"Belgian Carabiniers - Finally they are available " Topic

From my friend Uwe link.

From here
link

Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand

Where were these when I used to do 1/72nd? If I didn't already have 28mm and was thinking of getting into Napoleonics this would be the scale I would go for.

Why oh why oh why are these not 28mm? I suspect my bank manager is bribing people…

Glad you like them guys!. (smile).

Amicalement
Armand

1/72 is such a niche market that I'm sure the gamers who wanted such figures have already converted them from existing plastic sets. I hate to say a waste of time to sculpt, but certainly not going to be a massive financial success either.

Well you are wrong. We already sold over 35 sets of them within the first week.

The 1/72 market is a huge one in other countries and there are even several British wargamers who game in 1/72 :-)

cheers
uwe

@The Bavarian,

"35 sets" is how many figures? And was that even enough to break even with sculpting and production costs? Glad you're selling some, just doesn't seem like a scale the hobby is going to see much of in 10 years.

I have to agree. I know that on the continent there is still a big 1/72 market, and some massive dioramas as a result. Flats are still big in Germany also.

But you will not make your fortune in this scale, as Esci and such folk have cornered the market, but in cheaper plastics.

The thing about Niels, Kawe, Uwe and the rest of them (and whisper this) they do not seem commercially driven!!!!!! Incredible I know, but they just make stuff because they like it and are happy to break even. The Ben and Jerrys of the model world (and remember how rich B and J did finally become).

I saw the original painting, yet again, only three days ago in Brussels and I can only agree. In 28mm they would be swamped. These are superb castings…..

Finally, there were earlier pictures on this forum which show these folk at a lower angle (as in the painting) where they look far better mouldings. Not sure these pics are the best view frankly.

and Herr Bavarian Uwe, you were very nasty to poor Mr Moyes and his team last night (and did those of us, who do not care for Man Utd, laugh? Oh yes we did)

For some reason, the Germans really love 1/72. Don't know why. Don't care. Most excellent!

Even stranger, the smaller the scale, the more correctly proportioned the figure. 1/72 rarely fall into the Hobbit trap. Alban and Tradition (they were great and I still have a half dozen)were tall skinny guys, with sensibly sized heads. 15/18mm figures are just perfect to judge by what I see here on this forum.

Only problem is 1/72 means different things to different sculptors. Who remembers the tiny Airfix Cuirassiers, when compared to the enormous British Hussars? Or the WW1 Germans against anyone (except maybe the French) from the same era. Giants!

Come on Uwe. Sell out to the Dark Side and recast these in 28mm as well. You know you want to and that Lamborghini awaits you…..

Well with nearly 75.000 painted figures in 1/72 and being no wargamer I won't change "my" scale after 25 years of collecting:-)

Deadhead you are right, we don't do this for earning money – who can't with such a small profit on each sold figure – but we are always able to cover our costs and sometimes a few Euro remain to pay for other masters.

Hagen is a group of collectors, increasing nearly every week who have a job to earn money and who simply want produce their own figures.

As one of you asked for the cost – we are able to sculpt and make the mould for a single 1/72 figure for around 25 Euros. I think we can also do figures in 28mm. Might be a little bit more expensive, but we already thought about it.

From the 35 sets we sold the colletor who wanted them and who paid for the costs of around 300 Euro of the whole set already got 140 Euro back. To make it easy to count. We charge 30 Eurocent for the casting of a figure and another 25 cent for the handling of the shop. So from 95 cent we ask for a foot-figure, the collector gets back 40 cent. After we sold 50-60 figures the collector has covered his costs. In the worst case and we sell nothing, the collector got his wish-figure for 25 Euros. Not too bad when I see what people pay for a special figure in Games Workshop:-)

As for the Dark Side – I visited the Salute last weekend and got a lot of ideas from the 28mm range:-)))

cheers
uwe

"From the 35 sets we sold the colletor who wanted them and who paid for the costs of around 300 Euro of the whole set already got 140 Euro back. To make it easy to count. We charge 30 Eurocent for the casting of a figure and another 25 cent for the handling of the shop. So from 95 cent we ask for a foot-figure, the collector gets back 40 cent. After we sold 50-60 figures the collector has covered his costs. In the worst case and we sell nothing, the collector got his wish-figure for 25 Euros. Not too bad when I see what people pay for a special figure in Games Workshop:-)"

So there is some method to your madness. :-)

Especiall from me as all the profit goes ot my friend who does the casting and handling:-)

I am simply a freak with a good job who can afford all these armies:-)))

cheers
Uwe

May you live long and prosper………..

What else is a good job for, but to afford one's foibles?

The economics you have suggested are fascinating. For plastic moulds you are talking about many, many tens of thousands investment, but of course then you can turn out figures en masse (if folk will buy them).

You say you can make high quality moulds for a metal figure for tens of Euros? Not hundreds, let alone thousands???? Why can I not have my Gendarmes d'Elite then !!!!!??

Liam