All things have a beginning. The birth of some ideas is easy and of others, long and painful. Most of the time the result can be amazing but nothing is a sure bet. It definitely takes longer than nine months to get a viable product unless you have unlimited financial resources and abundant creative talent. This article will address tbe basic details of how we started our own line of figures -- The Spanish Bourbons 1733-1763. I am sure other people starting figure lines have their own experiences which may be quite different from ours. However, many people are interested in the basics of how it all begins.. This article is how it began for us. FIRST COMES AN IDEA Have you ever sat with a group of War gamers and just listened as they talked and wondered where so many ideas could come from in 2-3 hours time?! It's from these discussions that possible viable options arise for new figures, for old wars, and more fun, begin. Once several ideas are settled on the real evaluation begins. To me, the most important questions to be answered are: 1) Would it catch players interest? 2) Would it be fun, intellectually stimulating and challenging? 3) Could it be financially viable? RESEARCH IS ALWAYS A MUST! I hate research! That's why my dissertation for my PhD is still unfinished! But it is very necessary and that is why I let Vincent do all of that. That happens to be a very big thing with him. His little brain just loves to soak up all those little details that are so important to not overlook. I have listed questions and made statements along these lines. A rather mundane way of writing this but anyhow... What historical information is available to gather knowledge from and do you have reasonable access to it? How many different settings can the figures be used in? How many figures are needed initially and long term? What are the uniforms & their variants if any and do you have access to photos and descriptions of color? What are the weapons, artillery, horses, etc. used? What different body positions would bc needed? What basic figures do you need to start off with? In what order do you prioritize additions to the line? Do I really have the time to research properly? Would I like to fight this battle and play this game? CASTING You can buy your own casting machine but make sure you have a little money. There are several different kinds of machines each using a different method so you need to talk with someone who is familiar with them. A used one, by the time delivery fees are added will cost several thousand dollars. You can pay someone to cast for you or you can get very lucky and someone will let you "borrow" one. Whatever, It is a costly portion of the process machinery wise. You also should be instructed in how to cast, in order to get quality products. A good mold and good metal is a necessity!! In saying that I want to stress that when a mold is "run", all figures do not turn out all the time due to different reasons. Those that do not turn out are returned to the melting pot. Other items needed are a large enough melting pot, steel ladle, sprue cutters and GOOD VENTILATION. A heavy pair of gloves also comes in handy. GETTING YOUR PRODUCT READY TO MARKET Nothing is easy and everything is time consuming! As figures are made they bave to be sorted and inventoried. You must have already decided what and how many go in a bag. Plastic bags can be bought from most paper companies in different sizes. It is nice to have peg boards handy as a place to put them when they are bagged. Labels have to be designed and printed for each bag. Staplers and a hole punch and you will be set up. MARKETING Advertising is a MUST! Big established name companies often overshadow good quality products made by the small business. Ads in glossy magazines cost thousands of dollars and do not often "pay" for themselves unless you have large and varied lines to offer. This is one area where the small business has problems. The cost to produce a figure is expensive but to advertise properly cost mega bucks. So for a small company like ours, we have to depend on MWAN, friends, newsletters, conventions and word of mouth. I might also add that if it were not for Hal Thinglum and MWAN, we would probably be nonexistent~by now. For Hal is a crusader and champion of the "lime man". And I would be remiss not to mention friends and customers who steadfastly promote the hobby. And particularly of Pat Condray who kept suggesting over and over that we really should try our own figure line and kept on until we did. But advertising is so important that you can never do enough of it. Not being an expert, I am sure I have left off numerous things. But maybe this will give readers an idea of how much money, time, thought and effort goes into producing a new figure line. What most people do not realize is that a drummer, piano, horse, flag bearer etc... things that you do not sell a lot of, cost just as much to produce as militia or fusilers, which you sell. HAS ANYBODY SEEN A SCULPTOR LATELY? I am sure there are many fine artistic sculptors somewhere just waiting to make wonderful historical figures! However, sculptors are not the least bit inexpensive and there are not very many "historical miniature" sculptors around! You find them mainly by "word of mouth", that is if you can find a mouth that will tell you. They are like gold dust! We have used only English sculptors - mainly because that is where our "contacts" are. But I know there are some fine American sculptors available out there. Because of the cost involved we prefer someone that has already established a good reputation for making historical figures and that we know can be reliable. Once you find someone, you usually contract with that person to complete your line over a specific time frame. All sculptors have different styles - so it really is necessary for,all the figures to be in the same style. Most sculptors work for one or more companies so you have to wait your "turn" in order to get your product started. A lot of sculptors also have other jobs - so they have limited time for sculpting. Most of your time lag in figure production is due to the productivity ability of the sculptor you have. You must be able to give him exact, precise, correct information on hair style, facial expressions, hand and ann locations, leg stance, finger placements, clothing details, animation, extra gear, chunkiness or slimness of figures, exact heights, etc... And most of all - he has to be able to "understand" what you are asking for. General price range for one (1) "master" figure is $75-$110. MOLD MAKING IS A DEFINITE SPECIALTY Once you start receiving your master figures or better yet before you start receiving them, you must once again search for the "right" mold maker. Again this is usually by "word of mouth". Thanks to Jeff Caruso of Pass of The North who graciously recommended Brian Hitsman of Majestic Molds up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He not only does beautiful work but willingly helps you with any problem you might have with a mold. You must have a master" mold ($100+) and a production mold ($50+). And it takes a lot of molds for a lot of figures. With a good mold maker you usually only have to basic discussions on what the figure is to look like. LEAD OR LEAD FREE Metal used for figures varies. It is a good idea to speak with a metallurgist who will tell you what metals mix and what they cost. Cost always being a factor is important. Some metal mixes flow into a mold better than others. Lead free is more expensive. Cost of metal ranges from $3-5 per pound depending on the type of metal used. To produce a line of 100 figures from start to finish (if you do not sculpt or make molds) will cost between $6,000 to $10,000, which is a conservative estimate. Think how many figures you would have to sell to break even! We have had to start out small but we will persevere and continue to grow. (Editor's Note. The illustrations contained within this interesting article hy Sharron are of figures from THE LONDON WAR ROOM'S fine line of Spanish Bourbons. Back to MWAN #94 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1998 Hal Thinglum 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