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Post by flammablehero on Aug 8, 2019 2:03:11 GMT
I'm just curious where everyone goes to find models, used/old/out-of-production models? I've looked on FB Marketplace, Ebay, Craigslist, the usual places with mixed results. Where have people found the best results? I found this website (https://www.nobleknight.com/) that occasionally sell OOP models, but also sells alternative models that aren't GW, but could easily pass. Has anyone tried this? In particular, this caught my eye: www.nobleknight.com/P/2147670031/Dwarf-Mega-ArmyThese look like they're from a company called Mantic: www.manticgames.com/They seem to have a lot of GW-inspired models. The look like most of them come on 20mm bases. Has anyone tried these before? Are they worthwhile? How do people feel about non-GW models?
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Post by grandmasterwang on Aug 8, 2019 4:44:51 GMT
Mantic is 90% Games Workshop inspired models. They started as basic, cheap Warhammer Fantasy proxy models. I'm fine with non GW models so long as they are painted. Variety is the spice of life and GW no longer focusses on Fantasy.
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Post by gregr on Aug 8, 2019 5:33:41 GMT
I quite like some of the Mantic stuff although I'm not too keen on some of their human models. They're a good way for bulking out troops though.
One thing they do have going is that their Orcs look more like GW Orcs than most which tend to go with a LoTR vibe.
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Post by Horace on Aug 8, 2019 6:41:37 GMT
For GW I have primarily used EBay and trading segments of forums. Also a little bartertown. I've checked fb marketplace and other similar stuff but never found anything worthwhile.
Patience is required for all of these. For difficult to obtain bits I found forums the best place - for example I sourced ~50% of my Big hat Chaos Dwarfs from chaos dwarf online trading section
I really don't mind people using other miniature suppliers or whatever takes their fancy but I personally tend to stick to GW (preferably metal GW)
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Post by mottdon on Aug 8, 2019 14:08:46 GMT
I typically use eBay since what I'm usually looking for are bits and pieces. Occasionally, I'll see a good deal on a lot purchase, comprised of roughly assembled or painted models that someone clearly threw together years ago when their friends were into playing, and then they got left in storage for years. That's the stuff I usually keep an eye out for.
The FB trading pages I've seen usually consist of bulk lot sales from people who know what they have and over-value the costs of those minis. That's why I don't usually look there very often. They're always wanting more than I want to spend and my collection is already large enough that I just don't feel like putting in an effort to barter.
As for alternative minis, such as Mierce or Avatars of War, I usually end up looking on eBay for those as well, since they are usually slightly cheaper (I look for free shipping) and somewhere close to home, so that I get it fairly quickly. I've heard so many nightmare stories about ,mostly European based companies, having so much trouble getting their orders overseas in a timely fashion, so eBay is my way around that. The only things I've ever had to wait a long time on, have been Kickstarter campaigns and that's to be expected. You know you're playing the long game when dealing Kickstarter.
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Post by sedge on Aug 8, 2019 19:32:49 GMT
For OOP GW models I mainly use ebay. It's not cheap most the time, but patience is key. If you wait long enough, you can get most models at a reasonable enough price.
I used to be quite wedded to only using GW models, but over the last few years have drifted away from that approach. While I still love GW models and continue to buy them, I also get a lot from other companies - Avatars of War and Mierce are just a couple. If I come across a model I like, the price is reasonable and the quality is good enough, then that's usually enough for me to justify buying it. There are plenty of GW alternatives out there - I've got a few threads running in this forum for miniature releases for other companies, which are a good place to start looking.
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Post by gregr on Aug 8, 2019 20:09:45 GMT
Sedges lists are great for new releases, gives me some great inspiration.
Like others here, I'm less wedded to the idea of only using GW figs than before. In addition to the ones above, Warlord and Perry do some great humans although they're true scale rather than heroic scale so are ever so slightly smaller.
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Post by knoffles on Aug 9, 2019 6:48:41 GMT
It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on Mantic as although some of their earlier models aren’t to my taste aesthetically, 3rd edition is about to be launched and they are releasing quite a few new models to go with it. Their new Northern Alliance human models do look very good (pic is about half way down the post): manticblog.com/2019/08/07/kings-of-war-third-edition-shadows-in-the-north/
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Post by gregr on Aug 9, 2019 7:31:00 GMT
They'd make a nice alternative to Norscans if you didn't want all of your Norscans to look like weird versions of Conan!
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Post by mottdon on Aug 9, 2019 10:10:25 GMT
Or a great start to a Kislev army!
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Post by gregr on Aug 9, 2019 11:43:41 GMT
Oh yes! Really nice sculpts if that pic is anything to go by looking forward to them coming out!
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Post by sedge on Aug 9, 2019 16:39:11 GMT
I have a very poor opinion of Mantic from a couple of kits I got in the past. They seem incapable of designing non "goofy" looking models, and the mould lines are like 90's GW (even though I think their plastic is cast by Renedra). To describe their models as a "poor man's GW" would be generous - they weren't even good enough to be a cheapo alternative.
It looks like their model design has improved given what Knoffles linked to, but if you're picking their stuff up for the first time, I'd suggest starting with a single kit to see what you think of it before investing in a full army from them.
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Post by gregr on Aug 9, 2019 17:08:58 GMT
I have a very poor opinion of Mantic from a couple of kits I got in the past. They seem incapable of designing non "goofy" looking models, and the mould lines are like 90's GW (even though I think their plastic is cast by Renedra). To describe their models as a "poor man's GW" would be generous - they weren't even good enough to be a cheapo alternative. It looks like their model design has improved given what Knoffles linked to, but if you're picking their stuff up for the first time, I'd suggest starting with a single kit to see what you think of it before investing in a full army from them. The shieldbreakers I got from them look all ok. Although I've not put them together yet! I think I'm going to use them for some OnG. I also think I'll pick up some of their Basilean paladins to use as great weapon humans
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Post by mottdon on Aug 9, 2019 17:57:11 GMT
I've gotten a horde of something like 50 Mantic Skeletons as one of my TK units, and they look fine to me. I only spent as much time as I do with GW models cleaning them.
When it comes to characters, though, I'd probably stick with other companies.
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