Imperial's newest line of Town and Around (1 Viewer)

[Drum]

The First Empire gang!

From left to right;

8. Gentleman w/ bicorn hat
6. "Salutations"
1. Lady w/ shawl
10 Gentleman in redingote
3. Lady in green
7. Lady with "czapska" bonnet
4. Young buck
9. Lady w/ "Pamela" bonnet
5. Lady with parasol
2. Gentleman w/ cane and tophat

As usual, Mr. Cowe has outdone himself again. These are beautiful and so very intricate in their small details, especially the women.
Another fine series. I hope there will be many more.

(sorry for the small pic - I had to shrink it to post it. The original is huge.)

Cheers,
Drum

 

[vandilay]

I agree they realy are nice figures , they are the first non toy soldier
figures I have added to my collection .
I guess its a catch 22 in terms of new ranges being released ,because
the busier they get the less time they have too work on any new lines.

 

[kilted vampire]

They are very nice figures. I have a few of the around town civilians. Mostly people with dogs and kids.

 

[Drum]

I agree they realy are nice figures , they are the first non toy soldier
figures I have added to my collection .
I guess its a catch 22 in terms of new ranges being released ,because
the busier they get the less time they have too work on any new lines.

Yes, I guess if we could just convince people to stop ordering all those old Zulu and Crimea sets then he might retire them and there might be more time for sculpting new releases, but I imagine it takes quite a few hundred "pressings" before Mr. Cowe makes the money from a particular sculpture that his time is worth.

I note that he has apparently not "retired" any of the Town and Around figures to date.

More power to him and his family.

D.

 

[vandilay]

Hi Drum

I too hope they continue to produce their figures for years too come,
I guess the complete town and around series is still being produced
as maybe it has a wider collecting base than toy soldiers .
[I believe the moulds only last so long aswell and I guess if the demand
is not their for that figure it gets discontinued]
Their are some realy nice looking figures in that range [I realy like the
one man band ] But until I manage to get all the soldiers i,m after
I,m going to do my best to stick to them.

Regards Rob

 

[Drum]

I don't know that much about the sculpting and manufacture of figures, but from what I do know, it sounds as if the discontinued sets come about as a result of two processes;

One; if a particular figure or set simply fails to sell at all, or... far more common, I'm guessing...

Two; the set is so wildly popular that the mold is worn out and the creator has to make a new one.

I imagine it is like a musical act not wanting to play the 1,000,000th version of their first hit song.

I am told, for example, that one of the early Zulu sets was so popular that Mr. Cowe was required to remake the mold several times, apparently a tiring process. He eventually retired that set because he could not stand to make another new mold. There must be hundreds or more likely thousands of those Zulu sets out there.

As popular as the Town and Around sets are, maybe he has not yet worn out either the molds or his willingness to make new molds.

D.