Bob the Inquisitor

I'm going to break these down into categories... Chronoscope: Nova 10-packs with a mix of shooty guys and one sergeant. Maybe even an army deal for wargamers. Weapons and Accessory packs. Investigators/Urban Wizards for soooo many RPG uses. Aliens for the IMEF and Nova guys to shoot. Fantasy: Troop packs with maybe 10 to 20 troops. Weapons, Helmets and Wings for accessories. Big Monsters. This is what Bones excels at. Bonus points if the monsters size well next to CAV Bones. Cavalry. Cthulhu Mythos Monsters. These guys are public domain, right? Did you see how much Cthulhu Wars made? Reaper, you can do even better.

Pingo, does this not seem condescending to you? This thread has been full of posters snidely claiming that the problem was with the customer and not the retailer. When the posters received their Bones, they admitted that the pieces in question were different from other Bones models, but then blamed the customer for having a problem with Bones when all pre-KS Bones minis fit within a much narrower range of floppiness. That is insulting. If you take a moment to step outside this little circle je--echo chamber and see what people outside this forum are saying (such as at Dakka), you will see that the attitude of the posters here is keeping away the majority of posters who do have a problem with their Big C and Big K Bones. And, really, if you consider yourself a fan of Reaper, you are doing the company a huge disservice by silencing what you perceive as dissent or negativity. It's important for issues that might harm the reputation of the company itself to come to light where said company's employees will read it. If a lot of people supported the Bones KS based on a favorable opinion of the pre-KS Bones product (which we did), and pledged toward the staggering 3.4 million dollars that made all this possible based on faith in the company continuing its tradition of excellence (which we did), then any issue that generates as much notice, even concern, as unprecedentedly-soft Bones pieces can and will be taken as a disappointment or failure of the company to live up to its promise, if said failure is not dealt with by the company. If you keep telling the people who helped pledge $3.4mil that they are the ones who are at fault for assuming post-KS Bones would be like pre-KS Bones--if you really think Bones is "just not for" a noticeable chunk of Reaper's most loyal supporters--what do you you expect the effect of that to be on the next KS or on newcomers who only know about Bones because they heard about "quality issues"? You are literally telling people not to buy Reaper products or to (these quotes mean paraphrasing speech, not your specific words) "deal with it" when they have questions. Why do you want to ruin Reaper's reputation by making it look like they put out cruddy product that they won't stand behind? Doesn't Reaper want their minis to "be for" everyone? Now, you asked for a video, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-izhO2OefUE'> here is one. You claim that there is no evidence that there were any bad batches... What? Really? Have you looked at your cowgirl's nose? Did you miss the many miscast faces, miscast hands, etc? Have you not heard the people who stated that they compared their models to their buddies' models and identical models had different levels of firmness? You think it's unreasonable to assume there were QC issues in mixing up batches of plastic when there have been QC issues for each and every stage of manufacture, packing and shipping? If you can't see how such blind, unreasoning defense of Reaper's operations makes this thread, and by extension Reaper themselves, look bad, maybe you are the one who has the issues for a change. Now... For the record, I haven't even asked for my Cthulhu to be replaced. I just asked Reaper if the head was supposed to be like that and if they had any recommendations. However, my wife will be the one painting Cthulhu, and she has made it clear to me that she does not want to have to hold Cthulhu's tentacles while wet-blending the paint on them. Wet paint and fingers don't work together for her. She's a perfectionist who is still, after years, not "done" painting her High Elf Dragon or Carnifex, and the last thing I want is another barrier between her and the hobby of painting miniatures. That's why I want suggestions to harden his floppy bones or to find out if I have an extra-floppy Cthulhu with the possibility to get that can be painted without fingerprints, and not just to be told that there is no problem, I am the problem, Bones just aren't for me despite my having loved every Bones model I have owned before the KS. That unexpected response was just ...I can't say it here, but it's a bagful. I will be painting Kaladrax, and I intend to drybrush him to within an inch of his unlife. Hopefully boiling him will make his horns a little more compliant. And no, I have not painted Big C or Big K, and will not until I get official word back from Reaper, just in case. It is silly to expect people with issues to "use" their defective, maybe even replaceable, models before finding out if they are keeping them. I love 99% of the models I have received in this KS and will in fact be recommending Bones to many of my wargaming friends, so don't read my criticism as an attack on the company or its products. I simply want Reaper's big models to be the best they can be, and to find out if there is a problem or if Reaper really did just shoot themselves in the foot by making a $40 model and a $75 model that "just aren't for" a vocal minority (?) of their customers, the very people who spread positive word about the company. Personally, I expect that Reaper will be much more open to the idea of making their customers happy than you lot seem to.

This is exactly the malicious, shortsighted attitude I was describing. The more people like you try to "help" Reaper, the bigger rift you create between the sycophants and any new customers Reaper might like to sell to. Besides, it seems to me like the problem at hand on the board is that some people simply can't grasp the idea that products made in multiple batches might have occasional defective mixes. But then, in some people's experiences, where there's smoke there's a whiner who just doesn't get that the self-warming house is working just fine.

These are the first examples of their soon-to-be-retail products hitting the streets. Just because they are going to the first-adapters and the most enthusiastic fans of Reaper's doesn't mean it won't harm their reputation to send out thousands and thousands of defective products. So far this campaign has been good advertising, but if the consensus that forms from the backers' rewards is that reaper Bones are a sub-standard product and the company doesn't stand behind the quality of their products...well, it will probably won't make Reaper a lot of money. Slightly off topic, but when was the last time you heard about anyone who bought a Sedition Wars box? Oh, that's right--before the backers saw their rewards and started talking. In my opinion, Reaper's KS is a near-total, 99% success with just a few issues, but if they don't step up to take care of those issues then that's what a lot of people will remember about this campaign. I would much prefer for Reaper to make things right. Heck, I'll be spending enough on Bones post-KS to more than compensate them for any replacement product they send to me... and the nearest dozen other backers.

I'm glad to hear so many people are unconcerned about the floppiness of Cthulhu's tentacles, and even more pleased to hear that so many of you are such skillful painters with such specialized tools that you don't feel you (and, by implication, anyone) should worry about it, either. That's good for Reaper's customer satisfaction budget. However, not all of us are master painters who have the option to "just deal with it" and still feel like happy customers. Yes, it makes logical sense that more complicated pieces to demold should be softer. However, there is still an issue with a lot of Kickstarter backers finding the final model useless in its current state, whether it is the result of an overly-soft batch or the only logical way to produce Cthulhu's head. While I'm sure the Official Reaper Message Boards can conjure up enough happy campers to drown out any customer concerns with a chorus of "I don't have a problem with it," it might be useful to try to find out how many people are actually unhappy with the product they backed a year ago to a combined total of $3.5ish million, and to figure out what scale response Reaper will need to prepare for or if there is a simpler solution beyond "suck it up". Some backers have noted that Kaladrax's head seems to stiffen up over time. Could there be a safe, cost-effective way to speed up or enhance that process? Is there any technique for working with vinyl that can solidify it without a loss of detail?

But that's a sculpting issue. I remember when the green showed up and the most polite people simply asked why he was carrying a bowie knife. This particular art-to-model translation was the worst in the entire Bones line. It's almost bad enough to be a Mantic KoW art-to-sculpt. (No, I will not stop making jokes at Mantic's expense. I went in big for werewolves...)

My Almaran the Gold (Paladin with flaming sword) has a nub of a nose.

I'm glad to hear yours was in better condition. That tells me that this problem could be a batch issue, and that there will probably be a satisfactory outcome for everyone. I did compare Cthulhu's tentacles to the skeleton spear. The tips of the long ones and some of the thin ones on the side are even more flexible despite being the same size or bigger. Honestly, though, I think the skeleton's spear is less floppy than my bugbear's club. Anyway, the issue came up because my wife and I were discussing how she would paint Cthulhu, and we both noticed that the tentacles were going to be a problem. She is a better painter than I am (she blends; I just slather it on or drybrush), and she has an issue with his tentacles, so it's not just a ham-hands issue.

I have a lot of experience with the bones medium, and the prepaints before that. The big guys' heads do not have the same rigidity. My fear isn't the paint cracking off of Cthulhu's tentacles; it's the fact that Cthulhu's tentacles are so springy that they will be impossible to paint without holding them still at both ends. The same goes for Kaladrax's horns. Putting paint down in a consistent, controlled manner may be impossible on these floppy bits. Who cares if it stays on permanently if the paint job is borked from the get-go? Also, I find the attitude by the Reaper Cheerleaders in this thread to be insulting. If several customers are reporting the same grievances with the final product, then it is something Reaper needs to address. Blaming customers for wanting what they paid for is unhelpful at best, especially when Reaper never mentioned during the Kickstarter that some parts may have the consistency of sticky hands. It is not the customer's fault if the company delivered goods in a condition other than described and established by prior product. If we wanted that experience, we'd all pledge for Mantic's Kings of War again.

Wasn't he recently hired by Defiance Games, too? Whatever happened to that?

Cyborg Commodore Perry on laser-skiff.

Edward Pin-vice-hands.

Is it wrong that I want the shepherd and any potential wise men to use as wizards or thaumaturgists?

I disagree. You, sir, have never played Apocalypse with the Legio Kindergartenicus. There is nothing more frightening and interactive with your minis than a 5 year old in a cardboard titan costume.

This niche is dead. -Nietzsche's Niece, Tzeentch

I am honestly surprised at how many backers this thing has. I thought, "No way is such a niche product designed for a niche fanbase in a niche market going to attract 9 backers, especially when it won't fulfill any niche gaming role that some other, cheaper niche product or more expensive (but not by much) boutique niche product already filled. Niche. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiche! "Also, is that thing sculpted out of plaster?"

Look out, Little Mermaid!

I think that you technically have to start your conversion with a Clint Eastwood mini.

That would be nice as I was backer # 4. I demand recognition!

I just had to jump in here. How is anything skeletal (or zombified) or pirate-related whimsical at all anymore? Those two crazes have been going full force for 7 or 8 years now, and statistically speaking, "Skeletal monkey [doing anything, really]" is not even close to the tail end of the bell curve of whimsy. It's practically a cynical exploitation of an already bloated market. I roll my eyes at its vanilla conventionality. But hey, if he needs to prove how whimsical he is, he can always write a Star Wars book about Boba Fett. Call me when he sculpts an overweight woman in a track suit threatening her cell phone with a hammer.

I'm doing my part.

Here are some of my most wanted Fantasy minis: 1. A Chinese general like Guan Yu riding on a long ma, or dragon-horse. 2. Some Vedic nobles, dressed like the actors portraying the Pandavas from Mahabarat ( ). I would write 100,000 verses just to get a mini in Krishna's headdress. Heck, you can sell them as fabulous Lemurian Elves or something if no one likes Indian mythology in his fantasy. 3. A Giant, Carnivorous Plant, with a mouth suitable for singing or spitting fireballs. 4. A weapons pack that includes a throwing star with 5 "glaive"-like blades, a three-bladed dagger, a crescent-shaped ceremonial weapon, a guan dao, and various other fantasy weapons. 5. A werewolf with bat wings and ram's horns.

I didn't even think to check the boneyard. The model has a lot more potential now, but it's still not quite the guy I'm after. Maybe I can use him to help out Mercy Thompson or something, if her books ever return to quality again. Drake, with a hand swap, would make a great apprentice or young warden. I was going to cut up my Bones gravedigger to convert into But Bones is cheap enough for me to make a wizard, too. And a witch hunter. And maybe some other things. Speaking about Knights of Cydonia has given me a new idea: 1.Cowboy on a Motorcycle, with Lazer Pistol. 2. A Rock Star Space Bounty Hunter with Gigantic Gun. No, not a Mandalorian. (If worse comes to worst, I'll just use another grave digger, I guess.)

Not really. His flashlight and press hat say, "What's that noise behind this 1929 gambrel-roofed colonial house?" An Urban Wizard should look as if he is saying, "I'm here to kick butt and quote Star Wars."

I could see a modern vampire in a duster selling well, too.