The truth behind wargaming recasts

Wherever a product becomes successful, counterfeits and imitations follow. Wargaming is no exception. The process of forging these miniatures, known as re-casting, has plagued war companies for decades.

The counterfeiters mock up authentic mini wargaming and sell the tunics at a discount.
Many consumers have a disdain for the creations of hobbyists.
Re-cooking could disrupt the support of the wargaming community.

Wargaming; The hobby is built around collecting, painting, and using miniature characters to play in strategic tabletop battles. A single miniature work can cost more than a hundred dollars, and hobbyists can spend tens of hours assembling and painting completely. It should come as no surprise that a niche hobby like wargaming may lack mass appeal, but it can’t make up for it with customer loyalty and immersion. They are found on the websites of the fakers themselves, in the protection and secret communities, and as always, on the giant e-commerce sites. The Internet has broadened the problem by providing a huge consumer market for counterfeiters and allowing them to scale their re-mining operations.

What is recycling?

Recycling is a method of making game miniatures (or minis, or models, etc.), which is quite simple to implement and requires little investment to start the process. In simple steps, the repairman first takes a pre-made mini, then wraps it in a layer of molded rubber. After coating several layers of molded rubber, each layer is added when the last layer has dried, the mold can be removed from the original mini-mold. This mold is now filled with liquid resin and left to dry. And voilà, a fake mini was created!

Answer legal questions about rereading

“Can I recreate copyrighted miniatures if I never plan to profit from them?”With express permission from the copyright owner, yes. Otherwise, even creating fakes just for yourself is illegal. Per Games Workshop IP Policy, “Copying for personal use is not an automatic waiver of copyright protection in many territories worldwide.” Warhammer recasts, especially 40K recasts, have caused Games Workshop significant headaches in the past.“Can I sell my minis? Are there any restrictions? ”If the miniature is a true work, then go for it! If the mini infringes any IP rights, you may not resell it. If you’re not sure, we recommend staying safe, just in case of legal risks.“Is it illegal to copy the generic design, if I am careful not to use any protected icons/logos?”Copyright and design rights still apply here. In general, we always recommend getting permission from the IP owner. Otherwise, you can work on creating something original!

Red Points’ view of fake miniatures

“It’s just a bit of plastic! Why do I have to pay so much? ”This is a common argument and a common concern among clients, but one that doesn’t really make much sense in the analysis. Why is this little plastic, shorter than my finger model so expensive? Well, it’s important to remember that pricing reflects the entire modeling process and the game itself. Game developers, art and design creators, sculptors and engineers, production. All of these factors need to be considered when valuing miniatures, as they are all essential parts of the creative process. For most companies, it takes 9-18 months to create a miniature product, depending on the number of unique sculptures in a set, the type of material and the details of the model. Therefore, to make these products, although small, takes a considerable amount of time.“If you’re losing revenue to re-manufacturers, your product isn’t high enough quality to match the price.”Recasters can afford to… recast. They don’t have to worry about any of the expenses that legitimate companies make. When they reworked warhammer, they did not create the designs, do any marketing, or do any work to create and maintain the vast lore world found in Warhammer 40K. . They steal copyrighted content from authentic brands, cut out all the creative work needed to bring the skits to life, and simply print out other people’s work to sell at a low price. discount. Therefore, it is not surprising that they are able to sell these minis for such a cheap price, since they are barely doing any work.“It was out of print – reprints were the only way I could get this model!”Limited editions and discontinued lines can be frustrating – we understand that. However, this is still not a justification for remaking the models, nor is it advocating for fakes whose first problem is that it devalues the assets of the owners of these models. Owning a physical version of a limited edition item can be prestigious in such a hobby, and the copyright holder has the privilege of restricting certain product lines. If you own a limited-edition item and someone illegally copies it, the value and reputation of your limited-edition item will drop dramatically. -Print (OOP) product lines. If there is no demand, there is no reason for them to republish these creations. Those punished were mostly genuine hobbyists who refused to fund illegal counterfeiting and forfeited the opportunity to return a favorite OOP product.“I had an issue with this particular company, so I don’t feel bad reading their stuff again.”This is really discouraging for fledgling designers and entrepreneurs who are thinking of starting their own gaming line. If this industry is not profitable for the people who have put years of hard work into it, then why would anyone invest in it? Entrepreneurial artists have always dreamed of becoming successful – if the most successful artists in their fields are still being weeded out, new talent will soon dry up and look for other avenues to capitalize on. their creativity.“Recycling allows you to dip your toes in water before spending a lot on a hobby you might not like.”A lot of people find themselves curious about hobbies like these, especially in the last few years, as the “eccentric culture” has become so much more common and less socially ostracized. But many hobbies, such as wargaming for example, are not cheap at all. They are deep, engaging pastimes that require an investment before you can really get in. And since attraction is sometimes quite niche, not everyone has a circle of friends who can introduce them to the hobby, but this is where brick-and-mortar stores are especially helpful. We spoke to Privateer Press, who had this to say: “Counterfeiting also hurts the backbone of every local gaming community, local game store, by removing the revenue they need. to continue to provide important services, such as a place to meet and play, organize tournaments and leagues, and be an important center of new player recruitment to ensure the community co-game continues to grow. “This is a traditional game. The minis are assembled and hand-painted by hobbyists and the games are played live, and so the local game store is vital to the industry’s survival. . Without it, it would be harder for players to meet and the community would be horribly affected. Red Points thinks no. Special thanks to Privateer Press for their collaboration with this article, and credit to Jay Adan and Christopher Stadler for their wonderful creations.