Rutledge
Master Sergeant
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2006
- Messages
- 1,219
The toy soldier business will survive, but there will be casualties.
I concur.
The toy soldier business will survive, but there will be casualties.
Being new to the hobby (only collecting for about six months now), it almost depresses me to see how much farther my money would have went if I had only started a little sooner...
However, with that being said, I do believe these companies will survive this economic downturn (with a few casualties), just like all the others...
Times are tough right now, but things will eventually get better. It is probably wise (or a least a reflection of common sense) to set and stick to an affordable budget for collecting, be very selective on your purchases for the time being. Over the 15 years I have been collecting K&C, I have had to change my philosophy to accomodate Andy Neilson's production. In the beginning, when there were maybe 15-20 new sets in a year, I was the ultimate completist - I wanted everything K&C produced, no matter what the subject matter. By the year 2000, when Andy was putting out so many different lines (various WWII, Ancient Rome & Barbarians, Napoleonics, American Revolution, U.S. Civil War, Streets of Old Hong King, the Old West, World of Dickens) I chose the lines I was interested in, and wanted everything from those lines. Then, with the rapid release of WWII stuff, especially vehicles, I limited myself to all vehicles, and only those figure sets I really liked. In recent times, with the addition of even more lines (Crusades and the Crescent, WWI, Sand Pebbles, New Warbirds, new Civil War, Ancient Egypt), the release of 15-30 new sets a month, the inevitable increase in prices, and the iffy economy, I have reached a point where I only purchase what I really like, maybe 1 in every 10 sets released. My days as a completist are over - frankly, unless you are a Rockefeller, I can't imagine anyone being a true completist with K&C anymore.
As demanding as most K/C collectors are, would the base had been satisfied with a more restricted and measured output of figures and eras......? It seems a shame, with you having a near complete collection to now pick and choose ,because of a TOO MUCH marketing strategy.......Michael
As demanding as most K/C collectors are, would the base had been satisfied with a more restricted and measured output of figures and eras......? It seems a shame, with you having a near complete collection to now pick and choose ,because of a TOO MUCH marketing strategy.......Michael
(Sorry for my English)
I think in my case, I am the poorest collector in the World of toy soldiers; I buy one or two sets per year no more than that…I think that even if I had more money I will stay in this pace. I like to take my time to choose (for now Berlin 1945 and Crusaders are the only I owed) what I want and then create a diorama for my new set; I don’t feel that I need to buy every month just because there are new releases….
Rod.
Hard times make you become more selective, but I doubt if they ever kill the true collector. Present economic circumstances have left me dead in the water as far as toy/model soldier purchases are concerned, but I also know that things will improve before long. I've been in these situations before. Also, being ill for years with congestive heart disease, before finally receiving a new heart in June, taught me further lessons in patience. While some of you will turn to painting your own figures, that is something that I cannot do, as my current anti-rejection meds give me the "shakes." Patience, in my case, truly is a virtue! Better days are coming ..... and no, I don't mean Saturday & Sunday!
(Sorry for my English)
I think in my case, I am the poorest collector in the World of toy soldiers; I buy one or two sets per year no more than that…I think that even if I had more money I will stay in this pace. I like to take my time to choose (for now Berlin 1945 and Crusaders are the only I owed) what I want and then create a diorama for my new set; I don’t feel that I need to buy every month just because there are new releases….
Concerning my dioramas, I am luck to have developed a partnership with a K&C dealer in my region (Ottawa Canada) that allows me to borrow new sets when I create a new Diorama…
Rod.
...
Sometimes we all forget this ... be thankful for what I have. Health Wife Two children who love me and a small little toy soldier collection thats looks great.Simmo.
"Never, in the field of Toy Soldier Conflict, has so much been done, with so little, by so few"
Rod,
Your dios give the impression that you're swimming in sets.
To your credit and skill.
Simon
I am very lucky that Brett at the Military Workshop has helped me out many times with swaping things and doing deals to help me out and keeping things and letting me pay them off just to keep me in the game but there is only so much he can do as a bussiness to try to keep his collectors going .K&C should give him a VC for the amount of help he has given us collectors in Australia to try to expand sales and increase and bring new blood into toy soldier collecting.Maybe if he was able to sell off lines at discount to collectors who have been with him along time this may help in these times of troubles.Just a idea which mite help out some of us strugglers.Thanks Brett. Simmo.