Rating: Summary: Expansion packs are a good way to go. Review: For a complete review of the harbinger miniature line, please see my post on the entry pack...What should be stated in addition to that previous post is that the price per miniature is cheaper (even though it provides fewer miniatures than the entry pack) - the expansion packs DO NOT provide the terrain cards, fold-out map, 20-sided die, or rulebook. Expansions packs are a great way to bulk-up on your collection. However, as you start to collect more expansion packs - you will increasingly be provided with the common miniatures that you no longer want and will still be missing some of the more rare miniatures that you desire. This is the result of randomized packaging. Your only hope is to sell your undesired miniatures individually or hope to trade groups of them for a single rare miniature (others like having tons of common miniatures for mass battles). I only gave the expansion pack 3 stars because I would like to see the price per miniature to be lower, or for them to increase the number of miniatures per package. It should also be noted that the Harbinger series is going to be the BASE miniature line for D&D for maybe a year. After the next series, Dragoneye, is released - the harbinger expansion packs are likely to become unavailable (although the entry packs should be available for the year).
Rating: Summary: Uneven, but worth the ticket price ... Review: Having read the many mixed reviews of the new D&D miniatures, it was with some hesitation that I took the plunge and bought a few packs. Like those reviewers whom I found most convincing, I think the miniatures, while flawed, are a good value for the money spent. As others have said, quality of painting and sculpting varies wildly from figure to figure. Most of them -- say, 70 to 75 percent -- stack up pretty well against the typical amateur's paint job. A few -- 20 percent -- are noticeably better, and a very few -- 5 to 10 percent (Axe Sister, anyone?) -- are horrendous. Here's the short version: If you like painting your own figures, and have the time to do so in the numbers a typical D&D game requires, these probably aren't for you. But if you'd like to assemble and use anywhere from a dozen to a couple hundred colorful models, sized and sculpted specifically for D&D ... the D&D miniatures are worth your $1.25 each.
Rating: Summary: Uneven, but worth the ticket price ... Review: Having read the many mixed reviews of the new D&D miniatures, it was with some hesitation that I took the plunge and bought a few packs. Like those reviewers whom I found most convincing, I think the miniatures, while flawed, are a good value for the money spent. As others have said, quality of painting and sculpting varies wildly from figure to figure. Most of them -- say, 70 to 75 percent -- stack up pretty well against the typical amateur's paint job. A few -- 20 percent -- are noticeably better, and a very few -- 5 to 10 percent (Axe Sister, anyone?) -- are horrendous. Here's the short version: If you like painting your own figures, and have the time to do so in the numbers a typical D&D game requires, these probably aren't for you. But if you'd like to assemble and use anywhere from a dozen to a couple hundred colorful models, sized and sculpted specifically for D&D ... the D&D miniatures are worth your $1.25 each.
Rating: Summary: Uneven, but worth the ticket price ... Review: Having read the many mixed reviews of the new D&D miniatures, it was with some hesitation that I took the plunge and bought a few packs. Like those reviewers whom I found most convincing, I think the miniatures, while flawed, are a good value for the money spent. As others have said, quality of painting and sculpting varies wildly from figure to figure. Most of them -- say, 70 to 75 percent -- stack up pretty well against the typical amateur's paint job. A few -- 20 percent -- are noticeably better, and a very few -- 5 to 10 percent (Axe Sister, anyone?) -- are horrendous. Here's the short version: If you like painting your own figures, and have the time to do so in the numbers a typical D&D game requires, these probably aren't for you. But if you'd like to assemble and use anywhere from a dozen to a couple hundred colorful models, sized and sculpted specifically for D&D ... the D&D miniatures are worth your $1.25 each.
Rating: Summary: Poor quality Review: I learned to play D&D in 1979 and I've played ever since. I've also painted a few good miniatures in my day. Unfortunately, the folks making these not only can't paint inside the lines, they frequently left parts completely unpainted in my set. For the entry pack, which I also have, one reviewer from Wisconsin made what sounds like a company-planted pitch and apology by commenting (essentially) "What can you expect for about $1.25 each?" I think we can all expect a lot better, frankly. My elven archer didn't even have her bow painted! It was black like the plastic it's made from. When the company's own site shows the figure with a bow painted the color brown, you know someone screwed up. STAY AWAY from these miniature until Wizards of the Coast announced it has improved quality control.
Rating: Summary: Good Value for the Price Review: I picked up a few of these to check them out. I have played with minis for over 20 years. Most of my minis are metal figures I picked up over 20 years ago - I have about 150 of them. And in all that time I've only managed to paint about 30-40 of them. I do enjoy painting them and I think they are very good figures. They also cost me 3-8 dollars each and required an investment in paint, brushes, and a lot of time just to get a handful of them painted. Contrast that to a price of $1.25-$1.00 each (or less, there are places where you can get them cheaper than that) and it becomes obvious what the value of these figures are. Are they lower quality than a painted metal figure. Of course. That is a ridiculous comparison, because they cost so much less. If you want a collection of 100 orcs, all painted, in metal, you are welcome to spend $500 to do so, and take a year off of work to paint them. For me, I'm happy to still paint those figures that I have (and pick up other singles that I really like) and I'll use the cheap, painted, plastic ones as more than adequate figures for a supporting role my game.
Rating: Summary: Good Value for the Price Review: I picked up a few of these to check them out. I have played with minis for over 20 years. Most of my minis are metal figures I picked up over 20 years ago - I have about 150 of them. And in all that time I've only managed to paint about 30-40 of them. I do enjoy painting them and I think they are very good figures. They also cost me 3-8 dollars each and required an investment in paint, brushes, and a lot of time just to get a handful of them painted. Contrast that to a price of $1.25-$1.00 each (or less, there are places where you can get them cheaper than that) and it becomes obvious what the value of these figures are. Are they lower quality than a painted metal figure. Of course. That is a ridiculous comparison, because they cost so much less. If you want a collection of 100 orcs, all painted, in metal, you are welcome to spend $500 to do so, and take a year off of work to paint them. For me, I'm happy to still paint those figures that I have (and pick up other singles that I really like) and I'll use the cheap, painted, plastic ones as more than adequate figures for a supporting role my game.
Rating: Summary: Harbinger Expansion Pack Review: I was really excited to see the miniatures when I received it by mail. I opened the box and was really surprised of the quality of the miniatures. They are extremely well sculpted and 95% of the time they are reasonably to very well painted. They save lots of painting hours thats for sure! Great buy!
Rating: Summary: Best thing to happen to D&D Miniatures yet Review: Merric's Law of Miniatures: Non-Random Packaging, Cheap Prices, and a Large Range of Figures: Choose two
Okay, I have to admit I don't love random packaging, but it dose have it's advantages.
It allows retailers to carry the product with less fear of less popular models colecting dust and costing them money.
It allows for singluar packaging design, and random allotment on the maufacturing end.
It allows the Customer to get 8 FULLY PAINTED plastic miniatures for the price of 2-3 of their unpainted, unassembled, metal counterparts.
Also since plastic is cheaper than tin/pewter the figures tend to be larger and more robustly sculpted.
Personally the convenience of them being prepainted alone is incentive enough for me. When it comes down to getting 7 painted figures or 2-3 I'll never get around to painting myslef, the choice is clear.
Painting miniatures is a hobby in itself and not one we all have the time to indulge in.
The miniatures come with dual stat cards for each figure. D&D Miniatures skirmish rules and D$D 3.5 stats. These cards are valuable enough that they could be a product by themselves and their value should not be understated.
Rating: Summary: Great game, variable quality miniatures Review: The D&D miniatures game is a lot of fun to play-- all the excitement of a simplified D&D without any prep time. You will need to buy at least one "Entry Pack" to play. This expansion pack just gives you more miniatures. It takes a few expansion packs (~4) to really have a good set to choose from. Commanders, a fairly important type of piece are a little too rare for my tastes. The miniatures themselves are so-so. I understand they have to be plastic to make the product affordable, but that was tough for this "real" miniature-lover to accept. They must truly be hand-painted, because the paint jobs on similar pieces varies quite a bit. If you want quality miniatures, buy metal (no longer lead) and paint them yourself. If you want a fun new D&D product, or aren't picky about your miniatures, then this is for you.
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