See the responses to the Change of Command article. Boy, did I take it in the shorts! Responses to the Change of Command Painting Service Article.
from Peter Rice
Dear HMGS, The following is a response to Mr. Hanson who recently wrote a review of our services in your magazine, perhaps you'd publish it as a way of maintaining some balance: Dear Don,
Thanks for the review. We had no idea that you were so displeased. WHY did you not alert us to the problem? The very FEW times we've had a problem (mostly due to packing) our customers let us know and we managed to remedy the situation immediately. One of the things we pride ourselves on is our ability to maintain an open and honest relationship with our clients. If you had been so disappointed one would have thought that you'd seek satisfaction in a professional and courteous manner. Had your problem been unremedied to your satisfaction, we would have refunded your money cheerfully. So much for common courtesy. Based on your response it's no wonder that many painting outfits fall by the wayside before their first year is complete. And by the by, red, horse-hair crests ARE historical - check the sources! Sincerely, Peter and Andy
And another input:
Dear HMGS South, The recent review in your newsletter of Change of Command painting service was EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE experience that I had. I contracted Change of Command to do 300+ AWI figures. Americans, Hessians and British. They carefully researched the campaign that I wanted to recreate, suggested units that they could paint, gave uniform descriptions, orders of battle, basing suggestions, etc. They added, on their own initiative, hand made flags from local militia units that added a nice touch to the realism and accuracy of the unit. They were great to work with and the paint job was of a caliber I used -to be able to do when I was younger. Their "museum" quality standard is aptly named. The Hessians I just received are outstanding and a pleasure to look at. The figures are animated, colorful and I certainly got my money's worth. My experience (I am on my third order from them) has been really pleasing. They are honest and talented business people. I will continue to send lead their way. Sincerely, Chris DiSipio HMGS East
And another input:
Dear Sir:
I was surprised by the totally negative evaluation of the painting service "Change of Command," submitted by Mr. Don Hanson. Certainly, beauty, or lack thereof, is in the eye of the beholder. Nonetheless, the review seemed a bit over the top.
I have been a customer of these folks for about four years. I initially had them paint an early 16th Century Spanish and Ecclesiastical Army. I loved the results, as did my gaming companions to judge by their compliments. Since then. they have assisted me with a Warhammer fantasy mercenaries army and Warhammer 40K (fantasy-science fiction) Dark Angels and Eldar. The Eldar Army has consistently won best painted army at Rogue Trader Tournaments (although I disqualify myself since I did not do the majority of the painting). This is a beautifully therned "ice world" composition, complete with character figures and a variety of vehicles and war machines. In addition, I have commissioned a number of collectors' items, including a fantasy dragon and rider and three 54mm models from Warhammer's Inquisitor series.
Obviously, I am a more than satisfied customer who comes back again and again. I also believe that I have pretty high standards and I have tried several painting services before settling on this one I am also a reasonably adept painter and conversion addict, although I lack the time and energy to devote endless hours to painting. However, I certainly expect that a professional service provide a painting standard which is superior to my own, which with all due modesty is quite superior.
Finally, I must add that Andy and Peter are the most congenial crew you are likely to work with. They have always been responsive and courteous. They are eager to please, and they have never disappointed in my experience.
I regret that Mr. Hanson did not appreciate their work. There are, of course, a variety of painting styles commonly adopted. I am not a fan of the "Tammy Baker" face, which appears to be the standard in many of the hobby magazines. However, many of the club members are. Well, chacun a son gout (sorry about the lack of accents).
Regards, Jon Zubieta, Syracuse, NY
From member David Parker:
Hi Bill: I have been generally enjoying the Newsletter and each time it arrives reminds me of our gaming days at WPAFB. That was until I read Don Hanson's review of the work of Change of Command. www.changeofcommand .com It made me wonder what he's drinking. The painting he reviewed must not have been the exquisite work of my friend Peter Rice, Peter has painted more that 500 15mm AWI figures and more than 300 25mm Medievals for me, and they are nicely detailed, well researched, and simply beautiful. What's more, I have seen with my own eyes, thousands of figures work their way though his studio that are just superb.
Rather than taking the word of Mr Hanson's hack review, maybe your readers should check out Peter's work on the cover of The Courier #83, The nice looking knights at the top of the page with the dragon banner are from my collection and are his work. The game rules presented are my brother's Day of Battle. Peter's better stuff is competition quality top 1/10 of one percent. His standard customer work is better than 99% of what I have seen on gaming tables since ' I started gaming 30 years ago. Now this brings up an issue I have with the editor and publisher of HMGS Midsouth's newsletter. Peter and his wife make a living as professional figure painters. They do great work. They have several thousands figures in the queue. But one ill-considered and WRONGLY IDIOTIC review like this, without providing the painter a chance to rebut in the same issue using the only useful medium to prove their quality (which would be color photos) could be extremely damaging. Even if his work were poor, might it show a little good judgment on the editor's part to find out before smearing a man's reputation? Maybe you missed a chance to be thorough? Look at their stuff yourself. www.changeofcommand.com
Back to Dispatch April 2002 Table of Contents
Back to Dispatch List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 2002 by HMGS Mid-South
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com