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So this is my theory on the cult codexs.

Facts
1)We have been told that they will be out some time in the future.
2)World Eaters is an example of one of them
3)Forge world has been coming out with awesome conversion kits for world eaters, WE terminators, Death gaurd, DG termis, and a Nurgle Sorc and Lord Zahlfur
4) previously forgeworld kits have become gw plastic kits (piranha, baneblade, and skyray) or are rumored to become plastic kits (stompa, Valkyrie, etc)
5)injection molding allows more detail on plastic that would otherwise be possible only with resin.

My conclusions, see if anyone agrees with me
GW is going to use the forgeworld kits, transfer them to plastic and use them as new releases for the new codex. From a logical standpoint this would make sense, designing the molds and master models takes money. Having forgeworld recoup the costs of model design before going into mass production would serve two purposes. Accurate enthusiasm and response to the new models could be gauged, and would cut costs(only design 1 model, produce less of them while recouping costs of design), and potential losses (if it fails there are only the forgeworld ones to take on as a loss, instead of the entire gw nation having plastic kits)

A couple things that led me to this conclusion...
1)it has been done before(see above)
2) the khorne termis are listed as WE terminators, even though there are currently no cult termis
3) there are no rules for Lord Zhulfor (that i am aware of) yet the model is coming out
4) it would make good business sense to use a "skimming" and limited production strategy, especially with how the economy is going.


tell me what you think.

Using Forgeworld as some kind of GW Prototyping lab makes a lot of sense in this penny pinching time. I would be interested to see how well various plastic kits sell - have GW ever spent a lot of money on dud kits that never sold very well? Take Forgeworld's DKoK line. My understanding is that it has sold extremely well, despite costing the Earth, making it a good candidate for GW mainstream acceptance, and a possible plastic kit. Then compare to, say, hypothetical imperial guard force Q (can't think off hand of a FW line that is known to have bombed), which didn't sell very well. Due to FW's production model, Q's failure is not that bad, and it'll never end up as a plastic kit. This could quite easily extend to rule too. if FW puts out their IA book with a fairly eclectic army list in it, and it turns out that the mechanic used was a huge success, this could end up winding it's way into mainstream acceptance.

Advantages of Forgeworld as GW's Prototype Division:

1. A healthier GW which is less likely to produce failed lines.
2. Hopefully, a GW which is more likely to branch into niche lines if they are proven sellers via Forgeworld. However, this could go two ways (see disadvantages)

Disadvantages

1. Forgeworld may become less likely to produce niche lines to instead focus on likely well selling products. Which means lots and lots of marine stuff, instead of the sometimes more interesting things we get now.
2. GW will only produce items which are proved to sell well, making everyone entirely at the mercy of the majority. You want some really niche line in mass production? It'll never happen.
3. Invalidation of the early adopters. So you've just spent eleventy billion pounds on your shiny Forgeworld DKoK army. Well, shame you did, as you could buy it all know for tuppence in plastic.

There is that.

Heard an interesting tidbit from my local Manager yesterday in passing, that Forgeworld have recently been in Japan assesing a Machine which can cast up Resin. If this works out (as in the machine can match the quality of hand pouring, and the requisite detail) we might see things at Forgeworld change somewhat, as right now due to the handcasting they are pretty limited in terms of output....

As for taking Forgeworld stuff and making it into plastics, I think thats a rarity. So far, we have only seen the Piranha and Skyray done (unless I'm being thick and missed something) neither of which, due to the Tau design ethos, were exactly hyperdetailed. The Khorne Lord mentioned is quite the opposite. Lots of very small details I don't think would turn out too well in plastic.

I'd like to see more of the Forgeworld stuff available in plastic - as long as it's of comparable detail. The DKoK resins are much better models, IMO, than the plastic Cadians and Catachans. Would re-sculpting for plastic automtically mean that they became big and clunky like the cadians???

I'd like my defunct Emperor's Children army to become useable again, but I can't see GW releasing separate legion codices. Wasn't Jervis' comment on this quite a throwaway remark, quite a while ago??

I think that FW and GW mainstream really complemet each other but forge world really need more products that focus on fluff and stuff (eg. more chapter pacific stuff, like more BT, or Ulthwe or Snikebites [yes i cant spell])

GCMandrake wrote:3. Invalidation of the early adopters. So you've just spent eleventy billion pounds on your shiny Forgeworld DKoK army. Well, shame you did, as you could buy it all know for tuppence in plastic.

*points at resin Baneblade and Stormblade*

Yeah I know how that feels. The rumours of a plastic Shadowsword and Valkyrie have stopped me from even thinking about buying the FW versions. Can't get bitten like that again.

BYE

its really not all that uncommon, though skimming is used mainly in electronics markets

look at the iphone, when it came out it was like $500, then it dropped, then it dropped again, then again, and again. each time the price dropped more people whoe weren't willing to pay the higher price bought it at the lower price. essentially what your paying the higher price for is time, you get it earlier than everyone else(ie your DkoK army is painted before anyone else has placed thier order)

GCMandrake wrote:3. Invalidation of the early adopters. So you've just spent eleventy billion pounds on your shiny Forgeworld DKoK army. Well, shame you did, as you could buy it all know for tuppence in plastic.

Hahaha..

If you want the cool whatnot first, then that is the price you pay for being an early adopter.

If you can wait, then you wait.

Look at anything else out there:
- automobiles? huge depreciation in the first year
- video games? $50+ new, $20 or less a year later
- MP3 players? cheaper and better every year
- computers? cheaper and faster every year

Why should this be different?

tylermenz wrote:look at the iphone, when it came out it was like $500, then it dropped, then it dropped again, then again, and again. each time the price dropped more people whoe weren't willing to pay the higher price bought it at the lower price. essentially what your paying the higher price for is time, you get it earlier than everyone else(ie your DkoK army is painted before anyone else has placed thier order)

It's kind've apples and oranges with that though - were the DKoK to be made in plastic they would get cheaper, but they would also be more user friendly kits, with flash and mould lines that weren't potentially hazardous to remove, far more options, easier to build, you wouldn't need super-glue and the chance of a miscast would drop significantly.

I very much doubt the iPhone got better as its price went down, where as plastic DKoK would be superior to resin ones in almost every way.

BYE

JohnHwangDD wrote:Look at anything else out there:
- automobiles? huge depreciation in the first year
- video games? $50+ new, $20 or less a year later

By that logic, shouldn't items like, for instance, Eldrad be going down in price?

BYE

Well if these codews do make a hit to the shelf'es then GW better not stuff em up like 3.5, and they better bring bak some of the old rules, e.g. 2wound TS.

BDA

JohnHwangDD wrote:

GCMandrake wrote:3. Invalidation of the early adopters. So you've just spent eleventy billion pounds on your shiny Forgeworld DKoK army. Well, shame you did, as you could buy it all know for tuppence in plastic.

Hahaha..

If you want the cool whatnot first, then that is the price you pay for being an early adopter.

If you can wait, then you wait.

Look at anything else out there:
- automobiles? huge depreciation in the first year
- video games? $50+ new, $20 or less a year later
- MP3 players? cheaper and better every year
- computers? cheaper and faster every year

Why should this be different?

Automobiles.....wear and tear, uncertain of how well treated and looked after. Plus, in the UK, the very second it is delivered to you or your pick it up, you knock the 17.5% VAT (Value Added Tax) off it, hence an instant depreciation.

Video Games. Sequels come out, more people have it, failed to live up to hype, other, newer titles pushing for your money.

MP3 players. March of technology right there matey. And to prevent market stagnation, older become cheaper, newer stay high. This helps to shift back stock of older models of player to make warehouse room for the new.

Computers, well, identical to MP3 Players. Plus, as more people buy them, the more parts can be made at one sitting (fear of quick obsoletion preventing high production of low volumes).

Iphones etc. Well, they get cheaper to sell more as you said, but as the *item* gets cheaper, the *contract* doesn't. Phone shops are rarely selling you the phone. The phone is just the worm on the contractual hook. The hype generated means people, stupidly, want the latest thing, and have their eyes blinkered to the 18 or 24 month minimum, £35 a month, PLUS calls contract they just signed on for. And if you try to rescind your contract, you can bet your arse they will charge you more for the phone than you paid when suddenly you meet it's full market value.

Models are a totally different kettle of fish. The more Resin Kits start appearing in Plastic, the fewer people will buy the Resin, thus sales fall, profits fall, output falls, development falls, and the whole thing becomes an exercise in futility.

i don't see how if more resin kits turn plastic it will negate the whole exercise.

Surely even the worst selling plastic kits far outstrip the sales of the most popular resins?