This was the first Forgeworld model that I finally assembled, painted and actually used in an army, much less a game of 40K. Note that I didn't say this was the first I ever bought! The first I bought was a Grey Knights Dreadnought... About 7 years ago. That I lost about a year later when I moved.
Losing that Dreadnought didn't really teach me a lesson though, as the next year I bought at least 4 squads of Red Scorpion upgrades, and some various other bits and bobs at a Games Day. Those ended up sitting in my Bitz Box for 3 years before I finally found a use for them
But I DID use them eventually, and for my Centurions even!!!
That got me thinking though, did I "invest" in the future of my hobby, or just waste money?
I haven't "invested" in just Forgeworld models either. You've all seen a picture of my Bitz Box, (and if you haven't, check the archive, it's there) and by my own admission it's not my only Bitz Box, nor does it count the models I have still in box or on sprue. I can't count how much GW product I bought without and real direction in mind. I must have about at least a few hundred dollars worth of models I still have yet to do anything with... Hmmm... Okay, maybe a bit more than that even, considering I have about 1500 points of Eldar still in the box and on sprue. Just don't tell my wife.
After all these years, I've come up with a new policy for myself when I'm considering a purchase for the hobby, model-wise, that I have no specific use for yet. I look to my current inspirations for projects and purchase with that direction in mind. And when I say "inspirations", I mean solid project ideas that I've begun to plan out, not just the next new shiny kit that I want because the models are stellar. At Adepticon earlier this year, I bought a few items from Forgeworld, with two projects in mind; a Raven Guard successor chapter called the Storm Crows, and a Pre-Heresy Alpha Legion army. I also only purchased a few pieces, not enough for entire armies. And while I still have yet to work on those two projects, they are still fresh in my mind, and on my plate, creatively.
While some may say I've wasted money, having all those Bitz allowed me to make some truly unique models for my Centurions, as well as the Inquisitor I posted yesterday. Without the large variety of Bitz to choose from, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish at least 75-80% of what I have finished. Nor would I have the volume of options I currently have available to me when assembling a project.
So that brings us full circle to my earlier question... did I "invest" in my hobby, or just waste money? How have you "invested" in your hobby future?
- Tim
I'd say it's about six of one and half a dozen of the other. I have friends who buy tons of models and don't use them. They just sit in the boxes. When you finally do use them, however, it was a good investment because, given GW's price hikes, you've saved money in the long run. In that time, however, if in that time, GW has released newer, cooler models, then it's kind of a waste because in all actuality, you'd rather have those new models. So I guess it all comes down to how soon you plan on using those models. I personally don't buy a box until I'm ready to use it.
ReplyDeleteI like thinking of it as an investment, even when newer models come out, I have a couple projects on the burner where I need (and luckily have) the older DE female warrior torso where the newer one doesn't work as well.
ReplyDeleteI recently (in the last 4 or 5 months) picked up 3 sets of Dark Angels Upgrade Sprues (so 30 marines worth) and have assembled/used 7.
I'm guilty of the same thing. I get ideas for things and I buy the bits. I need to put in the time painting them now. I buy most of my stuff from ebay, so there's even more pressure to get the deal when you see it. I'm learning to refrain from buying individual bits if I'm "investing." It just makes more sense if I'm trying to fill out my bits collection to buy the whole, cheaper, box that comes with a lot of other potentially useful bits.
ReplyDeleteI have a tendency to buy complete armies in one go and then shelve them. Or as is the most recent example I see a deal and end up buying a linebreaker squadron of Vindicators (Box of 3) instead of the single one I actually needed because the broken down price per unit is cheaper and I have the option to sell the unused kits for profit or keep them for another project later (Most likely).
ReplyDeleteAt the moment on the shelf I think I have, NIB, about 2000 points of WHFB Empire. 2500-3000 Points of GW Khorne Berserkers, Rhinos, Vindocators and Land Raiders all with the required Forgeworld World Eaters upgrade parts. Another 2000 points of Red Scorpions related kits unbuilt to add to the army I have now. Enough WHFB GW Scenery to fill a table (For a future project with the Empire Army), 2 IoB boxed sets worth of Skaven (Not sure why I bought these, I liked the Ogres), An Ork Battleforce with a Spare Trukk and the AoBR Warboss (For GorkaMorka in the future) and probably more stuff that I can't remember..
Upside is as Reid said, It's a hell of a lot cheaper to buy the whole kit and use the bits you want plus my enormous bits box keeps getting topped up with fresh parts.
In my head I will use it all at some stage but I might have gotten a few years worth of projects at the same time. I'm employed and unencumbered at the moment with quite a bit of disposable income. I figured I would make the most of it and buy up while I could before my Girl and I buy a house/merge accounts/have babies as I know my leash will be a lot shorter then haha!
Great blog Tim with some fantastic articles and miniatures, consider me a follower for sure.