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Another skill set rendered redundant by Contrast Paints....

Sad.

Duncan can easily find another job with another minis company. Loads of them would probably love to leverage the good will and fame he has earned while working with GW to help push their own products and IPs.

Beyond that, I am sure he can start up an independent paint studio and make bank.

Beyond even that, he is actually pretty good in front of the camera. I would not be surprised if his next job has little to do with painting and far more with presenting. I could easily see him becoming an off-brand Becca Scott, or something similar.

I feel I must be missing something with Duncan. I mean yes, he seems like an okay guy, but reading this thread makes it seem like he's a funnier, handsomer, more talented version of Michael Fassbender that lends you money and gives you sweets and can also paint.

JWBS wrote:
I feel I must be missing something with Duncan. I mean yes, he seems like an okay guy, but reading this thread makes it seem like he's a funnier, handsomer, more talented version of Michael Fassbender that lends you money and gives you sweets and can also paint.

JWBS wrote:
I feel I must be missing something with Duncan. I mean yes, he seems like an okay guy, but reading this thread makes it seem like he's a funnier, handsomer, more talented version of Michael Fassbender that lends you money and gives you sweets and can also paint.

Considering the size of our hobby I think that's a apt description of him. I've watched a lot of painting videos and he's got the best on screen presence of anyone. His non-painting stuff is entertaining too--for being GW advertisements.

JWBS wrote:
I feel I must be missing something with Duncan. I mean yes, he seems like an okay guy, but reading this thread makes it seem like he's a funnier, handsomer, more talented version of Michael Fassbender that lends you money and gives you sweets and can also paint.

Have you watched the livestreams? His personality shines through much more in them than the painting videos. Also, I don't think much of Fassbender, so agree that Duncan's funnier and more handsome, and seems more poersonable too. No idea what Fassbender's mini painting skills are like though so can't comment there

 Monkeysloth wrote:

JWBS wrote:
I feel I must be missing something with Duncan. I mean yes, he seems like an okay guy, but reading this thread makes it seem like he's a funnier, handsomer, more talented version of Michael Fassbender that lends you money and gives you sweets and can also paint.

Considering the size of our hobby I think that's a apt description of him. I've watched a lot of painting videos and he's got the best on screen presence of anyone. His non-painting stuff is entertaining too--for being GW advertisements.

I think it's that a lot of us started playing the hobby, or spent the bulk of it, during the looooooong 20 years between roughly 1995 and 2015 when Games Workshop tended to seem really corporate and impersonal, with their public facing side being extremely blatantly focused on promoting sales, making you think you "need" a certain product, and often outright lying to you to maximize the chance you'll shell out your money (like the 'Eavy Metal painting tutorials where literally everything after basecoating would just be labelled "Step Five - FINISHING TOUCHES!" as though it's that easy, and nobody needed to be told about washes, dry brushing, shading and highlighting; or starter boxes that claimed "TWO FULL, COMPLETE WARHAMMER ARMIES!"). Duncan was pretty much the first step in the better direction GW has taken recent years, where honesty, accessibility, humanization, connecting with the community, giving us things to help us that aren't JUST about selling us their products, and bringing a sense of fun and humour back into things, are as important as reminding you about the latest thing they have for sale. And, given the huge boost in sales, it's been working as well for GW as for us.

In short, for a lot of people, Duncan was the first time in a long while that GW had a face that actually looked like a friendly, welcoming, decent person who cared about the hobby and your enjoyment of it, and was speaking to you plainly rather than constantly running a non-stop obnoxious sales pitch, and it was a lovely thing.

Duncan had me won over from the moment they showed him in a lab coat,bashing one of the, then new, carry cases with a slayer sword.
Top Warhammering right there.

Duncan is basically that great GW store staffer just from the Head Office.

He's fun, passionate, talented in his field (painting) and he doesn't have to force his passion (if he is then he's a very skilled actor as well). And that all really shines through. He's also really confident in front of the camera which isn't an easy skill. He also gets the whole fun side of things without seeming like he's reading off a script or reading "company policy talk".

Of the community team they've currently got he's probably their best performer. So seeing him go is a great shame in terms of the content we get from GW direct.


I think he also made painting seem a lot easier and he's clear and calm in his painting videos. I think he's convinced many to pick you pa brush again and start painting and I think that reinforces his impact on many people because he's not just a good presenter; he's the presenter who got them painting.

Despite being in the hobby for about 20 years, I didn't realise just how much I had to learn when it came to painting until I began following his tutorial videos.

The first I attempted was Celestine. Usually I tried to 'make do' with colours. This time, I got everything on the list and began watching his video. By the time I was finished, I had the best model (up to that point) that I had ever painted. And it looked exactly the same as his one.

Never before had a tutorial left me with such a feeling of success. I will always be thankful to Duncan for helping elevate my hobby.

He will be a loss to GW, and a bonus to whoever gets him (if he stays in the field).

Thats a shame to hear.

I wonder who else is going to make me feel inadequate in my painting skills being pedestrian no matter how hard I try, despite always doing two thin coats... :(

Good for him! Hopefully he can find a good place outside of the GW bubble.

anoither thing to keep in mind re Duncan. For some of us, including myself, his painting videos where what taught us how to paint beyond a simple level of tossing a thick coat of paint on something and MAYBE if we where told by our local store owner about it, washing with Nulin oil.

To a lot of us Duncan was basicly a favorite teacher.

I blame Contrast Paint.

Seriously, though, I hope he finds a great, well paid job where his skills and personality can shine. Loved his painting tutorials as well as his apparitions in other GW videos.

Duncan is charismatic.

He's not going away, he's going to another gaming company. He's good at conveying the story about how to enjoy a game, strong feeling we will see him again doing the same schtick.

But how will people feel when he's mopping colors on something besides Space Marines?

Duncan helped my paint Mortarion despite the model being way above my skill level. He will be missed.

Balls to the wall speculation on the reason he left. Never change, guys.

JWBS wrote:
I feel I must be missing something with Duncan. I mean yes, he seems like an okay guy, but reading this thread makes it seem like he's a funnier, handsomer, more talented version of Michael Fassbender that lends you money and gives you sweets and can also paint.

Do sweets not come out of your computer screen when you watch Duncan Rhodes videos? Is it just me getting these wonkabars?

I will miss him as the face of GW. Wish hm the best and hope he’s not going to a third rate company or Privateer Press. Also hope he’s not going to try and sell CDs as those are useless in the digital age.

 Azreal13 wrote:
"We hire for attitude, not for skills" is one of the famous Kirbyisms from his era.

Even if that attitude was nuked from orbit by Rountree the day he took over, there's going to still be a lot of staff members lingering that were recruited under it.

Well, that can be a very effective strategy if the company is 1. Willing to invest in training, 2. willing to raise salaries to match the now upscaled employee's skillset. If not you run the likely risk of becoming a training ground for other companies' nice, charming, highly skilled and great co-workers

I'm sad to see him go. He was the face of GW for me in recent times and for my return to the hobby.

RIP a good video series. Good luck Duncan on your adventures with whatever you do




o7

 Stevefamine wrote:
RIP a good video series.

Nick and Peachy will still be making the video tutorials.

They should offer to make a Sir Duncan of Rhodes Knight pilot and sell it as a special with all profits going to Duncan’s as a way to keep him.

would love to see him start to tackle Napoleonic era stuff

 Theophony wrote:
They should offer to make a Sir Duncan of Rhodes Knight pilot and sell it as a special with all profits going to Duncan’s as a way to keep him.

While the mini won't happen, someone else already did fanart of a sir Duncan, approved by the legend himself:

Why did they look at photos of Scott C Riley when they drew that knight lol?

 Ghaz wrote:

 Stevefamine wrote:
RIP a good video series.

Nick and Peachy will still be making the video tutorials.

Yeah, but neither of them have Duncan's charisma.

 EnTyme wrote:

 Ghaz wrote:

 Stevefamine wrote:
RIP a good video series.

Nick and Peachy will still be making the video tutorials.

Yeah, but neither of them have Duncan's charisma.

Even Duncan has improved since his first videos from five years ago. I'm sure they'll grow a bit more comfortable with the camera over time.

JWBS wrote:
I feel I must be missing something with Duncan. I mean yes, he seems like an okay guy, but reading this thread makes it seem like he's a funnier, handsomer, more talented version of Michael Fassbender that lends you money and gives you sweets and can also paint.

But, but...but he is! And he does!

I wouldn’t describe Duncan as charismatic. He seems like a nice kid. Found his niche, I think, with these tutorial videos. He seemed comfortable doing what he was doing, and he was definitely skilled, otherwise, just another guy in the hobby. I wish him well.