Federation Commander

[Jean]

STAR FLEET ALERT
18 APRIL 2014
NEW 2500 PRICE STRUCTURE
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When ADB, Inc., became solely responsible for the manufacture and distribution of the Starline 2500 range of pewter starship miniatures, we conducted a top-to-bottom review of the manufacturing process and pricing structure. ADB, Inc., has today implemented a new strategy for manufacturing, pricing, and distributing this product line. This does NOT affect our other product lines.

DISTRIBUTION: These will now be distributed solely by mail order from our Amarillo, Texas facility. We will no longer be able to sell these to wholesalers or retailers because (to make any profit at all) we would have to raise the unit prices far beyond what any customer would pay (e.g., $20 for a cruiser). The actual cost of manufacture turned out to be higher than the original prices can support.

AVAILABILITY: If it's on our shopping cart, it's in stock in Amarillo and will ship within a day or two.

PRICES: In most cases, these have gone down. For a few large ships, they will go up. From now on, each ship will get its own price based on its cost of manufacture. We will not push every ship into a one-price-for-all packaging system. Prices will range from $5.95 to $19.95 (higher for battleships).

OVERSEAS: A new shipping option for miniatures (of all types) is available on our shopping cart that gives customers a more accurate cost ($24.95 to Europe for up to 18 miniatures from any of our ranges). Previously, the cart charged the rate for the largest flat-rate box (over $60). We then changed it to the much lower actual cost, but this left many customers confused and reluctant to order.

PACKAGING: We will no longer sell the ships in sets or boxes. We will sell only individual ships. Players will be able to design their fleet (for any of our game systems) and then buy exactly what they need.

QUALITY CONTROL: ADB, Inc., has always had a very high standard for quality control and has not had any significant returns of 2500-range ships dispatched from our warehouse. Our casting facility has always had a very low rate of defective ships that reach Amarillo.

ALL METAL: We have eliminated all resin ships from the range and will replace them with identical ships cast in pewter. The resin ships had insurmountable quality control and production delays.

NEW SHIPS: The 2500 range will continue to grow. As this Alert is dispatched, we have almost a dozen new ships in the pipeline: Kzinti DN in metal; Tholian PC, DD, TK5, CA, DN; Orion BR, DW, CA, BC, BCH, DN; Klingon C8 and B10 (in metal); Augmented Battlestation (in metal); and several more.
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Business Manager/RPG Line Editor
Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc.

[mdauben]

[Steve Cole]

Note to myself, next time you say "almost a dozen" count the list and note that in fact 15 ships -- MORE than a dozen -- are in the pipeline.
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The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander