Khurasan previews 18mm Marlburian DUTCH

[Khurasan Miniatures]

Here are some photos of our latest War of the Spanish Succession range, the Dutch.  These were the foundation of the Allied triumphs in the Netherlands, Germany and France -- of all the armies in Europe, only the French army was larger. The infantry were solid, and the cavalry were excellent and aggressive after they were reformed.

These have been researched to reflect their national preferences -- the infantry have the cartridge box on a shoulder strap, and an old-fashioned powder horn worn externally. The Dutch appear to have retained the "informal tricorne" into the first few years of the eighteenth century and so these are available as well.

Dutch cavalry have their scabbards on a frog with a thin, very widely separated rear stabilising strap, as shown in Hall's recent book.

Mike Broadbent has done his usual excellent job on these.  Rafa did a great job painting them up as well.

Dutch musketeers in informal tricorne:


Dutch infantry command for troops with informal tricorne (note officers have half-pikes):


Dutch musketeers in proper tricornes:


Dutch infantry command for troops with proper tricornes:


Dutch grenadier with short miter with bag:


Dutch grenadier with solid short miter:


Dutch cavalry:


Dutch cavalry command:


Dutch high command (the flamboyant Overkirk and a generic conservative general in a sensible Calvinist coat):


Dutch artillery (these seem to have retained the informal tricorne for the rank and file):


The production moulds for these are being made now. Hope to have them available within the month, cheers for looking.  (Our store should be back up Tuesday.)

[TheBlackCrane]

Lovely looking figures.
If only I could work out how to make an order from the UK without ending up with a hefty import tax thingamyjig 

[Littlearmies]

They look gorgeous. Unfortunately my sister is already complaining about the weight of the lead she is bringing me from the States when she visits the UK next month. Postage and taxes make this a non-starter for me I'm afraid. Perhaps you talk to Ian Marsh at Fighting 15s about an agency deal? These would be right up his street I'd have thought.

[Brummie]

Lovely looking figures.
If only I could work out how to make an order from the UK without ending up with a hefty import tax thingamyjig 

I don't get what this fear is with these import taxes, aside from postage costs (which tbf are pretty much on par with U.K postage costs) but I have NEVER been hit with these taxes, and I have bought from Khurasan about 6 times now, Rebel minis once, and Splintered light once, and never had a problem.

And these were all fairly sizable deliveries.

[TheBlackCrane]

Well you're the first person I've come across who hasn't ever been hit by them!
The 'fear' is that, whilst you've been lucky, I won't be 

Postage not a problem, but by most all of what I've heard or read, a parcel could arrive here and leave me having to pay a hefty tax charge, so I'm not overly keen on taking the chance.

[Brummie]

Are the taxes dependent on anything in particular? 

[TheBlackCrane]

From what I understand, the total value of the package, including the postage cost, VAT and the value of the items, gets used to make a percentage import charge.

This thread was useful

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=64823.0

[Conquistador]

It seems like these things swing back and forth.  

When I started collecting serious armies in the early 1970s the exchange rate, (as I remember it,) rose over a few years to almost 2 U$D to 1 GBP.  When I complained all the Brits were all over it ("The value" or "the cost of doing business" or some other blow off,) so while I commiserate that your Post office/Government (governments impose taxes, businesses surcharges, not much difference to my/your checkbook,) is costing you seriously when your number comes up I hope you will understand when I say this is, "The cost of living where you do."  I expect you feel you get your money's worth from your government   so I am sure you don't mind paying for the "necessary services."

See, Colonists can do Irony.    Just not professionally.  

I suggest Khurasan uses an British company to handle their Europeans customers when Baccus does the same for American customers.  And, yes, that was sarcasm.    Goose and gander thing...

I love Baccus for some things and I buy those when I want them despite the shipping cost and time (neither of which strikes me as dear.)  If I was in a NST assigned to the UK I would buy more of them despite the VAT while I was there because it part of the cost calculations I would make as always.  I would just buy less - possibly - no, let's be serious, I would just buy less other things.  Where is my "lead addict" badge?  

And, yes, despite being a cheap bastard at times, I agree with the TMP poster that said it might make financial and personal sense to sell less at a higher price (and, yes, if there was an announcement to that effect I would switch some buying priorities around pronto!) to avoid the backlog issues He sometimes encounters.

Seriously, I really do think you guys are getting sheared (go where you want with that metaphor) in a cruel way but it is indeed "the price of doing business" on your end.  If I was queen of the world...    but I am not.    Which is certainly a good thing!

Well, I have certainly pissed off some people as being "an insensitive bastard," so I guess I should move on to another topic before the pitchforks and torches are deployed...  Hopefully the crazy customs rules will be changed but since I work for a national government known for capricious decisions on occasion    I know the likely chance of that happening.    essentially none...  

Gracias,

Glenn

[TheBlackCrane]

Not at all, I'll happily admit it's a cost of where I live thing, and if I was elsewhere trying to order in from the UK I'd probably not be very happy about it that way either!

The main thing for me is what seems to be the irregularity of it - some things get through, others don't, not to mention the 'value of the parcel for tax purposes includes the actual value plus the postage and the VAT' bit! If I knew for certain what it was going to cost me to order 'x' amount, then I'd be far more inclined to work out my spending to take it into account, but I don't want to order something and then discover the post office won't let me have it 'till I pay them too. It all seems too vague and uncoordinated to me 

Which does not in any way change the fact that these figures are lovely, as indeed are many others of Khurusan's ranges, and that I'd love to be able to just buy a whole load up and to hell with the cost (well, we can all dream can't we) 

[Brummie]

I'd agree with you actually Conquistador on the subject of the ££.

I have seen the subject on TMP about Khurasan raising his prices, and to be frank I'm not sure about it.

Khurasan produces some extremely awesome stuff, and if he was to raise prices I wouldn't argue with it. After all, last I checked, some of his products are definitely cheaper by about £1 then say GZG, that other excellent 15mm sci fi producer.

However personally I don't know what or if there would be a backlash with other consumers. I can only speak for myself, and I personally live by the code that if a manufacturer, supplier etc, isn't being extortionate in pricing (Games Workshop for example) then you should feel compelled to pay the price asked. That way your contributing to keeping a producer in business, and hopefully create more produce that got you into buying from them in the first place. A lot of consumers really are not aware of the costs of getting something on shelves, and how this contributes to the sale cost. Where I work for example, we may stock a book that cost us £40, and sell it at £45-50. To me that's fairly reasonable, but we get a lot of customers, who despite thinking that the product is excellent, will shy at actually buying it on the grounds its 'expensive'.

And that is where I think Khurasan would have to be careful. Regardless of how good a quality your product is, and how much it cost to produce it (even if you were extremely careful to keep the cost price low) we live in an age where people want cheap things. They don't care about reasonable pricing, (and Khurasan is extremely cheap considering product) they just want it for less than what you put it up for.

Whether they understand/know the consequences for wanting items cheaper than what they were produced for I don't know. However having been in retail for four years, I'd certainly say its split between Don't Know and Don't Care. They just want to sponge of on you whilst your there.

I had ONE purchase that took two months to arrive from Khurasan.
I sent an email (after he sent me one telling me the problem) that he could take his time.
End of the day the purchase was worth waiting for, and I had plenty of other things to be doing whilst I waited. It also pays to be understanding, considering he is a one man band, dealing with numerous suppliers (who have their own issues from time to time) and has other sh*t to deal with like everyone else. I also got a nice freebie, which was a nice surprise.

Its taken me 3 months to paint just about half of what I bought anyway .

[Conquistador]

Not at all, I'll happily admit it's a cost of where I live thing, and if I was elsewhere trying to order in from the UK I'd probably not be very happy about it that way either!

The main thing for me is what seems to be the irregularity of it - some things get through, others don't, not to mention the 'value of the parcel for tax purposes includes the actual value plus the postage and the VAT' bit! If I knew for certain what it was going to cost me to order 'x' amount, then I'd be far more inclined to work out my spending to take it into account, but I don't want to order something and then discover the post office won't let me have it 'till I pay them too. It all seems too vague and uncoordinated to me  

Which does not in any way change the fact that these figures are lovely, as indeed are many others of Khurusan's ranges, and that I'd love to be able to just buy a whole load up and to hell with the cost (well, we can all dream can't we)  

yes, clearly it seems a bit 'uncoordinated' fer sure.  In fact I think it is grossly unfair that some get "bit" and others don't - not that I want you guys to have to pay more because I know it isn't a closed system where you getting burned doesn't affect me in some way yet; but my experiences from the Royal Mail over the years has been excellent and the recent spate of articles/comments/horror stories/logic failures make me worried that it can get worse.

There have been and are times when I am jealous I can't catch a <insert transportation mode> and buy directly from one of the neat UK companies so it is with some concern when I see the kind of chaos that seems to be happening right now in the UK mail system such as this and the whole illogical "shipping paint pots" fiasco and it makes me paranoid that it might spread here.  The fact that it may be legitimate (poorly executed perhaps) market expenses doesn't make it less painful but the "maybe it will, maybe it won't" aspect of the game makes me glad that isn't happening currently for me.  That is not meant to sound gloating (I hope it doesn't come over that way) but bitter recognition that everyone gets a turn in the barrel in this life.

And yes, that  'value of the parcel for tax purposes includes the actual value plus the postage and the VAT' aspect I have commented on more vociferously than a non-national probably should so I won't pile on here.

Back On Topic - I have not room for Marlburian miniatures but these sure make it tempting...  Get behind me, Khurasan!      

Gracias,

Glenn

[Littlearmies]

It doesn't seem ill co-ordinated in my area - I get hit every time. So my $38.91 order from Khurusan (a power loader and and a 36 figure French line infantry battalion) costs $18.00 to ship here, so a total of $56.91. That translates to about £34.03 at today's rates. I've got no real problem with that - I understand I could squeeze in another couple of packs before I got to the $56 break point where the shipping rises to $25.

My problem is - that my parcel is held at the nearest Post Office until I pay £6.80 in VAT + an "administration charge" which seems to start at £10 and go up from there. This makes the total cost of my order to me £50.83. I'm very happy to support the makers of quality figures but in this instance less than half the money I've shelled out goes to Mr K.

For £50.11 I can get two battalions of AB French infantry from Fighting 15s, delivered to my door, all taxes paid. So it's a no-brainer for me.

It's a real shame because Khurusan has some lovely sci-fi stuff and I definitely fancy the Marlburian / WSS figures - unfortunately my "mule" aka my sister who lives in Tennessee would probably baulk at me loading her up with more stuff to bring in her suitcase when she visits, so that isn't really an option either.

I think Khurusan definitely needs an agent in the UK. If Eureka / AB can do it from Australia then it has to be possible... 

[Conquistador]

It doesn't seem ill co-ordinated in my area - I get hit every time. So my $38.91 order from Khurusan (a power loader and and a 36 figure French line infantry battalion) costs $18.00 to ship here, so a total of $56.91. That translates to about £34.03 at today's rates. I've got no real problem with that - I understand I could squeeze in another couple of packs before I got to the $56 break point where the shipping rises to $25.

My problem is - that my parcel is held at the nearest Post Office until I pay £6.80 in VAT + an "administration charge" which seems to start at £10 and go up from there. This makes the total cost of my order to me £50.83. I'm very happy to support the makers of quality figures but in this instance less than half the money I've shelled out goes to Mr K.

For £50.11 I can get two battalions of AB French infantry from Fighting 15s, delivered to my door, all taxes paid. So it's a no-brainer for me.

It's a real shame because Khurusan has some lovely sci-fi stuff and I definitely fancy the Marlburian / WSS figures - unfortunately my "mule" aka my sister who lives in Tennessee would probably baulk at me loading her up with more stuff to bring in her suitcase when she visits, so that isn't really an option either.

I think Khurusan definitely needs an agent in the UK. If Eureka / AB can do it from Australia then it has to be possible... 

"Every time" absolutely sucks when others are "always" (may the Force be with you, sir,) missed.  As a bureaucrat myself I can say that, sadly, a bureaucracy's first job is to stop things from happening.  [Essentially I blame the Imperial Chinese for making bureaucracies function as "well" as they do... but I digress.]

I have to admit I don't get it  in general much less the apparent inconsistent enforcement, (but then the transportation agency in the USA is checking what proportion of piggy-back containers (aka inter-modal) that come in through US ports.)  But I can't say more than that before I am meddling in other countries political processes so I will just hope you get missed next-time.  So much for "Free Trade" internationally...  And free market (what free market?) Postal "efficiency."

Gracias,

Glenn

[Etranger]

I think Khurusan definitely needs an agent in the UK. If Eureka / AB can do it from Australia then it has to be possible... 

Different business model though.

[Brummie]

Agree with the above. Its a totally different model, Khurasan is not the same to Eureka/AB and thus expecting the same thing from two very different businesses isn't doable.

On another note, can't wait for these to be released, its nice to see the range expand, and I'm brushing up on my knowledge of the period!