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So as most of us know, GW have decided to change from 28mm to 32mm bases in all their new kits. I'm a bit puzzled as to why, but as is tradition with GW, they've done it without telling us and will pretend it's always been like that:

GW: "28mm base? What do you mean, 40k has always been on 32mm bases!"

From what I've gathered it's due to 2 reasons; GW gave us larger bases so there's more modelling opportunities as we can fit more stuff on them (seems a bit unlikely), or they've done it for some strange copyright reason.

Which is the most likely option, and has this affected you in any way?

Probably a mix of 1 and 3.

You have to be a proper fanatic to rebase all of your old minitures so I doubt it is B.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the current bases 25mm?
28mm is the scale.

I'd go with option 1 and to more accurately depict the scale and size of a Space Marine.

You're right, it's 25mm bases with 28mm scale. The reason is because 40k has creeped out of the 28mm scale to the 32mm scale a while ago now.

Everything in 40k is getting bigger, even the bases!

No srs though - if it werent for the OCD kid in me that hates seeing stuff change, I'd actually say 32mm bases fit 40k better than 25mm do because many infantry models barely fit on a base with their power armoured legs and such.

To make it more like fantasy where bigger guys go on bigger bases.

I think there is some truth to option 3 (but it is 25 not 28). 30mm would actually be the logical choice to use, as it is also a widely available base size. Choosing 32mm just seems like they're trying to be unique for the sake of being unique. I know the small flying base is 32mm, but how many people actually knew that before this happened?

Dunno but i like them. Not rebasing what i've done and will continue to match my current army with 25mm. But select units like Jump Pack are going on 32mm and my Shrikes are going on the new other big ones, whatever they be, 40mm?

Tinfoil hat time:

You see, this increase in base size is a piece of cunning and elaborate trickery. It's designed to covertly boost sales of their realm of battle and terrain sets. As bases get bigger, so boards get more crowded meaning that you need bigger boards and more terrain for the same sized game! Crafty beggars

GW has repeatedly said over the years, base the models on the base they come with so option 2 is obviously not it, no matter how little we think of GWs marketing morals.

 Valkyrie wrote:
GW: "28mm base? What do you mean, 40k has always been on 32mm bases!"

"We've always been at war with Eastasia."

A bit of 1, and a fraction of 3.
32mm means more space to put things on the base, and by "things" I mean "the model", as some marines are too big for their bases.
I very much doubt that they're trying to copyright 32mm... but it does make GW stuff different from existing competitors for the moment. I think the increased size makes the marines look more imposing (aiding marketing), and besides, differentiating your stuff from the competition's will also help marketing, especially if you've got a policy of telling your piggy-banks customers that no other games are like GW's.

Dident GW say that the only reason the blood angels are on 32 mm bases is ebcause the artists thought it looked better when they designed the models..?

I think it's because the models look better. Believe it or not, base size has a lot to do with making the model look imposing or not. The little terminators from 3rd look scrawny and awkward, while the new ones look awesome. Side by side on the same base they look similar enough, but the base size is what does it.

I honestly think 32mm is just to make the models look better without changing much.

It was probably a design choice to make them look better, the other poll options just seem a little outlandish.

As someone said, the mini's look better on a slightly bigger base. You have a lot more modelling options on a bigger base.

Option 2 in this poll is just nonsense.

Option 3, if you take away the sinister tinfoil hat part of it may have some merit. It could be that someone at GW thought it might make the "Brand" stand out even more. Or they may have plans to produce more basing sprues, so figured they may as well provide bigger bases for modelling opportunities.

I think they models look good on the larger base.

Well all other reasons or conspiracies aside, marines do look better on the new ones and it makes so much more sense for jump assault units that always fall over.

Wait....all models? I thought only marines where like that now

Also, it's far from "all new kits"
Street far only power armor got 32. So far there isn't anything else, and AFAIK the new necron overlord is on 25

I'll take "gak I'm not going to swap out" for 500 Alex.

Their scale is so far out of whack, bases are finally having to increase in size.

I've only seen 32mm bases with the Blood Angels. I know what you are talking about, I'm guessing because we need more space on bases .

Merellin wrote:
Dident GW say that the only reason the blood angels are on 32 mm bases is ebcause the artists thought it looked better when they designed the models..?

I agree 100% that it looks better. However, just because GW said that it was their motive doesn't mean that it was their motive... and even if it was their motive, it might not have been their only motive.

Either companies are often dishonest, many of us are too jaded, or a little bit of both.

[semi-offtopic]

While I'm as happy to be critical of GW as the next guy, it's fairly clear that the change to the bases was simply because so many models just don't fit that well on 25mm bases.

The idea that it has to do with 'copyrighting' a base size is absurd. And not how copyright works.

Because GW, that's why.

What if GW wants Power Armored dudes to be able to spread out just a little bit more to mitigate blasts and templates..
..The Plot thickens..

 Gunzhard wrote:
Well all other reasons or conspiracies aside, marines do look better on the new ones and it makes so much more sense for jump assault units that always fall over.

yeah I have to glue pennies to the bottoms of some of mymarine bases to keep them from immediatly flopping over

It makes doing True-scale Marines so much easier now.

Size creep. The game keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger, they want to keep making stuff bigger. Compare the old metal Terminators that came on the 28mm bases to the ones we have today.

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Size creep. The game keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger, they want to keep making stuff bigger. Compare the old metal Terminators that came on the 28mm bases to the ones we have today.

What does that have to do with increasing the base size on the same marine models that we've had since third edition?

 insaniak wrote:

 AnomanderRake wrote:
Size creep. The game keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger, they want to keep making stuff bigger. Compare the old metal Terminators that came on the 28mm bases to the ones we have today.

What does that have to do with increasing the base size on the same marine models that we've had since third edition?

Presumably new boxes are going to get slightly bigger.

That or they were tired of the feet on the same Marine models hanging slightly off the edges of the base.