UK manufactured miniatures with good shelf appeal

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:49 pm

My local games shop is looking to see if it can drum up interest in FoG to replace the sales of CCGs and collecatble miniatures that are likely to be lost as a result of the exchange rate swings. What he needs is a UK sourced (so no exchange rate issues) range of miniatures that looks good in boxes on a shelf. He is not likely to be interested in acres of blisters but that may be possible.

Most of the UK manufacturers do FoG starter armies but most of them are not exactly going to grab a customers attention on the shelf.

Suggestions anyone?

nikgaukroger · Post by **nikgaukroger** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:04 pm

Don't do it as the chances are all you end up with is stock sitting on the shelf.

IMO there is a good reason we don't have shops selling lead toys any more in GB (bar the very odd exception). Mugs game.

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:51 pm

nikgaukroger wrote:Don't do it as the chances are all you end up with is stock sitting on the shelf.

IMO there is a good reason we don't have shops selling lead toys any more in GB (bar the very odd exception). Mugs game.

Dave at Fanboy seems to think that he can make progress with it. It is his money and his shop.

In the past he has sold a lot of AT-43 and Axis and Allies collectable stuff and he genuinely thinks that he can get somewhere with miniatures. I have to admit I think it is risky but he does seem to know what his customers will buy and he has a lot of customers in his city centre shop.

I have pointed out to him that there are no shops selling decent ranges of miniatures and there is presumably a reason for it but he wasn't put off.

madaxeman · Post by **madaxeman** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:00 pm

hammy wrote:
nikgaukroger wrote:Don't do it as the chances are all you end up with is stock sitting on the shelf.

IMO there is a good reason we don't have shops selling lead toys any more in GB (bar the very odd exception). Mugs game.
Dave at Fanboy seems to think that he can make progress with it. It is his money and his shop.

In the past he has sold a lot of AT-43 and Axis and Allies collectable stuff and he genuinely thinks that he can get somewhere with miniatures. I have to admit I think it is risky but he does seem to know what his customers will buy and he has a lot of customers in his city centre shop.

I have pointed out to him that there are no shops selling decent ranges of miniatures and there is presumably a reason for it but he wasn't put off.

Warmodelling's 15mm ready made armies look to be wellpackaged, but its EuroZone.

Magister Militum always seem to have nicely boxed armies, and they must sell based on how heavily they promote them. A lot of these are in 10mm for Warmaster Ancients or are other periods (WW2 etc)

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:04 pm

madaxeman wrote: Warmodelling's 15mm ready made armies look to be wellpackaged, but its EuroZone.

Magister Militum always seem to have nicely boxed armies, and they must sell based on how heavily they promote them. A lot of these are in 10mm for Warmaster Ancients or are other periods (WW2 etc)

Euro zone is if anything worse than US stuff, the pound has taken more of a battering there than against the dollar

Magister Militum might be an option as then they could be used for Warmaster or FoG.

I had thought that if he wanted to be different he could look at Bachus 6mm but if that was the case I wouldn't be able to do any demos for him without a lot of painting of tiny men.

paulatmaws · Post by **paulatmaws** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:31 pm

could it be worth having a word with flashing blade?

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:02 pm

paulatmaws wrote:could it be worth having a word with flashing blade?

I had a look at their website and the only seem to do 40mm Greeks which is not really much of a range for FoG

Prickle · Post by **Prickle** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:15 am

I have seen Xyston miniatures in a Nice box. colour picture on the frount but looked to be about DBA size armies. I don't know if this was something done by the store itself of by Xyston.

Cheers

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 8:47 am

Prickle wrote:I have seen Xyston miniatures in a Nice box. colour picture on the frount but looked to be about DBA size armies. I don't know if this was something done by the store itself of by Xyston.

Cheers

I think Xyston may be the best bet. The only potential issue I have are the recent reports of their casting quality decreasing.

philbagnall · Post by **philbagnall** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:54 am

hammy wrote:
paulatmaws wrote:could it be worth having a word with flashing blade?
I had a look at their website and the only seem to do 40mm Greeks which is not really much of a range for FoG

Although he's revamping the web site Mark (who runs flashing blade) does stock the full Corvus Belli range (including boxed DBA sets) and boxed DBA sets of Xyston, both of these DBA boxed set ranges are nicely presented but arent much use for FoG as they only create a fraction of an army, and the proportions of figures in the boxes are often way off making full BGs. Mark is also starting to roll out a 28mm NKEgyptian range and the start of a crusades range in the same scale

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 11:00 am

philbagnall wrote:
hammy wrote:
paulatmaws wrote:could it be worth having a word with flashing blade?
I had a look at their website and the only seem to do 40mm Greeks which is not really much of a range for FoG
Although he's revamping the web site Mark (who runs flashing blade) does stock the full Corvus Belli range (including boxed DBA sets) and boxed DBA sets of Xyston, both of these DBA boxed set ranges are nicely presented but arent much use for FoG as they only create a fraction of an army, and the proportions of figures in the boxes are often way off making full BGs. Mark is also starting to roll out a 28mm NKEgyptian range and the start of a crusades range in the same scale

Corvus Belli are really nice but imported

I agree that boxed DBA sets are not a good plan, I am just trying to see if I have forgotten someone in terms of manufacturers.

bobm · Post by **bobm** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:27 pm

Peter Pig do box sets of biblical and EIR ranges, the boxes are then suitable for figure storage. True 15mm size figures. The sets are aimed at their Conquerors and Kings rules which has units of 4 bases so will have considerable overlap with FOG.

will05 · Post by **will05** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:37 am

I would think that if there are potential buyers that you could start with a few Xyston DBA sets as the figures are very good models with lots of variety, and the boxes are nicely presented, and see how they go as DBA seems to be quite popular. The problem that I see here is that the sought of packaging you require is generally that of DBA , the larger rule set armies are mostly sold as blisters.

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 9:15 am

bobm wrote:Peter Pig do box sets of biblical and EIR ranges, the boxes are then suitable for figure storage. True 15mm size figures. The sets are aimed at their Conquerors and Kings rules which has units of 4 bases so will have considerable overlap with FOG.

But do they look good on the shelves of a game store?

Most of the UK manufacturers do FoG starter army packs but their presentation is poo, just a plain brown box with a label saying what the army is.

What I am really looking for is something more like the WarModelling range but not made in euro land.

madaxeman · Post by **madaxeman** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:26 am

hammy wrote:
bobm wrote:Peter Pig do box sets of biblical and EIR ranges, the boxes are then suitable for figure storage. True 15mm size figures. The sets are aimed at their Conquerors and Kings rules which has units of 4 bases so will have considerable overlap with FOG.
But do they look good on the shelves of a game store?

Most of the UK manufacturers do FoG starter army packs but their presentation is poo, just a plain brown box with a label saying what the army is.

What I am really looking for is something more like the WarModelling range but not made in euro land.

I think you are looking at a shortlist of none. Why not go for the 25mm plastics instead. More compatible to people coming from GW games anyway...?

FWIW I'm painting up a few of the warmodelling Celts at the moment, and to be honest I'm getting less impressed with them the more I paint and assemble. I should probably do a full review soon...
tim

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:04 am

madaxeman wrote: I think you are looking at a shortlist of none. Why not go for the 25mm plastics instead. More compatible to people coming from GW games anyway...?

I have to admit that I have a similar feeling. While there are pleny of UK manufacturers none of them seem to package things for sale in shops

The new 28mm plastics are nice but the range available is very limited.

1/72nd plastics have a much better range and are packaged to be sold in shops but are all imported...

Can't win really.

madaxeman · Post by **madaxeman** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 12:28 pm

hammy wrote:
madaxeman wrote: I think you are looking at a shortlist of none. Why not go for the 25mm plastics instead. More compatible to people coming from GW games anyway...?
I have to admit that I have a similar feeling. While there are pleny of UK manufacturers none of them seem to package things for sale in shops

The new 28mm plastics are nice but the range available is very limited.

1/72nd plastics have a much better range and are packaged to be sold in shops but are all imported...

Can't win really.

1/72 plastics are cheap enough to survive exchange rate swings surely?

I've a listing on my site here and there is barely a box over £5 - for 30+ figures!!

They have pretty pictures too

MarkSieber · Post by **MarkSieber** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:00 pm

One could approach manufacturers to see if they would put together photos to market their boxed armies. Essex and Museum, for example, cover a wide range of FOG armies and already have quite a few individual figure pictures--why not get the manufacturers to help market themselves and support the rules?

nikgaukroger · Post by **nikgaukroger** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:06 pm

hammy wrote:
I have to admit that I have a similar feeling. While there are pleny of UK manufacturers none of them seem to package things for sale in shops

As there is no UK shop system for them to sell through this is not surprising - its nearly all mail order/net/shows. Your chap is looking for something that does not exist in the main and I doubt he will sell enough to warrant any manufacturer producing any pretty disply boxes.

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:10 pm

nikgaukroger wrote:
hammy wrote:
I have to admit that I have a similar feeling. While there are pleny of UK manufacturers none of them seem to package things for sale in shops

As there is no UK shop system for them to sell through this is not surprising - its nearly all mail order/net/shows. Your chap is looking for something that does not exist in the main and I doubt he will sell enough to warrant any manufacturer producing any pretty disply boxes.

I have to admit that I suspect you are right. I think the options are:

Imported boxed armies with nice packaging
UK packaged armies with pants packaging
Cheap imported plastics

I shall have a chat with him and proffer him the options.