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So, I'm just getting back into 40k and even 30k after many years away from the game. I may be wrong, but I seem to always remember Forgeworld stuff being universally above average if not outright broken in almost all cases. That doesn't seem to be the scenario anymore. Thinking about this somehow led be to a Spikey Bits article about which FW items are most likely to sell out. However, not all of them were actual strong/op/competitive models (for example the Malanthrope wasn't on there and I believe the article was from when they were damn near auto-includes).

I thought I'd throw out 2 questions here, mostly out of sheer curiosity:

1. What are the most in demand Forgeworld items currently? This can be something they currently make (ideally) or maybe even something they stopped producing. This can also be read as "which Forgeworld models are hardest to find?" (including secondhand market/ebay/etc. for things out of production)

2. Why are these items so in demand, and why isn't there enough to go around?

That's it. Just wanted to see what this community thought. I've followed 40k for a while but it has been many years since I've actually played.

Wlaredo wrote:
I seem to always remember Forgeworld stuff being universally above average if not outright broken in almost all cases.

You remember wrong. FW units have, as a whole, usually been at or below the average power level and often hilariously weak. The few overpowered units have been comparable to the overpowered codex units, and many of the most overpowered lists have been built around abusing codex balance mistakes.

1. What are the most in demand Forgeworld items currently? This can be something they currently make (ideally) or maybe even something they stopped producing. This can also be read as "which Forgeworld models are hardest to find?" (including secondhand market/ebay/etc. for things out of production)

2. Why are these items so in demand, and why isn't there enough to go around?

I'm not sure what you're asking here. Everything in production is currently available to buy direct from GW so none of them are hard to find. And OOP kits depend on a variety of unpredictable factors: how many were sold originally, whether or not the kit has been picked up by recasters and put into production, etc. For example, there's a particular pillbox terrain kit that I've been trying to find for a while now because (apparently) few people bought one and they don't show up on ebay very often, but you'd probably never even know that it exists and certainly wouldn't care about getting one if you're trying to build a competitive army.

Most sought after kit is going to be incredibly subjective. I know I'm personally still kicking myself for not grabbing an Aquila lander before they stopped making them because it's such a cool looking flyer and would have made a great narrative unit/ interesting terrain piece.

I've also never seen one up on ebay so I'm guessing that there aren't floating out there.

As for FW being OP that's a myth that has been pushed by people who got surprised once or twice by a model they hadn't seen before and decided to pout about. The vast majority of FW have been weaker than what you could pull from a codex and are largely aimed at collectors.

For some reason some players cherry picked the few unit entries that FW dropped the ball on, can't figure why anyone would do that.

 Peregrine wrote:


I'm not sure what you're asking here. Everything in production is currently available to buy direct from GW so none of them are hard to find. And OOP kits depend on a variety of unpredictable factors: how many were sold originally, whether or not the kit has been picked up by recasters and put into production, etc. For example, there's a particular pillbox terrain kit that I've been trying to find for a while now because (apparently) few people bought one and they don't show up on ebay very often, but you'd probably never even know that it exists and certainly wouldn't care about getting one if you're trying to build a competitive army.

Now that I look I guess you're right. I thought I had seen some Forgeworld stuff out of stock.

Maybe a better question, because this is what I couldn't understand about the article I read, is "What are the current best Forgeworld units/kits?" To me that translates to "in demand," but yea, I see what you mean that everything in production is technically available.

Still curious tho, in addition, if there are OOP FW kits that are widely in demand (ie. sell fast when they pop up on ebay, etc.)

Wlaredo wrote:
So, I'm just getting back into 40k and even 30k after many years away from the game. I may be wrong, but I seem to always remember Forgeworld stuff being universally above average if not outright broken in almost all cases. That doesn't seem to be the scenario anymore.

It never really was the case, it was mostly built on people either not playing stuff right or outright cheating and blaming FW, and almost nobody running around with an actual Imperial Armour book in most cases

Thinking about this somehow led be to a Spikey Bits article about which FW items are most likely to sell out. However, not all of them were actual strong/op/competitive models (for example the Malanthrope wasn't on there and I believe the article was from when they were damn near auto-includes).

I thought I'd throw out 2 questions here, mostly out of sheer curiosity:

1. What are the most in demand Forgeworld items currently? This can be something they currently make (ideally) or maybe even something they stopped producing. This can also be read as "which Forgeworld models are hardest to find?" (including secondhand market/ebay/etc. for things out of production)

2. Why are these items so in demand, and why isn't there enough to go around?

That's it. Just wanted to see what this community thought. I've followed 40k for a while but it has been many years since I've actually played.

Their biggest sellers broadly have been HH Space Marine stuff, exactly what tends to change. However, in terms of "which FW models are hardest to find?", it's not going to be anything in current production, but there's nothing out of production that's really got much demand either, it's mostly for stuff like alternative SM or Guard models (e.g. Elysians, DKoK Trench terrain) than actual units with their own rules. The stuff that's truly hard to find is going to be the most esoteric and least in demand.

Elysians might be the only thing that immediately pops into my head. Maybe some of the DKoK kits like Grenadiers that are currently unavailable? Possibly some of the older pre-Apocalypse superheavy tank kits?

Interesting Vaktathi, I would think stuff like Elysians aren't in demand much since they're out of the game. I guess just as regular Imperial Guard troops is what people would use them for? Or proxy elites like storm troopers?

Forgeworld hive tyrants sell like hot cakes every time they show up on ebay.

Wlaredo wrote:
Interesting Vaktathi, I would think stuff like Elysians aren't in demand much since they're out of the game. I guess just as regular Imperial Guard troops is what people would use them for? Or proxy elites like storm troopers?

Don't try to figure out if something was deleted from the game lines up with how popular it was/is. While there is a definite correlation between the two, GW has also dropped models or entire lines for other reasons.

FW for me is the more hard core collectible aspect of GW. While you don't need them to play and they might not be that great for the most part, you want them for your collection.

I got some shadow spectres from FW for my Eldar army because thye are such awesome models. These will probably see regular play.

From OOP side the ultimate holy grail for my collection would be the Vampire Raider. I also would like to get hold of some corsair upgrades. not because they are good in any sense, but because they are very fluffy to me and what my army is like. Its all very subjective.

Genenraly speaking though I think the Leviathan dreads seem to be quite common so im guessing they are decent.

One oop FW piece that I want is the original Lightning fighter. I have 1 & always intended to get 2 more. But I never got around to it & so sometime before I returned to playing they stopped producing it, replacing it with a different pattern (that I like less).
I saw 1 on EBay a few months back but missed it.

The chaplain dreadnought is no longer available whilst still having rules to use in regular 40K

Added to that is the fact that its pretty good/very good depending on the force its to go with. Its a 9W character with T7, 5++ invulnerable save, FNP 6+, a killer close combat weapon, can take a BS2+ Twin lascannon and give out +1 str to friendly units in the same combat.

They go for a pretty penny on ebay, beware there are lots of people selling as new kits - they are very likely fake knockoffs.

The FW is more powerful I think came from a time when games like 40K didn't have things like super-heavies in the regular game. So if someone suddenly put down a knight or a baneblade it was a massive and superpowerful model that required some specific counterplay to tackle. As a result it could seem very overpowered, esp if armies were more casually built and not being built to competitive standards.

Sure FW made a lot of other things over the years, but its the big things that got noticed way more than alternative infantry designs or a new gun on a dreadnought etc....

Plus whilst GW has never priced according to points; there likely was some background thought that the FW models cost so much and thus must reflect that on the table.



For both these we have to remember that there was a time when baneblades and knights weren't in 40K. When the most expensive models were dreadnoughts and predators and something like a landraider was FW only. Sure a lot of time has passed since then and the game itself has evolved; baneblades and knights, heck knights have their own codex now. So the core game has way more familiarity with such models and more ways built into it to balance them out and deal with them.
Plus the price of FW relative to GW has reduced considerably. That £100 Exalted Greater Demon from FW looks super expensive next to the old £35 or so metal from GW; but agains the £85 current greater demons the difference in price is far less.


So things have changed in actuality and in perception over time.




As for what is rare that's really been answered already. There's loads of very rare FW kits that were bought very little and which are now out of production and thus go for silly money if they ever appear on ebay and the like. I'd wager some of the oldest might not be as high in price, but that might simply be a result of the fact that fewer people know they exist to compete for them.

I actually liked their Wave Serpent a lot; way more than the main plastic kit we have now.

Which is pretty unique, as in general I think that they are generally awful at their attempts with the Eldar aesthetic. I guess the Warp Hunter is quite nice too.

Both kits are Falcon kit mods though, so they obey the same shaping as the mainline 'master', so I guess it makes sense there.

I don't know if there's an accurate way to measure demand for FW models on the secondhand market or how it affects cost.

Scarcity is influenced by a lot of factors, people are less likely to sell these models due to the price they originally paid, there are recasters selling counterfeit product, FW shipping is expensive for anyone outside the UK, FW was questionable for competitive play before this edition, etc.

So figuring out the factors that affect price are tricky.

I have 3 of the original CSM Dreadclaws and 3 Helltalons. Bought them on eBay, each was out of print and I paid maybe 60% of what they originally costed. It took maybe 9 months to get all of them and I lost several auctions along the way.

I also bought a Falchion, which is a current FW model, and paid about 90% of what it costs new. This was more expensive than buying from a recaster but less expensive than buying it new and having it shipped.

I've used these models in games sparingly. They cost too many points to use in most games. Mostly, I just like looking at my army with an air wing and a superheavy.

Wlaredo wrote:
Interesting Vaktathi, I would think stuff like Elysians aren't in demand much since they're out of the game. I guess just as regular Imperial Guard troops is what people would use them for? Or proxy elites like storm troopers?

They can be (and honestly in most cases always were) used as just normal guardsmen, their unique FW rules were always pretty subpar (as with the DKoK too) but they look cool as an alternative to plastic cadians for normal guardsmen.

Eldar Falcon Type II and Wave Serpent Type II upgrade kits pop up on Ebay sometimes and even refurbished ones cost a ton, especialy Falcon turrets.

Repressors. They've been out of print for a long time now, and they're still like our best transport option. We're always trying to find ways to make our own.

That said, FW units as a whole are generally sub par, but there are usually a few that are decent, and a few that are egregious in power level.

 Inquisitor Lord Katherine wrote:
Repressors. They've been out of print for a long time now, and they're still like our best transport option. We're always trying to find ways to make our own.

That said, FW units as a whole are generally sub par, but there are usually a few that are decent, and a few that are egregious in power level.

I'd be shocked if they don't get a redone version when the sisters release drops. GW is going to want to give them at least one or two new vehicles and that's been out of production long enough most players don't have one/ have never seen one in person.

This thread is reminding me about how much I love the aesthetic of FW sculpts. I totally forgot about the FW hive tyrant, that thing is awesome!

 Overread wrote:
For both these we have to remember that there was a time when baneblades and knights weren't in 40K. When the most expensive models were dreadnoughts and predators and something like a landraider was FW only. .

Lol. And when was this?
Land Raiders have always been in 40k.
1st they appeared in RT, along with a plastic kit.
Then sometime in early 2e the kit went oop with a new kit supposedly in the works. But they were still in the Codex books. The kit though was MIA with assorted excuses/rumor supposedly given as to why.
There was no Forge World in these years.
1998 - WH40k v3 & Forge World come into being. But FW didn't produce any Land Raiders.
2000 - GW produces the basic plastic Land Raider kit (and art) still in use today.
Somewhere in the past 10 years Fw starts making LR variants.

ccs wrote:

 Overread wrote:
For both these we have to remember that there was a time when baneblades and knights weren't in 40K. When the most expensive models were dreadnoughts and predators and something like a landraider was FW only. .

Lol. And when was this?
Land Raiders have always been in 40k.
1st they appeared in RT, along with a plastic kit.
Then sometime in early 2e the kit went oop with a new kit supposedly in the works. But they were still in the Codex books. The kit though was MIA with assorted excuses/rumor supposedly given as to why.
There was no Forge World in these years.
1998 - WH40k v3 & Forge World come into being. But FW didn't produce any Land Raiders.
2000 - GW produces the basic plastic Land Raider kit (and art) still in use today.
Somewhere in the past 10 years Fw starts making LR variants.

I might be miss remembering then, but I was sure that the old Land Raider only appeared as a FW model, then again I likely appeared in the hobby long after the original RT plastic kit so might have assumed it was FW or some such since it wasn't around any more from GW for quite a span of years. And I recall when the LR came out it was a big hoo-haa of it being this huge "FW Sized" mega tank for the Space Marines.

OP- I couldn't guess which are more in demand but I personally I make extensive use of 30k models. I do feel certain units are a bit above curve, or at least hyper efficient. The deredeo for example. It's not like it used to be like a draigo shen star for example. But as someone who used fw always since 4th I do still believe a select few of their units are better than codex equivalents, or go against codex design. But most fw units suck now in terms of power. The main reason I like them is diversity and the models rock.

 Peregrine wrote:

Wlaredo wrote:
I seem to always remember Forgeworld stuff being universally above average if not outright broken in almost all cases.

You remember wrong. FW units have, as a whole, usually been at or below the average power level and often hilariously weak. The few overpowered units have been comparable to the overpowered codex units, and many of the most overpowered lists have been built around abusing codex balance mistakes.

1. What are the most in demand Forgeworld items currently? This can be something they currently make (ideally) or maybe even something they stopped producing. This can also be read as "which Forgeworld models are hardest to find?" (including secondhand market/ebay/etc. for things out of production)

2. Why are these items so in demand, and why isn't there enough to go around?

I'm not sure what you're asking here. Everything in production is currently available to buy direct from GW so none of them are hard to find. And OOP kits depend on a variety of unpredictable factors: how many were sold originally, whether or not the kit has been picked up by recasters and put into production, etc. For example, there's a particular pillbox terrain kit that I've been trying to find for a while now because (apparently) few people bought one and they don't show up on ebay very often, but you'd probably never even know that it exists and certainly wouldn't care about getting one if you're trying to build a competitive army.

That first one is wrong. Forgeworld powerlevel is WILDLY scattershot, even compared to GW's normal balance problems. They create units that are, even in a vacuum, massively above AND below the 40k power curve as a matter of course. At one point, the mega ultra chicken and his little sorcerer buddies were capable of doing enough mortal wounds to wipe a low model count army in a single turn, before the chaos codex even came out. They ALSO had FW index units that aren't worth a fraction of their points value and in some cases, simply don't work at all.


As for demand, the Repressor is a 50$ tank you can ebay for 500.

ERJAK, are we now ignoring the fact that SMITE, was created by GW? As a standart power for any and all psykers?

And as we still can see smite is still annoyingly powerfull?

You could of course argue that Malefic lords and the big chicken were to cheap. Why then is it not an issue now with the imperial psykers?

Vultures and Leviathans are pretty popular and there's a good market for them. If GW made them in plastic and sold them off the shelf, I'd say they'd be very commonly encountered. Not that Leviathans aren't already.

The most in demand FW tends to fall into one of two camps, both of which are out of production.

- Models that have strong rules, now, when they had weak rules when produced. things like the repressor, or even the all resin Valkyrie.

- Models for more obscure ranges, that sold very little and for a short time frame, that still have fans. this is the broadest and deepest area, with some genuinely weird stuff. the old tyranid terrain, elysians, epic tau or grey knights, epic terrain.

I think the FW models that are hardest to find aren't necessarily the most popular or sought. They tend to be the ones FW simply didn't make many casts.

One of the hardest to find and what I see sold for the most over what it originally sold for is the long discontinued Imperial Fortress and next the Anphelion bunkers. The fortress was pricey even when it was available, and they were notorious for arriving with broken parts, so I've seen ones that are like new go for $3200-$4500. The Anphelion bunkers ~ $2000, but that was sold by FW as complete set and as sections, so you'll occasionally see parts of it, and its finding a complete one that's rarer.

Other in demand FW are the Chaos Warmammoth and the Empire Landship. Also the Curs'd Ettin.

Not Online!!! wrote:
ERJAK, are we now ignoring the fact that SMITE, was created by GW? As a standart power for any and all psykers?

And as we still can see smite is still annoyingly powerfull?

You could of course argue that Malefic lords and the big chicken were to cheap. Why then is it not an issue now with the imperial psykers?

When it's a core rule of the game and FW feths it up as hard as they did, it definitely falls on Forgeworld's incompetence here.

Because the imperial psykers suck and no one has used more than one or two in years. Also 'being too cheap' is not something you gloss over, it's a significant balance concern.

Chaos players smh.

ERJAK wrote:

Not Online!!! wrote:
ERJAK, are we now ignoring the fact that SMITE, was created by GW? As a standart power for any and all psykers?

And as we still can see smite is still annoyingly powerfull?

You could of course argue that Malefic lords and the big chicken were to cheap. Why then is it not an issue now with the imperial psykers?

When it's a core rule of the game and FW feths it up as hard as they did, it definitely falls on Forgeworld's incompetence here.

Because the imperial psykers suck and no one has used more than one or two in years. Also 'being too cheap' is not something you gloss over, it's a significant balance concern.

Chaos players smh.

Roffle if that were true everyone and their mother would spam the superior Wyrdvane psykers..

Yes i play both sides.

 Argive wrote:
FW for me is the more hard core collectible aspect of GW. While you don't need them to play and they might not be that great for the most part, you want them for your collection.

I got some shadow spectres from FW for my Eldar army because thye are such awesome models. These will probably see regular play.

From OOP side the ultimate holy grail for my collection would be the Vampire Raider. I also would like to get hold of some corsair upgrades. not because they are good in any sense, but because they are very fluffy to me and what my army is like. Its all very subjective.

Genenraly speaking though I think the Leviathan dreads seem to be quite common so im guessing they are decent.

Want to hear something depressing, the Vampire was recut about 3 maybe 4 years ago but never released and given the main studios politicking I highly doubt it ever will get released now. So barring the unused master making it into the wild it's done.