Are GW Retail Employees Lacking in Paint and Model Skills?

[xxRavenxx]

I wanted to see if the new Chaos fiends/Helldrake looked better in person than they do in the pictures. The store didn't have any of them painted up

According to the first webstore I checked, GW have 557 available 40k items for sale. I am guessing that about 4/5ths of them are 5 men boxed sets. Making it a total of 2339 models needed to be painted and stored in a store to show you any given item you'd like to buy from one range. (And we're excluding varient weapon options, and multi-use kits.)

While its lovely to look at things sometimes, its an insane feat to actually keep a well painted set of every model in a store.

[Herzlos]

According to the first webstore I checked, GW have 557 available 40k items for sale. I am guessing that about 4/5ths of them are 5 men boxed sets. Making it a total of 2339 models needed to be painted and stored in a store to show you any given item you'd like to buy from one range. (And we're excluding varient weapon options, and multi-use kits.)

While its lovely to look at things sometimes, its an insane feat to actually keep a well painted set of every model in a store.

You'd think there'd be some room in the advertising budget to at least have the stuff from the last few releases painted up in the window for customers to see. Since they'd be able to get the stuff for cost it really shouldn't cost them that much beyond painting time.

[Chivs]

According to the first webstore I checked, GW have 557 available 40k items for sale. I am guessing that about 4/5ths of them are 5 men boxed sets. Making it a total of 2339 models needed to be painted and stored in a store to show you any given item you'd like to buy from one range. (And we're excluding varient weapon options, and multi-use kits.)

While its lovely to look at things sometimes, its an insane feat to actually keep a well painted set of every model in a store.

I'm sure that you used to be able to go into a GW store and see these regularly, years ago. It doesn't need to be every model (e.g. when 4 new chaplain's are realeased, only one is selected - I remember a friend was unhappy that her store got selected the Tau Ethereal holding the pair of Maracas rather than weapons to paint up) but I'd expect it for the big showpiece kits. I asked to see them at GW Cribbs Causeway in September, and they said they didn't have any painted as the models had only been out a week or two - fair enough (ish). But this second trip, to GW Swindon, was in late December.

I went around all the local stores to me looking to see Dark Eldar Wracks after they'd been released over a period of 6 months; again I wanted to see if they looked better in person than in the official picture. I've still never seen one.

And as Herzlos says, it's advertising. If Games Workshop aren't even going to try the 'Look at our beautifully painted models' advertising approach anymore, what's left?

[xxRavenxx]

And as Herzlos says, it's advertising. If Games Workshop aren't even going to try the 'Look at our beautifully painted models' advertising approach anymore, what's left?

But they do have beautifully painted models. They are displayed on the website.

Privateer press, GW, Corvus Belli, Spartan games. All of them display nicely finished models on their websites. None focus on keeping them in stores. The internet killed off GWs need for painted models in store to show people. They now only need demo models.

[drakken]

But they do have beautifully painted models. They are displayed on the website.

Privateer press, GW, Corvus Belli, Spartan games. All of them display nicely finished models on their websites. None focus on keeping them in stores. The internet killed off GWs need for painted models in store to show people. They now only need demo models.

By that logic then GW should get rid of their shops and go with indies and their webstore

[Herzlos]

There's still some benefit in being able to see the figures in the flesh; a better appreciate of scale, detail, pester-power. It's a good thing to have in the shop window to entice people in. And being that they make the figures themselves it seems bizarre that they can't afford to give each store one of each new kit to make up. The cost of the kits probably wouldn't even be a rounding error on the stores cost sheet.

There's other less tangible benefits too; if someone in the store has built it, they can give customers advice on building it, and it means that if a customer wants a closer look a staff member can bring it out of the cabinet.

[xxRavenxx]

By that logic then GW should get rid of their shops and go with indies and their webstore

Many people on warseer think that...

[yabbadabba]

By that logic then GW should get rid of their shops and go with indies and their webstore

If they could find a way of replacing that turnover to a degree where they could maintain their position, I am sure they would.

I think many of us ex-staff, and no doubt plenty of the old-timers still serving, would love to go back to the old days when you focused on painting and gaming and didn't worry about anything else. I painted a 6k Undead army in a week once.

[Haskear]

I remember back in the 90's scratch built items were highly respected in store. As a youngster I wished I could scratch build a land raider like the older chaps in the store, some from card others from plasticard, some even a massive kit bash of various non gw kit tanks. I don't think that sort of thing would be welcome in store anymore. I think you might be considered either a cheap skate or not welcome because its not made by gw. I'm a bug fan of scratch building, I think it shows genuine ingenuity and enthusiasm for the hobby and its a shame it's become a bit to corporate I suppose. I tend to play at independent clubs.

[samzor]

My local store in Dublin (I say local but it's not really) has well painted models that I always enjoy and armies on display. GW London has great conversions. So it's not all bad.

I disagree

I have visited that store in june 212 and found the models to be very average. I remember especially the iyanden eldar being really shabby. (dont wish to invalidate your claim you may think they are good however at best IMO they are tabletop quality)

Perhaps this is an indication that the whole thread lends itself to being a matter of perspective though

[buddy_revell]

i remember armies looking OMGAMAZING when i was a kid. however, i grew up and developed those abilities myself, and the armies in the store are just comparable to my own. ive seen models in the cabinet that i thought "ugh, that looks terrible!", but it turns out this was a customer shelf; and the models on display were part of a one-day painting competition, so when perspective was added, the model was actually pretty amazing. also, most of the models in the cabinet were painted by customers; this gave the regulars in the store a sense of pride, that their models were being displayed. so that was nice.

however, maybe "hobby skills" are in decline...most of the staff i know personally simply dont have time to practice these skills as theyre too busy actually working. i think its important to keep it in mind that the fellas in the shop arent there to be Eavy Metal painters; theyre just hobbyists like the rest of us. i think its a bit too much to expect for them all to be mini mike mcveys. a lot of the older guys who call themselves "veterans" might tend to disagree though, but times change and im glad of it to be honest.

[Grimtuff]

Well, after popping breifly into GW Lincoln today, I can say that the latest set of boards do not show a lack of modelling skill; more a whole heap of unrealistic expectations (then again, they do the same in WD with certain boards). There is now a rather impressive looking Hobbit board with what I guess to be about 20 of the Goblin Town sets on top of a 4x4 standard RoBB. So guys, for just £875, you can recreate this board.

Um, no. You can't deny it looks impressive; but this thing should be a Warhammer World kind of board, not something some impressionable kid is going to be able to afford. I know it sounds a little hypocritical, but there is such a thing as going overboard.

[jet_palero]

>Well, after popping breifly into GW Lincoln today, I can say that the latest set of boards do not show a lack of modelling skill; more a whole heap of unrealistic expectations (then again, they do the same in WD with certain boards). There is now a rather impressive looking Hobbit board with what I guess to be about 20 of the Goblin Town sets on top of a 4x4 standard RoBB. So guys, for just £875, you can recreate this board.

That reminds me of those wonderful card terrain they had for necromunda. Man, that was a fun game.

[xxRavenxx]

i remember armies looking OMGAMAZING when i was a kid. however, i grew up and developed those abilities myself, and the armies in the store are just comparable to my own. ive seen models in the cabinet that i thought "ugh, that looks terrible!", but it turns out this was a customer shelf; and the models on display were part of a one-day painting competition, so when perspective was added, the model was actually pretty amazing. also, most of the models in the cabinet were painted by customers; this gave the regulars in the store a sense of pride, that their models were being displayed. so that was nice.

Add to this the amount of times people will walk past distinctly poorly painted minis and exclaim "ooh, wow. Thats amazing!" We get used to our standards. When we begin playing, we think nearly anything is impressive, as we become better, we raise the standard. I know that the fact that my store has about five above average painters really messes with the perceptions of models.

[nedius]

I had an amusing experience in the cambridge gw.

I'm teaching myself to sculpt, but my attempts at hair had been proving fruitless. So, I popped into the GW to ask for some advice.

The reply was "well, if anyone ever came in with a sculpting question we'd have directed them to you. So if YOU don't know how to do it... " Made me smile, but raised a point. I think GW staff are now being far more sales directed, but they make use of the community to be the source of skills. We've got great gamers, great painters, great modellers, and so on as part of the community, meaning the staff can concentrate on sales and hobby intros.

[budman]

in a gw I was in last week I was speaking with one of the staff who was painting minis for the cabinet... and doing a great job but he was moaning that he could not drybrush or airbrush or use valeo paints... he is also doing this at the same time as running the store and talking to me.

[buddy_revell]

I had an amusing experience in the cambridge gw.

I'm teaching myself to sculpt, but my attempts at hair had been proving fruitless. So, I popped into the GW to ask for some advice.

The reply was "well, if anyone ever came in with a sculpting question we'd have directed them to you. So if YOU don't know how to do it... " Made me smile, but raised a point. I think GW staff are boe being far more sales directed, but they make use of the community to be the source of skills. We've got great gamers, great painters, great modellers, and so on as part of the community, meaning the staff can concentrate on sales and hobby intros.

i think its also an indication of something else perhaps; if you spend 8,9 or 10 hours a day around the hobby, youre not going to want to spend your free time around it as well. i know i wouldnt. maybe working in the shops just causes overstimulation, and they just dont practice as much as they used to.

in a gw I was in last week I was speaking with one of the staff who was painting minis for the cabinet... and doing a great job but he was moaning that he could not drybrush or airbrush or use valeo paints... he is also doing this at the same time as running the store and talking to me.

a staff member moaning he couldnt drybrush? why on earth would he not be allowed to drybrush? sounds like a prize turkey, this chap.

[Archaon]

I had an amusing experience in the cambridge gw.

I'm teaching myself to sculpt, but my attempts at hair had been proving fruitless. So, I popped into the GW to ask for some advice.

The reply was "well, if anyone ever came in with a sculpting question we'd have directed them to you. So if YOU don't know how to do it... " Made me smile, but raised a point. I think GW staff are now being far more sales directed, but they make use of the community to be the source of skills. We've got great gamers, great painters, great modellers, and so on as part of the community, meaning the staff can concentrate on sales and hobby intros.

Which coincidentally is one of GW's biggest problems.. lack of support to veteran gamers. Veterans know the ins and outs of every game and every company should wait on them with golden gloves. Experienced players tend to be older meaning they usually have more ressources to spend on hobbies and they are usually set for a long time with a game if it remains interesting. Younger people are far more distracted by the hot new thing so when it comes around they may leave your game for good.

Veterans also almost always welcome new blood to the gaming group and are happy to really take the time to build up a new gamer.. offering special, laid back games, lending out miniatures (or allowing proxies even from different companies) etc.. they are the best teachers when it comes to rules, gaming, painting and everything else that relates to the hobby.

While any staff of any store should be intimately familiar with the products they sell they may not have the time to really build up a customer. They are there to sell stuff and provide a low level of support, i.e. demo games that show off the game in a nutshell and elict the customer to buy some products. While with GW the hobby aspect is also important and staff are apparently required to paint up new releases they simply don't have the time to provide Eavy Metal level quality (unless they are really experienced and talented) so miniature paint jobs may not always be satisfactory when compared to the high quality website display models.

But it's still nice to see a model in person even if its only with basic paints and a few easy extra techniques.

[Morkmillian]

i remember GW stores used to have so many models in the windows.
maybe some are right, as time goes on and you get better that stuff doenst look as good but...ive seen some really terrible stuff,
saw a giant in GW crawley in the UK.
it basicly had 1 coat of brown for the trousers. 1 coat of flesh for the skin but of metal picked out and done.
this was in the front window.

i only really took notice because i was painting my giant at the time.


tbh i dont even go to the gw shops anymore.
they make you feel uncomfterble - like a dog staring at you waiting for food almost. they are waiting for your hand to go to your wallet!!!