Resin not an Option

I just heard back from the casting guys, and the figures would be, at best, extremely difficult to produce in resin.  These figures were designed to be done as injection molded plastic in China, so converting them to be spin-cast will take some work.  They are putting together prices for me right now, and if those look good, we'll go ahead and see if we can get them done in metal.

In the future, the figures may be able to be designed so that resin is a possibility.

Price wise, it really wouldn't make too much of a difference anyway.  The figures would probably be about the same... especially at the low volume that we would be making.

The Union Troops

I dug out a couple old prototypes from what was supposed to be our second set of Civil War last night.  Made a few phone calls, and had a good conversation with a manufacturer about all our options in how to get these made in either metal or resin.  Both options are on the table, so I'm shipping them out today to see what they can do.  I'll let you know what we decide, if anything.

There were six poses intended for that second set.  We've already cast one in metal, and I'd love to add the other five to the mix at some point.

Plastic Marines from Austin Miniatures

I picked up a set of the new Austin Miniatures Marines at OTSN.  These are super cool, and will fit perfectly with all your current production WWII figures.  I talked with the owners for awhile at Chicago, and got a sneak peak at their Japanese prototypes as well.  This is definitely a company to support, as they've got some great figures so far.  The figures are available exclusively from Austin Miniatures.

OTSN 2014

WARNING: I didn't take a single picture the entire time.  I kept telling myself, "get out the camera, snap a few", and then I'd see something cool, and go flittering off to look at it, completely forgetting about taking a picture.  If I had to guess, there will be others who took pictures, and doing a much better job at it that I ever could.

OTSN 2014

Wow, there was soooo much good this year.  These are the things that really stood out to me:

*The new Barzso Roman Coliseum:  So much cool here.  This is Ben Hur on steroids.  I love the  gladiator and spectator figures, and the sculpting of the coliseum pieces is amazing.  Jim, the sculptor, told me a little about the math that had to go into making sure they lined up perfectly.  Very impressive piece, and would look go in any collection, if you have the room.

*TSSD's new WWII Germans:  There are only four poses, but they are TSSD, so you know they are excellent.  They fit perfectly with their other German poses.

*Austin Miniatures American Marines:  Dude, these are awesome.  They will fit right in with both Conte and TSSD figures.  These are cream of the crop type figues, and I can't recommend them enough.  Also, this is a newish company, so please be sure to give them your support.  Really cool people.

*Marxman's Vietnam figures (plus other eras):  I was especially excited to see these up close.  I assumed all he had were Vietnam figures, but actually the medieval figures were what blew me away.  He said he's still trying to get production perfected (all made in the USA), but I have high hopes for these.  Also on display were new WWII Germans.

*Paragon's new Alamo figures and scenics:  Always amazed at what Paragon is able to put out every year.  Besides having a new set of Alamo figures, he also offers amazing detailed and painted scenic pieces.  The western landscapes and the forts are to die for.

*OWN figures:  I saw these in Steve Weston's room.  There are a variety of different sets, all having to do with Chinese history.  You would swear these were made by the top toy soldier companies in the land, based on sculpting.  Amazingly detailed and beautiful colors, these would be excellent additions to any collection.

I saw a ton of cool things (dollar bins!!), and very glad I made the trip up this year.  Saw a lot of friends, and hopefully made a few new ones.  My two regrets from the trip: Accidentally breaking that Barzso figure before I got home, and not saving enough cash for the toll roads.

Oh, one more thing.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites, a bit north of the Hyatt.  Very nice place to stay.  Great breakfast and only a couple minute drive from the show.

Website Back Up!!

Ok, the website is back up, and we're ready to sell some toy soldiers.  Our Confederates are available for purchase again.  As before, payment is accepted through paypal, or you can email or call if you want to pay by check or money order.

If you are a dealer and want to order in bulk, please feel free to contact us, as we can get you however many you need for your shelves.

 Shipping costs are based on quantity ordered, and if you order 10 bags, I'll ship them to you for free.  What a deal! 

If you're from outside the U.S., please email for an exact shipping quote.

I'll post a OTSN report in a few days.

WWII Marine Update - Rifle Added

So, I took down my old website.  I was tired of paying for the upkeep, and I never updated it.  Overall, it was a hassle.  Didn't need it anyway.  I can keep you up-to-date just as easy with this blog format.

So here is an updated picture of the Marine.  Just a bit of work to do on the rifle, and he'll be ready for casting.  One thing I'll be curious about is his size.  That's always one thing that I won't know exactly until the sculpt arrives and is in my hand.

Another Flea Market Find

From left to right, Marx Untouchable, Gay Toys Civilian, Marx Untouchable

Awhile back, while going to a string of local flea markets and yard sales, I picked up a bag of old Marx and MPC figures, mostly G.I.s, Cowboys, and Spacemen.  Tucked down in the bag, was the schoolgirl you see in the middle of the picture above.  I've put her beside a couple Marx Untouchables for a size comparison.  She is nicely sculpted, and if not for the rather tall base, would be a pretty good scale match to Marx.

It took me awhile, but I finally got around to searching who she was made by, and where she came from.  Found out that she is from "Gay Toys", probably in the 60's, and was part of a 12 pose set.  Pretty fun little find, when all I was expecting was more MPC spacemen!!