Reaper Minis Aren’t Fat They’re Big Boned As Kickstarter Hits
October 3, 2019 by avernos
Assuming you've not been living under a bridge you will know who Reaper Minis are, purveyors of miniatures for tabletop games they were one of many companies supplying a variety of tabletop miniatures, fantasy, sci-fi, modern pulp.
Some great sculptors and a terrific catalogue of work but nothing that made them uniquely different from many other companies across the globe. Then in 2012, they launched their first Kickstarter to revolutionise gaming, with a plan to produce one piece, or preassembled, cheap soft plastic miniatures for gamers that still had enough detail to make them interesting to paint. Aimed primarily at roleplayers who may only use a model a handful of times it was a success to put it mildly. So much so that their artist quickly sketched this on that first night.
Skip forward to now and Reaper Bones V is smashing its way onto the scene. Dubbed the Escape from Pizza Dungeon it's already clocked up over a million on it's the first day (dollars, euros, or sterling you pick).
The core set is already so vast that it can barely be seen from space (or on my monitor in one go!) and is the usual mixture of monsters, civilians, heroes, and villains and is well worth having a look at. Some unlocks are being added to the core pledge while others that are unlocked can be picked up separately or in bundles. So far these have included a Dungeon Dwellers bundle and a Daimyo bundle meaning you can pick and choose what sets would work best for the games you play.
Once again Reaper Bones looks like it's going to smash all kinds of records, so if you're a dungeon master after some minions or a Kings of War player looking for some War Mammoths with strider then Bones V is probably going to have something for you. If nothing else I can't wait to see the next batch of spell effects.
It is worth noting that this Kickstarter seems to be future-proofing itself against Brexit and VAT will be payable on the UK pledges and they've been separated out from the rest of Europe because of this, I imagine that this will be a sign of things to come and worth keeping an eye on in future campaigns.
Are you planning on sending out for pizza?
"The core set is already so vast that it can barely be seen from space (or on my monitor in one go!)"
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Is there a Pizza Jesus?
(yes, I have been watching some Kings of War battle reports)
The pie.
The slice.
The bite
Disturbing item in the ‘Risk and Challenges’ section of the KS page… I quote… “4) The bulk of our Kickstarter will be made in China. A tariff in excess of 50% or a ban on Chinese imports would seriously delay delivery and/or, in a worse case, shutdown this project entirely. If such an event occurs early on in this project, refunds (less charges and expense payments made) might be possible. If it occurs later in this project (after almost all expenses have been paid) there would be little and possibly no refunds.” Obviously they are worried about the moron in… Read more »
At the same time, they are not shipping until 2021 an if it is like past Bones they are going to 5 to 6 months late. A lot can happen between now and 2021. They are putting up a flag but I doubt it will be an issue. China and USA need each other — some agreement will be made.
Even without trade wars we as hobbyists should worry that 90% of production capability for our hobby is in China.
That’s not healthy for any one except the chinese industry.
And it is lethal for your local industry.
Look on a box of Battlefront and you see Malaysia where they built a plant after their horrible experiences with China.
As for reaper they are a rather conservative company when it comes to planning. The UK only pledge is a fear of Brexit and trade issues with the EU. All of this is strong planning for the future.
Politics aside all of this was needed to future proof a kickstarter.
yeah @ghent99 it makes sense to me, I wouldn’t be surprised if others follow suit, just don’t want people being caught out by a further 20% after the fact.
Yes get in for at least a dollar and see where it goes. Better would be get the core and then add on.
I did notice that the pledge went up from $100 to $120. $20 for tariff padding perhaps??
Tariffs are based on the declared customs value, not MSRP. A customs officer on reddit said that a $50 game would have a $6 declared value. I think this is more CYOA than disturbing. Trump has a 2020 deadline to work out a trade deal with China because it’s an election year. However, China also has a 2020 deadline because it’s a 100-year anniversary of the birth of Communism, or some other year of importance. By calling Trump “moron”, you (and quite a few others) have shown you haven’t tried to understand him. Understanding the enemy is the first step… Read more »
I feel that calling him a moron is a little unfair… to morons.
And I don’t base my comment on a single issue like china trade, but on virtually everything that comes out of his mouth.
He makes Boris Johnson (and his predecessors) look intelligent… and as a UK resident that’s saying a lot.
> I feel that calling him a moron is a little unfair… to morons.
Sounds like 2015 all over again.
Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Those who refuse to learn from history likewise.
Everybody is, and should be, worried about the moron in charge of America.
Yaaah, the war mammoth! As an ogre player, I’ve been asking Ronnie (Renton) for years when we could see one. Still an awfully long wait to get the Reaper version. Maybe Mantic will finally get one made before Reaper, seeing that they’ve previewed that goblin “stegadon” strider thingie.
I hear the strider is losing mammoth
they look great figures.
This is super great value for the money. In the past, from what I have heard, those that backed the core and all the upgrades got them for under a $1.00 US. That means the wee little goblin but also the big dragon came in at a pretty good price. I backed Bones IV and now Bones V and with the cores and some addons I just may have a couple pretty kick ass Warlords of Erehwon armies. The new Bones Black material is much better than the old Bones material. This will be a mix of the two with… Read more »
Thanks for sharing that @ghent99 , as the first (and only) Reaper Bones mini used the old white bones material, was absolutely sh!t quality and I vowed to never buy from them again (at least it was cheap). I might cautiously have a look at their line in the new stuff.
Their metal v Bones v bones black is interesting comparison of materials. Reaper isnt for everyone but it fits an important niche in the market, that of inexpensive minis to be used for gameplay.
Reaper Minis use a 1930’s Beverley shear to make their models? Wow!
(If you wonder what I’m blathering on about – follow the first Reaper Minis link in the text above)
unusual but awesome 🙂