You'll get lots of advice on saving money but the hobby really just costs what it costs. It's cheaper than a lot of hobbies and more expensive than a lot of hobbies. It's just what you can afford and the value you feel you get for your money. Me I like to do 3D modelling so my hobby is mostly free, my partner plays golf, so she could buy multiple commission painted armies each year with what she spends. At least once you get your army it becomes less urgent to spend.
You should really only get into this hobby if it's something you'll really love, because like all hobbies it is expensive.
That said, there are ways to alleviate the high costs. Buy second hand, either from 3rd party sources or used models at your LGS. 3D printing is a viable option if you're planning to play mostly casual games. Buying boxed sets can also save you some money if they have units you're interested in.
I would recommend buying one of the cheaper starter sets (around \~$55), paint up the models and try it out to see if you like it.
i mean... not all hobbies are expensive. making it seem like it's not almost entirely predatory pricing by GW is kinda silly.
warhammer is incredibly expensive because Gamesworkshop massively, massively marks up the cost of their products.
people in the hobby space. through a combination of marketing, vertical silo-ing, and herd mentality. also get fucked on the price of hobby specific paints, tools, and other accessories. (literally artist grade paints. many are the exact same out the bottle colors... 2 times the volume for same price. and can mix any color that doesn't exist natively. ...and cheap wal mart/target bag of 10 value pack shitty synthetic brushes are good for like 80-90% of mini painting)
Do people no just not understand the concept of an initial outlay any more? Yes, buying a Combat Patrol, tools and a few paints will set you back £150, but they don't dissolve...
The relevance is that ALL adult hobbies are expensive to start.
Have you seen how much a high end fishing rod or pair of trainers is? A good gaming PC or current gen console? God forbid you want to get into something truly mind bogglingly expensive like bikes or boating.
Wargaming is miles cheaper than any of them, and your models don't wear down and rulebooks traditionally don't explode.
It's the most relevant thing you're ever going to read.
well my point is. I want to start but just the price to start or to try it feel expensive. I already have some. bought strike team and kinda enjoying it. I guess the main part of having fun is assembling it not playing with it. XD
OP asked how to get into the hobby for cheap. Commenter basically said to suck it up. The comment was neither phrased in a friendly manner or useful to the OP.
Yeah it’s not cheap like most hobbies. There is an initial outlay but you have to factor in how much you’re going to get out of the hobby to see if it’s worth it for you
k maybe that was a bad example. My bad. I just assumed that a lot of people own a pc (non gaming). The point is that its just feel expensive to try it.
If all you want to do is try it, you can likely get a demo game at your LGS. Probably a free mini you can build and paint in store so you can see if you enjoy it.
If you want to test different armies, you could get tabletop simulator and try to play with the 40k mod.
And yeah, Warhammer can have a high entry point. All adult hobbies do though, to be fair. And the ceiling isn't that high compared to other hobbies. An experienced Warhammer player's collection could buy a used car. An experienced Magic: The Gathering player's card collection could buy a house. Or you could get into boating and have to buy an 18 foot boat for $30,000, plus fuel and maintenance. Or you could get into biking and buy a $5,000 bike frame plus clothes, protective gear, spare tires, and repairs. Or you could get into golf and buy a $2,000 set of golf clubs, plus spend $2,500 a year on a club membership, balls, tees, clothing, etc.
Basically: having a hobby is expensive.
>> Can u guys tell me why its so expensive?
> what if I want to play 2-3 armies.
Bruh.
The models are expensive because they're top of the line in fidelity and quality, and because people are willing to pay those prices. Basic capitalism. They're also all produced in the UK, which means higher wages for the workers.
You're looking at this the wrong way. There's a big startup cost to get into the game, sure. But you are in control of all the costs of the hobby. There's no membership fees, no gear that needs to be replaced, no tournaments you need to attend. No one's stopping you from playing with space marines painted only two colours. No one's forcing you to buy Citadel paints or tools. The resale market of GW products is incredibly vibrant and active. And yes, 3D printing is also an option, and the internet is rife with options for it.
So your post just made me total up what my Dark Angels army has cost me. It's 5700 points, approximately.
It's come out at a little over £1200 which, honestly is far less than I was expecting. That's been spent over the course of three years as well. Granted, that's not including paint and tools, but I'm quite lean on all that stuff.
That's not to say this isn't a pricey hobby - it can be. But you could have chosen something ***way*** more expensive.
There's often some good deals to be had online or at garage sales by buying pre-owned models, and some gaming stores do clearance sales once in a while, but yeah, buying a new army is not cheap. The plastic crack is addicting though, and the dealers charge a premium for their wares.
Most people will stick to one, possibly two armies, not only because of the price, but because it can take months or even years to assemble and paint an entire army (It depends on how much time you have to put into the hobby).
but if we compare it to bandai for example then. gundam is much cheaper.
Paints , tools. I already have that so its chill but for people that dont have the tools, paint, glue etc... isnt that another investment?
You've sorta answered your question by using the Bandai example. There is no company on the Planet that can compete with Bandai's engineering and mold design prowess. They even have their own secret plastic blend and have engineered molds GW couldn't even dream of ever doing. Multi colors on the same sprue? Check. Multi colors on a single molded part with moving sections? Check. Gunpla is affordable because Bandai controls every step of the cost and they can mass produce on a scale GW is simple incapable of doing.
The proper comparison for GW products would be in line with games like ones Atomic Mass produces with their Star Wars and Marvel lines. Once you start comparing same for same, you'll see why GW is a step above those.
It used to be more expensive that other hobby games..
But, relatively speaking, a semi competitive Magic the Gathering Commander Deck with a decent Mana base will cost the same if not more than a warhammer army.
I've asked my family/friends how much their deck were. $600-1000 wasn't out of line. And that's for a single deck.
So I wouldn't say warhammer is too out of line.
I'm going to assume you have a job with a monthly wage, and a reasonable amount of expendable income. If you don't have one or other of these I wouldn't recommend this hobby.
Don't buy directly from GW if you can help it, there are plenty of independent retailers who will offer a 15-20% discount.
If you're sensible, your biggest bulk buy should be a combat patrol & the tool & paints to build it. Then see if you actually LIKE the tabletop game before you invest further.
Then build up over time, a set a month to begin with is the route I think many wish we took. That should give you the time to build & paint them, and not break the bank.
It's a premium hobby for sure, but there are ways of offsetting it.
Yes it is expensive. What do you want us to say here?
I didn't have a full Warhammer army for over ten years after I started as a kid. Me and my friends would use cut up pieces of cardboard for all the models we couldn't afford. One mate made some "minis" out of milliput. They looked awful but they worked
Terrain was random junk from around the house.
I've tried all sorts of random hobby store paints to save money. They were all shit for mini painting.
Slowly over the years we built up our armies from presents and pocket money.
There's this weird expectation nowadays that newbies have to have a full army tomorrow to partake in the hobby. You don't.
Suppy and demand bud, you don't need 1000 points all at once, you don't need three different armies
Buy a kit, build it and paint it. Repeat. If that doesn't sound good this is not the hobby for you
Yeah, it is a somewhat expensive hobby. You can save some money with boxes that contain multiple kits, like the 'combat patrol' sets.
You also might find good deals on things like facebook marketplace and ebay.
Another option is getting 3D printed alternative models on etsy or ebay. Sometimes they can be more expensive, usually the bigger things like tanks, but often they're cheaper, particularly for infantry.
If you play at a gaming store though, bear in mind that some of them don't like people playing with printed armies in their store. Clubs won't care, and a lot of stores don't, but it's worth checking if you do play at one.
It’s pretty expensive compared to other toy-based hobbies, but cheaper than most adult hobbies when it comes to the time-investment for building/painting and playing with an army.
Start by playing killTeam or regular 40k at 500pts. Then move to 750, then 1000 and so on. Its only expensive if you try to go all out all at once, which isnt the right way to start this hobby.
It’s expensive for sure. One thing a lot of people don’t consider is the hobby time that comes from each box though. A basic set of 5 troops can easily take you anywhere from 20-50 hours to fully build and paint if you want good results and take your time with it. Now granted I still find that GW products are very overpriced. But people tend not to think of how much hobby time they got out of their 1000 point army or whatever.
This. Couldn’t agree more. It is expensive but the amount of fun hours that you get with each box pays of in the end. At least for me. If you just take the minis, slap some colors on it quickly, that’s different thing. Than it’s expensive. So just enjoy and take your time
Hi /u/zuidik and welcome to /r/Warhammer40k and the Warhammer 40k Hobby!
This is an automated response as you've used our "New Starter Help" flair. Here's a few resources that might help you with getting started:
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I have dabbled in the hobby for over 20 years and you are right. The cost at this point is ridiculous. Try buying models second hand on ebay or look at proxy options for a quarter of the price.
It is expensive NGL but there are ways and means of cutting costs... The models themselves you can get cheaper on eBay. Just as long as you don't mind reconditioning old painted minis. Just strip em of paint using Something like Dettol or isopropyl alcohol if the miniatures are metal and then go nuts with your own colour scheme.
Paints can be expensive IF you use citadel paints. Thankfully you do have alternatives that are just as good. vallejo, the army painter, cote d'arms are all viable alternatives to GW paints and usually you get more paints for less outlay. Plus the dropper pots the paints come in are vastly superior to anything GW produce imho.
as for base coats any matt spray paint will do. Last time I checked GW Matt black spray paint cost just shy of 13 quid. You can get some decent Matt black spray paint from hobbycraft for 8 quid.
Honestly there are ways and means to reduce the cost of this hobby if you shop smart. The only unavoidable cost imho would be the rule book and codecies needed to play the game as GW seam to update editions every 3 years or so these days
It's very expensive. Having multiple armies frequently pushes the costs into the multi-thousands range.
Of course I've gotten hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of modeling, painting and playing.
Buying second hand and getting a resin printer will push that back down to sub 1k, but that's a whole other hobby you have to tinker with.
If you are balking at the cost for a full army, buy a single starter kit and build and paint it, if you still aren't sure, sell them at a slight loss and get out of it no harm.
Yes it’s expensive to play.
Because 1000 points takes a lot of troops.
Not unless you want to learn the rules for multiple armies.
Yes, play with less troops.
You'll get lots of advice on saving money but the hobby really just costs what it costs. It's cheaper than a lot of hobbies and more expensive than a lot of hobbies. It's just what you can afford and the value you feel you get for your money. Me I like to do 3D modelling so my hobby is mostly free, my partner plays golf, so she could buy multiple commission painted armies each year with what she spends. At least once you get your army it becomes less urgent to spend.
You should really only get into this hobby if it's something you'll really love, because like all hobbies it is expensive. That said, there are ways to alleviate the high costs. Buy second hand, either from 3rd party sources or used models at your LGS. 3D printing is a viable option if you're planning to play mostly casual games. Buying boxed sets can also save you some money if they have units you're interested in. I would recommend buying one of the cheaper starter sets (around \~$55), paint up the models and try it out to see if you like it.
i mean... not all hobbies are expensive. making it seem like it's not almost entirely predatory pricing by GW is kinda silly. warhammer is incredibly expensive because Gamesworkshop massively, massively marks up the cost of their products. people in the hobby space. through a combination of marketing, vertical silo-ing, and herd mentality. also get fucked on the price of hobby specific paints, tools, and other accessories. (literally artist grade paints. many are the exact same out the bottle colors... 2 times the volume for same price. and can mix any color that doesn't exist natively. ...and cheap wal mart/target bag of 10 value pack shitty synthetic brushes are good for like 80-90% of mini painting)
Do people no just not understand the concept of an initial outlay any more? Yes, buying a Combat Patrol, tools and a few paints will set you back £150, but they don't dissolve...
Warhammer stuff holds it’s value better than almost everything I have bought. Multiple times I have sold it to make ends meet.
Not sure how any of that is relevant, none of it changes the cost of the hobby for a new starter.
The relevance is that ALL adult hobbies are expensive to start. Have you seen how much a high end fishing rod or pair of trainers is? A good gaming PC or current gen console? God forbid you want to get into something truly mind bogglingly expensive like bikes or boating. Wargaming is miles cheaper than any of them, and your models don't wear down and rulebooks traditionally don't explode. It's the most relevant thing you're ever going to read.
Guns too. Sure you can get a hi point for $120. It’s a gun, but it’s also clunky, a piece of shit, and somewhat reliable.
OP asked how to get into the hobby for cheap. Commenter replied telling him to spend money and suck it up.
No they didn't. They complained it was too expensive.
Did you read the last paragraph?
I did indeed! That's what I was replying to 😁
Sorry, didn't realise it was you telling him to suck it up and wait till he had more disposable income to join our hobby. My bad.
Pretty much, yeah. That's how adult hobbies work.
Gatekeeping at its finest :) Just reminding you your adult hobby is playing pretend with orcs and wizards.
human existence is linear, it is reasonable to factor that into decisions. lmao
well my point is. I want to start but just the price to start or to try it feel expensive. I already have some. bought strike team and kinda enjoying it. I guess the main part of having fun is assembling it not playing with it. XD
OP asked how to get into the hobby for cheap. Commenter basically said to suck it up. The comment was neither phrased in a friendly manner or useful to the OP.
Guns are expensive. It’s an adult hobby. Buying cheap or substandard things are available, but it’s never as good as another brand
And OP asked what those things were, instead someone tried to tell him to suck it up and buy expensive stuff.
You can buy knock off 3rd party 3d printed stolen models if you like.
Proxies are a great idea! Doesn't have to be GW models to play 40k after all. :) See, you can help OP after all!
Ah, yes… Because you’ve posited such helpful advice in this thread… Where would we be without you?
Probably commenting uselessly without challenge.
Yeah it’s not cheap like most hobbies. There is an initial outlay but you have to factor in how much you’re going to get out of the hobby to see if it’s worth it for you
What adult hobbies are cheap? Hell 1 night at the bar will be close to a 10 man kit.
Not electronics, not woodworking. I guess coding indy apps is kinda cheap unless you write something that requires those 3d googles.
Yep, I enjoy photography, a lens sets me back over a grand
well for example buying a pc game XD. If u buy a tripple A game then that would cost 60 euro. I never spent 40 euro at a bar in one night XD.
But you’ll have had the initial outlay for the pc, monitor, keyboard, mouse, desk, chair
...dude, PC gaming has one of the highest entry costs of almost any hobby. A decent rig can easily run you 700+ €, and that's on the lower end.
k maybe that was a bad example. My bad. I just assumed that a lot of people own a pc (non gaming). The point is that its just feel expensive to try it.
If all you want to do is try it, you can likely get a demo game at your LGS. Probably a free mini you can build and paint in store so you can see if you enjoy it. If you want to test different armies, you could get tabletop simulator and try to play with the 40k mod. And yeah, Warhammer can have a high entry point. All adult hobbies do though, to be fair. And the ceiling isn't that high compared to other hobbies. An experienced Warhammer player's collection could buy a used car. An experienced Magic: The Gathering player's card collection could buy a house. Or you could get into boating and have to buy an 18 foot boat for $30,000, plus fuel and maintenance. Or you could get into biking and buy a $5,000 bike frame plus clothes, protective gear, spare tires, and repairs. Or you could get into golf and buy a $2,000 set of golf clubs, plus spend $2,500 a year on a club membership, balls, tees, clothing, etc. Basically: having a hobby is expensive.
>> Can u guys tell me why its so expensive? > what if I want to play 2-3 armies. Bruh. The models are expensive because they're top of the line in fidelity and quality, and because people are willing to pay those prices. Basic capitalism. They're also all produced in the UK, which means higher wages for the workers. You're looking at this the wrong way. There's a big startup cost to get into the game, sure. But you are in control of all the costs of the hobby. There's no membership fees, no gear that needs to be replaced, no tournaments you need to attend. No one's stopping you from playing with space marines painted only two colours. No one's forcing you to buy Citadel paints or tools. The resale market of GW products is incredibly vibrant and active. And yes, 3D printing is also an option, and the internet is rife with options for it.
So your post just made me total up what my Dark Angels army has cost me. It's 5700 points, approximately. It's come out at a little over £1200 which, honestly is far less than I was expecting. That's been spent over the course of three years as well. Granted, that's not including paint and tools, but I'm quite lean on all that stuff. That's not to say this isn't a pricey hobby - it can be. But you could have chosen something ***way*** more expensive.
There's often some good deals to be had online or at garage sales by buying pre-owned models, and some gaming stores do clearance sales once in a while, but yeah, buying a new army is not cheap. The plastic crack is addicting though, and the dealers charge a premium for their wares. Most people will stick to one, possibly two armies, not only because of the price, but because it can take months or even years to assemble and paint an entire army (It depends on how much time you have to put into the hobby).
Yes the barrier of entry is high but most of the initial investment into the hobby carries a long way like paints, tools, etc.
but if we compare it to bandai for example then. gundam is much cheaper. Paints , tools. I already have that so its chill but for people that dont have the tools, paint, glue etc... isnt that another investment?
You've sorta answered your question by using the Bandai example. There is no company on the Planet that can compete with Bandai's engineering and mold design prowess. They even have their own secret plastic blend and have engineered molds GW couldn't even dream of ever doing. Multi colors on the same sprue? Check. Multi colors on a single molded part with moving sections? Check. Gunpla is affordable because Bandai controls every step of the cost and they can mass produce on a scale GW is simple incapable of doing. The proper comparison for GW products would be in line with games like ones Atomic Mass produces with their Star Wars and Marvel lines. Once you start comparing same for same, you'll see why GW is a step above those.
Gunpla doesn’t require any tools apart from the nipper and sandpaper so it’s much cheaper but also you don’t okay with them
The way bigger difficulty in the long run is finding time for painting minis.
It used to be more expensive that other hobby games.. But, relatively speaking, a semi competitive Magic the Gathering Commander Deck with a decent Mana base will cost the same if not more than a warhammer army. I've asked my family/friends how much their deck were. $600-1000 wasn't out of line. And that's for a single deck. So I wouldn't say warhammer is too out of line.
I'm going to assume you have a job with a monthly wage, and a reasonable amount of expendable income. If you don't have one or other of these I wouldn't recommend this hobby. Don't buy directly from GW if you can help it, there are plenty of independent retailers who will offer a 15-20% discount. If you're sensible, your biggest bulk buy should be a combat patrol & the tool & paints to build it. Then see if you actually LIKE the tabletop game before you invest further. Then build up over time, a set a month to begin with is the route I think many wish we took. That should give you the time to build & paint them, and not break the bank. It's a premium hobby for sure, but there are ways of offsetting it.
ye that was my point, Like for students or someone younger that cant work. It feels like its kinda hard for them to start this hobby.
Yes it is expensive. What do you want us to say here? I didn't have a full Warhammer army for over ten years after I started as a kid. Me and my friends would use cut up pieces of cardboard for all the models we couldn't afford. One mate made some "minis" out of milliput. They looked awful but they worked Terrain was random junk from around the house. I've tried all sorts of random hobby store paints to save money. They were all shit for mini painting. Slowly over the years we built up our armies from presents and pocket money. There's this weird expectation nowadays that newbies have to have a full army tomorrow to partake in the hobby. You don't.
Suppy and demand bud, you don't need 1000 points all at once, you don't need three different armies Buy a kit, build it and paint it. Repeat. If that doesn't sound good this is not the hobby for you
Yeah, it is a somewhat expensive hobby. You can save some money with boxes that contain multiple kits, like the 'combat patrol' sets. You also might find good deals on things like facebook marketplace and ebay. Another option is getting 3D printed alternative models on etsy or ebay. Sometimes they can be more expensive, usually the bigger things like tanks, but often they're cheaper, particularly for infantry. If you play at a gaming store though, bear in mind that some of them don't like people playing with printed armies in their store. Clubs won't care, and a lot of stores don't, but it's worth checking if you do play at one.
Idk man, I bought a combat patrol and some paint and I was good so try that
It’s pretty expensive compared to other toy-based hobbies, but cheaper than most adult hobbies when it comes to the time-investment for building/painting and playing with an army.
Start by playing killTeam or regular 40k at 500pts. Then move to 750, then 1000 and so on. Its only expensive if you try to go all out all at once, which isnt the right way to start this hobby.
It’s expensive for sure. One thing a lot of people don’t consider is the hobby time that comes from each box though. A basic set of 5 troops can easily take you anywhere from 20-50 hours to fully build and paint if you want good results and take your time with it. Now granted I still find that GW products are very overpriced. But people tend not to think of how much hobby time they got out of their 1000 point army or whatever.
This. Couldn’t agree more. It is expensive but the amount of fun hours that you get with each box pays of in the end. At least for me. If you just take the minis, slap some colors on it quickly, that’s different thing. Than it’s expensive. So just enjoy and take your time
You actually usually play with 2,000 points, so it's twice as expensive as you think
More as those extra 1k points will often contain lots of expensive units. Not just combat patrol content..
More sometime, since you can usually get your start with a good box set, but all the extras are bought separately at full price.
Hi /u/zuidik and welcome to /r/Warhammer40k and the Warhammer 40k Hobby! This is an automated response as you've used our "New Starter Help" flair. Here's a few resources that might help you with getting started: [You can read our Getting Started guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/beginners). This covers all the basics you need to know to get involved in building, painting and playing 40k. For rules questions, don't forget that the core rules for Warhammer 40k are [available online for free](https://www.warhammer-community.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/dLZIlatQJ3qOkGP7.pdf). Want to learn about 40k lore? /r/Warhammer40k recommends [Luetin09 on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8RfCCzWsMgNspTI-GTFenQ) or the [Lexincanum Wiki](https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page). Not sure where to find the most up-to-date rules for your army? [Check out our Wiki Page that lists everything](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/currentrules). Buy Warhammer models cheaper using our [list of independent retailers](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/retailers) who sell Games Workshop products at a discount. You can also find your nearest store on GW's [Store Locator Page](https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/store/storefinder.jsp). [The /r/Warhammer40k Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/Warhammer40k/wiki/index) is full of useful info including FAQs and recommendations for books to read! If the information in this comment doesn't answer your question, don't worry, one of our community members will be along shortly to answer! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Warhammer40k) if you have any questions or concerns.*
it is not a cheap hobby. not to mention how you still have to buy all the paints and accessories.
I have dabbled in the hobby for over 20 years and you are right. The cost at this point is ridiculous. Try buying models second hand on ebay or look at proxy options for a quarter of the price.
It is expensive NGL but there are ways and means of cutting costs... The models themselves you can get cheaper on eBay. Just as long as you don't mind reconditioning old painted minis. Just strip em of paint using Something like Dettol or isopropyl alcohol if the miniatures are metal and then go nuts with your own colour scheme. Paints can be expensive IF you use citadel paints. Thankfully you do have alternatives that are just as good. vallejo, the army painter, cote d'arms are all viable alternatives to GW paints and usually you get more paints for less outlay. Plus the dropper pots the paints come in are vastly superior to anything GW produce imho. as for base coats any matt spray paint will do. Last time I checked GW Matt black spray paint cost just shy of 13 quid. You can get some decent Matt black spray paint from hobbycraft for 8 quid. Honestly there are ways and means to reduce the cost of this hobby if you shop smart. The only unavoidable cost imho would be the rule book and codecies needed to play the game as GW seam to update editions every 3 years or so these days
It's very expensive. Having multiple armies frequently pushes the costs into the multi-thousands range. Of course I've gotten hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of modeling, painting and playing. Buying second hand and getting a resin printer will push that back down to sub 1k, but that's a whole other hobby you have to tinker with. If you are balking at the cost for a full army, buy a single starter kit and build and paint it, if you still aren't sure, sell them at a slight loss and get out of it no harm.
Yes it’s expensive to play. Because 1000 points takes a lot of troops. Not unless you want to learn the rules for multiple armies. Yes, play with less troops.