The Catachan Colonel has arrived in the US and is still stupid expensive. Forcing stores to choose between paying their rent or satisfying thier customers.
The Catachan Colonel was announced as a store exclusive mini from GW with some special stipulations. Every independent retailer would be getting these and they are allowed to keep any profit from the mini selling.
As Games Workshop put it, this was to help lend a hand to struggling retailers from the crisis. With the basics covered, here’s an update on the model for US stores.
40k Catachan Colonel Arrives In US & Stupid Expensive
This pic was sent to us by an independent retailer here in the US, that received this mini already. The Catachan Colonels are coming with their restock orders they were able to send to GW a few weeks back. Now, it’s exciting that the mini is finally here but the amount each store is getting is questionable.
After talking to multiple store owners across the US, they’ve said they have only gotten 2-4 Catachan Colonels, which is probably dependent on their store size and location. We don’t have to spell out the fact that these will not only sell quickly, but there isn’t even enough to go around. Remember, this was something to help retailers keep their doors open. But selling 2-4 minis at reatil will more than likely hardly make a dent in taking care of the overhead.
This has forced retailers into an awkward position and from who we’ve talked to, they have decided between causing an uproar in their community (from lack of models) OR selling all their Catachan Colonels on eBay for a higher price to keep their doors open.
The Colonel is Going Between $300-$500 on eBay
At the time of writing this, the Catachan Colonel is being sold on eBay between $300-$500 and people are biting! Let’s not forget that you could get two to three Imperial Knights for that price.
What We HOPE Games Workshop Will Do To Clean Up This Mess…
Now that we have seen these models arriving in hand to stores in the US with no additional direction or notice from GW, it’s safe to say that a majority of the people that want one of these minis will not be getting one.
If GW sent these minis in such low numbers to retailer stores because they themselves were allocated, then they should, in our opinion, honor additional orders from stores for this model.
It could then be supplied to LGS later on as GW themselves have done for their own last two MTO releases during the crisis.
That way, Game Stores who have helped build Games Workshop’s empire in good times and bad, get to keep 100% of the proceeds in a manner that is meaningful.
While the details surrounding this model sounded great at first, if the rumors are true this may be more of a hassle than a help in our opinion. We hope GW does the right thing and allows stores to make as much from this release as possible, so all ships continue to rise with the hobby tide.
It might be surprising to see a small T3 model go for so much on the secondary market. We’re not sure if GW’s plan to help stores backfired from the extremely low-quantity that stores were reported as getting, or if any help is considered better than no help.
What do you think about the amount of models GW shipped to stores? Do you think they are worth the price they’re going for on eBay? Will GW probably release these minis as an MTO further down the line?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures. Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including the Adepticon Team Tournament and American Team Tournaments, and is on a first-name basis with almost every major company in the space.
He’s all gaming all the time. With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. He advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1908s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
