The big move started on Monday, so I thought I'd grab some pics as we went along!
The first thing we needed was lots of timber, about 420ft of it to be precise!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Loadsofwood.jpg)
Then we we had to get started on building the benches, where our superviser had to make sure everything was correct:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Littlehelper.jpg)
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Bitofsanding.jpg)
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Firsttable.jpg)
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Frameworks.jpg)
Once the worktops went on, it started to look a lot more real:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Onesidedone.jpg)
Dave had been asking about at work, and managed to get hold of a couple of old tables which were going spare. These will form a central island in the workshop, initially for the resin, and then whatever else we think of!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Newtables.jpg)
The other job for Day 1 was getting the office ready, so after a bit of browsing on eBay, we got two desks for £15, plus an offcut of carpet for £30, and hey presto!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Office.jpg)
(not a bad fitting job by the missus!)
More pics to come as we finish the benches off, and get ready for bringing the machines and moulds down on Wednesday!
:-bd
Looking good already guys!
Looks absolutely brilliant Leon !
Sure it'll make life a lot easier with all that space....
Where's the wall of coke cans going.....I trust those will be making the move as well. ;)
Cheers - Phil.
Where is the porticullis in the first picture leading to (right corner) ?
X_X X_X X_X
Quote from: Techno on 03 April 2012, 08:06:14 AM
Where's the wall of coke cans going.....I trust those will be making the move as well. ;)
I'll have to see about that, Dave might not be too impressed...
Quote from: Annatar on 03 April 2012, 08:07:56 AM
Where is the porticullis in the first picture leading to (right corner) ?
...to Mordor... :d
:D
Thats the dungeons where they put people who keep asking for tanks/aztecs/tarletons etc.
Looking good - three generations of Pendraken-ites involved too: excellent 8)
Join freecycle - loads of stuff there. Got an arm charir and plans cabinet from it.
IanS
Oh - and a desktop PC repaired.......free
Quote from: goat major on 03 April 2012, 08:25:52 AM
Thats the dungeons where they put people who keep asking for tanks/aztecs/tarletons etc.
If people didn't how would Pendraken know what to make? ;)
I await with baited breath for the next stunning instalment!
=D>
Looking good and pleased the move is going well - so what's the address?
That's looking dangerously close to being a proper business premesis. :o
Very nice chaps.
When you move you should always take something noteworthy from the old place - to bring the luck with you. Making a small feature of the coke-wall might be prudent. Perhaps flatten a single can and mount it as a wall hanging in the loo?
Hope you're going to keep it cleaner than the last digs. ;)
Looks like the moves progressing well, you're even employing child labour..... ;)
PS : love the curved work benches, I could do with a segment as a painting station. Where did you get them from?
Those aren't work benches....That's the posh, curved bar for drinks after work ! :D
Cheers - Phil.
Didnt Leon tell you about the new Pendraken Champagne and Oyster Bar ?
Quote from: Techno on 03 April 2012, 03:22:04 PM
Those aren't work benches....That's the posh, curved bar for drinks after work ! :D
Cheers - Phil.
Still they'd make a good painting bench......
Quote from: ianrs54 on 03 April 2012, 08:30:23 AM
Join freecycle - loads of stuff there. Got an arm charir and plans cabinet from it.
My missus is registered, so she's keeping an eye out for stuff. We're 7th in line to view a 3-seater sofa!
Quote from: robert on 03 April 2012, 11:53:23 AM
Looking good and pleased the move is going well - so what's the address?
I'll be announcing the address and things like that once we're all sorted at the end of this week. Then people are welcome to come visit!
Quote from: Luddite on 03 April 2012, 12:58:25 PM
When you move you should always take something noteworthy from the old place - to bring the luck with you. Making a small feature of the coke-wall might be prudent. Perhaps flatten a single can and mount it as a wall hanging in the loo?
Hope you're going to keep it cleaner than the last digs. ;)
There'll be quite a lot of the old stuff coming with us, so we should have enough to keep some luck! I'll pop a single can somewhere and glue it down so Dave can't throw it out... :D
It should be a lot easier to keep clean as well, as there'll be no clutter around the floor. We'll just have to assign sweeping duty to someone each week!
Quote from: Avalon on 03 April 2012, 02:50:09 PM
PS : love the curved work benches, I could do with a segment as a painting station. Where did you get them from?
They were from the college where Dave teaches, they're old lecture theatre benches. We've got a variety of stools to go with them as well. They should come in pretty handy, and I might nail a bigger board on top to give more workspace.
Quote from: Ben Waterhouse on 03 April 2012, 10:55:41 AM
I await with baited breath for the next stunning instalment!
Coming as soon as I get home later!
8)
It's all looking very professional! Glad things are going well
Quote from: Leon on 03 April 2012, 06:59:36 PM
It should be a lot easier to keep clean as well, as there'll be no clutter around the floor.
Hmmm ....... Give it a couple of weeks...... :D
Cheers,
Kev
Quote from: Squirrel on 03 April 2012, 07:03:52 PM
Hmmm ....... Give it a couple of weeks...... :D
Cheers,
Kev
Less...
.Much less....Perhaps we should have a 'sweep' on the forum.....
I'll take three and a half days.... ;D ;D ;D ;D
Cheers - Phil.
More benches today, including the ones for the new casting machine station:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Thirdstation.jpg)
We've also started on the frame for the partition to separate the casting area from the customer/seating area:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Partition.jpg)
And that was it for these first two days. Tomorrow we'll start the daunting task of getting everything from the garage down to the new place, which is going to involve several van trips and a whole lot of heavy lifting! So this is it for today!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Alldonefornow.jpg)
:-bd
Looks great mate - if only I could pop in now & again 8)
Quote from: nikharwood on 03 April 2012, 09:56:24 PM
Looks great mate - if only I could pop in now & again 8)
It's only 642 miles? :-\
:D
Curiously only one mile less than the distance between Mons, Belgium, and Jicin, Czech Republic! Allegedly.
Mollinary
Quote from: Leon on 03 April 2012, 09:58:14 PM
It's only 642 miles? :-\
:D
Put the kettle on then - see you in a bit :D
Quote from: mollinary on 03 April 2012, 10:09:50 PM
Curiously only one mile less than the distance between Mons, Belgium, and Jicin, Czech Republic! Allegedly.
Mollinary
It's also pretty-much the distance from my house to Bordeaux... :o
Today was the heavy lifting day, as we got all the moulds, racks and machines into the van and down to the unit. We managed to fit all the moulds in the first trip, although the van's suspension wasn't looking too clever!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/3Vanpacked.jpg)
The second trip we brought the racks, the machines and the old worktables:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/3Emptyracks.jpg)
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/3Tables.jpg)
After a rough tally up, we reckon there's about 1500 moulds altogether!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/3Lotsofmoulds.jpg)
And finally I nipped back down and put a coat of Pendraken blue on a few of the worktops:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/3Blue.jpg)
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/3Moreblue.jpg)
Tomorrow plan is to get the machines and racks into position, and get the moulds back onto them. Plus more benches and a partition wall!
:-bd
That's a lot of moulds mate!
Good progress though - really taking shape 8)
Well done so far, but there's a lotta stuff I'd wanna have...
Will you guys have a lobby, or a display area/museum for painted minis?
Maybe a long hall with black and white pictures explaining Pendraken's history?
How 'bout a large 55 gallon saltwater fish tank, just for decoration. ;)
What about like premade miniatures of the most popular figures so people can just walk in and buy?
You should probably organize the moulds so casting is easier (like in crates).
Advertising of some sort?
Red carpet?
A large chandelier?
And the list goes on... ;) :d
Now thats starting to look more like a workshop, ;D
Would "baited breath" (sic) be a result of a phermone-laden toothpaste, perhaps?
Quote from: FierceKitty on 05 April 2012, 07:45:35 AM
Would "baited breath" (sic) be a result of a phermone-laden toothpaste, perhaps?
Meh, I see your point... :)
Hi there
The new place looks absolutely fantastic however I think you've got your hands full setting the new place up.
Andy
Peter, I'm not sure how it is in the US, but industrial space in the UK can be very expensive, so we have to make the most of the space we've got here. There is room to expand at a later date maybe, if we think it would be worth it.
Quote from: peterdong on 05 April 2012, 12:52:13 AM
Will you guys have a lobby, or a display area/museum for painted minis?
There will be a customer area, not really a retail style space though, more a 'pop in for a coffee and a chat' kind of place.
Quote from: peterdong on 05 April 2012, 12:52:13 AM
Maybe a long hall with black and white pictures explaining Pendraken's history?
Just not enough room for that kind of thing!
Quote from: peterdong on 05 April 2012, 12:52:13 AM
How 'bout a large 55 gallon saltwater fish tank, just for decoration. ;)
No... :D
Quote from: peterdong on 05 April 2012, 12:52:13 AM
What about like premade miniatures of the most popular figures so people can just walk in and buy?
Maybe as we go along we can look at this, but there's quite a few obstacles, such as having money/metal tied up in stock which might not sell soon, needing room for several hundred of the most popular codes, etc. We can cast things for people to pick up though, we'd only need a bit of notice, maybe 24 hours? And we can cast smaller orders as people wait if need be.
Quote from: peterdong on 05 April 2012, 12:52:13 AM
You should probably organize the moulds so casting is easier (like in crates).
The moulds are all organised better now, see the pics below!
Quote from: peterdong on 05 April 2012, 12:52:13 AM
Advertising of some sort?
We'll have the Pendraken signage outside, and I might look at putting some display pieces on one of the walls.
Quote from: Womble67 on 05 April 2012, 10:01:27 AM
The new place looks absolutely fantastic however I think you've got your hands full setting the new place up.
There's definitely a lot to do, but there's quite a few of us down there, so 90% of the setup will be done before Tuesday, and we can sort the last 10% after Salute.
So, today's update!
This morning we had our first visitor, as Forum member The Shootist popped along to give us a hand for a few hours. The first job on the schedule was to get all the moulds back up onto the racks, in chronological order. With two of us, this didn't take as long I was expecting, so we were done around lunch time. So we've now got three separate work areas:
Workstation 1:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/4Workstation1.jpg)
Workstation 2:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/4Workstation2.jpg)
Workstation 3:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/4Workstation3.jpg)
We then got the partition wall finished off, with the benches on both sides of it. The far side will be for packaging the orders, and the side in view will be where we pile the orders as they are cast, and also where we put the show orders as they come in:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/4Partitionandshelving.jpg)
And today we had the first official casting in our new home! Dave did the honours:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/4Firstspin.jpg)
So, it's all coming together quite nicely:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/4Gettingthere.jpg)
Tomorrow we'll be getting the old tables cleared off, sorting any spare master moulds which don't have homes on the racking, and then starting to sort out the office. The phone lines don't become active for another week as BT couldn't get an engineer to us any sooner, but we've invested in a Mi-Fi unit, which will do as a stop-gap. I can also then take it away to the shows with us, so we're always online.
:-bd
Looks top-notch - well done guys, and great to see Dave casting the first figures in the new home 8)
looking rather good there :-bd :-bd
Looks Great, but..
THAT'S a casting machine !? I had imagined something more impressive in my head; more like this kind of stuff;
(http://www.pancrack.tv/images/subject%20history/ironworker.jpg)
(http://www.manufacturer.com/upload/product/6444966/smelting++furnace,second+hand+furnace,smelting+equipment_0_detail.jpg)
(http://www.gg.uwyo.edu/media/metals/scarce/copper/production/photos/copper_smelting.jpg)
...OK maybe not that big. Still I think the actual art of casting good figures is something akin to japanese sword smithery.
You forgot to post a pic of Workstation 4 (behind the portcullis... first pic) ... :d
Nice place by the way... 8)
Though the walls look a bit blank....
So....
How much bigger is the space you've got now Leon ? Twice, three times, four times the size ? More ?
You'll be wondering how you ever fitted everything in at the old 'place'.
Looks superb.
Congrats again !
Cheers - Phil.
Glad to see that the move has gone smoothly and quickly by the look of things.
Quote from: Steve J on 06 April 2012, 09:02:16 AM
Glad to see that the move has gone smoothly and quickly by the look of things.
Wait a week ---
ianS :d
Its cool to see photos of the behind the scenes - I only had the vaguest idea of how the figures are produced - and now I know more, but have lots of questions too!
The black rubber disks are the moulds? Do these split in half? So that you can get the cast figures out, and the hole in the middle is where the liquid metal goes in?
Do you have a range of figures in a mould, or do you have a single pack's worth in a mould?
The black machines are the spin casters? The black disk goes in one of these and is spun around? Then liquid metal is added? Is this stage quite quick, i.e. 1 laddle of metal, let it spun for a short length of time, then what? Let it slow down and remove the mould (which I guess is hot from the metal?) how long do you have to wait for the mould to cool so that you can get the figures out? Do you have lots of sprue that is used to feed the metal in, is this melted down and re-used?
One of the manufacture sites talks of 50-60 cycles per hour - which sounds really fast to get the mould in an out and get the figures out. Or would this be using multiple moulds?
Sorry for so many questions, Leon - if you have time to answer them all it would be great.
Looks great Leon, yall needed the expansion.
So Dave did the first castings at the new digs and with Mordor just a few feet away was Dave casting the first run of the Aztec Tank with Tarletons :d
Quote from: clibinarium on 06 April 2012, 12:56:51 AM
THAT'S a casting machine !? I had imagined something more impressive in my head; more like this kind of stuff.
Yep, that's it. It might look a bit more impressive when I paint them, but they're all homemade by Dave.
Quote from: Techno on 06 April 2012, 07:00:00 AM
How much bigger is the space you've got now Leon ? Twice, three times, four times the size ? More ?
It's about 5x the size of the old garage, but has to incorporate a lot of the stuff that was in the house as well. So it's more like garage + utility room + bedroom + bit of loft + bit of dining room when you add it all up. Maybe 2 or 3 times bigger than the combined old space?
Quote from: fred 12df on 06 April 2012, 12:05:41 PM
The black rubber disks are the moulds? Do these split in half? So that you can get the cast figures out, and the hole in the middle is where the liquid metal goes in?
Do you have a range of figures in a mould, or do you have a single pack's worth in a mould?
Yep, these are in two halves, and contain a variety. If it's a regular size pack (30 foot/15 cav/3 guns) then one mould will usually contain 1 full pack. We can get a few spares in, so a mould may have 32-40 foot figures in it, which allows a few spares in case of miscasts. Something like the WW2 foot which come in packs of 10's will generally be 3 codes to a mould. Vehicles vary, you could have 6 tanks with turrets, or 10 smaller vehicles. They may be a mixture of different codes, or maybe a half and half mix of two codes. It does vary a lot. There are even some moulds where the turret is in one mould, and the hull in another, depending on if they've been remodelled, or came to us at different times, etc...
Quote from: fred 12df on 06 April 2012, 12:05:41 PM
The black machines are the spin casters? The black disk goes in one of these and is spun around? Then liquid metal is added? Is this stage quite quick, i.e. 1 laddle of metal, let it spun for a short length of time, then what? Let it slow down and remove the mould (which I guess is hot from the metal?) how long do you have to wait for the mould to cool so that you can get the figures out? Do you have lots of sprue that is used to feed the metal in, is this melted down and re-used?
The machines are the spin-casters, all handmade by Dave. They each run off an electric motor. The mould is placed horizontally inside, and held in place by a metal plate. As the machine spins, metal arms clamp the mould down, and then liquid metal is poured through a hole in the top, into the top of the mould. The centrifugal force flings the metal out through the sprue, and into the figures within the mould. It doesn't need to spin long for our figures, but the larger the figure, the longer you need to spin for (if you don't spin long enough, the metal will shrink back as it cools, leaving miscasts).
The mould needs to be left long enough for the metal to cool, so we work on a stack of several at once. Dave does 3 cos he's got asbestos hands, while I prefer 6. The hot one goes on the bottom of the pile, and has cooled by the time it reaches the top. The sprue is melted down once the figures have been clipped off.
That's a brief summary of it, there are some more technical bits involved, and it can be quite a science at times, learning how to get it right, and why something might be miscasting for instance.
Quote from: fred 12df on 06 April 2012, 12:05:41 PM
One of the manufacture sites talks of 50-60 cycles per hour - which sounds really fast to get the mould in an out and get the figures out. Or would this be using multiple moulds?
50-60 cycles sounds rather optimistic to me! That would be one a minute, which I think isn't possible to be honest. Just clipping the figures off takes at least 1 minute, to allow you to check them as you go. We aim to average 20 spins per hour roughly. It can be more if you're doing easy stuff, longer if you've got fiddly bits. It may be possible to do more spins with 28mm's for example, as you're only clipping 16 figures per spin, as opposed to 30-odd 10mm's, and you can quite often just bend the 28's off with your fingers. But then 28's require a longer spin time, so you'd lose time there.
Best thing to do is come along sometime and pay us a visit! You can see the machines in action, and have a go at casting yourself!
:D
Looking very professional.
Yesterday and today have been spent mainly painting, and finishing off some little odds and ends with the benches. We've also managed to bag a couple of sofa's from eBay for the bargain price of 99p! :o So we had a little trip out in the van to pick those up as well. I meant to grab a pic of them, but we've taken the covers off to give them a wash first, so I'll have to get a photo when they're back on.
So, work stations complete, each with their own shelf to keep everything neat and tidy:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/6Tableandshelf.jpg)
Dave has knocked up some metal trays which we can either fix to certain benches, or they can be used as portable worktops, so we've got those painted up now:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/6Metalworktops.jpg)
And we've picked up a cheap fridge, which will soon be joined by a freezer, a microwave and our £5 kettle to finish off the 'catering department'... :D
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/6Customerarea.jpg)
Sunday we'll be popping another coat of paint on a couple of the benches, and also getting the office sorted out. Might even get chance for an Easter egg or two hopefully...
There's only a couple of things we still need to get hold of, so I'm currently scouring eBay for a decent coffee table, a filing cabinet and another swivelly office chair!
8)
Nice to see that everything's progressing in the corporate colours :)
Great job m/
Looking great, looks like you'll have another trophy to adorne the new place as well :)
Jason.
Quote from: Bishop Lord on 08 April 2012, 01:03:19 PM
Looking great, looks like you'll have another trophy to adorne the new place as well :)
Jason.
8)
get the kettle on, I'll bring my Mug.
Congrats guys! It looks really great in there!
And here is my first official post in my new official office! We're working from the wireless Mi-Fi signal at the moment, until BT turn up and sort out the phone lines.
8)
The Eagle has landed!
Looks good, guys! ;)
Here's to wondering if my lastest order will have been cast there or is already in the post to the States. :-\
Quote from: gregernest on 09 April 2012, 09:31:38 PM
Here's to wondering if my lastest order will have been cast there or is already in the post to the States. :-\
If it was the one placed through Warstore, Dave got all the WW2 stuff done yesterday, and we'll be finishing off the rest Tues/Wed hopefully!
8)
That would be the one! ;D
Here's to hoping for no miscasts!!! Take your time have an extra tea. :D :D 8) :P
Quote from: gregernest on 09 April 2012, 10:25:09 PM
That would be the one! ;D
Here's to hoping for no miscasts!!! Take your time have an extra tea. :D :D 8) :P
Very rare to get any miscasts, Dave's pretty astute in that regard! With US packages, it's usually the odd bent barrel here and there, but the package will be coming via Fedex in a box probably, so shouldn't be as bashed around as normal! :D
The move looks great. I am curious about the casting and fumes. Do you need ventilation equipment?
As far as the Warstore goes, Neal at the Warstoree and Pendraken have a great relationship as I have ordered from the Warstore many times, with no issues!
Tom
Quote from: tschuma on 10 April 2012, 12:14:07 AM
The move looks great. I am curious about the casting and fumes. Do you need ventilation equipment?
We tend to keep things fairly well ventilated, but the new place has front and rear doors, plus a large up and over style roller door, so that should keep it nice and airy. There's also a flue which goes up through the roof, so we can always pipe into that if we need to.
A few more bits and pieces achieved today, so we're just about ready for the first full day of casting on Tuesday!
First off we've now got the workstations all ready to go, with spares trays, spare gripseals, etc.
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/8Readytogo.jpg)
The packaging area is all stocked and ready to go, which is a good job, cos there's a pile of orders ready to be taken to the post office tomorrow!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/8Packagingarea.jpg)
And the covers are now back on our 99p settee's!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/899pSettee.jpg)
Finally, my our office is starting to take shape, we're just missing a phone line and a second computer!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/8Office.jpg)
For anyone who is waiting on an order, thanks for your patience while we've gone through this move. From Tuesday onwards, we'll be back to the machines as normal, so we should be able to get caught up pretty quickly.
8)
Very happy for you lads Leon! Well done to all involved. I hope you flourish in your new digs!
Far too tidy.....memories of the TTG casting room.
IanS
You got those sofas for 99p!!!! that was a great deal.
As far as delays on the orders go, No problem with the wait just glad to see that you've got new premises up and running, and have plenty of room for expansion.
Outstanding Logistical Effort - Martin Van Creveld would be impressed! ;)
When can i come visit?
Quote from: Yorky on 10 April 2012, 11:59:07 AM
When can i come visit?
Whenever you like! Pop me an email through the website, and we'll sort something out.
8)
Great to see it's all come together so quickly! Job well done :)
Cheers,
Kev
Glad to see the move has gone so well! I didn't see it, so I thought I would ask - what figures did Dave make in the first casting at the new digs?
All this a couple of weeks before Salute. Can't work out if you lot are brave or mad ;)
Quote from: MiniPatton on 12 April 2012, 10:04:38 PM
Glad to see the move has gone so well! I didn't see it, so I thought I would ask - what figures did Dave make in the first casting at the new digs?
I'm not sure actually, it'll have been something WWII as that's what he's usually casting. I should have put a little note in that persons order with '1st Official New Unit Order' on it!
Quote from: Germy on 13 April 2012, 08:31:52 AM
All this a couple of weeks before Salute. Can't work out if you lot are brave or mad ;)
Both! Although at this moment it time I'm leaning towards mad...
:D
Quoteit'll have been something WWII as that's what he's usually casting.
How interesting...........does this mean that WW2 is easily your most popular range?
Do you have any league tables to show what ranges are the best sellers?
idle curiosity - no more than that! :)
On a different tack - will you be disclosing your new address soon? - I'll not be bothering you much before the 20th bash but may well pop in from time to time after that as I will be painting and collecting in 10mm only from July onwards and I only live about 8 or 9 miles away.
Well done with the move and fitting out - been a very intereresting soap opera!
Quote from: robert on 13 April 2012, 05:19:59 PM
How interesting...........does this mean that WW2 is easily your most popular range?
Do you have any league tables to show what ranges are the best sellers?
idle curiosity - no more than that! :)
On a different tack - will you be disclosing your new address soon? - I'll not be bothering you much before the 20th bash but may well pop in from time to time after that as I will be painting and collecting in 10mm only from July onwards and I only live about 8 or 9 miles away.
Well done with the move and fitting out - been a very intereresting soap opera!
With the WWII comment, that was because Dave only casts 20th C. stuff, everything else is shared out between me, 'Gandalf', and 'adr' (who has yet to make his first post...!) So WWII probably makes up 80% of his casting time I'd think.
I'll have to see if I can get some stats on the popularity of the ranges. I could give you the most popular ones off the top of my head, but I'll ask Matt if there is any way of getting sales stats off the website.
The new address will be coming soon, I've just wanted to make sure we're on top of things before we 'open' to the public as it were. You're always welcome to pop along though, we've had a couple of Forum members who've come visit already, so pop me an email through the website, and I'll give you the directions.
8)
Hi Leon - please don't go to any trouble on my account. Thanks for the informative reply - as ever!
Quote from: robert on 14 April 2012, 08:30:03 AM
Hi Leon - please don't go to any trouble on my account. Thanks for the informative reply - as ever!
It's no trouble at all, although we might not be very talkative if you visit this coming week with us getting ready for Salute! :D
hi
my first post
just to say my figs arrived quickly despite the move
great quality french 1809
best of luck with the move qhich seems to have gone well
looking forward to the austrian cav so an opponent can be raised
cheers
The new place looks great, I'd like to wish you very best of luck in your new venture i'm sure it will be a great Success... Seano
Just to update, we're slowly getting more and more of the random boxes unpacked, although it's tricky trying to find homes for it all!
If anyone is trying to contact us by phone, we've had a few problems getting the line in the unit activated, but it'll be all up and sorted by Wednesday 2nd hopefully.
8)
Anything to avoid customers ;)
IanS
If you want to harass us about, TANKS!! press 1. For all sensible enquiries, Press 2
Quote from: goat major on 27 April 2012, 02:38:48 PM
If you want to harass us about, TANKS!! press 1. For all sensible enquiries, Press 2
;D
Quote from: goat major on 27 April 2012, 02:38:48 PM
If you want to harass us about, TANKS!! press 1. For all sensible enquiries, Press 2
If you want To Harrass Us - Aztecs, Tarltons......
DONT RING OR POSTFor sensible stuff - go ahead.
IanS
Quote from: goat major on 27 April 2012, 02:38:48 PM
If you want to harass us about, TANKS!! press 1. For all sensible enquiries, Press 2
;D :D ;D
Just to update on the phones, the wonder which is BT have somehow managed to mess it all up, and we're still not active. They're telling us it should be done by the end of today, but I'm not holding my breath.
Virgin mate?
Quote from: Yorky on 25 May 2012, 02:37:06 PM
Virgin mate?
Nah, I've got two kids... :-\ ah... :D
With the original number already being a BT one, we couldn't get it transferred to the business without staying with BT, unless we wanted the very real possibility of it being 'lost' somewhere and Virgin not being able to pick it up.
Once the contract with BT expires, we can look at switching.
Found this thread through the mass email - thanks for posting it. Ordering from so far away, Pendraken seems like just another faceless megacorporation. This thread helps personalize the business, and it just makes me want to spend more money on figures...hey! You did that on purpose, didn't you?
Anyway, here's wishing you the best of luck with the new digs.
Quote from: WarrenAbox on 29 May 2012, 08:47:21 AM
This thread helps personalize the business, and it just makes me want to spend more money on figures...hey! You did that on purpose, didn't you?
I believe Pendraken is your ideal small business 2.0. They have a good website, use email, a forum, Facebook, Flickr, make use of their individual profiles and their presence during shows in GB and sometimes on the continent, they provide great personal service, and they are transparant about pricing and other business issues. That's how you get a loyal following.
Not bad, lads, not bad at all. ;)
Cheers,
Aart
Quote from: Aart Brouwer on 29 May 2012, 09:00:53 AM
I believe Pendraken is your ideal small business 2.0. They have a good website, use email, a forum, Facebook, Flickr, make use of their individual profiles and their presence during shows in GB and sometimes on the continent, they provide great personal service, and they are transparant about pricing and other business issues. That's how you get a loyal following.
Not bad, lads, not bad at all. ;)
:-[ :-bd >:<
Quote from: Aart Brouwer on 29 May 2012, 09:00:53 AM
I believe Pendraken is your ideal small business 2.0. They have a good website, use email, a forum, Facebook, Flickr, make use of their individual profiles and their presence during shows in GB and sometimes on the continent, they provide great personal service, and they are transparant about pricing and other business issues. That's how you get a loyal following.
Not bad, lads, not bad at all. ;)
Cheers,
Aart
Well said, Aart, well said - couldn't agree more.
Leon - maybe you could write this up as a business model case study - and then send to some (nameless) others for their enlightenment :D
We've had a sign sat in the unit for a while now, which we hadn't had chance to get fitted out front:
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Unit1.jpg)
Well this week we finally found five minutes to get it sorted, making us officially official!
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Unit2.jpg)
So, a bit belatedly, but we are now open for visits! The address is:
Unit 2D, Vaughan Court
Bolckow Industrial Estate
Middlesbrough
TS6 7BJ
(http://i1124.photobucket.com/albums/l575/PendrakenMiniatures/The%20Big%20Move/Map1.jpg)
This is on the eastern end of Middlesbrough, but is very easily accessible from the A66, which goes right past the end of our estate. If anyone would like to pop in for a visit, we're there from 9:15am through 'til 10pm-ish most days, so just give us a bell to let us know you're coming, and we'll get the kettle on!
:-bd
Excellent 8)
I's only 2hrs 50mins (in current traffic) and £28.90 in Fuel Costs.
Put t'kettle on
IanS
Congratulations, the sign is the perfect finishing touch. =D>
[Feel free to move this post into a more appropriate thread, should there be one]
Hahaha, just checked out this thread ~ I know that you were saying that the workshop was a bit of a mess today, but I found it brilliant and seeming to be the ideal of working conditions. And I've worked on a few sites in the Boro :D
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnAh-ImhL9c/U_dmVm2cOKI/AAAAAAAABVw/n1Bvqt1KMW8/s1600/1%2BPendraken%2BMiniatures%2B1.jpg)
Pictures of what the place looked like today can be found here:
http://projectsolowargame.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-grand-day-out-to-pendraken.html (http://projectsolowargame.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-grand-day-out-to-pendraken.html)
Yes, I know. Shameless, aren't I. Giving my blog a plug like that :d
You'll have to ask the Forum's management if there's a prize to be had for correctly naming the above lurker ;)
Thanks for posting those, GB.....I'll go back and have another look later.
This cruddy PC has got a real mind of its own at the moment. :'( :'( :'(
Cheers - Phil
Nice work fella! ;)
Shouldn't look at small text before my eyes have woken up.
I read the 'Transporter bridge' as 'Trainspotter bridge'.....Double take time ! ;)
Cheers - Phil.
"2D" ??
I always found my minis in 3D !
May be my eyes.... :-\
(sorry, I couldn't resist ! :D )
Good idea gingerbhoy, thank you !
Quote from: Ben Waterhouse on 03 April 2012, 10:55:41 AM
I await with baited breath for the next stunning instalment!
=D>
Here come the fish puns again.
I mainly post on the Steve Dean Forum, and Wayne Turner (of Flames of War) posted this comment ~
Quote"That so reminds of Battlefront back in the day at Porana Road when I had the job as production manager."
I bet you'd all rather keep working in the North East though, than those alternative climates of New Zealand :)
Having Battlefront's profit turnover might be nice though ;D
Quote from: Techno on 23 August 2014, 07:56:30 AM
Shouldn't look at small text before my eyes have woken up.
I read the 'Transporter bridge' as 'Trainspotter bridge'.....Double take time ! ;)
Cheers - Phil.
:)
I captioned the photo's as I linked the blogpost to the new free-to-download wargaming e-Zine "Wargames Bloggers Quarterly", not as an article, but just for something for the Google and Facebook community to read on the go.
I wanted to take more photo's of the Boro, but I didn't want to make people jealous and plan on moving up here. ;)
Nicely done - good to see Pendraken HQ in full-flow in its current state.
One day I'm going to scare everyone silly & just turn up to make an order.
After all, it's only 324 miles there (about 5.25 hours - if I stick to the speed limits). Sorted 8)
Quote from: Annatar on 03 April 2012, 08:07:56 AM
Where is the porticullis in the first picture leading to (right corner) ?
X_X X_X X_X
That's where the casting dwarves are kept when they are not working. :)