What is it that makes K&C the best? (1 Viewer)

[Rob]

I was thinking about this tonight and comparing them to other well known companies.For me its several things that come together to produce such excellent figures and vehicles.

1.The Style.K&C have a clear style that for me puts them above the competion.They are very well painted in tones that catch the eye yet are very realistic and lifelike.

2.Poses.Their poses are in my opinion second to none.Just check out the Big Red 1 figures for an example of this,you can almost feel the tension in these figures as they edge forward,wonderful stuff and very realistic.

3.Depth and range of products.This is unmatched by any other producer and I doubt it will be.This is one of the things I enjoy most about this product,as a WW2 enthusiast I can choose from different battles and theatres of the War and dip in and out at will.

4.Value.K&C offer great value for money in my view,when I hand my credit card details to Tony I know in return I will be getting a realistic,well painted quality product for a great price.

Put these things together and it's all good.So guys,what is about K&C for you.

Rob

 

[amhuff1]

I was thinking about this tonight and comparing them to other well known companies.For me its several things that come together to produce such excellent figures and vehicles.

1.The Style.K&C have a clear style that for me puts them above the competion.They are very well painted in tones that catch the eye yet are very realistic and lifelike.

2.Poses.Their poses are in my opinion second to none.Just check out the Big Red 1 figures for an example of this,you can almost feel the tension in these figures as they edge forward,wonderful stuff and very realistic.

3.Depth and range of products.This is unmatched by any other producer and I doubt it will be.This is one of the things I enjoy most about this product,as a WW2 enthusiast I can choose from different battles and theatres of the War and dip in and out at will.

4.Value.K&C offer great value for money in my view,when I hand my credit card details to Tony I know in return I will be getting a realistic,well painted quality product for a great price.

Put these things together and it's all good.So guys,what is about K&C for you.

Rob

All of these you mention plus availabilty. Even the Strictly Limited can usually be found when first released. I do not like being pressured into having to make a purchase before something disappears. Sometimes I like to see it in person or at a show.

 

[Louis Badolato]

All of those things are absolutely important, but for me what makes K&C the best is the people. It starts at the top with Andy and Gordon Neilson, whose creative genius, love of the hobby and business savvy pulled K&C from the pack of small glossy toy soldier producers and turned them into the innovating force behind the current more realistic matt toy soldier hobby. Plus, they have always been, and remain, remarkably accessable and friendly to anyone in the hobby. Then there is the remarkably reliable and responsive K&C staff in Hong Kong, like Helen Mok-Sergeant, and Patrick, who will always respond quickly to an inquiry, and do whatever is necessary to remedy any problem (a rare occurence, considering their excellent quality control). Finally, the outstanding network of dealers do an amazing job keeping collectors content and loyal. From the long time dealers like Tony Ciccerello of the Toy Soldier Gallery (the first ever K&C dealer), Pam Brunton of Brunton's Barracks (another of the very early dealers), and the Neville Family of K&C, UK (who had the foresight to become the distributors for the UK long before K&C had climbed to the top, yet who have always acted as a "Mom and Pop" business with an emphasis on friendly customer service), the the really big dealers like our hosts here at Treefrog, Fred at Toy Soldier Paris and Matt Murphy at the Hobby Bunker, through the great brick and mortar stores like the Craig "Bubba" McClean at Old Toy Soldier Home Tim Tyler of Troops of Time, to the fantastic and informative websites like Bill Sager of Sager's Toy Soldiers, and of course the incredibly hard working guys who hit the Toy Soldier Show circuit, including our good friend George Guerrerro of Minutemen Toy Soldiers and the aforementioned Matt Murphy from the Hobby Bunker, a better, more honest and more honorable group would be hard to imagine. Thanks guys!

 

[Kurt]

1. Style

2. Quantity & frequency of new releases

 

[Arnhemjim]

Not certain as to exactly the scope and depth of marketing analyses Andy Neilson and Laura McAllister conducted. However, having studied architecture in college, worked as an engineer for over four decades, and collected toy soldiers for seven decades, I would cite their selection of scale, i.e. size, as a very important, if not critical parameter. It allows them to execute proportion, anatomical reality, and detail (particularly facial expression, armament, insignia and acoutrements) not possible in smaller sized figures, yet still small enough to build fairly extensive displays/dioramas in a reasonable amount of space.

 

[MapleLeaf]

KC is the best
Figures are more realistic than any other manifacturers
The size 60mm is more appropriate looks more realistic
The sculpting is fantastic
The details anyone else has such details,i don't think so
Matte figures are awsome
I saw some figures from Britains the Niles collection
i have to admit they look pretty nice as far as sculpting
and details not to forget the painting
I think that's the best Britains figures i seen so far
That's my opinion KC still #1

 

[Terp152]

First saw KC at a militaria show and was hooked. Scale is right and detail is outstanding. Their figs are more realistic, to me, than other makes. Additionally, their lines are more extensive and they continue to add pieces on a regular basis.

Chris

 

[HAWKEYE]

i look at the competition and i see figures that are just too dark. they just seem to be to weathered for my liking. the faces and camo of cs are getting better but the high bases on figures like the peiper set have made me shy away. tommy gunn is coming along. i purchased a great looking winter falschirmjager panzerschreck team but the normandy fj's camo was just to splotchy. hopefully andy will relent and do normandy fjs. kc also offers a great selection and a wide variety of poses at a greatprice. keep em coming

 

[Grognard]

I think K&C is very good for many reasons I see listed below but they have excellent competitors IMHO with CS and FL. Competition is what keeps any smart run company on his toes and undoubtedly K&C has been proving they can meet the challenge...

 

[jazzeum]

What everybody else has said plus depth of lines, vision but the most important things are reasonable prices (although we would all like them a little less expensive) and consistent quality. A combination of all of these is what gives them loyalty, brand share and position.

 

[Rob]

I started this thread thinking only of the actual product.Louis then added the human aspect and its a very good point.From Andy who is always happy to chat about the product and answer the myriad of questions I have for him,to K&C UK where Tony,Mike,Dave and the lovely Katherine always give such a superior service with a friendly manner, my experience of K&C has only ever been positive.Its this as I think Brad mentioned that creates loyalty in a customer,can never underestimate the importance of a good customer-supplier relationship.

Rob

 

[VIRIATO]

The extensive ranges, many interesting different historical periods, the quality of the figures, their constant regular production and collectability (ranges are extremely well planned ahead and allow one to follow a collecting path, not left with one or 2 figures with no follow up), the variety of poses, great for dioramas large or small, their excellent packing and service. Also unparalleled market value that comes from all of the above but also from extremely savvy marketing.
Drawbacks: the ones that come with large scale production, hard to get an Austrian Napoleonic figure, a Russian cossack or a Stalin figure or even a Portuguese WWI soldier. Collector's club figures somehow make up, at least in part, for this. Also, on a very personal level I feel that an excellent glossy figure is something uniquely beautiful and superior, unless you get into the astonishing Russian historical miniatures, but that's another story.

Paulo

 

[Jagdpanther]

I was thinking about this tonight and comparing them to other well known companies.For me its several things that come together to produce such excellent figures and vehicles.

1.The Style.K&C have a clear style that for me puts them above the competion.They are very well painted in tones that catch the eye yet are very realistic and lifelike.

2.Poses.Their poses are in my opinion second to none.Just check out the Big Red 1 figures for an example of this,you can almost feel the tension in these figures as they edge forward,wonderful stuff and very realistic.

3.Depth and range of products.This is unmatched by any other producer and I doubt it will be.This is one of the things I enjoy most about this product,as a WW2 enthusiast I can choose from different battles and theatres of the War and dip in and out at will.

4.Value.K&C offer great value for money in my view,when I hand my credit card details to Tony I know in return I will be getting a realistic,well painted quality product for a great price.

Put these things together and it's all good.So guys,what is about K&C for you.

Rob

All those you mentioned Rob.

 

[wayne556517]

All of these you mention plus availabilty. Even the Strictly Limited can usually be found when first released. I do not like being pressured into having to make a purchase before something disappears. Sometimes I like to see it in person or at a show.

Hit the nail on the head NO pressure to buy it.

 

[jazzeum]

Ditto there for me. I really hate that with the limited releases for another company, which is why I said I won't do that anymore, and I haven't.

 

[gk5717]

K&C, "Simply the Best."
Gary

 

[Doughboy]

Sculpting, painting, attention to detail, frequency and range of releases all add up to make K&C the best. Noone else really even comes close in my opinion.

 

[Rob]

And we havn't even mentioned the Collector,adverts and excellent leaflets released at regular intervals,these are almost another collection in their own right.

Rob

 

[jazzeum]

They are indeed. I have originals going back to 1993 and I may even have one that Louis doesn't

 

[Rob]

They are indeed. I have originals going back to 1993 and I may even have one that Louis doesn't

Which one is that Brad?

I very much enjoy collecting these.Thanks to Sir Chris Mckenna and Lord Tony Neville I have a nice collection now,my ring binders number three with all the leaflets,print offs and adverts etc.I have a few old price lists too,I kind of prefer the old bigger price lists myself,easier to study and amend as purchases are made.

Rob