"Landsknechts by Foundry" Topic

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not against anyone selling their models at whatever price. I'll even pay $30 USD or more for a single figure.

I'm also all in favour of paying top dollar for a better model if I want it when there are cheaper versions available.

What I don't understand is paying twice as much for figures that are not quite as well sculpted.

I think that the new Foundry Landsknechts are nice figures, they are very well sculpted but I don't think that they are quite as nice as the Artizan ones.

That being said I just looked at them and they are about twice as much as the Artizan ones. Are they selling? If so why? There will, of course, be some degree of taste as to what people consider to be better. Some may like the style of the Foundry figures more. I'd be interested in seeing a poll on here about it.

Does Foundry have that much more penetration into different markets that they can charge that much? Is Artizan such a small company that they don't? I would imagine that mostly they advertise in the same places and only those who started buying long 15 years or more ago and don't really keep up on stuff would have heard of one and not the other.

I'm not slagging off Foundry here and don't want this thread to go that route. Of course this is TMP and that may well happen anyway. Still I'm interested in hearing what insights people have into this.

TL;DR: How can Foundry landsknechts sell for about twice what Artizan ones do?

I dropped ranting about Foundry prices from my act many years ago, but will stll chime in from time to time. for old times sake.
Many years ago, I compared Foundry colectors to Edwardian collectors of erotica. "Price is no object! I must possess this equitiste creature!"

You are right, Scott. The irony is that Foundry USED to be the leader in quality, and such attitudes were sometimes justifiable.
Today, however… they are not even in the top 10 for quality. But they sure lead the pack in price, so SOMEBODY has more money than sense.

Well the Foundry ones predate Artizan by several years, so the latter simply wouldn't factor in any of Foundry's calculations. If I was starting a Landsknechts army tomorrow, it'd be Artizan for sure. A few years ago, Foundry. If I was in the States, Old Glory's Landsknecht are one of their nicer ranges, so would probably win on price. Certainly no way I'd touch Foundry now though; they were the pinnacle, but have been superceded now. For some other ranges, Foundry are still the best, but as the years go by there are fewer and fewer periods where you can't find something better for less….

by the way – this refers to the new more expensive foundry landsknechts, released to tie in with the new rules.

They are not the same figures, they are new (and in some cases larger figures)

I quite like them, but I would not buy them at full price.

Oh right, I hadn't realised they had new ones. Just trading on brand loyalty I guess – from a quick look, like you say, they're nice, but I can't see a reason to pay £12.00 GBP for 6 rather than £12.00 GBP for 8 of Foundry's older range, or better still, £9.60 GBP for 8 from Artizan….

(If I was American, $21.00 USD for 30 with an Old Glory army card would bring new meaning to "no-brainer"…. This side of the pond they're still a competitive price at 80p a figure, but the awkward pack sizes erode the margin a bit, making them competitive rather than hands-down obvious buys….)

The older Foundry Landsknechts sculpted in part by the Perry brothers are much better than the new Landsknechts, which are average at best and ahistorical at worst (e.g.backpacks on landsknecht crossbowmen, really?!?)

In any event, the Artizan Landsknechts are also light years ahead of the new Foundry Landsknechts and by and large a much better bargain. Not sure why anyone would pay so much for such mediocre figures from Foundry, unless they are the older Perry sculpts.

Yes, I am specifically referring to the new Landsknechts, not the older sculpts, of which I have many and am pleased.

Foundry thinks people will buy them because they are Foundry figures, but their brand name wore off long ago.

Using the same painter I would put the OG landsknects up against any others anytime and the worst OG would fare is equal.
All this go's to show is the effect of marketing or lack of it and/or the desire for all things English?
regards
Russ Dunaway

The new Foundry also suffer from "huge hands syndrome" … They kina look odd.

The new Foundry also suffer from "huge hands syndrome" … They kina look odd.

One look through the new Chadwick "Condottieri" rulebook was more than sufficient to put me completely off even looking at these new figures, never mind price comparisons.

And what possessed some "dim bulb" to think that half & full page images of individual 28mm figures would be a selling point I cannot imagine. Even the best figures around today would suffer in a presentation in a full-page blowup.

These "Michelin Men" thoroughly compromised Chadwick's effort, and an otherwise nice layout to boot.

From what I've read here on TMP, yes, supposedly the newer sculpts are by Foundry sculptors, and not the Perry brothers.

Not sure if that bodes ill for the Perry sculpts they have, or used to have. I hope not, but perhaps they've decided not to redo their molds.

That would be a shame.

"Old Glory's Landsknecht are one of their nicer ranges, so would probably win on price".

That's the understatement of the year.

Seems like a no brainer to me, since you can get them for far less than $1.00 USD each, with an Old Glory Army card.

OG are nice sculpts and certainly the bargain of the year or decade, but they still do not beat, in my opinion, the exquisite sculpts Foundry Perry sculpts (as well as Mike Owen sculpts for that matter). Probably the only range that I actively seek out on eBay and elsewhere and will pay a premium for …I think they are just that "dandy."

I agree with Condottiere

From my POV OG are good, but come 2nd vs. some brands like Foundry or Artizan. They are, however, better then many others, like Redoubt or the new Foundrys and stand on par with most of the rest – though their cylinder style hats are unfitting (these only came into fashion for Landsknechts in the second half of the 16th century).

Considering also their price, OG are among their with the best…

That said, and back to the OP, I have probably all commonly available Landsknecht sculpts in 28mm, and am also an avid hunter for the Swiss, French, Italians or Spanish of the Italian wars (kudos to TAG). I just cannot bring myself to order the new Foundry sets, for both price and quality are beyond my tolerance.

I bought some 120 foundry landsknechts (the old sculpts) at some point. I never get them painted though. I think they are very very nice. But at that time they were not more expensive than other manifacyures. Its a shame really that foundry is so expensive.

IMHO, the OG are just as nice as the others in their own way. I love how gritty the OG figures are, not posing for a picture(portrait?), but getting ready to bring it on. And the details are fine. A pity I didn't know much about them in my WHFB days. -Edgar
(who owns a bunch of Foundry and Artizan as well as OG) YMMV