What do you do with obsolete models?

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**Goreshrek**

So a few years ago you spent lots of time lovingly converting/modifying a model to match a particular entry in your codex or IA book. Then comes a new codex, and poof, that configuration is now illegal, or at best really bad. What do you do with the model?
Park in in the back of your shelf / case and forget it?
Try to convert it again into something current?
trash it?

Examples: Ork Big Mek on bike, big trakk with supa-skorcha, metal Ghazghull. but I would think most armies have something similar. Do you have an example from your collection?

**ccs**

It is really rare that any of my models have ever actually been made obsolete.

The most notable exceptions are a small portion of my Squats & my original las/plas Razorbacks.
I mean, there's nothing really comparable to use my squad of squat exo-armor trikes as (atm).....
And my las/plas RBs arent even in Legends.

Beyond that? As long as theres current rules - codex. WD, FW, Legends - i simply keep playing with the models.
Including oder smaller versions of things. Sorry, I'm not spending $100+ dollars on a new Blood Thirster or Avatar.
Some things, like most of my Squats, are used as other units. Squats - most have flack armor. Lasgun. & Imperial special/heavy weapons. Looks like a Guard regiment to me....

And in the case of my OG Razorbacks? I'm not the only one in my circles with these.
We know what a RB costs. We know what a lascannon & 2 plasma guns cost. We know its keywords & weapon rules. We can do some math....
So las/plas razorbacks are still valid on our tables.

**Blackie**

I always play them as something else as acceptable proxy.

Old Ghaz? He's now either a warboss in megarmour or just the leader of a meganobz squad. It's actually my favorite ork model ever released so it's not going to be shelved

.

Big Mek on bike? He's now the nob of a unit of warbikes. His KFF was magnetized but even if it wasn't it wouldn't be a big deal, he's still a biker nob with a saw that can count as whatever melee weapon I want it to be.

Looted wagon? Just a trukk now.

Something like las/plas razorbacks I'd play them as twin lascannons. I magnetized mine though.

**H.B.M.C.**

Blackie wrote:
He's now either a warboss in megarmour...

If only GW hadn't taken away Klawz from Warbosses in Mega Armour...

**Overread**

A few things

1) I learned to mangetize weapons. For Tyranids a lot of the variation is in the weapon arms alone; using magnets protects you when GW changes things. A lesson I learned hard when they made carnis stop carrying two superheavy weapons at once.

2) Save the model and either shelve it or use it as a proxy. Depending on the model you might well have to shelve it or just use it as a proxy for something else.

3) Save it because GW are GW and as often as they remove and option it can come around again next codex.

**Slipspace**

I keep them. Chances are they will either be useable as a counts-as, or eventually they'll be legal again. It's rare for models to become completely useless and never return to usefulness.

To take a recent example, I'm fairly sure Chaos Lords with jump packs will become legal again at some point in the future.

**Dolnikan**

Obviously I keep them. It's not like they're just gaming pieces. They also serve for display and generally something to enjoy having around.

And many models can always be used as a standin for something else if they no longer have rules. Only an absolute donkeycave would be opposed to that.

**Jidmah**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Blackie wrote:
He's now either a warboss in megarmour...
If only GW hadn't taken away Klawz from Warbosses in Mega Armour...

Eh, orks have been losing options in droves for a decade now. At this point it's just part of playing orks.
There really is no point to start complaining about it now, just because it has become cool to do so after everyone's pet armies have been hit with the same gak that was totally fine and dandy when orks have been on the receiving end of it for more than ten years.

Just for reference, options lost to orks that no one batted an eye about, some even celebrated as "positive changes":

Spoiler:

**Argive**

For the most part.. I would say just play them as whatever loadout if it means you can use your fav models as long as the size is not way off.

There is a very high chance your opponent will not know the difference between weapon1 and weapon2 loadout on your character if they don't play that army especially with conversions..

Like as long as you pay the correct point and explain to me what things do when I ask I'm not going to know the difference.

When I play with my CWE my opponents 90% of the time cannot tell the difference between a star canon and a bright lance visually when I'm WYSIWYG so it doesn't really matter.
However, I have magged almost everything because I do like to be wysiwyg for my own sake. But I don't feel like i needed to if I didn't feel so inclined.

Just my 2 cents. YMMV.

**Blackie**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Blackie wrote:
He's now either a warboss in megarmour...
If only GW hadn't taken away Klawz from Warbosses in Mega Armour...

Yeah, and there's no gretchin handling his big shoota. Oh, no!!

How hard is it to consider that huge klaw like a 'uge choppa and make the model fire with +1 to hit even with no gretchin glued on his back?

The only real "issue" I can find is the different base size. Old ghaz in on 40mm, Warboss in megarmour is on 50mm. But no one complained so far, and to be honest in my army pretty much every model is on wrong size bases: infantry are all on 25mm, bikes have the old bases and most of the vehicles are scratch built so not exactly the same size.

Jidmah: mek/spanner also lost the KFF option, which was a thing in 3rd edition, for burnaboyz squads or the warboss' retinue. I also have several magnetized KMBs for my kanz, now they're just proxies for the skorchas or grotzookas since I don't have any of those. And the looted wagon with boomgun/killkannon was flat out squatted, now I have to play it either as a gunwagon/kannonwagon, although is definitely too small compared to the official model, or as a trukk, which is the same size, but it's a bit hilarious that his huge cannon just counts as a big shoota. Which proxy is better, samey size or samey gun?

**Nevelon**

Some get used as counts-as, others just slide back on the shelf and collect dust.

But the number of illegal models is quite small considering the volume and age of my collection.

**Huron black heart**

Due to space limitations my obsolete models get sold on, or at least that's the plan, currently they're sitting in boxes in my loft never to see the light of day.

**Goreshrek**

Jidmah, I have most of those in one of my cabinets :(
I try to be very WYSIWYG, so tend not to proxy models except on a trial basis. I don't mind if others proxy, unless it gets excessive. Just a personality disorder on my part.

**Jidmah**

Blackie wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:
Blackie wrote:
He's now either a warboss in megarmour...
If only GW hadn't taken away Klawz from Warbosses in Mega Armour...

Yeah, and there's no gretchin handling his big shoota. Oh, no!!

How hard is it to consider that huge klaw like a 'uge choppa and make the model fire with +1 to hit even with no gretchin glued on his back?

The only real "issue" I can find is the different base size. Old ghaz in on 40mm, Warboss in megarmour is on 50mm. But no one complained so far, and to be honest in my army pretty much every model is on wrong size bases: infantry are all on 25mm, bikes have the old bases and most of the vehicles are scratch built so not exactly the same size.

Jidmah: mek/spanner also lost the KFF option, which was a thing in 3rd edition, for burnaboyz squads or the warboss' retinue. I also have several magnetized KMBs for my kanz, now they're just proxies for the skorchas or grotzookas since I don't have any of those. And the looted wagon with boomgun/killkannon was flat out squatted, now I have to play it either as a gunwagon/kannonwagon, although is definitely too small compared to the official model, or as a trukk, which is the same size, but it's a bit hilarious that his huge cannon just counts as a big shoota. Which proxy is better, samey size or samey gun?

Yeah, I'm sure there is far more lost, I was just going through my collection from memory and I didn't start until the 4th edition's codex. The most infuriating part about listing all that is that many of those options actually are represented in the current plastic kits you can buy at the store today and they were dropped anyways. Jump Chaos Lords getting axed seems like a warm summer breeze in comparison.

**H.B.M.C.**

Chaos lost more than just Jump Pack Lords. And Orks losing stuff doesn't mean Chaos losing stuff is ok.

Blackie wrote:
How hard is it to consider that huge klaw like a 'uge choppa and make the model fire with +1 to hit even with no gretchin glued on his back?

Conversely, why is it so hard to not just allow the damned option in the Codex???

**Platuan4th**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Conversely, why is it so hard to not just allow the damned option in the Codex???

Can't be confusing Jervis' kids now can we?

**MorglumNecksnapper**

Obsolete models I sold (Gretchin with kannons, zzap gun etc.), metal Ghazghkull is now used as a boss in mega armour.

Models I put effort in converting them are measured on time spend on the converting before they either are thrown away or put in a box, seldom seeing the light of day again

.

**oni**

I don't think I have any, but what I would do is place them in my display cabinet.

Wait... I have one... Dreadnought with two twin-linked auto-cannons.

**Jidmah**

H.B.M.C. wrote:
Chaos lost more than just Jump Pack Lords. And Orks losing stuff doesn't mean Chaos losing stuff is ok.

Ironically, orks losing stuff has been ok with a large part of the playerbase.

**morganfreeman**

Jidmah wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:
Chaos lost more than just Jump Pack Lords. And Orks losing stuff doesn't mean Chaos losing stuff is ok.

Ironically, orks losing stuff has been ok with a large part of the playerbase.

I wouldn't say it's been "ok" with them. More so the stuff lost has broadly not been massively gameplay altering (you could never, for example, give a warboss a Rocketpack and double their movement), we've gotten used to it over time (we've been taking losses every codex for well over 15 years), and orks are generally pretty robust so far as "counts as" goes.

**Grimtuff**

Depends. I've got a big enough collection I can just leave them as-is and just have them on display.

Very rarely does something get 100% made obsolete though, you can just do a simple weapon swap or counts as for almost anything.

If something is though, it gets chucked into the bits box for repurposing into another mini. Take the example from this very thread, if you Ork players aren't using your old big gunz on some new vehicles the local Mek has bashed up, you're doing it wrong.

**ZergSmasher**

I've got some stuff that ended up in Legends, including a non-Primaris chaplain on a bike, and a Librarian on a bike. I also have 3 3D printed Repressors for my Sisters of Battle, also sadly made into Legends. The Repressors are probably going to get shoved into a box to save shelf space; the bike Marine characters are just staying on the shelf, as I was fairly proud of the paint jobs on them at the time (I've gotten better at painting since).

**VladimirHerzog**

Jidmah wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:
Chaos lost more than just Jump Pack Lords. And Orks losing stuff doesn't mean Chaos losing stuff is ok.

Ironically, orks losing stuff has been ok with a large part of the playerbase.

Its not that it's been ok with us, its more that we don't play the faction so we don't actively follow what was lost or the impact these losses have.

CSM are more popular than Orks, so of course the playerbase is gonna be more vocal.

Ideally tho, armies wouldnt lose options, its stupid and sucks for the players.

**Backspacehacker**

Admire them and remember a better time.

**Gadzilla666**

Switch to a game where the models are actually legal, because that game actually has options, including those that aren't "what's in the box". It even makes it easier if:

1: The game has vastly superior rules for: morale, Terrain, LoS, morale, vehicles, cover, melee, morale, shooting, night fighting, (did I mention morale?).......well basically everything. And no CP

.

2: It's a gw game, so all of those models that are supported are the ones that you were already using, so they continue to work as they should. And the rules are based off of older editions that you've already played, so they're nice and familiar.

3: It literally gives your faction the best, most fluffy rules that they've ever had. Hands down.

4: All of this was just released, hilariously, a few weeks before the rules which invalidated your models in 40k.

So yeah, sometimes solutions just present themselves.

**JohnnyHell**

Models obsolete?

You should send them to me.

**Sim-Life**

ccs wrote:
It is really rare that any of my models have ever actually been made obsolete.

I feel like its going to become more common as time goes by.

**Blackie**

Sometimes it's just inevitable though. Take the Avatar of Khaine, it's massive compared to the classic model. But at the same time the older model isn't a good "count as" for anything, except maybe just a wraithlord with some imagination.

**bullyboy**

I keep them and use them. Chaplain and Libby on bike? Yep, I’ll use them in narrative games (each of mine has a foot option with same traits/relics so I switch out depending on theme of mission.

**waefre_1**

Stick 'em inna scupper with a hosepipe on 'em
Stick 'em inna scupper with a hosepipe on 'em
Stick 'em inna scupper with a hosepipe on 'em
Ear-ly in the mooornin!

Serious answer: Fortunately, I've never had a model go obsolete on me. If I did, I'd probably try to find some alternate use - diorama or terrain, maybe a special unit for scenarios or an objective piece, possibly gifted to a friend for lootin'.