Yes, I admit it. I am a curmudgeon. Webster defines 'curmudgeon' as a 'crusty, ill-tempered old man.' I fit the definition perfectly. Rapidly closing in on a half-century of existence, and most of that spent painting first plastic, and then lead, I feel that I have a wider prospective that many younger gamers perhaps do not. I have seen the hobby evolve (almost since H. G. Wells, but not quite); I have seen from whence it came, and I see to some extent where it is going, if current trends are any indication of the future. And truly, it has been, to paraphrase the Beatles, a 'long and winding road.' And a fairly aged one as well. As a matter of fact, I take great pride in the fact that it was I who introduced Lord Al to this fascinating hobby. How's that for old? 'Nuff said.
When I first seriously started collecting and painting lead figures, the primary manufacturers in America were Jack Scruby and an outfit called Der Kriegspielers, the brainchild of Duke Siegfried, among others. If you want to check out some of these early figures, David Raybin has several hundred of the old Scrubys in his Crimean collection. Der Kriegspielers specialized in the Napoleonic era, providing figures in true 25mm scale. To the best of my memory, the figures retailed for 15 cents apiece.
Then came Miniature Figurines, USA. This company, located in Texas, provided the first-generation range of Minifigs in the early 1970's. The range was extensive, and the figures cost 25 cents a piece. Even with the deflated currency of the period, most wargamers could afford whole armies of Minifigs. (And this is where Lord Al and Rhea Baskette make their first appearance in the hobby. Al collecting and painting Napoleonic Prussians, Rhea specializing in Napoleonic Italians.)
But over the years, two quite related phenomena have occurred. First, figures have apparently taken steroids over the years, and now a 25mm figure is in fact 28mm. And second, the price of these hefty warriors has skyrocketed.
I recently received the latest issue of Wargames Illustrated, and like most of the folks that subscribe to, or purchase this magazine, I went to the back cover to see what The Foundry was up to. On the back cover was the first release of their Street Violence range. Gorgeous figures they are, and every one with character. But the price? How does 40 figures for $125 suit you? To save you from doing the math, that comes out to roughly $3.00 per figure. How many can I sell you? Would you like a bridge to go with them? And, no, they are not made of gold.
But to give the devil his due, you certainly don't need battalions or regiments of street gangs, and this range is obviously designed for the skirmish gamer. Just like specialized books, if you aren't going to sell many copies, you have to charge more per book. I suppose that this is The Foundry's rationale. If you aren't going to purchase 24 mutants with chain saws in order to paint up the Broad Street Irregulars, then the manufacturer must charge more for them, the production cost being roughly the same as a mass-market historical figure (or pprhaps even a bit higher).
In the same issue, another deal is advertised, this being the first of the Old West Mountain Man range. In this deal, with the same ubiquitous price of $125, you receive 47 castings (plus a free bear), which translates into about $2.65 per casting.
And just to confuse matters, there is the first release of The Foundry's Thracian range, which includes 56 castings (as well as two free figures) once again for $125. And this means that you pay $2.23 per figure. So let's do the math. For the same price you would receive 16 more Thracian castings than you would Street Violence castings. Using the Thracian cost per casting of $2.23, that means that you are either paying around $36 too much for the Street Violence deal, or $36 not enough for the Thracian deal.
I never was good at this modern math. It makes my brain ache.
Now I know that Foundry aficionados will point to all of the various deals and specials that are regularly advertised, such as 'buy six packs at the regular price and get two free.' Okay, supposing that each pack contains 8 figures (not a sure thing), then you have spent around $108 for 64 figures; about $1.70 per casting. And then there are the battalion packs, where you can purchase figures in bulk for somewhere around $1.00 apiece. Although the price comes down dramatically, you don't really have any say in what you will receive. Do you really want or need all those command or casualty figures?
Yet, apparently The Foundry is having some degree of success with its marketing scheme. And it has also succeeded in controlling many of the handin-glove resources widely available to most wargamers. For example, in this same issue of Wargames Illustrated, the one that introduces the Mountain Man deal, there is a five-page article entitled 'Introducing The Mountain Men' by Lance Cawkw'ell. It comes complete with Foundry borders surrounding every page. I wonder if The Foundry had to pay for this obvious advertising of it's new range, or if Wargames Illustrated is so hungry for articles that it publishes such articles for free? If free, I wonder why other manufacturers don't follow suit.
And I have noticed that The Foundry also seems to have an inordinate amount of pull with Osprey Publishing, if its choice of what books to publish are any indication. The Foundry releases a range of pirates. Osprey responds with not one, but two books on the subject (Pirates and Privateers). Osprey releases a range of gladiators. Osprey responds with a book on gladiators. The Foundry releases a range of Thracians, and guess what?
And even more interesting is that all of these books are illustrated by Angus McBride, who in my opinion is the best illustrator Osprey has ever had. It makes me wonder if there isn't some sort of deal between The Foundry, Osprey, and the talented Mr. McBride. Naw, couldn't be.
I doubt that Osprey will release a book on Street Violence, but I expect to see the pre-publication announcement of a new book on Mountain Men any day now. And I will be willing to bet who the illustrator will be.
And folks, in my crotchety old opinion, this just simply isn't good for the hobby. When Bryan Ansell headed up Games Workshop, it became the preeminent supplier of Fantasy figures in the world. I don't know exactly what share of the market GW controls, but I would imagine that it is immense. And have you purchased a GW figure lately? I went into a local shop recently to purchase a character figure to paint as a gift for a local gamer. It was a GW 40K Chaos Champion (did I get that right, players?). The cost was $12.99. For one blasted 28mm chunk of lead! Unbelievable.
And I see The Foundry moving in the same direction. Skirmish gaming and small squad actions will be the order of the day, played with very nice, but very expensive castings. Am I wrong? When was the last time you saw a 24-man regiment of Foundry American Civil War fig- ures? If you have, then know that you saw an investment of around $45 for just the lead alone. I don't know about you, but every time I see a Foundry advertisement, I thank my lucky stars for a strong company like Old Glory. Without it, The Foundry might rule the historical market just like GW rules the fantasy market.
But I want to end this section on a positive note. The Foundry has done an excellent job in recruiting the best sculptors and designers in the market today. In my opinion, nobody can match the Perry twins and Mark Copplestone when it comes to sculpting a figure. The Foundry has certainly raised the bar when it comes to producing quality figures, and I am gratified to see other companies such as Gripping Beast and Old Glory following suit.
And speaking of Osprey, that company's latest batch of new releases certainly has a salty-edge to them. Of the five new Warrior and Elite books that have recently hit the market, three of them deal with WWII naval subjects. First, there is Warrior 36, Grey Wolf, a study of the German U-Boat Crewman. This book takes Osprey's Elite 60, U-Boat Crews 1914-45, and focuses on the period 1939-45. Perhaps of interest to fans of Das Boot and U571, 1 would imagine that this offering would have limited appeal to most wargamers.
Which is true also of Ospreys other two new naval releases, Warrior 37, a study of the German Seaman, 1939-45, and Elite 79, The Royal Navy, 1939-45. WWII naval wargamers rarely require detailed uniform information, and there certainly doesn't seem to be much interest among collectors of larger figures for WWII naval subjects. Still, Osprey has provided information for a long-neglected historical niche, and should be commended. Osprey's other two new releases include Warrior 39, the aforementioned book on Gladiators illustrated by Angus McBride and Warrior 38, German Fallschirmjager, 1935-45. The book on Gladiators is sure to be a big seller, and The Foundry should see a bit of a surge in the demand for their gladiator figures as a result, and the book on German paratroopers dovetails nicely with Osprey's Men-At-Arms 139, German Airborne Troops 1939-45. Between the two of these books, a wargamer should have most of the information needed to paint up historically accurate German parachute troops, perhaps for that Eben Emael wargame that you have been thinking of for some time.
But I have griped enough for one issue of the H.M.G.S. Dispatch. I am sure that soon I will have another broadside or two to deliver. I certainly hope that I have not offended anybody, but if I have, I certainly apologize.
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