Battlefront in financial trouble?

[Nirnman]

last night at my local wargame centre I heard a disturbing rumour that Battlefront miniatures was experiancing financial difficulty and might be expected to go belly up, Has anyone else heard this or is it just another unfounded rumour?

[Hertsblue]

Don't know about that, but I do know that Wargames Illustrated has been acquired by Dan Faukenbridge, its current UK editor.

[toxicpixie]

See the furore over their DUST kickstarter - depending on whose side you believe, either BF have run off with the money to keep themselves afloat, hoping to use new sales then to fund the stuff they owe money for the second half of the 'Starter pre-orders, or the other side simply isn't telling them what they need to ship and everything is totes ready to go...

Either way it doesn't sound great

[Leman]

Is this a case of economy of scale, i.e. they have just got too big to be supported by their customer base?

[Fenton]

I was reading an article that was saying that BF dont take any FoW stuff with them to GenCon anymore its all boardgames

[paulr]

It is now very difficult to get any Battlefront kit in NZ 

A lot of stores are no longer selling it due to difficulties getting stock 

[GordonY]

Fairly inevitable looking at the business model they followed, the GW ship is sinking (slowly) at the moment, why expect any of its clones to fare any better?

[toxicpixie]

Well, it worked for nigh on twenty years for GW so it's not that bad a model!

Even if i don't have a great deal of their kit, or use their rules it's a shame either way as the more diversity, easy availability and "easy entry" in the hobby in general the better.

[Norm]

Agreed. I went into the local GW the other day and bought 3 paints, 1 ink and a brush for my 10mm ACW.  I really want a model shop, GW or otherwise to survive on our ever dwindling high street.

[fsn]

I'm really lucky in that there's a great little model shop in Widnes.

They're moving to bigger premises, which must be a good sign.

And the lady there calls me "young man". 

[toxicpixie]

I've a cracking model/RC/hobby shop literally 200 yards up the road (Mikes Models/LAN Danaire). It's not a wargames shop but he carries all the paint, scenic bits & bobs, tools, flock, plastic figures from Airfix to Zvesda. And a bit of GW stuff... Dead useful, far too wallet draining. I'll jut pop in for a pot of paint, and fifteen quid later...

[fsn]

Sounds like the Widnes shop.

Just been for a £1.75 pack of static grass ... £33 it cost me!

[toxicpixie]

I keep reminding myself I'm only getting some flock or paint or a brush. And then I've got another 1:72nd kit for my slowly accruing pile of Afrika Korps, or a couple of Zvesda Blenheims for 10mm AVBCW, or... Ghu help me if he stocked 15mm WW2 or Pendraken anything, or...

[Subedai]

You lucky, lucky b*****ds. In the town we have a small GW shop and a 'Model Shop' that only sells Humbrol acrylics, overly expensive railway stuff and big models and kits. Doesn't even do flamin' balsa or brass wire like the now defunct Modelzone used to. We have a Hobbycraft over the other side of the river (20 min walk away) that does GW stuff and the odd larger scale Airfix and again, exorbitantly priced railway stuff. I make my own flock, buy brushes from The Works and my Vallejo paints at shows. Anything else is via the tinterweb. 

I have no real interest in BF although I reckon they singlehandedly brought 15mm WW II to the masses and inspired other manufacturers to do the same. Never played the game but the chaps are nice little sculpts.I hope they don't go because with the sheer range of stuff they do they would leave a gaping void in the WW II market.

[Hertsblue]

Their real problem is that they priced themselves out of the market and forgot that they don't have a monopoly on WW2 kit. The plethora of plastic and resin vehicles now available means that BF's are becoming less and less desirable. I, too, would be sorry to see them go (I'm always sorry to see any viable business go down the pan) They do things that the imitators can't or won't be bothered with.