not to sound like the eternal optimist (I certainly don’t consider myself as such), but on a positive angle, consider the fact that they may improve their abilities with the CAD as well. they did say they just started with it.
As much as I hate saying, “Quoted for Truth”, it’s certainly true here. The CAD process had a few growing pains, and when combined with poor dragonborn miniature concept art — the reason there are none in Dungeons of Dread despite trying — a few miniatures were produced in DoD2 that I consider to be pretty poor. (The Orc Raider is on the Hall of Shame that I inherited when I got here — I think it’s the worst figure in the history of the line.)
Those figures are definitely not the norm. Demonweb is getting closer to the quality that I like, but it’s not quite there. I like how 2009 is shaping up — we have some pretty awesome figures coming.
Put Gnoll Marauder on that list too… and I can’t even describe Magma Brute…
The Gnoll Marauder is a fantastic sculpt, actually — but it has other problems. You’ve put your finger on another issue that I’ve been working on solving. The Gnoll Marauder was commissioned as an uncommon, but was changed to an common when some of the common sculpts did not turn out. The Gnoll is also a three piece miniature. While that sounds like potentially a good thing, it makes it more difficult for the paint steps to be under budget — it takes more paint steps to paint a multipiece miniature than it does to paint a single piece miniature.
I’m paying a lot of attention to the structure of the common miniatures to ensure things like this don’t happen again.
Any chance of seeing a Rogue Modron?
Physically, there would be some problems casting extremely thin limbs.
I’ll say this — if there is an official 4th ed place for modrons, I’ll make one. I don’t think this will happen any time soon.
Life would be so much better if I could just choose the minis I want.
I’d like that too, but that White Dragon would not cost just $15. It would end up being closer to that $30 price point due to the complexity of the sculpt and paint job.
Some rares cost more to make than others. The random model allows us to make these dragons that can be packaged in units that sell for $15.
Let’s say, for example, that I have $1 budgeted to use to make a rare miniature. (number is chosen as an example; has nothing to do with reality.) Over the rares in a set, I’d have to have those figures average at $1 a figure — this means some rare miniatures will cost $0.50 a figure, while others will cost $1.50 in manufacturing costs.
Those dragons and beholders are exactly the models that cost more money to create, so they’d need to cost more if not sold in a non-random model.
Never mind the costs for additional packaging, shelf space for the FLGS, etc.