This weeks WTF gripe.


Come on GW. Really?   For the most part I think that Gamesworkshop does a lot of great stuff and I try to be positive.  For example, I love the Stormraven in the leaked picture. The Dark Eldar models are gorgeous. The Blood Angels codex was well done.  I didn't even grumble when they raised the prices of some of their products by 40%.  (I bought a Corublo model for 8 bucks two years ago, how much is it now?)  Having said that, I think that this needs to be griped about.

Behold the picture.  On the right is the old GW Super Glue.  It is a 1 ounce bottle of glue that I bought for 6 bucks last year.  I thought that it was a little pricey at the time.  I think the price was hovering around 8 dollars US very recently depending on where you bought it.  I personally think that their super glue is a good product. I prefer it to their other glue called Plastic Glue. It has a strong bond, but does not melt the plastic together like the plastic glue. I liked it because while it was strong, I was able to pull arms off marines to upgrade their guns with little damage to the paint job.  

Much to my chagrin I tried to order some more GW Super Glue this fall for my gaming club here at school from the Warstore and they sent me Zap a Gap instead. I did not know why, thinking it was an oversight, until I tried to order it again from Rob Baer at Spikey Bits and he told me it was discontinued.  

Horrified that my favorite glue was gone, I then walked into A Timeless Journey, the local comic book shop in Stamford, CT where I buy my paints, to see if he had any and look what he had.  Little tiny bottles of Super Glue!  See the price tag?  Lets compare.

Old Super Glue. 1 oz bottle = $ 6.00 or 8.00 depending on where you buy it. (The Warstore, no tax.)

New Super Glue .17 oz bottle = $ 6.60 + tax.  

That is POINT ONE SEVEN by the way.  You can fit 5.8 of those bottles into one of the previous one.  That means that GW has raised the price of an ounce of their super glue to $ 40.70 with tax included.  Now THAT is a price increase.  What is that, about 700%?  Let me see... I can buy a Land Raider, or glue. Maybe the ink used to print the word THIN is made out of pure squid juice imported from Malaysia? Or is it the plastic that the tiny bottle is now packaged in that warrants the price increase?  What is the point of the plastic? Selling bottles without extra plastic was not good enough? Maybe they boiled down rare wild caught Chinese Pandas to make it?  

I can't imagine the formula of the glue in the new little bottle is any different at all from the formula in the older one, but now they are selling it for seven times the price. That would be like charging 400 dollars for a Baal Predator. So for that GW I ask, What The Frack?

Oh well. Add yet another GW product to the list of things I will never buy again. Man, it is a good time to be The Army Painter! Maybe we can start a campaign. All of us can mail our old 1 oz super glue bottles to GW when they are empty and request a refill? Or demand that they recycle the plastic for use in their new models to lower the cost.  This is just getting ridiculous.  Am I off base?

Jawaballs

44 comments:

Unknown said...

Well if it helps Gale force nine now sells a bottle that is almost identical (as far as I can tell) to the old GW one

Chicago Terrain Factory said...

Trying to list the GW WTF moments is an endless task....

Gorilla brand super glue - great stuff and available at any hardware store in the US. Its my new favorite.

SAJ said...

It is ridiculous. I've always thought Insta-Cure glue (another cyanoacrylate option) is better than GW's, and it's cheaper and pretty widely available. Also, it's available in super thin to thick, depending on what you like to use (can also get Insta-Set and Un-cure, pretty handy).

MonkeyLeader said...

Why oh why would you waste money on GW glues. They are horrendously expensive compared to their hardware store compatriots.

I've found that LePage's Loctite glues work excellently. They have a thin and thick product, depending on your needs. The push-squeeze bottle that the glue comes in helps regulate the flow and amount of glue that comes out; perfect for precise gluing.

I've also heard that Gorilla Brand glues are excellent, but haven't had a chance to try them.

For plastic glues, I love Tamiya's plastic cement glues. If it's plastic and you need it to stay glued, this is the adhesive to use.

James Convy said...

But it comes with a brush! And if you get even a little bit of plastic or metal shavings on that brush it turns it a wonderful stick.

I used mine once for a Flames of War tanks then tossed it. Worse 7.00$ I ever spent.

Gareth said...

LOL, you are not off base at all. This is crazy. Buying hobby products at GW is like buying candy and popcorn at the movie theatre.

Tim said...

In GW's defense, I've got a bottle of that glue and I find it much stronger than the last incarnation of GW superglue. I too was shocked at the little amount of glue in the bottle but the blue actually helps you conserve glue so that the bottle lasts about as long as the old one.

I do hear you though. This is a ridiculous price for such a small amount of glue. GW really is not the company to buy hobby supplies from.

Granted, gorilla glue is just as good, readily available and also features a brush...so there's your answer.

Jawaballs said...

It does have a brush! I just noticed. I wonder if the bristles are each made from the hairs of those pandas they boil to make the glue. Seriously though thanks for all the suggestions guys! Perhaps a good article will be to buy them all and compare and contrast. What I liked about the GW glue was its viscosity. I tried a couple other brands and GW had the perfect amount of thin and thick.

Ashwin O said...

Another fun statistic- the GW paint pots cost US$1167.17 per gallon! Assuming that gasoline costs US$3.00, paint is 389 times the price. Compare that to other matte acrylics at US$2.00 per 2oz that come in a US$128 per gallon, and it's 9.11 times the price.

Of course you could make the argument that GW paint is very much a niche product, and you would be right- I just thought it fun to do a little exercise in perspective.

Jawaballs said...

I was planning on paint pots for my target next week. I believe they increased the price yet again, but have decreased the amount of paint we get by using smaller pots. I have to actually buy one of the new pots to compare. Next week! I will use those stats though. Thanks!

Gewaltatron said...

I'm absof****lutely with you. I never bought this glue here at our GW store in Germany but this is just a perfect example for GW's brainless way of ripping their customers. NEVER buy hobby supply at GW, they are almost ever incredibly overpriced. Just look at their Greenstuff. And the worst part is, that these brainwashed morons working there try to defend every price!

last week I walked into our local GW store and noticed that the citadel cutting mats where back, directly this guy came to me and tried to sell it to me. But I denied since I already have a bigger one. Then he told me that the best part is, that this mat fits perfectly on the new painting station. I told him explicitly that I have my own painting corner and painting table in my living room but he still tried to sell it to me, it would also work great on tables and desks....yah...no it does not it just wastes space dude, but anyway. this guy also tried to sell me 6 other products. This was the last time I will enter a GW stire. I will only support my local gaming store even if I only save up to 10% of the incredible GW prices!

Gotthammer said...

I checked in store and the new paint pots have the same volume listed on them as the old (12ml here in Australia). We've also had that style suprglue for a number of years now and, like Old Shatter Hands, I find it works far better than the old type.

Scott said...

GW recently changed the bottle again, new fatter cap, don't really know why they did it (old cap didn't seal well?) But we are talking two change overs in product design in under a year (the new cap is bigger and not tapered)

Doomicon said...

" That would be like charging 400 dollars for a Baal Predator. So for that GW I ask, What The Frack?"

Don't give them any ideas! lolol

You are paying for the word "CITADEL", nothing more, nothing less.

I use Superglue for the same reasons, doesn't melt the plastic, quick strong bond, and I can simply pop off arms n' such without removing the model. The only difference, is I pay like $6 at Walmart for 8 tubes in a package :-\

Some of their products are "on par", some you pay a premium for subpar product (ie Chaos Black Primer). I've not yet found a product in their hobby line that was so superior as to justify the cost.

just mah $0.02 :-)

Doomicon said...

New paint pots are visibly smaller, but if you check the package it holds the same amount of paint.

Only gripe I have about the new pots, is not all the lids stay flapped open to dab the brush in the lid.

Unknown said...

This is why my superglue comes from the local whatever-mart. I can usually find 4 tubes for $1-2 at .44 oz net. I've used both and you know, it's pretty much the same thing. I've glued plastic, metal, flesh and some of my clothing quite effectively.

Dex said...

It's all a matter of brand name. In my opinion, Games Workshop produces top-quality models, and garbage hobby supplies.
My main gripe about GW glues, other than their sodomizing prices, are that the containers are poorly designed. They clog easily and let in air, causing them to thicken over time to the point of being unusable. For plastic glue, I use Model Master liquid cement, and for superglue, I grab push-squeeze stuff from the hardware store.
And the paints are brutal too. I am loathe to switch to Vallejo paints, because I have about $100 worth of GW paints sitting on my station right now, but things are getting out of hand, especially with the smaller pots. Sure, they say that the new pots carry the same amount of paint, but any fool can look at the two and tell that the new ones clearly carry less paint. I've decided to simply stop buying GW colors, and slowly phase them out and wean myself onto VGC. I'm actually looking forward to a paint pot with an intelligent design.

Farmpunk said...

it's why I stick to Loctite products. They invented threadlocker. and make some pretty good super glues too. If you can order from an industrial supply company, you can get access to an even wider range of their product. all of it's really good.
http://www.loctiteproducts.com/super-glues.shtml

I use their slow cure, and their gel formulas.

HuronBH said...

I will agree with SAJ, Insta-Cure is the best stuff around in my opinion, for super glue. I am a big fan of the Gap filing medium (Purple Cap) and Gap filing foam safe clear drying glue (Gold Label Black Cap). It is made by Bob Smith International. I would suggest giving it a try over the GW stuff. For plastic glue I still use the good ole orange tubed testors model glue.

FoxPhoenix135 said...

I bet you bought their hobby files too, eh? Don't suck at the GW teat, man! Once you realize there's more to the industry than GW products, you'll be a lot happier (because you'll have more money for other stuff)!

Jawaballs said...

Fox it's not about loving GW products. I like that glue because of the few other products I tried, it is the one I prefer. As for the rest of their stuff... I won their Hobby Kit at a tournament, and it is a massive piece of junk. The table top vice? A total joke. I can't imagine any one who wa suckered into paying the over 100 dollar asking price for that kit was satisfied with it. If I did not win it, I would have returned it instantly. :)

Kevinmcd28 said...

My old FLGS sells 1oz bottles of thier own label plastic glue in 1oz size and bigger for about 650 and I love that glue.

another gripe, wtf about the new paint pots and they sometimes decide not to close, i spilled an entire new pot of paint bc it kept opening itself and ruined my desk

Gonewild40k said...

Loctite and Zap a Gap are my CA adhesives' of choice. Likewise, I choose Vallejo over GW/Citadel whenever possible. You get more paint, the containers seal adequately preserving the paint, and You get more liquid volume for your buck.

You really like that GW Stormraven? Heh- Take off the beer goggles, that thing is fugly.

Jawaballs said...

I think the new SR is perfect! Squatty, blunt, and bristling with death. That is what space marines are all about.

MonkeyLeader said...

I would agree with Jawa... love the Stormraven. I'm a Space Wolves player, so naturally, my army won't get it (cough... hoping for a White Dwarf correction... cough) but I think I'll pick one up anyway, just to paint it.

Drew said...

Krazy Glue, my friend. From the Dollar store. Something like 3oz for $1.50. Rock.

Khornatedemon said...

this is why i'm glad i bought 2 of the old ones a while back.

I'm also glad i'm not the only one who likes the stormraven. Everyone I talk to hates it. It looks exactly like a SM vehicle. And anyone who cites realism needs to look at anything else in 40k lol. I just cant wait to see mroe shots of it, like the dread grapple and what not.

Unknown said...

the new paint pots are smaller. can't give you exactly the size difference but i recently bought an old pot of blodd red and a new pot of blazing orange to make 75/25 and 25/75 mixes respectively. much to my aggravation it is hard to do that when u have less blazing orange than blood red, Son of a Biscuit Eater!!!

SC John said...

Jawa,

Gorilla CA Glue for the win, its a bit more than the cheepest stuff, but worth it.

Insta-flex and Mercury also are good.

John
Santa Cruz Warhammer

Ming said...

Zapagap Gel is far better than GW glue, better bottle to hold, cheaper, and you can get it all over the place. Just like you wuz usin' non-GW paints, enjoy da change!

Scott said...

Update:
The new plastic glue bottle appears to be the old super glue bottle (we just got a new stock over at the shop) can any one think of a reason why GW would do this?

Scott
Bay Hammer

Flekkzo said...

I just feel sad. Without GW no 40k so I want them to do well and have reasonable margins on their stuff. But what they are doing here is killing themselves. It's like if their CEO came directly from GM or something. Madness. Every hobby gamer could easily tell them about a few simple changes that would work wonders and they could have a reasonable premium. 10-15% premium for glue/paint sounds reasonable to me. It would be like a tip.

Thing is, I want my GW paint because that is the colors I like. Heard a lot of good about the P3 line, but I would have to replace a lot of pots and change how I paint.

I think the problem is that the wrong people are in charge at GW these days. We should all buy GW stock with the money we save on not buying their glue…

Stormraven. Don't like it, feels oddly cut off. I like the big thunderhawk and the guard Valkyrie much better.

Crazy Red Praetorian said...

Check out Bob Smith Industries or BSI, they have THE best glue and prices. They also have a glue for every occasion.

Kevinmcd28 said...

I LOVE P3 primer, i wish i had store access to thier normal line of paints, thier primer is so smooth and works great on models, and $10 so its a good mid-line compared to army painter

Elbrun said...

Gorilla super glue is all I use, it's reasonably priced, as well as very good on a vast number of materials. I've also used their expansion glue on a few projects, and it is incredibly strong for working on diorama types of projects.

I've switched in general over to P3 paints, and the occasional Vallejo paint. GW paints just seem to be getting worse over the years. Their original lines were their best. Reasonably priced, reasonable volume in the containers, and a much broader selection of colors. Now, low quality binders, crap pigments, overpriced mini-pots, and they blend horribly.

I've been using Rust-O-Leum brand automotive grey primer (wet/dry sandable) for priming most things. Though I have begun using The Army Painter paints for a number of projects, and I'm loving them. The Army Painter has the BEST matte sealer on the market for miniatures (I've tried 8 brands in the last year).

Mike Brandt; mvbrandt@gmail said...

I actually like it. It puts off less fumes and you use less of it than with traditional super glues, and that helps me - I'm one of those wikipedia-reported 5% who react badly to too much superglue fumes (blame it on working with all that coral frag in the past).

It lasts longer than the larger bottle, as well. So, while it has its flaws and is still overpriced, it's vastly superior and longer lasting than the old stuff.
- Mike

Unknown said...

i hated the old glue for metal models, i like the new, much stringer and you barley need any for plastic, but the price sucks

Reynor said...

The brush on my new glue fell off the stick and into the glue. So no brush, no way to use the glue.

Fail, GW. FAIL!

Anonymous said...

None of the hobby or game stores carry GW glues anymore. This move has to be costing them money because every store refuses to carry it, instead they are carrying the insta-cure line of products the third poster mentioned. I LOVED their plastic glue it would hold the item in place but you were still able to reposition it for a few minutes.

The Ascended Host said...

I do like GW's hobby knife and pin vice. The pin vise is the best I have ever owned, and I have 6 different pin vices. Compact, and very comfortable in the hand. Their new hobby knife is also nice. Again, very comfortable in the hand. As a man who has put together close to 25,000 points of Emperor's Children and Slaanesh daemons in the last 16 months,(thats a lot of mould lines to clean!), comfort and grip are very important to me. As for their new paint pots, GW has changed their design to make them watertight. Their old design (actually the plastic the pots were made from) allowed small amounts of water vapor to leak. That would be why the pots always seemed half-full, and why your paints would dry out so quickly.
As for glue, I use what ever super glue I find. For plastic, I recommend Testor's Model Master, with the metal tip. Best plastic cement on the market. Comes with a precision tip, melts the plastic for a perfect bond, and lasts a long time.

Anonymous said...

$400 for a baal predator, *knock on wood*

Unknown said...

crazy glue is the best glue ive ever used for my models, works for plastic to plastic, plastic to metal and metal to metal. to be honest ive actually never used GW glue. why spend that much in the first place?

Anonymous said...

Yea so far I don't need the two super glues I've bought from GW (which both sealed themselves shut at the nozzle making it harder to use. But the funny thing is I always used different plastic glue, then ran out bought a bottle of the stuff (for $10) which it turns out I can't use because it makes my knuckles bleed and makes me really dizzy.

The Blog Knight said...

Who uses GW superglue?! Dollar store - 3 tubes for a buck! Cyanoacrylate is cyanoacrylate. Want it thicker? That's next to the three tube package. Want a brush? Move over another peg in the same aisle... GW for rules and most models only! For everything else, there's a better and far cheaper option.

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