Have revisited my modern skirmish product and took another look at various offerings in 20-28mm scale. If you manufacture moderns in these sizes here are some suggestions. I hope you find them helpful and take them in the spirit intended: suggestions by a prospective customer intended to help you separate me from my money!!! :-)
Note: These probably apply to 15s too but since gamers buying larger figures are probably focused on 1:1 gaming these comments are really focused on the larger figures.
1. COMPLETE SQUAD AND PLATOON LEVEL EQUIPMENT
Since gamers who buy larger scale moderns are probably focused on 1:1 skirmish gaming the force level is likely squad up to platoon. You might also have attachments from company and battalion level but squad and platoon are certainly your baseline.
I think it's important to provide a complete line of squad and platoon-level weapons for mainstream line troops as your starting point. This means assault rifles (some with grenade launchers), SAWs, GPMGs, and light AT weapons such as AT-4s, RPGs, and SMAWs as a complete, minimum baseline.
From there consider adding snipers and SMGs for SpecOp gaming and heavier AT weapons such as the Javelin for combined arms gaming.
Light mortars such as 60mm mortars do appear at company level but are less useful.
At the moment Liberation Miniatures seems to have the most complete line available.
2. UNIT PACKAGING
A lot of Mfgs. already sell their figures in small packs of 2-4 figures anyway. But often the contents of the package make it difficult to build fireteams, squads, and platoons without lots of extra figures.
Since modern TO&Es are readily available consider selling figures in pre-packaged units such as complete teams. These could include platoon command teams (PC, Senior NCO, Radio Operator), fireteams, GPMG teams, AT teams, etc.
Your customers will love you for it and you'll remove a barrier to ordering for them: when they hop on your site they can quickly order what they need based on TO&E instead of backing out and trying to calculate the optimum order configuration.
3. COMPLETE AND ACCURATE PACKAGE DESCRIPTIONS
While I was trying to figure out what to order from one site I couldn't tell what was actually in a package.
For example, one mfg. cryptically lists a pack as 2 figures with SMAW. Since an AT team often has a gunner and assistant gunner does that mean 1x SMAW and 1x a-gunner? Or two figures both having a SMAW? The listing specifically used the singular when referencing SMAW but I suspect it's actually two SMAWs.
Some goes for their GPMG listing of a pack with 3x figures. Gunner, a-gunner, and ammo-bearer? Or three GPMGs? Can't tell from the listing.
4. PHOTOS, PHOTOS, PHOTOS!
Which brings us to photos. This applies to all miniatures mfgs. but for skirmish gaming this is really important.
Going back to the mfg. referenced above their site lacks photos and the listings don't describe model stance! So, you could end up with some figures in a squad casually walking along while the rest are firing away.
We gamers simply want to know what we're buying. Not just to judge quality or sculpting style but also so we can plan our units. For moderns some gamers prefer firing lines, others running/advancing figures, etc. In any case we like our complete units to make sense visually!
5. FIGURE POSES
Which brings us to figure poses. Having a bunch of rifleman in combat action poses while the machine gunner figure looks like he's walking up to the practice range firing line to qualify isn't a good idea.
Smaller companies can't afford to sculpt a lot of different poses and even larger ones need to pace their production schedule. So when planning a line make sure the figure poses make sense and look good together. Don't have all of your leader figures running flat out if all of the other figures are firing. And if most of the figures are firing make sure AT and MG figures are firing too instead of just walking around.
And since so many gamers buying 20-28mm figures are probably focused on small unit actions the most common combat action poses are probably the most helpful. These would include firing, crouching/scanning for targets, reloading, carefully stalking forward (not merely advancing), shouting/pointing, etc. All of these would look good together while providing variety.
Running is probably the next most useful pose while walking along in plain sight probably isn't useful pose combat! :-)
CONCLUSION
I hope these suggestions prove helpful in that, if adopted, they increase your sales by giving other gamers what they want and as conveniently as possible. I'm certain that a lot of companies get tired of complaints without any ideas for solutions.
Well, instead of just complaining I decided to take the time to think about my recent effort to "grow the hobby" by spending more money on 20-28mm figures. I'd love nothing more than to jump on a website, see exactly what I'm buying, and be able to buy a complete platoon-level TO&E from one supplier as conveniently as possible.
MB
PS Based on my research Liberation Miniatures seems to come out on top for completeness of product line. The packaging is inconvenient, the descriptions are incomplete, and they lack photos, but I'll probably try to muddle through with an order anyway.
I would have ordered the other night and actually filled my cart with a couple of Liberation Miniatures platoons. But it was late and I wasn't quite certain that my order was accurate due to the issues above. Will probably take another crack at it over the weekend.
decides on hills for his Team Yankee project.
