Andy's Talk at 2009 West Coaster (1 Viewer)

Steven Chong said:
Your second answer ... when asked for a specific hint by a collector who appeared to have talked with Andy about ancients during room trading, Andy answered that there were some ideas but that sculpting had not started. He was not more specific. Like on the forum, collectors at these meetings are always asking for what the next releases are going to be or for hints as to new lines. Andy does not answer these questions with the given reason that K&C does not want K&C's competition to know what K&C was planning to do.:eek:
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Trojan War seems to be kicking about. That would be my guess. I'm surprised no one has done it.
 
I almost sure that Ancient Greeks will be a popular huge series...
 
Steven Chong said:
Your second answer ... when asked for a specific hint by a collector who appeared to have talked with Andy about ancients during room trading, Andy answered that there were some ideas but that sculpting had not started. He was not more specific. Like on the forum, collectors at these meetings are always asking for what the next releases are going to be or for hints as to new lines. Andy does not answer these questions with the given reason that K&C does not want K&C's competition to know what K&C was planning to do.:eek:
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This always surprises me when K&C come out with this kind of statement! Surely no company in their right mind is going to release the same kind of vehicle as K&C at the same time? To me that would be financial suicide, surely if K&C published a list of vehicles they were releasing within the next 3 months other manufacturers would be wise to steer wide clear of these intended releases? Only my opinion but this could ensure there is no overlapping of products within the same time frame and give the collector something to look forward to? What do I know of course being a simple grunt but sometimes the simplest answer stares you right in the face. I know Andy does not want anybody stealing his ideas as he has stated this reason as well for non-disclosure of future releases, but obviously other companies do have great ideas as well!!! Look at Figarti's V2 set, that one even made it to dealers as well rather than just being a shock and awe release at Chicago! :)
 
Olly

I am sure Andy does this because of the usual B****ing, moaning and groaning that he receives from the "Usual Suspects" upon every release - this way he can limit the complainers to less negative expression time ;)

Also - I think everyone should understand that those comments and general "why I hate K&C" does have an impact on sales. When people read all the negative - BS in my opinion - remarks and comments, it has an effect on the appreciation from the buyer stand point. This is one reason why it does not surprise me when Andy defends himself against the "negative few."

You are right that the industry is not big and others would want to avoid doing the same thing as their competitors. But, there is also something to be said on the effect of the release with the "SURPRISE FACTOR" :eek:

Certainly, these are my thoughts and opinions - Andy probally has other reasons why he holds his card to his chest too.

Ron
 
I think also maybe in the past word has indeed got out amongst competitors who have tried to beat K&C to the punch on the release of a product.The competition must be very keen indeed,no harm in playing your cards close to your chest i'd say.:)

Re Rons point above,i must say that the last couple of dispatches seem to have been almost universally welcomed,its good to see.

Rob
 
Steven Chong said:
Your second answer ... when asked for a specific hint by a collector who appeared to have talked with Andy about ancients during room trading, Andy answered that there were some ideas but that sculpting had not started. He was not more specific. Like on the forum, collectors at these meetings are always asking for what the next releases are going to be or for hints as to new lines. Andy does not answer these questions with the given reason that K&C does not want K&C's competition to know what K&C was planning to do.:eek:
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Hi Steven,

Thanks for answering my question. I thought Andy would probably not be too revealing. I have heard Andy field such questions in the past and his response this time is typical of him. I shall simply patiently wait for him to disclose more information.

Again, thanks for providing me with the information I requested!

Warmest personal regards,

Pat :)
 
Andy has always been polite and informative "to a degree" when I have corresponded with him. Being a K&C collector for 25 years may give me some special status but it will only go so far.
My basic questions are general in the sense of a paritcular line's longevity or expansiveness.
For example will K&C continue producing new Crusader and Saracen figures?
With this information I can plan for dioramas, display space and investments.
Some of us may not want to start collecting a series that has limited potential for diversity.
We know WWII will continue to grow but some others may not be profitable enough for K&C to continue.
A market update report twice a year could inform K&C customers where consumer trends are going and what series will continue and to what degree.
For example "WWI 1917 British and German sets have sold terrifically and we anticipate many more additions."
I think his customers deserve this information.
 
I have no idea where it started that a toy soldier mfg. owes it to his customers to keep them informed. At least so far on this forum ,that the more accessible any mfg. makes himself, the more righteous and demanding his " customers "become , and also more insulting and critical of their every marketing decision. We " demand " a neverending ,near immediate gratification for everthing we want, yet knowing that we have no intent of buying all this stuff. We are a got you bunch, eager to jump on every mfg. mis step and God forbid, if some " new "Tiger or Panzer" does not come out every 2 months..Buy what you want ,because you like it and get out of the mfg. business head..They owe us nothing, except to put out a good quality product, that WE WILL CHOOSE TO BUY OR NOT!. The mfg. will sink or swim by how we will buy and not how we might buy, maybe, depending on economy, the tides, a full moon, or the casting of bones from our local witchdoctor.:D.Heck, do a favorite war theatre poll and you get 20 choices with 5% members wanting each..How in the world, could any mfg. ever make an educated marketing plan, based on those whims? My thoughts, Michael
 
With all due respect, saying that a line has sold very well and that they expect to make more of it doesn't really tell you much. What manufacturer (in any line of business), particularly if they're not subject to disclosure laws, will tell you they do poorly or that they don't expect to make more of this or that.
 
maddadicus said:
I have no idea where it started that a toy soldier mfg. owes it to his customers to keep them informed. At least so far on this forum ,that the more accessible any mfg. makes himself, the more righteous and demanding his " customers "become , and also more insulting and critical of their every marketing decision. We " demand " a neverending ,near immediate gratification for everthing we want, yet knowing that we have no intent of buying all this stuff. We are a got you bunch, eager to jump on every mfg. mis step and God forbid, if some " new "Tiger or Panzer" does not come out every 2 months..Buy what you want ,because you like it and get out of the mfg. business head..They owe us nothing, except to put out a good quality product, that WE WILL CHOOSE TO BUY OR NOT!. The mfg. will sink or swim by how we will buy and not how we might buy, maybe, depending on economy, the tides, a full moon, or the casting of bones from our local witchdoctor.:D.Heck, do a favorite war theatre poll and you get 20 choices with 5% members wanting each..How in the world, could any mfg. ever make an educated marketing plan, based on those whims? My thoughts, Michael
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Amen Brother! could not have said it better, the whinning is a constant drone around here that daily makes my eyes roll back in my head!:rolleyes:
Ray
 
nmrocks said:
Amen Brother! could not have said it better, the whinning is a constant drone around here that daily makes my eyes roll back in my head!:rolleyes:
Ray
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Usually it's the seller of overpriced non-essential things who should kiss arse. Particularly in this economy. Any collector who wants to bellyache should have at it.
 
I don't know why anyone should complain about the toy soldier market.I think all the makers have reached a level of high quality craftsmanship.You might not like a particular range because of a lack of interest in that period or war and you might not like the prices but you can't really complain about the quality.One maker might make a range a little bit better because of slightly better painting or historical accurracy but the difference isn't worth a stroke.
Mark
 
Here are some Rough Riders that are exclusive to Kings-X in San Antonio, TX.

Carlos

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Hi all, First a quick and big THANK YOU to Andy, Helen and Patrick of K & C for delivering such a wonderful event for us. What a nice surprise it was to get some of Andy's sketches too! The Napoleonic figure, NA012 I believe, except in primarily white, is sweet indeed. I just wanted to add a bit to question I posed to Andy about the forthcoming ancient line to replace the retired Romans and Barbarians. As someone noted previosuly, I had asked Andy about this very subject two days prior during room trading. He was quite expectedly tight-lipped, as I suppose I would have been as well, but I just had to ask. But I must admit, I did not expect an astonishing revelatory answer, but I did want to find out an approximate timeline on when we could expect to know; more or less just any crumb of information I could analyze between the lines. Turns out that Andy answered the prying inquiry quite succinctly, and that he is still in the research and development phase w/ only preliminary sketches and brainstorming circulating amongst his collective creation circle. I repeated the same question to him at the K & C event for three reasons. 1) Just before he opened the floor to questions, he offered examples of what kind of questions were encouraged, one of which was his example of inquiries of "hints" into future releases or lines. (Yes, this perked-up my ancients obsession, and the complusion was soon to follow...). 2) I think a lot of people would like an answer to this very question, and would rather to have heard Andy's response directly as opposed to my fading memory of a paraphrasal. 3) Lastly, when Andy opened the floor for questions, he asked "who's first?" and as is an often common phenomenon in such open, small group forums, individuals are sometimes resistant to "be first", thus creating sometimes an elongated, and hesitative pause (which nonetheless is really shorther than it seems) in the initiation of the proceedings. So I decided to jump in with my two-days-old inquiry. Andy did actually reveal more than has been previosuly discussed here. His initial reply was that he would not reveal this series anytime soon, but that there are "only so many ancients" that one could do, and that it would not essentially take a neurosurgeon to figure out what the next great K&C ancients would be. ;) I don't quite get this because when I think of ancients, I can think of a GREAT many civilizations that could be created in military minioatures, but I certainly am no expert in determining what is producable/sellable. Nonethless, Andy began counting off the possibilities of ancients on his finger tips, casting off two but not the third group of ancients he ventured to mention. But just prior to doing so, I brought him back to the pre-production sketches he brought up and asked him if he had been sketching anything that resembled a Trojan horse. He replied, "absolutely, unequivocably, NO". (Well, not exactly the answer I wanted, but I got an answer! Someone else had posted the same hopes here previosuly as well. Well, I'm w/ ya! Sadly, no Trojan War for us for at least awhile!) Anyways, I digress; Andy began listing off the only ancients he apparently believes would be appropriate to be recreated in 1/30 glory. He said "first we have Egyptians, and it isn't that because we're currently doing that; second you have Romans, and it isn't that because we have already done that, and third you have the acient Greeks, and I'll stop there." So it would appear to me that there is little doubt that the next ancient line for K & C will somehow involve the saviors of democracy and the western way of life, the thinkers and doers, the Greeks. And here is my thesis: The next K & C ancient line will be entirely focused on the Peloponnesian War, Athens VS Sparta!!!!! What do you guys think? I would go completely nuts over such a line!!! Please let me know your feelings or guesses if you have time. And remember, that soldiers we collect today, albeit inanimate, will be here long after we're gone! Peace, Joe :)
 
Steven Chong said:
The figure was a Napoleonic figure: NA102 repainted with a white jacket with red facings. I got the figure the next day so was not present at the meeting when the regiment or nationality was disclosed. I hope someone who was at the meeting for the entire time at post the answer. In addition, another gift was 6 drawings by Andy that were passed out at the London Show.:)
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You got six? I got four:p I thought Andy was in great form. He was a lot of fun at Dinner the other night too! Thanks Andy!:D
Helen, It was very nice talking with you Saturday night. Patrick is playing a very integral part to the K&C machine. A very nice young man.
 
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