wallacer:
http://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/?p=9698#more-9698
and also here:
confrontation.fr
hal:
I don’t understand, is it due to the lack of sales of the AT-143 game (not too sure what it’s called).
I don’t really collect Rackham minis, it’s something I just haven’t gotten around to doing, but it would be very sad to see them go under.
Thommy H:
As I understand it, it’s a combination both of poor AT-43 sales in Europe, and the fact that they’re changing their entire product line to pre-painted plastics which will require a certain amount of investment that their sales figures don’t support.
That last bit is the worst news as far as I’m concerned - if Rackham, who have always prided themselves on producing the highest quality figures on the market, can move into pre-paints, then why not any other figure company? It’ll be a dark day if GW ever goes down this route, as some are predicting.
Dracomancer:
As I understand it, it's a combination both of poor AT-43 sales in Europe, and the fact that they're changing their entire product line to pre-painted plastics which will require a certain amount of investment that their sales figures don't support.But why make the models prepainted plastics, surely the fact that AT-43 isn't selling should prove to Rackham that metal minis are the way to go, I mean, I'm never going to play confrontation, but I might buy a mini to paint up for a warhammer army, or even just a showpiece, how am I supposed to do that if all i'm getting is some shoddy bit of stained plastic, it is a sod to strip things like that y'know? :mad :mad :mad
Thommy H
Thommy H:
AT-43 doesn’t sell incredibly well, but it sells better than the metal figures…
They know where the money is, but they’re going to alienate a lot of people by disregarding one fanbase in favour of another. People who buy pre-paints will probably buy unpainted figures, but I know a lot of people (myself included) who are philosophically opposed to buying stuff that’s badly painted in some Chinese factory masquerading as gaming figures.
AGPO:
But why make the models prepainted plastics, surely the fact that AT-43 isn't selling should prove to Rackham that metal minis are the way to go, I mean, I'm never going to play confrontation, but I might buy a mini to paint up for a warhammer army, or even just a showpiece, how am I supposed to do that if all i'm getting is some shoddy bit of stained plastic, it is a sod to strip things like that y'know?But one mini per warhammer collector won't keep them going. Pre-painted minis can be sold as pure and simple toy soldiers more easily, and its a last desperate move by some smaller producers. GW are too strong in the market to go under in that way.