WesternOutlaw
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Interview with TG: Part 3
Let's expand on the exciting news of TG's newest theme:
What inspired you to delve into French Indochina?
It's something we have been ‘toying’ with for a while now and of course the Far East and Dien Bien Phu (DBP) always conjures romantic images of a time long now since gone. I know it was not really like that, but the stand of Legion at DBP is the stuff of legend. Whenever I think of DBP I always remember ‘Gunther’ a German soldier I met only once.
Whilst serving in Germany with the British army I was in a local bar which had double fronted glass doors, I used to frequent this place quite often, one summer evening we had a visitor in the form of an elderly gent in leather jacket riding his motorbike thru the open doors and parking it in the middle of the bar! I got talking to him and after a couple of beers I was brave enough to ask him what the long scar was round his throat. He gave me a knowing look and then relayed an incredible story to me in his best English/French/German. Without batting an eye lid he informed me he had once been in the Leibstandarte, yes Adolf Hitler’s bodyguard, now you don’t meet many of those on a Saturday night whilst down the pub! During the 1944 Normandy liberation he and a couple of others had become separated from their unit and after days of exhaustion with no sleep and thinking it was relatively safe, had gone to sleep under a tree, him with his back to it. An Allied unit had come upon them and slit his throat whilst he was asleep and killed his 2 friends in the same manner. I don’t know if its because he was propped up by the tree but by some miracle he did not die but was shortly found by members of his unit during a German counterattack who stitched him up and sent him to a field dressing point. This was overrun by the Americans some time later before he could be evacuated to a hospital, he was then handed over to the French as a POW. Once the war ended he and his other SS comrades were informed they could either spend the next 2 years in a French prison ship in Bay of Biscay or they could ‘volunteer’ for the French Foreign Legion!
Not being much of a sailor he opted for the Legion, first posting – Indochina! Our story teller actually loved the Legion so much he stayed after his 5 years were up and in 1953 ended up at a place called Dien Bien Phu. He told me he could still hear the ground shaking to this day with the Vietnamese artillery shells that just kept pouring into their camp. Eventually his luck ran out and he was hit in the leg by shrapnel which to this day had left him with a limp and one of his testicles missing! He showed me the scar from the shrapnel wound on his leg, I did not ask to see proof of the missing testicle, I took his word for that! I mentioned that the wound had probably not done much for his love life, he told me that when he arrived back in Germany he was determined to prove a point and had managed to father 11 children with 4 different women! I never forgot this guy’s story and now I have the chance to recreate that last stand of the Legion, it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. Especially as none of the main players have done Indochina in any depth, Vietnam of course has been done by several manufacturers, IC has not.
The FFL in Indochina is coming to a dealer near you soon. We will also be revisiting traditional FFL from the 1870’s to early 1900, the painted masters are on their way from Russia and we will be giving the whole range an upgrade like we did with the Zulu war series.
The first 4 figures have some really nice detailing. You mentioned 6 in the works. Will these be the same “patrol type” variety?
No, they will not, but all of first 11 figures will fit together in one diorama or on their own, and definitely tell a story. I have included pictures of Bruno Bigeard and 2 of his fellow officers as they would have appeared after dropping into DBP in 1953. I know its not a 100% accurate rendition of the photo but its our interpretation and at some point Bigeard would have had both his boots on! As far as I am concerned its close enough for people to see it for what it is. The sandbag set is also available soon, it was actually designed for our Vietnam war Aussie gunner but I think Bigeard and his officers look pretty cool in it. Also included are pictures of ‘Indo 001’ an FFL NCO who is overseeing the patrol as they march back into camp with prisoner (no pictures of prisoner but similar to the K&C ones just released). The new K&C pieces look to be a very nice set and could be used with our patrol as well. Following on from the FFL at DBP we have some French Marine Commando’s coming, these will be all action figures carrying out a raid on a Viet Minh camp. These figures were inspired by an American comic book of GI’s in Vietnam, I will reveal more once we can show the sculpts to everyone.
In regard to the community, some collectors appreciate the fun they bring. Others are highly passionate about historic accuracy and are critical at times, what would you like to see less?
I would like to see less abuse being launched at manufacturers on the forums and elsewhere. We have been subjected to it and so have others, the recent spat on the K&C section was in my opinion rather sad to see. Its hard enough making a living doing this as it is and I can assure collectors that whatever is presented from every manufacturer, is the result of an enormous amount of time, effort and money before the collector gets to see it. We don’t make products with mistakes on purpose, some people seem to extol in pointing out the mistakes of others. Others are more sanguine and adopt the attitude, if you don’t like it don’t buy it.
I had one collector phoning me (I was not in fortunately), he left a message telling me I was “misleading collectors by stating in my newsletter the Ta-183 Huckebein had seen action in 1946 and therefore how could Pips Priller have ever flown it! Everyone knows the war ended in 1945, how could I not know that as a manufacturer of military figurines?!” Somehow I must have missed that when I was learning history at school, I mean really why did he feel the need to make the call?! I did not return the call, he did however and warned Helen in the office that we should “desist from misleading the public or he would take further action!” To be honest some people seem to have nothing else better to do than find fault or offence where previously there was none. I won’t waste my time with negative people, you need to be in a good frame of mind to design a good figure and also a bad one come to think of it, hopefully we get it right more times than we do wrong. Of course its helpful to know if and when we make a mistake so we don’t repeat it on a future release, for that I am eternally grateful to this form of constructive criticism. As for the others with an ulterior motive, we see you for what you are and we know why you do it.
What do you appreciate most about the community?
The enthusiasm, the positive vibe I get from people. I know we cannot please everyone all the time and we are only a small fish in the industry, but we try our best. Its nice to know that some people look forward to our figures each month, I know that because month in, month out they ask me when they are coming!
You mentioned your initial visit to K&C’s shop at Pacific Place. Are there other companies that you appreciate?
Yes I think John Jenkins designs do a very nice job with some inspired pieces and First Legion for their quality. Both bring something positive to the industry and I hope both continue along with K&C (who offer a great variety) for as long as its viable for them all to be in business. Let's not forget Britain’s, they make some great entry level pieces and I wish them all the best for the future.
A few companies have produced large pieces. Has TG ever considered designing a large piece (e.g. boat, submarine, or large-scale diorama) or are these cost prohibitive?
You mean something like a B-29 Superfortress?! Just kidding Rob, there are 2 factors to consider here: One is the size, resin only holds its strength and shape to a certain point before it breaks or starts to show flaws and then there is the cost of shipping. Its also expensive for our dealers to then forward the item to the customer. If we switch away from 1/30 scale and make items in a smaller scale then one day these type of pieces might be a more realistic option.
I look forward to talking with you again soon. Thank you and your team for all the wonderful pieces that TG continues to release!
Let's expand on the exciting news of TG's newest theme:
What inspired you to delve into French Indochina?
It's something we have been ‘toying’ with for a while now and of course the Far East and Dien Bien Phu (DBP) always conjures romantic images of a time long now since gone. I know it was not really like that, but the stand of Legion at DBP is the stuff of legend. Whenever I think of DBP I always remember ‘Gunther’ a German soldier I met only once.
Whilst serving in Germany with the British army I was in a local bar which had double fronted glass doors, I used to frequent this place quite often, one summer evening we had a visitor in the form of an elderly gent in leather jacket riding his motorbike thru the open doors and parking it in the middle of the bar! I got talking to him and after a couple of beers I was brave enough to ask him what the long scar was round his throat. He gave me a knowing look and then relayed an incredible story to me in his best English/French/German. Without batting an eye lid he informed me he had once been in the Leibstandarte, yes Adolf Hitler’s bodyguard, now you don’t meet many of those on a Saturday night whilst down the pub! During the 1944 Normandy liberation he and a couple of others had become separated from their unit and after days of exhaustion with no sleep and thinking it was relatively safe, had gone to sleep under a tree, him with his back to it. An Allied unit had come upon them and slit his throat whilst he was asleep and killed his 2 friends in the same manner. I don’t know if its because he was propped up by the tree but by some miracle he did not die but was shortly found by members of his unit during a German counterattack who stitched him up and sent him to a field dressing point. This was overrun by the Americans some time later before he could be evacuated to a hospital, he was then handed over to the French as a POW. Once the war ended he and his other SS comrades were informed they could either spend the next 2 years in a French prison ship in Bay of Biscay or they could ‘volunteer’ for the French Foreign Legion!
Not being much of a sailor he opted for the Legion, first posting – Indochina! Our story teller actually loved the Legion so much he stayed after his 5 years were up and in 1953 ended up at a place called Dien Bien Phu. He told me he could still hear the ground shaking to this day with the Vietnamese artillery shells that just kept pouring into their camp. Eventually his luck ran out and he was hit in the leg by shrapnel which to this day had left him with a limp and one of his testicles missing! He showed me the scar from the shrapnel wound on his leg, I did not ask to see proof of the missing testicle, I took his word for that! I mentioned that the wound had probably not done much for his love life, he told me that when he arrived back in Germany he was determined to prove a point and had managed to father 11 children with 4 different women! I never forgot this guy’s story and now I have the chance to recreate that last stand of the Legion, it seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. Especially as none of the main players have done Indochina in any depth, Vietnam of course has been done by several manufacturers, IC has not.
The FFL in Indochina is coming to a dealer near you soon. We will also be revisiting traditional FFL from the 1870’s to early 1900, the painted masters are on their way from Russia and we will be giving the whole range an upgrade like we did with the Zulu war series.
The first 4 figures have some really nice detailing. You mentioned 6 in the works. Will these be the same “patrol type” variety?
No, they will not, but all of first 11 figures will fit together in one diorama or on their own, and definitely tell a story. I have included pictures of Bruno Bigeard and 2 of his fellow officers as they would have appeared after dropping into DBP in 1953. I know its not a 100% accurate rendition of the photo but its our interpretation and at some point Bigeard would have had both his boots on! As far as I am concerned its close enough for people to see it for what it is. The sandbag set is also available soon, it was actually designed for our Vietnam war Aussie gunner but I think Bigeard and his officers look pretty cool in it. Also included are pictures of ‘Indo 001’ an FFL NCO who is overseeing the patrol as they march back into camp with prisoner (no pictures of prisoner but similar to the K&C ones just released). The new K&C pieces look to be a very nice set and could be used with our patrol as well. Following on from the FFL at DBP we have some French Marine Commando’s coming, these will be all action figures carrying out a raid on a Viet Minh camp. These figures were inspired by an American comic book of GI’s in Vietnam, I will reveal more once we can show the sculpts to everyone.
In regard to the community, some collectors appreciate the fun they bring. Others are highly passionate about historic accuracy and are critical at times, what would you like to see less?
I would like to see less abuse being launched at manufacturers on the forums and elsewhere. We have been subjected to it and so have others, the recent spat on the K&C section was in my opinion rather sad to see. Its hard enough making a living doing this as it is and I can assure collectors that whatever is presented from every manufacturer, is the result of an enormous amount of time, effort and money before the collector gets to see it. We don’t make products with mistakes on purpose, some people seem to extol in pointing out the mistakes of others. Others are more sanguine and adopt the attitude, if you don’t like it don’t buy it.
I had one collector phoning me (I was not in fortunately), he left a message telling me I was “misleading collectors by stating in my newsletter the Ta-183 Huckebein had seen action in 1946 and therefore how could Pips Priller have ever flown it! Everyone knows the war ended in 1945, how could I not know that as a manufacturer of military figurines?!” Somehow I must have missed that when I was learning history at school, I mean really why did he feel the need to make the call?! I did not return the call, he did however and warned Helen in the office that we should “desist from misleading the public or he would take further action!” To be honest some people seem to have nothing else better to do than find fault or offence where previously there was none. I won’t waste my time with negative people, you need to be in a good frame of mind to design a good figure and also a bad one come to think of it, hopefully we get it right more times than we do wrong. Of course its helpful to know if and when we make a mistake so we don’t repeat it on a future release, for that I am eternally grateful to this form of constructive criticism. As for the others with an ulterior motive, we see you for what you are and we know why you do it.
What do you appreciate most about the community?
The enthusiasm, the positive vibe I get from people. I know we cannot please everyone all the time and we are only a small fish in the industry, but we try our best. Its nice to know that some people look forward to our figures each month, I know that because month in, month out they ask me when they are coming!
You mentioned your initial visit to K&C’s shop at Pacific Place. Are there other companies that you appreciate?
Yes I think John Jenkins designs do a very nice job with some inspired pieces and First Legion for their quality. Both bring something positive to the industry and I hope both continue along with K&C (who offer a great variety) for as long as its viable for them all to be in business. Let's not forget Britain’s, they make some great entry level pieces and I wish them all the best for the future.
A few companies have produced large pieces. Has TG ever considered designing a large piece (e.g. boat, submarine, or large-scale diorama) or are these cost prohibitive?
You mean something like a B-29 Superfortress?! Just kidding Rob, there are 2 factors to consider here: One is the size, resin only holds its strength and shape to a certain point before it breaks or starts to show flaws and then there is the cost of shipping. Its also expensive for our dealers to then forward the item to the customer. If we switch away from 1/30 scale and make items in a smaller scale then one day these type of pieces might be a more realistic option.
I look forward to talking with you again soon. Thank you and your team for all the wonderful pieces that TG continues to release!
