Codex Quality of Construction

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**Goliath**

Hello,
About one and a half months ago I purchased the Ork Codex, and it is falling apart.

I have been keeping it on a shelf and have only really read it for inspiration or on the toilet.
has anyone else here had similar problems?

How long does your codex last for?

**Gobstomp420**

All of the newer codices seem to be produced by the lowest bidders blind, mentally slowed son-in-law. Oh, and did O mention he was covered in bees during the binding process? And that he has milk cartons for hands?

Long ramble short, my newer books fall apart very rapidly while I have 2nd edition books that are still near mint and completely usable. Very irritating.

**Flashman**

I read mine as you would a book from the Vatican Archives, so they tend to last quite well.

**Cryonicleech**

Mine last for a good 1-2 years, with 5 or so pages falling out. Though, mind you, were I to leave them alone they would be perfectly fine.

**BrookM**

My previous edition marine codex, a book I hardly peruse, has fallen apart quite rapidly after purchase.

**Regwon**

None of my codecies have ever fallen appart, but then i try not to bend the spine or the pages. I learnt my lesson wheni used to do that with my 3rd ed codex and it fell to pieces. Now I take care of my ludicrously expensive books.

**Kilkrazy**

My new SM codex was starting to fall apart when I got it.

It's all very well to talk about taking care of expensive books but they are supposed to be read.

**darghon**

Ive read my nids codex cover to cover many times and it seems to be holding up just fine.

However, my friend got the SM codex and it lost like 8 pages in ONE WEEK! Funny thing is, he is way more responsible with his stuff than I am. Seems like the problems have been with the SM, perhaps they used some glue that didnt have enough horse in it or something.

Edit: He went and complained (with reciept) and they replaced it, not sure if that is policy or he just got lucky

**Kilkrazy**

Credit where it is due, GW are usually very good about replacement of bad quality goods.

**Gandair**

Important question here, which edition are each of your guys' codecies?

My current ed (4th i belive) Tyranid codex has gone over a year without issue.

My very new 5th ed Chaos Space Marine codex I've had for about two months and three pages have fallen out of the back. I don't even use that codex very much since I don't play my marines often.

Could it be 5th ed books are less durable? Or is it possible that the thicker ones are less durable? My thin 4th ed bug book is rock solid after much use, but my fat new 5th ed marine one is suffering after little use.

**VictorVonTzeentch**

Gandair wrote:

My very new 5th ed Chaos Space Marine codex I've had for about two months and three pages have fallen out of the back. I don't even use that codex very much since I don't play my marines often.

Could it be 5th ed books are less durable? Or is it possible that the thicker ones are less durable? My thin 4th ed bug book is rock solid after much use, but my fat new 5th ed marine one is suffering after little use.

There is not a 5ed CSM book so you Sir are either confused or smoking something. You may mean the 5ed SM which is a piece of Gak.

BrookM wrote:
My previous edition marine codex, a book I hardly peruse, has fallen apart quite rapidly after purchase.

My 4ed SM dex was fine, though I decided I wanted the fancy black one and bought that.

**garret**

took mine for weeks
But then again it was bounching aroung in my backpack.

**Corpsman_of_Krieg**

I'm usually torn between utilizing my Codex as an instruction sheet (which I would treat roughly and wouldn't be afraid to tarnish) or as a work of art. On the one hand, the rules and technical issues have me wanting to highlight important phrases and annotate diagrams, yet at the same time I think that would diminish the artistic value.

I'm very careful with my Codices, owning a copy of the BT (puchased '05), DA ('08), Orks ('09), and IG ('09) ones. I recently inhereted DH and Tau, but of all them, I haven't lost a single page in any of them. Even the beat-up DH and Tau Codices.

I think a lot of it has to do with the way you handle them. As I'm hesitant to even let go of the spine when reading, I'd say my case is the exception, not the rule.

CK

**VictorVonTzeentch**

garret wrote:took mine for (FOUR) weeks
But then again it was bounching aroung in my backpack.

Four garret, you mean four.

Note: I'm just trying to be helpful.

But yeah some dex's will hold up to all kinds of abuse, mainly the older ones which are less shoddy than the newer ones. Though some people haven't had problems with the new dex's so it might be a batch thing.

**garret**

whoopsie, im trying hard to bee grammaticaly correct.
OT: My how to paint book has been in my backpack for the same amount of time so know i dont know.

**SagesStone**

My 5th edition SM codex is fine. It's probably bad luck for most of the ones that fall apart quickly. The glue isn't 100% the same throught the entire production anyway, sometimes they're just going to end up with the crappy glue sometimes they'll actually hold the book together. For example, of sorts, I've got two White Dwarfs from 2005 (August and September if it matters). Both handled the exact same way (Read a few times then put onto a shelf), except the one that is one month younger has a few pages that have fallen out. While the older one is perfectly fine, it's the one with the good anti-Tyranid article and has been read many more times than the other. It's just mostly luck and I kind of hate it how the theme of luck even goes to their books >_>

**artyboy**

I've had a couple of the newer codexes fall apart on me. By the time that happens I have the book all but memorized, though, so it's no biggie. It's not like the words fall off of the pages so it's still usable. It's very disappointing that such a small book that costs $25 can fall apart so quickly. You can always take it to Kinko's and get it rebound.

**Waaagh_Gonads**

All GW rulebooks and codii are made in China now, and they are doing a very bad job.

Up until this year I had 1 book fall apart in 19 years (3rd ed rulebook).

So far this year my High Elf army book (a year old) and my Lizardmen book (2 months old) have had pages fall out.

GW, don't save 10p per book and give us lameness. :(

**Asmodai**

I've had quality issues with some White Dwarfs, but all my Codexes from Angels of Death --> Imperial Guard (5th ed.) are holding up quite well.

**Necroagogo**

BrotherStynier wrote:
But yeah some dex's will hold up to all kinds of abuse, mainly the older ones which are less shoddy than the newer ones.

Pretty much my experience too. My 5th Ed Marine Codex is already suffering, despite being handled with the utmost tenderness.

**Jon Garrett**

A while back I accidently took home some kids 5th ed Space marine codex. Why? Because the elites section was falling out in exactly the same way as my one. I took it back the next day but, well, the fact that two codexes were loosing the exact same pages...

**PsiOmega**

A friend of mine sorted the problem of pages falling out by drilling holes along the spine and securing them with strings.

**nintendoeats**

Flashman wrote:I read mine as you would a book from the Vatican Archives, so they tend to last quite well.

*resists urge to make offensive joke...oh wait...*

**yani**

With me I have many (starting from 286 to present) white dwarfs, a couple of codexes and none of them have ever broken. Its probally because I hardly ever read them as I can remember most of the important articles

**konst80hummel**

FYI the 16pages foglios are put together on the binding machine and then prosseced through
i)a rotor blade that roughs the back of the book, and
ii) the bookbinding glue witch must have reached a 60 C' temperature before actually becoming liquid and sticky.
So your complains probably originate to the first 100s of books that the binding machine produced. The workers probably didn't wait for the glue to properly liquiefy, resulting in shoddy construction.
The amount of care you devote to your books however will greatly increase their life expectancy.
And yes i am a lithographer in love with his work though not with his boss

**Mercurial**

I learned long ago that such vital books cannot be trusted to hold their bindings, so I just scan all the relevant pages I need, print them out, 3-hole-punch them, and stick them in my big binder o' 40k that also contains army lists, armor penetration tables, spare templates, and the USRs, cover rules, combat phase rules etc. from the rulebook. It really helps to have those handy.

On the other hand, when I misplace said binder I'm pretty much bolloxed.