"Is Blue Moon Missing Out?" Topic

2014 – One hundred years after the start of the Great War. We have seen over the last several months new World War One rules being published and new miniature ranges being released. Yet one of the best lines of 15mm (okay, 18mm), one that has been released, yet not completed, for a few years now, is Blue Moon Manufacturing. They have four of the major powers partially developed, for the late war period, but even those four powers have major holes to fill before they are complete. And we haven't seen a Russian, Belgian, Serbian, or Austro-Hungarian, let alone early war Germans, British, or French. Seemingly they have missed the boat, or at least are now behind what other manufacturers have offered this year.

I do not mean to disparage Blue Moon in any way…as stated they have one of the best lines in terms of detail and animation, out there for our pleasure. But I have been waiting years now for casualty packs, stretcher bearers, and other holes long promised to be filled, let alone early war offerings and other nationalities.

Or, are they simply waiting to hit us with some amazing news and a plethora of new releases? Seemingly the time is now to whet our appetite, an appetite though that has been somewhat filled by other companies.

I agree. I am not sure if they really had any strategy when they released their initial offerings but, yes, I think they missed the boat by ignoring early war and the Eastern Front. A large release next year would help, but they would still be playing catch-up.

Well, they stopped their F&I war line before producing any winter figures. One of the best known battles (perfect for skirmish size games) was the Battle of the Snowshoes. If BM was to do a couple of packs of winterized figures they would certainly have the corner on the a huge section of F&I war market. And you could use these minis for AWI, 1812, and frontier games.

Ditto other periods….their model, as far as I can tell is do a little of a lot of various periods, and dribble them out over a long time. i think that might improve revenue. but not the way the original lines were done.

I can't believe nobody has jumped at the opportunity to offer Serbian stretcher bearers in early war uniforms.

Why the hell would you wait around for extraneous stuff like casualties and stretcher bearers? Most rules don't require them, or even include them at all. Blue Moon probably hadn't expanded to othe nationalities because what the have now doesn't sell well enough. If you really want this obscure stuff, buy what the have, start gaming with it, and maybe more will be forthcoming.

It's not just the casualties and stretcher bearers I desire, but I DO use casualty figures for markers. Regardless of my own needs (which one really has NO right to criticize), there are still other major holes to fill (which I mentioned) like early war as well as other nationalities.

I'm not waiting around, I have a slew of American troops, which have holes to fill, like the 37mm and 75mm guns. I just think that BM has missed the boat by not having their lines complete (and many other ranges have huge holes as well).

And since I have Blue Moon figures already, I was hoping to stay with one manufacturer as I am not a fan of mixing different companies (will I be criticized for that as well?).

I'm not waiting around, I have a slew of American troops, which have holes to fill, like the 37mm and 75mm guns. I just think that BM has missed the boat by not having their lines complete (and many other ranges have huge holes as well).

I thought the US used the French 75 and 37mm guns?

But I otherwise agree. I would like to see complete or near-complete ranges. Yes, I get that sometimes you need to wait and see if the intro range is going to sell. But I really dislike mixing ranges if I can avoid it.

The Yanks also had their own arty, such as the Model 1902 3" gun. I could use French guns…no, there are no French 37s in the Blue Moon range. Regardless, I would still need American crew figures.

I used to have some miniature zines from the late 70s where someone was bitching and moaning about the moral obligation of a hobby manufacturer to plow forward and finish lines that are not making any money.

CASUALTIES???? You are bitching about 15mm casualty figures, or the lack thereof? How many packs would you buy? A dozen? No? More?
I do not use casualty figures, in fact I can't stand paying for them. However, if I "needed" them, I would snip figures off at the base and glue them lying on their backs on a washer.

Regardless of my own needs (which one really has NO right to criticize)

Nonsense. Of course we have a right to criticize, even make fun of your needs. Like I just did above.
You have the right to pay no attention to my criticism. And to ridicule me for my criticism. But I do have the right to say it.

Winston – you simply are not worth the effort. I had to edit my reply simply because I didn't want any horse to feel bad about his arse.

READ the entire post before spouting off half-cocked. I mention the holes in the current lines, I mention the lack of early war figures, I mention the lack of certain nationalities.

Ohio State fan…
What can I say.

Things like stretcher bearers and casualties rarely exist because they won't make money. Payoff is typically hundreds of packs. Easy enough with line infantry. But scenic bits simply don't sell that well.

No, Winston, an Ohio native. I realize that your mind probably cannot comprehend this, but there is more than one usage for Buckeye. You can also look up the 37th Infantry Division…hopefully there will be pictures for you to look at, because reading is fundamental has passed you by.

READ the entire post before spouting off half-cocked. I mention the holes in the current lines, I mention the lack of early war figures, I mention the lack of certain nationalities.

And you mentioned the appalling lack of stretcher bearers and casualty figures for which I girded up my sarcasm loins.
You're right. Nothing says Great War Gaming to me like casualty figures.
How long have you had this messianic Napoleonic belief that everybody must agree with everything you write 1000%?
You came to the wrong place.

What I find funny is that if you guys were having this argument face to face,the tone would be totally different,LOL!

I've just oordered some to fill out mt All Quiet on the Martian Front figs. So I hope they continue to produce them.

BTW handbags at dawn! Please grow up

Now its my turn to get some abuse, can't let you guys have all the fun lol

Things like stretcher bearers and casualties rarely exist because they won't make money. Payoff is typically hundreds of packs. Easy enough with line infantry. But scenic bits simply don't sell that well.

Exactly, except it's not even always that easy with line infantry. A lot of time you're struggling to earn out even on those, let alone a casualty figure.

Really the only way to make that even remotely possible is to have a casualty made and then add it to a larger pack of figures. But then people bitch about that and demand that they be made available separately. To make it available separately, you have to spend about a hundred dollars extra for that one figure to be on a separate mould (unless you cast your own, and even then if you add it to another mould that creates a whole new set of issues).

If you charge .75 for the casualty and it costs you, say, .25 from your caster, you make .50 on each one, so you have to sell 200 of them solely to cover the cost of making them available separately.

By the way, this isn't a comment as to the general sentiment expressed in the original post at all. I'm glad they don't make early war as I'm making that! Russians have just been made, then I'm going to go back and forth between cavalry for 1914 and more stuff for the War of the Spanish Succession (Mike's about to get started on the WSS Austrians).

Maybe Blue Moon is throwing a Hail Mary on the casualty packs they do produce,they will sell at least a few dead Dervishes after all.But having set that precedent,maybe Darryl isnt so far out of line.Just sayin,and not the least since I am a fellow Buckeye,and all…

Get these figure commissioned, see how much it costs, then get back to us on why you didn't do it and make them available for the rest of us.

For the record, I am with you on uncompleted lines. But at the end of the day manufacturers have to make a profit. Would customers be willing to pay more for these specialty packs? I have done so in the past but can't say that I would do it for every period I game in.

One has to ask if he expects the sales of Early Imperial Roman infantry or French Napoleonic line infantry to subsidize the "one pack per 50 gamers" packs like Palestinian Clubmen or Brunswick Oels.
If that is the manufacturer's intent, fine. But we should not hold them to produce "loser" packs of totally obscure things.

Thank God I have John the OFM…oh, sorry, WINSTON, stifled and ignored. I am sure his diatribe was not helpful and condescending, as it usually is.

Actually if was insightful and worth reading. This is coming from someone who is not an OFM fanboy but has a thick enough skin that I can read comments about playing games with toy soldiers – or just pass by them – without getting bent about it.

Its an interesting argument, I feel. I don't for a moment suggest that a manufacturer has a 'moral obligation' to continue a line which is going to leave him bankrupt, but I would expect most manufacturers to think through the economics of launching a new range to see if it is viable in the first place? Surely you realise that you are going to sell 100 of x for every one of y, so can't one just adjust one's pricing structure accordingly, and spread this additional cost over the whole range?

I realise that most miniatures manufacturers are pretty small scale, and don't have marketing departments and business strategy units, but it seems pretty straightforward to me?
Its a shame to see a range half-finished as a) those who bought some models will be disappointed and b) few people are going to buy models from a range which has clearly been discontinued – meaning the manufacturer loses out still further.

This year is the centenary of the start of WW1, you've got another three years to go before the centenary of Americas entry so why the hurry ; )

Good Grief wargamer6 -are there not enough arguments on here already!!