If asked why I buy GW minis I would echo James point above. When I go food shopping the reason I buy the more expensive Heinz beans over the cheaper store options is because I prefer the higher quality and I can afford them. I have often used the cars as an example I dont own a ferrari because the car is outside of my price range. That is a choice I make and yes you pay for the price of a Ferrari badge but it is a higher quality product. I dont hate ferrari because they make a product I cannot afford.

To make it clear I dont just buy GW products. Unlike the shopping example the reason we buy models is far more complex but often you are presented with choices at different price ranges. That is good for the hobby to have a choice.

Recently I was looking at foot knights models with a dual purpose in mind. To use in games like the old world and other games like the barons war, lion rampant etc. I had a lot of choice but I was looking for a classic older style knight which came down to two choices the GW foot knights or the wargames atlantic foot knight. The wargames models are half the price and get you a few more models so logically that is the easy choice ?

Well that is what I bought. They are nice models, they do the job. However they reason they are cheaper is very clear the models are a lot smaller than the GW knights. They are closer to true 28mm rather than heroic GW ones. You also notice the difference between the quality of the models is vast. The face details on the wargames models for example details such as ears are difficult to define on the models, the hairstyle is basic. the GW faces even on simple models often define mouth, gums, teeth, tounges. The shields on the wargames are flat lumps of plastic on the GW they have a lot more detail. The edges have a defined rim, they have a knight symbol on them, the rivets on the shield is moulded.

If you want to say what point does that make when you stand 3 feet away playing a game ? Your right none at all. If all you are concerned about is putting models on the table to play.

The hobby for a lot of people is much more than playing the game. It is about the hobby itself, the painting, and having an army great looking army. Hence the quality of the minis is a factor in that buying process. To suggest people are in a cult for choosing GW products or a cheaper range is just determined by the price is wrong. I cannot think of a company that produces the level of quality GW do in plastic at a price point that is vastly different.

The other point I would address is the cost of the hobby. Most hobby involve a fiscal outlay of some kind. If your into a sport the cost of the items to play that sport, the membership of the gym or paying to play golf. Over the years I have had different hobbies. Computer games is a popular one still that involves typically a console will cost 500, plus the games are 70 each these days. The average spend on a hobby is between 5% to 10% of your wage. It depends at which point you are in your life. If your just starting out at work or saving for ahouse then your budget will be much lower.

What I think makes this hobby value for money is how much you get out of the investment. I am still using the models I bought 35 years ago. Even if the models go out of production it is rare that I cannot use them in some form within a game. That is a factor in most of the choices that with reason the models will last me a lifetime. Hence spending a little more to get a higher quality product is a valued choice. The return i get back from the investment is so much more than the value of the goods.

It is for everyone to make that choice when they buy models. We have companies that offer a product. Your choice is the buy them or to choose something else. We should all be thankful that we have so many great companies offering so many different products at different range of quality and prices. To judge them just on price is not possible not all models are equal.