Thank you all for the encouragement as well as ideas and questions! And special thanks for those sending photos! Answers to questions below (some omitted due to being covered in another previous question)…
Col Durnford
Great news. Please keep us informed.
If I recall correctly there was a line of 25mm Afghan regulars. If that is the case, I hope they can come back into production soon.
FM: The goal is to return everything to production, focusing on best selling/popular lines initially. Once all pre-existing lines are restored and available then the community will be solicited for ideas regarding new sculpts.
BrianW
Any idea when the Kickstarter might begin?
FM: The target is within the next 90 days if not sooner. Essentially good photos is the only hold as the general consensus was to use finished figs rather than shots of equipment, molds and bins of loose figs.
McKinstry
Frontier 15mm Colonials and Old West were great. Wonderful to see they might be coming back and I will certainly try and help.
FM: Thank you and the greatest help (besides a healthy KS pledge!) would be to share the campaign when it goes live.
DisasterWargamer
I'll be sending some pics of 15mm AWI and FPW frontier – excited about seeing them come back.
You might consider doing a pre-order for certain lines – when you get enough you refurbish that one
FM: The photos so far are great and can't wait for more! The pre-order approach was looked at but once Frontier is initially funded the actual production of any line is simply a matter of getting into the queue. Minimum stock levels are always fluid based on demand but the plan is to to keep delivery times minimal when someone orders.
79thPA
How much money do you actually need? You might be better off partnering with someone who has infrastructure already in place. I know TVAG was interested in the line.
FM: As you can imagine a lot of number crunching went into determining a funding target of $50 USDK. Without excessive detail here, other than initial acquisition everything has been on a volunteer or donation basis. For this to truly be successful there has to be manpower dedicated to startup, no "a little here, a little there" leading to uncertainty. Partnerships/collaborations were initially considered but the trajectory chosen, as well as some intriguing spin-off opportunities, did not fit well. Once established and proven viable Frontier will certainly look to support fellow vendors as it's simply not just good practice but beneficial to the hobby and community at large.
KevinV 03
Aces.
A Kickstarter or partnership sound like great ideas.
I was just lamenting about the War of 1812 range Frontier had. Back in the 80's I had; Pony Wars, 1812, ACW. They were great at that time.
I would be in for a Kickstarter.
FM: The concept of Frontier being a "retro" line has come up and on the wish-list is a goal to solicit the community to send in known older figures for digital scanning to archive and build a sort of mini evolution timeline.
Bashytubits
I am really only interested in the 25mm colonial era figures.
FM: Stay tuned!
Yellow Admiral 03
I wish you the best of luck, and I hope this works out.
I have a bunch of 15mm AWI units I'd like to expand with matching figures – especially cavalry – so I'll throw some money into a Kickstarter (or Indiegogo, or other pre-order system) if/when it becomes available.
- Ix
FM: One answer that will be repeated: Share the word! Once the campaign is submitted and approved the link will be shared here on TMP. There is also a nascent Facebook page for Frontier so feel free to join in there as well. link
The Virtual Armchair General
As kindly mentioned by 79thPA, above, I and another Gentleman with his own range of figures might indeed be willing to participate in manufacture, or in a worst case scenario, be interested in acquiring at least parts of the original ranges.
Feel free to contact me via a PM if this has any appeal.
In the meantime, I think it would be safest simply to offer each range as it currently exists for Subscription. When/If enough people pledge to buy what it would cost to produce and fill those orders (a minimum Subscription you set up front), you would then avoid the risks associated with KickStarter.
I have done this many times before and--so far--with success.
In any case, the very best of luck to you, Sir!
TVAG
FM: Thank you! As mentioned the subscription approach was considered but ultimately an all-or-nothing approach ticked the most boxes. If there isn't enough interest or support to generate significant startup capital then it likely isn't going to be viable as a whole. Then it will be up to others to collect the bones for incorporation into their own efforts.
RudyNelson
It is good to see that an effort is being made to bring back the availability of this vast range. Best of luck.
FM: Thank you! It is indeed vast as evidenced not only by an extreme number of molds but loose figures. And they're almost all in need of sorting!
Shagnasty
Congrats and best wishes! Looking forward to helping even though probably won't buy any.
FM: Thank you! And you are likely the most significant type of campaign supporter, the one who backs a campaign for the better of the community rather than a purchase.
Mad Guru
Timing is everything, as the saying goes, and after literally a decade's wait, I just sucked it up and customized a unit of Indian pioneers, as I had given up the last vestige of hope that the Frontier version of those figures in 25mm (small by today's 28mm terms but still very nice looking) would become available again in my lifetime! Not sure but I might still be up for getting a unit of the Frontier 25mm version out of a combo of nostalgia and to win a final victory over the forces of the universe that seemed to have conspired against that ever happening! For me those Indian Pioneers and maybe a few other bits and pieces of the 25mm Colonial range would be it. I probably won't sign on to your Kickstarter campaign but I wish you the best of luck with it and hope it's a big success for everyone involved. I might sign on to the subscription approach, IF those Indian pioneers were on offer.
FM: Everything will be in production once viable so stay tuned! Even if some molds or masters do come up missing once inventory is sorted then efforts will be made to produce new masters from whatever sculpts can be found to restore any holes in the catalog.
Dadster
Glad to see you are doing something. I did try contacting you, or whoever owns the domain name more than several times and finally gave up.
I must agree with TVAG – to offer AWOI and/or ACW as your two lines to kick it off probably will not be enough – I know I myself, though once heavily into ACW no longer have an interest in owning any more lead from that time period. I think if you really want to make a go of it you should try to go with something like TVAG suggests – show or list what is available in any existing lines you have left and let people subscribe to that which they are interested in.
Good luck, Frontier was at one time a major player in the industry – and best wishes in your endeavor.
FM: Thank you! Unfortunately due to how ownership was secured and some legal wrangling much communication was missed or simply ignored. The idea to initially offer AWOI/ACW isn't set in stone but as arguably the largest/most popular lines seems logical. The agreed timeline is to have product shipping no later than one year from successful crowdfunding. Any estimates from Frontier will be conservative at best while the hope, and expectation really, is to deliver much sooner. The real challenge is simply sorting through the molds and any production issues, so any of the lines have as much chance getting into the queue. The AWOI/ACW have a little head-start in this regard which helped bring them to the fore.
cavcrazy
At one time I had some beautiful Zulu war figures by Frontier, that being said just before the figures were getting harder to find, I purchased a large lot of their 25mm war of 1812 Americans, and they were terrible. The moulds must have been worn out because the figures were crude and thin, as we're the horses. I expect that you will retool the moulds,and when you do, I will definitely be buying your figures.
FM: There are some issues with the later production batches and the causes are fully understood. The level of quality control that's coming with this effort is quite simply tip-top.
79thPA
Another "like" for TVAG. I think you need to let the consumer know what you have, and then see where the greatest demand is.
FM: This approach, or something like it, may be incorporated into the campaign. The challenge is do you alienate a potential backer because they might not get their favorite line in a pledge vote? Hopefully most will realize that whatever they want from Frontier as a whole will be available in reasonably short order once the ball drops.
Dadster
Lay out each available line as a separate kickstarter track -
You are going to have to show pictures of what you have in order to garner any interest – as in photos of inventory you have on hand. Other peoples pictures are not gonna cut it for your Kickstarter. People will be curious to see what the lines look like today – ie quality of casts.
Is your kickstarter $ goal a feasible one?
If you are looking to replace spin casting equipment and vulcanizers you are going to need an awful lot of pledges or some big pledgers with deep pockets.
FM: As mentioned above the funding goal is $50 USDK and was the best middle ground for the best chance of operational success. The initial campaign plan was to show photos of the equipment, molds and a random selection of existing stock. All very grey. There's a reason all the big boys show finished figs: It sells. And the casting quality is all over the place as it's all old production. The quality of the casts can't improve until Frontier is funded and able to cleanup and restore the molds and masters. A bit of a catch 22. Perhaps a hybrid approach is in order, certainly these are early days and the community is speaking. As for the equipment all is intact and in need of only basic refurbishment, so (hopefully!) not too much of a fiscal hole there. But enough capital needs to be secured to ensure there is no interruption of the momentum required to deliver upon a successful campaign. Experience has proven too many pare back and ask for too little leading to additional rounds of funding, loss of confidence and ultimately failure.
DinOfBattle2
This is great news and I would love to see their 15mm colonial line jump started again! I'll send photos of my figures.
FM: Thank you! It's a real treat seeing all the photos coming in!
Tumbleweed
Good luck!
Always glad to see a competitor jump in because a rising tide floats all boats!
Cheers, Tumbleweed – The Viking Forge
FM: Exactly and couldn't agree more!
adds artillery to his soft-plastic Union forces.
