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Hmm, I think I have all the ones I was interested in. It'll be a shame to be unable to pick one of these up at one's discretion, though. Underworlds added a lot of characterful sculpts that can be used as alternate characters, if you're not into the units' actual rules. Not a fan of seeing that potential go.

Pics from the US site

https://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Warhammer-Age-of-Sigmar?N=2070689437+4033599123&Nr=AND%28sku.siteId%3AUS_gw%2Cproduct.locale%3Aen_US_gw%29&Nrs=collection%28%29%2Frecord%5Bproduct.startDate+%3C%3D+1650678120000+and+product.endDate+%3E%3D+1650678120000%5D

Underworlds is the perfect home coffee table game, small footprint, done in half an hour, I'd imagine it gets played much more in homes that at shops.
These are no use for that though as they don't have the fighter cards. They repackage the stuff after for AoS without the cards. The Beastgrave stuff was only released this way about 6 months ago though, so I wonder if they are just phasing out the whole re-release thing altogether.

deano2099 wrote:
Underworlds is the perfect home coffee table game, small footprint, done in half an hour, I'd imagine it gets played much more in homes that at shops.
These are no use for that though as they don't have the fighter cards. They repackage the stuff after for AoS without the cards. The Beastgrave stuff was only released this way about 6 months ago though, so I wonder if they are just phasing out the whole re-release thing altogether.

Would probably make sense for them. They have proven popular, so why sell them for cheaper if you can make people who want it buy the Underworlds (pricier) version even if they don't have a use for the printed stuff?

Would be nice if they repurpose those models for some type of co-op/solo game like Rangers of Shadow Deep.

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
while they have give AoS rules to the underworld bands none of them were real 'must haves' as they're mixed weapon/ability/stats units (well apart from Molog where the squigs dont really count) so not terribly efficient at any job you give them

so they're really only selling those to painters and not to gamers (and as the bands rotate out of usefulness there are going to be a good chunk on the second hand market too)

so i'm not too surprised they're going now they've started to rotate the main 40K and AoS ranges

Morgwraeth was at one point the 3rd best unit in the DoK roster, then 3rd came out and literally doubled her point cost so no one brought her ever again.

The following will be part of the Stormbringer magazine so not entirely OOP (yet)

Xandires Truthseekers
Thundriks Profiteers
Yltharis Guardians
Da Kunnin Crew
Ironskullz Boyz
Mollogs Mob
Zarbags Gits

Yep the rotation keeps on taking more and more kits away.

I have a tin foil hat theory about these kits is that for the most part these small warbands were actually very well priced and a cheap way to get some really unique models... I think that GW doesn't really want that.

Today I went to a local GW store and cheapest we could find was blisters of individual minis around or close to the £20 mark up.

So I have the feeling this rotation on these kits is just to bring some of them at later date with a HUGE price increase.

Every AoS Destruction player better jump on getting Rippa's Snarlfangs if they don't already have them.

 NAVARRO wrote:
Yep the rotation keeps on taking more and more kits away.

I have a tin foil hat theory about these kits is that for the most part these small warbands were actually very well priced and a cheap way to get some really unique models... I think that GW doesn't really want that.

Today I went to a local GW store and cheapest we could find was blisters of individual minis around or close to the £20 mark up.

So I have the feeling this rotation on these kits is just to bring some of them at later date with a HUGE price increase.

In terms of price per figure on high quality individual sculpts the Warcry cults blast these out of the water.

 NAVARRO wrote:
Yep the rotation keeps on taking more and more kits away.

I have a tin foil hat theory about these kits is that for the most part these small warbands were actually very well priced and a cheap way to get some really unique models... I think that GW doesn't really want that.

Today I went to a local GW store and cheapest we could find was blisters of individual minis around or close to the £20 mark up.

So I have the feeling this rotation on these kits is just to bring some of them at later date with a HUGE price increase.

For some of them buying the entire warband for a alternate sculpt of an existing model was cheaper than buying the actual AoS model.

UW only did as well as it did by being relatively cheap. As soon as GW did it's usual thing of expecting the whales to prop up those who were priced out, the local scene started dying off and it doesn't sound an unusual story from what I've seen.

 Arbitrator wrote:

 NAVARRO wrote:
Yep the rotation keeps on taking more and more kits away.

I have a tin foil hat theory about these kits is that for the most part these small warbands were actually very well priced and a cheap way to get some really unique models... I think that GW doesn't really want that.

Today I went to a local GW store and cheapest we could find was blisters of individual minis around or close to the £20 mark up.

So I have the feeling this rotation on these kits is just to bring some of them at later date with a HUGE price increase.

For some of them buying the entire warband for a alternate sculpt of an existing model was cheaper than buying the actual AoS model.

For example; the Kharadron Khemist was more expensive on it's own, than the entire Underworlds warband the alternate sculpt came bundled with.

Just to double check, are we sure this is a range rotation and not a last chance to buy forever?

 GaroRobe wrote:
Just to double check, are we sure this is a range rotation and not a last chance to buy forever?

The email said range rotation.

Maybe they'll be re-releasing them complete with cards featuring the new backs. At $50 each ($85 Canadian, $365 Ausibux).

Really disappointing. At the $25 price point I picked up some just to add some diversity to my pile of shame. They were like a more coherent, modern version of those old old super cheap Warhammer Quest boxes packed with assorted wizards or fighters or monsters.

Aeneades wrote:

 GaroRobe wrote:
Just to double check, are we sure this is a range rotation and not a last chance to buy forever?

The email said range rotation.

Call me overly cynical but with the backlash they get when LCTB'ing stuff I wouldn't be too shocked if this is just their new, default language for it.

"It MIGHT come back in ten years, so it's still a rotation and not really a squat!"

Here's an idea, how about you look at the fact that LotR has range rotation and see how that works, while giving the 40k rotation more than 3 months and the AoS rotation more than a day before putting on the conspiracy hat.

 NAVARRO wrote:
Yep the rotation keeps on taking more and more kits away.

I have a tin foil hat theory about these kits is that for the most part these small warbands were actually very well priced and a cheap way to get some really unique models... I think that GW doesn't really want that.

Today I went to a local GW store and cheapest we could find was blisters of individual minis around or close to the £20 mark up.

So I have the feeling this rotation on these kits is just to bring some of them at later date with a HUGE price increase.

In all seriousness, what's likely driving this is that they only have so many production hours in any given time period. Demand has demonstrably grown in recent years, putting a real focus on every man hour used and production planning.

To increase capacity, GW can either take on more staff and buy more machines (something that's either already happened or is in progress, not up to date on that) or start running their existing facilities for more hours (ie add a night shift.)

If, as seems reasonable, these kits and models are low volume, then a third option of just not making them is probably going to cost them less in turnover from the lost sales than the investment in capacity to keep making them, probably by orders of magnitude.

That when they do ultimately get allocated a production slot and remanufactured that they'll undergo a price hike is just an inevitability of how GW operates.

Edit: That's assuming, of course, GW haven't already spent heavily on increasing capacity and are now at a dead end with what can be done reasonably in the short to medium term, and this is the least worst option, financially speaking, in order to keep the big sellers and new releases as available as possible.

 Gert wrote:
Here's an idea, how about you look at the fact that LotR has range rotation and see how that works, while giving the 40k rotation more than 3 months and the AoS rotation more than a day before putting on the conspiracy hat.

How long had most of the Moria goblins range been unavailable for before coming back next month? Grab 'em before you can't buy most of the faction again!

 Gert wrote:
Here's an idea, how about you look at the fact that LotR has range rotation and see how that works, while giving the 40k rotation more than 3 months and the AoS rotation more than a day before putting on the conspiracy hat.

LotR? You mean that game where every time I've looked at getting back into for many years doesn't have available the models I need to put together the faction in the way I'd like?

For the record how has LotR rotation worked?

How long are kits usually gone for?

When they return how long are they in stock?

Is there good notice of things coming in stock or do they just appear and disappear?

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
For the record how has LotR rotation worked?

How long are kits usually gone for?

When they return how long are they in stock?

Is there good notice of things coming in stock or do they just appear and disappear?

When a range rotation has happened, they're into stock until they get rotated out again.

I realize that might sound stupid as an explanation--but it's the best I can do, as I've not sat there and tracked it all in a spreadsheet or whatnots. There's some kits(Vanquishers of the Necromancer immediately springs to mind) that went away for years, but have become permanently part of the range again. Argument could be made that them being a "direct only" item negates that, but considering only Battle of Pelennor Fields is stocked in GW stores, I feel that argument is moot.

GW's made it clear months in advance of the range rotations on that front though.

 Azreal13 wrote:

 NAVARRO wrote:
Yep the rotation keeps on taking more and more kits away.

I have a tin foil hat theory about these kits is that for the most part these small warbands were actually very well priced and a cheap way to get some really unique models... I think that GW doesn't really want that.

Today I went to a local GW store and cheapest we could find was blisters of individual minis around or close to the £20 mark up.

So I have the feeling this rotation on these kits is just to bring some of them at later date with a HUGE price increase.

In all seriousness, what's likely driving this is that they only have so many production hours in any given time period. Demand has demonstrably grown in recent years, putting a real focus on every man hour used and production planning.

To increase capacity, GW can either take on more staff and buy more machines (something that's either already happened or is in progress, not up to date on that) or start running their existing facilities for more hours (ie add a night shift.)

If, as seems reasonable, these kits and models are low volume, then a third option of just not making them is probably going to cost them less in turnover from the lost sales than the investment in capacity to keep making them, probably by orders of magnitude.

That when they do ultimately get allocated a production slot and remanufactured that they'll undergo a price hike is just an inevitability of how GW operates.

Edit: That's assuming, of course, GW haven't already spent heavily on increasing capacity and are now at a dead end with what can be done reasonably in the short to medium term, and this is the least worst option, financially speaking, in order to keep the big sellers and new releases as available as possible.

It might also be that things like covid safe work practice and lower limits on the power supply are still hampering GW's factory from operating at full capacity. This is without considering that they might have other issues too. Eg issues with getting kits overseas might mean they are having to produce more kits in advance to ship overseas further in advance so that fewer releases get delayed.

I also think that they are expecting the 30K release in the summer go be a bit like Indomitus and sell like crazy. So it could be that some of this is to free up production now in Q2 to prepare for a BIG run up to the summer release.


Finecast being removed might also have been a long established plan; only with delays they might not have got all the replacement kits out that they'd hoped too. But the policy was still set in motion with things like finecast stock orders being reduced etc...
Or maybe its more of the same with GW clearing space for FW to have more resin printing capacity now that FW is also being sold on the main site and might, again, see a big spike when 30K plastic goes live.



I don't "like" range rotation, but I can see several logical reasons why GW might have to adopt this policy. My hope is that its a short to medium term thing and that its something they can take out in the future.



Also with expansion we have to consider that GW keeps most production in the UK so expansion is really expensive for them. Furthermore whilst they've gained huge traction over the last 2 years, its totally unknown if that will translate into maintained and continued growth over the next 5-10 years. It's really too small a time frame to make massive expansion choices on as in 5 years GW might see reduced sales without doing anything wrong; just as all those people who came back go back to normal life and start spending more on other things (eg going out) and less on hobbies. It might also just happen because of things like living costs going up a lot (everyone has a near on 2X electric bill now) and thus sapping away hobby money.

So right now GW is in a very healthy position, but might not feel its the right time to expand operations in a big way.

 Lord Damocles wrote:

 Gert wrote:
Here's an idea, how about you look at the fact that LotR has range rotation and see how that works, while giving the 40k rotation more than 3 months and the AoS rotation more than a day before putting on the conspiracy hat.

How long had most of the Moria goblins range been unavailable for before coming back next month? Grab 'em before you can't buy most of the faction again!

Those models were gone years before range rotation came into play so it’s good that they are finally coming back. The two goblin kings were removed as part of range rotation around a year ago and are coming back now.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
For the record how has LotR rotation worked?

How long are kits usually gone for?

When they return how long are they in stock?

Is there good notice of things coming in stock or do they just appear and disappear?

I really have no idea how long they're gone, but when I jump on the store and can't find all of what I want, I generally jump back off rather than buying what is available to wait until the other stuff comes back in stock.

 GaroRobe wrote:
Just to double check, are we sure this is a range rotation and not a last chance to buy forever?

At this stage, that seems to be a distinction without a difference.

 Overread wrote:

 Azreal13 wrote:

 NAVARRO wrote:
Yep the rotation keeps on taking more and more kits away.

I have a tin foil hat theory about these kits is that for the most part these small warbands were actually very well priced and a cheap way to get some really unique models... I think that GW doesn't really want that.

Today I went to a local GW store and cheapest we could find was blisters of individual minis around or close to the £20 mark up.

So I have the feeling this rotation on these kits is just to bring some of them at later date with a HUGE price increase.

In all seriousness, what's likely driving this is that they only have so many production hours in any given time period. Demand has demonstrably grown in recent years, putting a real focus on every man hour used and production planning.

To increase capacity, GW can either take on more staff and buy more machines (something that's either already happened or is in progress, not up to date on that) or start running their existing facilities for more hours (ie add a night shift.)

If, as seems reasonable, these kits and models are low volume, then a third option of just not making them is probably going to cost them less in turnover from the lost sales than the investment in capacity to keep making them, probably by orders of magnitude.

That when they do ultimately get allocated a production slot and remanufactured that they'll undergo a price hike is just an inevitability of how GW operates.

Edit: That's assuming, of course, GW haven't already spent heavily on increasing capacity and are now at a dead end with what can be done reasonably in the short to medium term, and this is the least worst option, financially speaking, in order to keep the big sellers and new releases as available as possible.

It might also be that things like covid safe work practice and lower limits on the power supply are still hampering GW's factory from operating at full capacity. This is without considering that they might have other issues too. Eg issues with getting kits overseas might mean they are having to produce more kits in advance to ship overseas further in advance so that fewer releases get delayed.

I also think that they are expecting the 30K release in the summer go be a bit like Indomitus and sell like crazy. So it could be that some of this is to free up production now in Q2 to prepare for a BIG run up to the summer release.


Finecast being removed might also have been a long established plan; only with delays they might not have got all the replacement kits out that they'd hoped too. But the policy was still set in motion with things like finecast stock orders being reduced etc...
Or maybe its more of the same with GW clearing space for FW to have more resin printing capacity now that FW is also being sold on the main site and might, again, see a big spike when 30K plastic goes live.



I don't "like" range rotation, but I can see several logical reasons why GW might have to adopt this policy. My hope is that its a short to medium term thing and that its something they can take out in the future.



Also with expansion we have to consider that GW keeps most production in the UK so expansion is really expensive for them. Furthermore whilst they've gained huge traction over the last 2 years, its totally unknown if that will translate into maintained and continued growth over the next 5-10 years. It's really too small a time frame to make massive expansion choices on as in 5 years GW might see reduced sales without doing anything wrong; just as all those people who came back go back to normal life and start spending more on other things (eg going out) and less on hobbies. It might also just happen because of things like living costs going up a lot (everyone has a near on 2X electric bill now) and thus sapping away hobby money.

So right now GW is in a very healthy position, but might not feel its the right time to expand operations in a big way.

I think its probably a mix of different reasons that sends kits into the rotation limbo but surely we will have a clearer evidence of the motivation behind it soon enough.
Is it purely a warehouse space maintenance, making space for other armies, unpopular kits, cheaper kits or something else?
I will keep an eye on the few cheaper kits that are still around.

Lotr may cope well with the sluggish rotation periods since lets face it is not as popular as the main 2 systems... 40k and AoS fans will probably struggle even more to keep their projects updated.
It just boils down to this, no models no buy. In a couple years time no one will have a track record of what is in rotation or discontinued...

PenitentJake wrote:

Slyth- my favourite of the Court models in terms of rules, least favourite in terms of models. If anyone knows good third party Slyth substitutes, please let me know. If I can find good 3rd parties, I won't bother with these... but I do need something to represent them on the table because I want at least 2 in my army.

Diehard Minis do several Snakemen minis, as do Reaper. Slap a few DE bits on them and they're good to go. If you want to keep in the GW ecosystem I've seen several conversions made from the AoS Melusai. I was certain ArtelW did one (as they do all of the other Court minis), but I can't find one on their site.

Chopstick wrote:
Would be nice if they repurpose those models for some type of co-op/solo game like Rangers of Shadow Deep.

Sounds like a great idea!

I was thinking about the Godsworn Hunt and a Shardspeaker as a warband & wizard for Frostgrave/Perilous Dark, but the Godsworn Hunt are no longer in stock and I doubt they'll get them back in now...

SamusDrake wrote:


I was thinking about the Godsworn Hunt and a Shardspeaker as a warband & wizard for Frostgrave/Perilous Dark, but the Godsworn Hunt are no longer in stock and I doubt they'll get them back in now...

They're available as part of the Warcry Blade Born board game, you can try search for them or find ebay seller that sold them separatedly. There's also Darkoath chieftain, which is from the same faction(and probably one of the best models GW had ever made), and the Darkoath Savagers, currently only available in the Red Harvest box, but you can always find them on ebay or split it.