"Wargames Factory...dead and gone?" Topic

A couple of interesting comments in this thread from yesterday:

TMP link

I have hunted around but not found any confirmation or public statement on other forums. Interesting (but not at all surprising) if true.

What happens now to the undelivered pre-orders? looks like money down the drain for a lot of us.

His server crashed recently.

Saw it on an earlier post.

DM

Don, umm, no. Bit more than that actually.

They responded to someone on their facebook page yesterday that they are still working on getting the server sorted out.

I hope not, I was looking forward to some of the upcoming releases. I've made good use of the Shock Troops.

The FB page seems a little sparse now:

link

Yes, I know that's not the right one. However, it's the one Tony's FB page links to, and is the one he says he works at.

Allen

Its under new management now it seems. I dont see any reason not to wish the new team well as long as they honor previous customers orders.

I hope Tony and Howard get everything sorted out.

Under new management. See other thread from yesterday.

I suspect there is much more to the story than you can discern from the other thread. I would recommend taking a "wait and see" approach.

Also keep in mind the old military maxim that first reports are always wrong.

Allen

Yikes, sorry for the bad info.

DM

This thread shows the value of TMP. I was just getting ready to send off an order but will hold off until the situations clarifies itself.

The money I could have lost is a lot more than what a supporting membership costs

Aw, shoot. I knew I should have asked for a refund on my 6mm Warbot deposit sooner.

What happens now to the undelivered pre-orders? looks like money down the drain for a lot of us.

Anyone worth their salt would send the stuff out anyway – even if they took a 'hit' for doing so – the continued business is worth more than some pre-orders.

The real world, they would do that and then sort out who gets what money between them (and not bother us).

But just a quick word of praise for Tony, really great guy to deal with and I would still like to wander over to visit one day.

From the other thread linked by OP

If you currently have an order in house with us we will fill it as soon as possible but please contact Lonnie for details.

Thanks TMP. Message sent to Lonnie and Howard as directed (per the WF Forum for the later).

Erik

I spend much of my day working out if a business is a 'goer' or not. I can only repeat my favourite Maxim.

It is too early to speculate, until it's too late to speculate.

Pat

Odd that this facebook is much more lively:

link

Well that will please a lot the "I hate WF" crowd.

Shame if the company is in trouble, but no sign of that yet. Plenty of companies change ownership without shafting previous customers – it's kinda in their interest.

What can I do to help the company? Lots of good products and previous good service! I really like those WSS figs. Was hoping to base a "Charge" game army on them.

What can I do to help the company?

Be patient and wait and see.

Entirely speculation, but if you look at their state filings – it looks as though their company was taken over (by force?) by the company that they used to perform their manufacturing. What that will mean for the people who work their? Don't know…most likely the old Wargames Factory staff will be gone and they will switch from being designed in house in MA by Tim to being designed in China at the factory location.

The MA location will likely continue to exist as a face for them (that way there isn't as much "Made in China" backlash). It also makes it easier for them to import products by having a company in the US.

The long term upside would be that you will probably see a much larger influx of "not-" plastic figures as the Chinese company goes after various genres and systems in the US. Since the math changes (Tony no longer will have to raise capital to have the next set of molds made) – the rate of new releases will go up substantially.

There is certainly something going on with the WF forums.

When a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly is it now "dead and gone"? I think not. Although I have now disturbed myself with the analogy.

They'll be around for a while I'm sure. So the ownership changed. Big whoop.

Binky says "OINK"

ps. I'm not a WF hater, but I'd love them a lot more if some of my L&U pre-orders ever saw the light of day!

Maybe the new owners have a thousand monkeys in a room sculpting figures? Just gotta wait for Bill Shakespear……

Binky says "OINK"

Just gotta wait for Bill Shakespear……

Multi-part plastic 28 mm model of Shakespeare? I am sure that John the OFM will order at least one of those.

Maybe.

If the Chinese take over ownership and continue production, will the plastic figures have a lead content? I wonder

You can only perform a hostile takeover on a publicly traded company.
Or, so I always thought.

WF forum page is getting quite bitter now, seems posts mentioning ex staff members by name or anything to do with L&U are being deleted.

However on the plus side, I did receive a reply to my "where are my figures?" email within hours of sending it to "Lonnie" at the new address.
First time any of my mails to WF have been answered since Octuber.
Contained an undertaking to honour existing paid but not delivered orders.

"You can only perform a hostile takeover on a publicly traded company."

Not neccesarly. Remind me to tell you some stories about Arkansas in the 90's. :)

Interesting Link Metal Guru. It looks like Ghost Studio is in someway involved in WF, ExIllis and the new'ish Battletech Plastics.

You can only perform a hostile takeover on a publicly traded company.
Or, so I always thought.

Read Faust.

It isn't a true hostile takeover, however it looks like it is a rather impolite takeover.

Little more than facebook update-guy link

Oh, it is a real e-mail!

Lonnie is much more than a part timer now. He's a cool guy so don't worry there.

Seriously Ogdenlulimus, Chinese government putting in lead? Well, maybe it makes as much sence as one of my posts of only using grocery store food products to paint my miniatures! What it would be is some cut-rate supplier (who supplies Ghost Stuido) offering them plastic at a really good price, only without telling them of the "Secret added ingrediant". The Chinese government would be the one to hunt this guy down and put a bullet in his head. Look into the "Chinese Tooth Paste" incedint to see what they did there!

Maybe OFM will get his war of Jenkin's ear figs now. Some Chinese companies have a habit of doing some really wierd stuff…….

Binky says "OINK"

If they ever come out with Female Zombies, I'll be happy enough….

In the "For What Its Worth" category:

Lonnie is a former GW employee who has been functioning as the Sales Manager for WF's distributors and direct retail customers (brick and mortar stores, not individuals). Whether his work has been full or part time is really irrelevant, as he has held this title and been performing this function for some time now.

It is my understanding (which may or may not be accurate), that the Chinese entity only have the steel molds in their possession and own the rights to them. All WF figures have been created using computer software, not conventional sculpting, and only completed data files for tooling have been forwarded to China. It is my belief that Tim, or perhaps a partnership of Tony and Tim, own the intellectual property rights to the data files. I do know that I still own the copyright to the proposed layout files and rough sprue designs that I submitted for the WSS Cavalry and Artillery. If WF decided to put these into production and contracted me to work with Tim on the final designs, then I would have transferred ownership to WF based on some form of compensation.

Whatever the next announcement will be, or when it will be delivered, should be interesting. It will also be interesting to see whose name is on the next announcement.

Bill
Sir William the Aged
warsoflouisxiv.blogspot.com

I find it sadly ironic that the thread on their Forum "End of Wargames Factory" is immediately above one called "Death of Games Workshop".

Pat

'If they ever come out with Female Zombies, I'll be happy enough….'

with their detail and quality would you be able to tell? heck greenstuff some boobs onto their current zombies and you're done – there's no detail on the faces anyhow, so you can paint them as women.

Much as I never thought much of their products quality wise, not a nice way for things to happen. If it means we'll now get another company making decent,low(ish)cost plastics then great.

I've never understood the vitriol aimed at Wargames Factory. (Of course, I've never understood why anyone would aim vitriol at any company that makes toy soldiers… but I digress.)

They made/make cheap plastic figures for people who like cheap plastic figures, and decent figures at that, especially for a start-up. And over time, their designs and quality got better with each iteration. Just what one would expect, really. But apparently the hobby is overrun with people who demand that figures be "perfect" according to their individual definitions of perfection, and think that liking one manufacturer of figures (or even several) means that one must despise and ridicule other manufacturers, or, dice forbid, any new companies or lines.

I hope this all gets sorted out and we get some accurate information soon. But I am not encouraged by the rumors that some Chinese plastics company has taken over.

WF forums, Lonnie posted earlier today that there would be a press release soon, so hopefully we will have some facts soon.

Parzival, they did get better I agree, but compared to the other plastics out there were still not good – but the ideas were good,and they may have got there which would have been good. I like cheap figures as much as the next person, but the one set I did buy (zombies) were so bad they still sit there untouched. Compare them to the mantic zombies and the detail and sharpness difference is obvious.

"To be fair, that was one of, if not the, first sets they put out."

Sorry, but we remember what was first. And second.

"WF forums…"

…are demonstrating the principle that if you provide an opportunity for people to display their cluelessness, they will take full advantage of it. Harping on and on about "shareholders" when referring to an LLC, for heaven's sake.

Allen

I know a little more than I did before, but I can't offer much out of respect for what might be confidential info. I *do* know that orders are packaged and waiting to be shipped, but can't be due to legal actions taken by others.

Now, I don't know the cause of all this. Maybe the founders of WF signed a bad deal, maybe they got stabbed in the back, maybe they were just bad businessmen and "it's just business" (which is the pathetic excuse of the unethical, but that's another point). But from where I sit, it looks like some guys with a dream are having that dream ripped away from them, and I have a hard time conceiving of that as a good thing.

I'm actually surprised at some of the people here who are apparently crowing over the founders' misfortunes. I don't care what you thought of the figs, or if your pet project didn't hit front-and-center on the L&UL (mine didn't), this event is not something to celebrate. In fact, it stinks.

@Parzival,
Totally agree with your post. I have had a handful of dealings with Tony and he was nothing but fantastic. I enjoy the figures(all of them, even the pudgy Romans)and am saddened by the possibility of WF changing especially if it means the original crew are forced out.

I am a little shocked. I never bought anything from WF and I did not like their figures but I do respect people getting together to chase their dreams and make something that made a lot of people happy.

I have no idea what really went down but I hope Tony and everyone else get things sorted out and whatever the outcome can move on and lead a happy and productive life.

I honestly thought they were cleaning up financially so this is a real shock.

Best of luck to all the parties involved.

Limited liability companies have shares. They are the means by which the owners of the company have ownership.

Depending on the articles of the company, there may be unissued shares and these may or may not be issued after formation.

The shares may not be traded on the stock market. That is the difference between an LLC and a PLC.

Supposing WF was formed with 1,000 shares, 100 shares were sold at the start of the company, and Tony took 41 shares. The rest of the shares are not issued.

Later the directors do a deal with the Chinese, and issue and sell them 900 shares.

Tony's share of the company falls from 41% to 4.1%.

That is my educated guesswork.

Bet its the banks behind it all! Hang the lot of em I say.

So – how to get back the downpayment money for the 6mm warbots?

Limited liability companies have shares

You sure you're not confusing them with a Limited company (which is not publically traded, but has shares). The LLC is the US equivalent of an LLP in the UK – its a partnership, with limited liability so protection on liability for the partners, but no shareholders per se.

They also posted this on their website, so looks like its going to get interesting……….

WEB POSTINGS AND FORUM ALLEGATIONS
There is much misinformation as well as some serious allegations being circulated throughout cyberspace regarding the current state of affairs. As the new corporate manager of Wargames Factory, at the appropriate time, I will address all of the false and inaccurate statements and allegations that are being posted on the Wargames Factory website. There are more important and pressing operational matters to deal with right now without getting distracted or involved in a "mudslinging match" with previous management. Defamatory statements made about any individuals will be taken up with legal counsel and dealt with to the fullest extent allowed by law.