Service,,,,Quality,,,,,Passion

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stu

stu

A Fixture
Joined
Sep 9, 2009
Messages
1,577
Hi

An open question to all on the above.

As I take a break I have a few Questions on my mind and wonder what customers, modellers ,collectors actually want/deserve for their hard earned money. I am constantly striving to better my product and give more value, but I also know my kits are not the cheapest. Its a cost/quality balance in a very tough and diverse market.

Is service just a quick arrival of that kit you ordered,,,,is it more.

Is quality actually important or is it cost !!!,,,,,,plenty of recasters doing well it seams.

Does the passion of the company/manufacturer in the care they take to bring you a product actually matter,,,,going the extra mile and if this puts the cost up ,,,,,,,,will you pay it.

In such a small hobby and with more manufacturers and an increasing array of quite stunning products is there a bigger market now for low volume limited products.

I have some ideas mulling round in my head already but it would be good to get your feedback,,,,you after all are the end user of what I and everybody else produces,,,,,

Whats important !!!!

Many thanks

Stuart

PS I will let this run and watch rather than respond.
 
Hi Stu ,

You pose very interesting question here for me what I want from a manufacturer (in no particular order) is :

A interesting range of subjects

Top quality presentation ...this includes minimal casting lines and plugs to remove from awkward places ...perfect examples of the high standard I look for includes Stormtroopers and Grenadier Miniatures and CGS , Roll Call, Michel Miniatures, UEM, SK Miniatures and of course there are many more .

As you know I review and believe me I would have no hesitation in commenting on poor quality particularly in the casting ......like many I do not want to waste money if I buy a model.

Passion can be seen IMO in the way things are released , the build up, the release details and it all helps to have top quality box art ....all this adds on to the costs to the companys of course ..I for one would have no hesitation in paying for passion .

Service is not just getting the kit fast , its the communication and a build up of trust between the company and the customer ...for example both you and Graham go that extar mile in every way ...this is what its all about .....SERVICE and QUALITY sells .

Of course there are others that seem to flood the market , sometimes at a cost to the casting quality and presentation ....you will never stop people wanting so called "bargains" but I and many others are totally dedicated to the hobby and I want QUALITY in all area's .

The hobby itself has changed so much in recent years ...I do agree that it is now more a limited run, low volume market .

I applaud all that strive for such high quality and service but cannot help thinking that those that are not so dedicated could have an effect on the better companys ....you and others have the talent to release using top sculptors and the quality should reflect their work ..in all area's .

I would like to pose another question if I may ...when sculptors see poor castings of their work how does this make them feel ? .......as IMO this could reflect on their image .

Thanks for posing the question

Nap
 
I think quality is definitely important i am more willing to pay a little extra for a kit that is well designed and cast, therefore requiring less work when it comes to clean up and build, than i am to pay less for a poorly cast option. after service is always important which you have cracked so no worries there. Obviously everyone is feeling the pinch and if you could reduce prices by reducing availability that is an option.

i love the range of v12 bust's great idea, i would love to see more non german non elite ww2 subjects but that's just my main area of interest.
that's my opinion anyway
 
This a tough one to answer Stu I guess in an ideal world it would be cheap quality :unsure: Certainly I've found quality wise the smaller firms often offer it in terms of casting, ease of clean up etc I've not bought anything off yourself purely because you don't offer the figures I like best as a rule ( Carl Reid's Viking however.....) but I have looked at your stuff and it looks very nice (y) Sadly like others I am on a budget too so price does of course factor into the equation. Service is as you say not just quick delivery it's made to feel that your order large or small is important and cheerful greeting never hurts, there are some sellers I've seen at shows that frankly if they were giving stuff away I don't see them doing much trade purely from the attitude.

Steve
 
Hi Stu!
Probably you will get a lot of different - maybe even contradicting - inputs. Here is my view:
While I appreciate quality the major factor in buying a miniature is the theme because I feel confident to deal with minor flaws like fiddly seams and else. Does the miniature tell a story? Anatomy? Dynamic pose or just another mannequin dressed as..... (insert a unit, nation, etc)? Conversion potential? Second I take a look at the price because the limits of the hobby-budget have to be taken into account for the final decision.
What does not matter is the question if the model is made in a limited run - especially if this is linked to a certain price tag. This will regularly put me off even if I like the theme/subject because in these cases I developed the habit to take a look at my stash and ask myself if I really really need that model for that amount of money spent - usually I don`t. If there is a special offer for a limited time it is the other way around:sneaky:.
Customer care is the icing on the cake of course but it just really matters if it is absent at all and somebody does not reply on missing parts/ not received items (the exception within this small community of course). If this is the case I won`t buy again even if all other criteria are met on a future release.

Looking at your line quality and passion are evident and your attention to customers is obvious - otherwise you would not have opened the thread.
Hope that helps - all the best for your venture!
Martin
 
Stu and I have discussed this many a time and it as now come to a point where we are both scratching our heads as to what the customer wants

Moving from a modelling background first and then venturing with CGS I have seen both sides.
Speaking as a modeller I like to paint and now sculpt but when the urge to paint takes me I want to do that. I have bought kits in the past but after seeing the amount of prep work they have stayed in the box as it has ended up or would end up as a sculpting rather than painting session.
Seeing what I don't expect in a kit has hopefully given me a good bench mark to providing the same to the customer, in my eyes a kit should go together with the very minimal of clean up, sprues that can be removed from unseen areas and ideally no air bubbles, minimal if any, equally the use of putty minimal if not negligible.

I was fortunate to be taught casting by Stu when I first started and, having bought from him before we even met, I use Stormtroopers and Grenadier as a benchmark to quality.
I know we both spend a long time trying moulds and in many cases remoulding and re spruing to ensure the pieces come out correctly and well formed, mould rotation is also regular and the resin we both use is slow set in order to maximise air release. This takes time and rubber but hopefully the product reflects that consideration and care has be taken.

Realising that everyone has a budget and certainly not wanting to overprice anything, hopefully the quality is very favourable compared to some of the major manufacturers prices, and as mentioned the ability to be on tap and contactable direct. Any replacement parts or breakages/missing are sent free and immediately.
Limited does not necessarily mean more expensive, the limited is to use the moulds, usually 3-4 moulds at least and then to withdraw the product as back log figures can be hard to maintain especially if new figures are regular. The moulds do the required casts and are gone rather than having to keep a mould ready at all times just incase of demand.
I personally would not enjoy producing kits that are not to the standard I would like to buy, much the same as I would not like painting a figure half heatedly knowing I could produce better, but that is me personally.
Stu has raised some very good points and I will follow with interest as to seeing where this heads either a preference towards quality or a budget figure of lesser quality.

Hopefully customer service from the small companies goes without saying, although Historex had the monopoly and certainly did very well for many years and other than delivery the interaction was zero with regards to making the customer feel special. I like to think all the small ones offer something more than that.
Best wishes
 
For me the subject is the first thing I look at. I paint British army figures, principally from the Guards regiments. A couple of Graham's recent French Napoleonic releases look like beautiful figures but are not my period/interest. Then I look at quality. I know a figure from Graham or Stormtroopers (and David Grieve in the old days) will be top quality. Verlinden had several Guards figures in their range but I wouldn't touch them because of everything that needed to be fixed to make them accurate. I am in the hands of the sculptor because I have zero artistic ability when it comes to sculpting. Cost does then figure in as, like everyone else here, I have limited hobby budget. A blockbuster release for 150 dollars would be very hard to sell to she who must be obeyed:). Customer service is also a factor. Graham is showing how it should be done taking care of the customer from start to finish. So really it is a combination of all the factors - cost, subject, accuracy and customer service.

Pete
 
These are some good old questions.

Quality... We all know it when we see it, but it can be harder to define. We can all debate this. I think we all know what a well produced kit feels like. Modellers accept a degree of work to a kit prior to getting the brushes out. As long as this aspect is well thought out, there's no problem. We just don't like great big mould lines going accross faces and stuff! Although kits this badly produced are rare nowadays, and not an issue with your stuff at all.

In terms of service, I think I speak for most people on here in that we accept you don't live next door, and once posted delivery aspects are out of your hands.

Good service, I feel means a willingness to rectify any errors and all reasonable efforts made to keep these to a minimum. Not asking the earth, you're only human - stuff happens.

Pricing wise, well top quality always did need paying for, and very little is cheap these days. I just resent paying for cock-ups and most others will feel the same.

If whatever the figure is, it has that "wow factor" the cost will always seem worth it.
 
Hi Stuart,

To be honest it is great to see manufacturers taking such an interest in their customers. Your questions are also quite timely as I did have some incidents with certain manufacturers lately who could also benefit from asking their customers these questions.

As a person that works in the service industry I use the following analogy to explain the importance of product and service:

The service a company provides (which is intertwined with the product and which in this age means that all companies are service companies as well, even if they manufacture) is like a long line of dominoes - Each domino serves an important purpose, but if you remove one, or even put it a bit further out the entire process stops or fails.

Product – As mentioned by someone else, modelers understand that there will be some clean up involved and some work on their end as long as it does not cross the invisible line of – I manufactured it, I packaged it, I sold it – I don’t give a damn what it looks like. This involves my Subject Matter : Quality : Price Ratio” mentioned in the Price section lower down.

Quality Control – An important aspect which many manufacturers are not paying attention to –Especially the larger companies are getting VERY complacent. I assume for small companies each box is filled by hand. It is paramount that the manufacturer makes sure that ALL the pieces are in the box and that ALL the pieces meet the necessary quality standards.

Service – There is “no” reason why emails cannot be answered within 24 hours. The questions that customers ask are more or less standard –if necessary template the responses and customize them accordingly.

Orders should be sent out within 48 hours at the latest – I have read and heard horror stories where customers have waited months in order to receive their orders – this is absolutely unacceptable. To compound matters the manufacturers would not respond in a timely manner to emails enquiring about the delays.

Customer Service – Something will always go wrong, regardless of how much you try to avoid it – “Murphy’s Law” is a given. If your normal service is fast then dealing with complaints must be done at “lightning speed”. Replace, reimburse, refund accordingly – the old adage “the customer is always right” must be the rule, but the company must also do its due diligence – always remembering to get the matter resolved as soon as possible.

Relationship – All of the above build a relationship with your customer, answering an email quickly, sending out the product quickly, even following up to see that everything is all right. The extra mile a company goes to show its customers that it cares does not necessarily have to cost much – especially nowadays that everyone and everything is so accessible through the internet.

Marketing – Few manufacturers grasp this concept. They have at their hands immense free tools to promote themselves yet choose to ignore them. Keep customers loyal not only due to your impeccable product and service, but by showing them that you care and understand the difficulties of the day. Give them a 5 Euro discount for their next purchase, run a discount sale every now and then, send out special offer to your customers ONLY (just a few ideas).

Differentiate – There are many manufacturers out there these days, show people that you are different, from the subject matter of your products, to the quality of your casting, to the care that you give your customers and potential customers – Stand out from the crowd!

If done correctly all of the above ADD VALUE to a product at MINIMUM COST.

Packaging – When model shops ruled the waves packaging was important. As well as protecting the product it gave a sense of authority and quality. It was also an important marketing tool when someone walked around the shop and saw a masterfully packaged model.

In the age of the internet and increasing prices – I believe packaging needs to take a step back. Bottom line consumers will make their decision based on pictures they will see online (not the box anymore). Bottom line as long as the figure arrives safely in a packaged box (with no frills) I do not believe it makes a difference. Especially when some companies go to extraordinary lengths to package their items, tin boxed etc. which undoubtedly increase the cost of the model as well. If you asked me what I prefer (a) fancy packaging at an increased cost of the product of 5-10% or (b) normal packaging at an increased cost of 1-2% - I would always choose “b”.

Price - Quality is important but it is directly connected to cost. Many manufacturers charge exorbitant costs for products that do not justify it. The balance must be perfect to the quality to price ratio in which I include a new parameter: “Subject Matter : Quality : Price Ratio”. Unfortunately recasters do it well on many levels, but original manufacturers need to ask the question “Why do so many people prefer the recasters”? For example: why pay 50 Euro for “literally the same” when you can get if for 10 Euro?

The answer is that the Subject Matter : Quality : Price Ratio enforced by the original manufacturers is out of balance. Bottom line it seems that products are just too expensive - An ugly truth but a truth nonetheless.

Quick answer to your questions “In such a small hobby and with more manufacturers and an increasing array of quite stunning products is there a bigger market now for low volume limited products” - YES
Apologies for the long answers but I find this subject extremely interesting and I am more than happy to provide my feedback to someone that is genuinely interested in improving their product.


Regards,

Anthony


p.s. could have written more but need to get back to MY job !!!
 
SERVICE, you'll see it only if once a problem came along. Maybe a missing part aso. Normally I do not consider good service when everything happens allright ! Thats the way it has to go.
QUALITY. I hate becoming not the product on the Pic. bad casting. Sometimes the "Box-art-Pic" is pimped-up and do not represent what finally you will get. For me the Quality is OK when I get what I see. If I can see a lot of Bubbles - its up to me to buy or not. But if I see the original sculpture, and get a lousy cast, then the Quality is not given.
PASSION. Well I prefer the seller has a passion for his business and will do so that you'll come back. Passion for Figures - he has enough to produce them. You do not get rich with this business.
 
Some good points there Legend69.

To answer your question ref why are recasters preferred, hopefully rarely and apologies for stating the obvious.

"Unfortunately recasters do it well on many levels, but original manufacturers need to ask the question “Why do so many people prefer the recasters”? For example: why pay 50 Euro for “literally the same” when you can get if for 10 Euro?"


Their costs are cheap as they are taken from a copy and no initial investment has been made commissioning the master sculpt, each time of which is a gamble.
This is why recasters are the devil of this hobby, they rely on our investment in order to copy our work, then sell it at a fraction, their only costs are rubber and resin with no masters costs to add in.

Best wishes
 
Well there is for me, a first step : information
When I visit a manufacturer site and he put a color picture entitled Ensign 29th Food MacDonald 2013, 120mm ( superb) and... nothing else
I begin to wonder, resin , metal, additive photoetched for the belt or not, flag engraved, flag is massive or a sheet of .. how many parts ?Resin base or not ?
Delivered in cardbox, in plastic bag, in ?? With / without painting info (front and back ), assembly info ... ( painting guide and assembly available in PDF to download )
Nothing... then, usualy I pass my way to something else . And expect to find it in a shop where the seller will give me ( show me ) all the answers
 
What an excellent thread Stu.(y)

At the risk of repeating what has already been said, I agree with almost everything on this thread.

I choose a model first and foremost because of its subject and its degree of interest to me. I'll buy any figure, from any period in history, historical or fantasy, resin or metal, large scale or small so long as the subject or the pose interests me. Unfortunately this is so personal and subjective that even I couldn't tell you what I do and don't like.

All I know is that when I see a figure I like, I want to buy it. It's not a logical process, its a purely emotional, instinctive thing. The beauty of my hobby is that I don't have to rationalise my purchasing decisions and I don't have to justify or explain my choices. This is my one small indulgence, and I want to enjoy it

When it comes to price, I guess I can afford to indulge my interests and I don't mind paying for figures that I really want. Price isn't the most important thing, but I do want value for money. Over 40 years of modelling, I've learned to become more discriminating about what I buy, so I'm happy to spend good money on stuff I really want, and conversely I wont spend money on shit kits that are poorly produced or buy recasts just to save a few bucks. All that's doing is taking money out of the pockets of the guy who is going to sculpt the next great kit I'm going to buy or run a good business owner out of business.

Quality is still paramount, and in this area my expectations are very high. Poor quality casting, poor quality packaging and poor QC (ie. missing parts) will see me walk away from a particular manufacturer and never return (do you hear me Knight Miniatures!!!).

Service is the major differential. I like to know that the guy I'm doing business with values my business and wants to keep me happy. If I'm happy, I keep buying his figures - and he stays in business. I particularly like it when I get a little hand written note in the box when I open my new figure from the manufacturer, thanking my for my business. That's a very personal touch that transcends the transaction from simply buying a figure, to investing in a relationship. I also like it when a manufacturer sends me an email alerting me to his latest release, or gets on Planet Figure when I've painted one of his products and gives me a small acknowledgement. It's a small gesture, but it means a lot and really demonstrates that willingness to go that extra step to make a customer happy .

The bottom line Stu is that if you ask 100 modellers for their opinion on what good service is, you'll probably get 100 different answers but ultimately they'll all say roughly the same thing.

This thread illustrates that point perfectly. I applaud you for asking the question, and I hope these responses give you enough ideas to help grow your business and continue servicing your customers.
 

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