pre-painted miniatures?

why does he buy them? hes never actually going to makethem and there is not much of a market for second hand still-in-the-packet unmade models is there?
 
lastbesthope said:
Matt once mentioned 3-D counters as a possibility, though he may have been winding me up.

LBH

Hmmm I think they already do 3-D counters.... they are called models....
 
why does he buy them? hes never actually going to makethem and there is not much of a market for second hand still-in-the-packet unmade models is there?
Actually there is. Most hobby stuff holds its value to a reasonable second hand degree on Ebay. :)
I sold some surplus Centauri and Abbai last week 8)
 
Valen is my name said:
why does he buy them? hes never actually going to makethem and there is not much of a market for second hand still-in-the-packet unmade models is there?

As I've said before, I wouldn't be able to build the models at all if I didn't own them. this way i'm keeping my options open.

And technically I have 'built' an avenger, 4 Chronos, and every aux craft I own.

EDIT: And a Morshin, musn't forget that one.

LBH
 
I remember the day AOG went under and they had a sale of their entire inventory - for one price you could own every B5 miniature they made. I didn't have the money then, but I regretted it until I found ACTA. Now I'm buying because I'm a modeler, a gamer and a fan.

Like any hobby it's about collecting. These things have and will continue to have value among people like me.
 
This is a shame. Last I heard they were still considering pre-painted miniatures, guess I missed this news. 2nd Edition would have been the perfect time for it too. This game is doing well, but it now has as large a fanbase as it will ever have. Prepainted could have brought some more people into the game, as well as provided Mongoose with something new to release, because let's be honest, there isn't really anything that's needed.

I guess the vocal but small percentage of players who post on this board got their way. It's too bad because Mongoose is throwing away an opportunity.

Counter-Arguement One: We would be sacrificing the ability to customize our fleets through kitbashing and unique paint schemes. Is this not half the fun of playing a miniatures wargame in the first place?

Let's see... the entire line has already been released in metal. As long as the scale didn't change I think you already got everything you're going to anyway.

I enjoy painting and kitbashing, but it's not the main draw of the hobby for me and can sometimes be annoying. I have enough time to go full bore on one game at a time... for me that game is generally BattleTech. The paint schemes in the B5 universe are pretty much laid out anyway. This is one game I really feel no need to do it myself. And for those who do feel the need they can strip the paint and start over. Not a big deal.

Counter-Argument Two: We already have counters for grab-and-go gaming. The counters have the added avantage of being thin and storable in small plastic baggies. You do not require a huge box or bin to cart them around.

I think counters lose something visually, but maybe that's just me. :roll:

Not an alternative for me. It's ironic I know with me being a BattleTech player. :D

Counter-Arguement Three: Pre-painted minis would compete for precious shelf-space at the retailer's. Since retailers who would carry these pre-painted minis would probably put them alongside existing ACTA product, the game would be competing with itself for shelf space.

Let the method that makes the most profit win!

*sighs* A Call to Arms is the only Mongoose game I am interested in. So of course almost every other single miniature game of theirs EXCEPT B5 is getting the pre-painted minitatures I was hoping for.

Well it's Mongoose's game. They can do whatever they want I suppose. If they don't think A Call to Arms is worth the effort then I guess it isn't.

A shame though.
 
I have yet to see a pre-painted miniature that I would be interested in buying let alone playing with. Of course I have 20 years of painting miniatures under my belt and are therefore probably a bit fussier than the average newbie gamer. When pre-paints begin to equate to what I think is the minimum acceptable standard then I might switch.

Still if I eventually feel the need to get someone else to paint my figures for me I will probably get one of the companies in Sri Lanka to do it for me. Been tempted but have yet to commit.... yet!
 
Grand Admiral said:
This is a shame. Last I heard they were still considering pre-painted miniatures, guess I missed this news. 2nd Edition would have been the perfect time for it too.

Assuming you would want to post-pone 2nd ed release by...Oh 2-3 years?

because let's be honest, there isn't really anything that's needed.

How come they have heaps of ships in release schedelude for this spring then?

There's always something they can add.

Let's see... the entire line has already been released in metal.

Line that keeps expanding.

The paint schemes in the B5 universe are pretty much laid out anyway.

Nah. There's no paint polices around forcing you to paint them in certain way.

Let the method that makes the most profit win!

And Mongoose would be losing profit for competing with itself...

Not to mention the huge cost(and time) it would take to go for pre-painted route.

They have BF:Evo and SST:Evo. Adding 3rd new pre-painted line would be begging for disaster so until those slow down(over year from now) that would be dangerous to say the least. Then it would take...Oh years to release everything in pre-painted. Count the different units in ACTA and divide that by 6. That's how many months I would expect it to take...
 
polemarch said:
I have yet to see a pre-painted miniature that I would be interested in buying let alone playing with. Of course I have 20 years of painting miniatures under my belt and are therefore probably a bit fussier than the average newbie gamer. When pre-paints begin to equate to what I think is the minimum acceptable standard then I might switch.

Still if I eventually feel the need to get someone else to paint my figures for me I will probably get one of the companies in Sri Lanka to do it for me. Been tempted but have yet to commit.... yet!

Then its quite simple.... what do you do with your shinny metal figures before you paint them..... you undercoat them.... why not just do that with pre-paints if you don't like the default paint schemes and know you can do a better job yourself.....

Let those of us with no intrest in painting (or painting skills) like myself buy pre-painted...

If anyone wants to personalise their own ships by picking out detail, inking dry brushing and whatever else there is nothing to stop them....
 
cordas said:
Then its quite simple.... what do you do with your shinny metal figures before you paint them..... you undercoat them.... why not just do that with pre-paints if you don't like the default paint schemes and know you can do a better job yourself.....

Have you ever tried painting onto some of the pre-paint plastics out there? A lot of the pre-paints I've seen/used are also a cheaper/softer plastic than unpainted ones and are often not suited to painting. Not having experience of Evo or SST, I don't know what Mongoose's are like.

cordas said:
Let those of us with no intrest in painting (or painting skills) like myself buy pre-painted...

A*se about face there - you have the counters if you don't want to paint :) and as Polemarch says, there are plenty of people waiting to take some money off you if you don't want to do it.
 
Like the man said, pre-painted plastics are a vast undertaking. The ACtA line is all metal at the moment, so they need to completely replace the entire product range. Why do that? For a few people moaning they don't want to paint their own models? Not worth the vast investment. Even if they could get decent pre-painted models, which remains to be seen...
 
Grand Admiral said:
This is a shame. Last I heard they were still considering pre-painted miniatures, guess I missed this news. 2nd Edition would have been the perfect time for it too. This game is doing well, but it now has as large a fanbase as it will ever have. Prepainted could have brought some more people into the game, as well as provided Mongoose with something new to release, because let's be honest, there isn't really anything that's needed.

I guess the vocal but small percentage of players who post on this board got their way. It's too bad because Mongoose is throwing away an opportunity.

"A small but vocal minority" - sorry, did we have a referendum on this - any numbers? Or is it your interpretation of postings on the boards over the years?

Seriously if there is a poll out there I didn't see let me know and I'll happy cast my vote!
 
Hi

I personly think half the enjoyment of the hobby is building and painting the models

There is nothing like spending all that time painting your model, adding all the details then using it in a game and seeing it destroyed in turn 1 - yes this happens to me all the time, but I keep coming back for more (I day I will have my victory)

PS

No I am not a sadist!
 
I started out with the pre-painted plastic minis. Specifically, MageKnight from back in the day. I bought some of the D&D minis when they came out. I buy a few here and there still, but not many anymore.

There is just no comparison between the pre-painted plastics and the Do-It-Yourself miniatures. The detail is much greater in even the non-painted plastic models, and flat out insane in the newer metal models.

There is also something rather primal about taking an unbuilt and unpainted miniature and transforming it into the finished item. When the miniature is done, it is something uniquely yours, for good or ill. You've just invested a piece of yourself into this tiny little thing. It's a very personal sort of investiture. You just don't get that with mass-manufactured pre-painted minis.

[EDIT] And besides, I've tried repainting and customizing prepainted stuff... the paint doesn't stick too well to the minis.
 
I feel that most miniature gamers are into the games for the modeling and painting as much as the games. There is something to be said for putting your figures on the table or posting to a forum and letting others enjoy your labors. I enjoy the games but also like to paint and do a little modeling. The people that go out buy figures and put a coat of primer on the fig and play to me are just gamers. There is nothing wrong with that but for the most part I feel that a greater percentage of us are miniature wargamers that like the modeling and painting. That would be why MGP and other manufacturers put out unpainted figures. Just my 2 cents.
 
Hmmm whilst I know a few Gamers who take great pleasure and pride in painting their minatures (and a couple can even do some stunning paint jobs) most of the ones I know regard painting as a chore and something they would rather not do.....

In my experience the ones who love the painting and modeling are in the minority.
 
Hmm I have been silent on this as I am VERY new to the game myself, and I honestly see the logic in the argements for BOTH. my personal prefrence would also however be for pre-paints as I have NO intrest in this portion of the game, I will admit that I am going to give it the old college try mind you. and I rather like the counters. But beleive that those who cannot or will not or can't afford minis should not be denied using them if they want because they are not modellers. That being said I am glad that it appears cooler heads prevailed and very shrewd descisions were made to keep the minis the way they are now, I too have played tabletop systems before and have seen the companies stretch out there too far and too fast, issues arose, and long story short here I am in search of another game to play. At least this way the game does in fact remain srong. Heck the game has impressed me enough that I will tolerate something that I do not find enjoyable in the least, just to play it, and hey, there are always counters!

In the end I would spend more if there were prepainted minis, but I am one guy, and I can apprecieate the desire to keep the loyal minis painters in the fold, that just makes sense. Hopefully one day the option will exist, however I would have to say that I would not want to see that option now at the expense of the game itself.
 
My 2 cents on the pre-painted issue...

First, ive been a gamer for about 20 years... played everything from SFB and Battletech to AcTA, Starmada, etc. And I like to paint minis on occasion... although I did it mainly so I didnt have alot of grey/silver on my table top.

Now... there is no longer time for piddling with painting minis... I need my gaming time to be gaming... I dont want to put together, paint or care for (ie repair, when they get bent, etc) metal minis anymore. I was in a large gaming group playing AcTA and not a single person used the metal minis... everyone used the flat counters.

I think minis are cool... and add alot to the game... whatever the game is... so Ive done the best I could given available choices... Ive bought a bit of the Star Wars space combat minis... absolutely no interest in the game but at least I can pull out some fairly generic looking ships out of the mix to field in my battles with other game systems.

Ive been waiting for Mongoose to come out with pre-painted AcTA minis since the idea first surfaced a couple years ago... and to date they have chosen to do starship troopers prepainted instead. I can safely say that if there were pre-painted minis of B5 ships I would probably spend 5-10 times on mongoose products than I do now... and it would be a steady income for a few years as they released more of their line. And pretty much everyone in my group is in the same boat.

So mongoose... how bout it... give me a pre-painted omega cruiser so I can stop feeling flat counters... or using star destroyer minis in proxy.

Alchemist
 
I've been gaming for 25 years, I started with Battle 'Droids and have played painted and had an absolute blast with it all. But for this game, I'd happily go Pre-Painted in a heartbeat.
 
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