Archon Studio 40K(ish) 'Empire of Men' KS

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**Ketara**

Got a kickstarter here from Archon Studios with a lot of models that will almost coincidentally work well as Ogryns, Chimeras, and Russes.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geeksaw/778682775?ref=354445&token=3f338b67

**mightymconeshot**

I love these and the pricing. I may see myself picking some up if I ever finish a few more of my current armies.

**Scrub**

Thanks for posting this!

Must admit that for advertisement purposes Archon tick all of the boxes.
The quality of the product combined with the professional layout and conservative amount of 'unlocks' looks good and realistic enough that I'm willing to break my Kickstarter embargo, first (non digital) project in about 5 years!

I'll go and do a little digging on Archon Studios now but I must say, impressive looking stuff!

**Ruglud**

Archon Studios = Prodos Games...

**Elbows**

If that's true - god help them, lol.

**Mr_Rose**

Ruglud wrote:
Archon Studios = Prodos Games...

Truly? Oh well, it was a nice idea at least…

**Ruglud**

From one of the (rare) AvP Kickstarter updates (sent out some time back in 2016 I think)

Controversy about LOAD the miniatures game.
As there is a few questions about Archon Kickstarters, we would like to make the following statement.
Archon is a company set up by Prodos in 2014 to provide manufacturing services to Prodos only.
Archon LTD and Prodos Games LTD are separate LTD entities and therefore have separate accounts, structures and teams in place.
Prodos Games is an investor in Archon's structure.
Archon, between 2014 and 2016 has grown is strength from mono-customer manufacturer of miniatures to well know and established entity, providing services to more than 20 customers from industry.
It also helped via Prodos connections to provide miniatures for 12 other Kickstarters as well as well know names as:
Ninja Division, Mantic Games, Warlords Gates of Antares, TitanForge, MicroArt Studio, White Dragon Miniatures, Riverhorse, Steamforged Games, Freebooter Minatures, Infamy Miniatures, Age of Tyrants, Rycerze pustkowi, Shadowrun, Demigods Evolution, Norsgard, Miniature 13, Perditions Mouth, Wargamer, Hysterical Games, Awaken Realms, Troll Trader, Armoured Syndicate, Fregged Empire, Collision, hint The Game, Modiphious, Dungeon Saga, Apollo, Broken Contract, Purgatory, Smog Con, Nova open…
Prodos uses about 10% of Archon's manufacturing capabilities to provide Prodos products to the market.

**Scrub**

Thanks for saving me some cash, Ruglud!

**spiralingcadaver**

Ruglud wrote:
Archon Studios = Prodos Games...

Oh, thanks for saving me the time of even seriously looking at it. Even if I thought they'd changed and wasn't worried about becoming a victim of their latest project, I still wouldn't support a company that so regularly failed to deliver and treated their fans like trash.

**Nostromodamus**

Once again, Prodos/Archon make good product and I like these designs, but I will not support them seeing as I've been waiting years to receive AvP product and they have treated me like garbage in communications, on the rare occasion they've even responded at all.

**Ratius**

Wonderful designs - the little eagle and wolverine are awesome.
But having followed the AvP Trainwreck of Doom thread, a definite pass for me. Pity.

**Zywus**

The stormtroopers looks tempting. And at a decent price at about 2$ piece.

As mentioned though, it's Archon/Prodos. So I'm not prepared to trust them with any pre-order money.

If they do get made and then available through retailers, like Wayland etc, and I can trust that the retailer actually have the physical product already in stock; then I might be willing to pick some up.

**His Master's Voice**

You can tell it's Prodos because the snipers are dancing.

I guess they're burying Warzone, if those clear Bauhaus models are now marketed as 40k stand ins.

Maybe in another five or six years someone else will finally break the curse.

**BobtheInquisitor**

$20 for a not-Chimera is a must-buy, but why is the not-Leman Russ so much more expensive? C'mon, Prodos, if you're not going to deliver it anyway, surely you can go as low as $25.

Also, Stahlhelm troopers again? Really? Ask Wargames Factory and Dreamforge how big the market is for those.

**Theophony**

Well at least they are posting reasonable ship dates. The year in the pictures are 2147 and 2154

**inqscott**

When does this ks start?

**insaniak**

BobtheInquisitor wrote:

Also, Stahlhelm troopers again? Really? Ask Wargames Factory and Dreamforge how big the market is for those.

Dreamforge? I thought they had only done armored troops.

The Wargames Factory version sold pretty well, despite being rubbish figures (mostly because they are also really cheap) so I'm not sure what conclusions can be drawn from that.

**highlord tamburlaine**

For all the flak that Prodos gets and rightfully deserves, I've had all my Archon ( 2 for 2 now) related stuff delivered on time, communicated with regularly, and packed nice and securely.

I'll be in at least for some of those constructs.

**aka_mythos**

Scrub wrote:

Ruglud wrote:From one of the (rare) AvP Kickstarter updates (sent out some time back in 2016 I think)

Controversy about LOAD the miniatures game.
As there is a few questions about Archon Kickstarters, we would like to make the following statement.
Archon is a company set up by Prodos in 2014 to provide manufacturing services to Prodos only.
Archon LTD and Prodos Games LTD are separate LTD entities and therefore have separate accounts, structures and teams in place.
Prodos Games is an investor in Archon's structure.
Archon, between 2014 and 2016 has grown is strength from mono-customer manufacturer of miniatures to well know and established entity, providing services to more than 20 customers from industry.
It also helped via Prodos connections to provide miniatures for 12 other Kickstarters as well as well know names as:
Ninja Division, Mantic Games, Warlords Gates of Antares, TitanForge, MicroArt Studio, White Dragon Miniatures, Riverhorse, Steamforged Games, Freebooter Minatures, Infamy Miniatures, Age of Tyrants, Rycerze pustkowi, Shadowrun, Demigods Evolution, Norsgard, Miniature 13, Perditions Mouth, Wargamer, Hysterical Games, Awaken Realms, Troll Trader, Armoured Syndicate, Fregged Empire, Collision, hint The Game, Modiphious, Dungeon Saga, Apollo, Broken Contract, Purgatory, Smog Con, Nova open…
Prodos uses about 10% of Archon's manufacturing capabilities to provide Prodos products to the market.

Thanks for saving me some cash, Ruglud!

Am I missing something. I read this and came to the exact opposite conclusion you are. The jist is that they are run separately and the relationship is that Prodos is a customer and shareholder and not the one running this. This is a good thing. This a reason to spend.

BobtheInquisitor wrote:$20 for a not-Chimera is a must-buy, but why is the not-Leman Russ so much more expensive? C'mon, Prodos, if you're not going to deliver it anyway, surely you can go as low as $25.

First, separate company from Prodos and with a better track record. Second, I think the Little Eagle looks wider than the Wolverine, it probably has more weapon options, and I wouldn't be surprised if its simply not as hollow of a model.

**RiTides**

Guys, I understand the angst about Prodos, and they deserve it - but note that I split a pledge for the LOAD board game from Archon, and it delivered well with extremely nice miniatures.

So, the posts about backing this resulting in a loss are probably not accurate. I just wanted to clarify that... (please also note that I backed AvP and endured that pain, but seriously, if you can stomach backing them this is likely to deliver well, just as LOAD did).

**Azreal13**

This is the important bit..

Prodos Games is an investor in Archon's structure

Alongside their declaration that they created the company, one could assume their share is pretty substantial, unless they borrowed heavily to do it (which has its own potential issues.) As a consequence, what is good for Archon will be good for Prodos, financially speaking, so if somebody wishes to avoid supporting Prodos, then they need to avoid supporting Archon, even if Archon hasn't got the same track record as Prodos.

**ArtIsGreat**

Shotgun is big as a person, well done

**warboss**

I can't reward a company with purchases that did what Prodos did just because they created a new company under a relative's name and transferred assets (but not debts) while the same staff at both remain unfriendly to their earlier and still current unfortunately customers. I was interested until I saw the Archon/Prodos name.

**mrondeau**

RiTides wrote:
Guys, I understand the angst about Prodos, and they deserve it - but note that I split a pledge for the LOAD board game from Archon, and it delivered well with extremely nice miniatures.

So, the posts about backing this resulting in a loss are probably not accurate. I just wanted to clarify that... (please also note that I backed AvP and endured that pain, but seriously, if you can stomach backing them this is likely to deliver well, just as LOAD did).

It's still Prodos, meaning that they will just throw backers under the bus if there's any problem. If you back this, you are literally assuming 100% of the risk, with basically no recourse when Prodos decide to just steal your money and give you literally nothing.
The fact that they got lucky with their latest scam does not mean that they have changed. The fact that they are using the number one tactic of scammers, creating a new company, is a clear sign that they know what they are doing, and that they are trying to fool people.

**ArtIsGreat**

Haha, so many brave heroes courageously standing their ground against this toy company.

**insaniak**

ArtIsGreat wrote:
Haha, so many brave heroes courageously standing their ground against this toy company.

What a peculiar thing to say.

I really like the Wolverine. Might have to look it up if it ever makes it to retail.

**RiTides**

warboss wrote:
I can't reward a company with purchases that did what Prodos did just because they created a new company under a relative's name and transferred assets (but not debts) while the same staff at both remain unfriendly to their earlier and still current unfortunately customers. I was interested until I saw the Archon/Prodos name.

That's totally fair, and I actually only backed LOAD as a test to see what the miniatures looked like.

But I also think it's fair to point out that Mierce Miniatures did the same thing (made a new company and transferred assets but not debts) and they fulfill their campaigns very well.

With Archon, there is a lot of incentive to get it right this time, just like there was with Mierce, and so I think the "doom" posts are not accurate. I said the same thing about LOAD... I've backed over 400 KS and these are not ones I'd flag as high risk (because they do production in house, and again have many incentives to actually fulfill these well under Archon) whereas campaigns that are much riskier I see people flocking to back!

I think the real problem people have with them is that they are disreputable (and a bit rude!). But again, both could also have been said of Mierce, and they really turned it around given the chance to start over (but, unfortunately, didn't make good on past debts - although I'm not sure how feasible it was to do so).

**Mymearan**

I do hope anyone denouncing Prodos on moral grounds has never bought anything from Mierce!

Edit: ah, it's already been pointed out.

**Sidstyler**

I don't see the problem in giving people a warning, at least; certainly not to the point where I would mock people and post heavy sarcasm implying that said people are silly or stupid for it. Kickstarter is risky to begin with, but I would greatly appreciate knowing before I pledge whether or not the company I'm about to give money to has ripped people off in the recent past.

Archon may be 2/2 so far, but likewise Prodos had a successful KS in Warzone before the (still ongoing) fiasco that was AVP. As far as I know Warzone delivered and there weren't too many complaints about it, at least. While I wouldn't say that previous success and fulfillment is meaningless, it's still good to know who you're dealing with and having that in the back of your mind when you're dropping sometimes hundreds of dollars on these companies, with no guarantee that they'll deliver and no real legal recourse if things do go tits up.

And no, I haven't bought anything from Mierce, actually. I watched that Maelstrom gak as it happened and decided I didn't want to give that company my money. Nothing against people who do, I personally just don't wanna take the risk or knowingly support a company that's engaged in that kind of behavior, and just hopes that people either don't remember or don't care anymore.

**insaniak**

Sidstyler wrote:

And no, I haven't bought anything from Mierce, actually. I watched that Maelstrom gak as it happened and decided I didn't want to give that company my money. Nothing against people who do, I personally just don't wanna take the risk or knowingly support a company that's engaged in that kind of behavior, and just hopes that people either don't remember or don't care anymore.

Pretty much in the same boat. I love a lot of Mierce's range, but just can't bring myself to give them money after the Maelstrom mess.