25 replies to this topic

[blacklung1982]

ok it seems my post was removed but the question still stands why pick reaper over games workshop gw models look way better but reaper paints are alot better im serious I'd really like to hear what you people have to say this is out honest curiosity im a gamer just like the rest of you and enjoy the painting more so I buy from reaper and am a fan of the paints and brushes I just see alot of people steer away GW for many different reasons and I'd like to hear from some of you guys who I'm hoping ,by reading these posts, are big fans of reaper i'm not here to make fun or cause a hard time for anyone promise.

[Froggy the Great]

This topic was split from "Reaper's New Look".

Play nice.

[EdPugh]

I always play nice~

It is a comparison of apples to rocks. GW is a completely insulated art style that supports their in house products. Reaper draws from all sorts of art styles and creates support products for games and the general hobby of painting. The only thing we had in common was that we both made metal models, and now we don't even have that in common.

I too love a lot of GW models and they are the king of their style. We have produced GW style pieces in the long ago past, but they didnt really sell well. If you want to field a squad of GW Pincha Nipple Boyz in your army you are inclined to buy the official Pincha Nipple Boyz, not some Pincha Nipple Boyz knock off. Converesley if you are in a dungeon and encounter orcs, you are probably not expecting to run into a group of Pincha Nipple Boyz.

So in the end, we could make more stuff that looks like their stuff and they could make a paint that works like our paint. Which one is better is always in the eye of the beholder...

bye

[Stubbdog]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For me, although GW has come out with a lot of cool sculpts over the last year or two, I personally still like Reaper's sculpts more overall. Sure, there are always exceptions in both directions. There are some Reaper sculpts I dont care for and some GW ones that are awesome. But, by and large I like the Reaper sculpts more.

Also, after having been to the last 4-5-6 ReaperCons, I have built up a relationship with the sculptors themselves. And I admit that definitely influences my opinions. They talk and laugh with me. They listen to my suggestions. Even had a few of my ideas turn into metal. AND I am not special when it comes to that. The sculptors have made themselves available to many RCon goers.

Lastly, I am a gamer, and I play the Reaper Warlord game. So, I tend to buy the Reaper minis to play that game. Do I wish the Warlord game were as widely popular as the GW games? Sure I do. But, in the end regardless, I still enjoy playing it and still find myself buying more models for it.

If I played the GW games then I would probably answer that I bought GW stuff more. But, I am not. hence...

[Dr. Wyrm]

ok it seems my post was removed but the question still stands why pick reaper over games workshop gw models look way better but reaper paints are alot better

That's subjective. I think that Reaper has a lot of models that looks better than a lot of GW models, and GW has a lot of models that look better than a lot of Reaper models. Reaper's Best > GW's mediocre/terrible, but GW's Best > Reaper's mediocre/terrible. The difference between Reaper's Best and GW's best is not huge, although GW has a totally different art style, and aesthetic, so what are you judging by? Talent of scultpor? I say tied. Overall aesthetic? I'd say that's so bloody subjective who's to say which is better, one can only say which one prefers. There's also the factor that the limitations of metal and plastic and resin are all different, so GW can do things that would never work in metal, and Reaper isn't using that kind of plastic model kit, so it does amazing things with metal work.

im serious I'd really like to hear what you people have to say this is out honest curiosity im a gamer just like the rest of you and enjoy the painting more so I buy from reaper and am a fan of the paints and brushes I just see alot of people steer away GW for many different reasons and I'd like to hear from some of you guys who I'm hoping ,by reading these posts, are big fans of reaper i'm not here to make fun or cause a hard time for anyone promise.

Having been to the Reaper factory, I'd say I like Reaper because they're real people, and really pretty cool. They let us come in, take tours, and watch the process. We get questions answered, and can hang out with the guy who does the concept art, the sculptors, and the painters, not to mention chatting with the CEO and all the employees. They aren't a huge megacoporation, they're a dozen people working in a warehouse having fun doing it, and they care about their customers.

I have no direct experience with GW employees outside of the GW store near my house, but the internet is full of horror stories about how they abuse players, and fans and have crappy customer service ad loyalty skills. They're all anecdotal evidence, so I could be 100% wrong, but the Reaper guys are like a family, and they treat their customers like friends.

That's why I choose Reaper.

And yes, I do buy the occasional really cool model from GW. But I have a lot more Reaper minis than GW minis.

[Inarah]

I think GW has a few cool sculpts, and I even own an entire goblin army, but for the most part I don't care for the cartoonish over the top style they use. I just can't get into skullz and spikes and ginormous shoulder pads.

I like Reaper and other manufacturers who put out more traditional high fantasy style pieces. I also started out doing a lot more RPGS than wargaming, so I needed single figures of a variety of characters. A boxed set of 12 knights, no matter how cool, wasn't going to come home with me. And at the time, a single GW character was costing around $4 when Reaper came on the market with $1 figures.

Finally -- and this comes back to variety -- back in 93 and 94, when Reaper was just starting they were putting out more new female figures than Grenadier and Ral Partha combined. I think this is still a huge draw for painters. Twenty years ago they were scarce and I went out of my way to find them, so I was really pleased by the new offerings. It's still mostly what I buy. GW has, what, a dozen female sculpts and I can't think of anything really new in the past 10 years.

[Ishil]

I am more familiar with Reaper miniatures than GW ones. That said, I find I like a much higher proportion of Reaper's output than GW's. Then there's the whole can of worms that is their business practices. And finally, the Reaper forum and the people on it are a big bonus.

Ishil

[nytflyr]

Looking in my drawer of minis, I find mostly Reaper, a few GW and a few from other lines, because I Like what Reaper offers more than the other lines.
I prefer the goblins that Megamini produces from molds that they purchased from Hobby Products.

I like GWs ratmen & most of their beastmen, orcs are a wash, some of GW's are better, some or Reaper's are better.

I think Reapers lizardmen (not Reptus) are superior to GW's version, even with their old school style

For Wild West figs it used to be Black Scorpion because Reaper didnt have many, that has changed.

and of course all of this is personal opinion, as was your original post

[Jen]

I stopped buying GW a long time ago for two main reasons:

1. I don't play their games anymore (got sick of trying to keep up every time they released a new edition). If I'm not playing 40K, I don't need Space Marines for anything.
2. Value for the money - GW minis are expensive. Sometimes very expensive. Last I looked, a large monster-sized GW mini was going for about $50. A similarly large monster from Reaper might go for $20 or $30.

[Alan Shutko]

Reaper has consumed my gaming group because they offer a great variety of figures for different games and genres. GW is great for WFRP or 40k, but I couldn't find three separate figures that would work for D&D beholders. Their Pathfinder minis are great, and even outside that line a bunch of us have found figures that fit our character concepts. The sculpts are always great, and very detailed. I've given the special-edition Nativity as gifts.

It's all about variety. Reaper can give me things GW chooses not to.

[blacklung1982]

That is awesome , that is what I wanted your honest thoughts and feelings I will say that I'm not really one way or another I've been to several Games days and it depends on who the special guests are you can talk and joke with all of them but there is allways someone there from each department, guys from forgeworld guys from the black library then theres the siminars you can go to where they'll talk about whats coming out that following year from what I've heard you can take tours at their factory as well but thats if you want to pay for the plain ticket to the UK ,BIG $$$$$ For me as far as the games goes they are great I have a blast playing them. But as one of said its too much about the money for them 50$ for a model is a bit much but I do see what you guys are saying about thats like comparing rocks well I'd like to thank all of you who posted something I'd still like to hear more hell I know theres some of you who really hate GW SO LET IT OUT !!!!! my thoughts are a great game shouldn't cost so much that I have to take out a second morgtage on my house to get the lastest edition of warhammer hard back or not I shouldn't have to promise my first born to place an order for the newest necron HQ blister pack for christ sakes this is not how you treat your loyal fans and that leads me to my final point reaper may not have, in my belief, the best looking models or gaming systems but they sure as hell treat their fans alot better and the biggest way a company shows that is by how much they charge or better yet over charge when it really doesn't seem necessary cause you see other companies doing with alot less Thank You gamers Black Lung

[psyberwolfe1]

Ok a little miniature history. I got into figs via D&D. I was buying Ral Partha and Grenedier figures and discovered GW. Their plastics were cheaper for bulk quantities of figures. When Ral Partha went tits up I discovered Reaper. Reaper was pretty cost effective but not for bulk purchases. This is becoming less of a case because GW is overcharging and tin prices are killing Reaper. For Example GW trolls are still more expensive but the prices on Reaper's newer trolls is catching up with GW prices. However on bulk rank and file troops GW is stll cheaper (roughly $2.50 a model vs $4-$6 a model from Reaper.) Reaper, like GW, is going to need to find new production means because the price of tin will eventually hurt them.

Reaper's Warlord is a cheaper game to play because of the number of figures you need to play, but were you to build a GW army from Reaper products you would be taking out a first and second mortgage. The games are also different, one is skirmish the other is mass combat. They are both decent games but comparing the two is an apples to oranges comparison. Don't get me wrong I love Warlord but the problem is Reaper isn't a game company and so Warlord game support is fan based. Until Reaper hires real game designers and actualy markets their game Warlord will never become a game anyone is talking about.

Now as of late Reaper has been phoning it in on their newer Warlord and Dark Heaven products, while Savage Worlds and Pathfinder has gotten the nice looking new hottness. My annoyance has been with Warlord products having awesome concept art and, recently, the model just completely falls short. Now I'll grant there have been some winners but it seems like they're becoming the exception instead of the rule.

[mustardgreens]

I've bought from many sources: e4m, reaper, freebooter, mantic, PP, GW, etc. GW has some nice models, but they are just another company.

Reaper has the largest selection for fantasy minis anywhere. And they have access to many of my favourite sculptors.

[themudhead]

Well, I'll put my 2 cents here as my opinion and enough said.

I also have tons of models. My favorite companies are (in no order) Reaper, Freebooter, PP, Rackam, Cypher, Andrea, Ral Partha, Grendier, and more.

From what I've heard, GW no longer has sculptors. They use CAD programmers and 3d copiers. How lame is that! I have never seen a GW model that I liked. Their fine cast... more like fail cast. The only reason I bought them was I needed the models to play the game. Their game is no longer balanced and just too expensive. GW is not fun anymore.

It all boils down to: I can get a very nice Reaper model for $5US... or I can get a crappy GW model for $10US. Reaper is about people, GW is about money. Reaper is inclusive, GW is elitist.

[Ishil]

Well, GW does still have sculptors. Quite recently Steve Buddle, an excellent British sculptor, was hired. That's one thing anyway we can't accuse them of!

Ishil