101 replies to this topic

[Apothecary Vaddon]

I wonder the same about the TT.

[grailkeeper]

I dont know much about Bandai. I thought they made TV shows tbh. Those who do what would the likely price range be?

 

I think GW's smart move would be to wait for a bit before releasing more marine action figures. That way people will buy and convert for a while, then maybe buy more of the next wave of stuff.

[Fulkes]

I unironically like the Marine. I saw one idea elsewhere to paint him up to be a statue, but he also makes a nice desk buddy.

I hope they keep him grey for maximum customization options.

[Zeller]

Bandai makes Gundam model kits among other things. They range in price from the super simple and cheap $12-$15 range for basic articulation, level of detail, and options for a 1/144 scale mecha to $80 plus for the highest grade kits which are 1/100 scale and a bit bigger IIRC. My best guess would is that if it were strictly a Bandai product these would be about $20-25, but since GW is involved I'd wager about $30-35.

 

Terminators please!!!

[AgentOrange]

Bandai makes Gundam model kits among other things. They range in price from the super simple and cheap $12-$15 range for basic articulation, level of detail, and options for a 1/144 scale mecha to $80 plus for the highest grade kits which are 1/100 scale and a bit bigger IIRC. My best guess would is that if it were strictly a Bandai product these would be about $20-25, but since GW is involved I'd wager about $30-35.

Terminators please!!!

That's probably not an accurate estimate. You'll be lucky if this is under 6,000 yen.

[Steel Company]

I need these action figures... I wonder if they are going to vehicles to scale too?

[Battybattybats]

Oh the Skitarii is absolutely adorable! I must have it!

[Master Commander Ajax]

Fingers crossed we’ll get a Black Legion action figure, that would defiantly find its way on to my painting desk. I wonder why they chose to preview this today when Warhammer Fest is tomorrow.

Edited by Master Commander Ajax, 11 May 2019 - 12:37 AM.

[Plaguecaster]

It looks so damn amazing and i want so much of them as they will look perfect as part of my Gunpla colection

 

 

 

 

[DutyBeforeAll]

Bandai makes Gundam model kits among other things. They range in price from the super simple and cheap $12-$15 range for basic articulation, level of detail, and options for a 1/144 scale mecha to $80 plus for the highest grade kits which are 1/100 scale and a bit bigger IIRC. My best guess would is that if it were strictly a Bandai product these would be about $20-25, but since GW is involved I'd wager about $30-35.

Terminators please!!!

For Gunpla yeah, for figures?

I’d say for a 7 inch figure with a lot of articulation minimum $35-$40, and more likely $60.

Some of their four inch gundam figures (not models) run from $40 to $70, but have a ton of hand options and accessories.

[lionofjudah]

It looks so damn amazing and i want so much of them as they will look perfect as part of my Gunpla colection

This brought nerd tears from 12 year old me 32 years later😢... that’s beautiful... and as it’s plastic I can convert it some and spend a LOT of time painting it up.
Wowza

[redmapa]

Oh sweet jesus that thing is huge! Im not too thrilled on the Intercessor but the possibilities are so great! CHAPLAINS! TERMINATORS! SENTINELS!

[DuskRaider]

Wow, he's a big boy. I'll bet you Legion / Chapter vehicle transfers will work perfectly on those pauldrons.

[HandsWithLegs]

Hmm, seeing these new images I'm less excited than I was. The legs seem a bit too wide and the feet too big, and I really don't like how the kneepad sticks out when the leg bends. Above the legs it looks great, but the legs just look a bit off to me

[utilityzero]

I'm surprised they went with plain. Bandai's models are all in colored plastic generally. Little to no painting is needed normally to get an ok looking finished product.

Also they said action figure which I take to mean as being a prebuilt toy or figure, not a model kit. So while Bandai does make nice affordable model kits they are not 10-15 dollars, except for the super simple SD line. Normal HG kits are 25-30, MG or RE/100 is $75-100 and perfect grade is like $150-300 or something along those lines. And that's not including P Bandai which is only available in Japan normally so gets marked up for anyone outside Japan.

From the description I'm guessing it would be more like the robot spirits line of action figures which can run 50-60 dollars though that's partially because they are hard to find outside Japan. But the picture makes it look like a model kit in which case it won't cost quite as much.

Why make a model kit with Bandai though? This is an odd choice for me to wrap my head around.

[redmapa]

Why make a model kit with Bandai though? This is an odd choice for me to wrap my head around.

Brand recognition in a foreign market and while its a model kit it isnt something GW does so having another company do it means GW doesnt have to invest a lot in their infrastructure or marketing to get this new kind of product, so with a parternship like this GW can now breach into other demographics and markets and making their brand known to more people in hopes to expand their customer base and sustain their new growth.

I think it makes a lot of sense both in terms of brand and production.

[Master Commander Ajax]

The article over on the Warhammer Community page says that the figures are fully painted. I assumed this was a prototype rather than an unpainted plastic kit?

[Steel Company]

It looks so damn amazing and i want so much of them as they will look perfect as part of my Gunpla colection

I want to say this is a pure prototype stage, with finalized versions being painted up like the Macross DX Chogokin figures.

[Jarl Caldersson]

what size is the base?

[D3L]

It is a guaranteed way of getting shelf space here in Asia, maybe GW will finally take off!

Saying that its going to require a 30 to 40% price drop just to even meet the UK/EU prices (at the moment GW have priced themselves out of Asia spectacularly, and current fans just order from mail forwarders based in the other hemisphere)

Edited by D3L, 11 May 2019 - 03:11 AM.

[HandsWithLegs]

Something I just noticed, the vents/jets on the backpack are facing towards the shoulder pad. hopefully the right and left sides just got switched or they are posable, because if that's how its sculpted it looks really bad

[N1SB]

Ok I almost totally stopped caring about Space Marine Heroes 3 (that's a lie, I play Nurgle, I totally care) because of THIS:

 

Hey, hey hey. Don't forget the chibi figures:
 

 

So I'm in China, part of this whole Asian region GW's trying to set deep roots in.  THIS is it, because it "gets it".

 

 

+++++

 

 

But an informative post 1st.  These are "Gashapon", which are these Japanese toy vending machines.  They're similar to what I've seen in the U.S. outside supermarkets, for like 2 quarters, you roll a thing, out pops a little plastic sphere with a cheap toy inside.  Except in Japan, instead of a slinky or whatever, it's a Gundam.

 

Here's a pic for you to compare with regular miniatures (actually a Space Marine Heroes 2 Terminator, which will be coming to a store near you soon!):

 

 

Why is it called "Gashapon"?  Because, like Pokemon, there's an onomatopoetic element...Japanese people like naming stuff based on the sound it makes, in the most elegant Zen-like way you can(not) imagine (because it has to come to you in an epiphany).  The vending machine involves you putting your money into a slot, then turning a dial underneath it that pushes the slot into the payment mechanism, which sounds like:

 

...gasha...

 

...gasha...

 

...gasha...

 

And when your little toy bubble drops out, it makes this sound like a video game when you get a sweet, sweet loot drop:

 

...pon!

 

In the pic above, there's 3 things: a Bandai Gashapon Gundam, the Series 2 Termie, then yes, that IS Kirby in a mech walker thing (but it is from Takara).  Yeah, you can probably put them on a regular base and field it if you wish.  I'm dubbing chibi Inquisitor the "Incutesitor".  The =][=ncutesition - everything you have been told is adorbs!

 

 

+++++

 

 

Serious talk for a moment, because I think it's a huge deal.  I lived in Japan as a kid, before moving to the UK and discovering Warhammer.  I did my MBA thesis on a subject similar to these, with the topic being: why Western video games tend to sell badly in Japan (but not vice versa, see how much hype is around the Final Fantasy VII remake since just yesterday).  I checked out games sales numbers, units of Xboxes, even the average salaries of game developers in the U.S. vs. Japan, very quant, very disciplined research, but the major takeaway was:

 

Just as you want Japanese customers to get your products, the Japanese customer wants you to "get them".

 

It's like "getting a joke".  In fact, often very subtle humour is that bridge.  It is NOT just about representation or relating to the customer or ethnocentrism or what marketing consultants talk about.  It's not like you have to make a Samurai Space Marine (though that'd be totally awesome).  For example, actual Japanese moviegoers did not care the recent live-action Ghost in the Shell starred Scarlet Johannson instead of a Japanese actress, because as one woman on the street said, "Oh, that's just a cyborg body, if I wanted a cyborg body I might choose to look like Scarlet Johannson, she's very beautiful, yes?"

 

And to their absolute credit, the Japanese customer understands that a mutual understanding is a 2-way street, and they will meet you halfway.  I don't know if you already noticed this, but take a look at the Chibi Space Marine again.  Here is an example of the Japanese designers totally "getting" 40k, just IMHO:

 

Spoiler

That Chibi Space Marine is an homage to the original poster child of 40k, this Crimson Fist.  I know this was also the 25th anniversary marine:

 

 

And yes, they had help with the Warhammer Studio with both the design and the decision, but it's a pretty bold move.  Consider the fact these are cute designs meant to be family-friendly...but that Chibi Marine just ripped the head off of an Ork.  That's a not kawaii.  I can imagine a dozen business people in this meeting shouting "NO", but the grey-haired sempai Chairman who's been silent the whole time, listening, getting the last word and overruling all that:

 

"Hmmm...kore wa GRIMDARK de~su.  GO!"

 

The homage wasn't just a choice, it's a gesture.  Someone in the Bandai team is passing on a secret message, "Guys, I know you think we're noobs and that we don't know anything beyond our shores, but I've been into 40k since 1st ed.  I've got a Zoat at home."  It's like a shibboleth, password: swordfish.

 

You guys are right, these are toys specifically targeting the Japanese market/demographics/etc.  But it's more than that.  It's a handshake.

[Kierdale]

I’m very glad I live in Japan.

I’m not going to be buying them for anyone

[Felix Antipodes]

Very nice. Now I want him in marks 1 - 9 as well as a terminator. The chibi's will need a closer look, but I see them in my grandkid's future. Start them young lol

[the emperor is scottish]

I love this. I truly do. It's everything I ever wanted as a kid lol

I hope you can buy them painted and unpainted. Give the hobbyist a chance to do their thing.

I can see people going to town on these with conversions and I'm already thinking what game system they could be used in.
Inquisitor? Kill team?
Who knows but I see possibility.