You've probably heard all about the new Bolt Action rules by now or maybe you've even read the article in the latest WS&S edition... I'm proud and feel honored I was asked to write this article and the biggest plus was I got the rules early. The new rules play very nicely and are a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to more games. This was my very first published article and included pictures of my models and gaming table so I feel very proud. It being my first I can see now where I can improve if I would write another article but I'm very happy with how it turned out. Make sure you subscribe to this great magazine or download the digital copy:http://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/pw/wss/
Step 1: glue model on it's plastic base. Step 2: glue model's base on a metal washer (mine are 2,5mm thick) Step 3: put a little ball of greenstuff in the center hole of the washer... step 4: put little drop of super glue on the greenstuff Step 5: press a 2x5mm rare earth magnet in the ball of greenstuf Step 6: Press down model on flat surface. the magnet sinks in the greenstuff and is level with the surface. Step 7: put it away for a few hours to set and cure. (for metal models I use 2 magnets)
Done!
Pro's: -Plastic models carry a bit more weight and are nicer to handle -Models stay upright and don't tip over due to the weight and low point of gravity. -You can put them on a metal tray and they will never fall of, this is especially handy at tournaments because you just put them on a tray and don't have to worry about bumping into anyone and that you models fall on the floor. (see picture)
Con's: -time investment during assembly
-Models are 2,5mm taller
Pictures: In the last picture you can see I hold the tray at a near 90 degree angle. (tray with metal sheet but a metal tray works even better) I can flip the tray over 180 degrees and the models still stick. Even metal figures like the heavy British para medic at the left front. (2models on 1 base)
Last week I was watching tv and saw something that made me think about the end of GW. Then yesterday I read an article by Dave from N++ and since then it kept me thinking of where we are heading. The article is called: Living in the future, get used to it. It basically shows us all to look at our lives and the products we use these days to make out lives easier. Things that we could only dream of say 15 years back. We are spoiled with new gadgets and nothing they seem to invent seems to impress us that much anymore.
But then last week I saw something that amazed me and truly had me thinking of the possibilities. Ladies and mostly gentlemen, I present to you the "MakerBot". If you haven't seen it yet I have included a little video at the bottom of this article for you.
The makerBot is nothing less then an actual printer for objects. In short, you can download a blueprint of any object and the Makerbot will make a 3D plastic object of that blueprint. The idea about it is that if you bought something and a part breaks you can contact the store and they will sent you the blueprint of that specific part and you can "print" it at home. Or you can go to the webshop of a company and buy the blueprint online which should be cheaper and a lot quicker.
So let say GamesWorkshop would adopt this technology in a couple of years. Then I would go to the webshop and download a box of Space Marines and I would be printing them only 5 minutes later at my home after paying for them with my PayPal. It will take about 10 minutes to create a whole squad of space marines.
But WAIT! It wouldn't be like that now would it. How many of us have gone online and downloaded some song illegally? How long would it take hackers to crack the blueprints and you could download those blueprints for free? Or how long would it take before they would invent an object scanner with which you could easily copy any objects and creating blueprints a thousands of times. And why would I stop "printing" my freshly bought Space Marines when I have a squad of 10? I could easily create 10 squads of 10 marines.
Technology like this will again change our future and how we consume products dramatically and I wonder if companies are already protecting themselves against this. Surely this would be the end for Gamesworkshop and any other miniature making company out there. We would spoil it all by illegally downloading the blueprints so we could put a 10.000 point army on the table for just a few bucks.
This machine is currently still an open source projects but already available for just under a thousand dollars. Quite an investment right now but if you would want to buy a plasma tv, mobile phone or high spec pc about 15 years ago you would have to take a second mortgage as well.
So how will this effect us, the mianature gamers? Game Over Gamesworkshop? Plz leave your comment below.
