FirstLegion
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,911
Thought I'd start a separate thread and address some questions and commments.
SdKfz 222
Just to answer the question on the 222, the grills and guns are fully moveable. So they can be displayed open or closed and the guns can raise to the point of straight up and lower down into the firing position or any position in between. And of course the turret rotates. Here is a closer preview shot of one of the variants of the 222. We will produce 2 different variants in that they will have different stowage on them and slightly different configurations so that you can have two and they will look different in displays. We are also producing two different Tank Crew figures to use with them, though these two figures can also be used with any of our other tanks as well and will be available separately from the vehicles.
SdKfz 7 8 Ton Prime Mover Price
I had a feeling that there would be some reaction about the price of this vehicle but I think that's mostly due to instant sticker shock. However, when you really consider it and know the numbers, its actually the lowest markup vehicle we've ever produced. The fact is that this vehicle cost us 60% more to produce than our VEH004 Panzer III for example yet the retail price is only 20% higher. In addition, we just released our T-34's and those didn't come with a figure at $300 and this one does at $360. Our per figure price is around $60... Further, we set our vehicle pricing 3 years ago and it really hasn't changed much in that time despite ever increasing costs. I know that some other makers have raised their vehicle prices by 20%+ during this same time as I'm sure their costs have gone up as well. It is also, as Sammy pointed out, bigger, more detailed, and unlike previous vehicles has a lot of interior detailing. Plus, despite our increased costs, this doesn't represent a pricing change across all vehicles as policy, merely for this one vehicle. The new SdKfz 222 that is previewed above will be well under $300.
Tiger Tank
There has been a lot of call for us to produce a Tiger Tank and believe me, at some point we will of course. Gray, camo, early war, late war, we'll do it all over time. I just can't say when yet. And no, the price of such a tank assuming today's costs would not be $500! In fact, i really can't see any reason why it would be priced any higher than the SdKfz 7. Sure it's bigger, but that doesn't mean it's more complex. In my mind, Open Topped AFV's are probably the most difficult (and hence most expensive) to produce.
Western/Eastern Front WWII
It seems that the world is moving to the Eastern Front lately while we seem to be drifting towards the Western Front. This doesn't mean that we are abandoning our Stalingrad range. On the contrary, we have many additional figures in the works (Russians as requested to complement the T-34s!) as well as expanding our Eastern Front coverage in the near future to beyond just Stalingrad. That being said, in our upcoming newsletter due out just as soon as I put the finishing touches on it, we'll sneak peak some Waffen SS in camo done to our quality. So stay tuned for that preview as it's something we're quite proud of!
Agincourt
I know this range is long awaited and it will come before the year is over!
Seven Years War
I know this range is also highly anticipated, and it will come very soon.
Figarti/Rick Wang
I wanted to take a moment to thank Rick W of Figarti for the very kind words he had to say about our Vietnam figures in the interview that was posted earlier today. That was very classy of him and though I've never met him personally, I've heard nothing other than he is someone who exudes class. From my perspective, he's a credit to the hobby becuase he is willing to do large, dramatic pieces that most companies won't touch and as a figure maker, I find it both admirable and inspirational. As a collector, I often find it jaw dropping. I just wish he would stop doing them quicker than we can as now my collection is short the Reichsbahn due to our shelving that project when Rick unveiled it a few years ago! :smile2: I fully agree with his statements on all counts by the way, our respective Vietnam ranges mesh well together and the building of a critical mass of complementary figures in an otherwise rarely covered historical period is good for both collectors and for First Legion and Figarti.
I think that about covers things for now. I rarely post on the forums anymore due to time constraints but I thought it would be nice to address some specific points and now I will get back to work! So forgive me if i don't answer follow up questions, though you can always get me by email from our website.
Best,
Matt
First Legion Ltd
SdKfz 222
Just to answer the question on the 222, the grills and guns are fully moveable. So they can be displayed open or closed and the guns can raise to the point of straight up and lower down into the firing position or any position in between. And of course the turret rotates. Here is a closer preview shot of one of the variants of the 222. We will produce 2 different variants in that they will have different stowage on them and slightly different configurations so that you can have two and they will look different in displays. We are also producing two different Tank Crew figures to use with them, though these two figures can also be used with any of our other tanks as well and will be available separately from the vehicles.
SdKfz 7 8 Ton Prime Mover Price
I had a feeling that there would be some reaction about the price of this vehicle but I think that's mostly due to instant sticker shock. However, when you really consider it and know the numbers, its actually the lowest markup vehicle we've ever produced. The fact is that this vehicle cost us 60% more to produce than our VEH004 Panzer III for example yet the retail price is only 20% higher. In addition, we just released our T-34's and those didn't come with a figure at $300 and this one does at $360. Our per figure price is around $60... Further, we set our vehicle pricing 3 years ago and it really hasn't changed much in that time despite ever increasing costs. I know that some other makers have raised their vehicle prices by 20%+ during this same time as I'm sure their costs have gone up as well. It is also, as Sammy pointed out, bigger, more detailed, and unlike previous vehicles has a lot of interior detailing. Plus, despite our increased costs, this doesn't represent a pricing change across all vehicles as policy, merely for this one vehicle. The new SdKfz 222 that is previewed above will be well under $300.
Tiger Tank
There has been a lot of call for us to produce a Tiger Tank and believe me, at some point we will of course. Gray, camo, early war, late war, we'll do it all over time. I just can't say when yet. And no, the price of such a tank assuming today's costs would not be $500! In fact, i really can't see any reason why it would be priced any higher than the SdKfz 7. Sure it's bigger, but that doesn't mean it's more complex. In my mind, Open Topped AFV's are probably the most difficult (and hence most expensive) to produce.
Western/Eastern Front WWII
It seems that the world is moving to the Eastern Front lately while we seem to be drifting towards the Western Front. This doesn't mean that we are abandoning our Stalingrad range. On the contrary, we have many additional figures in the works (Russians as requested to complement the T-34s!) as well as expanding our Eastern Front coverage in the near future to beyond just Stalingrad. That being said, in our upcoming newsletter due out just as soon as I put the finishing touches on it, we'll sneak peak some Waffen SS in camo done to our quality. So stay tuned for that preview as it's something we're quite proud of!
Agincourt
I know this range is long awaited and it will come before the year is over!
Seven Years War
I know this range is also highly anticipated, and it will come very soon.
Figarti/Rick Wang
I wanted to take a moment to thank Rick W of Figarti for the very kind words he had to say about our Vietnam figures in the interview that was posted earlier today. That was very classy of him and though I've never met him personally, I've heard nothing other than he is someone who exudes class. From my perspective, he's a credit to the hobby becuase he is willing to do large, dramatic pieces that most companies won't touch and as a figure maker, I find it both admirable and inspirational. As a collector, I often find it jaw dropping. I just wish he would stop doing them quicker than we can as now my collection is short the Reichsbahn due to our shelving that project when Rick unveiled it a few years ago! :smile2: I fully agree with his statements on all counts by the way, our respective Vietnam ranges mesh well together and the building of a critical mass of complementary figures in an otherwise rarely covered historical period is good for both collectors and for First Legion and Figarti.
I think that about covers things for now. I rarely post on the forums anymore due to time constraints but I thought it would be nice to address some specific points and now I will get back to work! So forgive me if i don't answer follow up questions, though you can always get me by email from our website.
Best,
Matt
First Legion Ltd
