Has wbritains lost its way (1 Viewer)

[villagehorse]

You make some very valid points TSB. My only explanation is that FL release the, for example Zulu figures all at once and that is it. K7C are known for release certain periods at certain times of the year.

Britains had a major release of Zulu figures (still waiting for a few) then along comes another release (Field ambulance and two more hand to hand sets). Just seems overwhelming when that last release isn't even finished yet.

Have not had a problem with being overwhelmed in the last 2 years of collecting Zulu as while there might be a fair amount of product in the pipeline, it is very slow to materialise. The hand to hand sets and the ambulance are way down the pipe. My main concern is the other makers who produce heaps every month which costs me a fortune. At least when I finally get the Britain's bill for some product, I find it very reasonable and not much of a financial burden unlike the others. Robin.

 

[Dragoon]

Well now I'm starting to wonder...... Just saw the new Jacktars & Leathernecks in the summer catalog. I don't think an interesting subject matter could be made any more boring, and IMO so poorly sculpted. With the current production delays, I just can't understand why factory production time is being taken up with this new series of such sub par figures.

 

[Tiger]

I'm not in the collectors club so i can't comment on that but in terms of quality i'm still pretty happy with Britains. The napoleonic Brunswickers for example look amazing!

Got to agree. The Brunswickers looked pretty boring on the catalogue but when I saw them I eneded up spending more than I had planned. Such a mix up with Britains. Good and bad, very odd.

 

[marco55]

I have to say that most of everything I have seen looks better in the flesh (or metal if you prefer :wink2than photos and that is the same with other manufacturerers also.
Mark

 

[camel corps]

I think the quality is improving , I just received Not Today from the Nile series and I am impressed, the two British 42nd highlanders are fantastic , look forward to more from this series, I am interested in the new 1914 ww1 marching infantry if it is to be expanded with future releases
Kev

 

[aujj65]

I think the quality is improving , I just received Not Today from the Nile series and I am impressed, the two British 42nd highlanders are fantastic , look forward to more from this series, I am interested in the new 1914 ww1 marching infantry if it is to be expanded with future releases
Kev

Hi Kev, these are available at last?!! Excellent news - can't wait to get mine.

Jeff :salute::

 

[Tiger]

I think the quality is improving , I just received Not Today from the Nile series and I am impressed, the two British 42nd highlanders are fantastic , look forward to more from this series, I am interested in the new 1914 ww1 marching infantry if it is to be expanded with future releases
Kev

Just saw the new WW1 pieces myself, they look interesting. Hopefully I will see them in the flesh (or metal) at the London show in June, I hope so. The photos in the brochures do not do the items justice at all in my opinion.

If they do expand the marching infantry then like you, I will be buying quite a bit of these. Got a lovely Thorneycroft from JJD this week so, having some figures like these to go alongside in a dio would be very nice. Nice work W Britain!

 

[zulucollector]

So we ended up getting a couple of surprise Fall collector figures 50050C and 50049C which helped heal wounds that AZW and ACW were excluded in May. The AZW ambulance is till stated as August delivery on the website. Fingers crossed on that one... Sierra has taken over for Modelzone and their delivery schedule has improved dramatically since the first release. Based on facebook sneak peeks we are expecting some interesting stuff in a ww1 210mm artillery piece and ACW mortar. Plus Ken has mentioned a return to WW2 which I think is a good idea as it is hard to be a major TS company without having something from the second world war. The other notable missing gap in their product line is medieval. I am too new to remember if their knights of Agincourt series was any good.... If I was a wbritains dealer that would be a top of my list with Ken in order to better compete with other TS companies.

On the downside, I think the new jack tars and leathernecks looks like a dud, titantic is dead in the water (pun intended) and war on the nile seems to be dying with very few releases since Ken took over. Right now it is ACW, WWI and AZW and everything else is an after thought. Saying all that what series do you think wbritains have had their day and should be retired.

 

[DMNamiot]

Hi Guys,

Interesting question on what should be retired. Humorously I would say AZW or ACW just to try and get everyones attention:wink2: but knowing full well that they would be dumb to drop either of those lines. For me I would have to say its time they went to a glossy Indian Army/Cavalry Line to replace what is a very short run with Titanic. There are a ton of us out there that collect Glossy and we never get anything new. Ok we did get one figure this year as a club offering but if you don't collect that era you get squat unless you go to another maker. So I would really like Glossy marching cavalry and infantry.

Dave

 

[jomartvr]

I would say that Britain's should not venture into WWII as it is well covered my many other vendors. Of late Britain's has become very meat and potatoes in its offerings. I was very much into collecting the War on the Nile series, however given the dismal offerings of late I have redoubled my efforts with TG's FFL. It seems the company is letting many series whither on the vine, too bad they make a nice product.

 

[Charlie Brown]

I would say that Britain's should not venture into WWII as it is well covered my many other vendors. Of late Britain's has become very meat and potatoes in its offerings. I was very much into collecting the War on the Nile series, however given the dismal offerings of late I have redoubled my efforts with TG's FFL. It seems the company is letting many series whither on the vine, too bad they make a nice product.

The early sets in the River Nile series are being offloaded via Ebay in the UK. WB's website is still retailing the single figures at £25.99p.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Britains-...Toys_Games_ToySoldiers_EH&hash=item1e8f2945c7

 

[Desertkiwi]

Interesting thread this, Britain's got me into this great hobby way back in the 70's and I've never really looked back. The company certainly has seen some highs and lows over the years. I'm still a fan and find their diorama pieces very useful and affordable. I particularly like their Zulu range and like how you can purchase single figures. The clam shell packaging is also very good and easy to pick up and view exactly what you're buying.

On the down side, I still think they produce some odd poses with some of their ranges, but by and large they are great value for money and make some wonderful stuff!^&grin

 

[maddadicus]

Hi Guys,

Interesting question on what should be retired. Humorously I would say AZW or ACW just to try and get everyones attention:wink2: but knowing full well that they would be dumb to drop either of those lines. For me I would have to say its time they went to a glossy Indian Army/Cavalry Line to replace what is a very short run with Titanic. There are a ton of us out there that collect Glossy and we never get anything new. Ok we did get one figure this year as a club offering but if you don't collect that era you get squat unless you go to another maker. So I would really like Glossy marching cavalry and infantry.

Dave

I started to collect their FIW series in gloss, all marching figures. But with an near nothing production schedule for these poses and no variety in regiments, I sold my weak collection and have never returned to Britains..Michael

 

[Desertkiwi]

A bit of a side issue, but I pulled out my small collection of 'Britains' catalogue's the other day and flicked through a few from the 90's and early noughties. Although most of their ranges were Gloss finish back then, it was interesting seeing them move towards the Matt phenomenon and the development of those ranges.

When I think of their plastic figures from the 50/60's they certainly have come a long way and it's amazing how they are still producing figures and other TS stuff today.{sm4}

 

[DMNamiot]

Michael and Toddy bring up some good points. I wish that Britains would offer more in the way of glossy action figures for ranges like the Sudan or Zulu but the bottom line is what folks will buy and it appears that most of the collectors out there prefer the matte figures. I have a few lines in matte but they arent the bulk of my collection, which I guess makes me the odd man out for a US based collector. Perhaps they will revisit some of the lines in glossy but I dont want to make any bets on it. I guess for now I will have to be happy with the figures I have and with the companies out there taht still produce glossy lines.

Dave

 

[WBritain]

As some of you have noticed, the gloss development has declined in the recent years. What is not common knowledge, is that these are among the few products I display in my own home.

Has the brand totally abandoned it's roots? I don't think so, we are simply developing style and quaility like all of the manufacturers of new toy and model figures are doing.

I have been working on a new Classic Gloss release under the Regiments collection but it is still in development and I will not release it until it is ready. I am sure it will please a good number of collectors, but like with anything will leave others disappointed.

There are some wonderful classic gloss figure makers servicing the market these days, and I would hope they continue to develop new items to service this segment of the hobby. The British Victorian period is very well represented and there is little I could do to improve the current product mix.

I just wanted to let all of you know that I am not only aware of the requests, but have been actively working on new offerings for future release.
All the best,
Ken

 

[PolarBear]

I too truly miss all the glossy Classic releases. I feel that WB had some of the best sculpting and painting of this type of figure in the 54mm scale. As a Victorian Colonial Collector I was disappointed that we did not get the number of figures that could make up a scene as was possible with the 18th C collections. There were Victorian ORs but a lack of officers to go with many of them. The 18th C had a much better array of these types. I did collect the majority of the 18th C French and Indian War figures which are a treasured part of my collection. My favorite was the Royal Artillery set from that war but we never saw a comparable French set. I also collected all the issues of the WB 1st Gear Zulu War series but again was sad to see that die before its time. Joe, the beloved Lt., used to say that more white helmets (like Trophy) would have boosted sales. All this said, I am very happy with the new matte ACW non combat figures that have increased in number, the WWI series and the new Jack Tars and Leathernecks figures. I would like to have seen the historic naval figures in gloss as part of the Classsics. I told Richard and Ken they could be called the Peacoats series^&grin. I wish also that the Petticoats could have continued. Ken and Ericka did a super job with these. The problem was the lack of male civilian or military figures that could be used with all of them in terms of proper poses to allow for scenic displays.
Randy
WB Collector since the late 1950s

 

[Desertkiwi]

Now that's a nice set Randy, I quite like that and thanks Ken for your prompt response. That I'm sure will put a smile on a few faces, particularly Dave's. ^&grin I think for nostalgia reasons WBritains Glossy's will always hold a special place in TS history and for loyal collectors alike. What amazes me is that gloss still attracts a strong following, be it a niche market now and it's great seeing companies recognise this, even if they are few and far between.

Of those few who have viewed my meagre collection over the years, which is mostly matt now-a-days. It's interesting to note that it's my small WBritains glossy Zulu/Britain's display that seems to draw the most comments.

 

[zulucollector]

As I am awaiting my first AZW releases of the New Year, I have begun to ponder whether a rethink of this line might be in-order. While Ken has supplied us with some noteworthy adds in the past year including our first NNC figures, some of the named officers at Isandlwana, some of the non24th troops at rorke drift and of course the striking ambulance set, I have found many of the releases have become robotic ie 24th of foot #189.

Personally I would like a rethink of this series, and start to fill in some of the gaps in the lines as opposed to producing endless rounds of new infantry. Some thoughts include....................................

1) Major Russell's rocket battery has been mentioned on this board numerous times
2) Lord Chelmsford and his aides with maybe his mobile hq wagon from Zulu dawn
3) Pont with ferryman for rorke drift
4) Mounted troops including Imperial Mounted Infantry, Natal Mounted Police, Natal Carbineers, Newcastle Mounted Rifles or Buffalo Border Guard (albeit could be pricey in the current market)
5) quartermaster with/without a supply wagon (I am guessing all those oxen would make for an expense set and conte did a nice quartermaster set right from the movie)
6) take a brief break from rorke and isandlwana altogether and try 17th lancers from Ulundi
7) the political figures King Cetshwayo and Sir Henry Bartle Frere themselves
8) some accessories such as Zulu huts so we can make our own kraal (albeit a third party vendor already makes these plus the surrounding fence), open stoves etc
9) Lt. A. Milne RN HMS Active, ADC to Lord Chelmsford with his telescope

What are other AZW collectors thinking about the line and 2015?

 

[villagehorse]

As I am awaiting my first AZW releases of the New Year, I have begun to ponder whether a rethink of this line might be in-order. While Ken has supplied us with some noteworthy adds in the past year including our first NNC figures, some of the named officers at Isandlwana, some of the non24th troops at rorke drift and of course the striking ambulance set, I have found many of the releases have become robotic ie 24th of foot #189.

Personally I would like a rethink of this series, and start to fill in some of the gaps in the lines as opposed to producing endless rounds of new infantry. Some thoughts include....................................

1) Major Russell's rocket battery has been mentioned on this board numerous times
2) Lord Chelmsford and his aides with maybe his mobile hq wagon from Zulu dawn
3) Pont with ferryman for rorke drift
4) Mounted troops including Imperial Mounted Infantry, Natal Mounted Police, Natal Carbineers, Newcastle Mounted Rifles or Buffalo Border Guard (albeit could be pricey in the current market)
5) quartermaster with/without a supply wagon (I am guessing all those oxen would make for an expense set and conte did a nice quartermaster set right from the movie)
6) take a brief break from rorke and isandlwana altogether and try 17th lancers from Ulundi
7) the political figures King Cetshwayo and Sir Henry Bartle Frere themselves
8) some accessories such as Zulu huts so we can make our own kraal (albeit a third party vendor already makes these plus the surrounding fence), open stoves etc
9) Lt. A. Milne RN HMS Active, ADC to Lord Chelmsford with his telescope

What are other AZW collectors thinking about the line and 2015?

Yep I think you have summed it up very well. The ambulance wagon is the only recent spark for the series for me. That said, new collectors have a mighty range to select from. Still love the series, but the endless foot figures with slightly different poses is wearing thin. Allows me to concentrate on other series though. Robin.