UPDATE
My wife and I have just began trading in France, under the brand Name "Studio Paris Art".
We have completed some important work on the workshop site, which has drains dating back literally to its ancient Roman Occupation when it was once part of a Fort built by the Romans. (Parts of our site are over a thousand years old !!!).
Re MOUNTFORD.
I have spent a lot of time researching the background to the sale and purchase by certain old companies or Business in the Industry. I also exchanged some correspondence with Dave Love its original founder.
I have discovered that "Father Gregg" (strangely Gregg Simon is supposed to have been a retired Church of England Clergyman according to an article published in Toy Figure and Collectors magazine by George Phillips) had a "unexplained fire" in Australia some years back, and he never actually ever really got the Business started, after importing both Mountford and Rosedale etc etc, to Australia.
So the guy buys loads of English Toy soldier companies, spends a shed ton of money on it all, with no previous casting sculpting or Model making experience and imports it all to Australia. Then "fails" and has a wee bit of a fire....hmmmmm
It seems in fact that most if not indeed all sales, came from Previously Purchased stock from the former owners rather than anything very much cast assembled or made in either Australia or later new Zealand.
Certainly true for DUCAL and Toy Army Workshop and Mountford ranges if not all. We have all surviving Ducal and Mountford Tooling's and masters amongst a lot of others too.
As a result of said "unexplained fire" a large number of Mould Tooling's and masters were destroyed in Australia and lost forever.
Or so we are expected to believe.....
Frankly, my wife and I are far from convinced by all this......
In fact I have discovered that the "Mountford Business" got "sold" MULTIPLE TIMES to Multiple persons.
Once by Mathew Tarrant. Once by Dave Love. Once by Last Stand Miniatures to Studio Nine Games, once by Abram Simon to us, and Once again (disguized as the Victorian Artillery Range" to A N OTHER in the Industry.
Amazing seeing as we were sold "Full and Unfetterred Copyright".....
We were sold ALL of the Range not "some of" the range.
I have recently exchanged serious correspondence with A. Simon on this very subject. And requesting in seriously framed legal terms, the repayment of a portion of the monies we used to buy the so called "Business" (that NEVER was).
Quite frankly the entire situation surrounding the "Kaputniks" Down Under is irregular, not straightforward, and questionable, very much of strange, unexplained and (like the mysterious fire) of Doubtful origins.
(Remember Roy Kinner and the Building Trade Cowboys on ITV????) "Well now you see Mr Jones, you know how it is" Every now and again when you have a few wee problems and you get behind on the job, you have a wee bit of a Fire"......
Quite....
My wife and I have just began trading in France, under the brand Name "Studio Paris Art".
We have completed some important work on the workshop site, which has drains dating back literally to its ancient Roman Occupation when it was once part of a Fort built by the Romans. (Parts of our site are over a thousand years old !!!).
Re MOUNTFORD.
I have spent a lot of time researching the background to the sale and purchase by certain old companies or Business in the Industry. I also exchanged some correspondence with Dave Love its original founder.
I have discovered that "Father Gregg" (strangely Gregg Simon is supposed to have been a retired Church of England Clergyman according to an article published in Toy Figure and Collectors magazine by George Phillips) had a "unexplained fire" in Australia some years back, and he never actually ever really got the Business started, after importing both Mountford and Rosedale etc etc, to Australia.
So the guy buys loads of English Toy soldier companies, spends a shed ton of money on it all, with no previous casting sculpting or Model making experience and imports it all to Australia. Then "fails" and has a wee bit of a fire....hmmmmm
It seems in fact that most if not indeed all sales, came from Previously Purchased stock from the former owners rather than anything very much cast assembled or made in either Australia or later new Zealand.
Certainly true for DUCAL and Toy Army Workshop and Mountford ranges if not all. We have all surviving Ducal and Mountford Tooling's and masters amongst a lot of others too.
As a result of said "unexplained fire" a large number of Mould Tooling's and masters were destroyed in Australia and lost forever.
Or so we are expected to believe.....
Frankly, my wife and I are far from convinced by all this......
In fact I have discovered that the "Mountford Business" got "sold" MULTIPLE TIMES to Multiple persons.
Once by Mathew Tarrant. Once by Dave Love. Once by Last Stand Miniatures to Studio Nine Games, once by Abram Simon to us, and Once again (disguized as the Victorian Artillery Range" to A N OTHER in the Industry.
Amazing seeing as we were sold "Full and Unfetterred Copyright".....
We were sold ALL of the Range not "some of" the range.
I have recently exchanged serious correspondence with A. Simon on this very subject. And requesting in seriously framed legal terms, the repayment of a portion of the monies we used to buy the so called "Business" (that NEVER was).
Quite frankly the entire situation surrounding the "Kaputniks" Down Under is irregular, not straightforward, and questionable, very much of strange, unexplained and (like the mysterious fire) of Doubtful origins.
(Remember Roy Kinner and the Building Trade Cowboys on ITV????) "Well now you see Mr Jones, you know how it is" Every now and again when you have a few wee problems and you get behind on the job, you have a wee bit of a Fire"......
Quite....
