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I'm looking at the possibility of starting a new resin bits line *NOT* for the following games:

Battlefleet Gothic
Warhammer 40k

The bits lines I have envisioned may include the following: "28mm space armored female torsos, legs, and heads." "28mm futuristic infantry accessories, including uniform variants" "futuristic vehicle accessories in 1/35th scale" "space vessel components, including but not limited to prow variants" and perhaps expanding into the usual spectrum of characters, vehicles, etc.

I'm not entirely certain, but I believe there may be a market for these products.

However, I'm a pencil jockey, not a sculptor, and what I know about resin casting I could write on a postit note. Therefor, I'm looking to recruit a team.

My initial business plan for this is subscription based, with the team splitting the profit equally between the concept artist, the sculptor and the caster. (Assuming that, of course, these are three separate people. Obviously if you did two of the three, you'd take how two shares instead of one.)

In this model, subscribers pay a marginal fee ($7 per annum) for the ability to pre-order products at a 20% discount, which would offset initial production costs. They also would have a 10% discount on purchases from the website. Non subscribers would still be able to purchase our products, but at full cost via the website. Other benefits of subscription may include special offers, limited run figures, etc.

Currently there are many resin bits manufacturers, however, many (though admittedly, not all) I have seen are low quality products. The central hook that we must use to acquire customers is quality.

Please keep responses on topic. I would prefer this thread remain open and in the modeling section.

I'm no good but I know someone who is...

Good! Please have them get ahold of me so that we might get this party started.

Problem, I like in u.k. but I cant change the icon thing

Ah. Yeah, the other guy that was interested was in Australia. I'm game with working with people overseas, but it means that we'd have to ship product from wherever they're cast to the US for distribution.

How would you be planning on paying sculptors?

The basic idea would be that everyone is working for a share of the profit. Basically the sculptor gets a share, the designer gets a share, the caster gets a share, and there's a share that goes back into the team fund for future projects. I believe the term is profit sharing.

Of course, the down side is that if there's no profit, none of us makes a dime, just to make sure that it's out in the open.

I can see this all ending in tears. Dude, you really need to draw up a business plan first. Crunch the numbers because unless you all are doing this for yourselves you are not going to get anyone to do this work for free.

I am willing to work some quick numbers for you if you want since business management is my degree (finish in seven weeks).

^You mean you'll work for free?

You'll probably at least need the concept sketches done before anyone will send you any money...

Good luck with this!

I don't think you will really get any orders going until you at least have some products out there (even a couple of heads or something will possibly be enough).

You will really need to hit wargaming boards hard to spread the word around about it too. I don't imagine getting all that many sales unless what you are making is either utterly fantastic or solid, but quite cheap, or something that people really want.

In terms of getting artists to your side, it might actually be worth contacting some people who already scuplt their own bits to see if they want to profit share cast/sell their stuff.

To be honest, I would not expect many people would unless you had already got a fair few sales and a website etc.

I personally would not mind sculpting and drawing etc things for casting and sale through a profit share company, although my skill level is not great.

As mentioned above, I think you might be best starting off really crunching the numbers and making detailed plans. Even the basic resin casting kits come in as quite pricy, especially when you factor in learning how to cast up to a reasonable sale-able standard.

I'm interested.

As a sculptor who also has a real job on the side(graphic design), I can honestly say that most of my preferred sculpting work are things I was planning on making for myself anyway. I've often thought about going into business casting things myself, but only play Orks at the moment and as a hobbyist that takes up a ton of time. I can't see myself turning much of a profit on just the things I've been making. I honestly only see bases and terrain making a huge profit as they are universal.

I can be your designer if needs be drop me a pm if you would like my services. I wil send you some pics i have drawn if you want some.

make stuff for Necromunda!

They are not going to focus on something as nitch as Necromunda. It is just too small of a market for a starting company. The need to make their first few products as multi-use as posible to make up their starting expendes as fast as posible will mean the difference of being able to stay open or failing and needing to close.

You could do something like "shotguns" which many people will want and can be used for 'munda.

I've been toying with making my own 'munda bulkheads, just so that I have a bit more variation. I have no idea if that interlocking system is under any kind of protection or not, but it would certainly be fairly easy to manufacture something that will work along site it.

Hey, i'm not sure about your business model. But....... i enjoy sculpting and would love to see some of your designs/sketches. Im UK based but if you were to like what you saw after i'd done some sculpts i could always post stuff over to you. Im not in it for the money, just the enjoyment (will have some of the former if its going though!). PM me your email or send me some pics to Steve@ssminiatures.co.uk and ill see what i can do.

Ok, here is a very rough cost analysis for the first two months. Here is the specs for the breakdown. I will post this on the forum for anyone that is interested.

THe analysis is brokendown into how much that needs to be sold to breakeven the first month which is realistic. Then the next month is calculated if sales continue to at the same level plus 5% growth. The numbers are rough but as true to the real costs. Plus, I left the time cost for the caster and shipper because the assumption is that the orginal poster would be the one doing the casting, taking orders and shipping. The second month upkeep is for replacement of molds because after 80 molds the quality will degrade sharply thus the need to recreate molds for the next round of castings.

The scuplting is for ten different versions female space marines at 10 hours per marine at 10 dollars per hour.

The cost of a unit of 5 female Space Marine upgrades is $25.00 dollars

Shipping is done based of USPS First Class Mail in the US which is $2.85 per item.
Bubble Envolope from the UPSP is $1.50

Buyer pays for shipping which is $5.00

First Month
Start Up Costs
Vacuum Chamber 100
Vacuum Pump 150
RTV Mold 75
Resin 75
Green Stuff 30
Space Marine Base 30
Scuplting Tools 50
Misc Supplies 50
Shipping Costs 100
Photo Equipment 250
Scuplting Costs
10 Marine x $10 per hour
x 10 hours + 1000
Total Cost 1910

Income and Profit
Female Marine Squad Upgrade
$25 dollars per 5 marines

20 units sold ever week
for 4 weeks @ $25 per unit 2000

Shipping costs covered by
buyer which is $5.00 400
Shipping first class with
padded envolope + 348
Total $2052

Sales 2052
Costs -1910
Profit $142


Second Month
Continuing Costs
RTV Mold 100
Resin 75
175

Income and Profit with 5% Growth
Female Marine Squad Upgrade
$25 dollars per 5 marines

21 units sold ever week
for 4 weeks @ $25 per unit 2100

Shipping costs covered by
buyer which is $5.00 420
Shipping first class with
padded envolope 365.4
Total $2154.4

Sales 2154.4
Costs 175
$1979.6


Ok, these number are based off in breaking even the first month which most likely. It is 80 units that need to sold. That is 40 of each 5 marine set which would be the optimal way of selling the product. Now, realistic sales will be of 25 to 40 total units sold so it will take approx 4 months to recoup the start up costs unless the scuplting costs could be cut (totally if possible.) The first month is just a very rough time table because it is start up which could take three to six months for sculptin if done for free and perfecting the molding and casting process.

All I can say is do what you want with these figures but good luck.

It's also assuming I don't already have some of this equipment.

Like I said this is a very rought set of numbers based on starting from scratch. There is still a large inital captial investment in starting this venture.honestly I donlt think there is enough people out there that will want female marines. The issue is making the look female with out the bobbies of doom or like an anime marine.

BaronIveagh since you are the guy that came up with this joint venture , could we see what concept you have already done?
Because coincidentally you are the artist ... thus its not strange to provide us with some insight?

Remember that this is just one item, too. I've got a few other things that I'm thinking about modeling.

I think I can eliminate the sculptor cost by using CAD and a fast prototyper. (Which I know costs as much as the rest of the setup costs combined, but I can use it to make quite a few more then just 5-10 female marines.)


Luna: A fair enough question. I'll brew up something space marine. Mostly I've been doing concepts for a resin space ship bits line.



Was something I did for Resin Addict since they're doing some BFG stuff atm. (The panel in the bottom left was something done as a concept for a non-weapon insert for plastic cruisers. The orbital is designed as a larger weapon orbital/small station)

You think?
LOL
We at Chapterhouse got the idea ages ago

Buyer pays for shipping which is $5.00

First Month
Start Up Costs
Vacuum Chamber 100
Vacuum Pump 150
RTV Mold 75
Resin 75
Green Stuff 30
Space Marine Base 30
Scuplting Tools 50
Misc Supplies 50
Shipping Costs 100
Photo Equipment 250
Scuplting Costs
10 Marine x $10 per hour
x 10 hours + 1000
Total Cost 1910

Income and Profit
Female Marine Squad Upgrade
$25 dollars per 5 marines

20 units sold ever week
for 4 weeks @ $25 per unit 2000

Shipping costs covered by
buyer which is $5.00 400
Shipping first class with
padded envolope + 348
Total $2052

Sales 2052
Costs -1910
Profit $142


Second Month
Continuing Costs
RTV Mold 100
Resin 75
175

Income and Profit with 5% Growth
Female Marine Squad Upgrade
$25 dollars per 5 marines

21 units sold ever week
for 4 weeks @ $25 per unit 2100

Shipping costs covered by
buyer which is $5.00 420
Shipping first class with
padded envolope 365.4
Total $2154.4

Sales 2154.4
Costs 175
$1979.6

The model is flawed.
You are forgetting the most important and costly piece, namely a running legal advice cost so that you know 100% that the specific things/art/concepts/sculpts you are doing are not infringing on any IP and are legal to sell!

That my friend, is expensive.
Be prepared for zero profit for months at first or even costs instead of profit or stick to boring sculpts that by the look of them cannot in peoples wildest fantasies be taken for proper 40k bitz.

It is also going to be a very slow start , before any profit is made your going to have to cast said items and have a painter paint them so your customer base have something to look at . and also that whole 25 units a week ... not going to happen unless its something that looks amazing .

When you go into something like this you have to make sure you can last almost a year before seeing any profit on any scale that matters .

So you are not only looking for sculptors but investors as well , which is going to thin your profit more , now if you can front the the cash for a year and say give half profit to your staff and half too yourself for being the money I can see it maybe coming to light .

Usually a sculptor wants too get paid for his work rather than invest in a line , since in reality a sculptor can sell his own sculpts since in this hobby the sculpting is the key piece to the puzzle .

Pyriel- wrote:You are forgetting the most important and costly piece, namely a running legal advice cost so that you know 100% that the specific things/art/concepts/sculpts you are doing are not infringing on any IP and are legal to sell!

poppycock! dakkadakka.com is a veritable fountain of free legal advice on the legality of any proposed products. your company has benefited from numerous free legal opinions in your previous posts from the more persistent and civic minded dakkites. also, various knowledgeable companies like lone wolf post their opinions on various IP issues that reference hallowed legal texts like wikepedia. seriously, how can you go wrong? i mean we all here agree 100% on the rules of a game of toy soldiers so we must all be legal experts... right?

Have you been hurt on the work site? Suffer from mezothesioma? Hit buy a truck? Burned your lips on drive-through coffe? Shoved in line at the movies? Brushed up aginst a total stranger walking through the mall? Dropped a can of paint on your own foot? Stared directly into a Solar Eclipse?
Then call the Proffesionals at DakkaDakka! We will get you MONEY! Money to cover your hospital bills. Money to rebuild your garage. Money to blow on toy soldiers. Money to cover the costs of your Pets funeral.*

*Dakka Dakka is not a real Legal service. Dakka Dakka will take a 75% cut of all moneys scammed.
I am not a Lawyer, I don't even play one on TV.

slann wrote:
Usually a sculptor wants too get paid for his work rather than invest in a line , since in reality a sculptor can sell his own sculpts since in this hobby the sculpting is the key piece to the puzzle .

That would depend on who owns the copyright for the piece. If the sculptor doesn't own the rights, well...

@Nicorex: OBJECTION!

I happen to have passed my copyright law classes. So I may not be a lawyer, but a quick phone call and a case of wine can bring 75 of them to my house.

Im pretty sure threatening the people you are asking help from with law/copy right suits is not the best way to attract new business partners. LoL

I still think the idea is ok, if not a little optimistic.

I wasn't threatening anyone with anything. Just observing that it's probably not a good idea.

The 75 lawyers joke was re the possibility of GW filing suit, since A) my legal is just as big as their legal, and B) I live in a location where , in theory, I could cast GW's minis legally and there would be very little to stop me, let alone my own that happen to be compatible with any 28mm heroic mini line.