Is this company still in business? Or going to be in business? This is not what I called being involved? Seems to be taking an awful long time to move. I really like alot of what Conte offers. Or maybe is there going to be a mass release of product all at once? With Conte's track record that seems to be unlikely. Could this be one of the toy soldier companys that disappears because of the global economy. Any other thoughts?
conte? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter APACHEJOL
- Start date
eborris
First Sergeant
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- Feb 26, 2007
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- 1,372
I hope they're still around, I'd hate to never have the opportunity to get the north wall for the Alamo. I'd think if he was getting out of the business he'd say something. I believe he attended the Hackensack show, not sure what his plans were at that time.
kilted vampire
Lieutenant Colonel
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2006
- Messages
- 7,900
So far this is normal for Conte. Now he has the move as an excuse. Something will be along soon and it will be nice. it is a small company in a small hobby. Waiting is part of the game.
C
Compton
Guest
You never can tell with Conte, He has never been one to reply or let those of us who are interested know just what the heck is going on.
I have decided that if he comes out with something or survives GREAT !!!
if not....well....I'm sure his past performances may have alot to do with the
possibility that we won't be blessed with his presence any longer.
Don't get me wrong or try to read any thing even remotely sinister or maelevolent in my position its just that he tends to keep everyone in the dark and release in his own good time wether or not he has made a statement of intent for a new release or not.
I truly love his plastics and so do my nephews who recieve painted conte plastics from me every christmas. But as the supply does not seem to be available from most of the dealers that I do business with I may have to find another source and I am not interested in paying userous prices for so called
"rare", "highly sought after", or "vintage" conte plastics on ebay.
His figs are a joy to paint and have provided countles hours of pleasure and accomplishment for this painter but there are lots of 1879 and midieval figs available to fill the gap. So dear fellow collectors I hope I have not offended but I must restate if comes through, Great !!! if not, oh well........
I have decided that if he comes out with something or survives GREAT !!!
if not....well....I'm sure his past performances may have alot to do with the
possibility that we won't be blessed with his presence any longer.
Don't get me wrong or try to read any thing even remotely sinister or maelevolent in my position its just that he tends to keep everyone in the dark and release in his own good time wether or not he has made a statement of intent for a new release or not.
I truly love his plastics and so do my nephews who recieve painted conte plastics from me every christmas. But as the supply does not seem to be available from most of the dealers that I do business with I may have to find another source and I am not interested in paying userous prices for so called
"rare", "highly sought after", or "vintage" conte plastics on ebay.
His figs are a joy to paint and have provided countles hours of pleasure and accomplishment for this painter but there are lots of 1879 and midieval figs available to fill the gap. So dear fellow collectors I hope I have not offended but I must restate if comes through, Great !!! if not, oh well........
UKReb
Command Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 2,436
This was raised recently on another thread-The looooooooong Conte wait for Zulus and Zouaves. I too hope they will/have not gone to the wall as like a lot of us I'm sure, their early releases hooked me into serious collecting of metal figures-and agree the plastics are darn good too.
However, I was always at a loss to completely understand RC's business plan-he was without doubt a market leader in action posed/movie related figures and Yet! a cohesive supply chain from factory floor aligned with dealers demands-customer care-that personal touch between customer/dealer and the manufacturer etc was very much hit and miss all the time he has been in the game with many more misses than hits as far as the dealers were concerned. This apparent lack of good business acumen was then-for me-reinforced when he announced his exodus from Las Vegas to a new warehouse. In itself no big deal as most businesses during their life need to expand or consolidate but this announcement is well over 12 months old now and I for one have no idea whether or not it's been successfully executed.
How long does it take a company to move warehouses?
And if they have moved what's in the new warehouse?
Here lies my next lack of comprehension of his particular business model-Sell off all the old stock as BOGOF-sure good deal for us collectors as I managed to get boxes of his figures with this offer whereas I know dealers across the US and UK who had been waiting months and months on their outstanding orders to replenish their stocks with these very same sets I was now getting shipped to me as two for one
Then we get the next confusing announcement which was Conte is going to release limited quantities of hard to find single figures from Richard Conte's own personal stash. What! the man is selling off his own collection Next up unpainted metal masters And then long bouts of silence as unfortunately is the norm with Conte-We always got the massive fanfare announcements of forthcoming attractions followed by months of nowt!
So in summary whatever his plan is? it was definitely not covered in any of the text books I had to study at business school. But as they say one is never too old to learn-and I hang in hope for those sets of Zouaves and even better if I can get two for one
Reb
However, I was always at a loss to completely understand RC's business plan-he was without doubt a market leader in action posed/movie related figures and Yet! a cohesive supply chain from factory floor aligned with dealers demands-customer care-that personal touch between customer/dealer and the manufacturer etc was very much hit and miss all the time he has been in the game with many more misses than hits as far as the dealers were concerned. This apparent lack of good business acumen was then-for me-reinforced when he announced his exodus from Las Vegas to a new warehouse. In itself no big deal as most businesses during their life need to expand or consolidate but this announcement is well over 12 months old now and I for one have no idea whether or not it's been successfully executed.
How long does it take a company to move warehouses?
And if they have moved what's in the new warehouse?
Here lies my next lack of comprehension of his particular business model-Sell off all the old stock as BOGOF-sure good deal for us collectors as I managed to get boxes of his figures with this offer whereas I know dealers across the US and UK who had been waiting months and months on their outstanding orders to replenish their stocks with these very same sets I was now getting shipped to me as two for one
Then we get the next confusing announcement which was Conte is going to release limited quantities of hard to find single figures from Richard Conte's own personal stash. What! the man is selling off his own collection
Next up unpainted metal masters And then long bouts of silence as unfortunately is the norm with Conte-We always got the massive fanfare announcements of forthcoming attractions followed by months of nowt!So in summary whatever his plan is? it was definitely not covered in any of the text books I had to study at business school. But as they say one is never too old to learn-and I hang in hope for those sets of Zouaves and even better if I can get two for one
Reb
Capitolron
Lieutenant Colonel
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2007
- Messages
- 7,717
It must be nice to produce Toy Soldiers on a whim
He has a market for his product - WTF - lets go !
He has a market for his product - WTF - lets go !
Flammenpanzer
Specialist
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
- Messages
- 295
The Conte stuff comes out eventually. When the pewter Spartans line came out I bought all the sets since I knew it would be a while for them to be replenished. It may take a while for him to release stuff, but when he does it is usually outstanding.
Louis A. Cortez
Specialist
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2007
- Messages
- 250
I love COnte stuff. It was what got me back into collecting when I saw Alamo Set #2 on the web by accident. I tracked down the COnte Web Site and the rest is history. I hope that he stays in there and produces the NOrth Wall that I have waited so long for. In addition, I have looked forward to seeing his Mexican Calvery to appear. I have wiated all this time and I will continue to wait and support his products as much as possible. Frustrating yes, but not enough to give up 0n his stuff. He makes great stuff!
joesgis
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2007
- Messages
- 3,811
Hi all,
I just wanted to jump in and let everyone know that I had some communications w/ RC very recently. I sent a question to the seller beaugestecollectibles on ebay and I was surprised to receive a reply back from RC! I didn't know at the time beaugestecollectibles was his ebay vehicle. Anyways, after writing to him about how much I have enjoyed his stellar creations since getting into the hobby a little over two years ago, he was kind enough to take a moment to answer some of my questions. I asked him how the move was progressing, and he said, without going into detail, that moving his company was absolute hell. He said he promised a fruitful 2009 w/ abundant new releases. Of course we all know about the Zulus and Zouaves as those pics have been posted for some time now. But he was particularly excited about his new hand-to-hand Zouave sets, which have not been shown on his site. So apparently there will be a new line of counterparts for the Zouaves to battle. He said after these sets we could expect the following: a complete line of new additions to his Roman series including some religious figures, a brand new line for Conte of cowboys, and a series of Highlanders. I was hoping for an expansion of his WW2 line or perhaps a new series delving into the Crusader/Saracen realm (based on his great collectors club Templar figure), but those are apparently not in the cards as far as I know. I also asked him about his amazing AG series, which is one of my very favorites. I listed a bunch of the set nos. and their descriptions as they appeared on his site of yet to be released sets like the Phoenician Wall and the death of Leonidas among many others, and he simply stated "yes, more Spartans". All communications, btw, pertained to his pewter sets; he made no mention of forthcoming plastics (but I would think he would make some plastic Immortals sooner or later). He did however state that he is considering "redoing" some of his playsets, although he didn't indicate which ones. Of course, no release dates were discussed. So there you have it; direct from RC. None of his enthusiasm appears to have eroded, given these harsh economic times we are all experiencing. My guess is he is not going to restock old sets unless they relate directly to a new release. This is just a gut feeling I have with no actual facts to back it up. At least for awhile, once he kicks into gear again, my guess is he will release a new series or two at a time and focus on moving them quickly in direct customer sales before proceeding to release future lines. Hopefully his move and restructuring is almost complete. I hope this sheads some light on things; I know it made me feel better, as I really enjoy his creations. I am hopeful that we will see new product soon, and I look forward to any future releases of his whenever they may come. Oh, one other big thing, he mentioned that the pirate ship is still in the works, but he said it will not be produced until he finds a factory that can and will build it appropriately per his exacting specifications. He said he has been busting his butt to get the pirate ship to reach fruition, and he will not compromise the quality of his original design. He said it has been an exhausting process trying to have it produced correctly. Again, I hope this info helps! Here's to hoping for the best for ALL toy soldier producers, distributors, and buyers!!!
I just wanted to jump in and let everyone know that I had some communications w/ RC very recently. I sent a question to the seller beaugestecollectibles on ebay and I was surprised to receive a reply back from RC! I didn't know at the time beaugestecollectibles was his ebay vehicle. Anyways, after writing to him about how much I have enjoyed his stellar creations since getting into the hobby a little over two years ago, he was kind enough to take a moment to answer some of my questions. I asked him how the move was progressing, and he said, without going into detail, that moving his company was absolute hell. He said he promised a fruitful 2009 w/ abundant new releases. Of course we all know about the Zulus and Zouaves as those pics have been posted for some time now. But he was particularly excited about his new hand-to-hand Zouave sets, which have not been shown on his site. So apparently there will be a new line of counterparts for the Zouaves to battle. He said after these sets we could expect the following: a complete line of new additions to his Roman series including some religious figures, a brand new line for Conte of cowboys, and a series of Highlanders. I was hoping for an expansion of his WW2 line or perhaps a new series delving into the Crusader/Saracen realm (based on his great collectors club Templar figure), but those are apparently not in the cards as far as I know. I also asked him about his amazing AG series, which is one of my very favorites. I listed a bunch of the set nos. and their descriptions as they appeared on his site of yet to be released sets like the Phoenician Wall and the death of Leonidas among many others, and he simply stated "yes, more Spartans". All communications, btw, pertained to his pewter sets; he made no mention of forthcoming plastics (but I would think he would make some plastic Immortals sooner or later). He did however state that he is considering "redoing" some of his playsets, although he didn't indicate which ones. Of course, no release dates were discussed. So there you have it; direct from RC. None of his enthusiasm appears to have eroded, given these harsh economic times we are all experiencing. My guess is he is not going to restock old sets unless they relate directly to a new release. This is just a gut feeling I have with no actual facts to back it up. At least for awhile, once he kicks into gear again, my guess is he will release a new series or two at a time and focus on moving them quickly in direct customer sales before proceeding to release future lines. Hopefully his move and restructuring is almost complete. I hope this sheads some light on things; I know it made me feel better, as I really enjoy his creations. I am hopeful that we will see new product soon, and I look forward to any future releases of his whenever they may come. Oh, one other big thing, he mentioned that the pirate ship is still in the works, but he said it will not be produced until he finds a factory that can and will build it appropriately per his exacting specifications. He said he has been busting his butt to get the pirate ship to reach fruition, and he will not compromise the quality of his original design. He said it has been an exhausting process trying to have it produced correctly. Again, I hope this info helps! Here's to hoping for the best for ALL toy soldier producers, distributors, and buyers!!!
Capitolron
Lieutenant Colonel
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2007
- Messages
- 7,717
Well that is more we have heard about RC in at least three years now !
Thanks for the info - Did he mention when in 2009 he planned to release these figures ?
Thanks for the info - Did he mention when in 2009 he planned to release these figures ?
gk5717
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Messages
- 3,191
Unless RC goes back to makeing plastic WW2, Civil War or Alamo, I have lost all interest in his products.
Any of you that have been around awhile will notice the same line of bs with his current statement as with all his previuos statements.
Same line, different time.
As for as the pirate ship, I have a release from the year 2000 saying the ship will be arriveing shortly.
Not to be over dramatic about this but I would believe the guy on Saturday Night live who would make some outragious statement then say "Yea, that,s the ticket", over anything that comes from RC,s mouth.
Just my opinion.
Gary
Any of you that have been around awhile will notice the same line of bs with his current statement as with all his previuos statements.
Same line, different time.
As for as the pirate ship, I have a release from the year 2000 saying the ship will be arriveing shortly.
Not to be over dramatic about this but I would believe the guy on Saturday Night live who would make some outragious statement then say "Yea, that,s the ticket", over anything that comes from RC,s mouth.
Just my opinion.
Gary
damian
1st Lieutenant
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2007
- Messages
- 4,913
The reason we are all so annoyed is because when he finally does deliver it is usually really great. The SOS were a bit too grotesque for me , but his Spartans, Rogers rangers and BOSS I thought were really good. No generic kneeling firing guy or pointing with binoculars guys here. However this particular wait has been longer than usual.Hi all,
I just wanted to jump in and let everyone know that I had some communications w/ RC very recently. I sent a question to the seller beaugestecollectibles on ebay and I was surprised to receive a reply back from RC! I didn't know at the time beaugestecollectibles was his ebay vehicle. Anyways, after writing to him about how much I have enjoyed his stellar creations since getting into the hobby a little over two years ago, he was kind enough to take a moment to answer some of my questions. I asked him how the move was progressing, and he said, without going into detail, that moving his company was absolute hell. He said he promised a fruitful 2009 w/ abundant new releases. Of course we all know about the Zulus and Zouaves as those pics have been posted for some time now. But he was particularly excited about his new hand-to-hand Zouave sets, which have not been shown on his site. So apparently there will be a new line of counterparts for the Zouaves to battle. He said after these sets we could expect the following: a complete line of new additions to his Roman series including some religious figures, a brand new line for Conte of cowboys, and a series of Highlanders. I was hoping for an expansion of his WW2 line or perhaps a new series delving into the Crusader/Saracen realm (based on his great collectors club Templar figure), but those are apparently not in the cards as far as I know. I also asked him about his amazing AG series, which is one of my very favorites. I listed a bunch of the set nos. and their descriptions as they appeared on his site of yet to be released sets like the Phoenician Wall and the death of Leonidas among many others, and he simply stated "yes, more Spartans". All communications, btw, pertained to his pewter sets; he made no mention of forthcoming plastics (but I would think he would make some plastic Immortals sooner or later). He did however state that he is considering "redoing" some of his playsets, although he didn't indicate which ones. Of course, no release dates were discussed. So there you have it; direct from RC. None of his enthusiasm appears to have eroded, given these harsh economic times we are all experiencing. My guess is he is not going to restock old sets unless they relate directly to a new release. This is just a gut feeling I have with no actual facts to back it up. At least for awhile, once he kicks into gear again, my guess is he will release a new series or two at a time and focus on moving them quickly in direct customer sales before proceeding to release future lines. Hopefully his move and restructuring is almost complete. I hope this sheads some light on things; I know it made me feel better, as I really enjoy his creations. I am hopeful that we will see new product soon, and I look forward to any future releases of his whenever they may come. Oh, one other big thing, he mentioned that the pirate ship is still in the works, but he said it will not be produced until he finds a factory that can and will build it appropriately per his exacting specifications. He said he has been busting his butt to get the pirate ship to reach fruition, and he will not compromise the quality of his original design. He said it has been an exhausting process trying to have it produced correctly. Again, I hope this info helps! Here's to hoping for the best for ALL toy soldier producers, distributors, and buyers!!!
Ragnar
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2008
- Messages
- 1,450
Im just curious but is there a market for Pirate's or any thing Naval ?
There's plenty of Pirate sets still out there and Conte slashed the price on his.
two other ships big time.
just my oppinion but i would rather se him make TOYSOLDIERS then boats.
There's plenty of Pirate sets still out there and Conte slashed the price on his.
two other ships big time.
just my oppinion but i would rather se him make TOYSOLDIERS then boats.
gk5717
2nd Lieutenant
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Messages
- 3,191
This has nothing to do with Conte, but I never really got the "pirate thing" Yes there were pirates, but I always associate pirates with some sorta mythical person, something like Robin Hood.
Yes I guess they make interesting figures with a sword swinging pirate with a wooded leg or a guy with a parrot on his shoulder, but common, don,t really think that happened.
I must be too much of a realist.
Gary
Yes I guess they make interesting figures with a sword swinging pirate with a wooded leg or a guy with a parrot on his shoulder, but common, don,t really think that happened.
I must be too much of a realist.
Gary
C
Compton
Guest
Im just curious but is there a market for Pirate's or any thing Naval ?
There's plenty of Pirate sets still out there and Conte slashed the price on his.
two other ships big time.
just my oppinion but i would rather se him make TOYSOLDIERS then boats.
I would rather he update his site,replenish his plastic stock for the entire range of toy soldiers, get some new playsets,stop blowing smoke, be alittle more on time maybe just a bit???,treat people with kindness and respect, feed the hungry, stop global warming, balance the budget, cure everything,
fix the dent in my"truck with magic psycic powers" and ,and, and get the Beatles back together..........
Louis A. Cortez
Specialist
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2007
- Messages
- 250
Thanks for the update. I am happy to hear that he is not throwing in the towel. With the way things are going, it would not surprise me that he would cease, but good news for all of us that do appreciate his talent and his products. We will continue to wait and see what happens.
UKReb
Command Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 2,436
Hi all,
I just wanted to jump in and let everyone know that I had some communications w/ RC very recently. I sent a question to the seller beaugestecollectibles on ebay and I was surprised to receive a reply back from RC! I didn't know at the time beaugestecollectibles was his ebay vehicle. Anyways, after writing to him about how much I have enjoyed his stellar creations since getting into the hobby a little over two years ago, he was kind enough to take a moment to answer some of my questions. I asked him how the move was progressing, and he said, without going into detail, that moving his company was absolute hell. He said he promised a fruitful 2009 w/ abundant new releases. Of course we all know about the Zulus and Zouaves as those pics have been posted for some time now. But he was particularly excited about his new hand-to-hand Zouave sets, which have not been shown on his site. So apparently there will be a new line of counterparts for the Zouaves to battle. He said after these sets we could expect the following: a complete line of new additions to his Roman series including some religious figures, a brand new line for Conte of cowboys, and a series of Highlanders. I was hoping for an expansion of his WW2 line or perhaps a new series delving into the Crusader/Saracen realm (based on his great collectors club Templar figure), but those are apparently not in the cards as far as I know. I also asked him about his amazing AG series, which is one of my very favorites. I listed a bunch of the set nos. and their descriptions as they appeared on his site of yet to be released sets like the Phoenician Wall and the death of Leonidas among many others, and he simply stated "yes, more Spartans". All communications, btw, pertained to his pewter sets; he made no mention of forthcoming plastics (but I would think he would make some plastic Immortals sooner or later). He did however state that he is considering "redoing" some of his playsets, although he didn't indicate which ones. Of course, no release dates were discussed. So there you have it; direct from RC. None of his enthusiasm appears to have eroded, given these harsh economic times we are all experiencing. My guess is he is not going to restock old sets unless they relate directly to a new release. This is just a gut feeling I have with no actual facts to back it up. At least for awhile, once he kicks into gear again, my guess is he will release a new series or two at a time and focus on moving them quickly in direct customer sales before proceeding to release future lines. Hopefully his move and restructuring is almost complete. I hope this sheads some light on things; I know it made me feel better, as I really enjoy his creations. I am hopeful that we will see new product soon, and I look forward to any future releases of his whenever they may come. Oh, one other big thing, he mentioned that the pirate ship is still in the works, but he said it will not be produced until he finds a factory that can and will build it appropriately per his exacting specifications. He said he has been busting his butt to get the pirate ship to reach fruition, and he will not compromise the quality of his original design. He said it has been an exhausting process trying to have it produced correctly. Again, I hope this info helps! Here's to hoping for the best for ALL toy soldier producers, distributors, and buyers!!!
Joe
Interesting comments from the man himself-almost reminds me of the letter he sent to me (now framed in my office) after I sent him a blistering communique that his sets of Sons of the South were no way 54mm scale even though he had advertised them as such.
Part of his very polite reply was that I was mistaken and apart from the officer figure with two pistols which was indeed a little on the large size the other 30 figures or so were the same size as his previous ACW releases?????????
Just ask any collector who bought these hybrids who was right-me or RC-the man lives in his own fantasy movie world-Incredible figures Yes! Good business man???????
Reb