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What's the deal with the Franz designs?

 
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Paul B
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:05 pm    Post subject: What's the deal with the Franz designs? Reply with quote

I've heard SVC talk about these a little bit, is there some legal rule that they can't be sold seperately or packaged with other SFU miniatures? I noticed the Federation Fleet Box is quite a deal at only 25 bucks (being plastic and all), but if a person were to want a larger fleet it doesn't make too much sense to have DNs on a 1:2 ratio with DDs. Basically I wouldn't mind having some of the DDs or SCs sold separately to fill out the rosters, though I'm not sure if these ships are available in FC anyway (except perhaps in the Communiques). CAs can of course be bought separately but the only Destroyer-like fig sold separately seems to be the FF for the Feds.

Anyway, perhaps this is better put into the "what miniatures you'd like to see thread" but personally my answer would be "I'd like to see the Franz DD + SC available separately from the Fleet Box" (packaged together is cool).
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Steve Cole
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any product including a Fed Tug, DD (original), SC, or DN (original) or the minis for those has a separate royalty charge. It's not much, but to do them we have to put them all in one product so that we're not paying the extra royalty on four products.

The mold that makes them makes them in sets of five. Since we have to buy the entire set, and they do not sell at the same rate, we have to sell them as a set. We just received 500 sets, the first new production of the old molds in 20 years. We were at one point able to get boxes of stuff Lou Zocchi manufactured years ago which allowed us to sell DDs separately, but there is none of that left. So it's full sets or nothing. If you want more DDs, buy the full set and sell the surplus ships on the BBS.

I am working on plans to do a metal DD. As we already have a metal DN and CA, and the metal DD engine combined with the GSC saucer would work well enough for the SC, that would seem to solve the problem.
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I recall Steve's comments from a few years ago (the last time this question was asked)...

The steel mold used for the injection molded plastic "Zocchi" miniatures makes one DN, one CA, one TUG, One DD, and one Scout each time it's filled with hi-temp plastic.

When sold separately, the CA's sel 2:1 for the DNs, the DNs outsell the DD/SC on a 2:1 ratio, and the DD/SC outsells the TUG on a 2:1 ratio.

With a minimum run of a set number (I don't recall if it was 100, 500, or a 1000 pressings), you'd eventually end up with no CAs / DNs and a plethora of DD/SC and TUGs left over. Which is what happened...

I believe (and I could be wrong) that when the last of the previous round of CAs and DNs was sold, a minimum run pressing was made and that all of those go into the Federation Fleet box #2, so that there would be complete fleet boxes.

I know that there was a time that you could purchase a pack that contained a Federation "Zocchi" scout and a destroyer. I purchased a couple, but it no longer seems to be on the cart. I guess they sold all of them.
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve posted just before I hit send... Crying or Very sad
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Steve Cole
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tony: Want to do the DD engine? That would let us do the DD with the CA saucer, the DDG with the CC saucer, the DDF with the CF saucer, and the SC with the GSC Saucer.
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Paul B
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve Cole wrote:

I am working on plans to do a metal DD. As we already have a metal DN and CA, and the metal DD engine combined with the GSC saucer would work well enough for the SC, that would seem to solve the problem.


That's something I could wait for. I still need to fill out my gorn, kzinti and klingon fleet before I get anymore Feds.

Btw, I noticed in one Communique, the one where the DN first appears (Communique#3) it states:

"Our new ship for this issue is the Federation Destroyer,
part of the original series of ships done by Franz Joseph Designs
upon which the entire Star Fleet Universe was based.
This ship and the other Franz Joseph ships are expected to
become part of a future booster pack."

Was the booster pack idea dropped? Or merely delayed as it coincides with the lack of Tugs thus far released. On the subject of tugs, when they are released I hope they are nothing but cargo carriers. I find the concept of a Battle Tug rather goofy myself, and would much rather face a proper warship on the field of battle than one of these Tugs that someone brought because it's cheap photons/disruptors or something. The only situation where a Battle Tug might make sense is like the scenario for the FC campaign that one year where the Klingons nearly reached Earth. Then I could see the Feds throwing everything and anything at the Klingons like some B5-style Battle of the Line.

EDIT - oh wait, I see in your SVC day it says something about original DN, CA, DD and SC for Booster 91? Wow, that's a ways off . . . . we're on what, booster . . 24 so far?

Scoutdad wrote:
Quote:
When sold separately, the CA's sel 2:1 for the DNs, the DNs outsell the DD/SC on a 2:1 ratio, and the DD/SC outsells the TUG on a 2:1 ratio.

With a minimum run of a set number (I don't recall if it was 100, 500, or a 1000 pressings), you'd eventually end up with no CAs / DNs and a plethora of DD/SC and TUGs left over. Which is what happened...


Yeah people are silly, though I can understand. My main opponent likes to use large ships, Dreadnoughts and Juggernauts and Battlecruisers, etcetera. Meanwhile, having played, I dunno, about 8-10 games I've never used anything larger than a D7. And I intend to only get one of each type of Dreadnought or Battleship for the fleets I'm building (as, soon as I get a new job and can afford to expand my fleets haha).


Last edited by Paul B on Sat Nov 29, 2008 7:30 am; edited 1 time in total
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Scoutdad
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve Cole wrote:
Tony: Want to do the DD engine? That would let us do the DD with the CA saucer, the DDG with the CC saucer, the DDF with the CF saucer, and the SC with the GSC Saucer.


Sure. I'll put it right after the Pegasus / Juggernaut. Smile
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Steve Cole
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Booster 91 will be done sometime in the first half of 2009. Not sure yet when. Partly depends on whether I decide to include counters. If so, probably May or June. If not, probably March or April.
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