ivanmoe
Command Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2013
- Messages
- 2,959
I've divided these up because the forum interface won't allow for so much text to be inserted into a single post:
See below for concluding Q&A
First Questions from John's Q&A
Q. Would a 1066 range (Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and Normans) be something, you would consider doing?
A. There is a Dark Age series in development, and will be part of the upcoming JJD 2nd ANNUAL ASIA EVENT, INTERNATIONAL OPEN QUIZ
TONIGHT!!!!!
Q. When will John be making a King tiger, Me 262, RAF Spitfire or a Gloster Meteor.
A. Most of these are on my list! And one of the requests will be previewed at next months’ Chicago Treasure Hunt!
Q. Any chance of John considering covering the Falklands conflict?I would love to see his take on the Harrier Jump Jet. It was up there
with the Spitfire as a British icon in the 80's
A. The Harrier Jump Jet is certainly as iconic a plane for my generation, as the Spitfire was for my parents. Unfortunately, I
cannot see me producing any modern pieces.
2nd Questions from John’s Q&A
Q. When will the long awaited, featured at the London June2017 show, artillery piece for the War of the Roses be released?
A. The Wars of the Roses Artillery piece is actually finally in production, but may take a little while longer than September. It
will definitely be available before Christmas…………. This year. Thank you everyone for your patience and I apologize for how long these
sets have taken to be released.
This brings up an interesting point. This year I have tried to help dealers at shows by offering previews of new prototypes. Obviously,
this has been to try and encourage attendance at shows, but also several collectors requested previews or some idea of what was
planned in the future.
Making the prototypes and producing the items, are two different processes. The production process is largely out of my control, and
there are many things which can go wrong. For example, the factory which was scheduled to produce the artillery sets closed down, and it
took me 6 months just to get back the masters. This is why this set as well as several others have been delayed.
In the past there have been problems with deliveries going missing, held up by customs, masters disappearing in factories… not to mention
production issues. I have always tried in the past to only make new release announcements when I actually have the items in my Hong Kong
workshop
I ask that collectors please be patient, regarding releases. I will review the show situation at the end of this year, but at this time,
I cannot see that I can continue to preview as many new items in the future, it’s way too much extra work and pressure.
Q. Please can you ask John if he has any plans to produce Gaulish and Celtic domestic figures. In the same way he produces figures to
portray the everyday life in the Raid on Saint Francis range? Hunter chasing down a boar, a bard, a Druid etc.
A. Thankyou Glynn for the questions. At this time, I do not have any plans to produce Celtic domestic figures, however there are plans for
a Celtic village/fort. I grew up with the Asterix the Gaul books and your question has brought back all those images, so you never know!
Q. Has he any plans to produce aircraft from the early days of WWII Henschel monoplanes, Lysanders, Gladiators and the like?
A. The production schedule for planes is full for the next 2 years! Next year 2019 will see 5-6 new planes from various periods. I will
review which planes to produce next early next year, so drop me a line in the spring.
3rd set of JJD questions.
Q. Besides the already previewed figure of Bonnie Prince Charlie, can we expect to see more figures from the Culloden range? Maybe
something like Jacobite cavalry (Bagot’s Hussars or the Princes Lifeguards) or British/Jacobite artillery?
A. The Jacobite Rebellion range has always been one of my favourites. There are Prince’s Guards and Hussars on the workbench, but the
Charlie figure suffered the same fate as the Wars of The Roses artillery. I hope to get him back into production early next year.
Q. Are there any non-military type lines that he might consider? For example, American gangsters of the 1930's, scientific expeditions
etc.
A. I was a big fan of “Boardwalk Empire”, and would have seriously considered a gangster series if Black Hawk had not started one. I
also seriously considered a Scott of The Antarctic series. As I have mentioned before it is easy to come up with ideas, but for me it
usually takes about 2 years of preparation to really understand and know what I am doing with a new series.
Q. What is the most challenging range to research? Does he have any assistance doing the historical research?
A. The Second World War. In some ways it is easier, as there are plenty of historical documents and images. On the other hand, its
overwhelming, and has been one of the main reasons I have not ventured into WW2 very much. The collectors from the Hobby Bunker forum have been very helpful in getting me started, and the expertise from those members has been invaluable.
I have also been lucky to be married to an information research librarian. Susanna has always been able to help me out over the
years. I have always enjoyed the research. As I worked in Theatre design for 20 years previously, research for plays had to be done quickly and efficiently.
Q. Which range has been the most gratifying to produce? Which has been the most difficult?
A. The Battle of Snowshoes is probably my favourite and most gratifying to produce, as it was also one of the first series to
tackle a lesser known aspect of a conflict. Also the WW1 French collection. In terms of technical difficulty the models are hard to produce but have also been extremely rewarding.
The work on the recent DH-2 and the Corsair, were at one time deemed “impossible”.
At this time, I am struggling with WW2, on a conceptual level, due to the vastness of the conflict.
4th set of questions from John’s Q&A
Q. What would he most like to produce but probably never will and why?
A. A WW1 Bomber. Way too big to ship economically. (the person typing this answer is now in tears and getting a bit grumpy)
Q. Any possibility of a book in the future that might contain photos of all his releases similar to the one Aeroart did a few years ago?
A. There is an old saying, “Its not the destination, but the journey”, and what interests and drives me forward is the creation of
new items. I do not keep one of everything! For the Anniversary year I tried to publish a 2006-2007 Annual, but it fell apart as I did not have many of the sets to take pictures of! The Annuals will probably be the closest thing to a book, that I will ever produce.
Q. When john retires from sculpting, is there a successor in his mind or will the JJD brand hang up its boots? or How long does he
anticipate continuing to do this?
A. This is a very good question, and one which I have spent a lot of time thinking about recently. At this time there is no successor, but
this is an exciting time for JJD, and the next few years should be extremely interesting.
Q. What is John's view on retiring ranges? Nearly all of his ranges appear to be added to continuously, albeit the older ones get the
occasional individual piece rather than mass releases, but the end is rarely definitively stated. If some ranges have definitely ended for
now, which ones are they?
A. This is a very difficult question, as many of the ranges are quite important to me. Knowing how much is enough and when to stop is
something I am still working out. As I review how to move JJD forward this is a question I have also been thinking about seriously.
I have recently tried to only start collections with more of an idea where I want it to end.
See below for concluding Q&A
