I'm very frustrated / angry lately with the miniature industry and all branches surrounding them !
I'll explain :
- Miniature manufacturers that present their miniatures as perfect creations often painted by artists ( and maybe also enhanced by photo shop ). These perfect creations can not be reached by us hobby painters and there for brings lots and lots of frustration for us. Ending in disliking the hobby or the miniatures of that manufacturer. Also they represent their miniatures better then they really are. ( often they're just crap in a box and that's kindly spoken) , Miniatures do not look like their box-art / digital renders , etc ...
- People on diverse social media platforms that present pictures of perfect painted miniatures. Lying about paint-scheme's , time they spent painting on a miniature , etc ...
Why lying ? Do you think people are idiots and believe the crap you write? Do you think they buy your perfect (photo-shopped) pictures?
I DON'T THINK SO ! ! !
- Miniature painting studio's that offer their service at ridiculously high prices. Who the hell pays +/-150 euro for just one miniature. What costs an army then thousands ???
And the quality is mostly not as high as they promised.
( No personal experience with this one , just following some studio's on ebay and other sites )
- People who sell miniatures second hand. They ask to high prices for old and mostly damaged miniatures ( or covered with massive layers of paint ). Also people who ask more money then the shop or manufacturer. Do you think we're stupid ??? This hobby is pricey enough without you trying to rip us off !
- 2 pots / bottles of paint that should be the same , but look different like day and night. Or paint new in the pot / bottle dried up. Spray cans that don't work ,etc...
This shit is expensive enough without these escapades !
I think I could go on and on , but I'll leave it at this for now without naming anyone.
But know , I'm not going to be quit for long...
When I'm experiencing more of these things I mentioned above , I will post them here with evidence to back me up !
My answer is yes. I don't particularly like how things are at the moment. Although I'm not effected by the same issues your encountering, I have read of similar and seen evidence of such when looking around on the Internet. This isn't the same hobby, anymore, as when I first discovered it in 1993 (White Dwarf magazine #160, April 1993). In truth, sometimes I wish I'd never started, or didn't like miniatures so much and I could just leave this all behind for another hobby.
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone in being frustrated with all this.
Thank you very much Roy for your comment. I'm glad I'm not alone with my frustrations. No it isn't the same hobby as when I started ( 2005 ) anymore. Now it's all about the money and no longer about the hobby. I wish the same , to have never started with this hobby. But 13 years later I have too much invested in the hobby to quit...
DeleteGreetings
You're not the only one and some of your frustrations stopped me from doing anything at all with my hobby a few times, instead indulging myself in the world of video games. My biggest frustration is still the cost and my skill in painting compared to the ones shown online.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that companies show pictures which we're enhanced using software as they look very different when you see them presented as display pieces at conventions.
I do appreciate the smaller companies because of this as they don't seem to mind as much showing of realistic painted models. Also, some creators like Michael Lovejoy give tutorials (on KS) which I actually managed to get almost the same result with as with his paintjobs. Leaving me with a satisfied feeling and improving my skill at the same time.
Like Roy, I sometimes wish I didn't like miniatures so much or had more focus. Making me spend less.
I understand companies trying to make money but their growth is killing it for me. I stopped with GW because of it for many years and still am not buying anything CMON or Privateer Press related because of it. eBay is a whole different story all together, sometimes it's useful but most of the time it's just a tool people use to make quick and easy money.
I often look back to the days of Rogue Trader, when there were articles about how you could make your own models from a shampoo bottle :).
Thank you very much for your comment Wouter !
DeleteAnd thanks for sharing it with me !
Greetings