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Stumbled upon some troubling news about a month ago.
I have a friend who has a shop that sells warhammer, so i went to him and placed an order for some of the more "odd" Witch hunter models for example; Meltagun, Veteran w. Bolter, Imagifier etc etc.

A week later the stuff had arrived... with disturbing news, not a single "odd" model could be delivered since Sisters of Battle sells too bad so they had taken it out of production.

I mean wtf?!.. here i go dropping my 4000p Tau Army to start a new one and then its taken out of production.

Though i have heard some loose rumors about GW merging all Ordo armies into one, Codex: Inquisition its nothing that i have gotten confirmed.

Anyone know anything about this? Will there be new models? New Codexes?
I feel screwed

Fabbe Out!

I know my friend has had some problems with the FLGS being able to order all the stuff, but I don't think there's been anything he was then unable to order from the online store himself.

Well, the way things have just gone these past few weeks, our online store-ordering options have just gotten tighter.

It's so wierd that the Battle Sisters aren't selling well; for the most part they're great minis!

Gearhead wrote:Well, the way things have just gone these past few weeks, our online store-ordering options have just gotten tighter.

It's so wierd that the Battle Sisters aren't selling well; for the most part they're great minis!

I just put it down to that they are pretty much ignored. If they got more coverage in WD they'd be more popular.

I'm sure if they did that and released some nice multi part plastic sisters they'd sell well.

I don't think they are going out of production. I think they are becoming direct sales only. Just like the Dark eldar :(

I have ordered a few Sisters off of the GW site recently.

Why do they not sell well?

1) They are a more advanced army. The tactics you need to use in order to win with them are not straight forward and it takes alot of skill to use them properly which means that beginers will often brush them off as a bad army when they see that the cannoness can't take on a librarian with out knowing the tricks to do so. In fact, in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing they are a very good army!

2) METAL. They are expensive and hard to convert :( Need an example? 10 deamonettes in metal sold for $40. the new plastic boxes sell for 22... same number of models... which one would you rather buy 60 models of?

3) Not updated. Alot of the psychic rules haven't been updated in a while (codex still says they are immune to minor psychic powers... which don't exist). There are alot of units that are overpriced like penitent engines. There are also useless units like priests. If given the go ahead by GW I would write this codex for them for free this summer, updating and balancing units point costs. Since I am a teacher I will have plenty of time when I am taking breaks from tutoring.

Nice summary, but my Canonesses squish libbies all the time, and so do other people's. No skill required there.

Only if you use the faith the right way! If you use too much before she gets into hth she will die. that was my point there... that you need to know how to budget faith in order for her to be good!

I'm betting it has to do with no more bits. Maybe you'll get lucky and get a SOB pack that will have the one model you need (and 5 you don't).

Gearhead wrote:Well, the way things have just gone these past few weeks, our online store-ordering options have just gotten tighter.

It's so wierd that the Battle Sisters aren't selling well; for the most part they're great minis!

As other people mentioned, they’re metal, that increases the cost of the army beyond a lot of people’s interest factor. Also, I agree with you that they’re great minis, but that doesn’t automatically equal a popular army.

Thing is, most people agree that warrior space nuns is a pretty fun idea, but it’s a pretty obscure concept to sink many hundreds of dollars and six months of your life into. Genetically engineered power armoured super warriors, high tech ancient race, brutal raving nutters and alien bugs from beyond the universe are pretty universal concepts with well established appeal. Space nuns are little more out there, and subsequently have a smaller consumer base.

sebster wrote:Space nuns are little more out there, and subsequently have a smaller consumer base.

Also they're girls. Ewwwww.

The Inquisition always seemed like a bit of a side dish to me. Grey Knights appear to be fairly popular, but hereticus=phailing.

Really though, I'm sure SoBs would do fairly well if they had plastics. The fact that people play SoBs at all in their metal incarnation says something. They may not sell as well as Marines in general, but considering that one plastic kit would suffice for practically the entire army (BSS squads, Celestians, Dominions, Retributors), I can't fathom why they haven't done it.

tegeus-Cromis wrote:Really though, I'm sure SoBs would do fairly well if they had plastics. The fact that people play SoBs at all in their metal incarnation says something. They may not sell as well as Marines in general, but considering that one plastic kit would suffice for practically the entire army (BSS squads, Celestians, Dominions, Retributors), I can't fathom why they haven't done it.

There is a very good reason actually.

The metals are very nice sculpts. When it came time for the inevitable release of the 3rd ed sob codex, people around forums were in an uproar for plastics. But it seemed to have been decided that if they couldn't make them look as good in plastic as they could in metal, that people would rather have the metals.

For the most part that is true. Have you seen the horrible facial detail on the plastic immolator driver head? Deplorable.

Only until recently has GW shown us that they are finally capable of doing a fairly decent amount of detail in plastic. Now that we have seen what the new dark elf plastics will look like, they sure as hell could make SOB's in plastic and quite possibly make them better than they were in metal.

That and bean counters see that the metals don't sell well (even though they very well might not be taking in the price it costs to build a huge force of them) so they wont tell the sculptors to design plastic models when a range shows poor selling. That is evinced by the OP's finding that they aren't as readily available as they should be.

fabbes wrote:A week later the stuff had arrived... with disturbing news, not a single "odd" model could be delivered since Sisters of Battle sells too bad so they had taken it out of production.

I'm calling BS on this, since about three weeks ago I had no trouble special ordering an assortment of SoB Melta, Flamer, Stormbolter, and a couple of blister packs. There doesn't seem to be any sign of the Soritas being taken out of production, and since it's an all metal army, it's very cheap to keep in production. I don't have any of the sales numbers offhand, but IIRC, they're selling better than Dark Eldar, who are the other perennial favorite for 'oh noes! GW is discontinuing them!' rumors.

As to why they haven't done SoB in plastic yet, like I said, metal is cheap to produce, high detail, and quite possibly they can get away with charging more for it. Setting up a new plastic production line is expensive, and I suppose not projected to be able to recoup its costs in a timely enough to make it a priority. People always say, 'I _know_ if they'd only do X in plastics, they'd make a fortune,' but never back up the dubious predictions of their gut with anything that can actually support an argument. Maybe when GW gets around to redoing the WH codex we'll see some new plastics, but why introduce a new plastic line out of sync with the rule release, when they could properly hype, and build up interest in the entire army line?

Antryg, maybe I just have low standards. I've seen the Immo pilot, and if that's the level of detail they can achieve in plastic, I'm fine with it. It looks good enough when painted.

Bookwrack:

As to why they haven't done SoB in plastic yet, like I said, metal is cheap to produce, high detail, and quite possibly they can get away with charging more for it. Setting up a new plastic production line is expensive, and I suppose not projected to be able to recoup its costs in a timely enough to make it a priority. People always say, 'I _know_ if they'd only do X in plastics, they'd make a fortune,' but never back up the dubious predictions of their gut with anything that can actually support an argument.

My argument is simple: it would sell as well as a minor "line," but it would only be one kit! Will SoBs ever outsell Marines? Of course not. However, will an SoB kit that serves as BSS squads, Celestians, Dominions and Retributors match up to, individually, the sales of Assault squads, Dreadnoughts, or SM or CSM Termies? Obviously I don't have sales data on hand, but I find it hard to believe that out of all the WH players out there, we won't buy enough sets of this one kit, which we need for every SoB squad but two, to equal CSM Termies.

And yet, despite your theory of a being a guaranteed money-maker, they still don't do it. Rather than assuming GW just hates money, my guess is that despite your rosy claims, the projected profits weighed against the costs of new models that will be of acceptable detail compared to the old ones, and offer enough variety to make them attractive to use as four different unit choices, plus being able to accept all the various gear for those units, and the new molds to make them in, vs the profits that the line is earning now (since essentially the only costs associated with it are metal, labor, and occasional new molds) does not make upgrading to plastic an immediately attractive choice.

Personally, I would be quite unhappy if the new models were a quality step downward from what we've currently got, even if on the upside they were plentiful and cheap.

My guess is that you will see a plastic Sisters kit, but only when a new codex version comes out. GW doesn't seem keen on releasing new minis without a new Codex, usually in one big pile, and then a trickle of new kits for a bit.

Still, I think they would sell quite a few for all the reasons tC pointed out.

I wonder what the chances are that if they put out plastic bodies with icky heads that some 3rd party like Pig Iron would make nifty metal heads. That would be cool.

I don't see GW making metal heads for plastic models though... mores the pity.

Detail: They still made plastic daemonettes. Everyone complained that they sucked compared to the metals, but look how many complainers have since gone on to buy them.

Variety: No variety is needed. BSS, Dominions, Celestians and Retributors all use the same models already. No reason to change that when going to plastic.

"Being able to accept all the various gear for those units": Sorry, what various gear? They all use exactly the same gear. Only the quantity differs.

What I don't get is how it can be that it's worth doing a plastic Immo sprue (instead of just selling the metal Immo turret + new Rhino) but not plastic BSS. Did that kit generate any additional sales at all?

I don't assume that GW is incompetent or hates money, but I also don't assume that experts are infallible.

I'm sure I read an interview with Jes Goodwin where he said that they weren't going to do plastic Sisters because they wouldn't be an improvement over the metal ones.

I am sure Jes Goodwin believes it, too, but does anyone honestly think that would be a barrier if the bean counters decided it would be a cash cow? Really, it's not like plastic Daemonettes improve on metal Daemonettes (if they do at all!) in a way that plastic Plaguebearers wouldn't improve on metal ones.

tegeus-Cromis wrote:"Being able to accept all the various gear for those units": Sorry, what various gear? They all use exactly the same gear. Only the quantity differs.

Heavy bolters, multi-melts, flamers, storm bolters, power weapons, eviscerators, and all that good stuff for the sister superiors.

And Wehrkind, of course GW is adverse to doing new releases without a codex to go with them. You want to build up enthusiasm for the upcoming releases, and get people excited and thinking about starting/expanding the upcoming army in the cycle. You don't get as good of a result going 'ork ork orks and oh yeah, some sisters, but mostly orks orks orks!'

i hate painting them, love playing them however i dont have time to.

SOB as a viable GT army in my eyes is a definate, the problem is knowing when to use your faith and when to save it for a rainy combat. and more often than not most people blast off their faith too quickly, another problem with sob are the many tempting unique units that are available, where similar to dark eldar, the bog standard troop are the most useful units in your arsenel.

anyway i blabber and more than likely about scarp that people dissagree with so hey! check the trade thread and catch ya all later.

I WANT PLASTICS!!!!!

I have shelved my sisters till they exist. It's just not worth paying full price or the exhorbitant EBay aftermarket for them anymore.

Anyway so my suggestion is one universal box for the troops and a new metal celestian box, kinda like those black templars with mustaches.

Bookwrack wrote:
I'm calling BS on this, since about three weeks ago I had no trouble special ordering an assortment of SoB Melta, Flamer, Stormbolter, and a couple of blister packs.

You dont have to acuse me of spreading BS, thats the answer i got when the stuff werent "Orderable".

Ive asked alot of retailers the last couple of days, and they all claim that they cant order the more special characters anymore, i asked for: Sisters Repentia, Sister w. Melta, Sister w. Heavy Bolter, Sister w. Imagifier, Exorcist, And the various Veterans and they all came back negative.

Though it seems that its still possible to do an GW > Customer order, though it will cost me a minor fortune and a half lifetime to get the stuff, but as they say... Warhammer is like crack, but more expensive.

Fabbe Out!