How does one assemble a mini when only pre-orders are up?

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**Davor**

This is the second time now I read someone assembled a mini and the pre-orders haven't or just gone up. So how does someone assemble a mini before a pre-order or in today's case, Saturday morning, assemble their Tau mini and the pre orders have just gone up.

In this case there is rumours on Warseer someone assembling their Tau Ghostkeel. I know the pre-orders would go up in Australia but here in Canada/US/Mexico the pre-orders are not even up yet.

So how do these people acquire the minis to put them together before pre-orders?

**Kid_Kyoto**

Aren't early samples sent out to GW stores and maybe some FLGS so they can have painted exmaples on display?

Either that or Tardises.

Tardi?

Never knew how to conjegate that word.

**OrlandotheTechnicoloured**

I should thing they may either work for game stores who have got stuff in a bit early... they may not sell it (GW would be very cross), but staff can take it and 'pay' on release day

(or the work forGW directly where some stuff is sent out to stores so they can have painted up stuff on show on release day)

**Krellnus**

Yeah I just assume that it is usually a stockist that gets it a week or so before the pre-orders go up to ensure they have stock.

**Davor**

Krellnus wrote:
Yeah I just assume that it is usually a stockist that gets it a week or so before the pre-orders go up to ensure they have stock.

Do you mean someone who works at GW is getting it? Not sure what you mean by stockist.

**Mario**

Davor wrote:
Krellnus wrote:
Yeah I just assume that it is usually a stockist that gets it a week or so before the pre-orders go up to ensure they have stock.

Do you mean someone who works at GW is getting it? Not sure what you mean by stockist.

Like a distributor, the stuff doesn't just appear on your store's shelves on release day. GW has produced that stuff weeks or months in advance and ships it to its own and external distributors who in turn ship it to the stores. Someone somewhere gets a copy and uploads a photo (it's faster than the plane/truck/train that is delivering the goods).

**Davor**

Thanks Mario for the explanation.

**kronk**

Game stores used to get advanced copies of new releases from GW so they could assemble models and have them in their display cases for when the release comes out. They were called Black Box releases. Here is a crappy video of one from 2010 being opened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xa1cwUFwcc

There are better examples out there if you want to look.

They don't do that anymore. At least, I don't think they do.

**BrookM**

Around here stores get their new stuff one day before release.

**Kimchi Gamer**

We are GW retailers and only get the new releases a day before the release day if Fedex doesn't screw up the delivery. Most likely what is happening is a retail store is opening a box the day before the release and assembling it immediately.

**Buttery Commissar**

kronk wrote:
They don't do that anymore. At least, I don't think they do.

They do not.
Even GW stores don't get them more than a couple of days in advance any more. AoS was an extremely special case that some stores had figures a little earlier than usual.

Used to be stores had copies well in advance to paint up and display. My old local would also allow a couple trusted customers who could keep their mouths shut to purchase theirs a little early to get ahead on painting. I can only assume that less discerning folks abusing the system are why this advance got canned.

**judgedoug**

Game stores got AoS a week before the release to get demo armies painted, etc. Dragons Den Games did an unboxing on youtube before the official release.

**BrookM**

Buttery Commissar wrote:
kronk wrote:
They don't do that anymore. At least, I don't think they do.
I can only assume that less discerning folks abusing the system are why this advance got canned.

Eyup, that is part of the reason. When the contents of your black box show up on ebay at a massive price some time before official release, I'd take away the toys too.

**Buttery Commissar**

BrookM wrote:
Buttery Commissar wrote:
kronk wrote:
They don't do that anymore. At least, I don't think they do.
I can only assume that less discerning folks abusing the system are why this advance got canned.
Eyup, that is part of the reason. When the contents of your black box show up on ebay at a massive price some time before official release, I'd take away the toys too.

But GW stores had it thrown out as well. In those cases the contents going missing would be easily noticed (not on display), makes me wonder what the situation was.

**Jehan-reznor**

Same way computer games can be reviewed before they are released?