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Seriously, Grey Knights still using baby scale marines is embarassing. They aleardy got one token release, it's hight time they get full refresh.

What's that about Warp Spiders? The current models are still good for another twenty, thirty years. Can't see them getting an update this early.

Vargheist wrote:
Seriously, Grey Knights still using baby scale marines is embarassing. They aleardy got one token release, it's hight time they get full refresh.

It's especially silly considering Grey Knights only have two infantry boxes. That might no longer hold up if they get embiggened, but you'd think GW wouldn't think twice about releasing four or so boxes of Marines.

MDF terrain?

I really hope that's not true, that would be a massive downgrade. MDF is not easy to work with in comparison to plastic, not to mention the vast gulf in detail.

I guess it would show that GW are not making enough profit on their plastic terrain

I'm gonna stick my neck out and say it's not gonna happen.

MDF terrain footprints? Sure. MDF bridges and roads? Maybe. MDF terrain? well, they did those vacuform craters way back so I'm not sure they won't but

There's a gap for prepainted mdf in the UK market at least, they could go that way and it'd fulfill the premium product definition and they can ram lots into their current form factor boxes unlike sprues, so I can see the advantage/intent there.

Besides all you lovely ITC players keep buying and using it at events they attend so they'll get the idea it's what people want.

 Matrindur wrote:
Terrain:
Lots of salt here but apparently GW wants to do MDF terrain (I can't see any reality where its priced competitively)

i don't really see why GW would want to get into MDF when its main selling point is being cheap and easy to put on the board. GW have always been a hobby company over a game company, so selling unpainted terrain plays to that. selling terrain that doesn't need painting, on the other hand, doesn't

 Matrindur wrote:
Grey Knights:
Getting a vehicle - heard it could be an upgraded baby carrier (please no)

controversially, i actually really like the dreadknight. it's definitely the best model in the GK range, and without the memes, i would've never seen it that way. maybe i just have a weakness for mechs with open cockpits (the phobos dreadnought rules and i love Paragon Warsuits so much that i based my Lancer mech on them), but getting another model in that style for the range would be really cool imo

 Matrindur wrote:
Aeldari:
Asurman, Baharroth, Fuegan, new Warp Spiders lord
Swooping Hawks, Fire Dragons, Warp Spiders

i'm not sure how reasonable this is , but this feels like valrak repeating a previous rumor from a few months back. maybe that makes it more believable, but three kits and four characters feels like a lot. certainly not out of the question, but that would feel like a huge release, and GW can only do so many of those in a year, and there are only so many years in an edition, so i'm not sure where their priority may lay

GK should get at least Kroot like update so one vehicle would be a joke.
More updates for Eldar Aspects is a no brainer. It will happen sooner or later.
MDF terrain? Why would they do this when they can sell expensive plastic?

Could be GK getting a new upsized dreadnought kit. Curved plating that resembles the dreadknight would tie the range together more. Dreadknight is melee focused, so a GK focused version of the Ballistus Dread would fill out a heavy fire support role they could use.

The aeldari rumors are completely non-credible. They just released plastic Striking Scorpions, but have yet to update Karandras, even though every other aspect warrior update to date (shining spears notwithstanding as they do not (currently) have a phoenix lord) has either come with or been closely followed by a resculpted PL. Karandras will come before Asurman, Baharroth, Fuegan, or a warp spider PL.

chaos0xomega wrote:
Karandras will come before Asurman, Baharroth, Fuegan, or a warp spider PL.

Or he just comes at the same time, and was missed off that list.

chaos0xomega wrote:
The aeldari rumors are completely non-credible. They just released plastic Striking Scorpions, but have yet to update Karandras, even though every other aspect warrior update to date (shining spears notwithstanding as they do not (currently) have a phoenix lord) has either come with or been closely followed by a resculpted PL. Karandras will come before Asurman, Baharroth, Fuegan, or a warp spider PL.

Striking Scorpions were released as part of KT, much like the Kroot Farstalkers.

I could see Karandras coming out as part of an Aeldari codex release, assuming they get something the size of the Kroot release.

New Da CP https://www.warhammer-community.com/2024/02/22/dark-angels-combat-patrol-who-are-the-vengeful-brethren-and-how-do-they-play/

That combat patrol definitely seems like the best for starting an army out of the Space Marines ones (i guess its quite DI-esque, minus a couple of characters)

Shadow Walker wrote:
MDF terrain? Why would they do this when they can sell expensive plastic?

I don't know if you noticed, but they don't. They produce some lovely terrain, sell it for 1-2 runs and it's never seen again. Their standing stock of terrain is very limited.

Maybe GW is thinking of replacing the terrain tiles (like the zone mortalis and legions Imperialis ones) and the cardstock game boards with MDF?

The plastic tiles probably don’t sell very well, and MDF could fill the same roll as the printed cardstock game boards, but be slightly more durable?

I think if they can print directly on the MDF, then it might be useful as a replacement for the cardboard but I really think that mouse pad foam mats would be a better approach if that’s what they are going for.

Dudeface wrote:

Shadow Walker wrote:
MDF terrain? Why would they do this when they can sell expensive plastic?

I don't know if you noticed, but they don't. They produce some lovely terrain, sell it for 1-2 runs and it's never seen again. Their standing stock of terrain is very limited.

But they do this again and again so either it works for them or they like to suffer

 Shooter wrote:
That combat patrol definitely seems like the best for starting an army out of the Space Marines ones (i guess its quite DI-esque, minus a couple of characters)

Solid, but not as good as the prior DA one.

If those Eldar rumors are true, I may explode. That is like my wish list.

Dudeface wrote:

Shadow Walker wrote:
MDF terrain? Why would they do this when they can sell expensive plastic?

I don't know if you noticed, but they don't. They produce some lovely terrain, sell it for 1-2 runs and it's never seen again. Their standing stock of terrain is very limited.

Because terrain sprues (and stuff like Endless Spells and sculpted bases) are made in China. They order a production run, and once it sells out, the run the numbers and check if another production run (inc. international container shipping and all that costs) is viable. Apparently not, most of the time. Which is why so many terrain disappears over time.

Here is a look inside the new Dark Angels kits, as usual with high-res sprue pics and a list of all assembly options: https://taleofpainters.com/2024/02/review-dark-angels-inner-circle-companions-deathwing-knights-and-asmodai/

I consider mdf an entirely obsolete technology for terrain pursposes. But Dude has a point...

Dudeface wrote:
Besides all you lovely ITC players keep buying and using it at events they attend so they'll get the idea it's what people want.

Seriously, at this point GW really should just make plastic ITC ruin corners and be done with it. They're just leaving money on the floor, as the ABS plastic ITC ruin corner Kickstarter running right now shows.

Perhaps they could do large boxes of MDF terrain for non imperial worlds.
GW apparently dont have the resources or will to do plastic designs for xenos enough to cover a table.
Me and my friends have some really nice Orc buildings in MDF, and they look exelent on the table. And I have seen some beatiuful eldar-ish MDF terrain in battlereports.
Ofcourse, you cant just spray them black and drybrush grey as most people do with plastic terrain, but with some work and weathering MDF work fine.

I mean, how many sculpted skulls and cables do you really need on a wall?

 Fayric wrote:
I mean, how many sculpted skulls and cables do you really need on a wall?

More and some, respectively.

Not sure what the appeal of MDF is supposed to be to GW. They're not going to make them in house, in which case they're better off sticking with Chinese plastic kits. At least those have sculpted detail and fit in better with what people expect of GW kits.

Also, wood is heavier than plastic. Doesn't that just make shipping more expensive and cut into their margins (or more likely lead to higher prices)? It's not like GW is going to offer MDF at competitive prices if they don't do that with plastic.

Dudeface wrote:
There's a gap for prepainted mdf in the UK market at least, they could go that way and it'd fulfill the premium product definition and they can ram lots into their current form factor boxes unlike sprues, so I can see the advantage/intent there.

Besides all you lovely ITC players keep buying and using it at events they attend so they'll get the idea it's what people want.

I don’t think GW will ever go down any kind of pre painted route will they?
Can’t sell the hobby stuff if they do that.

Also, what better way to sell an MDF sealant coat spray to stop wood absorbing your undercoat, for £20 a can or whatever.

Danny76 wrote:

Dudeface wrote:
There's a gap for prepainted mdf in the UK market at least, they could go that way and it'd fulfill the premium product definition and they can ram lots into their current form factor boxes unlike sprues, so I can see the advantage/intent there.

Besides all you lovely ITC players keep buying and using it at events they attend so they'll get the idea it's what people want.

I don’t think GW will ever go down any kind of pre painted route will they?
Can’t sell the hobby stuff if they do that.

Also, what better way to sell an MDF sealant coat spray to stop wood absorbing your undercoat, for £20 a can or whatever.

Knowing GW past and their dealings with paint pots designs that deliberately did not seal, I think they would instead create a type of MDF that was extra absorbing and would soak all the paint.

Ha, yeah sounds about right

GW is ramping prices up again. $60 for 3 models isn't even pretending to be reasonable, nor are $65 scouts.

A browse of the combat patrol sprues shows the old DA intercessor sprue, not the new one that came with the Deathwing Assault box (which is being sold separately at $35)

Two of the old ones doesn't even provide enough shoulder pads for everything in the box.

GW is playing poor customer experience games again.

MDF terrain makes sense to me, in the context of GW's ongoing encirclement of competitive play.

They'd be able to sell terrain sets to a significant portion of the competitive community (as well as to the aspirationally-competitive). They'd be able to move towards season-ifying it, ultimately selling a new set to mostly the same people every year. They'd be able to do it all in the name of lofty-sounding goals like "standardization" and "balance." Seems like MDF products would have fat margins for reasonably low effort, too.

I don't know if the gambit would work, and whether there would be a revolt against the unexpected tournament-tax, but I can certainly understand how GW sees an opportunity there.

The biggest disconnect is that MDF terrain doesn't have cachet, and there's no way to spin it as more premium than plastic terrain, which contradicts GW's identity as the provider of the Best Miniatures. But they rereleased antediluvian kits for contemporary use in The Old World, which is something all of us would've argued was a ridiculous and impossible outcome for the Best Miniature Company if we'd have been queried a few years ago, so it seems like they aren't that rigorous about that label anymore.

Usually, I'd consider that too far down the GW is evil conspiracy rabbit hole... Having said that, them taking on the ITC, they will surely try to get the flesh from it... Why would they want to allow organisers to still use 3D printed, cheap card pop-up terrain etc.

Going to be interesting to see if this rumour is true, and also if it has an impact on the tournament circtuit.

That would be all of the Finecast Aspects finally migrated to plastic, no? I thought we would have to wait a couple more editions for that, great if it's true!