March 6h 2016 >> 27th Annual West Coaster Toy Soldier Show (1 Viewer)

[Warrior]

I think the problem now is old time collectors, me included, are getting a little tired of the hobby. One being way to much product.

Well that's the nature of hobbies, people come and people go, some stay in it all their lives, others float from hobby to hobby to hobby. Some stay interested for a long time, others lose interest, others come in like shooting star, buying items like there is no tomorrow, then in the blink of an eye they are gone.

My customer base now vs 20 years ago when I first started has probably gone through a 95% turnover; even over the past 5 years, probably a 50% or so turnover.

To each his own and again, people come and they go.........................

 

[spartan71]

Was the attendees sworn to secrecy to keep the new things they saw a secret?. Still hardly any news..... Come on fellow collectors. Give us something, please....

 

[Warrior]

Was the attendees sworn to secrecy to keep the new things they saw a secret?. Still hardly any news..... Come on fellow collectors. Give us something, please....

Maybe the issue is there really wasn't much there in the way of new product that people aren't already aware of. Pictures were posted of the upcoming First Legion items and the March new releases from K & C have already been announced.

No pictures from anyone is a bit strange, not sure why that is the case.

 

[tdubel]

Couple of comments:

1. Westcoaster - I go b/c only time I see Jason in person and it is glorious weather in March for me! Also, I help the K&C crew and we get to "munch" on toy soldiers all day/night!

2. This year - every table full, lots of different goodies. Bought a good bit of soldiers! Best purchase of the show - Northcoast - I bought a Buffalo Bill Circus Wagon, a Wild West horse & buggy, set called the Golden Horde (Genghis), a Circus Act and one more which I now forgot as it is in transit! Anyhow, they are all metal, done by a husband and wife who are now sadly retiring! Neat finds. I also bought a one of a kind Pottsdammer (Joe S. set he recently passed) German WW1 Army Train set, they are small 54mm done in Heyde style. Really neat set, train winds up and has track. Joe added figures, etc. Again, one of a kind buy from Scott Morlan. Again, as usual, I came home with a pile..............

3. Friends old and new - Great time with the regulars, plus got an opportunity to hang out with Matt Pavone from FL. What a blast, he has a very excitable outlook on the hobby and that is engaging. The manufacturers - Andy, Matt and Ken Osen, the folks you see and hear the most in the hobby at shows, etc have a very upbeat and exciting outlook on toy soldiers. They drive the hobby with their passions. Even though they are all very different people and obviously want their Company(s) to be the best, they have that singular drive in common and it shines when they talk about toy soldiers! It is a refreshing conversation that you are only going to experience at a show.

TD

PS - no pics this time, plenty to see, but I didn't snap any.

 

[desk11desk12]

I found this YouTube video for this show. Not very good but at least someone chronicled it.

Carlos

 

[Julie]

Thanks for posting this Carlos! Saw several familiar faces in there :smile2:

Julie

 

[mikemiller1955]

thanks Carlos...

disclaimer.................

Caution...

take a motion sickness pill before watching this video...
not recommended for pregnant women...
may cause seizures...

 

[ucla1967]

I spoke with a few collectors who said that they would not attend the show if it is in a location that did not allow for room trading etc. I also spoke with a couple of dealers who said that it is a logistical nightmare for them to have a show where they are in one location while the show is in another location. There are no hotels within walking distance of the Lyon Air Museum and parking is extremely limited.

I for one hope it stays at the Marriott.

While it is true that there are no hotels within walking distance of the Lyon Air Museum and that the parking is very limited, there are any number of hotels (e.g., Doubletree, Hyatt, etc) within a mile or two, many of which have free hotel shuttles. I also mentioned that it is only one of several venues that they are looking at. Ideally, they would like to find a hotel with reasonable room rates that also has an affordable ball room. That way they could continue to have room trading on the days before the show, as in the past. So, far they have haven't found one that meets both criteria. They either have expensive room rates and reasonable ball room rental rates or visa versa. Unfortunately, as much as I liked it, the Marriott is not gonna happen. They are the ones who decided not to renew the contract.

 

[ucla1967]

I found this YouTube video for this show. Not very good but at least someone chronicled it.

Carlos

It was better than nothing, but he must have been in a hurry. I don't believe he held a any shots for more than a second or two and he clearly wasn't a toy soldier collector. However, I did see the back of my head twice: at the start of his video from 0:01 to 0:05 and again at 1:51 to 1:53. I told my wife, who has been cutting my hair for 50 years, that I needed a haircut.

 

[Warrior]

While it is true that there are no hotels within walking distance of the Lyon Air Museum and that the parking is very limited, there are any number of hotels (e.g., Doubletree, Hyatt, etc) within a mile or two, many of which have free hotel shuttles. I also mentioned that it is only one of several venues that they are looking at. Ideally, they would like to find a hotel with reasonable room rates that also has an affordable ball room. That way they could continue to have room trading on the days before the show, as in the past. So, far they have haven't found one that meets both criteria. They either have expensive room rates and reasonable ball room rental rates or visa versa. Unfortunately, as much as I liked it, the Marriott is not gonna happen. They are the ones who decided not to renew the contract.

It's strange to me the way hotels act towards these shows.

I know here in Massachusetts, Matt from the HB, who is the president of the club that sponsors the local show here has had to move the show twice in the past several years because the hotel won't give him a firm date, seems they'd rather wait on a last minute booking with food and drinks than rent to a show that only rents the room and has no food or beverage needs.

At OTSN this past year, I got the strange feeling the hotel and it's staff didn't want us there, they screwed up several reservations, including mine and their attitude was "tough, you don't like it, you can leave"............no wonder Don Peilin has stepped down. Also, for the first time this year, they had signage up on the fourth and fifth floors near the elevator banks stating "Please be quiet at night and respect other guests privacy" as folks in years past would hang out around the elevators at night, shooting the breeze, laughing and joking, talking toy soldiers sitting on the couches in the area, guess that's a no no now.

The promoter that runs one of the shows I've attended in the past in New Jersey had to move his spring show once again this year, the second time in four years, the new hotel he found looks like a beauty, I think they rent by the hour there, plus they are jamming him and they want a commitment for a certain number of room rentals from the vendors.

He's asking 70.00 a table from the vendors and they are only 6 footers; since I'd need 10 tables, I'm going to pass on that, throw in room rental, van rental, gas, tolls and meals, I'd have to do 3 grand there just to break even, not going to happen, not to mention I called the hotel twice to book a room and all I get is a recording, no one has called me back, so forget it, I'm out, the promoter will have to find some other dealer to take 10 tables.

You'd think with the economy in the toilet these hotels would welcome groups that come in, take numerous rooms, eat in their restaurants, etc, etc; I guess hotel business is immune to the economy then. It's sad to say, but I think the attitude of the hotels combined with falling attendance as collectors find new ways to shop for toy soldiers (websites, Ebay, Amazon) does not present a rosy outlook for shows going forward, not just toy soldier shows, but also stamp, coin, general toy, sports collectibles, crafts, etc, etc, shows....................

 

[braddinpa]

Agree with what you say George. Especially regarding other collectible shows. The first CW militaria collectors show I went to was back in 1988 at the Richmond Fairgrounds. It had two large buildings (halls). Everything was 1865 and before with some displays. I eventually took a hiatus from the shows (got Married, divorced) and started going again around 2010. I was shocked how small it was. It was just 1 small hall and now included some ww2 stuff. They eventually moved it to another smaller hall on site. I talked to a few dealers and they said the cost of coming was just too much to justify. Some came just to actually trade with other dealers or talk to old time collectors dealers. But all agreed the biggest difference was the internet. Everyone is shopping online. Only one dealer I work with has a paper catalog. (and he puts that online). Everyone else is selling year round on the internet instead of relying on shows or monthly/qtrly shows. As a sidenote. The Gettysburg show is held at the Allstar sport complex in Late June. Really nice show. It is at the same hotel as the Toy Soldier show. But it is in a separate Annex on site.

 

[braddinpa]

Oh, and meant to add. I remember back in the early 90's a lot of people were saying doom and gloom about CW Militaria. Not enough new collectors etc. But it has survived. Surprisingly although most prices have gone up, but not substantially considering it is 25 years). Some paper items (because they are subjective), have actually gone down. Which is good as a collector.

 

[Warrior]

Agree with what you say George. Especially regarding other collectible shows. The first CW militaria collectors show I went to was back in 1988 at the Richmond Fairgrounds. It had two large buildings (halls). Everything was 1865 and before with some displays. I eventually took a hiatus from the shows (got Married, divorced) and started going again around 2010. I was shocked how small it was. It was just 1 small hall and now included some ww2 stuff. They eventually moved it to another smaller hall on site. I talked to a few dealers and they said the cost of coming was just too much to justify. Some came just to actually trade with other dealers or talk to old time collectors dealers. But all agreed the biggest difference was the internet. Everyone is shopping online. Only one dealer I work with has a paper catalog. (and he puts that online). Everyone else is selling year round on the internet instead of relying on shows or monthly/qtrly shows. As a sidenote. The Gettysburg show is held at the Allstar sport complex in Late June. Really nice show. It is at the same hotel as the Toy Soldier show. But it is in a separate Annex on site.

I'm not happy about it as I enjoy the shows, but it's reality.

As a dealer, you have two choices; adapt to what the collectors want and how they shop, or be a dinosaur, have no website, no internet footing and become extinct like the dinosaurs.

If I look at my gross sales the past five years, they've been very steady with moderate growth, but my show sales have dropped quite a bit, while my internet/mail order sales have grown by leaps and bounds.

I'm looking into a few other avenues through which to sell that are internet focused and I'm not computer/internet expert, but I'm learning.

As a full time dealer, it's my job to change with the times and accept change, embrace it and go with it.......................

 

[Julie]

At OTSN this past year, I got the strange feeling the hotel and it's staff didn't want us there, they screwed up several reservations, including mine and their attitude was "tough, you don't like it, you can leave"............no wonder Don Peilin has stepped down. Also, for the first time this year, they had signage up on the fourth and fifth floors near the elevator banks stating "Please be quiet at night and respect other guests privacy" as folks in years past would hang out around the elevators at night, shooting the breeze, laughing and joking, talking toy soldiers sitting on the couches in the area, guess that's a no no now.

Is that the sign we ignored on Thursday night? I think you were standing in front of it .... oh well! ^&grin

The hotel wanted the big table from in our room this past year - after I had everything set up of course - as they needed it for some event. I politely declined that mess and stubbornly kept my table! Would they have asked a regular guest to take furniture from their room during their stay? Doubtful.....
The "Hospitality" sector caters to the $$$, not the people - but that is most everywhere now sadly.

 

[mikemiller1955]

The hotel wanted the big table from in our room this past year - after I had everything set up of course - as they needed it for some event. I politely declined that mess and stubbornly kept my table! Would they have asked a regular guest to take furniture from their room during their stay? Doubtful.....
The "Hospitality" sector caters to the $$$, not the people - but that is most everywhere now sadly.

Good for you...don't take no sheet!

 

[Warrior]

Is that the sign we ignored on Thursday night? I think you were standing in front of it .... oh well! ^&grin

The hotel wanted the big table from in our room this past year - after I had everything set up of course - as they needed it for some event. I politely declined that mess and stubbornly kept my table! Would they have asked a regular guest to take furniture from their room during their stay? Doubtful.....
The "Hospitality" sector caters to the $$$, not the people - but that is most everywhere now sadly.

Yes, that was the sign, the one we ignored.........:wink2:

A few years ago some bozo from the hotel in a suit came into my rooms on Wednesday and told me I couldn't have the doors open until Thursday...................for real? "Listen *******; unless you want to refund me 450.00 for the three rooms for the day, the door stays open".............go pound sand.

 

[sammy719]

It's strange to me the way hotels act towards these shows.

I know here in Massachusetts, Matt from the HB, who is the president of the club that sponsors the local show here has had to move the show twice in the past several years because the hotel won't give him a firm date, seems they'd rather wait on a last minute booking with food and drinks than rent to a show that only rents the room and has no food or beverage needs.

At OTSN this past year, I got the strange feeling the hotel and it's staff didn't want us there, they screwed up several reservations, including mine and their attitude was "tough, you don't like it, you can leave"............no wonder Don Peilin has stepped down. Also, for the first time this year, they had signage up on the fourth and fifth floors near the elevator banks stating "Please be quiet at night and respect other guests privacy" as folks in years past would hang out around the elevators at night, shooting the breeze, laughing and joking, talking toy soldiers sitting on the couches in the area, guess that's a no no now.

The promoter that runs one of the shows I've attended in the past in New Jersey had to move his spring show once again this year, the second time in four years, the new hotel he found looks like a beauty, I think they rent by the hour there, plus they are jamming him and they want a commitment for a certain number of room rentals from the vendors.

He's asking 70.00 a table from the vendors and they are only 6 footers; since I'd need 10 tables, I'm going to pass on that, throw in room rental, van rental, gas, tolls and meals, I'd have to do 3 grand there just to break even, not going to happen, not to mention I called the hotel twice to book a room and all I get is a recording, no one has called me back, so forget it, I'm out, the promoter will have to find some other dealer to take 10 tables.

You'd think with the economy in the toilet these hotels would welcome groups that come in, take numerous rooms, eat in their restaurants, etc, etc; I guess hotel business is immune to the economy then. It's sad to say, but I think the attitude of the hotels combined with falling attendance as collectors find new ways to shop for toy soldiers (websites, Ebay, Amazon) does not present a rosy outlook for shows going forward, not just toy soldier shows, but also stamp, coin, general toy, sports collectibles, crafts, etc, etc, shows....................

"Please be quiet"???? wait'll they get a load of me ^&grin...Sammy

 

[Panzer ace]

I will miss the Irvine Marriott as the host of the show.