Post by lensman on Apr 26, 2005 18:42:43 GMT
On the principal that it is better to light one candle than stub your toe in the dark please allow me to make a few suggestions. When thinking up new ideas for moulds give some thought to how many different ways it can be used. Odd ball figures or weird poses have only a limited appeal. A line trooper can be converted into a specialist figure far easier than the other way around.
Suggestion number two-- how about some moulds made exclusively to provide bits for conversions? For example while I can take the shako wearing head off the 54mm Napoleonic French Line Infantry figure and put it on the foot dragoon or Guard grenadier it is difficult because of the strange angle of the head to the neck and the amount of work needed to fix the bottom of the collar so that it would fit. If PA would make a mould of nothing but Napoleonic heads (similar to the one you make for the Traditional toy soldiers) I will predict that it would sell like hotcakes. It should have the shako head already mentioned (which could also be used to make hussars out of the Guard Chasseurs) a bicorn hat worn fore and aft (officers and pre shako line infantry) and a bonnet de police (to allow the troopers to join the soldiers of the At Ease series). A set of arms with swords, trumpets, lances etc. would also be useful.
Suggestion number three--consider making a set of horses with interchangeable parts and saddles. The line wouldn’t even have to be all that extensive since three left body parts and three right ones coupled with two or so heads would give the hobbyist 18 different horses! Not bad for so little work. Even if you only offered a very few saddle options (or even offered the horses barebacked) most hobbyist who are advanced enough to be casting their own figures could make their own saddles out of putty. This type of mould has serious crossover appeal since there is a large body of toy soldier enthusiasts who collect and convert commercially produced figures and they (we are always on the lookout for good horses which could be used with their figures. Come to think of it there is a large body of horse collectors out there as well that these may appeal to. I will wager serious money that this set would become a best seller.
John
Suggestion number two-- how about some moulds made exclusively to provide bits for conversions? For example while I can take the shako wearing head off the 54mm Napoleonic French Line Infantry figure and put it on the foot dragoon or Guard grenadier it is difficult because of the strange angle of the head to the neck and the amount of work needed to fix the bottom of the collar so that it would fit. If PA would make a mould of nothing but Napoleonic heads (similar to the one you make for the Traditional toy soldiers) I will predict that it would sell like hotcakes. It should have the shako head already mentioned (which could also be used to make hussars out of the Guard Chasseurs) a bicorn hat worn fore and aft (officers and pre shako line infantry) and a bonnet de police (to allow the troopers to join the soldiers of the At Ease series). A set of arms with swords, trumpets, lances etc. would also be useful.
Suggestion number three--consider making a set of horses with interchangeable parts and saddles. The line wouldn’t even have to be all that extensive since three left body parts and three right ones coupled with two or so heads would give the hobbyist 18 different horses! Not bad for so little work. Even if you only offered a very few saddle options (or even offered the horses barebacked) most hobbyist who are advanced enough to be casting their own figures could make their own saddles out of putty. This type of mould has serious crossover appeal since there is a large body of toy soldier enthusiasts who collect and convert commercially produced figures and they (we are always on the lookout for good horses which could be used with their figures. Come to think of it there is a large body of horse collectors out there as well that these may appeal to. I will wager serious money that this set would become a best seller.
John
