Salute 2013, has been and gone, with the usual selection of shiny toys to tempt us.
I don't go to the show, did it as a trader, mainly because you have to, but it has never appealed to me as a punter. Too big, too busy, too impersonal.
However, its fun to see what stuff gets put out by the companies, and you get that warm and fuzzy feeling inside, when lots of lovely pics start appearing on the various forums.
This year, one release caught my eye, RedStar Miniatures had some very nice 28mm French for Vietnam in the 1950's. Sculptd by Paul Hicks, they looked the part........................and then, I saw the pack price, nine of your very fine Engish pounds sir, and I shall supply you with 5, yes thats 5 shiny metal soldiers!!!! A sharp intake of breath, and a maybe not.
Well ths got me looking elsewhere at prices, and its not a pretty sight
Empress Minis £7 for 4 figures
Assault Group £6.50 for 4 figures
Foundry are still looking for a tenner a pack, and number svary from 6 to 8 figures
Warlord Games, wildly varying prices, but £2 per fig seems to be their benchmark!!
Perry Miniatures £6.50 for 6 figures
Crusader Miniatures £9.60 for 8 figures
Artizan Designs £5.40 for 4
There are various offers for unit deals, but as my spending is limited, I rarely get a chance to partake of these.
Luckily for me, I am back on Ancients at the moment, and the lovely Aventine figures are £4.50 for 4, so still not too bad.
Looks like any new projects in 28mm are out of the window for certain, unless I can sell some bodyparts, or have a massive lottery win.
Will have to avoid the trips to the club as well, far too many temptations :-(
I stopped purchasing most new minis when the price went north of a quid (except I still buy Aventines). I appreciate that companies need to pitch their minis at prices where they can make a profit, but I can't afford them. These days I mostly buy what I need on fleaBay, or trade with mates, to get what I need.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Simon
Depends on the period really. Napoleonic gamers really get it in the neck because of their demand for large units or lots of smaller ones and they're all baby Napoleons. The French Vietnam figures are expensive, true, but they're bloody excellent and you're only practically going to go for large skirmish at most so the overall outlay isn't so painful.
ReplyDeleteI bit the bullet on 28mm ACW, AWI and Marlburian cos I like the figures (O.K., ACW in 15mm too as I'm an imbecile), but anything else (Napoleonics especially) are 15mm for me. Yer pays yer money etc. I like 28's so it's a slow build/acquisition rate for me. I suppose the rule is the old adage that if yo want something badly enough you'll stump up for it. Look how much people pay for buildings and such?
Aventine is about the only thing I've bought recently. Had a try with some 20mm stuff, and they were pretty good. Like Simon I rely on bargains from ebay, or bits I can blag elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI could go back into making vehicle masters, but that would defeat the object, as I would spend all my time making the masters, and no time painting any stuff!!
I tend to buy 25/28mm figures from eBarf for my Colonial skirmish campaign, and then only in small numbers. Can't/won't afford those prices new. I scaled down to 10mm for AVBCW as it gives more bang for the buck, and will probably stick to that scale in future projects.
ReplyDeleteBeing an antipodean we also have to consider (often horrendous) postage on top. It seems every postal service and their dog has bumped this up dramatically of late. At least the Aussie dollar is kicking b@tt ;-)
ReplyDelete