rumour was correct. Wasn't expecting Damrod and Madril however, nice.

I hope the terrain gets a separate release but it will probably be the same cost to buy the boxset anyway.

Ha! The tactical ruins on the rangers heroes are optional. Nice touch

The three are gorgeous, not sure about the wargs face at that angle, but the rest of Gothmog is great.

.

Of bloody course Faramir and Friends get plastics as I'm finishing up painting my metals.

 Kanluwen wrote:
Of bloody course Faramir and Friends get plastics as I'm finishing up painting my metals.

Look at it this way, at least it proves me wrong about secondary characters never getting plastic.

Wow, the four battlehost boxes are pretty pointless with these old plastic warriors. The secondhand market is flooded with them. You get them basically for free.

Holy hell that Glorfindel!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Bago wrote:
Wow, the four battlehost boxes are pretty pointless with these old plastic warriors. The secondhand market is flooded with them. You get them basically for free.

Depends on the price and they're not as easy to find these days as you think they are.

Someone's a bit keen on WHC already.

Flatout annoying that they do not seem to get why it's a problem for some people with these Forge World releases.

Physically painful seeing those outdated High Elf models with that shiny new Elrond.

Elrond and banner bearer in plastic. Damn, these look good

A lot of Last Alliance teasing in that stream.

Assuming I heard correctly and this new set is priced around or slightly above the current one, I'm just not sure I see the appeal. For customers or for them trying to draw more people into the game. I know they've gone away from the "loss leader" box sets, in favor of "no loss" box sets, but I don't know that the appeal is there for mostly old models, some pretty generic terrain, and then five new hero sculpts.

Been looking for an excuse to restart my Minas Tirith so I'll probably grab that big box. The smaller boxes also seem pretty neeto.

Starter Set with old and dated MIniatures for much Money.

Sorry GW, you epic failed...!

I don't mind the "old" minis, but the new starter looks like worse value than Pelennor.

I already have 36 Morannon orcs, too. I doubt I'd have use for more unless GW resurrects War of the Ring.

RazorEdge wrote:
Starter Set with old and dated MIniatures for much Money.

Sorry GW, you epic failed...!

How about we wait for the actual price before doomposting? Just for a nice change of pace for once.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Blastaar wrote:
I don't mind the "old" minis, but the new starter looks like worse value than Pelennor.

I already have 36 Morannon orcs, too. I doubt I'd have use for more unless GW resurrects War of the Ring.

I disagree. I like a good amount of scenery in a starter box to get us off of planet bowling ball right from the start.

I notice the Glorfindel/Erestor twin pack has quietly been removed from the web page... Thanks for the last chance to pick them up. feths.
Really hoping the ranger captains and Gothmog come back into stock again on the Aus website before they go for good. I've got Faramir, but need the others. May as well chuck a couple of Court Guard in the cart while they're available.

Stonking set of reveals though. Only thing i'm not totally enamoured with is the warg. Something off about it.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

RazorEdge wrote:
Starter Set with old and dated MIniatures for much Money.

Sorry GW, you epic failed...!

How about we wait for the actual price before doomposting? Just for a nice change of pace for once.

What ever the price will be, it will be too much for the quality of that outdated 20 years old Infantry Models...

RazorEdge wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

RazorEdge wrote:
Starter Set with old and dated MIniatures for much Money.

Sorry GW, you epic failed...!

How about we wait for the actual price before doomposting? Just for a nice change of pace for once.

What ever the price will be, it will be too much for the quality of that outdated Infantry Models...

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

RazorEdge wrote:
Starter Set with old and dated MIniatures for much Money.

Sorry GW, you epic failed...!

How about we wait for the actual price before doomposting? Just for a nice change of pace for once.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Blastaar wrote:
I don't mind the "old" minis, but the new starter looks like worse value than Pelennor.

I already have 36 Morannon orcs, too. I doubt I'd have use for more unless GW resurrects War of the Ring.

I disagree. I like a good amount of scenery in a starter box to get us off of planet bowling ball right from the start.

Knowing GW, it will be more expensive than Pelennor.

The scenery is nice, but IMO there isn't enough of it to equal all the Warriors of the Dead.

You're right, there's more than enough of it to equal all the warriors of the dead.

aka:
literal filler models.

If GW are hoping to attract new blood thanks to the Amazon series, it'd make sense for the new starter and those battleforce boxes to be aggressively priced. But when does GW ever make sensible decisions?

Blastaar wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

RazorEdge wrote:
Starter Set with old and dated MIniatures for much Money.

Sorry GW, you epic failed...!

How about we wait for the actual price before doomposting? Just for a nice change of pace for once.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Blastaar wrote:
I don't mind the "old" minis, but the new starter looks like worse value than Pelennor.

I already have 36 Morannon orcs, too. I doubt I'd have use for more unless GW resurrects War of the Ring.

I disagree. I like a good amount of scenery in a starter box to get us off of planet bowling ball right from the start.

Knowing GW, it will be more expensive than Pelennor.

Probably, but it's four years later and five new character sculpts and new scenery compared to just new Theoden from the previous box.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

I disagree. I like a good amount of scenery in a starter box to get us off of planet bowling ball right from the start.

What? No. The 'good amount of scenery' barely manages to fill in 3 corners of a maybe 3x3 board (going by the measuring tool on said board). Unless you're counting the book as terrain, it has jack and squat.
That board is planet bowling ball at the most low-effort tournament.

Nah, it's perfectly easy to use that to make the board work well. I've done it with similar amounts before.

RazorEdge wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

RazorEdge wrote:
Starter Set with old and dated MIniatures for much Money.

Sorry GW, you epic failed...!

How about we wait for the actual price before doomposting? Just for a nice change of pace for once.

What ever the price will be, it will be too much for the quality of that outdated 20 years old Infantry Models...

So since you then hate whole game and buy nothing anyway you aren't gw target anyway.

Yeah, I'd have preferred they included a pamphlet on how to make your own Osgiliath terrain out of poster board and cover that whole table for $3, and included a more substantial value in terms of minis and scatter terrain. I get wanting to buy it, I've spent ridiculous amounts of money on GW's terrain, but their customers will have to be in a pretty strict GW bubble to see the value in a few plastic wall pieces. They can be had cheaper elsewhere or built yourself.

tneva82 wrote:
So since you then hate whole game

Thanks,

I have 6 whole Armies for the Game - I love the Rules but I hate how GW treats the Range.. I don't see the reason to still selling the same old and dated Models form 20 years ago with already similary prices to 40k or AoS which make them absolute overpriced for their quality but sell good quality good looking Characters.

Some new hobbyists surely will be very disapointed, when they see the quality difference between the 20 years old Infantry/Cavalry and the new super detailed Characters.

-

They support of the game is very on low effort. They're possible releasing only Characters and Books (and some FW Stuff) to not lose the licence by mimic efforts...

 Kanluwen wrote:
Flatout annoying that they do not seem to get why it's a problem for some people with these Forge World releases.

And what reasons might "some people" have that are actually rational?

We’ve got plenty more to reveal for the Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game today – check back here for all the news.

From the very last article of the day.

Who knows what it actually refers to.

 Dysartes wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Flatout annoying that they do not seem to get why it's a problem for some people with these Forge World releases.

And what reasons might "some people" have that are actually rational?

Nyah I hate resin nyah!

Probably just a case of someone not telling the person who put the article pages together what order they were going to be shown in - and if you didn't watch the preview, and follow a link to the Elrond article alone, it directs you to the hub for this preview where you can see the other articles.

Nothing malicious about it.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Someone's a bit keen on WHC already.

Is that Glorfindel, that is amazing. That is one I might be picking up.

Anyone want to guesstimate on the price? There is no way I’m going to pay between $60 and $100 USD as the FW character series shows. I’m hoping this is a plastic or resin blister more in the $40-50 range? Or am I deluding myself?

 Cruentus wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Someone's a bit keen on WHC already.

Is that Glorfindel, that is amazing. That is one I might be picking up.

Anyone want to guesstimate on the price? There is no way I’m going to pay between $60 and $100 USD as the FW character series shows. I’m hoping this is a plastic or resin blister more in the $40-50 range? Or am I deluding myself?

It is Glorfindel, and it is resin.

Character series currently looks to be The Hobbit only, so I have no idea how it'll be priced on release - sorry!

 Cruentus wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
Someone's a bit keen on WHC already.

Is that Glorfindel, that is amazing. That is one I might be picking up.

Anyone want to guesstimate on the price? There is no way I’m going to pay between $60 and $100 USD as the FW character series shows. I’m hoping this is a plastic or resin blister more in the $40-50 range? Or am I deluding myself?

Price i'd probably expect him to be around Dain's price at $70. Although it depends if he comes with a big ass scenic base like Thranduil or not.

Frankly GW selling 2 decade old kits isn't surprising.

Look at eldar and catachans.

Minimal support and minimal effort for (I'm assuming) minimum sales.

That said, I've seen people make KoW armies out of The Elves and Rohan so I'm pretty sure seeing them make armies out of minas tirith models is not too far off.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:

 Dysartes wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Flatout annoying that they do not seem to get why it's a problem for some people with these Forge World releases.

And what reasons might "some people" have that are actually rational?

Nyah I hate resin nyah!

I'm not a fan of resin at all. I've gotten better with it over the years but Resin always gives me pause when preparing and building it.
I also am not a fan of ForgeWorld prices.

I think those are two reasonable complaints. The models look excellent tho, I can't deny that.

Anti-Resin sentiment aside, I like these products that are releasing and I just moved to an area that actually has people playing this game, so it's an exciting time in the game for me and a great time to pick up something new! (even if it does have older models, I don't own everything!)

 Dysartes wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Flatout annoying that they do not seem to get why it's a problem for some people with these Forge World releases.

And what reasons might "some people" have that are actually rational?

Availability, postage costs, etc.

Troke, when discussing it, made it sound like the issue was simply people not liking resin. There's definitely some folks for whom that is the case but the larger one that I've continually seen is that it is annoying to have to constantly be buying smaller purchases from FW.

Forge World is $120 for free delivery. Not a single one of the Character Series models from Middle Earth reach that, even with sales tax. Those shipping costs add up. And it's not like they're dropping big chunks of a single faction or anything in one release wave. It's spread out, meaning it becomes a "get them while they can be gotten" thing.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Dysartes wrote:
Probably just a case of someone not telling the person who put the article pages together what order they were going to be shown in - and if you didn't watch the preview, and follow a link to the Elrond article alone, it directs you to the hub for this preview where you can see the other articles.

Nothing malicious about it.

Well, to be fair, they also said there was a big reveal coming tied to The Two Towers. Osgiliath isn't really thought of too heavily as "Two Towers" by most people.

 Kanluwen wrote:

 Eiríkr wrote:
Osgiliath boxset (in the same manner as Pelennor), coming to your table in 2022/2023.

I'd expect a Last Alliance box set, if I'm gonna be real here.

Sorry Kanluwen, Osgiliath it is (and always was going to be).
Really nice announcements today I think, the battleforce boxes definitely interest me as a way to quickly bulk up my existing forces.

Eiríkr wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:

 Eiríkr wrote:
Osgiliath boxset (in the same manner as Pelennor), coming to your table in 2022/2023.

I'd expect a Last Alliance box set, if I'm gonna be real here.

Sorry Kanluwen, Osgiliath it is (and always was going to be).

I'm okay with it. Like I said way back around that time, I expected Last Alliance since we missed out on anything Big celebrating Fellowship of the Rings' 20th anniversary during C19.

Hopefully your source can be pumped a bit to find out if there's new High Elves to go with Elrond...

I'll probably want that new starter (although I definitely don't need MORE Morannon Orcs or another Troll- oh who am I kidding, I love Trolls!), and I'll probably get at least the Rohan battleforce, as I need the plastic Eomer and more Rohan models (particularly the infantry for the Defenders of Helm's Deep LL). And I probably want Rumil and Orophin for my Lorien army (which I'll probably order at the same time as I get the Dragon Emperor of Rhun to save on shipping).

My wallet is in the corner crying...

 rybackstun wrote:

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:

 Dysartes wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
Flatout annoying that they do not seem to get why it's a problem for some people with these Forge World releases.

And what reasons might "some people" have that are actually rational?

Nyah I hate resin nyah!

I'm not a fan of resin at all. I've gotten better with it over the years but Resin always gives me pause when preparing and building it.
I also am not a fan of ForgeWorld prices.

I think those are two reasonable complaints. The models look excellent tho, I can't deny that.

Anti-Resin sentiment aside, I like these products that are releasing and I just moved to an area that actually has people playing this game, so it's an exciting time in the game for me and a great time to pick up something new! (even if it does have older models, I don't own everything!)

I'm with you on the prices for sure.

Love working with resin though. I don't understand people's complaints. It cleans up much nicer than plastic.

Jesus, that was fast:

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2022/08/07/sunday-preview-massed-reinforcements-for-warhammer-the-horus-heresy/?fbclid=IwAR1PGuIv2o1JtWzkqLc4ToZBI89yGYQJJle2qLJOeUBA9lPjo9jZ5Jv9xoI