Sad news,,, Re Stormtroopers

[stu]

Hi All,

Unfortunately the scourge of recasting has just hit stormtroopers hard.

5 New products in one go !!!

To say I am fed up is an understatement, there are lots of flippant words but I need to control things.

I know its my problem,,,so I have been told. I do everything I can and quite frankly spend tooooo much time on this from ebay reporting,,Vero,,you name it. Trouble is nothing works !!! The problem is becoming epidemic and is starting to cause problems. I know whats happened to my other recast kits so its not great.

10% of my products are now recast,,,sad times.

Can I ask that if anybody is selling/off loading my products in Market place /Ebay to contact me through here or [email protected] if they are selling to anybody in Russia, Poland ,china or hungary. I will gladly buy back the kits if you are inadvertently selling to somebody I believe to be a recaster. Or anybody that's just doesn't sound right !!!

Unfortunately if you cannot now show me the box with artwork etc then on affected kits I cannot promise to rectify any issues with these kits. This I don't like as it goes against all I believe in, but I am not going to rectify recast kits.

Planned new releases for stormtroopers and Troop54 may be delayed so I can get to the root of the problem.

Recasting is hurting,,,its bad personally and I have been asked by Alison to consider seriously why I do this. I know a lot of you here and I consider you as friends,,,help me and help us all by reporting on ebay every kit you find that's a recast. Do it regularly . If the numbers stack up it might just make Ebay look into it.

Sorry to be so negative,,,Head and Heart moment,,,,both messed up to be honest.

Thanks for listening

Stuart

 

[Old Pete]

I was haveing a look at Ebay tonight and saw these I was quite shocked at the number this is way out of order but Ebay does,nt care as long as it gets its cut.I sorry for you Stuart this must be a right pain in the a***

 

[stu]

Many thanks pete.

It is ..but mostly its just disheartening.

We are virtually powerless to stop it.

Cheers

Stuart

 

[CGS military figures]

Really sorry to hear this stu, speak soon mate and will also keep a eye out.

 

[polyphemus]

I'm really sorry to hear of this Stuart. I've said it before recasters are just parasites who don't give a damn about the damage they cause but also their customers are just as bad. It will be a very sad day when the production of high quality figures drys up.

Geoff

 

[Wayneb]

Yes, the problem is the new ones coming into the hobby want the cheap because there's not enough awareness of the difference. How would I know this unless I've bought the cheap?. . Because I have( two..that's all)....It's a relatively cheap pallet to learn on to see how far your interest and talent will take you when it comes to painting. If they like the hobby; then the next step is an awareness of quality. I'm sure it's got to be completely disheartening for any artist trying to promote and sell their product. I think it's always been that way for most artists. Now we have the ripoff artists that have no scruples as far as who they rip off to make a lousy buck and stealing the hard earned buck the true artists work to make....Oh..oh..I sense myself ready to go off...........Hang in there Stu.
Regards,
Wayne

 

[Nap]

Hi Stu

This is so not good , and so annoying , recasters are not welcome here on PF and action taken to deal with them if found but I ask myself just what does e bay do ...just seem interested in the money and not ethics .

Not sure what the procedure is for companies involved , apart from contacting e bay .

I have seen other companies pieces there as well including the well known ones from Korea

The whole subject of the recast and the effects they have on the victims has been well discussed here on PF and there is a group on FB as well about recasts but still they carry on

Wayne in fairness highlights a couple of points ..everyone wants a bargain and it's a good test bed into the hobby not that either condone recasting.

Hope you get this sorted but obviously you must consider the impact as Alison says ....

you are right holding back releases till something is sorted

Nap

 

[stu]

Thank you for taking the time to comment and hence help.

It means a lot at present. As manufacturers we have all taken the fight back to try to stop this, sadly its not working.

The Download age is upon us,,,they believe in nothing but their own self and want everything for as little as they can get. They give nothing and take everything.
Not all thankfully but from what I have seen its not good.

My paper trail is closing in, so soon I hope to be able to move on.

I have only sold 20 kits of one of them, thankfully its one of my own kits, but its giving me a link to trace the source. If I had paid for the master ???? Its due for remoulding as well ???

Again thanks and please everybody help us when selling old or new kits,,,,,be carefull and protect your hobby.

Stuart

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Im sad to hear this, and actually this furiates me.

Unfortunately I have only two solutions.
-Hire a goon to mess up these guys, their workshop and equipment. Sad, but Im actually serious. :/
-Have all objects as preorder. Once a certain amount of preorders is reached, you produce and ship the figure out. Then you at least get you money back and the market for recasts will be very slow as the most interested persons already has the bust.

Not only are the recasters hurting the company thats trying to stay in business financially. They also hurt the brand as they often have an inferior product. Some recast seems even to obmit certain parts in their recast? Also the retailers are getting hurt thus the product is not to be spread as effecient. If the retailers disappear, shows will be harder to stage and fewer will be interested in going there. No new figures will surface and its only a downgoing spiral.

Cheers
Janne Nilsson

 

[Tecumsea]

PM sent Stu

 

[stu]

I would just like to thank you all for your support ...it means alot.

Unfortunately i cant update on everything...but good can come from bad.

Cheers

Stuart

 

[Viking Bob]

I have just read this Stuart, string up up scumbags, I say.
I have and always will, order from company's like your self, otherwise we will not have a hobby anymore.

 

[Blind Pew]

I've been considering this issue and have racked my brain to come up with a solution. I haven't yet, but will continue.

 

[CGS military figures]

I think it goes without saying and with a lot of thanks, that we all are singing off the same song sheet and really great to see the support against the enemy of recasting.

It's not generally known but Stu taught me to cast from basic, I always classed and still do, Stormtroopers as a quality product and benchmark, this hurts as it seems the better cast the easier to copy.

I truly do not have a answer, I managed to nip my few in the bud but I am sure it's still going on. There is a pride amongst all us modellers and if copied it does hurt above just the wallet, a vision comes through and is then stolen.

All I will say is THANKS to PF loyalty and we can only stop it as a community here and amongst us everywhere both Uk and overseas, if you do see a copy please can you take the guilty to task
Best wishes and thanks
Gra

 

[Dan Morton]

Sorry to hear about this, Stu.

I know little about casting methods, costs, etc., so this is just an idea and it may be a lousy one.

Would it be possible to embed a bar code or production number inside one of the cast resin pieces? Ideally the number would not be visible on the surface of the product and would require a reader.

Could that bar code or production number be controlled and varied over time to test and verify that a given kit is not a re-cast? Is it practical?
What I had in mind is being able to match a number hidden inside the casting with a small casting batch maintained by the owner of the masters. A specific number matched up with a specific batch and a frequent change of batch and number.

A re-caster will be as inclined to go after low hanging fruit as anybody, right? If that is the case, making your product a 'hard' target might cause the re-caster to stop chasing your products and go after a more poorly protected set.

Being able to verify to law enforcement that a given company is engaged in re-casting wouldn't guarantee prosecution and I suspect law enforcement would always see this problem as one of less importance. Given this just concentrate on making your products harder targets.

One more suggestion. If you have a company lawyer, ask them to maintain all documentation you produce on this process. Don't keep any documentation on the web and don't volunteer your methods to anybody. Minimize the paper documentation in general and in the office in particular.

Is any of this helpful at all?

All the best,
Dan

 

[Paul Kernan]

Never have, never will buy anything except the legit product, either from the company itself or reputable sellers (Red Lancer, PF members, etc). Due to a few bad experiences, I tend to only sell within North America or the UK. Sad commentary

 

[pmfs]

Parasites die with medicines, miniature industry have to come together to develop a remedy to end this plague once and for all because this is not only a problem of 1 or 2 this is a problem for us all.

My thougts are with you Stuart.

Cheers,
Pedro.

 

[DEL]

The problem is, I suspect, nigh on insurmountable. Dans suggestion is probably technically possible but offers little practical benefit.
Manufacturers would have to agree on a common format and only major shows could invest in the chip / barcode readers.
Let's say this happened who would get checked? it would be the general traders stock and competitors entries. Personally being a bit thin skinned I would be really pissed at what I'd regard as a breach of trust.
Like us all I have every sympathy for Stu and the others who are impacted by this. The only solution I can offer is one that hurts us all........limited editions, pre-ordered. This gives a higher degree of control to the manufacturer but would certainly have an impact on the volume of sales. Stu has to some extent done this with his own product range insofar as he has a clear record of who bought what. Each piece sold could have as a part an individual number cast and included, this could then be glued to the finished piece if the painter wanted to enter it in competition. It would then be attributable to a particular individual, the manufacturers retaining the distribution record.
Having said this it seems that virtually every solution suggested over the years is fraught with problems. Pre-planned and pre-ordered limited editions would certainly impact on me who likes to see a piece and who enjoys the buzz of coming across something I hadn't previously considered.
Given the pandemic nature of fakery of just about everything I'm sure manufacturers expect a certain amount of lost trade. To be a legitimate manufacturer who has invested in developing the concept and then have 5 of your brand new releases cast and marketed coterminously with your own release must be sickening.
Derek

 

[luisg]

I,m Sorry to hear this, Stu.

We met in person in Folkestone 2015, and although I already knew, I can only say that you are a good person and you do not deserve to be going through that situation.

All my support.

Luis Garcia Ibañez

 

[stu]

Thanks you all for your help and support it means a lot.

Unfortunately Recasting is a subject that is fairly taboo and is sure to get things a bit steamy .

What is clear is that as a manufacturer I am doing all I can, but at present failing !!! It has often been said its my problem,,,believe me I've tried and I am trying again to solve my problem. The bit I struggle with is,,,,its not my problem. Its a problem for the hobby because it is stifling creativity. It really has become a parasite and there is no answer to it.

At present I limit my trade, have a great shop which details everything and yet I can find no direct link. Its not stopping me looking so to the person out there that I will find ,,,I am watching.

You all can help me,,,if you have sold on one of these products recently via market place or ebay can you tell me either openly or via [email protected]

I need to plug the means of getting my products. Not just for me either.

Many thanks

Stuart