OMG! Reaper aquired by Hobby Q!

Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:

No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.

If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

**Kid_Kyoto**

Nah, it's just a name change on the parent company, same great folks.

http://www.reapermini.com/

What do you name a company that imports and sells painted museum-grade dinosaur models? How about a company that produces a complete premium line of paints? Or one that imports and sells pre-painted plastic fantasy miniatures, or produces a line of large-scale resin models?

That's the question we began asking ourselves several months ago, and we finally have the answer: Hobby-Q.

Before you start speculating about where this is all going, I'll just spill the beans and then explain. The corporation Hobby-Q (www.hobby-q.com) was chartered several months ago and replaces Reaper Miniatures, Inc. as our flagship company as of January 1st 2011. Now Reaper Miniatures is one of several brands under the Hobby-Q flag.

To explain why we've gone down this road, I need to roll back the clock to July 4th, 1992 when some kids with a spin caster in a garage decided they wanted to produce the coolest miniatures the world had ever seen. These same kids also wanted the whole world to know they meant business so they named the company Reaper and added a big skull to the logo. So for the last eighteen years, Reaper Miniatures has created its unique scar on the adventure game industry for better or worse. We've enjoyed every minute with all of the friends and fans we've made around the world.

However, times change and the role we've cast ourselves in with the name Reaper Miniatures has hampered a lot of our new endeavors. A good example is the launch of the Legendary Encounters pre-painted miniatures line. Our release of the Legendary Encounters line simply confused a lot of people. Customers that want pre-painted miniatures don't look to Reaper Miniatures for something like that. Plain and simple, customers look to Reaper Miniatures for miniatures to paint.

The Legendary Encounters dilemma has not been the only situation we've muddled through. Something about a big scary skull in the paint manufacturer's logo seems to spook mainstream hobby stores looking to add a new non-toxic paint line. Museum gift store buyers are skittish about buying anything from a company named Reaper because the museums don't carry offensive products. It's obvious to all of us that Reaper Miniatures has become so much more than anyone envisioned back in 1992.

To this end Hobby-Q is the flagship and Reaper Miniatures is a brand aboard that ship. Other brands include Asylum Miniatures, Master Series Paints, and Collecta toys with more to come as we continue to expand in the hobby industry.

What does all this mean to you: the fan and consumer? Not much, honestly. Probably the only change you'll see is when you place an order on reapermini.com the charge will show up as Hobby-Q on your billing statement rather than Reaper Miniatures, Inc. Other than that, Reaper's operations won't change. We're still the same people doing the same jobs giving you the same level of customer service and support we've been giving for nearly 20 years.

2011 is an exciting year for us. We have all sorts of surprises in the pipe and continue to develop new and exciting ideas for the geek in all of us!

-Ed Pugh
January 2011

And while I'm on the site, look a list of their top 10 sellers for 2010! A cool tidbit to share. I love that the Naughty French maid came in at #3!

10) 01513: 2010 ReaperCon Sophie by Gene Van Horne ($9.99)

9) 10033: Mousling Heroes (10) by Gene Van Horne,Bobby Jackson ($24.99) [+1]

8) 01428: Frumitty, Lemur Cleric by Jason Wiebe ($9.99) [+1]

7) 03340: Cassie, Female Gnome Wizard by Werner Klocke ($4.99) [+1]

6) 02834: Deladrin, Assassin by Werner Klocke ($4.99) [+1]

5) 03492: Autumn Bronzeleaf, Female Elf Wizard by Jeff Grace ($4.99) [+1]

4) 08702: Master Series Squeeze Bottles (3) ($2.99) [+1]

3) 50084: Brigitte, Naughty French Maid by Werner Klocke ($3.99) [+1]

2) 03461: Goldar the Barbarian by Matt Gubser ($5.99) [+1]

1) 14553: Arthrand Nightblade, Wood Elf Sergeant by Bobby Jackson ($5.49) [+1]

And MOAR LEAD CRACK!

A dwarf goddess! Because I can't count the number of times I wanted to use a dwarf goddess in my campaign but just couldn't find the mini for it!

A furry fetish model!

Oklahoma Bones! Or something...

Joe Cthulhu, PhD!

And a half orc assassin. But why he only assassinates half orcs I'll never know.

My ex!

And coming soon...
http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/previews

Little Miss Public Domain and her White Rabbit

Not the Shadow! (Totally buying him to use as the Shadow)

THe Silver Archer, because all proper comic book heroines should have more cloth in their hood than over their boobs.

Lady Boobwindow

Not Ariel!

A chick who is not the chick from the Resident Evil movies

And finally...

Zombie Strippers!

Ah...

Stay classy Reaper, I mean uh, Hobby Q, stay classy.

**A Black Ram**

I'm kinda sad, I won't be able to see that logo anymore, or call them ''Reaper''...

**Kilkrazy**

This, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS when GW own the skull as a symbol!!!

**Kid_Kyoto**

A Black Ram wrote:I'm kinda sad, I won't be able to see that logo anymore, or call them ''Reaper''...

If it's not clear they're keeping the reaper name for their minis, the more inoffensive name is for their museum models etc.

**A Black Ram**

Kilkrazy wrote:This, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS when GW own the skull as a symbol!!!

...You can't type that G W word.

**Ahtman**

I have no. 2 and no. 6 on that list. It's always nice to be a part of something.

**Cadian16th**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:And a half orc assassin. But why he only assassinates half orcs I'll never know.

I lol'd.

**Kroothawk**

Don't forget the upcoming Jabberwock, due next month:

And they soon have a third Owlbear (usable as a treekin alternative!):

**Necros**

They make some great models. I think it's great that they're expanding. I wouldn't worry, I'm sure reaper will always be reaper.

**HoverBoy**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:My ex!

WIN

**bbb**

very amusing

**puma713**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:

And a half orc assassin. But why he only assassinates half orcs I'll never know.

Too funny.

**Kid_Kyoto**

Seems I missed a couple of cool releases.

Yeah, I can see why the 'Reaper' name might make this hard to sell.

With this release my dream of an all-dancing girl army comes closer to completion.
Seriously though I'd love to see people use some of these instead of those ugly, ugly DE slave girls from 10 years back.

So you see she's from the desert so she has to keep her skin covered against the sun and sand. Except for her cleavage of course.

Good to see the impractical skin showing is not limited to women.

Hey! It's Not the kid from Zombieland!

Another classic fantasy monster, if I remember my Monster Manual correctly this is a Gelatanous Cube.

It's Not the Boy Scouts! Isn't it sad how the Boy and Girl Scouts have trademarked their names and images so you can't show them in films anymore?

I really need to pick him up to lead my Canadian Shock Troops.

Very tempted to make him a Khorne champion. Very tempted.

If you didn't say 'Aww cute' when you saw these you have no soul.

**chaplaingrabthar**

Apparently I have no soul, as I said "WTF"

JB

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
I really need to pick him up to lead my Canadian Shock Troops.

Too funny...

Some very nice minis in this thread...and some odd ones...Reaper is many things but it is rarely dull...except for Warlord maybe.

Anyone else notice that one of the tags on the Werner Klocke minis is "Klockenbooty"? He and "Booby" Jackson are a bit notorious for their over-amply endowed miniatures. On the other hand, judging by Reaper's top ten, Klocke's minis sell rather well.

**Ahtman**

chaplaingrabthar wrote:Apparently I have no soul, as I said "WTF"

Chumps don't know about my Mouse Guard.

**VermGho5t**

I hate mice. AND THATS NOT A GELATINOUS^3

**Savnock**

Oh, you mean a Gelatinous _Squared_. C'mon VermGho5t, don't be so mean to him. He's obviously got a learning disability that makes him bad at maffs.

I'm sitting here wondering what largesclae models Rea... er, Hobby Q will want to bring out. That could be interesting. Some not-Tyranid-flyers would be cool.

JB

VermGho5t wrote:I hate mice. AND THATS NOT A GELATINOUS^3

I think Kid Kyoto was making a joke...about the "cube", not the mice.

**BrookM**

Who is Santa making an "O face"?

**chaplaingrabthar**

BrookM wrote:Who is Santa making an "O face"?

In the words of the almighty James Bond

Who says Christmas only comes once a year?

**BrookM**

chaplaingrabthar wrote:
BrookM wrote:Who is Santa making an "O face"?

In the words of the almighty James Bond

Who says Christmas only comes once a year?

Ugh, I had almost forgotten about that horrible movie.

**Alpharius**

Give KK some credit - I'm sure he knows what it is really supposed to be...

A Remorhaz, er, right?

**Platuan4th**

Alpharius wrote:Give KK some credit - I'm sure he knows what it is really supposed to be...

A Remorhaz, er, right?

Surely you meant to spell Remoraid?

**Alpharius**

My 9 year old daughter has gotten into Pokemon BIG time the last year so, yeah, maybe I did mean that!

**Iratus Custodis**

Guess I got no soul either...some of those models looks really nice though!

**Kid_Kyoto**

I'm pretty sure I've used the Monster Manual and Assassin jokes in every post i've done about Reaper. And hey if it ain't broke...

**HoverBoy**

Dang it now i have to go and get a soul.

**OoieGoie**

To the OP, read what you post.

In regard to Reaper being taken over by HobbyQ. They're not, they're just creating a new name and putting "Reaper" as a sub-name under HobbyQ. Nothing is really changing.

quote:
Museum gift store buyers are skittish about buying anything from a company named Reaper because the museums don't carry offensive products.

HobbyQ is like being called GamesWorkshop and Reaper is like being called W40k.

SO.... dont panic. lol

**Kroothawk**

OoieGoie wrote:To the OP, read what you post.
In regard to Reaper being taken over by HobbyQ. They're not, they're just creating a new name and putting "Reaper" as a sub-name under HobbyQ. Nothing is really changing.

You forgot to mention that his ex wasn't a 28mm scale metal miniature either

BTW read his post ahgain, esp. the first line!