Updated Top 10 Requests!

[fsn]

Look FSN if you cut your sessions wit Miss Whiplash down to 2 a week, and you stopped asking  her to do that "SPECIAL THING"  you like you would be able to afford them all 

Funny thing, at first I thought she was an ice cream seller and asked for a 99.

[Orcs]

Funny thing, at first I thought she was an ice cream seller and asked for a 99.

I bet THAT made your eyes water!!   

[fsn]

As some of you know I have a bee in my bonnet about the wargames industry being commercially viable, as I want the manufacturers to:-

a : Be viable finacially so they can actually earn a living without working  stupid hours or living on bread and dripping
b: being financially viable means they will still be there when you want to add to a range or change period

etc

Friend Orcs make a number of good points.

When one reviews the Pendraken catalogue, there are a lot of ranges, with a lot of figures. Castings an objective eye over the list, I would say (and here we release the feline amongst the avian) that the what I would consider to me "mainstay" periods that Pendraken are missing or light in are:

• Chariots armies: Ancient Egyptians and their foes
• Ancient Chinese
• Napoleonics: The British range is excellent, but no Prussians or Spaniards?
• Post WWII:

Then there are the odd omissions like Byzantines, Huns, ... and I'm sure you have your own to add to the list. And I'm sure that if Pendaken produce Han Chinese then someone will want Sung, and if Pendraken produce chickens, someone will cry "fowl".

We all have our pet wants - I may have mentioned that I'd like some superheroes - but what would we buy in large numbers, as well as attracting new customers to the right path?

[FierceKitty]

Remember that there are two makers of chariot armies already, thus competition; and one of them is planning to go the ancient Chinese route in time for Christmas.

[fsn]

Indeed so, but they're not Pendraken. 

It highlights the difficulties in the decision making process. I'm sure there are many hours spent in the Pendraken bunker scratching each others heads ... but that's just Middlesborough for you

It's a balancing act. The ranges I have highlighted are probably well covered elsewhere. The less obvious ranges are likely to yield fewer sales so overheads are proportionately larger.

I'm certain that somewhere there is a marketing guru who could make it all very simple for an exorbitant price.

Glad all I have to do is buy 'em.

[Matt J]

My take on it, is that Dave gets made what he thinks is cool, if someone else wants them its a bonus  (I really hope it is like that   )

[Leon]

With any new range/item, there's always a lot to consider and very often a lot of compromise involved.  You can break them down into three categories:

- Long term: Like the Napoleonics or the Ancients, we set out to do a huge amount of stuff, but it will take several years to complete.  It's never a quick fix, but we do keep plugging away at it.  Sometimes we have to give the sculptors a break, either because they're tired of shakos and epaulettes or because we need to prioritise something else for a while.  This happened with the Naps (moved onto some WWII French for a break) and the Ancients (moved onto the Warband expansion).  We'll come back to those long-term projects as soon as we can.

- Short term: These are the quick ranges, like the WWII French or the Mongols, where we can take 3 months or so to knock out all the sculpts needed and then we go back to the other projects.  Ranges on the list that would come under this category would be the 1860 Italians or the Indian Mutiny.

- Quick fix: This would be anything that only requires a handful of figures and can be done within a months batch of sculpts.  These get fitted in here and there, sometimes where a sculptor has got a bit of a gap in his monthly budget, other times where we've not quite prepped the next larger job for them.  Sometimes we'll also have a full month's worth of smaller items, just to tick some off the requests lists.


Just to run through the lists:

1.   Indian Mutiny - Short term project, could be done in 3 months or so.
2.   Yom Kippur - Same as above.
3.   Modern Infantry - Bit longer project, 6 months or so, but we're waiting until we've got more vehicles done.
4.   War of 1812 - Will come as part of the larger Naps project.
5.   Aztecs - We're looking at doing these here and there when we have a gap.
6.   1860 Italian revamp - Short term project, 3 months.
7.   Korean War - Short term project, 3 months.
8.   1920's/1930's Gangsters - Unfortunately an unlikely one to appear any time soon.  As people have said, it's not the most viable range to look at producing, so we'll have to wait and see.
9.   Boxer Rebellion - Short term project, 3 months.
10. Naps in India - As with 1812, this will come as part of the Naps expansion.

1.   Werewolves - These will be done as part of the Warband expansion.
2.   WWII Italian Artillery - Working on these at the moment, we've got the crews done so we just need some more artillery pieces.
3.   1870's Marching Band - Not sure on these, we might be able to do 4 or 5 figures one month, but the sales of them will be limited.
4.   AWI Wagons/Carts - Need to wait until the vehicle guys have got a spare month and we can get a few wagons done.  We do want to do these as they always sell well.
5.   SYW Ottoman's - Not sure on when this one might appear, but we do want to do it.
6.   Modern Police - Wouldn't be more than a handful of figures, probably when we come to the rest of the modern infantry.
7.   WWII Russian 37mm AA - I'll have a check, but I think this may be on one of the design schedules somewhere.
8.   T-35 - Not on the radar just yet, the vehicle designers have got quite a lot on at the moment.
9.   Armoured Mongols - This is one of the easier ones, we just need to send a set of the current Heavy Cav masters down to Phil and he can convert those.
10. Vietnam Radio Op's - Again, an easy one to do, and we'll probably fit it in with a larger batch of new Vietnam figures from further down the requests lists.


As to the viability of a lot of them, that always a decision we have to make, but we are in a favourable position when it comes to that.  We've got wide ranges that sell well consistently, so we've got a bit of leeway when it comes to the 'novelty' items in some areas.  We might not sell loads of 19th C. marching bands, but we always find that people will buy them for the fun factor, just to paint them up and stick them on the table as a little vignette, or put them on a command base, etc.  We probably won't recoup the sculpting costs, but I think things like that make the range stand out a little from the crowd.

My take on it, is that Dave gets made what he thinks is cool, if someone else wants them its a bonus 

And that is what we call the X Factor, as there are occasions when this does indeed happen... 

[MR T]

Indian mutiny, would be great 

[FierceKitty]

Indian mutiny, would be great  

This would have to include Flashman figures! Cowering behind bush, riding for the horizon, en flagrante.

[Bill Braham]

Leon,

Indian Mutiny in a 3 month schedule? Not as long term as Napoleonics it is but 3 months? Possible it depends on the number of codes you have in mind - potentially it is a much bigger range than say the 1860 Italians even allowing for the bolt on from the 1860s Canadian militia as troops in home service uniform. Much of course depends on the initial scoping of the project - worth looking at the various 28mm ranges of Mutiny figures that have come out in recent years - they have the same core figures but each has its own slant. For the real trainspotter range look at what Empress are doing with their 28mm range which is being mentored by Mike Snook.

Boxer Rebellion could be a short term project - some codes from other ranges (eg from the Boer War, Russo-Japanese War) could be pulled into provide the European armies but potentially the Chinese codes could be numerous. The devil lies in the detail of how the thing is scoped out.

Gobsmacked to see a T35 on the list - does anyone apart from China have enough metal to be able to cast one up? I shudder to think what the postage cost would be! Would it work in resin with metal turrets?

I notice that the French Revolutionary War has not made a separate appearance or do you consider it a part of a greater Napoleonic project?

[Leon]

Indian Mutiny in a 3 month schedule?

I'll have to dig out some notes I made on it a while back, but I think it was around the 3-month mark, maybe a little more.  Half a dozen codes for the Indians, same for the Brits and then a handful of cavalry or thereabouts.  We've already got a few sculpts in the drawer here at Pendraken HQ as well.

I notice that the French Revolutionary War has not made a separate appearance or do you consider it a part of a greater Napoleonic project?

The revolutionary ranges are constantly hovering in and out of the Top 10, but they are up there.  They wouldn't be done as part of the Naps project though, as all of the major requestees have asked that the range be done by Clib, so we'll need to finish up some of the LoA, AWI additions first, and I'd also like to get the Late Roman opponents done before we head off in a completely new direction.

[Chad]

The French Revolution is sadly neglected by almost all manufacturers in any scale. There are opportunities for games ranging from small skirmishes to good size battles involving the armies of several nationalities covering a period of almost 10 years. Never quite understood the fascination with 1809 compared to 1805-1807, 1813 or 1814.

Personally I have never seen a wargame that included a marching band in any period and find it difficult to understand why time and effort would be put into something like that when there is clearly a need to revamp/expand existing ranges where there is a greater sales potential.

Chad

[Mako]

Glad to see #3, Modern Infantry.

Really, really, really need/want Cold War Soviets, and/or their East German allies, since there are none to go with all the current Soviet/Russian vehicles you have for sale already, which are suitable for the 1950s - 1980s.

Argentine troops can pass for very early West Germans - late 1950s, though I'd like to see more modern West Germans produced as well - the early troops were equipped with the M48 and M113s you already sell, though I'd love to see HS-30s, Spz Kurz, Jagdpanzers, and eventually Leopards and Marders too.

US troops and vehicles from Vietnam can be used in Western Europe as well, as is, though I'd kill for some nice M60A1s, M114 scout vehicles, M551s, and M59 APCs to go along with all the other modern US armor you already produce.  We also need some 3.5" bazookas, 106mm recoilless rifles, and M151 Mutt jeeps too.

[alanl]

Would it be intended that modern would include Bush Wars or is that a seperate range?

There is curremtly great interest in this era in both 20 and 28mm with some great figures and behicles being produced.

However, there should be interest in figures and vehicles for large scale actions in southern Africa.

Alan

[barbarian]

And it's not like you already have the talibans done. 
And some Special forces too...