All things Conte (3 Viewers)

[damian]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Conte has brought so many really unique sets to the market.
That Viking Long Boat back from 2003 and the Roman Galley from 2007 are simply outstanding.
Trophy brought out beautiful boats but they were created on an individual basis.
The Conte boats were mass produced and at relatively reasonable prices.
I think that was pretty amazing.
If he can produce those AZW and Zouave sets that he has up on his website then I agree with Uthred he won't have much trouble selling them.

 

[Capitolron]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

I agree that CONTE has done some great stuff over the years. I am a proud owner of many, many sets of the Civil War Range and still a few from the Patriot Range (had to downsize several due to space issues).

My question is the transition period has drug out for quite some time and the posting on the Conte Webpage was more of excuses than clear information on the Company. I appreciate the difficulties he has experienced - hopefully he will come back charging.

Conte is one of the first Toy Soldiers I started buying after K&C - I like his work and believe his art is very gritty and real. Most of the time - very cool

The new releases look so great - I just hope we can get the chance to buy them.

Ron

 

[eborris]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Conte has brought so many really unique sets to the market.
That Viking Long Boat back from 2003 and the Roman Galley from 2007 are simply outstanding.
Trophy brought out beautiful boats but they were created on an individual basis.
The Conte boats were mass produced and at relatively reasonable prices.
I think that was pretty amazing.
If he can produce those AZW and Zouave sets that he has up on his website then I agree with Uthred he won't have much trouble selling them.

I think so.

 

[UKReb]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Reb,

Richard Conte has pushed the envelope of toy soldier development further and further. I am sure I'm not the only one around here who sees it. I don't think he's going to have a hard time, at least not any harder than before, to continue to amaze us with his toy soldiers. The pictures of the Zulus and zouaves on the website prove my point.

You may find it hard to understand why he sells on ebay, well, I don't. Selling through ebay he's taken the middle man out, he's going to sell straight to the collector, avoiding all the dealers' issues. I guess it's a risky move, but one no other company, except for Conte Collectibles, could have done. Richard Conte likes risky moves. Remeber what plastic playsets looked like untill he got out a plethora of playsets? His playsets include the Dark Ages, WW2, The Alamo, Zulu War, ACW, French Foreign Legion, The Northwest Frontier, etc... who, if not Conte could have released dozens of new plastic playsets, in about 10 years? Wasn't it extremely risky?

It's so easy to criticize the man, my friend, but what I really want to see is someone following his steps and making better toy soldiers than he did! That would be the day...

Cheers...

Uthred

Interesting reply Uthred-so do I assume you believe that he will continue using ebay to sell his new product?????? If so then I must agree with you that is extremely risky! surely he would do better if he- as you suggest "avoiding all the dealer issues" -copies First Legion by only selling directly off of a web-site afterall they seem to be doing very well using that vehicle and dare I say it would look a little more professional for a manufacturer than just using ebay. That was the point I was attempting to make in my OP.

I am not by the way particularly criticising him- as a collector of over 800 of his figures that would be seen as being a little hypocritical-I am just puzzled on understanding his way forward for his company and I also agree those painted wax masters look as good as his previous products but it's just possible a few of the guys on here believe that others have already followed his steps and made better toy soldiers-to each his own as they say!

Reb

 

[Uthred]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Interesting reply Uthred-so do I assume you believe that he will continue using ebay to sell his new product?????? If so then I must agree with you that is extremely risky! surely he would do better if he- as you suggest "avoiding all the dealer issues" -copies First Legion by only selling directly off of a web-site afterall they seem to be doing very well using that vehicle and dare I say it would look a little more professional for a manufacturer than just using ebay. That was the point I was attempting to make in my OP.

I am not by the way particularly criticising him- as a collector of over 800 of his figures that would be seen as being a little hypocritical-I am just puzzled on understanding his way forward for his company and I also agree those painted wax masters look as good as his previous products but it's just possible a few of the guys on here believe that others have already followed his steps and made better toy soldiers-to each his own as they say!

Reb

Reb, you're putting words in my mouth.


I never said he'll sell his new stuff through ebay. I don't think he'll do that either. If I were Richard Conte, and I'm not, I would sell direct from the website to collectors. That would mean cheaper sets and less dealers issues, and Conte Collectibles has had plenty of them in the past.

What I meant is that selling the left overs at ebay he'll start communicating with collectors, and, in time, he may give up selling through dealers. This is a small hobby, prices reflect that, and it makes a lot of sense avoiding the dealers. One can save lots money doing that, what if Conte's new stuff came out for half the price you're expecting? That's the path I believe, I may be wrong about that, Richard Conte is taking now.

Some people may say there are toy soldiers out there that can match Conte's in sculpting, detail, animation, etc... that's not true, however. I only ask to see a picture, just one picture, of anything, from any company, that look as amazing as Conte's Spartans. No one dares to show such a picture because no such toy soldier exists. His Spartans, both in plastic and metal, are much better than anything the competition has made yet.

The Zulus and zouaves masters are much more beautiful than any Zulu or zouave already available. As soon as they hit the market, people will buy them.

Congratulations on your 800 Conte toy soldier collection. You must have nearly every set Conte Collectibles ever released!

Cheers...

Uthred

 

[eborris]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

I don't think anyone has a problem with Conte's product, it's the disappointment of broken promises or the extremly long delays before a product hits the market, we're not getting any younger you know.

 

[Warrior]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Reb, you're putting words in my mouth.


I never said he'll sell his new stuff through ebay. I don't think he'll do that either. If I were Richard Conte, and I'm not, I would sell direct from the website to collectors. That would mean cheaper sets and less dealers issues, and Conte Collectibles has had plenty of them in the past.

What I meant is that selling the left overs at ebay he'll start communicating with collectors, and, in time, he may give up selling through dealers. This is a small hobby, prices reflect that, and it makes a lot of sense avoiding the dealers. One can save lots money doing that, what if Conte's new stuff came out for half the price you're expecting? That's the path I believe, I may be wrong about that, Richard Conte is taking now.

Some people may say there are toy soldiers out there that can match Conte's in sculpting, detail, animation, etc... that's not true, however. I only ask to see a picture, just one picture, of anything, from any company, that look as amazing as Conte's Spartans. No one dares to show such a picture because no such toy soldier exists. His Spartans, both in plastic and metal, are much better than anything the competition has made yet.

The Zulus and zouaves masters are much more beautiful than any Zulu or zouave already available. As soon as they hit the market, people will buy them.

Congratulations on your 800 Conte toy soldier collection. You must have nearly every set Conte Collectibles ever released!

Cheers...

Uthred

I may regret asking this, but here goes; you've mentoined now not once, but twice about "dealer issues". As a Conte dealer, could you enlighten me as to what issues you are referring to?

 

[Beau]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

I was sent an email from Mr. Conte just a couple of days ago, and I hope he wouldn't mind me sharing here what he wrote.

I wrote to him to tell him about my admiration of his plastic spartans. I asked specifically about the Immortals, and if they were still in the pipeline. I also asked about a Spartan Playset, and possibly single color versions of the metal spartans for us plastic collectors.

He replied that the poses for the Immortals were still being worked on. He also said that he would have some single color spartans for plastic collectors. He made no mention of a Spartan Playset of any sort, nor addressed the scenic pieces which were (maybe still are) advertised on the site (though I didn't ask about those specifically). He was very personable and upbeat about the direction his company was taking, and seemed glad that the company was now in North Carolina.

Beau

 

[Uthred]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

I may regret asking this, but here goes; you've mentoined now not once, but twice about "dealer issues". As a Conte dealer, could you enlighten me as to what issues you are referring to?

I am not a dealer, just a collector. I am only referring to some problems that allegedely happened between Conte Collectibles and some dealers. Since I am neither part nor witness to these problems, I only heard about them, I don't really feel confortable to enter in any details. If you are a dealer, however, you probably know a lot more about that than I do.

I hope you understand why I don't want to discuss these 'dealer issues' any further.

Cheers...

Uthred

 

[playsetaddict]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Wow...five pages of posts in one day. How cool is that?

It's going to be interesting to see what the future holds for Conte and for the whole hobby. He has radically streamlined his business model. I truly believe that once the pipeline starts moving again, the way the company will operate will appear more "normal" than it has in the past. However, I've given up guessing when that will occur.

One thing I will say, though, is that each week I see great new sculpts coming from Robert Ortiz's workbench, so I know RC's still investing in the future.

Hang in there,

Joe

 

[kogu]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Wow...five pages of posts in one day. How cool is that?

It's going to be interesting to see what the future holds for Conte and for the whole hobby. He has radically streamlined his business model. I truly believe that once the pipeline starts moving again, the way the company will operate will appear more "normal" than it has in the past. However, I've given up guessing when that will occur.

One thing I will say, though, is that each week I see great new sculpts coming from Robert Ortiz's workbench, so I know RC's still investing in the future.
Hang in there,

Joe

Now that is a post I like and the first one that actually gives hope

 

[Uthred]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Wow...five pages of posts in one day. How cool is that?

It's going to be interesting to see what the future holds for Conte and for the whole hobby. He has radically streamlined his business model. I truly believe that once the pipeline starts moving again, the way the company will operate will appear more "normal" than it has in the past. However, I've given up guessing when that will occur.

One thing I will say, though, is that each week I see great new sculpts coming from Robert Ortiz's workbench, so I know RC's still investing in the future.

Hang in there,

Joe

Thank you, Joe!

Coming from you, who is Conte's webmaster, it must put an end on those rumors, at least for a while!


Cheers...

Uthred

 

[Spitfrnd]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

......Some people may say there are toy soldiers out there that can match Conte's in sculpting, detail, animation, etc... that's not true, however. I only ask to see a picture, just one picture, of anything, from any company, that look as amazing as Conte's Spartans. No one dares to show such a picture because no such toy soldier exists. His Spartans, both in plastic and metal, are much better than anything the competition has made yet.
.....

Ah that is a dicey proposition my friend; as Bob so rightly suggests, beauty is a bit in the eye, as they say. I love Conte and have all the metal Spartans and most of the Immortals but I dare say I could post several that meet or exceed that test for me but I will not lest I be accused of being contentious. It seems that can happen when you try and be rational here. Let's just say I agree with your assessment that what he has previewed and promised would impress me and I think be very competitive with the other options available (or not) for those ranges. I will say that while you can argue we have heard it before, I am encouraged by Joe's and Beau's comments even if maybe I just want to believe.

 

[kilted vampire]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Originally Posted by theBaron:
This topic comes up from time to time, doesn't it?

It does indeed. But the current thread is an excellent (and rare unfortunately) example of people having a calm, repectful, rational, baggage-free discussion even though they have opposite points of view and I commend you all for it. Very refreshing to say the least.
Best regards,

Thanks for noticing us. We try to behave.

 

[Warrior]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

I am not a dealer, just a collector. I am only referring to some problems that allegedely happened between Conte Collectibles and some dealers. Since I am neither part nor witness to these problems, I only heard about them, I don't really feel confortable to enter in any details. If you are a dealer, however, you probably know a lot more about that than I do.

I hope you understand why I don't want to discuss these 'dealer issues' any further.

Cheers...

Uthred

I wasn't aware of any problems with any of the dealers; I have been a Conte dealer from the very beginning and have never had any problems with Conte Collectibles, Richard has gone out of his way several times to ensure I had product for shows.........

 

[UKReb]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Reb

Some people may say there are toy soldiers out there that can match Conte's in sculpting, detail, animation, etc... that's not true, however. I only ask to see a picture, just one picture, of anything, from any company, that look as amazing as Conte's Spartans. No one dares to show such a picture because no such toy soldier exists. His Spartans, both in plastic and metal, are much better than anything the competition has made yet.

The Zulus and zouaves masters are much more beautiful than any Zulu or zouave already available. As soon as they hit the market, people will buy them.

Congratulations on your 800 Conte toy soldier collection. You must have nearly every set Conte Collectibles ever released!

Cheers...

Uthred

Uthred

It is always a little difficult to convey the tone of a comment posted on a forum-but I feel you have perhaps misunderstood both of my posts on this thread.

So let me reiterate as KV responded to one of your comments in big letters:

I REALLY AM A BIG BIG CONTE FAN

No I do not have every set of Conte Collectibles ever released-what I do have though are many many multiples and conversions of ACW/Rogers Rangers/Woodland Indians and Alamo figures which I have displayed in dios here on the forum. That amount of figures-in my book-allows me to wear the Big Conte Fan mantle and if RC returns with what he has promised I for one will be first in the queue to purchase.
But even though I am a very keen Conte collector I try and avoid posting comments such as yours above even though you are perfectly entitled to your own opinion as there are most probably other guys on here that might not agree with you. That's all I was trying to say

Reb

 

[damian]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

With a nod to all the movie buffs here, but I was watching Disney's " The Jungle Book " last night. The original one not the rip off redo from a few years ago. There is that scene with the four Liverpudlian vultures. They are sitting around and the one says " SO what are we going to do today"
The other says " I don't know what do you want to do today"
This conversation goes on and on for a while.
Then Sher Khan the tiger appears.
We have these deja vu type discussions about Conte.
I hope one day to opne a Conte thread and hear that a whole batch of AZW stuff is sitting in the wherehouse just waiting to be dispatched.
The wait is killing me.

 

[Wraith]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

With a nod to all the movie buffs here, but I was watching Disney's " The Jungle Book " last night. The original one not the rip off redo from a few years ago. There is that scene with the four Liverpudlian vultures. They are sitting around and the one says " SO what are we going to do today"
The other says " I don't know what do you want to do today"
This conversation goes on and on for a while.
Then Sher Khan the tiger appears.
We have these deja vu type discussions about Conte.
I hope one day to opne a Conte thread and hear that a whole batch of AZW stuff is sitting in the wherehouse just waiting to be dispatched.
The wait is killing me.

Conte is doing the Jungle Book?
I didn't see any announcement on the website.
But I guess it would fit in with the Adventure preview figures.

 

[1879fanatic]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Conte is doing the Jungle Book?
I didn't see any announcement on the website.
But I guess it would fit in with the Adventure preview figures.

Conte really is doing Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book"?
If we get a couple more posts, Simon, we'll have Truth...Pass it On!
I want Sirhan Sirhan!
Mike

 

[Wraith]

Re: Seriously - Is CONTE Still in Business ?

Conte really is doing Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book"?
If we get a couple more posts, Simon, we'll have Truth...Pass it On!
I want Sirhan Sirhan!
Mike

I want Baloo! In fact, I might get two. Keep one for the Jungle Book scene and give the other a whitewash and use it in my Arctic dio.