seek injection plastic manufacturer (1 Viewer)

[Fubar]

Harold here, asking for help in locating an injection molding manufacturing company that can mass produce 54mm figures.I have the masters and more are being sculpted and I am even cutting my teeth on some sculpting .
I have hit upon THOUSANDS of websites for overseas manufacturing and am trying to narrow the search.If due to costs I have to do this overseas i would prefer Taiwan if possible.

Have some very good masters and want quality production.
I've invested in a spin caster ,vulcanizer, etc for metals which I can do here at our many shops on the farm.Metals, done deal.Can do that.
Producing in plastic, I have had a devil of a time getting it nailed down.

I've been a rabid miniature enthusiast for many many years.Health problems have put me in a position where I have few optians for work and activities.
Decided to get back to my artisitc side and produce some troops I want for my own collections, and troops unavailable elsewhere.
Mostly for the love of miniatures and to be able to work on my obsession with toy troops.Profits are nice, but I need to be productive and hope to be able to enjoy what I do and hopefully other enthusiasts will as well.

If you can point me in the right direction I would certainly welcome any advise you can give.Meanwhile, I'll keep looking.
Thanks in advance
Fubar
Ragnar
Harold

 

[Mr Man]

I would contact Nick over at Toy Soldiers of San Diego. He might point you in the right direction (there is always the worry of new competition keeping you in the dark). He has started producing his own in league with Barzo. Nick's a good guy and will probably help you out if he can.

 

[gk5717]

I think Nick at TSSD had a whole lot of help from Bill McMasters the guy that produced the BMC playsets.
One thing about trying to do your own, the same as NMA and HB, is the competion.
Everyone knows how good Contes plastic is and right now TSSD is on the same plane as Conte.
Personally I,m spoiled by those two and don,t buy any other plastic figures like I used to.
Gary

 

[Fubar]

Yeah , I know -competition. I'm not worried about it. I just need something to do besides paint rows of troops that never do much but get stored away.Not doing it to compete or make $$$ hand over fist.I solved my own problem and have been clued in on how to use my spin caster for plastic.More work on my part, slower for certain than outsourcing the jobs but I would rather do it myself anyway.
Thanks a bunch gang!
Fubarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[Alexdakar]

Have you tried asking people in the plastic army men forums?

 

[TLP]

CTS and a few others out there also do their own? As you already know Conte had his in Canada for quite some time??

In any event this post is funny because after the last couple of nights of looking at your pic threads I was going to say to you, what do you do during the day because for a living you are a toy soldier manufacture. This just painting assembly etc. A **** good one at that!

Hell I say go for it like crazy! Some of those toy fairs bring manufactures from all over who would be more then happy to make what you want.

Also if you do how about a line of some plastics designed for customs and also if you can a line of troops for the vehicels. Only thing missing in plastic IMHO! Hanamog crews, Tank Riders, arty crews. If We had these for the FOV 21st crowds it would go a very long way! Again my hummble opinion!

Good luck!

 

[Fubar]

I'm pretty sure CTS had their troops done in China.Conte does all the plastic there too. I wanted to avoid that if possible. I'm sure I'll have some trials and errors getting things going but I would rather work on my own time.

I'm a Longshoreman and worked ALOT for years.132 days straight was my record.I often worked 30 days in a row before I took a day off. $$ were good so i worked every job that came my way no matter how nasty.I would also paint an hour or so EVERY evening for years.I had a steady job on the waterfront for a few year and I'd even take 25mm metals with me in my lunchbox to clean while sitting in my locamotive between moves.Prime them in the millwright shop at lunch.Repeat process the next day.Thats how the armies grew. Wasn't over nite .I sold off many collections too and buy more lead.

Just think, If you painted only 1 guy each evening you end up with 365 guys in a year! I often did 6 each nite.How else do you end up with 1000 celts?

FUBAR the MAD

 

[Flammenpanzer]

Fubar you have an amazing collection and talent. I just started to buy soldiers in plastic and would love to see some more variations, I hope you can find a manufacturer. I have seen places that do any kind of toy manufacture, but they are all in China.

 

[Fubar]

You guys are too kind. I'm blushing.
Thanks for the encouragement
Harold

 

[Winky]

Fubar, there's always room for more good plastic figs, especially if they're well done, as I know yours would be. I can only imagine what the masters must look like. Hey, I'd buy your figs!

Dick

 

[Fubar]

Dick, I am counting on you!
I think you'll like them and I have more in the works.Paid for my Equipment{GULP!} Friday, hope it will all be here by end of next week.No doubt there will be some trial and error but it will all get sorted out and hopefully I'll have something ready to show you by June.If I don't hog the first 1,000 or so.

. I'd rather buy the equipment and run what I can myself.It will be slower, much more time consuming, no doubt frustrating at times but I just could not bring myself to outsource to China.
OTSN in September for fun.I hope to have at least 18 different foot figures and 4 Dragoons.But I better not promise too much too fast.That's what I am shooting for.
FUBARRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[OzDigger]

You can bet it will be frustrating Fubar as I understand plastic is much more difficult to work with than metal.

 

[fishead19690]

Hey fubar does this mean that i can start to drive you nuts now with all the napoleonic troops that i,d like to see made? Here are some food for thought ideas if you ever get big time with this idea. How about some troops in great coats that could be converted into various nations. Maybe make them as french and then you could chop off there heads and make them as austrians, rusains, prusains ect. ect.. Some prusains would be great,brunswickers, nassau grenadiers with the busby caps,austrain pioneers with the corsican hats,some ulhans with the zapca hat that could be used to make polish lancers. All of these heads with the various hats and helmets that could be used for conversions to many other napoleonic nations and troops just think of all the conversion that could be made if we just had a few of these troops to cut up and convert. How about some french in bicorn hats they could also be used to make prusains also.Mamelukes,french helmeted engineers although they can be made easy from a carabineer head. And one of my favorites bavarian troops helmeted and grenadier. I wish someone would come out with sets of various plastic heads for conversions. Hows that for an idea fubar make a set of headless greatcoat troops that comes with various heads from diferent nations.

 

[Fubar]

Ozdigger, Yes frustrations abound everywhere.3 days worth of tutoring from the equipment manufacturer should help.If Barzo can get'er done , so can I.
Painting plaid on 1,000 25mm celts and all the shields different was frustrating, laborious, tedious but it can be done.



FUBARRRRRRRRRR

 

[Fubar]

Fishhead, Yeah, i know, I know.The list is endless. Troops in greatcoats are on my list.I want to do the basic troop types for the Russians 1st.
I have all the same notians as you.Just a matter of time.
Fubar