... well, you can hardly 'unbox' a magazine.
Warhammer Conquests is a collaboration between Games Workshop and Hachette Partworks (the guys who know all about these 'collect-as-you-go' magazines). You get 80 weekly issues and, at the end of the subscription, you get a Space Marine army, Death Guard army and a ton of scenery.
At £7.99 an issue, the full subscription will run into the hundreds - although the value of the kits, plus paints, free gifts etc, should easily double that. A proper breakdown has been done on Vincent Knotley's blog
But Issue #1 is the mouthwatering introductory price of £1.99. I don't know a single hobbyist drawing breath who'd pass up on that. They're in newsagents today (29 August), but I predict they won't be on shelves for very long.
To begin with the things of easily calculable value: three full size pots of paint. That's £8.50 right there. You also get a brush - it's not the proper 'Citadel' brush, but it will put paint on a miniature.
And finally we come to the actual product you are buying: the magazine. I have a totally uneducated theory that GW can sell these as 'publications' (that just happen to feature miniatures and paints) and so bypass the cost of VAT. It's the same principle that lets Cbeebies sell toys and crafts sellotaped to their magazines.
(I had all this during a conversation with a VAT accountant ... before my brain gave way and I fell into blissful unconsciousness)
As you'd expect, it's very introductory: lots of narrative about the 41st Millennium, with a focus on the Space Marines, and especially the Intercessors. Followed by a hobby section that shows assembly and painting (with the three colours you have been provided, so don't set your heart on flesh tones for the Sergeant).
The three models get names, which is cool, and the promise of your 'first battle' next issue (where you will get dice, measuring tapes and some Plague Marines to smack around).
In conclusion: is it worth it? Of course it is. That's a no-brainer. If you see one, get one for your kids, get one for your nieces and nephews, introduce your granny to the grim darkness of the far future.
This one issue alone is a great starter to 40k. Even packaged up in a more realistic price, it's a better introduction than the most comparable £20 'Starter Set' (three Intercessors, six mini-paints, one brush, no magazine).
Going forward, I have more reservations:
Warhammer Conquests is a collaboration between Games Workshop and Hachette Partworks (the guys who know all about these 'collect-as-you-go' magazines). You get 80 weekly issues and, at the end of the subscription, you get a Space Marine army, Death Guard army and a ton of scenery.
At £7.99 an issue, the full subscription will run into the hundreds - although the value of the kits, plus paints, free gifts etc, should easily double that. A proper breakdown has been done on Vincent Knotley's blog
But Issue #1 is the mouthwatering introductory price of £1.99. I don't know a single hobbyist drawing breath who'd pass up on that. They're in newsagents today (29 August), but I predict they won't be on shelves for very long.
To begin with the things of easily calculable value: three full size pots of paint. That's £8.50 right there. You also get a brush - it's not the proper 'Citadel' brush, but it will put paint on a miniature.
Next up are three easy-to-build Intercessors - £10 from GW directly.
Then you get a free poster! Who doesn't love a free poster?
Also included are at least three different ways for you to sign up, or subscribe, or find a Warhammer shop. Can't really quibble about promotional guff in a promotional issue.
And finally we come to the actual product you are buying: the magazine. I have a totally uneducated theory that GW can sell these as 'publications' (that just happen to feature miniatures and paints) and so bypass the cost of VAT. It's the same principle that lets Cbeebies sell toys and crafts sellotaped to their magazines.
(I had all this during a conversation with a VAT accountant ... before my brain gave way and I fell into blissful unconsciousness)
As you'd expect, it's very introductory: lots of narrative about the 41st Millennium, with a focus on the Space Marines, and especially the Intercessors. Followed by a hobby section that shows assembly and painting (with the three colours you have been provided, so don't set your heart on flesh tones for the Sergeant).
The three models get names, which is cool, and the promise of your 'first battle' next issue (where you will get dice, measuring tapes and some Plague Marines to smack around).
And that's about it. The magazine pages come away from each other easily enough, but the punch holes in the sides indicate that a binder may be in the future (I loved these binders as a kid - anyone need twelve volumes of Take Off?)
In conclusion: is it worth it? Of course it is. That's a no-brainer. If you see one, get one for your kids, get one for your nieces and nephews, introduce your granny to the grim darkness of the far future.
This one issue alone is a great starter to 40k. Even packaged up in a more realistic price, it's a better introduction than the most comparable £20 'Starter Set' (three Intercessors, six mini-paints, one brush, no magazine).
Going forward, I have more reservations:
- £7.99 per issue isn't a bad price (I may dip in and out over the course of the 80-issue run), but it's surely out of the pocket-money range. So while this is perfectly pitched at kids, it seems out of bounds for many.
- And for more committed hobbyists with grown-up incomes? Well, if you really want to collect those exact armies, it's not a bad way to get them at a good price and keep the momentum going. But do you know anyone who hobbies like that? More likely, you'd hooked by Issue 3, then run off and buy yourself a Dark Imperium boxset and a few Start Collecting! boxes.
- I wonder about the practicalities of the 'build-per-week' too. You only get three colours for your Intercessors (with the promise that 'you can add extra details and colours in future weeks') - but Issue 2 includes Death Guard Green, so you have at least a fortnight to wait with Sergeant blueface. I'd have thought a pot of Agrax would have been a priority - that makes anything look great.
So time will tell how well this does. I won't be subscribing myself (I've got more than enough to paint - and I guess I'll also be running workshops for junior hobbyists), but coming to this cold (maybe from another games system), I could see myself being tempted.
Mind you, I guarantee Issue 1 will be sold out by weekend.
I'm looking forward to the forthcoming comics, myself!
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