627 replies to this topic

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

The major hassle is going to be shipping it all out to you guys and the additional expense for some of you.

What's the country of origin?

UK

[axiom]

First up, what a great piece of concept art. It neatly amalgamates the key elements from the wishlist into a coherent looking concept. I'm sure John will do justice to the artwork, and I'm looking forward to WIP shots.

The major hassle is going to be shipping it all out to you guys and the additional expense for some of you. I'll look into it soon. I think there is likely to be money saved if I post one package to the US and then have the custodian forward on the other minis to the rest of the US. I'm happy prepared to send them all out individually, but think that would cost a lot more per head. The minis will be light, but there is a minimum charge for airmail carriage and quite a wide gap in weight brackets. I'm pretty sure whether I send 2 or 20, the cost will be the same. Internal mail costs will ofc be far cheaper. The only downside is that the majority will need to wait an extra couple of days for the mini to arrive.

I'm up for a mini each year, so long as the community trusts me to do it and is happy with how I arrange it all. That's one of the reasons I'd like to get more cast, if we can sell the extras on eBay, they will go towards funding part or all of the green cost. The more we do this, the cheaper it will get. Eventually we could have a viable range of Hero / "Special" models all of our own. There's merit in that.

As one of John's clients who has commissioned gaming club figures and sold on spares to fund the next project, I do indeed recommend it as an approach. We have now done it for our club every year since 2004 and have done two figures some years. We have always made a profit, even on small runs (30-50 figures). The more you make, the better your profit margin as the constants (sculpting and mould costs) reduce per figure. Whether there's a market for 200 Dwarf High Kings, I couldn't possibly answer - but if you use Avatars of War as a rough indicator, there is clearly a market for high quality figures to drop into units.

Oh, on postage, it's currently cheaper to send a single figure in a small padded envelope to the US by airmail (68p) than in the UK by 1st class post (75p)! The issue with bulking figures is that the recipient may get stung by large customs fees, where small packages largely go unhindered.

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

2 DAYS LEFT PEOPLE!

[Hammerbolt]

2 DAYS LEFT PEOPLE!

*massive drooling ensues*

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

I've started talking to some mould makers. I'll update you all when I have a clearer idea of costs etc.

[Darkblade]

Great news!

[axiom]

Alebelly - have you tried Griffin? I've used them in the past and they're very high quality

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

Alebelly - have you tried Griffin? I've used them in the past and they're very high quality

Link?

[Drakkol]

Have you asked at Gaspez-arts as i suggested? The owner told me his offer is still valid.

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

Have you asked at Gaspez-arts as i suggested? The owner told me his offer is still valid.

No, not yet. If I can, I'd prefer to get these made in the UK, solely for the purpose of being able to drive somewhere with an axe should something happen. Also, there's far less risk of the green being lost or damaged in transit within the UK borders than airmail etc. If anything were to happen, it would be a car drive rather than a plane ticket to sort out. I'd also feel more comfortable about knowing how and where the moulds were stored if we want to cast more to fund a 2nd mini.

If the prices are fair, I'll be stayimng within the UK. If they're crazy different, the risks may be worth it. I've not heard anything concrete back yet, though.

[Drakkol]

Ok, you are the one organising it so i'll..."bend at your will"(if i can translate it from italian) ...I know personally him, how it works(and bla-bla-bla)...that's why i asked. He just repeated me, this morning, his offer is still valid (175£ for 100 models, something more,something less, depending from the amount of material...he'll not charge us his job, some sort of publicity). If you don't find better things in UK ask him and tell him i,Fabio, sended you.

Your explanation can't be rejected...and i know you'll chose for our best!
I'll only wait the green ...to decide if i want 2 or 3 copies... No more bothering you...

[axiom]

Alebelly - have you tried Griffin? I've used them in the past and they're very high quality

Link?

Here you go: http://www.griffinmoulds.com/

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

"...
Hi Matt,
Great stuff, I have got the sketches printed, and I'll keep you up to date as I progress. I am doing regular work for the next couple of weeks, so don't expect a huge flurry of progress - What tends to happen is that I'll get to dull stage fairly rapidly, then stop for a while, and then work pretty intensely for about a week or so with rapid progress. The best days to nag me for progress are tuesday, wednesday and friday, as I will be around the computer and able to take photos etc in short order. I also might have questions for you, and send a photo with a comment. I'll tend to wait for a reply before progressing, so the sooner you get back to me, the quicker progress is!
you can paypal money to this address or I'll send bank details - I'm easy either way.
All the best,
John..."

[Drakkol]

I hope he'll be so inspired by those sketches to work at light velocity... Not faster than that as things could come out less well.

[axiom]

Great stuff. Looking forward to seeing WIPs as and when they start to trickle through. Do we have a rough ETA on when the sculpt will be finished? November? Early Dec?

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

Originally we were told 4 weeks. Seems John's busier than he thought he may be so it may hold things up a touch.

[Baruke Splintersteel]

Hey Everyone,

Thank you all so much for all the kind words, this project has been really great to work on. I've had a bit of time recently and have been touching up little details that have bugged me since posting the finished design. I should be able to make a post later tonight with the updated image.

[Oathkeeper]

Is it still possible to order one of these?

[Rednicks Ironbeard]

Unfortunately as it has been said numerous times by Alebelly, the time has come and gone.

[Alebelly_Cragfist]

Is it still possible to order one of these?

I'm going to see how much it will cost me to run a profit making batch for all comers. If I can make enough of a margin and charge a fair price, I'd like to sell some to help towards (or ideally pay for) another green sculpt by John the next time we do a project such as this. These models (if I can afford to cover the costs of the metal) will be auctioned off at eBay with a minimum reserve, or available via Bugmans directly through me.

The issue I have is that I do not want those who helped fund this project to pay more than the eBay Dwarfs, it just seems totally unfair, but, I'm not sure how many we would sell if we slapped a £6+ price tag on them. The benefit for those of us in the project is that all monies raised by this will sifnificantly (fingers crossed) reduce the costs to each of us for our next model, which may be easier to swallow.

I'd quite like to price at £10 and only make 30. That should raise at least £200 pounds for another Hero green

Edited by Alebelly_Cragfist, 07 October 2011 - 08:39 AM.