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First stretch goal - it's an ogre kingdom thundertusk:

Damn those are going fast! I'm glad I set my alarm lol!

So is Tre doing the Erebius portion of the sculpt? I hope so, the unmounted one looks awesome. Also, anyone know if his on foot version is also on a 40mm base like the other demilegionares?

Bossk_Hogg wrote:
Damn those are going fast! I'm glad I set my alarm lol!

So is Tre doing the Erebius portion of the sculpt? I hope so, the unmounted one looks awesome. Also, anyone know if his on foot version is also on a 40mm base like the other demilegionares?

The foot version is on 40mm, yes, I have one .

MM said it was "unlikely" that Tre would do the mounted version previously, so not sure.

I think it looks better than the Thundertusk, even with the silly long tusks on the side which would stop it from foraging Still looks awesome and has an Oghur riding it which is what I am definitely after!

Sweet mother of god.

 Fenriswulf wrote:
Still looks awesome and has an Oghur riding it which is what I am definitely after!

Ciniod is human sized isn't he?

Any chance of alternate riders as I'd like a couple of these,especially as I snagged an early bird.

decker_cky wrote:

 Fenriswulf wrote:
Still looks awesome and has an Oghur riding it which is what I am definitely after!

Ciniod is human sized isn't he?

Oh... I thought he was Oghur sized.

Well in any case I could always modify it

decker_cky wrote:

 Fenriswulf wrote:
Still looks awesome and has an Oghur riding it which is what I am definitely after!

Ciniod is human sized isn't he?

Yeah, probably a little bigger than average, but human sized. He's the guy that got the skyclad sculpt in the last KS.

Well I can speak from first hand knowledge that Sculptor's time IS being bought up very very quickly. There has never EVER been a better time to be a freelance sculptor. So yeh if Mierce say they need to buy a sculptor's time now, they are absolutely telling the truth!

 tre manor wrote:
Well I can speak from first hand knowledge that Sculptor's time IS being bought up very very quickly. There has never EVER been a better time to be a freelance sculptor. So yeh if Mierce say they need to buy a sculptor's time now, they are absolutely telling the truth!

Either that....or this is sly indirect salesmanship by Mr. Manor.

You are only making my point stronger. These are no longer "small" companies, IIRC Mierce made more than 300,000 pounds In the last 2 years from KS alone! It obviously depends on what you mean by "small companies" I guess...

How much do they keep after costs (including owners paying themselves)? Mierce is only a very small handful of people. It's a tiny company that's had an opportunity to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of miniatures because of Kickstarter. Heck, we know that KS1 actually cost Mierce money in the end with increasing costs.

That one almost makes me wish I played Albainn!

There are some other factions that I am hoping for. I'll only be in for a single mount this time 'round, so will have to pick carefully depending on how far this goes.

Sirio wrote:

Spoiler:

decker_cky wrote:

Sirio wrote:

Zond wrote:
I praised Mierce's use of kickstarter, and I'm not tired of the platform being used by any company, although the fulfillment and quality of some, and again not Mierce leave a lot to be desired.

If Mierce say this is the only way to secure a sculptor's services I'll believe them this time. If this becomes a norm I'll resume cynicism mode. The normal kickstarters I have no problem with,they're well spaced out and it's easy to grab what you want, even if I dislike early birds, time dependant rewards and discount levels as opposed to pledge levels. :-P

It would be nice to see a trickle of releases rather than endless kickstarters, say like Corvus Belli and Infinity, however it's never that simple and it's apples and oranges as I'm sure someone more knowledgeable can explain. I just note that Mierce seem to have a hugely reduced retail presence.

I'm interested to see how these microstarters go, as it could be potentially more appealing to grab £50 every so often rather than a few hundred at large intervals.

+1
I said the same thing some days ago (before learning of this Mierce KS which I have no doubt it will also fund). I really can't see a reason for KS from these companies other than (obviously) make more money with minimum risk. Mierce does well in doing so and will not stop imo (as long as people keep buying that), but it's bad for the customers in general, I mean you literally have to pre-pay something someone will eventually have to make if he ever wants to grow.
A KS is understandable when someone wants to get established, but if you already got hundreds of thousands of pounds in pre-sales, you should be brave enough to do something on your own and not depend on the others any longer. I mean I really can't remember anything in the past years that this (and many other similar) companies did without a KS!

As for the "this is the only way to secure sculptors", lol, give me a break, hand them $$$ in advance and you secure the Eiffel tower need be. But why bother doing that when people will do that for you? No actual risk... sounds good!

It isn't a question of whose pocket the money comes from - if there wasn't Kickstarters for these small companies, then the small companies would remain tiny, and wouldn't release even 1/4 as much as they're able to. Even Mantic, which is a decent size, gets to compress 3-4 years of releases into a single year because of Kickstarter.

Consumers deal with risk and delay, and are compensated with price and selection that otherwise wouldn't be available.

You are only making my point stronger. These are no longer "small" companies, IIRC Mierce made more than 300,000 pounds In the last 2 years from KS alone! It obviously depends on what you mean by "small companies" I guess...

What do you mean by "made" more than 300,000. When I look at my paycheck I look at the net. 300,000 wasn't MM's net from the KS's.

Sirio wrote:

Spoiler:

decker_cky wrote:

Sirio wrote:

Zond wrote:
I praised Mierce's use of kickstarter, and I'm not tired of the platform being used by any company, although the fulfillment and quality of some, and again not Mierce leave a lot to be desired.

If Mierce say this is the only way to secure a sculptor's services I'll believe them this time. If this becomes a norm I'll resume cynicism mode. The normal kickstarters I have no problem with,they're well spaced out and it's easy to grab what you want, even if I dislike early birds, time dependant rewards and discount levels as opposed to pledge levels. :-P

It would be nice to see a trickle of releases rather than endless kickstarters, say like Corvus Belli and Infinity, however it's never that simple and it's apples and oranges as I'm sure someone more knowledgeable can explain. I just note that Mierce seem to have a hugely reduced retail presence.

I'm interested to see how these microstarters go, as it could be potentially more appealing to grab £50 every so often rather than a few hundred at large intervals.

+1
I said the same thing some days ago (before learning of this Mierce KS which I have no doubt it will also fund). I really can't see a reason for KS from these companies other than (obviously) make more money with minimum risk. Mierce does well in doing so and will not stop imo (as long as people keep buying that), but it's bad for the customers in general, I mean you literally have to pre-pay something someone will eventually have to make if he ever wants to grow.
A KS is understandable when someone wants to get established, but if you already got hundreds of thousands of pounds in pre-sales, you should be brave enough to do something on your own and not depend on the others any longer. I mean I really can't remember anything in the past years that this (and many other similar) companies did without a KS!

As for the "this is the only way to secure sculptors", lol, give me a break, hand them $$$ in advance and you secure the Eiffel tower need be. But why bother doing that when people will do that for you? No actual risk... sounds good!

It isn't a question of whose pocket the money comes from - if there wasn't Kickstarters for these small companies, then the small companies would remain tiny, and wouldn't release even 1/4 as much as they're able to. Even Mantic, which is a decent size, gets to compress 3-4 years of releases into a single year because of Kickstarter.

Consumers deal with risk and delay, and are compensated with price and selection that otherwise wouldn't be available.

You are only making my point stronger. These are no longer "small" companies, IIRC Mierce made more than 300,000 pounds In the last 2 years from KS alone! It obviously depends on what you mean by "small companies" I guess...

They grossed 300k, that's QUITE different from making 300k. Also, 300k over two years IS an incredibly small company. I'd be stunned if they have 25 full time employees.

Worth noting that Mierce probably made quite a bit more than the KS totals in post-KS sales. That's why the most recent one gave a bonus for more money spent in the KS.

But yeah - high price manufacturing plus employee wages plus sculptor fees (plus almost 10% off the top from KS fees) means there's probably not a lot of money to roll back into the company.

Sirio wrote:

Spoiler:

decker_cky wrote:

Sirio wrote:

Zond wrote:
I praised Mierce's use of kickstarter, and I'm not tired of the platform being used by any company, although the fulfillment and quality of some, and again not Mierce leave a lot to be desired.

If Mierce say this is the only way to secure a sculptor's services I'll believe them this time. If this becomes a norm I'll resume cynicism mode. The normal kickstarters I have no problem with,they're well spaced out and it's easy to grab what you want, even if I dislike early birds, time dependant rewards and discount levels as opposed to pledge levels. :-P

It would be nice to see a trickle of releases rather than endless kickstarters, say like Corvus Belli and Infinity, however it's never that simple and it's apples and oranges as I'm sure someone more knowledgeable can explain. I just note that Mierce seem to have a hugely reduced retail presence.

I'm interested to see how these microstarters go, as it could be potentially more appealing to grab £50 every so often rather than a few hundred at large intervals.

+1
I said the same thing some days ago (before learning of this Mierce KS which I have no doubt it will also fund). I really can't see a reason for KS from these companies other than (obviously) make more money with minimum risk. Mierce does well in doing so and will not stop imo (as long as people keep buying that), but it's bad for the customers in general, I mean you literally have to pre-pay something someone will eventually have to make if he ever wants to grow.
A KS is understandable when someone wants to get established, but if you already got hundreds of thousands of pounds in pre-sales, you should be brave enough to do something on your own and not depend on the others any longer. I mean I really can't remember anything in the past years that this (and many other similar) companies did without a KS!

As for the "this is the only way to secure sculptors", lol, give me a break, hand them $$$ in advance and you secure the Eiffel tower need be. But why bother doing that when people will do that for you? No actual risk... sounds good!

It isn't a question of whose pocket the money comes from - if there wasn't Kickstarters for these small companies, then the small companies would remain tiny, and wouldn't release even 1/4 as much as they're able to. Even Mantic, which is a decent size, gets to compress 3-4 years of releases into a single year because of Kickstarter.

Consumers deal with risk and delay, and are compensated with price and selection that otherwise wouldn't be available.

You are only making my point stronger. These are no longer "small" companies, IIRC Mierce made more than 300,000 pounds In the last 2 years from KS alone! It obviously depends on what you mean by "small companies" I guess...

Have you any idea how fething easy it is to turnover (not 'make') 300k in two years? And what small potatoes that is in the grand scheme of things?

The tricky part is taking that 300k, and making it cover wages, fees, utilities, rent, tax, logistics, raw materials etc etc etc.

Kickstarter solves the largest problem facing any small business, and that's cash flow. By having the money in hand up front, it solves a multitude of problems. If I have £1000000 worth of orders on my desk, but I don't have the £50 in my bank account to pay the bill to stop the electric being disconnected tomorrow, I'm fethed as a business. I can't tell you how often I had to personally pay a bill out of my own pocket and then have the company reimburse me when payments had come in and there were funds available again, and my business was making a net profit most months, just because you've made the money on paper, it doesn't mean you've got it where it counts.

Factor in the continuing reluctance of banks to finance anything short of a near financial certainty, and we have a lot to thank Kickstarter for the current diversity in the hobby.

 Fenriswulf wrote:
I think it looks better than the Thundertusk, even with the silly long tusks on the side which would stop it from foraging Still looks awesome and has an Oghur riding it which is what I am definitely after!

Actually it was perfectly suited to it's enviroment until Scotlands native giant sweet corn population was wiped out.

I'm not sure that Mierce has more than 3 full time employees actually.

Looking forward to a slightly less intense Mierce Kickstarter, at least from my perspective.
So we've seen Hedroc on a puppy, guy on a dragon and Lizard on a lizard. Were any of those unlocked in the last KS. It's all a blur of dollar signs, swords and genitals to me.

Oh, I was out and on my phone at 18.00, can someone tell me what I pledged for?

(Only joking, I'll check the KS page, but I genuinely did just pledge without reading what it was for!)

 plastictrees wrote:

So we've seen Hedroc on a puppy, guy on a dragon and Lizard on a lizard. Were any of those unlocked in the last KS. It's all a blur of dollar signs, swords and genitals to me.

The guy on land drake got funded, the other two did not. The only one I didnt care for was Herdroc's mount, specifically its head/muzzle.

I'd love if Ysian's was some kind of aberrant with its "rider" growing out of it, like Kuato from Total Recall. The kthones should clearly also be on a plane.

Land drake?

Booooooooo, no warning at all, and I might've pledged for an early bird! Ah well... probably for the best really, considering all the Mierce models I already have coming in this first wave 0 batch through cincydooley

 cincydooley wrote:
Land drake?

non winged dragon thing. Geraint Nerthol on Ceffyldraig

 RiTides wrote:
Booooooooo, no warning at all, and I might've pledged for an early bird! Ah well... probably for the best really, considering all the Mierce models I already have coming in this first wave 0 batch through cincydooley

And now you've got one more Miercehead in your address book, one who only has to pay for UK shipping (in the first instance at least!)

 RiTides wrote:
Booooooooo, no warning at all, and I might've pledged for an early bird! Ah well... probably for the best really, considering all the Mierce models I already have coming in this first wave 0 batch through cincydooley

Well, you say you're not fussed now. But when those WiPs will start rolling in and you'll be onto the PM batphone to Cincy!

 plastictrees wrote:

 Fenriswulf wrote:
I think it looks better than the Thundertusk, even with the silly long tusks on the side which would stop it from foraging Still looks awesome and has an Oghur riding it which is what I am definitely after!

Actually it was perfectly suited to it's enviroment until Scotlands native giant sweet corn population was wiped out.

I'm not sure that Mierce has more than 3 full time employees actually.

Looking forward to a slightly less intense Mierce Kickstarter, at least from my perspective.
So we've seen Hedroc on a puppy, guy on a dragon and Lizard on a lizard. Were any of those unlocked in the last KS. It's all a blur of dollar signs, swords and genitals to me.

haha epic.

Bossk_Hogg wrote:

Sirio wrote:

Spoiler:

decker_cky wrote:

Sirio wrote:

Zond wrote:
I praised Mierce's use of kickstarter, and I'm not tired of the platform being used by any company, although the fulfillment and quality of some, and again not Mierce leave a lot to be desired.

If Mierce say this is the only way to secure a sculptor's services I'll believe them this time. If this becomes a norm I'll resume cynicism mode. The normal kickstarters I have no problem with,they're well spaced out and it's easy to grab what you want, even if I dislike early birds, time dependant rewards and discount levels as opposed to pledge levels. :-P

It would be nice to see a trickle of releases rather than endless kickstarters, say like Corvus Belli and Infinity, however it's never that simple and it's apples and oranges as I'm sure someone more knowledgeable can explain. I just note that Mierce seem to have a hugely reduced retail presence.

I'm interested to see how these microstarters go, as it could be potentially more appealing to grab £50 every so often rather than a few hundred at large intervals.

+1
I said the same thing some days ago (before learning of this Mierce KS which I have no doubt it will also fund). I really can't see a reason for KS from these companies other than (obviously) make more money with minimum risk. Mierce does well in doing so and will not stop imo (as long as people keep buying that), but it's bad for the customers in general, I mean you literally have to pre-pay something someone will eventually have to make if he ever wants to grow.
A KS is understandable when someone wants to get established, but if you already got hundreds of thousands of pounds in pre-sales, you should be brave enough to do something on your own and not depend on the others any longer. I mean I really can't remember anything in the past years that this (and many other similar) companies did without a KS!

As for the "this is the only way to secure sculptors", lol, give me a break, hand them $$$ in advance and you secure the Eiffel tower need be. But why bother doing that when people will do that for you? No actual risk... sounds good!

It isn't a question of whose pocket the money comes from - if there wasn't Kickstarters for these small companies, then the small companies would remain tiny, and wouldn't release even 1/4 as much as they're able to. Even Mantic, which is a decent size, gets to compress 3-4 years of releases into a single year because of Kickstarter.

Consumers deal with risk and delay, and are compensated with price and selection that otherwise wouldn't be available.

You are only making my point stronger. These are no longer "small" companies, IIRC Mierce made more than 300,000 pounds In the last 2 years from KS alone! It obviously depends on what you mean by "small companies" I guess...

They grossed 300k, that's QUITE different from making 300k. Also, 300k over two years IS an incredibly small company. I'd be stunned if they have 25 full time employees.

Yes, they have grossed, you are correct. My mistake. But what you are not mentioning is all the sculpts remaining in Mierce property to sell in the following years (after having cleared their free-lancers and painters, only the production cost remains e.g.something like 20 pounds when the mini is for sale at 70 or 90. After taxes that's a pretty figure, don't you agree?)
As for the first KS costing them money, after the Maelstrom adventure it doesn't really come as a surprise. And IIRC, it was only the 1st KS, all the rest didn't follow that model...
And for the 25 full time employees... I highly doubt that.
Anyway, I'm derailing the topic, I'll stop now. Good luck on this KS Mierce, no bad feelings.

Yeah, Mierce is a premium, niche brand, in a niche market.

I'm not sure the many years of repeat sales are worth quite as much as you think...