Starline 2500 minis in stock in Amarillo

bluebirds38 · Post by **bluebirds38** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 12:58 am

thank you.

Post by **Jean** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 4:44 pm

This out from Kelly at Mongoose:

Please note as of today the following Star Fleet products will now be priced at $149.99 rather than the current price of $99.99.

Current Releases
MGP 30006 Federation Fleet Box $149.99
MGP 30007 Klingon Fleet Box $149.99
MGP 30008 Romulan Fleet Box $149.99

Future Releases
MGP 30012 Kzinti Fleet Box Set $149.99
MGP 30016 Gorn Fleet Box Set $149.99

ADB will be following these prices as well.

Monty · Post by **Monty** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:47 am

Wow, that's not good news.

Do they/you project the cost of the Border Boxes and Squad Boxes going up as well?

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 2:47 am

Border boxes are not part of the Mongoose joint-venture. The only border boxes currently available are for Starline 2400.

Post by **Steve Cole** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:10 pm

The 2500 version of the Border Boxes were to have been done long before now, but production issues (the ones we're always talking about) meant that they were at the end of a long and bumpy road. Given that Border Boxes have 24 ships and Fleet Boxes have 16, yes, they will cost a lot more.

Squadron box prices were raised already and this increase in the fleet box price just reflects that reality.

Monty · Post by **Monty** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:03 pm

Steve,

Have you considered coming up with your own sixteen ship Fleet Box? Different combinations to compliment the existing ones instead of the Border boxes?

Monty

CarlZog · Post by **CarlZog** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 4:28 pm

Jean wrote:This out from Kelly at Mongoose:

Please note as of today the following Star Fleet products will now be priced at $149.99 rather than the current price of $99.99.

That's a pretty huge increase. Was this expected? Is there some particular reason/rationale for it?

Just curious,
Carl

Bill Stec · Post by **Bill Stec** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 4:48 pm

CarlZog wrote:
Jean wrote:This out from Kelly at Mongoose:

Please note as of today the following Star Fleet products will now be priced at $149.99 rather than the current price of $99.99.
That's a pretty huge increase. Was this expected? Is there some particular reason/rationale for it?

Just curious,
Carl

Jean said on the BBS:

"Folks, remember that the way it works in the book world (and I assume in the gaming world) is that the customer pays $20 for the book. The store only paid $10 for the book they got from the distributor. The distributor only paid $5 for the book it got from the manufacturer. The manufacturer only gets about $2.50 profit from that book -- and that is if he priced it correctly. If he didn't and that book cost $5 to produce, then he's losing money as he still has to pay someone to package the book and postage to ship it. Don't forget that for us, Paramount also gets its cut.

We either had the option of ending sales to stores (and that would go over like a lead balloon) or losing money on each sale to the distributor. No one likes raising prices. However, we need to stay in business and losing money on each sale isn't the way to do it."

Apparently Steve has been telling Matt that the minis are underpriced since the beginning of the partnership, and it's only now that the prices have been raised on Fleet Boxes. Squadron boxes were originally $29.95, after awhile changed to $39.95.

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 5:13 pm

That and the price of tin (the main component of the metal blend used in the minis) just keeps going up and up.

China went from being a massive tin exporter to a tin importer, years ago. The influx of raw materials into the "The Middle Kingdom" just continues to increase. All those affordable electronics need lots and lots of solder (made from tin).

It's been playing havoc with the gamining-minis market, ever since.

It's one of the reasons gaming companies keep experimenting with the "potentially cheaper" resin. Unfortunately, cast resin is very difficult to mass-produce with. Despite its price, spin-cast metal still has a lot going for it, including that it is super-reliable.

Post by **Steve Cole** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:36 pm

There were a lot of reasons for the increase, but the two big ones were that the original price was based on resin (metal costs more) and the original price was too low even for resin (and I tried as hard as I could to convince Matthew of that, and it finally sank in).

I have no interest in creating yet another series of boxes (my own 16-ship selection). We already have squadron boxes in 2400 and 2500, fleet boxes in 2500, and border boxes in 2400. It will take a lot of doing to get 2500 border boxes out for mail order only; I doubt they'll ever go into stores. We just don't need another 16-ship box.

Something I do sort of think we need is a "mass production box" for each empire, containing no dreadnoughts and only the mass production war cruisers, war destroyers, a frigate or two and maybe a heavy cruiser and/or new heavy cruiser. (Maybe 10 ships for $100.) Even if we did that, I'd think mail order only and Matthew won't like it as he wants you to pay $15 to get the extra CA or CW your fleet needs. But who knows what the future will bring.

djdood · Post by **djdood** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:31 pm

Personally, I just took the hit and ended up with extra DNs and BCs I don't really need. Still cheaper overall than buying singles (although I did a fair amount of that too, for my Feds and Klingons).

If there had been a new box that focused on "mass production ships", I would have been on that like white on snow. Maybe for the Roms, Gorns, and Kzintis.

Bill Stec · Post by **Bill Stec** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:42 pm

How about a build your own box of 10 ships (counting 2 frigates as one ship) for say $110-120? Obviously ONLY mailorder.

That way one could get exactly what one wants, but is paying a somewhat higher price per ship than a Fleet Box, but cheaper than $15 x 10 ships, which I doubt many people will be willing to do. I know I'm not.

I did the buy 6 Fed Reinforcements boxes to get the 6 NCA (traded 3 off), 6 NCL and 6 DWs. Had 4 DN + 4 BCH leftover, sold 2 BCH, I'm stuck with the rest. My plan was to sell/trade the extra DNs and BCH, yielding minis I wanted @$8 each. Hasn't quite worked out that way, and if I don't manage to unload the remaining large ships, I may not try that approach again. But there's no way I would have bought those 15 ships (3 NCA, 6 NCL, 6 DW) @ $15 a pop.

We'll see how it goes I guess.

Scoutdad · Post by **Scoutdad** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:57 pm

I know the difficulties inherent with releasing another box set, with a new SKU number, and how the howls will commence if that box is mail order only (and cheaper than buying the same from a retailer); but I'm with Will on this one.

I pretty much have all the Federation and Klingons I'll ever need (unless someone has a CF or FD7 they like to get rid of...), but if such a box were available for the Romulans, Gorn, and Kzinti - Id be on it like a Rottweiler on a beef bone.

Monty · Post by **Monty** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 9:50 pm

Steve Cole wrote: Something I do sort of think we need is a "mass production box" for each empire, containing no dreadnoughts and only the mass production war cruisers, war destroyers, a frigate or two and maybe a heavy cruiser and/or new heavy cruiser. (Maybe 10 ships for $100.)

That would get my dollar vote.

Darkwing · Post by **Darkwing** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 11:48 pm

My dollars would go for a mass production box as well. The fleet boxes are a great way to get started, but when I'm trying to build a fleet and round it out, I don't really need any more BCs, DNs, and the fast ships. I'd love to get more of the FFs, DDs, and CL/As.