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.

Hi everyone, I recently acquired ~100 arbites enforcers, 18 cyber mastiffs, and around 20 judges and champions. I would like to play them as an imperial guard army (I ove vintage models), but my bank account can't stand another assault of that magnitude. The thing is, my father has the materials necessary to produce molds and plastic replicates for pennies a piece. I am worried that I may be stepping into a legal gray area though - I don't know much about patent laws, patent expiration/discontinuation of previously patented materials... etc.If I just made my own replicates for personal use and didn't go commerical with them, would that be a big faux pas or outright illegal?

I ask because an IG army is quite number-heavy, but I just think that arbites are so badass looking I can't turn down the chance to make an army that looks different from the rest. I also have a completely platonic love of guys in plate armour with big guns.

Are you worried about the SWAT team raiding your house complete with M4A3s and MRAPs over some repro models? My question to you is, once they're built and painted, who is going to be able to tell they were recasts? I'm not sure on the technical legality of it but illegal =/= immoral. I would go for it and not worry about it. GW is too busy unsuccessfully suing companies like Chapterhouse for reasons even they don't fully comprehend and the cops are too busy going into the wrong houses and shooting family pets over $10 worth of weed to arrest someone for making models.

Toofast wrote:
Are you worried about the SWAT team raiding your house complete with M4A3s and MRAPs over some repro models? My question to you is, once they're built and painted, who is going to be able to tell they were recasts? I'm not sure on the technical legality of it but illegal =/= immoral. I would go for it and not worry about it. GW is too busy unsuccessfully suing companies like Chapterhouse for reasons even they don't fully comprehend and the cops are too busy going into the wrong houses and shooting family pets over $10 worth of weed to arrest someone for making models.

Yes i suppose as long as there are baby cribs to flashbang I'll be safe. I was just worried about playing at a GW store and having an employee pick it up and freak out on me when he felt its weight.

In that case, tell him you got the army from a friend who was getting out of the hobby. I doubt it would be an issue, I play almost all my games at a GW and they've never inspected my models unless I bring in an HQ or vehicle in just finished a really nice paint job on and they always ask before picking up my stuff.

Oddnerd wrote:

Toofast wrote:
Are you worried about the SWAT team raiding your house complete with M4A3s and MRAPs over some repro models? My question to you is, once they're built and painted, who is going to be able to tell they were recasts? I'm not sure on the technical legality of it but illegal =/= immoral. I would go for it and not worry about it. GW is too busy unsuccessfully suing companies like Chapterhouse for reasons even they don't fully comprehend and the cops are too busy going into the wrong houses and shooting family pets over $10 worth of weed to arrest someone for making models.

Yes i suppose as long as there are baby cribs to flashbang I'll be safe. I was just worried about playing at a GW store and having an employee pick it up and freak out on me when he felt its weight.

I'd kick him in the groin if he touches my models without asking.

Dont go for it, its recasting and thus should not be done. Also dont feel a need to build the army in one gone, take your time and rather build it with the proper models

It's not even a gray area, it's just plain illegal. Whether you feel that it is immoral to recast ancient OOP models is a personal decision.

100 Enforcers? That should be more than enough. I've rarely seen IG armies with more than 100 minis on the table. Once you start adding tanks, fliers, characters and elites, you won't have any trouble reaching and even surpassing the 2000 points mark.

 Agent_Tremolo wrote:
100 Enforcers? That should be more than enough. I've rarely seen IG armies with more than 100 minis on the table. Once you start adding tanks, fliers, characters and elites, you won't have any trouble reaching and even surpassing the 2000 points mark.

I'd have to agree with this. Even the most infantry intensive guard armies will struggle to get more than 100 regular infantry mooks, and you already have 120 and about 20 more cyber-mastiffs!

Also, if you choose to run them as Tempestus Scions/Stormtroopers, you will require even less, so I think you have more than enough figs to do whatever force you were thinking.

 Peregrine wrote:
It's not even a gray area, it's just plain illegal. Whether you feel that it is immoral to recast ancient OOP models is a personal decision.

I don't think it's illegal. I could be wrong, but if he is not selling them, then it's not illegal. Once he STARTS selling them (maybe even giving them away for free) is the illegal action. Casting them for himself is not illegal at all since there is no distributing it. I believe it's the distribution and/or profiting from castings that is illegal. Anyways, if you do it, make sure they never leave your home. Nobody can do anything to you if they stay in your house and you are ht sonly one in possession of them. Again, I could be wrong, but not sure what you can be charged with? Not even on what account you can be sued with if GW ever found out. Well I guess now they did by you asking.

My question is why are you asking? If you didn't ask and just did it, who would know you casted them when they are in your own home and never leave your home?

Oddnerd wrote:
I am worried that I may be stepping into a legal gray area though - I don't know much about patent laws, patent expiration/discontinuation of previously patented materials... etc.If I just made my own replicates for personal use and didn't go commerical with them, would that be a big faux pas or outright illegal?

Depending on where you live, yes, this could be illegal. Would it be the sort of thing someone wants to come after you for? Probably not, unless you were selling them.

IANAL, but copyright and patent violations are civil matters, which means someone would have to a) bring a case against you in court and b) prove damages. In the unlikely event someone was to discover your shenanigans, the cost to sue would surely outweigh the potential outcomes of the case.

Of course, there are a lot of other options. A friend of mine was in a similar situation, wanting to build an all Noise Marines army for himself out of 2nd edition models. He purchased a few of the models before figuring out he was mostly interested in the backpacks and sonic blasters. He sculpted his own, cast them himself in resin, and fitted them on normal marine bodies. They came out good enough and were certainly unique.