Re: From the Mouth of St. Jon the Oracle

On 27 Sep 99, at 19:10, Thomas Barclay wrote:

> Now, I understand Armourcast may use a better resin and hence their
> per vehicle price is higher (at least I assume this is it). Is there
> something different or more high-tech about their process? This might
> help explain the apparent quality difference and or the cost
> difference. (If anyone has checked out their latest big ass Battletech
> kit at $140.00 US you'll know what I mean - I think each of my
> tempests were worth about $62.00 Can each or so).

As I understand it, they use a resin comparable to ours but they 
pull vacuum on the stuff as it sets up.  Quite a feat I'm told since 
the resin sets in just a few minutes.  I have a line on a new resin 
from an outfit called Polytech somewhere in the wilds of 
Pennsylvania that is supposed to give excellent reproduction 
without the need for vacuum or pressure molding.  We are 
beginning to experiment with pressure molding here, hopefully the 
quality will go up, but it looks like the trade off is a higher price.	
The labor added when molding with pressure or vacuum increases 
cost.
> 
> So, someone who knows (KR or Jon), could you comment on the
> differences - the whys and wherefors?

See above.  Also note that because of the small (I hope!) difference 
in quality we have managed to keep our resin prices down.  We are 
always looking at new ways to do things, new resins and new 
products to exploit new resins.  We've had a marked improvement 
in quality since we started doing resin in 1994, and we'll continue 
to improve - but we also want to keep it affordable.  Armorcast 
does not give wholesalers and distributors the level of discounts 
that we do, if they did, their price would go up.

KR, Geo-Hex
> 
> As to the GZG dropship, for those who have not seen it, it is a bulky
> but kind of neat unit - holds 1 APC or the Coonhound FSV/Tank
> Destroyer and seems to me it'd be very solid. The APC is the LIPPC, a
> small NAC (I think) APC. The dropship is not an aliens style weapons
> carrier that also drops pallets or APCs. It is a transport. It has a
> weapon but that obviously isn't its main role. The LIPPC isn't the
> aliens APC - far too small. By comparison, if the crew in the galoob
> Alien's APC is any scale, the "real" aliens APC would be 10" long in
> 25mm. (It is about 1/72nd scale and is 8" long). The Aliens APC would
> be taller by a fair piece than a standing man - esp if you count the
> height of the gun turret. The LIPPC is about a six man APC with six
> wheels.
> 
> If anyone has seen them, Grendel had some multi-wheeled armoured
> vehicles that also have turrets. I'm trying to negotiate an
> acquisition of some of them. They are pretty sweet - 6 wheels, and an
> RFAC in the turret. Look big enough to hold an eight man squad.
> 
> Jon, another thought for you (an easy "extras" kit): Off Road Tires!
> You make plenty of wheels for plenty of APCs but all are what I'd
> describe as racing slicks - they don't have the character of the tires
> I've seen on OR vehicles (like the MOWAG chassis for the Grizzly, LAV,
> etc) and it strikes me a mould for these could be a good spruce up
> item for those of us with APCs to build and not cost you much to make.
> 
> Anyway, that's my 0.02 FWIW. Maybe it'll help someone or provoke some
> discussion.
> 
> Now, it's kind of a pity too that we couldn't get a 25mm moulding in
> Resin of Brian's kitbashed VTOL. That would be a great assault
> vehicle.... I wonder if that would be feasible? I don't actually know
> how upscaling works or what it costs. But its a sharp looking piece of
> kit.
> 
> Thomas Barclay
> Software UberMensch
> xwave solutions
> (613) 831-2018 x 3008
> 
>