The west 2013 (1 Viewer)

[Spanish soldier]

New series for next year?^&confuse

 

[pfd119]

I would really love to see W.B. do the Little Big Horn is the same scope as their AZW range. There are so many personalties on both side that could be done!

George Custer
Tom Custer
Boston Custer
Benteen
Reno
Calhoun
Yates
Keogh w/ Comanche
Mitch Boyer
Bloody Knife
Mark Kellog

Sitting Bull
Crazy Horse
Gall
Two Moon

To name a few. I just read The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick, a great book! Just started reading A Terrible Glory by James Donovan, another account of the battle.

One fig ure that would be cool is Lt. Benny Hodgeson (Reno's adjt.) hanging onto a trooper's stirup trying to make it across the river to safety!

Lets keep our fingers crossed!

Travis

 

[Isandlwana]

The trouble with such a range is twofold. Black Hawk have already done a 'competent' series featuring Custer and characters and they are still widely available. I owned them all for a time until I moved on and liked them without becoming attached.

The second problem is the market. Who wants them? Does Europe, Asia and Australia want another American themed range? Perhaps the American market does but you are taking a bit of a punt hoping the rest of the world does too.

I think WB need to look at areas of history that are not being adequately covered that holds the interest of many and not necessarily from those living in parts of the world involved in that conflict. The AZW range was a real coup for WB. Frontline's figures just weren't/are not up to scratch and WB now own this market. It was/is a much written about conflict that holds the attention given the juxtaposition of modern and ancient warfare. It is the singlemost romanticised conflict of the Victorian era.

The War Along the Nile series is a bit too niche in my opinion. Not as widely read about or covered as the AZW. I may be wrong but I suspect that most interest in this series comes from the UK because they were involved in the conflict.

I thought WB should have gone down the Gallipoli route first for WW1 rather than the Somme and now I see K&C have prototypes for Middle East campaign for WW1 which I will religiously collect. At least this involved the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Senegal, India...the list goes on and no one has depicted this battle adequately ever before. K&C did a few brilliant figures for Cambrai that could be used as Somme figures. Gallipoli would have been another coup but that's only my opinion.

 

[ChestersRonkonkomaNY]

The trouble with such a range is twofold. Black Hawk have already done a 'competent' series featuring Custer and characters and they are still widely available. I owned them all for a time until I moved on and liked them without becoming attached.

The second problem is the market. Who wants them? Does Europe, Asia and Australia want another American themed range? Perhaps the American market does but you are taking a bit of a punt hoping the rest of the world does too.

I think WB need to look at areas of history that are not being adequately covered that holds the interest of many and not necessarily from those living in parts of the world involved in that conflict. The AZW range was a real coup for WB. Frontline's figures just weren't/are not up to scratch and WB now own this market. It was/is a much written about conflict that holds the attention given the juxtaposition of modern and ancient warfare. It is the singlemost romanticised conflict of the Victorian era.

The War Along the Nile series is a bit too niche in my opinion. Not as widely read about or covered as the AZW. I may be wrong but I suspect that most interest in this series comes from the UK because they were involved in the conflict.

I thought WB should have gone down the Gallipoli route first for WW1 rather than the Somme and now I see K&C have prototypes for Middle East campaign for WW1 which I will religiously collect. At least this involved the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Senegal, India...the list goes on and no one has depicted this battle adequately ever before. K&C did a few brilliant figures for Cambrai that could be used as Somme figures. Gallipoli would have been another coup but that's only my opinion.

Is the lack of non-US interest the reason why a Vietnam range would also be unlikely?

 

[Isandlwana]

I think WB are excellent at listening to what it is their customer base wants. If the US market is falling over itself for an alternative Little Big Horn or new Vietnam range and the US is the biggest buyer of stock then Little Big Horn and Vietnam is I'm sure what we'll get.

However, with the centenary of WW1 approaching I think we'll see more and more WW1 stock appearing and so you will think each manufacturer will need to pick and choose which element of WW1 they wish to concentrate on. K&C have veered away from the Somme and Ypres and recently gone down the 'leftfield' route of Palestine and the Middle East and it looks to be paying off.

Thomas Gunn look as though they may go down the 1918 German offensive route, with little forays into the Middle East (bad move if they go up against K&C on this one). WB have gone down the Somme route and the early signs are good. However, I still think there is a massive void in the market and it centres on 1915.

The other market crying out for someone to take it by the scruff of the neck is the French Foreign Legion in classical blue overcoats and white kepi’s. K&C have intimated they may produce such a range but the market is currently open for someone wanting to nip in.

Being from the UK a leftfield American conflict I would be interested in is the Pancho Villa expedition of 1916-17.

 

[BigDenny]

The Little Bighorn is one of the, if not the most discussed battle in history. I definitely liked the Blackhawk figures, but I think this would be a great range for Britains to expand into, and one that would find a large target audience. If they release anything Little Bighorn, I'll be buying it.

Best Regards,
Mike

 

[pfd119]

I have to say that if W.B. did decided to do the Little Big Horn, I think it would be a hit! As I stated earlier, there is soo much you can cover in this range. One thing that I think would be a great piece is The Far West! The steamer that accompanied the Montana column and brought the wounded back to Fort Lincoln. Or how about a couple of troopers with canteens trying to get water from the river to bring back to Reno's men on the hill?!!!

Travis