Big News As Games Workshop Move Into Toy & Model Shops
January 27, 2016 by brennon
It looks like Games Workshop have taken a very interesting turn and seem to be moving their product into Toy and Model shops with their Build & Paint series of kits...
These images come from the Nuremburg Toy Fair and have been hosted by Tiny Plastic Spacemen and found by Chris Smith. You can find some more of the images from the announcement HERE.
It looks like these kits have been made with first time hobbyists in mind with simple kits and a collection of paints and blues with which to paint your models. This is certainly an interesting twist in the Games Workshop saga.
Blood Bowl In 2017
As well as the news about the Build & Paint range we also got some images in showing off that Blood Bowl is coming in 2017. This means the game is still quite the way off but it gives them plenty of time to get stuck into the rules. You can see the announcement for that HERE.
13th Company Rules & Models
On top of that the Space Wolves are getting a big update over the next few weeks with some rules for the 13th Company showing up AND the rules for them HERE.
I'm not sure on the models quite yet but I certainly like the coming of the 13th Company back into Warhammer 40,000.
What do you think of the news?
"It looks like these kits have been made with first time hobbyists in mind with simple kits and a collection of paints and blues with which to paint your models..."
Supported by (Turn Off)
Supported by (Turn Off)
Supported by (Turn Off)
@grimwolfuk bet you to this one guys.
http://www.beastsofwar.com/groups/warhammer-40000/forum/topic/40k-into-toy-model-shops/
Thanks Zog 🙂
I think the “Airfix style” kits are a great idea by GW, love that they have the Art on the front of the boxes too.
Betrayal at calth
Specialist games
Great value starter boxes
These kits
GW seem to be on a roll with good ideas
Looks at the New wulfen…..well the good stuff couldn’t last forever 🙁
Wonder if they will end up back in argos and tays r us, bought by original 40k second box from tiys r us back in the day think it was only £30 in the sale…
Interesting move thought by gw guess that’s the xwing antidote
I’m not sure whether to be happy or sad. I remember when toy shops used to have tons of plastic model kits (Revell, Italeri). These days it’s a miracle if you can find anything that isn’t one of those godawful easy-click kits. Then again … the gamer in me likes the fact that just maybe we’ll get to see proper wargames in toyshops. Although I’ve seen the WH40k starter box (IIRC it even was the Dutch version). Of course the real problem is that the people in those toy stores are unlikely to even know the game, which kind of… Read more »
Back in day in US they sold gunpla in toy stores during high point of Gundam’s popularity in mid 90’s. It was back when Toonami showed Gundam Wing.
I can see the logic in this move on the part of GW – essentially, it amounts to ‘get ’em while they’re young’. They are probably hoping to expose more people, and especially kids, to wargaming through more mainstream outlets with relatively low entry bar sets, and then rely on the likelihood that a proportion of them will carry the war gamer gene (so to speak) and will get hooked in the longer term.
I imagine that a comparatively easy to learn rule set like AoS may be a part of the same strategy.
I think this is an excellent move. I got into the game by buying the second edition 40k boxed set in Toymaster. I knew nothing of the game but was amazed at the box art.
great idea needed to happen years ago, i dont think it will work for its intended demographic (children) though if the price point isnt below that of a £25 xbox or ps4 game they can probably pickup in the same store or just down the street :S
I don’t meant this in a horrible way, but sometimes parents want their children to do something that doesn’t involve them sitting in front of a TV. I’m sure some of us got a big Lego kit at Christmas, and then spent that day with one of the parents putting it together. Some will see this as an opportunity to get their child away from a computer / tv screen / ipad, and perhaps do something together, either helping put the models together, painting, or even perhaps getting to play a nice simple game together. I’ve got a little girl… Read more »
i wasnt aiming the comment at nursery aged children more to kids that are getting pocket money, so its either buy this and build it and potentially not have another friend who plays it or collects them or its buy the latest call of duty an jump on with your friends, i really hope it works but ive got dark vengence sitting there for my nephew bought with the exact intent you stated and its all still in the box…
I think it’s amazing. My kids are still clumsy enough that I cringe at giving them the actual models, and am always worried about the condition they might end up in with a game or two.
Cheaper options for younger hands and skillsets that are to scale and style of the full kits … sign me up! They want to do the same hobby that dad does, and this is a great option.
The $40 price points are silly … GW is not a product for “kids” … it is a product for middle aged men with lots of disposable income and more nostalgia than they can deny >;) … (I know I have been one on and off for years … )
It’s a strange way to think. Getting newer generations into wargaming keeps it a thing. The middle aged men didn’t start gaming/collecting when they became middle aged men. They started when they were kids, as did I, and I’m guessing here, many of us. I was introduced in the early nineties with Space Crusade from Toys R Us.
I could understand if they were shifting all their models to be ‘kid kits’ but they’re not. They’re making the range easier to get into without being an affluent middle aged man or the child of wealthy parents.
Hardly kits “made” for new hobbists. The terminators are from Space Hulk 2nd ed. The trukk is from old, as is the bike, and everything else. What is good is using what are dated, and simple to put together kits, and using them as hobby intros. Good luck to them I say. Hopefully they will grow the grass roots and then in turn we might see better price points on sets, and perhaps even sales!
Seems like a good move on GW’s part – not only is it a chance to draw in new, young blood, but if they keep the prices down, it might help draw old customers back by making it more affordable (still pricy, but cheaper than the full kits). I can also see them doing well with those who want something quick and easy to bulk out their existing army/units, those who don’t want all the extra bits that come in the regular sets and those who have a mountain of bits from the regular sets gathering dust in the bits… Read more »
I think the price point is too high compared to other entry level models on the market. Take the Space Marine bike marked at $15. At my local model shop I can get a Bandai High Grade Gundam kit that the plastic comes molded in the correct colors so no need to paint, is snap together, sticker decal sheet, and model is fully posable once assembled for the same price.
They cant quite control their overpricing, not even when the main idea is “entry” or “starter”.
So basically they’re following Warlord’s example…
I’d recognise the ol’ GorkaMorka trukk anywhere… This could be a good move to get younger people interested, maybe the multiple series is designed for them to build an army, each new series being an addition to it as you go and you build and paint at a set pace. As @vetruviangeek says, maybe GW will release a “simple 40K” rules sheet as well at some point so kids can get playing with these models. Maybe they are thinking about a 40K boardgame for kids. As for Blood Bowl, the 2017 release date makes sense. I seem to recall when… Read more »
Regarding Blood Bowl, what do you guys think they will do rules-wise? I’d be happy if they were kept the same. Do you think they will create new rules altogether, or keep the old rules and streamline them?
I suspect there won’t be any great changes to the rules. At best a sprucing up of the kind that 3e Space Hulk got. I personally think it is a little dated and could do with being streamlined, but the brand is strong and GW don’t place a big priority on rules so I’m not sure the incentive is there to do much with it.
I think GW will just use the latest living rule book for BB. Perhaps seem some point tweeks here and there (like you saw in the recent BB game; eg; human catchers); maybe reduce the costs of some of the big guys? I certainly don’t expect any radical changes because the game is mostly fine.* *One thing the computer games has shown, is that it wasn’t designed around how many games you could potentially cram in finding opponents all the time. If I never see another Dwarf (I honestly think they deserve a nerf in how sturdy they are) or… Read more »
I think if child with parents walk into a toy shop and see a GW model for say £30 ands some thing similar on a nearby shelf for £15 and the child is interested and the parent knowing what children are like and will probably change their mind in what their interested by next week I think the parent will persuade them that the one at the lower price is just as good
Toy shops? And so it begins…
It began long before that I’m afraid.
You have no idea what I was talking about so stop trying to look smart!
…tell me.
See, not a scooby-doo!
Nothing new, here in Sweden my local toy shop has been stocking GW for years.
At horrendous prices no doubt .. let me guess, Leklust? I have no idea how they sell anything GW at those prices, especially when it makes anything lego and brio seem reasonably priced.
No, not Leklust. But still, expensive as hell.
Although I do belive that the local toy shop is real culprit in this case.
What’s that? Ork helicopters! It’s been some time since I seen them and I hate having to go on ebay to find them. This may be better than they planned 😉
I’m not surprised by anything GW does any more. Disappointed, certainly, but not surprised. It’s like they can’t find that magic elixir of success these days, and are flailing around in isolation trying to find something that will sell, rather than making better models at a better price, along with a proper rules set to go with them… just like all their competitors are doing. Could the solution be more obvious, and yet so elusive?
Totally agree, but AoS is proper evidence they are capable of anything and cant be trusted with any of their on IPs
I’d say AoS is proof that they are finally willing to take risks again like in the old days. That is a good thing overall. Shame this time AoS could be seen as a miss on the payback scale on that risk they took.
AoS is a bit what Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 is to that franchise .. not really understanding what makes it great and generally being abominations, insisting on carrying the name of the original. The suits who thought AoS was a good idea probably didnt think they were taking a risk at all, based on their limited care and understanding of the old world. I could be wrong but its the feeling im getting from the whole thing.
With the exception of brand power pushing wargaming with something like X-Wing, the vast majority of GW competitors rely entirely on there already being a pedigree of wargamers discovering them. As nice as the starter sets for Infinity, or Flames of War, or any of a dozen others are they are still not distributed enough in product penetration, nor do most of them have the brand recognition to stand alone outside of the industry and bring people in. IMO, GW, and FFG/Asmodee, have the only level of both brand recognition and distribution channels to actually invest in alternative markets that… Read more »
All things considered I think this is a good move for GW and will be interested to see how it goes
I’m sorry but my only comment is “sono alla frutta”, so we say in Italy…
I agree with some others that this isn’t a great hobby to try to reach kids with. We are living in the golden age of boardgames. For the same price as GW kits you can buy a boardgame that can be played with 5 other people. Its low effort and with online reviews and tutorials its low risk.
When you buy into the wargame hobby, particularly GWs, youare buying into more than just that box if you want to use it on a tabletop. I can’t imagine American bix box retailers carrying anything like this.
An affordable space crusade:ish title, it could be that simple .. but GW wouldnt be able to hold back on the 150$ price tag.
In purely business sense maybe what GW need to do is produce a 10 or 20 part cartoon series akin to TNMT or Transformers so kids can see the idea of 40K on TV
I think they will find it hard competing with things like Star Wars in the shops over the next few years
They could always trow some money and support at the lord inquisitor to get that finished faster .. not that its a kid show but it looks like something that could appeal to sci-fi fans in general and generate interest in 40k. If we are talking about a GW taking risks then thats money worth risking imo.
Terminators and a dreadnaught for £25, I could go for that… Don’t really care if they’re old school minis….it’s a lot cheaper than the current range from the GW store