‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Artist Blasts Abysmal Quality Of WizKid’s New ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Crossover Mini Set: “That’s Not Acceptable”
In a discovery that can truly only be described as ‘an insult on every level’, players who have purchased WizKid’s Baldur’s Gate 3-themed box set of Dungeons & Dragons miniatures are finding that their new figures are not just low quality, but arguably some of the lowest quality ever produced.
Intended for use by those dedicated D&D players who like to add a physical element to their pen-and-paper adventures, the latest entry in the game’s Icons of the Realms line allows any given dungeon master to introduce several Baldurs Gate 3‘s characters – including its seven recruitable party members, Astarion, Gale, Shadowheart, Karlach, Wyll, and Lae’zel, as well as the game’s record keeper, Withers – into their campaigns.
Developed by WizKids via an IP license from Wizards of the Coast, the full set of seven pre-painted figures, as packaged in a displayable bubble box, hit stores in February and is currently being sold by most major retailers and independent game stores for about $50 USD.
Unfortunately, as players have discovered and recently highlighted on social media, rather than the miniatures even remotely resembling the pre-release images released by WizKids, these new Baldur’s Gate 3 figures instead looked like they were made by a blind person who not only had no reference for what ‘people’ looked like, but was under threat of death if they depicted one accurately.
“What I ordered VS what I received,” compared Baldur’s Gate 3 Senior Cinematic Artist Elodie Ceselli between the set’s marketing material and the actual figures he received. “Only Gale has a decent face. It’s expensive for a 5 years old painting work… Shame on you @Wizards_DnD.”
“THIS is an official @Wizards_DnD Baldur’s Gate 3 miniature,” declared another player, misattributing the set’s developer and sharing his own Shadowheart mini. “Sold in a set of 7 for $50…Stop giving money to people that don’t care about the hobby (or product QA)!”
“Glad I’m not the only person that had problems with these minis,” said one player in commiseration with Ceselli. Can’t even get an email back from them to get a refund because Shadowheart came headless..
And far from just a social being nitpicked by a few players on Twitter, the set is currently facing the same backlash on its Amazon page.
“These figures are smaller than I had anticipated and not greatly detailed,” wrote one customer. “I would be pleased with them for $15 to $20 dollars, but not for $50.”
“These minis are absolutely not worth the asking price,” warned another disappointed fan. “When I bought them, I had no idea what size I was getting, I thought it would be comparable to a 40K mini, especially for the price. What I got was a barely visible mini similar in size to a toy soldier, if not worse. The quality is in the gutter on top of it, none of them really showing the depth I’d expect from an OFFICIALLY LICENSED product. Please, do not buy/waste your money if the plan is for display/collection.”
In putting a stamp on the entire situation, met with the similar lamentation from a fellow Twitter user that “I also got em and most of them are this scuffed. Is this even a normal for this tiny figs? (Not even talking about how I payed over 30$ for customs/tax to get them shipped to the EU) “, Ceselli declared, “I can accept a difference from what they advertised, but that??? Come on. That’s not acceptable. And I also paid customs/tax…”
As of writing, WizKids has yet to offer any official response to players’ complaints regarding the Baldur’s Gate 3 mini set – and given how many players seem to suggest this lack of quality is normal for the company’s pre-painted figures, it’s unlikely that they ever will.
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