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I just read an article by Spiky Bits where they claimed the new bases and basing kit are like the old moonscapes, namely made in China with melty detail. Can anyone shed any light on this? Is it true, or just a bad batch?
They're OK, not great. Detail is shallower than I'd hoped but still perfectly acceptable, and the price is great.
Putting photos of the painted examples side by side with unpainted ones and saying "do you see?" is pretty ridiculous though, of course they look flatter unpainted. That's what shading and highlighting is all about.
No meltiness in mine either. And if someone did get a bad batch that just means they're gonna have another free box when they call customer service about it.
*edit* Just read the article, and wow that's some clickbait conspiracy nonsense.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/07 11:20:06
2016/06/07 11:19:03
Subject: Re:GW plastic bases - Just like Moonscape?
From the pictures I have seen, the bases are fine. Certainly no worse than any other scenery plastics such as Wall of Martyrs kits or Quake Cannon Craters. It is the Large Base Detail Kit that appears to have issues with detail. Not Planetscape size bummer, but slightly disappointing anyway.
I don't have any first hand experience because where I live, GW "pre-order" means "get your toys 6 days after release date". I am getting all the bases later this week and might post a review.
Meanwhile, you might want to check these reviews in addition to "truth" that is Spikey Bits and bobs.
It is no surprise GW produces them in China given the price. Privateer Press and Mantic do that even with their plastic models, does it matter if the quality turns out alright?
Okay, I got my hands on the bases sooner than I expected. It seems that my previous post was spot on. The bases are OK. Not super sharp, but not something to get mad about either. Good value for money, IMO. Some designs are slightly worse than others, but with 15 different to choose from and 60 bases per pack, that is not much of an issue. My favourites are perhaps the 40mm bases. Spare skulls on 20/40mm pack are a fun addition, but they lack in variety. Some with ammo holes would have been nice. Personally, I prefer Pack of Skulls, because the skulls look better and being Finecast they are easier to file flat on the bottom than plastic.
Large Base Detail Kit is a little disappointing. While the range and amount of bits is excellent, many have blurred details indeed. It feels more of a design issue than casting issue because some parts are fine. I like the fact that most parts are cut at angle so that they do not sit flat on the base. Personally, I think I can find use for all the bits but I also see why many would be disappointed with the details. Another, although minor, issue in addition to details is that most parts are quite flat. If you want parts that are more three dimensional, I recommend chopping Quake Cannon Craters. I am in the process of doing this and I will post pictures when I am finished.
That place is the harsh dark future far left with only war left.
Ketara wrote: So the consensus seems to be that they're not quite as sharp as the pictures would imply, but they're still perfectly serviceable. Thank you gents.
I'm happy with mine but, to my sense of touch, they are made in China of the plastic mix they used in products like the Firestorm Redoubt. They are not the same plastic as in the UK produced figure sets.
The base kits are not as sharp as the details on say, the Overkill box but are not as bad as the Planetstrike terrain pieces where the plastic product certainly didn't match up with the painted resin masters pictured in White Dwarf.
notprop wrote: I would assume that the plastic are UK made.
The plastic bases are made in China, likely by the same company they used for their other terrain pieces. This means that the plastic isn't exactly the same formula used in the multipart figures that GW produces in Nottingham but it is still polystyrene and requires only plastic cement to bond your little toy soldier to the base. This makes pinning unnecessary unless you're gluing Dark Eldar Wytches to them and the teeny contact point of one running foot makes you nervous.
Another feature of these new GW bases is they all have a tube like bit in the center (underneath) that allows you to attach the stem of an acrylic flight stand to the base (a little drilling/cutting is required). This is nice if you don't like those clear bases or want your skimmers to be based the same way as the rest of your army.
As for issue of detail, this is a tempest in a teapot. Lots of haters are blowing up Facebook and other forums crying about how these things are little better than melted ice cream. It's all BS, usually coming from people who aren't interested in these bases in the first place. I've purchased all three base sets (25mm - 90mm oval bases) and they all look fine, easily as good as those old "Champ Industries" plastic bases. I've not purchased the decoration kit for the Knight bases so I can't comment on those. Having held them in my hand, the bases are flatter than some 3rd party selections but that's to make it easier to position your Space Marines on them. They're thicker, too, meaning you're not going to be able to glue nickles onto the bottom as some do with normal "black" GW bases.
The "review" linked in the OP is simply Spiky Bits hooking their steam engine up to the hate train and heading off for crazy town. This hate is being fueled mostly by people who either hate GW, who champion the use of 3rd party resin bases, or even representatives of companies who make 3rd party bases. One reason the hate feels so strong this time is because textured bases are a niche that was previously seen as safe. Even thought GW is unlikely to release xenos base designs, their footprint is still large enough to devastate 3rd party sales given how popular "imperial" armies are.
We'll have to see how this all shakes out. Personally, I think that this is a great move by GW. People wanting to migrate from 25mm to 32mm now have a one-stop-shop for their entire army that is not that expensive, especially given that this is GW. Not everyone will want the Sanctum design and that should allow most 3rd party companies to continue to fill that niche. Their survival will depend on how responsive they are to the needs of the community and let's face it, some of these companies have been pretty damned lazy with filling gaps in their product line.
jullevi wrote: Okay, I got my hands on the bases sooner than I expected. It seems that my previous post was spot on. The bases are OK. Not super sharp, but not something to get mad about either. Good value for money, IMO. Some designs are slightly worse than others, but with 15 different to choose from and 60 bases per pack, that is not much of an issue. My favourites are perhaps the 40mm bases. Spare skulls on 20/40mm pack are a fun addition, but they lack in variety. Some with ammo holes would have been nice. Personally, I prefer Pack of Skulls, because the skulls look better and being Finecast they are easier to file flat on the bottom than plastic.
Large Base Detail Kit is a little disappointing. While the range and amount of bits is excellent, many have blurred details indeed. It feels more of a design issue than casting issue because some parts are fine. I like the fact that most parts are cut at angle so that they do not sit flat on the base. Personally, I think I can find use for all the bits but I also see why many would be disappointed with the details. Another, although minor, issue in addition to details is that most parts are quite flat. If you want parts that are more three dimensional, I recommend chopping Quake Cannon Craters. I am in the process of doing this and I will post pictures when I am finished.
Umm original link didn't claim something to get mad about either. 3 out of 5 also sounds fairly "OK". And the link you gave also commented that the detail isn't that sharp especially with the big pieces.
So seems everybody is more of actually agreeing...
Ketara wrote: I just read an article by Spiky Bits where they claimed the new bases and basing kit are like the old moonscapes, namely made in China with melty detail. Can anyone shed any light on this? Is it true, or just a bad batch?
The Moonscape stuff is made from vacuum formed plastic sheet - think super-cheap halloween masks etc. - which doesn't like any sharp/small details. It's ok for really chunky terrain details like crater rims, but would be almost impossible to use with something as small as the details on a base, so it's not the same production technique. The base quality looks slightly mushy for bases, but the Moonscape stuff is REALLY mushy, so you can't compare those two.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2016/06/07 18:52:14
I do think people have a point to point out the gulf in detail we are seeing between the resin masters shown to us in WD, and the plastics we are getting from china. It's abit misleading,
The kits are still fine for what they are, and their price is hard to argue with. But it's still work being aware of.
2016/06/07 19:57:16
Subject: Re:GW plastic bases - Just like Moonscape?
Lockark wrote: I do think people have a point to point out the gulf in detail we are seeing between the resin masters shown to us in WD, and the plastics we are getting from china. It's abit misleading,
The kits are still fine for what they are, and their price is hard to argue with. But it's still work being aware of.
Nah. They've been painted, and if nothing else GW painters know how to make stuff look sharp. Panic for panic's sake.
2016/06/07 20:00:15
Subject: Re:GW plastic bases - Just like Moonscape?
Lockark wrote: I do think people have a point to point out the gulf in detail we are seeing between the resin masters shown to us in WD, and the plastics we are getting from china. It's abit misleading,
The kits are still fine for what they are, and their price is hard to argue with. But it's still work being aware of.
Nah. They've been painted, and if nothing else GW painters know how to make stuff look sharp. Panic for panic'sclick's sake.
Why would you buy already decorated bases which thousands of people will have too? Basing is one thing that literally anyone can do and is always part of having fun even if you have hands growing out of your arse when it comes to painting the actual models.
Yaraton wrote: Why would you buy already decorated bases which thousands of people will have too?
Not everyone wants dirt/grass bases?
I hand make bases in dozens of styles. Dirt/grass being the least common one I have done. I am with Yaraton, in that I prefer making mine by hand. Honestly, I get it though - some folks hate making bases and this is good for them. And cheap.
I don't know about all of them but the ones I got were very very bad. And taped up too so you couldn't peek into the box. Unlike any other current GW product. They knew they made garbage!
Set all Weapons for War Crimes!
2016/06/08 00:01:50
Subject: Re:GW plastic bases - Just like Moonscape?
Anyway, here are some pictures that will better show the bases as they are "in the wild". I sold my 25mm bases because I didn't need them for my army so I don't have pictures of them. Sorry.
You will see that there is some softness, about the same as the Kingdom Death skull bases or Malifaux figures at the most extreme. The detail is also very flat so you can put your figures on in any position you want without having your model leaning in a silly way. These bases aren't for everyone and resin still is the champ for serious detail, but they're a far cry from the garbage/meltiness that the detractors are claiming. I wonder how they look on GW's Sector Imperalis board, given that's what GW intended (hope/wish) these bases be used on. For the best test, I suggest you go to your LFGS and look them over in person and see how they look painted up.
32mm
40mm
75mm
90mm
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/08 00:17:03
I see no quality problems, considering they're only bases - a simple base coat, wash and dry-brush and they'll look better than most of the bases I see on the table.
Their only apparent disadvantage is shared by every range of fancy bases - lack of variety. What looks great on a single squad looks less great when repeated umpteen times over 10 squads. Differing paint jobs will help disguise that, as will careful placement of extra detail bits on top, but some of the more distinctive detail will be difficult to disguise.
Even if they're a huge success, I'd be surprised to see GW expand the range - in this same urban style at least.
Clang wrote: Their only apparent disadvantage is shared by every range of fancy bases - lack of variety.
This is where GW outdoes many 3rd party companies. The smaller GW bases seem to have 10 unique designs while many companies only do five. The companies who don't adapt or fill in missing items in their range have only themselves to blame.
Legion: Dark Angels 
