Model theft stories

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**brettz123**

poda_t wrote:
the problem is that GW's pricing makes more thieves. Hence, why I've decided to start using CHS parts, and never play at a GW, and explicitly state from the get go that half my army uses parts from CHS. It's a lie, onyl about 15 models have CHS parts on them, so it's not that noticeable, but between all the conversions I've done on all of the models, it looks like a legitimate statment. The second thing I do, is proceed to paint the model in a complex fashion, using terribad colors: My loyalists are all yellow-grey qartered, with brass detailing. The real kicker, the entire army has one single cohesive theme, of knights-cum-spacemarines. There's no getting away with theft on that one, because a comparison of the model gives it away immediately. And while I could have picked a better color scheme and painted them better, I'm glad of the terrible work I did painting them, because in the end, they're decently painted, but in hideous colors that makes it unattractive

Same with my Iron warriors. Every line marine has a chain-bayonet, and most of them are holding their weapons one-handed, and upright. Every heavy weapon is customised and converted... essentially, none of the miniatures could be stolen, as they choesively give off the identical appearance.

My imperial guard aren't even legit IG. The only trouble there comes with the commissars, so they're the only ones I have to keep an eye out for. I advertise from the get-go that they are not by any means GW legal, and it kills interest in my army right away.

My thousand sons are my precious, they are not going anywhere unless i know and trust the people there, because I paid through the nose for those models, even if at less than retail and second hand. too much effort and planning went into those...

apart from ustilising an oppresively obvious theme throughout the entire army, I don't see how else to make your army theft free.

Paranoia much?

**pretre**

I think the best way not to get your army stolen is to melt down each model and reshape it into something roughly the same size as the original.

**Barfolomew**

Never had models stolen, but I have had several sets of dice stolen. Due to this fact, I always put any of my belongings in my car or behind the counter when I am not able to pay 100% attention to them.

**Benamint**

Never had anything stolen but I have a few good friends at the LGS and really they are all a pretty tight bunch. Not many new faces so if someone did try and steal something, they'd literally have to run the gauntlet to get to the exit! I always leave my stuff under the watchful care of a friend in a place that is out of the way and would be obvious if someone was messing with it.

**kanekaneo**

My Local GW used to be swarmed by young kids that had a habit of picking up your models.

"Oh that's cool, what is that?"

"Oh it's just my awesome sergeant with a power fist" I say.

"Hey can I have it?"

"No, you cannot."

Later on some models go missing, mine an my friends. I lost a couple of tactical marines (Sergeant was safe). My friend lost a squad of rangers.

Never found out who it was, all the kids have the same squeaky voices, it can be hard to tell them apart. A couple of them were cool, the rest were very annoying.

**Engine of War**

I've never had anythign stolen thankfully.
closest thing was after i purchased a poorly (thats being kind) converted Rhino to Demolisher tank for $5 I built it into a proper Demlosher tank, sponsons, armor, and all.

The guy i got it from wanted to buy it back as i rebuilt it much better then he could. He offered to buy it back for $20. But i said no. but form then on he would half heartedly start to slowly pull the tank away as if trying to steal it. once or twice it "vanished' and reappeared on top of his boxes (While it clearly had my army colors all over it, no less my construction style). I told him to stop (i take it seriously, its not funny) and i always locked it in my boxes unless it was being fielded to stop it. It was all in humor but its not funny.

As for attempts to break into the car. Its never happened and im paranoid to the point that If im gaming and i bring X number of boxes. I bring them ALL into the store with me. Hell when i went to IHop after a Apoc game, I deliberatly choose a spot that i could see from the resteraunt and a window seat at the same time. I worked hard on the models!

At the same time, I know eveyr tank i have (they are each modified differently and are unique.) so i can always tell if one is missing. As for the many many guardsmen. Its more or less some inate feeling that you just know that one or more is missing, even though they are for the most part the same and there are alot of them, its hard to discribe.

**progreen10**

I once had 4 marines go "missing", So I talked to one of my mates in the store if he had seen it before talking to the manager (who would have had everyone empty out their bags and pockets) and it turned out that they had fallen into his bag which was left open. He said that he was very sorry, and I didn't believe for one minute that he had stolen it. So that turned out ok

One case quite recently, was a kid that was a year older than me (he was 14), and he always seemed to get more and more nids every time we saw him (He was known to us as Frizz, because of his curly hair and squeaky voice) and it appeared that he had been stealing from the store. This was after one day, the manager spotted that his bag was packed full of Trygons, Carnifexes and Hive tyrants (about 10 of the large sized boxes, no joking!). He was asked about them, and he said that he ordered them on the GW website, but he had no proof of ordering them.

He was then given the option to have his Parents called, or the police. After that we never saw him again, not least because he had been banned from the store and made to return all the stolen property.

TBH Im kinda glad he had to go, because he was always soo annoying and full of himself.

**Wardragoon**

progreen10 wrote:
I once had 4 marines go "missing", So I talked to one of my mates in the store if he had seen it before talking to the manager (who would have had everyone empty out their bags and pockets) and it turned out that they had fallen into his bag which was left open. He said that he was very sorry, and I didn't believe for one minute that he had stolen it. So that turned out ok

One case quite recently, was a kid that was a year older than me (he was 14), and he always seemed to get more and more nids every time we saw him (He was known to us as Frizz, because of his curly hair and squeaky voice) and it appeared that he had been stealing from the store. This was after one day, the manager spotted that his bag was packed full of Trygons, Carnifexes and Hive tyrants (about 10 of the large sized boxes, no joking!). He was asked about them, and he said that he ordered them on the GW website, but he had no proof of ordering them.

He was then given the option to have his Parents called, or the police. After that we never saw him again, not least because he had been banned from the store and made to return all the stolen property. TBH Im kinda glad he had to go, because he was always soo annoying and full of himself.

I think if I owned the store I would have had him call his parents and then I would call the cops, just to reinforce to the kid that thievery is bad.

**poda_t**

brettz123 wrote:

Paranoia much?

given how expensive the hobby is, and how much time and effort is invested in assembly, painting, and then the effort of storing everything safely...... I don't discount that paranoia as unreasonable. If I'm already spending near $1000 of my time, effort, and money on buying, assembling and painting these things, and the bag for safe storage, you bet I'm going to be a bit put out when a snotfaced ratling decides to make off with my plasma gunner.

**Druid13**

Never had models go missing, thankfully. I have however had the odd template, dice cube, or gun/bit go missing before.

I can attribute this to how my FLGS works too though. On top of most of the people I play with regularly being trustworthy, the store also offers store credit to anyone who catches someone stealing. This extends not just to store inventory but to peoples models/belongings as well. If you're going to be stand up enough to stop someone who is taking a random persons models seems only fair to get a thank you out of it and thats the store owners way of doing so.

**Mattman154**

Wardragoon wrote:
WaaaaghLord wrote:
One time I came home from a week long holiday to find we'd been broken into, and a bag with a newly purchased Cygnar army had gone missing from our living room. Not sure if this counts as "model theft" as such, as they'd obviously just grabbed the inconspicuous looking hold-all on the way out.

Fair play to PP though, on telling our shop owner what had happened, our local press ganger sorted me out replacement stuff for everything that had been stolen. Above and beyond the duties of customer service.

Wow, more stories like this and I may actually start playing PP games

One of the Press Gangers on a podcast I listened to had his entire Trollblood army lost in a fire. PP not only replaced his army, but gave him a Mountain King as well! Also the same thing happened to a Legion of Everblight player a while back and they did the same.

**notprop**

poda_t wrote:
brettz123 wrote:

Paranoia much?

given how expensive the hobby is, and how much time and effort is invested in assembly, painting, and then the effort of storing everything safely...... I don't discount that paranoia as unreasonable. If I'm already spending near $1000 of my time, effort, and money on buying, assembling and painting these things, and the bag for safe storage, you bet I'm going to be a bit put out when a snotfaced ratling decides to make off with my plasma gunner.

The thing is I don't see any of your actions being any great deterrent. At the end if the day most criminals are pretty stupid and will take something simply because they think they will get away with it and want free stuff. Some numbnuts will take it and get home, take look at all this bespoke modelling and sigh then stuff it under their bed and forget about it.

It's the same reason they will knick worthless things. Someone once went to the trouble of stealing an old bike I left chained in a store, it was cheap before it went rusty, had two flat tyres and no chain. That said I would still like to wring the dumb fethers neck if I ever found him!

**Wardragoon**

Druid13 wrote:
Never had models go missing, thankfully. I have however had the odd template, dice cube, or gun/bit go missing before.

I can attribute this to how my FLGS works too though. On top of most of the people I play with regularly being trustworthy, the store also offers store credit to anyone who catches someone stealing. This extends not just to store inventory but to peoples models/belongings as well. If you're going to be stand up enough to stop someone who is taking a random persons models seems only fair to get a thank you out of it and thats the store owners way of doing so.

Thats a really good idea. Heck a local Video Game store has issues with thievery, I think something like this would allow them to nail some of the would be thieves

**poda_t**

If there's anything I can do to make it harder for someone to nab my stuff, or inconvenience them with once they successfuly steal my model.... yup, I'll do it.

I mean, paint job for 1, because it's not like the gakker at the neighboring table can swipe my blue UM and hide it inside his own UM army; 2, if he paints right over it, there's a lot of explaining to do about why he has such a unique looking marine, and why he fits in so nicely with my army.

It's all tiny stuff, but honestly, if there's something I can do to get my stuff back, and catch the little bastard and have him banned from my FLGS to spare other gamers from this gakker, then, I mean, why not?

**brettz123**

poda_t wrote:
If there's anything I can do to make it harder for someone to nab my stuff, or inconvenience them with once they successfuly steal my model.... yup, I'll do it.

I mean, paint job for 1, because it's not like the gakker at the neighboring table can swipe my blue UM and hide it inside his own UM army; 2, if he paints right over it, there's a lot of explaining to do about why he has such a unique looking marine, and why he fits in so nicely with my army.

It's all tiny stuff, but honestly, if there's something I can do to get my stuff back, and catch the little bastard and have him banned from my FLGS to spare other gamers from this gakker, then, I mean, why not?

My guess is most people would simply steal it leave and strip it. Of course if they are dumb enough to grab a couple marines they might just be dumb enough to hang around for a while. I think the best thing to do is watch your models and put them away when they aren't on the table. When dudes dies you pack them up right away. I never leave a table when I have models on them but thats just me!

**DukeBadham**

I don't think I've had anything stolen but I have lost 6-7 peasants from my brets, and two dice cubes, and one tape measure, and one template set

Also I once stole 4 tactical marines from the Bromly gw starter set by accident. realized at home, I live far enough away that returning them is impossible.

I also accidentally stole my mates necromancer after a game, I gave it back next week, when we meet at a club.

**progreen10**

DukeBadham wrote:
I don't think I've had anything stolen but I have lost 6-7 peasants from my brets, and two dice cubes, and one tape measure, and one template set

Also I once stole 4 tactical marines from the Bromly gw starter set by accident. realized at home, I live far enough away that returning them is impossible.

I also accidentally stole my mates necromancer after a game, I gave it back next week, when we meet at a club.

So you picked it up you mean? Stealing is on purpose

**DukeBadham**

progreen10 wrote:
DukeBadham wrote:
I don't think I've had anything stolen but I have lost 6-7 peasants from my brets, and two dice cubes, and one tape measure, and one template set

Also I once stole 4 tactical marines from the Bromly gw starter set by accident. realized at home, I live far enough away that returning them is impossible.

I also accidentally stole my mates necromancer after a game, I gave it back next week, when we meet at a club.

So you picked it up you mean? Stealing is on purpose

I picked it up by accident when trying to collect my 40+ peasants as quickly as possible. completely didn't mean to, I'm absent minded at times

**HiveFleetCollossus**

Years ago I was at a FLGS near my house. This guy had a nicely converted custom Tyranid Army. Needless to say I managed to swipe all of them and put them in my-
Wait. Is this the right thread?

**dpal666**

mwnciboo wrote:
dpal666 wrote:
I'm just getting back into 40K because of theft.

Went to a tournet at the beginning of 4th, came in 2nd, won the painting award, figured I was having a good night.
Locked my case in my truck, and went to dinner with some other gamers from the tourney, when we get back, one of my locks is dangling from the truck and my case is missing.

Fairly obvious that it was a gamer, as several tousand dollars worth of stereo equipment wasn't touched.

LGS owner said he'd keep an eye out, and lots of people had pics of the army, but alas, nothing ever found.

Just got back in about 6 months ago, and haven't played outside of my house yet.

MF'ers !!!!!!!!!!!!! You need to post up a picture of that Army so we can keep an Eye on it world wide, if it won the Painting Award no doubt it's distinctive and no one will want to re-paint it.

Maybe Dakka could have a Crime Watch wall, of distinctive Armies for us all to keep on the lookout for? I'm guessing you are far from the only one who has had this.

Twas quite a few years ago, I never did do pics of that army, but all my new stuff gets plenty of pics since I'm doing commissions also.

**timetowaste85**

DukeBadham wrote:
I don't think I've had anything stolen but I have lost 6-7 peasants from my brets, and two dice cubes, and one tape measure, and one template set

Also I once stole 4 tactical marines from the Bromly gw starter set by accident. realized at home, I live far enough away that returning them is impossible.

I also accidentally stole my mates necromancer after a game, I gave it back next week, when we meet at a club.

Even living far away, did you think about calling them, telling them what happened and arrange to mail the models back to them? That wouldn't be so bad, and karma would be kind to you for your actions.

**Jacobshepard**

Druid13 wrote:
Never had models go missing, thankfully. I have however had the odd template, dice cube, or gun/bit go missing before.

I can attribute this to how my FLGS works too though. On top of most of the people I play with regularly being trustworthy, the store also offers store credit to anyone who catches someone stealing. This extends not just to store inventory but to peoples models/belongings as well. If you're going to be stand up enough to stop someone who is taking a random persons models seems only fair to get a thank you out of it and thats the store owners way of doing so.

The manager of your store is a hero in my book. Feel free to offer him a thank you from some random stranger in Gunnison, CO a thank you for doing what's right

Stealing is low, like everyone else has said, but for me the thought of someone stealing is dreadful one, more out of disgust than anything.

I've never had anything stolen from me, despite all the kids who've come up and asked me about the game, and I play with a group of friends who know everybody else very well, so we trust eachother. But if someone ever stole from me, my reaction would vary. If it was an individual model or even up to something $20 - $30, I'd be more pissed than sad about the loss, but I could replace them. Understandably, if the thief managed to get any of my bigger stuff, I would be furious. I'd rather beat the snot out of him with it, than let him get away with it.

However, the one loss I could never contemplate, despite their seemingly less worth are any of my AoBR Space Marines. These were the guys that got me into the game, some of the first guys I painted, I named. I had the best moments with them. Even with better models, I'd take these guys into a game anytime. And the sentimental loss of these models would be beyond the loss the loss of any other model in my army

But I've still got them.

and i intend to keep it that way

**DukeBadham**

timetowaste85 wrote:
DukeBadham wrote:
I don't think I've had anything stolen but I have lost 6-7 peasants from my brets, and two dice cubes, and one tape measure, and one template set

Also I once stole 4 tactical marines from the Bromly gw starter set by accident. realized at home, I live far enough away that returning them is impossible.

I also accidentally stole my mates necromancer after a game, I gave it back next week, when we meet at a club.

Even living far away, did you think about calling them, telling them what happened and arrange to mail the models back to them? That wouldn't be so bad, and karma would be kind to you for your actions.

Oh. did not think of that.

**Valhallan42nd**

poda_t wrote:

apart from ustilising an oppresively obvious theme throughout the entire army, I don't see how else to make your army theft free.

So, you paint poorly to prevent theft?

**DeffDred**

I had several models stolen.

Tau pathfinder with railrifle, Vect's Prisoner (with hand painteded tattoos on ankle), Imperial Preist (the one with the "I" shaved into his hair),

The female wolfen/worgen/werewolf thing from Confrontation (the unchanged vesion) and my first Typhus.

They were stolen by a fellow named Russ Vicory from Dakka Dakka, he got fired for wearing a tee-shirt from a competetors store and grabbed all my stuff in the display case.

No one's seen him since.

If you should meet this guy or see these beautifully painted models... Stab him. Then say "Chaplain T says Hi."

**notprop**

Tales like this is why I love the Internet.

I too hope Russ Vicory gets stabbed - karma demands it!

**CainTheHunter**

I have to admit that last time I checked my bag of GW issue red and black dice contained more than 20 red and 10 black dice, but that probably does not count.

**Valhallan42nd**

Dice mixing happens, so it's no biggie, man.

EDIT: Steal my scatter die, though, and we'll have issues.

**DukeBadham**

Over the space of 3 games I gained 3 red dice (I had a red dice cube at the time), lost 4 red dice, then gained 1 black die.

couple weeks later and I lost the dice cube (with my 25 red dice and 1 black die)

**timetowaste85**

Valhallan42nd wrote:
Dice mixing happens, so it's no biggie, man.

EDIT: Steal my scatter die, though, and we'll have issues.

Scatter dice and artillery dice are sacred.