It may seem strange, but sometimes it’s better not to start collecting a Warhammer army when it’s new- here’s why.
We know it’s hard to see a shiny new army with brand new minis and not go out and buy them right away especially if you have been waiting years for an update (sorry Orks). Lately, with all the GW paywalls and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) we have seen a trend that perhaps diving in headfirst day 1 isn’t always the best way to go about starting to collect a new release.
This is also an opinion (we’ll have facts to back it up don’t worry), but if you just can’t wait by all means go out and grab those new minis. Just always remember to vote with your hobby dollars when you do step up to the register!
Don’t Start Collecting Any Warhammer Army When it’s ‘New’
The most recent release of the Orks really highlights a few of the potential issues when you buy an army all upfront on Day 1. First, there are almost always paywalls lately when an army first comes out, meaning to get maybe just one or two units you want, you have to pay in the hundreds and have a release ridden with units you may not even want or that are not even useful on the tabletop.
While having new minis is always cool, you don’t always need to add unwanted plastic to that pile of shame (or pile of future success however you may look at it). Plus, when you look at something like the Beast Snagga box, they were all new units, but if you didn’t want some of the units inside, you are basically paying for unused units- although they were cool and new, and maybe useful for you down the road…
An Established Codex & Meta
Look, if you’ve been playing for any amount of time, you know a new book means an FAQ within weeks. Sometimes that can actually change things in a big way. If you wait for a few to a month to start collecting a new army, the FAQs will all be out, the meta for the most part will be established.
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With the meta already being somewhat established, you can have a much better idea of what you want to spend those hobby dollars on and not have a ton of extra units that rarely see play. While we’re not saying chase the meta, sometimes units that are a new release, rarely see play for months or years after release tying up your hobby dollars and adding to that pile in your closet…
Saving Money
This doesn’t always come true, but more often than not, when you wait a couple of weeks or a month to start on an army, you can save some serious money. This comes in a few ways:
First, people on the secondary market break down the larger army and starter boxes, meaning you can just spend money on the units you want. So while they may be a little more than when they finally come out as an individual release, you can spend money on just the units you want inside and not get left with a ton of leftover units.
Then, if you wait even longer, plenty of people sell off their new army after they realize they don’t like it that much. Often the prices on those are much cheaper than you could buy initially. Then, when the minis come out from GW on their own, you can again just spend money on the units you actually want/ need.
The One Downside
The only issue with waiting is really just availability in this impacted supply chain era. Overall from GW supply issues have been getting better, but sometimes it can take a really long time for restocks. So the only issue with waiting is, you may have to wait longer than you originally anticipated if you miss the window of availability.
Still, if you want to save cash, know what the changes are going to be, and not have unused units laying around, sometimes waiting is the way to go! This seems to be true now more than ever with two, three, and even four release waves sometimes for a new army faction.
With a little legwork from your local stores and some browsing online for secondary sellers on places like eBay and Amazon chances are you can still start collecting a new army, and same some serious hobby dollars as well.
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Do you like waiting for the FOMO to die down before buying an army?
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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 also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), 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 1980s, 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.
