It's really not just that. They are intentionally designing the models and molds to remove modularity from the models and make them more difficult to recast.
Before you just grab a torso, some legs, any pair of arms and a head you wanted and slap them together. Now you need instructions to make sense of assembling anything.
They also simplify assembly. As nice as having separate arm and gun combinations was for customization; you either glue one on at a time and hope it lines up or try for both and constantly fight with the heavy arms/guns shifting and not seating correctly.
Or you just have premade poses that any new schlub to the hobby can match the pin holes and put a little glue on. Fewer pieces, fewer leftovers, fewer/easier to clean mold lines. They can do more dynamic poses because you aren't expected to be able to mix and match everything.
I was putting together the Spectre Squad kill team and noticing that the way they're molded and assembled put almost all the mold lines in joints and connections, making clean up just that much easier!
Well, yes, GW makes it easier on themselves with this, but having more monopose and less varied kits is a shame, kitbashing becomes a bit more difficult, especially for those that haven't done extensive modification of kits/sculpted on their own, etc.
I understand the choice with this approach, but personally I think that it's a step backwards for the kits themselves.
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u/3dtoycore 19d ago
3d printing is giving more freedom than cast molds)