So...is Conte Dead? (1 Viewer)

Is the company dead?

Has Richard packed it in?

Scott

I think we can safely say there is little chance of anything new being released, the website has not been updated for 2 years, I know Richard is, like all of us, getting older and I think he just did not have the energy, possible heath problems.
 
Dead, cremated and ashes scattered in the wind!
Good memories and Ebay.
 
Thanks guys!

Oh well that's a shame he had some not bad stuff and hisnokaysets were great!

Scott
 
The eBay site is still doing business and is operated by R. Conte or is family. I have purchased a number of sets from them this year at excellent prices. I agree new products are unlikely; but old inventory is available. Some of the dynamic poses of the Conte roman figures are superb and have never been duplicated by other manfacturers. Conte used some of the best figure sculptors for his figures, like Ken Osen!
 
got emails from Conte last year, last in August, saying they were back, in good health, and with photos of lots of new figures coming and the new Roman galley. nothing since then though.
 
Richard will post about "new" sets in the works on Facebook every so often but......I'll leave it at that.
 
Richard will post about "new" sets in the works on Facebook every so often but......I'll leave it at that.

Hi I thought and believed the same Conte had ended, nothing for many years

but found out when I continued to enquire with them , they will be back with many figures, due to family illness huge delay,
 
Hi I thought and believed the same Conte had ended, nothing for many years

but found out when I continued to enquire with them , they will be back with many figures, due to family illness huge delay,

Yea. I heard about the family and Richard's own health issues and wish him well, but if you continue to post "new" product coming sooner then much later you got to release something besides words.
 
At this point, I almost think Richard should step down from the reins and let someone else manage his company and focus on his greatest skill, creative design. He has some of the most exciting toy Soldiers on the market, without a doubt, but a lot of collectors have lost faith in Conte as a company.
 
Yeah he had some great looking figures on his FB page a while back but we will never see them.
Mark
 
Unfortunately time catches up with us all. An era has passed.

:salute::
 
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Unfortunately, this hobby without generational relief, has little future

Francisco{sm2}
 
Unfortunately, this hobby without generational relief, has little future

Francisco{sm2}

Fear not. One swallow doesn't make a summer.
There were toy soldiers found in the tombs of the pharoahs and no evidence to suggest that their appeal has disappeared. There is of course sadness with the demise of a person or of a respected company but the hobby is rapidly developing in hydra-like manner. I note my own engagement in more ways than I ever thought possible as technology adds ever more ways to glean enjoyment from the hobby. Forty years ago I was enthralled by the doyens of Historex diorama production and today I am playing with concepts that will animate dioramas and put the face of a living person on the hero. This is not doom.
 
Good point. Also keep in mind the plethora of plastic figures, especially those from Russia. Great stuff.
 
Good point. Also keep in mind the plethora of plastic figures, especially those from Russia. Great stuff.

The first TS that I acquired were Kellogg's cowboys and Indians - and when they stopped the series, people still ate Corn Flakes. I do not lament having had the experience but I also do not yearn for a return of the good old days :)
 
I agree new blood is required to maintain and expand the hobby. The current high prices limit the participation of new collectors. Even entry level Toy Soldier companies like W. Britains have moved upscale in quality and price. I hope Del Prado reissues their figures to provide decent entry level figures at affordable prices. Eagle Designs has demonstrated what can be done with Armor at reasonable prices by emulating FL Armor at less than half the price. The entry level of the market is wide open and a real opportunity IMO.


Unfortunately, this hobby without generational relief, has little future

Francisco{sm2}
 
I agree new blood is required to maintain and expand the hobby. The current high prices limit the participation of new collectors. Even entry level Toy Soldier companies like W. Britains have moved upscale in quality and price. I hope Del Prado reissues their figures to provide decent entry level figures at affordable prices. Eagle Designs has demonstrated what can be done with Armor at reasonable prices by emulating FL Armor at less than half the price. The entry level of the market is wide open and a real opportunity IMO.
Yes, the hobby is expanding in so many different directions and so rapidly that it is difficult to keep up. Younger entrepreneurs are adding some really powerful and imaginative changes. The use of new and varied backdrops has changed the depth of diorama production and techniques for concealing bases feed the demand for believable story telling. 3D printing is opening new opportunities for accessory products and the field is dominated by the twenty-somethings. Yet in its infancy, it is an avenue into the future. Our humble group of hobbyists boasts a 24 year old sculptor and a 25 year old artist whose talents are already recognised. There have always been companies that come and go but this hobby as a whole is alive and very healthy.
 

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