40k Buying Guide: The Current Bestsellers for 40k in 2016
Warning
40k Buying Guide is rated empty your pockets. These articles are meant to help you continue complaining about GW pricing schemes at the same time you are buying used models on Ebay
As you may or may not know Games Workshop has an interesting feature on their website that is updated periodically. Whenever you go and check out the Warhammer 40k tab on the GW site you will notice filters, and one shows their best selling models. This is an easy way to look into the highly secretive company making our favorite toys. We can assume the list represents the top selling models ordered from the GW site, and if you look at the list it is clear they are not trying to convince us to buy poor selling kits.
Let us take a look at this list and break it down from the obvious to not so obvious. Keep in mind the order doesn’t necessarily equate to selling position.
Tyranid Swarm
- The Tyranid Swarm has been in and out of the list for the last year or so, mostly because it goes out of stock. This is one great buy, if you want to get an Tyranid army started, especially combo it with the Tyranid Start Collecting! set. If bought separately you are looking at roughly $320! It makes this bundle about half off of retail and that isn’t counting any online discount you might find. Though the models contained are not the most competitive units, you can imagine this is an easy product to sell as a retailer for any new Tyranid player.
Start Collecting! Skitarii
- The first of three Start Collecting! sets, here we find models for the newest 40k army, Ad-Mech. If sold separately the models are a whopping $141, making the set a savings of almost 40%! This is really a no brainer for anyone wanting to start a Ad-Mech army. Also as a new army you don’t have a backlog models, so it is much harder to find people selling models in the aftermarket.
Start Collecting! Space Marines
- Another bundle and the second in what you will see is a general theme. The Start Collecting! sets are one of the smartest ideas by GW in a long time. Not only do the have great value, they also come with bonus rules and an instant starting point for most armies. If the flagship army didn’t have it’s Start Collecting! set on this list you would have to question what GW is doing wrong. Sold separately you are looking at paying around $115-$120, so you are looking at 30% off with this set.
Start Collecting! Tau Empire
- No surprise here again, as the last full army update coming from the second most popular army the Tau. The savings here is almost 40%, but keep in mind there is a lot of model price inflation going on, but you are getting the most updated Tau model versions. It is really too bad this set has the Ethereal in it, making it a hard sell for multiple buys.
Blood Angels Tactical Squad
- Still holding strong, the first stand alone boxes on the list is the Blood Angel Tactical Marine box set. It is a surprising entry because how terrible the army is on battlefield, coupled with the cheaper generic Space Marine version. If you want to get into Blood Angels, I suggest getting only one of these boxes for every 2-3 standard Space Marine boxes and cross the bits over accordingly.
Space Marine Tactical Squad
- The real number one seller and an item never to leave the top of the charts, is the Space Marine Tactical box. This iteration of the models is also still fairly new, and when you need grav-weapons you really have no choice. To put things in perspective at one point the Space Marine Tactical box had sold more units in one month than the entire Fantasy range for the same period, and you wonder why we have Age of Sigmar.
Harlequin Troupe
- The Harlequin Troupe is back on the list after a brief hiatus. While the Harlequin army isn’t too terribly powerful, the sales for these models are easily driven by the plastic modeling appeal. Harlequins are also have a reputation for use by high end painters for set pieces.
Imperial Knight Warden
- Duh? Did anyone not expect this model to be in the Top 12? This is one of the best kids GW has ever produced and deserves to sell even if the price is approaching “too damn high” levels. This models has become the epitome of plastic crack for this generation of 40k player and I doubt it will be giving up the spot anytime soon.
Drop Pod
- If you ever got the chance to tell former CEO Tom Kirby to his face that tournament 40k players do drive sales, you would use the Drop Pod as the prime example. The Drop Pod can be found in every Adeptus Astartes army, but more importantly any Imperial unit can jump inside one (for now). If you want a direct correlation to rules = sales the Drop Pod is the prime example.
The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth
- It would have been shocking if this item didn’t make the list, not only do you get a shit ton of models with this set, but the value is unparalleled. Betrayal of Calth if you broke it out to the generic equivalents would be around $300! Now with rules for the models added to any Warhammer 40k game it only gets better. Not to mention the board game itself is fantastic.
Militarum Tempestus Scions
- The most interesting entry into the list is the Scions. It has a few things going for it; price, newishness, and being an Imperial faction. They are also great looking models, and taken apart the bits can be used across many models. Still, to have this over say something like the Stormsurge is pretty odd when you think of it.
There you have it, the current top 12 Warhammer 40k kits. As usual the Imperial forces fill the list, with a smattering of other factions. The rise of the Start Collecting! sets are no surprise. What I am surprised about is the Swarm and Scions making the list. Judging from what I see on tables I am also shocked no Stormsurges or Bloodthirsters took top spots. If this is about what GW store managers are pushing then the list makes sense. It does show diversity in a certain sense, as almost everything are good values and essential for starting a new army, with a few set piece models like the Imperial Knight in for good measure. It will be interesting to see if anything changes when the list is updated again.
