The Rant
First the lengthy bad and the reason for the rest of the reports unintended brevity; I was on a fairly tight schedule having other commitments later in the day (ok, I was taking my Mum out for a Mothers Day lunch, dutiful son that I am) but had resolved that I had time to make the trip up to Nottingham, bag myself that fine looking 'show only' boarding marine, take some photos and garner some info before engaging warp drive for the return home.
What I hadn't counted on was the total lack of planning (again!!!) by Forge World; having faced up to and apologised for their vast ineptitude at last years UK Games Day I had, perhaps foolishly, hoped that I would meet with a different beast this time around, especially as this was their baby.
I arrived at Warhammer World in good time for the venue opening, to find a large queue of expectant hobbyists already snaking its way around the car park. Not a problem, this was to be expected for such a prestigious event, I joined the good spirited crowd and after a short delay, doors opened and we began the slow shuffle inside.
On entering, my finely timed plan hit impassible terrain in the form of another queue, this one taking up the entire length of the hall from Bugmans Bar and all the way past the GW store, terminating in the two, yes TWO tills of the Forge World sales stand! With a groan of resignation I joined the line, hoping against hope that it would move in a speedy and efficient manner.
Not a chance, the card readers were suffering from overload and FW had once again failed to have a separate cash sale point, instead resorting to frantic shouts at the front of the forlorn masses who then had to squeeze through the dejected cardholders waiting to pay. Also to add to the delays, the sale point was taking mail orders for stuff they didn't have, which involved form filling of which the Munitorium would be proud.
Finally the crowning balls up to this tale of woe, one of the things that the stand didn't have in stock...the 'show only' boarding marine! Yes somehow they hadn't brought any with them and were desperately trying to get stock couriered over before we usually good natured hobbyists finally turned feral and tore the staff to pieces.
It took me just over an hour and a half to reach the front, by which time, fortunately for me, the Marine had arrived and I was able to purchase it there and then with no form filling; but by this time the fun and excitement of the day had drained from me. Forge World make some of the finest miniatures for our hobby but their incompetence like their artistry seems to know no bounds.
Interesting Pictures
With precious minutes to spare I dashed around the hall (apologies to those caught by the whirling dervish that was Bix and his camera) and took the following snaps of some of the awesome models on display. Sadly I didn't get time for information gathering but you can find a good rumor round up at 40k Online.
The Eldar Phantom Titan
The Eldar Wraithseer
The Dark Eldar 'Catamaran'
The Dark Eldar Raider (With Haywire Cannon Upgrade)
2 comments:
It was a similar farce this side of the pond at Adepticon. All the cool stuff that people wanted they didn't have. Which, in turn, was the same story from Games Day in Chicago 2 years ago.... Needless to say I didn't get my boarding marine, and couldn't be arsed to pay for one and have it shipped, regardless of them offering to ship it for free. bah!
Hi Paul, cheers for dropping by. Bah! Indeed sorry to hear it's been the same over there in the States and that you too have suffered at the bungling hands of the FW sales department.
It really hacks me off that they are so consistently bad, it’s not rocket science and they've been doing it long enough to know better.
The shame of it is, hordes of us love what they produce and keep coming back for more. Maybe if more of us took a stand as you did they might get the message and end our suffering
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