First blog ever!

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Juan Mancheño
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Juan Mancheño » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:07 pm

Thanks, Dave. The link is this one: http://juan-manche.blogspot.com/
Excuse me, but it is in Spanish.

Cheers,

Juan
EvilGinger
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by EvilGinger » Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:48 pm

liked the blog Julian & for once being forced to study Spanish as school had a good use even if after all these years I did have to scurry off the the English Spanish dictionary a few times.


:evil: Ginger
Juan Mancheño
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Juan Mancheño » Mon Oct 24, 2011 7:00 pm

Thank you a lot, Ginger. I would like to write in English also, but I am not able!
I expect to put useful information besides my "work in progress".

Cheers,

Juan
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Sheepman » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:25 pm

Well done Juan what a great blog, I only wish I could read Spanish there looks to be loads of info in there.
Dave.
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by EvilGinger » Tue Oct 25, 2011 4:47 pm

Sheepman try Google translate I use it for reading Flemish & Dutch sites and it works well, I am a bit obsessed with the Belgium army of 1914. My school boy Spanish can just about cope with Julian's blog and your right to guess there is a lot of good stuff their, I would also add that Spanish is not that hard a language to learn it is possessed of a sensible grammar and spelling for a start which is more than I can say of dear old English

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obriendavid
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by obriendavid » Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:05 pm

Juan Mancheño wrote:Thanks, Dave. The link is this one: http://juan-manche.blogspot.com/
Excuse me, but it is in Spanish. Juan
Those Russo-Japanese War figures are absolutely gorgeous!!!
Cheers
Dave
Juan Mancheño
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Juan Mancheño » Wed Oct 26, 2011 2:40 pm

Yes, Dave (obriendavid) they are, and I am waiting for the russians to beging this new project (another one!).

About this thread, I have been looking all the information Dave has in his blog about the French Revolutionary with great interest, because I would like to paint the models from Eureka Miniatures I have. It is a very, very good Blog, Dave (and with very useful links).

Sadly for me, I have a problem with the comments; I am not able to write them.

Regards,
Juan
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Sheepman » Wed Oct 26, 2011 4:56 pm

Not a problem at all Juan, just keep chatting on this thread, great to her from all you guys in any format. I wish I had more links specifically to the Revolutionary period from the web but if I get time I'll put up a list of the books I use for research and reference on the blog.
Dave
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Duke of Plaza-Toro » Thu Oct 27, 2011 2:44 pm

Sheepman wrote: I agree wholeheartedly with your comments on Eureka, I too love the sculpts but the cost is too prohibitive for me. I read the explanation from DTP and understand his comments but could someone explain why (and I'm not in anyway a businessman) the lads down there cannot sub-contract the casting in this country and thereby sell them at a more affordable price, ...
...If DTP reads this then he will hopefully put me right.
Dave.
Sheepman / Dave – love your figures (even if they aren’t ours!) and anyone interested in the 1792-1802 period is a man after my own heart.

On the ‘casting under licence’ issue you brought up. Why don’t we do it? Well, perhaps for the same reasons few other miniatures companies like entering into these types of arrangements. They are often problematic.

These ‘under licence’ deals are almost entirely based on trust – not exactly a sound basis for a reliable business model! (And there have been a few horror stories over the years). The first question for the parent company is whether or not your subcontractor is honest and transparent about the quantities he casts, sells and what he finally pays you in royalties. And secondly there’s the issue of quality. Is your subcontractor doing your product and your hard earned reputation justice? Is he always using good quality metal; is he taking care to keep mould lines and miscasts to a minimum – or is he just churning out masses of rushed, poor quality castings? What is his customer service like? Despite our modern world of multi media communication it is still difficult to monitor these things from 10,000 miles away.

As a result these deals are comparatively rare and unpopular. At Eureka we have a few long standing arrangements with some UK companies like Museum and Irregular Miniatures (and of course Tony Barton entrusts us with his entire 15mm product line) but only because Mr Eureka (my boss, Nic Robson) has close, well established relationships – friendships even – with the proprietors of those companies going back over many years. Even if you are ‘known’ and ‘respected’ within the miniatures world (as Nic is) most companies are still understandably wary. Over the years I know Nic has approached a few very well known UK miniatures companies and enquired about casting their lines under licence in Australia with a view to increasing their sales in Aus, NZ and SE Asia. He has always been met with a polite refusal.

Those are the core issues. There are other things that swirl around – such as the x 2 cost of making (and maintaining) the duplicate sets of multiple moulds that are needed to sustain two separate arms of the same company, but the above covers the main points.

Now as it happens, having said all the above, our UK representative Ian Marsh at Fighting15’s DOES cast a limited number of our lines under licence! However, I’m not sure how much our UK customers might benefit from this as Ian is a free agent, running his own business (selling ranges other than just ours), and as such he is at liberty to set his own retail prices. We cannot therefore guarantee that Ian will always pass on any saving he creates from casting in ‘his own back yard’. That’s between him and his local market.

In summary – I suppose what I’m trying to get across here is that casting under license deals are very difficult to set up (and costly – we’re still in the middle of a GFC remember), potentially problematic to monitor and maintain for the parent company, and they don’t necessarily guarantee customers the same quality product or even better prices. Our minds are not closed to the idea in principle and if the right circumstances came along it could happen, but we regret these things are not as straight forward as they might at first appear.

Sorry for the long post – but you did ask!

Sincerely
John Chadderton
Eureka Miniatures
In enterprise of martial kind, When there was any fighting, He led his regiment from behind -
He found it less exciting.

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Juan Mancheño
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Juan Mancheño » Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:03 pm

Thank you a lot fot this explanation.
Sure, you are on the other side of the Moon for us but your models are wonderful!!! I have had no problem asking Eureka for models; my orders have come to Spain quickly and in very good state (I can not say the same of other manufactures from this side of the world) so, soon, I´m going to ask you for some rhodesians, cossacks, afghans...

Cheers,
Juan
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Duke of Plaza-Toro » Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:32 pm

Thanks Juan

Regarding your comment on postage costs: I must stress that ALL Eureka postage rates are calculated only at COST to us - based on their exact weight and Australia Post's associated parcel rates to the EXACT cent. (There is only a very modest mark up on top of that to cover packing materials). We do NOT price gouge on postage with over inflated percentage mark-ups on the value of the miniatures, like some European companies I could mention (but obviously won't... :) ).

The slight downside of this 'fair postage based on weight' policy is that we can't tell you the exact amount to be charged on an order until it is completed, packed and put on the scales. So our website is set up to deliberately overstate your postage slightly to ensure we are adequately covered at the time the order is placed. However (as our website states) the postage amounted quoted is seldom the amount charged (only on those very rare occasions the website actually gets it right!). In the vast majority of cases most orders are charged markedly less than the amount stated for post. On very large orders this can be tens of dollars less.

Sorry for the self serving hard sell chaps - but times are tough and we don't want them made any worse by people getting the wrong impression from a casual remark like Juan's (even though I know he said it in all innocence :D ).

I will risk outstaying my welcome on this thread by finishing with a reminder that all orders to Eureka over au$300 get a 20% discount or free postage (customer's choice).

I’m going now... honest

John Chadderton
Eureka Miniatures
In enterprise of martial kind, When there was any fighting, He led his regiment from behind -
He found it less exciting.

http://worldcrisisinminiature.wordpress.com/
Sheepman
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Sheepman » Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:13 pm

John,
Thank you very much for your comprehensive explanation of costings, postage costs and of coarse the sub contracting issues. As I stated I am no businessman but your reply will allow a greater understanding by myself and everyone reading this thread.
One of these days I will grub up enough dosh to order that Austrian cavalry rgt from you that I need to oppose the three French that I have painted up, I will say again they are lovely figures.
Of course we all know that as soon as the Austrian cavalry rgt appears on the table edge, the French cavalry will take one look and high tail it to Paris as they did most of the time in the early years. C'est la vie :cry:
Again thanks for taking time to answer my query, and of course for looking at the blog. Keep watching, I will try to put some Vendee Royalists on there assuming I get them photographed.
All the best,
Dave.
'I always wear me wellies'.
Juan Mancheño
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Juan Mancheño » Fri Oct 28, 2011 2:08 pm

Hello, John.
First of all, excuse me for my inappropiate/impertinent comment about the P & P cost of Eureka Miniatures. It was not my intention to cause problems with my words. I prefer to pay your FAIR P & P rather than other NOT SO FAIR P & P; it is unavoidable if I ask for something from Australia. So, again, excuse me.

Sometime, I need to think before to speak... :D

Cheers,
Juan.
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Sheepman » Sun Oct 30, 2011 3:11 pm

A few more pictures added, this time some Vendee royalist counter revolutionaries: http://thenorthumbrianwargamer.blogspot.com/
Something a little different.
Dave.
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Juan Mancheño
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Re: First blog ever!

Post by Juan Mancheño » Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:24 pm

Wonderful models, Dave; as you said, a different army.
And your list of books and links is very useful for all of us. Thank you very much, now, I have the information I need for my French Chasseurs.

Cheers,
Juan
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