Quote from: Teazia;577462Bones accounts for 1/3 of the Reaper revenue.

I'll have to re-listen because I very well could have heard it wrong, but I thought Bones was a huge part of their revenue BEFORE the KS project.  That was the reason behind the big push to get more figures out there.

I found it very interesting to hear that molds for pewter minis were pretty cheap, but molds for plastic minis were tens of thousands of dollars each to set up.

Quote from: Sacrosanct;577523I'll have to re-listen because I very well could have heard it wrong, but I thought Bones was a huge part of their revenue BEFORE the KS project.  That was the reason behind the big push to get more figures out there.

I found it very interesting to hear that molds for pewter minis were pretty cheap, but molds for plastic minis were tens of thousands of dollars each to set up.

Considering how small the Bones line is compared to metal offerings 1/3 is a HUGE deal.

The molds for metals are less expensive but the actual casting materials are much more so.

The plastic minis come with a higher startup cost but ongoing production costs are much cheaper. Combine that with dramitic increases in sales due to the lower price per mini and the molds will pay for themselves in a fairly short time.

This was a win/win for both Reaper and gamers that want more affordable minis.

Quote from: Exploderwizard;577536Considering how small the Bones line is compared to metal offerings 1/3 is a HUGE deal.

The molds for metals are less expensive but the actual casting materials are much more so.

The plastic minis come with a higher startup cost but ongoing production costs are much cheaper. Combine that with dramitic increases in sales due to the lower price per mini and the molds will pay for themselves in a fairly short time.

This was a win/win for both Reaper and gamers that want more affordable minis.

They said they will keep making metal minis until they know they have a good product that will have more demand, but I think we're going to be looking at the vast majority of minis in the future going plastic.  If you can get comparable detail and the demand is there, it's a no brainer.

I really like the heft of metal minis for characters.  I have a lot of Reaper Minis, and the metal ones don't work as well for 'big' minis.  For example, the Giant Skelton is available as a +$10 add on - I have that one in metal, and even with pins, it broke apart pretty easily.  The metal is just TOO heavy for a mini that size.  

For large scale minis, the plastic is going to be a real advantage.  The glue for plastic effectively 'melts' the two ends together, forming a pretty damn good bond.  

I have a fair number of Warhammer 40K figures, and some of them are metal, some are plastic, and some are a combination of both.  The metal/metal bonds and the plastic/metal bonds are never as strong as plastic/plastic bonds.  

In the long run, it'll probably also lead to more easily customizable figures.  I bought one set of Games Workshop skeletons (they were plastic, and the quality was decent, but not great) but I could arrange them in any way I wanted.  I could easily make a skeleton holding a skull in his hands, for instance, or mix and match weapons very easily.  In the long run, I hope that Reaper will add some more 'customized bits' to many of their future releases.  

For example, a 'warrior' mini could ship with 3 or 4 different shield styles.  Then the same mini could be customized with a round shield, a kite shield, or a rectangular shield, giving a more 'unique' feel to the version each person glues and paints up.

Quote from: deadDMwalking;577559I really like the heft of metal minis for characters.

I like metal for normal figures myself, and will be willing to pay extra for them for the foreseeable future.

But plastics are likely to take over just as they have at Game Workshop. It's a good thing that I have more than I really need already.

Quote from: gleichman;577571I like metal for normal figures myself, and will be willing to pay extra for them for the foreseeable future.

But plastics are likely to take over just as they have at Game Workshop. It's a good thing that I have more than I really need already.

There is a major difference with GW. Their finecast plastics are nearly TWICE as expensive per model as the regular metals. Reaper plastics are designed to sell at affordable prices. With that much price disparity I wouldn't be surprised if GW starts to lose major sales.

The difference is GW charges plastic prices as if every figure has to repay for the mold by itself.    Reaper actually passes some of the savings along.

GW Finecast however, is something else, that's Resin, and they're still developing the perfect mixture, so the "R&D" prices are possibly justified.  Of course GW will continue to charge those prices forever.  Basically their Kickstarter is handled at the register.  

Kickstarter for the owners' new cars, his kids' braces, etc.

I love plastic and vastly prefer it over metal.

But then I love kitbashing and converting, which is tons easier with plastic vs. metal.

i love plastic minis --- they are much friendlier on my the digital battleboard I've been using to run games and I dont have to worry about larger figures getting knocked over and dinging the screen.

I was already buying up the Bones figures by the handful -- especially the pre-painted versions Reaper had at Origins a few months ago. Get 250+ on the cheap was a no brainer. Now to just find time to paint them all.

Quote from: JollyRB;577683i love plastic minis --- they are much friendlier on my the digital battleboard I've been using to run games and I dont have to worry about larger figures getting knocked over and dinging the screen.

I was already buying up the Bones figures by the handful -- especially the pre-painted versions Reaper had at Origins a few months ago. Get 250+ on the cheap was a no brainer. Now to just find time to paint them all.

It is a theory of mine that we buy so many minis because we think we are buying the time to paint them as well.

My shelf of shame proves that this is a mistake.

Quote from: Exploderwizard;577808It is a theory of mine that we buy so many minis because we think we are buying the time to paint them as well.

My shelf of shame proves that this is a mistake.

:hatsoff:
One must always recognize the truth when it shows itself.

those sneaky reaper-folks--they were shooting for the big bucks all along!

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/reaper-miniatures-bones-kickstarter-success/

Quote from: beeber;578119those sneaky reaper-folks--they were shooting for the big bucks all along!

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/08/reaper-miniatures-bones-kickstarter-success/

There were some unique elements that made this Kickstarter such a success -- expensive start up costs combined with low cost of production created a situation where the deal just got better and better for all backers the more backers joined, creating an explosive growth cycle.

But this was also far and away the best run Kickstarter I have yet joined in on -- the price points and awards for the various pledge levels, and the placement and nature of the stretch goals, all seemed to be exceptionally well thought out. The Reaper guys carefully seeded goals that they knew would have different gamer populations salivating -- Pathfinder stuff here, scifi stuff there, dragons throughout, and big Cthulhu at the very end.

With too many of these viral Kickstarters, at a certain point it becomes clear when you have passed over the planning horizon and you start seeing dogshit stretch goals. Never happened with this one: hats off to Reaper for dreaming big.

It was a very carefully thought-out fundraising campaign.

An lo and behold: it worked.

I've heard some folks banter about if this kickstarter is going to hurt mini sales.  Well, not for me.  I figure we won't get them until April or later next year (I expect delays), but the project got me all excited.  Yesterday I went and spent another $50 on minis to paint in the interim while I wait for my bones