Warhammer is an extremely popular miniature wargame that many people worldwide enjoy. One of the most appealing features of Warhammer is collecting the miniatures that are used to play the game.
If you wanted to try out Warhammer, you might be wondering why the game is so expensive. I looked up the facts, and here is what I learned!
Why Is Warhammer So Expensive?
1. Cost Of Materials
A major reason why Warhammer is expensive is that the cost of materials is pricy.
For instance, plastic injection molds are crucial to making Warhammer figures, but plastic injection molds are vastly expensive.
Plastic injection molds have to be subject to a lot of pressure and will be used regularly, hence why plastic injection molds are very sturdy and, thus, expensive.
Additionally, various other materials are required to make these figures, which will be added to the total cost of Warhammer figures.
2. Branding
Another factor why Warhammer costs so much is the branding that comes with Warhammer.
So, while similar model kits are available from other brands, Warhammer will cost much more than those model kits due to the branding.
Further, most people are willing to pay more for specific brand names even if the products are the same.
That said, most people find comfort in brand names because they believe they are getting a high-quality product.
As such, Warhammer can easily charge a lot more for its figures since Warhammer is aware that its brand name will justify the prices.
3. Niche And Willing Market
Games like Warhammer are typically considered unique since wargaming has a niche market.
Games Workshop, which created Warhammer, is considered the top dog for wargaming, making Games Workshop the largest one in the market.
Therefore, Games Workshop has a monopoly over the wargaming industry, especially since the wargaming world is relatively small.
As such, Games Workshop can make Warhammer expensive since the company knows loyal Warhammer fans will always purchase genuine Warhammer figurines.
4. Inflation
Inflation is the cause of most price increases, and this will include figures for Warhammer.
For instance, some older Warhammer gamers may say that Warhammer figures cost a lot more now than the figures used to.
However, this is because inflation has increased the price of various other things, such as labor, materials, etc.
As such, Games Workshop has to factor in these new input costs by increasing the price of Warhammer figures, making them more expensive than they were in the past.
5. Handcrafted Pieces
Games Workshop sells Warhammer figures without any paint on them, which means the players have to paint them themselves, which adds to the novelty of the figures.
However, not everyone wants to paint the Warhammer figures since they are very small.
Therefore, some experienced painters purchase Warhammer figures and pre-paint them, then sell them.
As such, these pre-painted figures are often more expensive since you do not have to paint them before playing.
6. Popularity
While Warhammer figures are usually pricy, some are more expensive than others due to popularity.
For instance, the Warlord Titan is a large Warhammer figure that can easily cost up to $2,800 since it is a huge and popular figure.
As such, any figure from Warhammer that is very popular or rare will be significantly pricier than the standard figures.
7. Metal Figures
Most Warhammer figures are made from plastic and similar materials, but some variants are made of metal.
Typically, the more detailed and bigger Warhammer figures are made of metal because they require a stronger structure.
As such, the metal-based Warhammer figures are more expensive since metal costs more than plastic.
Additionally, metal figures are usually large, so more metal is required to make these Warhammer figures.
8. Labor Costs
Games Workshop has to hire a lot of employees to create Warhammer figures since Warhammer figures cannot be made entirely on an automated assembly line.
That said, these employees have to ensure the machines are running, that there are enough materials, assess the figures for quality, and more.
Therefore, Games Workshop needs to factor in the salaries of these employees into the final price of Warhammer figures.
9. Purchasing Bundles
Typically, you cannot only buy one Warhammer figure if you want to play the game as you need to create an army.
As such, Warhammer requires a bit of investment to get one army to prepare yourself to play Warhammer.
For instance, one part of a Warhammer army may only cost $60, but to get a 2,000-point army list, you would need to pay at least $500-$600 for the whole army.
10. Manufactured In Certain Countries
Warhammer figures are created in one city of the following countries: the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
That said, this means that the Warhammer figures have to be shipped across the world once they are done, which includes spending for taxes, shipping fees, etc.
11. Profits
Games Workshop is still a company, and companies need to make a profit to be considered successful.
Therefore, Games Workshop will mark up its Warhammer figures to create enough profit to expand the business while paying the shareholders, CEOs, and such.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on why Pokemon cards are so expensive, why model trains are so expensive, and why Nendoroids are so expensive.
Conclusion
Warhammer is expensive because it is the king of the wargaming community, which means people will be willing to pay for it.
Additionally, the actual cost of creating and transporting Warhammer figures is costly, so the input costs are factored into the figure’s price.
Read more: Why Is Warhammer So Expensive? (11 Reasons Why)