Figarti 2015 Overview (1 Viewer)

[Vezzolf]

Old inventory. The same pieces have been on Ebay for the last two years and they are not selling!

NICE:salute:::salute:::salute::

 

[Hunter Rose]

Figures look an ok match to me, and have to agree that paint job is very poor, one of the worse examples of painting and weathering I've seen on one of their tanks, Figarti really messed up there.

We have pretty drastically different definitions of what type of paint jobs/weathering look realistic then. I wish more factory paint jobs were done this "poorly", it would save me a lot of money! :salute::



Brad,

The Panther in question is supposed to be 1. SS-Pz.Div. LAH in early '45 around the Lake Balaton area (although there will be a GD winter Panther coming in the near future). The picture below of a Das Reich Panther in the same area was inspiration. Here's also another pic of it next to a Tiger.

 

[The Military Workshop]

NICE:salute:::salute:::salute::

I will take a wild guess that your "nice" comment relates to the items not selling on the evil Ebay. If the items have been listed at normal retail and not selling, bearing in mind Figarti low numbers, then no wonder Figarti not doing well. Since you seem to be a fan of Figarti you should realise that items selling is actually a good thing for the continued production by any brand. If you like a brand then you should be happy to see its items selling.

 

[uksubs]

And I'm the only repetitive member on this forum

Like i said just stating a fact,and like i have said a million times as well i to am very disappointed at the demise of such a wonderful company.
I have a heap of their stuff so not being negative as you put it just stating a facts !!

Fair comment Wayne and good to see your getting into the train business ^&cool

 

[Vezzolf]

We have pretty drastically different definitions of what type of paint jobs/weathering look realistic then. I wish more factory paint jobs were done this "poorly", it would save me a lot of money! :salute::



Brad,

The Panther in question is supposed to be 1. SS-Pz.Div. LAH in early '45 around the Lake Balaton area (although there will be a GD winter Panther coming in the near future). The picture below of a Das Reich Panther in the same area was inspiration. Here's also another pic of it next to a Tiger.

PERFECT PAINT & WEATHERING.....On both of these Winter AFV's.....Manufacturers should take note.....This is how it should be done.:salute:::salute:::salute::.....If Winter AFV's were detailed and painted like these they would sell out in a flash and manufacturers would not be able to keep up with orders placed.

 

[Vezzolf]

I will take a wild guess that your "nice" comment relates to the items not selling on the evil Ebay. If the items have been listed at normal retail and not selling, bearing in mind Figarti low numbers, then no wonder Figarti not doing well. Since you seem to be a fan of Figarti you should realise that items selling is actually a good thing for the continued production by any brand. If you like a brand then you should be happy to see its items selling.

As you well know....I don't put much stock in evil bay prices, since most times they are artificially inflated by the usual suspects who attempt to create FALSE demand/value:wink2:....."Inflated Evil Bay Prices" are not a good indication of a companies' success.....I think that if Figarti or any company starts producing some quality 1:30th scale AFV's or AFV re-paints as depicted by Hunter Rose's photos they will have no problem being successful.{sm4}.....Make a quality product at a fair price and everything else falls into place.....Irregardless of the nonsense and deception on evil-bay{sm4}

 

[Jack]

I like seeing different paints jobs on vehicles, even more so as I am a non painter myself. But surely those paint jobs take a few hours at least. What would that add to the cost of a vehicle?

 

[Vezzolf]

Not as much as some may think or try to insist.....At current prices which are excessive.... Better is expected....If you want to sell a product JUST do it right and it will sell

 

[jazzeum]

All of this back and forth about Figarti, while interesting, is like debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, as the company has no cash right now and, as Carlos (desk11desk12) pointed out, consists of one person. Their likelihood of surviving as an operating company is not high.

The products of some companies who are no longer in business thrive on eBay (e.g., Trophy) while others do not. It remains to be seen into which category Figarti will fall.

 

[Vezzolf]

Brad....If Figarti can get some working capital then release some good product out there (even quality re-paints of older items)... cash flow will not be an issue.......They can make it happen if they want to invest in their own product and do the work....Profits come latter not before hand.....They are not dead yet if they don't want to be.

 

[jazzeum]

Frank, as Matt indicated they are cash poor. Unless they raise WC, the possibility of future production is not high. Obviously, this was not a problem while the Wangs were involved but this is not the case anymore.

 

[Jack]

Not as much as some may think or try to insist.....At current prices which are excessive.... Better is expected....If you want to sell a product JUST do it right and it will sell

Is there a number? Would it be 20 dollars? 50 dollars? Perhaps one of the painters could come on and give us a sense of the time it takes for them to repaint a vehicle.

 

[Vezzolf]

Frank, as Matt indicated they are cash poor. Unless they raise WC, the possibility of future production is not high. Obviously, this was not a problem while the Wangs were involved but this is not the case anymore.

Working Capital can be raised in many ways including but not limited to a business loan and/or through investors im-put.....No different from any other business venture or business start up....I all depends on how committed you are to maintaining and sustaining a business.....Profits come AFTER investment and commitment not BEFORE....It all depends on how hard you are willing to work for it and go after it.

 

[katana]

Frank, as Matt indicated they are cash poor. Unless they raise WC, the possibility of future production is not high. Obviously, this was not a problem while the Wangs were involved but this is not the case anymore.

I would really like to know the reasons the Wangs decided to sell out. IMO I assume that they were good business men; as they had a successful business for over 10 years. Three negative things occured simultaniously; production costs increased, quality decreased to compensate and sales decreased; as a result of cost versus quality. A classic downward spiral in any business. The Wangs being good business men; decided this business had run its course and sold out.

Circumstances determine success and the circumstances that made Figarti successful had changed. Increased competition i.e. FL, TG etc. Also over extension into Aircraft and Trains consumed capital at the expense of the core products i.e. Armor and Artillery. Figarti figures had never equaled their Armor in quality. A logical investment would have been to improve the figures. Given what must have been spent on Aircraft and Trains; Figarti figures could have equaled First Legion; for the same investment, or less.

The buyers of Figarti are not good business men; if they were they would never have bought the company; if Figarti had a bright future the Wang's would never have sold it.

All Glory is Fleeting!

 

[desk11desk12]

I would really like to know the reasons the Wangs decided to sell out. IMO I assume that they were good business men; as they had a successful business for over 10 years. Three negative things occured simultaniously; production costs increased, quality decreased to compensate and sales decreased; as a result of cost versus quality. A classic downward spiral in any business. The Wangs being good business men; decided this business had run its course and sold out.

Circumstances determine success and the circumstances that made Figarti successful had changed. Increased competition i.e. FL, TG etc. Also over extension into Aircraft and Trains consumed capital at the expense of the core products i.e. Armor and Artillery. Figarti figures had never equaled their Armor in quality. A logical investment would have been to improve the figures. Given what must have been spent on Aircraft and Trains; Figarti figures could have equaled First Legion; for the same investment, or less.

The buyers of Figarti are not good business men; if they were they would never have bought the company; if Figarti had a bright future the Wang's would never have sold it.

All Glory is Fleeting!

Be careful with your conclusions, You weren't there...

Rick Wang’s father had a heart attack some time ago and during his recovery took an keen interest in toy soldiers. Fortunately, his father made a full recovery and a few years later Rick decided to exit out of the business but not without making a huge impact in the hobby. Remember “Shock Awe” debuts at Chicago and Westcoster Toy Soldier Shows. Those models (German e-boat, K5 Leopold Rail Gun, LCT, HMS Victory and more) will never be done again.

If he wanted to compete with King & Country the toy soldier world may have looked differently today. He liked poking fun at Andy Neilson (King & Country) at the shows but the truth was, he liked Andy.

Figarti was a very small part of the Wang’s business empire in China and was only meant to be a hobby. Therefore a couple of years ago he sold Figarti to their master modeler for an extremely modest sum of money.

Rick thanks for the memories!!!!

Carlos

 

[katana]

Thank you very much for the insights Carlos. I can see where if it was considered a hobby and the ecconomic circumstances changed; as they have in China, it would be prudent to spend more time managing your real businesses. I did not make any conclusions; just suppositions based upon good business practices. I agree with all you have said of Figartis accomplishments. I hope the new owner can aquire capital and pull it together. Time will tell!

 

[Baymax]

I would really like to know the reasons the Wangs decided to sell out. IMO I assume that they were good business men; as they had a successful business for over 10 years. Three negative things occured simultaniously; production costs increased, quality decreased to compensate and sales decreased; as a result of cost versus quality. A classic downward spiral in any business. The Wangs being good business men; decided this business had run its course and sold out.

Circumstances determine success and the circumstances that made Figarti successful had changed. Increased competition i.e. FL, TG etc. Also over extension into Aircraft and Trains consumed capital at the expense of the core products i.e. Armor and Artillery. Figarti figures had never equaled their Armor in quality. A logical investment would have been to improve the figures. Given what must have been spent on Aircraft and Trains; Figarti figures could have equaled First Legion; for the same investment, or less.

The buyers of Figarti are not good business men; if they were they would never have bought the company; if Figarti had a bright future the Wang's would never have sold it.

All Glory is Fleeting!

Katana,

Are the three things you mentioned what you consider happened to Figarti? I never saw the quality decline. I have a lot of Figarti from inception to the last things they released Tiger I and Panthers. Everything remained at a high quality and detail.

Their prices were always relatively stable for standard releases (the shock and awe were different so, I don't include them) I cannot answer if sales went down but, they only really had to have one or two hundred collectors to please. Its not many really and I am not certain how we can see a drop in sales with such small relese numbers

 

[joesgis]

"Three negative things occured simultaniously; production costs increased, quality decreased to compensate and sales decreased; as a result of cost versus quality. A classic downward spiral in any business."

Katana,

What you're saying here I really don't see as being applicable to Figarti. They had some serious issues with paint adhesion, or lack thereof, and had consistency issues with their figures, but there never was a drop in the quality of their AFV's like we saw with CS or K & C. King & Country's decline has been sharp across the board, in fact. In regards to K & C you would need to add a fourth point to your list at the top: "charges more for mostly inferior product to what they once made to balance out the lost sales".


Joe

 

[jazzeum]

Be careful with your conclusions, You weren't there...

Rick Wang’s father had a heart attack some time ago and during his recovery took an keen interest in toy soldiers. Fortunately, his father made a full recovery and a few years later Rick decided to exit out of the business but not without making a huge impact in the hobby. Remember “Shock Awe” debuts at Chicago and Westcoster Toy Soldier Shows. Those models (German e-boat, K5 Leopold Rail Gun, LCT, HMS Victory and more) will never be done again.

If he wanted to compete with King & Country the toy soldier world may have looked differently today. He liked poking fun at Andy Neilson (King & Country) at the shows but the truth was, he liked Andy.

Figarti was a very small part of the Wang’s business empire in China and was only meant to be a hobby. Therefore a couple of years ago he sold Figarti to their master modeler for an extremely modest sum of money.

Rick thanks for the memories!!!!

Carlos

This is spot on. I would only add a couple of things. Rick made a Tiger that showed the interior of a Tiger. Hundreds of parts. A tank like this will never be made again.

When Rick's father James (who I had the good fortune to meet and have lunch with when I visited the Figarti factory in 2010) had made his recovery, Rick started to devote less time to Figarti. Why? One, his father had recovered and two, the Wang family has a lot of business interests. Rick just didn't have the time to devote to Figarti.

Rick, as Carlos said, thanks for the memories. On Saturday nights at the Chicago Show, Rick would have a dinner for a few people and it was always a lot of fun. He'd talk to us about his Figarti ideas, life in general and USC football (a big USC fan). Saturday night is not the same anymore.

 

[joesgis]

This is spot on. I would only add a couple of things. Rick made a Tiger that showed the interior of a Tiger. Hundreds of parts. A tank like this will never be made again.

When Rick's father James (who I had the good fortune to meet and have lunch with when I visited the Figarti factory in 2010) had made his recovery, Rick started to devote less time to Figarti. Why? One, his father had recovered and two, the Wang family has a lot of business interests. Rick just didn't have the time to devote to Figarti.

Rick, as Carlos said, thanks for the memories. On Saturday nights at the Chicago Show, Rick would have a dinner for a few people and it was always a lot of fun. He'd talk to us about his Figarti ideas, life in general and USC football (a big USC fan). Saturday night is not the same anymore.

I would add that the Westcoaster is not the same without Rick and his team, not even close to the same. I really enjoyed the times with Rick and Peter and they are sorely missed from the hobby in many ways.

Joe