Copplestone: Too much flash?

[Malebolgia]

Yes, Andrew's stuff for Pulp Alley are probably some of the best metal casts I ever saw. And +1 for the posts who never saw Copplestone castings with this much flash.

[Hammers]

I admit I'm a neophyte when it comes to wargaming and miniatures. I've recently picked up "Pulp Alley" and ordered about 150 miniatures from a half dozen different companies. Most look beautiful, but some received from Copplestone Casting seem to have an inordinate amount of "flash."



Has anybody else had this issue? What does a person do in this situation? Clean it off the best one can? Ask for replacements?

Again, I'm a confessed newbie, but this seemed excessive for the cost of the figures and in comparison to the quality received from all of the other companies I ordered from.

That is quite abnormal and very much unlike Copplestone. Are you sure they are not pirated recasts? Either that or Friday Afternoon Products.

[FramFramson]

"Ere, I dunno what you lot 'r on about. Copplestone minis always got plenty o' flash!" 

[The Bibliophile]

That is quite abnormal and very much unlike Copplestone. Are you sure they are not pirated recasts? Either that or Friday Afternoon Products.

Well...unless Copplestone is somehow pirating its own product, I'd say yes, I'm sure. As I mentioned, I ordered these straight from Copplestone's website, which then created a shopping cart via North Star, who according to the message on the front page of the Copplestone site, is handling fulfillment for Copplestone (if not casting, too).

I guess I'm surprised because it seems like there were three opportunities to catch the issue: when these were cast, when they were being bagged in a ziploc, and then finally when they were being packed in my parcel. As everybody here probably knows, it's not a simple matter of cleaning flash, it's trying to file down the pronounced seam lines, too.

Anyway...hope to get an answer today. I'll post the resolution here (hopefully a happy one).

Thanks!

Joe

[HerbyF]

My experience with Copplestone figures has been that they have been some of cleanest figures I have gotten. I'm with Hammers on this. If they were not in Copplestone packaging they might be pirated.

[carlos marighela]

Was the seller wearing a grubby raincoat and not much else?

[Cacique Caribe]

My experience with Copplestone figures has been that they have been some of cleanest figures I have gotten. I'm with Hammers on this. If they were not in Copplestone packaging they might be pirated.

Like you, I've always found Copplestone's to be some of the cleanest figures found anywhere.  There's something very strange with those examples.

[Chris Abbey]

We stock Copplestone Miniatures, we get them wholesale from North Star.
I've checked our racks. None have flash like that.
Copplestone Miniatures always come in blister packs, so if they are not in official blisters they could have been pirated.
The photos you have posted are dreadful. I have never seen anything from Copplestone / North Star that looks like that.

[oabee]

I'll just add another voice in agreeance with everyone:

a)  The condition of those minis is horrid. Nigh unforgivable, actually.
b)   I have never had any problems with Copplestone figures.

Actually, the quality across the board with all the miniature purveyors I deal with has steadily improved over the years, and I honestly don't remember the last time I received something in that poor of condition.

[The Bibliophile]

I promised to post a follow up: Nick at North Star contacted me, apologized, and agreed to send replacement figures.

I'm glad most everyone except a couple of us have not had problems with Copplestone in the past. My intention was never to besmirch any company, but rather to seek advice on what is an acceptable norm in this hobby that is new to me.

I do find it odd, however, that some people on this thread persistently questioned my claim as to who I had purchased these miniatures from. Short of posting an invoice or my correspondence from Nick, I'm not sure what else would clarify this. In the end, though, the whole matter is on its way to being resolved, and I look forward to receiving replacements that I can get painted and put into action in a game of "Pulp Alley" or "Strange Aeons" (another of my recent discoveries). I would order from Copplestone again, especially after hearing that my experience was mostly anomalous.

As to how miniatures are packaged, as I said in the original post, in my excitement about this new hobby I went a little overboard and bought about 150 miniatures from many different companies. The only ones that came to me in blister packs were Reaper, RAFM, and about half of my order of Artizan figures (the other half were loose in mini ziploc bags). My miniatures from "Pulp Alley" and Murch's "Pulp Figures" had a middle-ground approach of mini ziplocs but with a printed card keeping the bag rigid. The Blue Moon "Chaos In Carpathia" figures I bought came in a nice printed cardboard box with the minis wrapped in bubble wrap inside. The other manufacturers (Black Cat Bases, Copplestone, Brigade Models, and a couple of other I can't remember now) all sent their miniatures in unadorned ziploc bags. Surprisingly, about half of these folks didn't even include packing lists or invoices in the boxes.

Anyway...that's quite a detailed download of my experience. Again, I'm new to all of this, so maybe this is only of interest to me.

--Joe

[area23]

I had no doubt NorthStar would resolve this immediately. I've had nothing but great service from them.
This pack must've slipped through quality control, nothing else.

[The Bibliophile]

Just to conclude with a happy ending, I received the replacement miniatures today, and they look great. See below:





All's well that ends well! My thanks to the good folks at North Star...

[Muzfish4]

All's well that ends well. Very good result and kudos to North Star.

Good after sales service really does make a difference in this small industry.

[BugPope]

Got a brand new, mint condition,  never opened before box of North Star's A Fistful of Kung Fu models, and while the casting isn't quite as terrible as the ones you got, it's still subpar, with way more bent parts, flash and outright broken bits than what's normal for miniatures. I've has similar problems with their stuff before, so this really doesn't surprise me that much. They have some nice models, but their quality control is near nonexistent. I've bought from them about three times, and there's been casting errors every single time.