A notice from Mr Spencer Smith ....

[Paul]

...and another brand heads of to the USA to die

[tim.w]

Thankfully the good stuff is staying. Very glad I didnt start the 30mm FPW range, very nearly did many times but somehow resisted.

[Willz the Wargamer]

Several years ago I was offered the chance to buy the Spencer Smith plastic molds but chose to decline the excellent offer as I calculated the price to produce plastic figures would outway what money I had available to buy toy soldiers.
I managed to purchase a couple of thousand plastic Spencer Smiths from various sources, for a few hundred pounds.
I wish this chap all the best with his project, $10000 a mold is a good price.
Though what price would we be willing to pay for a 30mm plastic figure, if it is an enhanced detailed figure of the same style £0.50p - £0.75p would be my price range.
How does kickstarter work do you pay up front?or do you pledge money?, I remember Black Hussar tried a kickstarter for their 18th century figures and it failed.
Plus don't just post on "in your facebook" try the online forums for support.

Willz.

[FreddBloggs]

Ks works by you setting a sum needed in exchange for future delivery.

If the sum is not reached, nothing happens, if it is reached, you get charged your pledge and some point after,the stuff arrives.

Yes this is a very simplified version.

[Willz the Wargamer]

Ks works by you setting a sum needed in exchange for future delivery.

If the sum is not reached, nothing happens, if it is reached, you get charged your pledge and some point after,the stuff arrives.

Yes this is a very simplified version.

Cheers Fred,
what happens if you don't like what is on offer at the end of the project.
Willz.

[Paul]

As you've already paid, sometimes years before delivery, basically it's buyer beware (or pledger beware!)
There is no guarantee that the project will produce anything even if the target is reached and the money collected.
Many small manufacturers/one man shows get overwhelmed leading to huge delays in timescale or even non delivery in extreme cases.
If the product arrives but isn't what you were expecting it's basically put up and shut up as, whilst KS does require that project runners account for how they've spent the money if there are non deliveries, there is no requirement to produce something other than as described. There is no real measurement of what constitutes good detail for example so as long as they send you the figures that's case closed.

I have only pledged for one really problematic KS and that was for the Unfeasibly Miniatures, "Empire in Peril" range.
The one man band owner just took the money, walked away, built a gazebo and took a holiday with it (at least that's what his FB posts suggested)he then stayed silent until a persistent and forceful bit of badgering by the small number of people who had pledged forced him to engage a third party to fulfill the project. (Some exact details of all that might be slightly incorrect but as pledgers that's all we were told).
I've just checked and that KS finally fulfilled all of it's pledges three years late and even then only due to the hard work of the third party.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

And how has he been walking since his legs got broken?

[Paul]

Just one final note if the new owner was intending to go down the SioCast route be prepared for the potential of soaring prices and possible lack of availability in the future.
SioCast is a new system of casting in a softish plastic/resin that is entirely owned and supplied by one company. It seems that they have the legal monopoly on supplying all the consumables for the machines, including the special formula casting resins used. So they are in total control of pricing etc... and whilst it's reasonable now........
Also if the system isn't a commercial success and the company goes bust...what then!

[Paul]

And how has he been walking since his legs got broken?

It was almost getting to the stage where pledgers were thinking of visiting his new Gazebo, personally...

You've made me remember another detail, he claimed ill health whilst posting photos of him running in long distance events...
...
although perhaps that was just him practising for the pledgers "personal visits"

[FreddBloggs]

I have backed quite a lot, the only one with issues was the SLAIndustries one. But even that got fulfilled in the end.

Otherwise got what I wanted and happy. Especially the Dunkledorf stuff.