Westcoaster (2 Viewers)

N-P:

When are you getting there? I will be in the area earlier but will be checking in on Thursday at the Marriott "BOO" aka Base Of Operations. Look forward to seeing you there.

~Marc
 
By this time next week it will be over and there will be a lot of happy troops
 
Sorry - I am going to miss you guys at this show :(

With the snow storm in the East my calendar got rearranged - now I leave for Fort Sill, OK - today and CA trip is canceled. So - No Westcoaster for me :(

Have fun - I will get there one year - hopefully.
 
Beaufighter said:
N-P:

When are you getting there? I will be in the area earlier but will be checking in on Thursday at the Marriott "BOO" aka Base Of Operations. Look forward to seeing you there.

~Marc
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I'll be driving in Thursday evening but will be in West Lake Village area (Thousand Oaks) for company business in the AM. I'll be in the Irvine Area in the PM and will stay at my wife's aunt until Sunday...btw she's coming with me, the banker, ya' know.
N-P
 
I wish I could make it to this show but I wont have the chance. Sound like alot of fun.
 
The address of the Marriott is 18000Von Karman Ave Irvine CA 92614

It is right off the 405 to Santa Monica. Take the MacArthur turn off then, R on Main, veer to right on Von Karman
 
Cheers Forum Squadron Members:

I posted this under the Build-A-Rama section but thought I would paste it here just in case...

West Coaster Diorama Report...

Mark from Build-A-Rama has hit a home run-well, make it a grand slam! I will call it modular diorama art for now aka the "Endless Diorama." Modular in that the versatility in regards to display power (size/shape) and theatre of war/time in history is endless; art in that the realism makes the display come alive in such a way that would satisfy the most critical toy soldier connoisseur! Bravo! Yes, I know-where are the pictures? It is late and the lighting was not right; his display was also not complete. However, Carlos (desk11desk12) will be taking pictures tomorrow and will post them by Saturday so rest easy knowing that what I say/type will be verified via photo images.

Beaufighter OVER & OUT...for now
 
The doors have open slightly over an hour ago and like our TF KC friends who can't wait for Andy's monthly dispatches I felt I owed it to all to say I can't wait for the photos to appear that were taken during the room trading and at the show......The Lt.
 
The Lt. said:
The doors have open slightly over an hour ago and like our TF KC friends who can't wait for Andy's monthly dispatches I felt I owed it to all to say I can't wait for the photos to appear that were taken during the room trading and at the show......The Lt.
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I would just like to second my good friend The Lt's request. If you have any pictures of the show it would be great to see them.
 
I'd like to hear from either Carlos or Steve about what they saw for pricing as a trend at the show? There's always bargains to be had but were there more than usual? How was attendance and room trading?
Ray
 
nmrocks said:
I'd like to hear from either Carlos or Steve about what they saw for pricing as a trend at the show? There's always bargains to be had but were there more than usual? How was attendance and room trading?
Ray
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I thought foot traffic, both in the rooms on Friday and Saturday, and at the actual show on Sunday, was much lower than last year, which was lower than two years ago. Attendance at the West Coaster has been declining the last several years. I like to bargain when I purchase old sets; and I found that vendors were willing to consider lower per item offers, especially if you purchased a few sets. All the manufacturers were aware that the economy was bad and implied that there would be fewer expensive items introduced this year. Rick of Firgarti mentioned development of the Storch taking longer as they tried to simplify the production to reduce the selling price. At the Chicago Show, the potential selling price of the Storch was quoted as $350 to $400 with two figures. At this show, Rick said Rommel's Storch would be $289 with only one figure. Maybe when it is finally shipped the Storch can be under $250.:cool:
 
I have to say that I really enjoyed myself. I met many manufacturers Bill Hocker, Andy Nielsen, Ken Ossen, Ted Deddens, Edmund Tanfoglio, Brian Levy, and Bob O'Connell. Many others as well. There are ,many knowledgeable
people as well as a few unique and special types who know everything and will tell you ad naseum.
This hobby is about the people as well as the soldiers. The people during the room trading I st and chat with and hours can fly by. I hope I did not bore any of you. I thank you for your hospitality.
There were also members of the forum there whom it was nice to meet or see again. Jason , Marc, and Carlos Good to see you. 4th and Al Fischer it was nice to meet you. There are some lurkers who need to sign up that I met. You know who you are.
Great things to see at the show . New items as well as old stand-bys. Sadly I was not able to buy all the things I wanted to. Odly enough some guys gave me stuff for free. So thank you Andy, Marc, Mike, and Rick:)
 
The show was fantastic. From the moment I arrived until I left yesterday I had a phenomenal time. Of course, I spent more than I had planned, but it always works that way!

Seeing all the manufactures was great. To say that the K&C dioramas were breathtaking is an understatement. The bar on those gets raised each and every year. It was good to see the new Figarti items and also nice to hear that the manufactures recognize that the down turn in the economy has affected everyone and to that end they will be producing many affordable items, which I think is good idea and will help those collectors who need to cut back.

It was nice to see some friends and get some feedback and opinions on some items of interest. If anyone on here ever has any questions about planes, not just as part of the hobby but with regard to aviation in general, ask Beaufighter, trust me, his answer will not disappoint you.

It was simply great to see the Kilted Vampire. I have many memories and favorite highlights of from show, but seeing him was among the best. Anyone who has met him knows why he has such a following on this forum. I value his opinions on movies and toy soldiers. Beaufighter and I may have given him lots of grief about his fan club on here, but our jest was in good fun, and as expected he laughed right along with us.
 
Waiting in anticipation for the Storch...and at the announced price of only $289, IT IS A STEAL! Unfortunately the sample didn't make it to the show because of a delay in shipping. Per Rick, it should be shipping to dealers shortly (March-April). we forgot to ask if it was in DAK or Normandy color. I would surmise it's DAK based on the prototype shown at the Chicago show in 2008.

The Opel Blitz Fuel Tanker started shipping to dealers, perRick. It comes with a complement of 3 figures - 2 gas operators and a dismounted driver. Though intended for the V2, It will make a great supply vehicle accompanying Tiger tank columns. What was shown at the Westcoaster was the same prototype shown at the Chicago show in 2008.

M31 TRV - didn't talk much about this but it is also coming out soon with one crew. A complement of 4 mechanic s will be sold as a separate set.

The Wake Island series is a set to watch out for. I hope, for the Chicago 2009 "shock & awe" and as part of the series, Rick comes up with the OSU King Fisher, the PBY Catalina and a PT Boat.

N-P
 
noli-poli said:
Waiting in anticipation for the Storch...and at the announced price of only $289, IT IS A STEAL! Unfortunately the sample didn't make it to the show because of a delay in shipping. Per Rick, it should be shipping to dealers shortly (March-April). we forgot to ask if it was in DAK or Normandy color. I would surmise it's DAK based on the prototype shown at the Chicago show in 2008.

The Opel Blitz Fuel Tanker started shipping to dealers, perRick. It comes with a complement of 3 figures - 2 gas operators and a dismounted driver. Though intended for the V2, It will make a great supply vehicle accompanying Tiger tank columns. What was shown at the Westcoaster was the same prototype shown at the Chicago show in 2008.

M31 TRV - didn't talk much about this but it is also coming out soon with one crew. A complement of 4 mechanic s will be sold as a separate set.

The Wake Island series is a set to watch out for. I hope, for the Chicago 2009 "shock & awe" and as part of the series, Rick comes up with the OSU King Fisher, the PBY Catalina and a PT Boat.

N-P
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Dear Arnold,

It was great meeting you.

The first Storch will be in desert camo with the markings of the plane used by Rommel. The other Storch is a winter version. The V2 fuel truck displayed at the West Coaster was one of the production units -- another use is as a refueling trunk on a German air field.:)
 
The traffic was down in both room trading and at the show itself due to the economy I guess. However, Craig McClain and Woody put on an excellent show as always; many thanks to both for making the sacrifices each year for us collector fanatics.

Special thanks to all of the manufacturers that make time to talk with us all. It makes the experience more enjoyable. Especially the following:

Rick (Figarti) – You’re amazing; how do you it, I mean run five companies and Figarti too! And a toast to best Armor and vehicle manufacturer in the industry, we can’t wait to see the next “shock and Awe” in Chicago.

Mark (Build-A-Rama) – Wow! You continue to out do yourself at each show. I love the grass mats and custom dioramas. Keep it up and what new surprises do you have in mind for the Texas Show (May 30, 31) in San Antonio, TX?

Nick and Deanna (TSSD) – The best dealer in plastic toy soldiers in the USA, great advocate for the hobby and the friend that got me in this hobby.

Andy (KC) – Thanks for always being available at these shows and your continued excellence in the industry in terms of quality, variety and sound business augment that keeps this hobby healthy.

Richard & Ken (Britians) – Thank you for being the inspiration and influence that saved Britians. I wished you produced WWII consistently but I fully understand why other ranges are more important to Britians success.

Ken and Erika (Hudson & Allen) – Love the dioramas, your approachability and the long conversations about the hobby and history. Ken, take care of Erika, you have good one there!

It was great talking to all of the rest of manufacturers and friends in the hobby like Steven Chong, Marc (Beaufighter/ USC), Noli Poli, Michael (Kilted Vampire), etc.

We’ll see you later on the Forum or one of the Shows this year.

Carlos
 
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