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The Dwarf Gyrobomber – 2nd White Dwarf February 2014

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White Dwarf Gyrobomber

Welcome to the second week of Games Workshops all-new weekly White Dwarf + Weekly Miniatures release schedule. Obviously enough, the second week of the month sees releases that add to the ones unveiled last week – Warhammer Fantasy Dwarfs.

For all intents and purposes, Games Workshop still revolve around 1-army-per-month, just staggered over the different weeks.

#1 – Gyrobomber & Grimm: New Dwarf Miniatures

Grimm Burloksson

It’s (another) Dwarf week, so let’s talk about the new Dwarfs. There are a total of 4 new (non-digital) Dwarf releases going up for pre-orders today with the new White Dwarf.

  • Gyrobomber / Gyrocopter kit
  • Dwarf Runelord plastic blister
  • Grimm Burloksson plastic blister
  • Warhammer Dwarfs Army Book

The Gyrocopter/bomber… well… it’s a terribly cute miniature. I am certainly not against a nice chibi-steampunk look, but it feels a bit out of place in the grim Games Workshop universe, and seems more fitting for a more lighthearted setting. That said, it was fun to read about wooden grudgebuster bombs, steam guns and reckless young Dwarfs who yearn for the skies.

The two characters, the Runelord and Grim Burloksson come loaded with options and variant builds. It’s amazing how much they squeeze into these character-plastic-blisters these days. Together with last weeks Slayer and Dwarf Lord, Dwarfs now have 4 new plastic characters!

The Dwarf army book finally arrives, and the much-speculated cover is revealed. There is (of course) also a limited edition. The article about the new Army Book doesn’t give much information (though there are rules for the Gyrobomber and Grimm Burloksson in this issue).

Still, the idea to lag the Army Book itself to the second week is (to me) among the most puzzling choices in the new weekly-release approach. Will people buy loads of rank-and-file miniatures (like last weeks Hammerers) before they read the book? More than did previously with the more regular pre-orders?

#2 – All About Dwarfs

Dwarf Army Book Warhammer Fantasy

To state the painfully obvious, this White Dwarf is all about … Dwarfs. The new White Dwarf really takes the “mono-theme” idea to the extreme. In the 32 pages total,

  • 12 pages detail the new Dwarf releases,
  • 4 pages add a Jeremy Vetock article on the “history, heritage and heroes” of Dwarfs,
  • 2 pages Paint Splatter tell you how to paint Dwarfs,
  • 2 pages Sprue and Glue assemble a Dwarf Gyrobomber ,
  • 2 pages preview Dwarf rules (Gyrocopter and Grimm Burloksson and
  • 2 more pages give you some designer notes on the Dwarfs.

Last year, when I was doing reviews for the “old” White Dwarf, I kinda lamented the strong focus on the given release, which severely limited the old White Dwarfs appeal as a general-purpose (GW) hobby magazine. The new format clearly amplify this focus, and I wonder if (or how) that would work for Games Workshop.

Without a subscription and a weekly release, people can only really pick these up at the store. The White Dwarf – obviously – promotes the release of the week. But as there is absolutely no content except the releases of the week (one Phil Kelly column aside), I don’t see how anyone would buy this, if there aren’t interested in a given week’s release (i.e. Dwarfs) in the first place?

No?

How can the magazine promote Dwarfs to GW customers not interested in Dwarfs, if there’s nothing in there to tempt (as of yet) non-Dwarf players/fans to buy a  copy (and nobody will get you via subscription)?

White Dwarf, as a GW-hobby-exclusive, has always been preaching to the choir. The new weekly “extreme-theme” WD may well end up doing so even within the GW-fanbase.

#3 – Thoughts?

I continue to be a bit puzzled by the new White Dwarf format.

Personally, I don’t think it is all that bad (unlike the complement Warhammer Visions, which truly has no point as far as I can see). True, White Dwarf is never going to return to become a hobby-magazine in a broader sense, less so now in the weekly format than before in its latest monthly iteration.

It just doesn’t strike me as a smart format for promoting things either.

This White Dwarf, like last week’s, is a fairly interesting little pamphlet, that I would recommend to people who are excited about the upcoming Warhammer Fantasy Dwarfs. Future White Dwarf Weekly will, presumably, continue to appeal to fans of a given week’s release. Yet this weeks is utterly pointless for anyone who isn’t heavily into Dwarfs, and thus unlikely to persuade anyone into buying some Dwarfs, who didn’t plan so before.

Let me know what you think of the new slim White Dwarf after the second week.

Z.

Zweischneid

Zweischneid

I am Zweischneid. Wargame Addict. Hopeless painter and founder of Pins of War. I hope you enjoyed this article. Don't forget to share your favourite miniature pictures and wargaming videos at www.pinsofwar.net.
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  • belverker

    there actually seemed to be even less content this week then last week, but i can see myself buying each weeks if it was say beastmen or warriors of chaos. I wonder if this is along the plan get people who are interested in the army to spend more on the white dwarf, also we don’t know that each week of this month will be dwarves only had 2 of 4 issues so far and dwarves have already had more plastic releases then there have been for a release recently

  • Michael Dudek

    I’m not sure who this new White Dwarf is really for. It seems mostly to be ‘preaching to the choir’. With the frequent issues, and limited access to it in the first place, I don’t see how this ‘magazine’ is going to get them many new customers. I suppose they must hope all the die hards out there will make the trek to their gaming store every week to pay $4, so they can collect $16 a month instead of the $10 WD used to go for. I know I won’t be one of them. Based on what I’ve seen, I have little likelihood of buying any weekly White Dwarfs, and zero chance of ever buying any issue of Visions. Which I predict will be a sales disaster, and disappear from racks, probably sooner than later. Instead of fixing the content problems of the White Dwarf, they made things worse with these two mags.

  • DSS13

    I think that the weekly releases of white dwarf are better on the new miniatures front as it means each kit and new model gets some time in the lime light and new special characters are not fighting each other for the spot light. But there is no reason really to buy the magazines if you don’t have an interest in the army that is coming out. And Visions is pointless for most people.

    there is also a sneak peck at a new dwarf unit in the book. On page 27 if you look to the left of the runelord’s head you will see some sort of hand cannon. and based on the dragons head on the barrel and look of the beards i think its flamed based.

  • pseudodelic

    Still haven’t bought either… might buy them when the new orks are released…. but doubt I will buy it for any other reason… at the moment anyway

  • Dropship Ace

    23 AUD for a single plastic character?! What are they smoking.

    I can get two Infinity metal minis for that price.