Bostal Corps: Sci-Fi Dioramas and Accessories

[Commander Vyper]

Too nice and too expensive, prices need a reality check as these is gaming pieces not movie set.

(Have been a fan of the DC heroclix scenery for a while now, gothan PD and the batcave are inspired!).

[YPU]

Unmodified heroclixs are not worth this level of terrain.

[Connectamabob]

In terms of price by material volume they seem pretty comparable to other terrain stuff out there. Building entire rooms out of Ainsty and/or Antenociti resin parts won't be any cheaper. Most people usually only buy just enough to tart up a room made of cardboard and granny grating. Why so quick to assume a different standard here? To say nothing of the minimum cost of production for resin parts. Methinks he's not the one who needs a price reality check.

If you really want whole rooms, instead of implying he shouldn't be selling at all, maybe try suggesting that he sell Hirst-Arts style molds for the repeating wall and floor tiles instead of individual castings, or something like that.

And complaining about the quality being too high? Seriously?

[AKULA]

lovely - worth every penny

 

[Johnno]

I've been looking at his french site for some time now. I think his stuff is amazing.
The quality is superb! I can't believe there are complaints about the quality being too high!
However, for being on this side of the pond..once dollar conversions and shipping rates come into effect, it will be very expensive...

[Connectamabob]

Too true, too true. I'm in the US, and I tend to buy very sparingly & selectively when things are priced in pounds or euros. Shipping varies too broadly to prejudge, but the exchange rates mean everything effectively costs twice as much as it would if it were made & sold locally.

I guess that's the karmic balance to the whole VAT & customs thing people east of the Atlantic have to deal with in buying from the US. *sighs* Why can't things be equally fair instead of equally unfair, eh?

Does Canada have the Customs & VAT charges too, or is it like the US? If the former... good lord, that would suck... worst of both worlds, gah.

[Braz]

Yup, sucks in Canada. We have a customs & VAT fee collected by Canada Post. I believe it's 13% now (Harmonized Sales Tax, a combination of Provincial and federal tax) plus a $5-8 fee depending on how it is sent. Application in my experience is quite erratic so paying once in a while is okay (been lucky so far). From what others say it seems to apply more often if coming from the US. I do not do any business that ships only with courier companies (FEDEX, UPS, DHL, etc) as they charge a crazy "broker fee" of $30 or so to collect the tax. Regular mail for me please as I count on the inefficiency of the post to give me a free pass on the collection.

BTW the Canadian dollar is close to par with USD at the moment.

EDIT: Oh yeah...I love his amazing stuff but too pricey IMO to build a board with but a few accent pieces maybe...

[aliensurfer]

lovely - worth every penny - I'm doing a whole 8' x 6' table out of it as I'm a loon 

 

[Commander Vyper]

In terms of price by material volume they seem pretty comparable to other terrain stuff out there. Building entire rooms out of Ainsty and/or Antenociti resin parts won't be any cheaper. Most people usually only buy just enough to tart up a room made of cardboard and granny grating. Why so quick to assume a different standard here? To say nothing of the minimum cost of production for resin parts. Methinks he's not the one who needs a price reality check.

If you really want whole rooms, instead of implying he shouldn't be selling at all, maybe try suggesting that he sell Hirst-Arts style molds for the repeating wall and floor tiles instead of individual castings, or something like that.

And complaining about the quality being too high? Seriously?

i) Irony: 'too good' ie tempting/in awe resistance wanning, paypal at the ready etc.... please chill out.
ii) Very aware of resin process, product and costings, again for the amount you would want re: wall sections for a decent gaming area the pieces are higher priced than other comparable items. Agree that the hypersleep chambers are very nice indeed.
iii) Where is it implied anywhere in my post that the sculptor should not sell??? Seriously back at you dude?
iv) Like your suggestion re: hirst styled moulds good call.

A little case of someone taking an od on the literal pills here methinks, it's just an opinion mate, unless you're married to the guy and feel that I've besmirched his honour you really shouldn't be so defensive.

End of the day, it's all just little bits of metal, plastic and resin.

AKULA WROTE

Lovely - worth every penny - I'm doing a whole 8' x 6' table out of it as I'm a loon  

Never a truer word.... Luckily Matt's too occupied with BSG to do this....OR IS HE? DUN DUN DAAA!



The Commander

[Antenociti]

Too nice and too expensive, prices need a reality check as these is gaming pieces not movie set.

i've just been browsing his sci-fi accessories and i've yet to see anything even vaguely expensive, let alone needing a reality check...but I have a more intimate experience than you I suspect. 

its been my experience that the side of the equation that might call for a 'reality check' is often on that of the consumer. There is a vast and expensive difference between high-detail, high-quality scenery and the cheap-tat thrown out for pennies by many. high-detail models require better materials, processes, equipment and casting, and result in shortened life-span of moulds and increased production times, this not only has to be reflected in the price but it should be too.

Sure, you can go out and find some cheap tables out there, but they, in comparison, deserving of the lower price.

Prices are kept artifically low in general due to the nature of the "Industry" and the many amateurs (in the best and true sense of the word) who dabble in scenery, scenery that goes out at prices that are unsustainable forrunning a company upon or, indeed, making much more than enough money t fund the next hobby-project over a very extended time-frame. Dont let that fool you into believing that those prices are a true reflection of an items worth though... because I can tell you from first hand experience that they are not. Whilst it is great from the consumers perspective (they get a lot for their money) there comes a point where things just cannot cost the same.

In short - Quality Costs.


I wont argue with you that it will be too rich for some though; it will be (just as some of our stuff is) but don't think he will be making much from it either.

However "reality check" is a phrase i think that will stir some passionate debate.


When we move onto our Habitat scenics and do walls, floors, habitat units and all the interior bits and pieces I doubt our prices will be much different: its the direct cost of high-detail and quality casting. 

--------------

And, yeah, some LOVELY stuff in there.... i have about 6 of those bits in my current work queue though   

[Connectamabob]

Irony in print requires more deliberate wording than in speech, otherwise it's impossible to tell from straight talk (content alone is unfortunately not enough, given the sheer variety of attitudes out there). Hearing you say it aloud would be no doubt be different, but your phrasing alone gave no indication of intended irony. I'd comment about the irony of using a defensive rant to ask someone to be more chill and less defensive, but seeing as how we've established the wording to be untrustworthy...

Antenociti covered the cost issue, and he would know. I've done a wee tiny a little bit of production casting before. Not much by any measure, mind you, not nearly enough to call myself any kind of expert, but enough to get an idea of the actual material and labor costs involved. The prices here are anything but unrealistic, especially if he's using proper polyurethane resin instead of that cheap splintery polyester-and-filler crap that some outfits use. I'd guess he's only making a few cents net per casting.

Sometimes to me it seems random what people complain about, and that's what I was responding to. Producer after producer gets posted on the boards and greeted with all hails and the sound of wallets flapping, but every once in a while something gets posted that gets greeted mostly with complaints about price or quality or some other issue on which it is really no better than much of what people were tripping over each other to praise yesterday. Just the sum of momentary random vaguearities of mood and politics, but honestly sometimes it looks almost as though there were some kind of wicker man lottery going on.

Criticism where it's due, by all means, but be consistent about it.

[Sangennaru]

In short - Quality Costs.

not always. as you said, it depends of the type of activity, if industrial or home made.

we are not saying that he is a thief, or that he earn too much. just that it is too expensive for us, even for the quality of the work!

i've just been browsing his sci-fi accessories and i've yet to see anything even vaguely expensive, let alone needing a reality check...

WAAHHRGG to many negations here... it is hard to follow your for us non-english users!  

[General Roos]

Very nice!!! 

[Commander Vyper]

Connectamabob:

Until man is mere machine, critism will be based on a whim and what ever takes his or her mood or fancy at the time. A piece costing $60 seen on monday may be perfectly acceptable, but after a flat tyre, big food shop or bill payment, by Thursday the piece may be seen as too expensive for the person in question. Hope you see what I'm getting at here.

To remove personal opinion, (which funnily enough can change and is not concrete in my book) removes the value on the critique. If you want to policed opinion then that's another matter all together....

My point re: cost was in respect to that alien corridor in the main, which I appreciate I should have made clearer and not as a general (and I accept perceived as a sweeping comment), (I have indicated that there are loads of pieces more reasonably priced and I do love all of his work!).

That said massive resin set scenrey pieces do rack up the pennies and again unlike some leadhounds here, there is a limit in respect to price willing to pay.

Jed:

Wasn't trying to devalue resin casters and sculptors mate, I've known you and Ian for a while now (and have many of your products to boot!). I'm constantly amazed at what you do and how you do it. I know that the time and effort taken in scultping many of the items you sell will never be reflected in the final retail price.


Anyway back to the lovely resin pieces:

[Antenociti]

Jed:

Wasn't trying to devalue resin casters and sculptors mate, I've know you and Ian for a while now (and have many of your products to boot!). I'm constantly amazed at what you do and how you do it. I know that the time and effort taken in scultping many of the items you sell will never be reflected in the final retail price.

not a problem, didnt think you  were! My answer was just an opportunity to put forward the case in general