Plastic Playing Pieces

[crsluggo]

Count me in! I want customized, high quality playing pieces!

[templeton]

Ok…

STAGE 1.

1. Who knows Larry Harris and can ask who did the sculpts for Axis and Allies and at what scale are they (tanks, infantry, ships, planes?)

2. Who knows Jeff Stein and can ask about his sculpts

3. Who is trustworthy enough - or has the capacity to take and hold credit card payments prior to production - i.e. the ‘legal’ side of this.

[Imperious Leader]

I think not. He had these prepared like 5 years ago, but sadly no funds to complete only CAD designs.

[templeton]

Did he give an estimate on costs per unit?

Now, perhaps someone can correct me if I’m wrong - but is the preliminary design done on computer, then transferred to a sculpt - before going into production?

[Adlertag]

I’m in, too

[Table Tactics]

Craig asked me to comment so here is some dollar figures.
Production costs for injection molded plastic pieces.  The cost is set per hour at about $75. Also figure in a $400 set-up fee. You can expect 144 shots per hour.  The number of pieces does not make much difference in the production costs.  So if you shot one piece at a time it will cost you 52 cents each.  I am currently working on a 48 cavity mold and expect the cost to complete the mold at around $65,000.
Consider this cheap as I do all my own piece and mold designing and contract friends who do the work on the side.
The idea of 500 interested people putting up $50 each = $25,000
I’m confident in the sale of my new products but being out of work at this time has held up progress.  My mold I am working on will have 3 to 5 tanks and tank destroyers per country and there are 8 countries.  Also I have axis and allies infantry units.  I design my molds to be interchangeable and will be able to swap out the pieces I want to produce and in any color.
I’ll check back to see if I can answer any other questions you may have.
Best Regards, Jack www.tabletactics.com

[a44bigdog]

As far as the original question I find the Plastic pieces just fine. Heck I have played enough wargames that cost way more than any Axis and Allies game that used cardboard counters.

[Adlertag]

I got 2 questions for TT.

When can I buy this new product ? 5 years from now ? Longer ?

I got your pieces, and they are not the same size, colour and quality as the real A&A pieces. Will the new pieces look more like the A&A pieces ? And in AA50 colours ?

[Table Tactics]

@Adlertag:

I got 2 questions for TT.

When can I buy this new product ? 5 years from now ? Longer ?

I got your pieces, and they are not the same size, colour and quality as the real A&A pieces. Will the new pieces look more like the A&A pieces ? And in AA50 colours ?

I would say 6 months after I have the funds to move forward. 
All the designs are completed and the cavities have been started.  Things are on hold while I am out of work.  Unless I find a rich gamer who wants to go in partners. :O)
As for quality of the pieces they will exceed the quality of the A&A pieces.  They will even exceed the quality and detail of my current line as I have gotten better at designing and have found some top notch mold makers who enjoy working on my products.

[TG Moses VI]

Table Tactics,

If you what you say is true, and I have no reason to suspect it isn’t, then you can consider your first set sold.  I’m in.

[Imperious Leader]

For the infantry I really advise not using a “gun” to indicate the type of infantry, but rather a distinct infantry soldier holding a rifle or what not.

I think using these forums to get the people needed to kitty up $50 bucks would be fine as its serving our needs.

I would think making:

Mechanized Infantry in 6 unique molds

Fighter-bombers in 6 molds

Heavy Tanks

Self propelled artillery/Tank Destroyers

Halftracks/trucks for 6 nations

Italian fleet units

Heavy bombers for 6 nations

Rocket unit ( v-1 design on track)

an airborne unit ( generic)

Coastal fortification unit ( something like Atlantic wall pill box)

Super subs

Jet fighters in 6 nations

Sub pen

Heavy artillery in 6 nations

Soviets in winter clothing ( shock army)

Light tanks in 6 colors ( except the uk tank would be a churchill because they already have Matilida which is a light tank)
germans would be Panzer III

[Adlertag]

Oki, I’ll kitty up 50 bucks if thats the way to go  :wink:

I’ll also suggest you make expansion-packs to sell separately:

1. expansion pack: Italian fleet units and planes.

2. expansion pack: French units

3. expansion pack : units for tech, like rockets, jets, heavy bombers, super subs etc

4. expansion pack: Blockhouses, halftracks, trucks, heavy artillery etc

5. expansion pack: Elite units for all nation, US get Marines and Paratrooper, Germany get Fallschirmjaeger and Gebirgsjaeger, UK get Commandos, Japan get Marines, Sovjet get Siberian ski-troops, Italy get Alpinies and Marines etc

6. expansion pack: Neutral infantry to Sweden , Spain, Turkey etc

and noooo, we dont need sub pens or light tankettes or jeeps

[Table Tactics]

You guys forgot the Polish Cavalry. :roll:

[Bob_A_Mickelson]

I agree with Craig completely.
These units should be done for AA50 first in AA50 colors.
Make nation specific units first then move on to other molds.
I like the idea of making seperate expansion packs too. Start with AA50 nation specific units, then move on to France and China molds, then move on to common varient units like halftracks, Air transports, blockhouses. Also a seperate expansion for buildable tech AA50 tech units like Heavy artillery, rockets, halftracks (mech infantry), paratroopers (air transport unit) ect. Elite units and such should be done last.

[Table Tactics]

I also have designed Generals for bonuses for units under the great generals of the day.
It all comes down to $$$ :O(

[Imperious Leader]

I favor something in between. Id like the first batch to include the missing pieces that got jipped from revised, but packaged with at least the 2 strongest candidates for new pieces: Some mechanized unit and a fighter bomber. The Germans or americans dont need a fighter bomber because they already have stuka and p-38, so its basically 4 plane molds and 6 mech molds.

I guess i could agree with craig on his list, but id rather just use the same approach TT used when it made unique pieces that were not “makeups” for AH failures.

[templeton]

@Imperious:

The Germans or americans dont need a fighter bomber because they already have stuka and p-38, so its basically 4 plane molds and 6 mech molds.

That’s what I do with my Stukas and lightnings… although a P51 would be nice!  :-)

I guess we all have every single A&A sold to date? This gives us trucks, Stukas, Blockhouses - I’ve even been using my original AA subs as super subs, and used to use the old battleships as crusiers.

From a sales point of view, I would have thought things like Super Subs, Rockets and Jets (which are already in the rules) would have a wider appeal than some of the more specific units - if it comes down to priorities.

TT - how many units do you need to sell to break even? I wish I had that kind of cash to spare, otherwise it would be winging its direction to you right now!

Are you looking for some pre-orders from the community?

[captainjack]

For $50, I’m in.

[Table Tactics]

@templeton:

@Imperious:

TT - how many units do you need to sell to break even? I wish I had that kind of cash to spare, otherwise it would be winging its direction to you right now!
Are you looking for some pre-orders from the community?

With the larger mold I can produce pieces for 2 cents and sell them for a dime. One shot of 48 pieces (this could be any color or country), sell it for $5 and make $4.  That would only require me to sell about 16,300 sets to break even.
I’m not taking formal pre orders.  I’m sure the sales are there but the development money is not. Right now I am burning up inventory and Table Tactics has been in the black the last 2 years but not enough to get any bank to make a loan or attract a venture capital partner.

[Adlertag]

TT, if you make pieces that are close to A&A pieces in colour and size, will you violate the copyright to Hasbro ?