31 replies to this topic

[Oldallamerican]

Well there we have the OFFICIAL EXPLANATION from Mr Conte himself, and a REMINDER to all of us about Vidterry. I think it is great and refreshing for us to get the real truth to all this and FACTS completely out in the open, with this forum. As I stated before, if you don't like him or his products, go play with you 1958 circa Marx has beens and let us know about all the "new choices you have each year"............Stryker II

Personally, I've never had a major problem with CONTECO, I've always been treated nicely when i deal with them on the phone and a few times have even talked to Richard himself and had a great time reliving our childhood while he played with the new Civil War soldiers I was ordering.

As I've said in my profile, I've been collecting and playing with soldiers since I got my Giant Blue and Gray set in 1961. I love my old Marx figures, they're like lifelong friends to me now. But guys like Rick and Nick and Deanna at TSSD have revitalized our hobby and revolutionized what we thought was possible with the little plastic guys. Yeah, there've been problems with deadlines, I frustratedly check his website several times a week to see if anything new has popped up. To me, the anticipation is part of the fun. If we had everything we wanted when we snapped our fingers, what would there be left hope and strive for?

As I said before (on this thread even and I promised to shut up about it, but what can I say?), legitimate information about problems is always welcome, I am thankful to PSR for his reviews of 1/72 figures, it's saved me a bunch of money on sets I'd probably throw away. Even complaints about dealer problems could be valid. But I was a member of the old thread (under a different nom de plume) and I was concerned about the tone the debate was taking. Man, if you got a problem like Rick said, take it to him. If it's that bad, take it to court or shut up. But the bottom line is, they're only toys! Nobody loves his little guys more than me, but in the greater scheme of things, they're little pieces of plastic, beautifully scupted, exquisitely crafted, historically and anatomically correct, awesomely conceived and executed, emotionally moving pieces of plastic that have been elevated into tiny works of art - but still plastic.

I rely on blogs and websites like this to keep me informed of what's going on in the hobby. For that service I am deeply grateful to HB and other similar sites. Where I live I'm eighty miles from the nearest shop that even has a decent set of models, much less toy soldiers such as even Marx recasts. If I want to hear arguing and bickering I'll log off and talk to my kids.

So, hey guys, let's keep it civil, okay?

[Plastic Fan]

Great post Oldallamerican. I agree with virtually all of it.

On the lighter side of all of this (maybe not lighter for the producers & sellers, but maybe lighter for the hobbyists), I do really get into the "planning" stages in putting together my own sets of toys.

Especially around Christmas. Do I order early or do I wait to see if last minute products or special deals pop up? Or do I take advantage of introductory offers? Decisions, decisions! Which figures and accessories will work well together? Which lines have "growth" potential and which ones don't? Painted or non-painted. Do I go with realism or "nostalgia"? Which orders will be problematic, and which are assured to arrive on time?

Part of the fun is the challenge!

Having the choice is a fabulous thing, and for that I thank all the people who have helped revitalize the hobby, and there's no doubt that Mr. Conte has played a huge role in that.... as have friendly vendors like Hobby Bunker itself.

Biggest problem I have right now is getting the time to play and the space for my set-ups.

[Plastic Fan]

Still waiting for my bonus items, though. Durn. I hoped they'd be here by now. Anyone else still waiting?

[Plastic Fan]

By the way, this is a little O/T, but I've received some private messages and tried to respond to them, but for some reason, my reply function doesn't seem to be working. So I apologize to anyone who thinks I might be ignoring them.

[Band506]

Still waiting for my bonus items, though. Durn. I hoped they'd be here by now. Anyone else still waiting?

Plastic fan,

My extra Omaha beach stuff shipped on Monday from Conteco. I hope to have it tomorrow. The Conte stuff is always worth the wait.

I am one of those plastic collectors who is just happy that Conteco is still making the plastic playsets.

[RC!]

Gentlemen

Thanks to many of you who have taken me up on my offer of writing directly to me if & when you ever have a question or complaint; I've enjoyed your emails and getting to 'know you'.

I also appreciate the many kind words sent privately from those of you agreeing with me that a 'forum' is no place to air personal anger or grievances(particularly imagined or 'made-up' ones by disgruntled former dealers). I fully understand and 100% agree with your comments regarding your disgust with the actions of other members of this forum who would like to hijack this baby and ruin the fun for the rest of you. I also empathize with the comments made to me that you haven't responded on the forum to the nonsense from vidterry as you personally were afraid that he would attack you and ruin your enjoyment of the forum. You might want to copy Mr. Murphy with your emails or otherwise ask him to police matters.......

The fact that 'vidterry' has once again run for cover and deleted all of his specious messages proves my point over and over with regard to this guy and his motives and the evil intent behind his posts. The fact that even after he was discontinued by us as a a dealer and a collector, that he would utilize his wife to sneak in as a new customer (so he could still have our toys) demonstrates his wild cravings for our product......and speaks volumes .....about his love-hate relationship towards us.

Hopefully he'll be able to control his extremely curious urge to see his name in print next to Conteco for a bit longer than he usually does(although I suspect he may emerge from the shadows at some time down the road)......until then, let's concentrate on collecting and happiness and I'll do my best to address your questions. Oh yes, we should have pictures of our Immortals available very soon....

All the best RC

[Benjamin]

Hi Rick,
Any chance of producing your metal AWI figures in plastic?
Benjamin




[quote name='RC!' post='248' date='Feb 5 2007, 03:17 PM'][quote name='hbforumadmin' post='113' date='Jan 22 2007, 01:44 PM']
Terry, although I agree with your frustrations I would appreciate you and others not using this as a bashing ground for manufacturers. We had a few issues with this last fall and overall I think the consensus from the members was to leave it alone.
I am not saying these are the reasons but they certainly could help explain delays in the toy soldier industry. In the grand scale the toy soldier industry isn't much more than a tiny spec in the Chinese manufacturing business and typically may get pushed aside for a bigger job.

Thanks, Matt
Richard Conte checking in;; have been alerted by numerous Conte fans that unfair Conte bashing has unfortunately started yet again.......I continue to believe that customer service issues/questions are best suited to direct communications between the customer and the company and have no place in this forum. I welcome criticism from anyone and am always glad to listen to concerns of collectors personally & directly. My name is 'on the box' and I take very seriously our committment to excellence. Anyone wishing to contact me directly may do so at viceroyz@aol.com or by calling the office.

Hobby Bunker carries over 400(yes 4 hundred ) different Conte products. It is inevitable --with a volume of production this large--- that we will sometimes meet with production issues , delays or problems. We do our best but as Matt as stated are at the mercy of our suppliers...and while we are HUGE in the toy soldier world we are a small fish in the bigger ocean of the factory world.....

What a surprise that one of the 'usual suspect's is behind this nonsense...YET AGAIN!!

Interesting that 'vidterry' seems hellbent on perpetually attempting to be a thorn in our side...he seems to sickly enjoy the association he derives from being mentioned continually in the context of Conte and apparently loves our product so much that he continues to buy it.....if only to give him a false platform from which he can mouth his criticisms and lots of 'made-up' accusations.

Many of you will recall the defamatory rudeness and intent to harm Conteco which went on during the early stages of the HB forum. Vidterry wisely removed his vile posts after I promised legal action to set he and the record straight. During that interchange he also proudly stated that he was retiring from the forum and would never post regarding Conteco........it was too good to be true!!@ LOL.....even though he's now apparently making similar promises......apparently he needs reminding every three or 4 months??

For those who don't recall , vidterry is a disgruntled former Conte 'dealer' who bought in such small quantities that almost all other collectors order in greater amounts. He holds the rare distinction of not only having been discontinued as a dealer but also being removed from our customer list due to extremely unacceptable behavior with folks in our office . Inasmuch as he can't buy from us as a dealer or collector, he has now apparently 'snuck in under the radar' using his wife to pose as a new collector......ah the lengths people will go to to obtain our product!!!! While I am sure his Mrs. is a wonderful lady, we've now taken steps to remove her from the list as well---- as it is clear that these folks deal with us primarily(perhaps only) so they can "appear" to be legitimately disgruntled customers.......(plus they NEED the toys!!)

As to the Bloody Omaha playsets 'bonus' items, these have been shipping since sometime about 10 days ago. Shipping with the bonus items are the huge 'playset boxes' which collectors are calling our best box ever........ naturally, it made financial sense to ship the fantastic bonus items inside one of the huge playset boxes rather than to ship these separately.....the bonus included 100 extra figures, an extra lcvp, a free tank..etc......thus far collectors--except for vidterry have been patient and understanding and telling us that the bonus items& playset boxes were worth the wait. By the way, the boxes were the major source of delay....after going thru 2 box companies, several months of fighting with the supplier, and double the cost later, i think we've delivered an extremely beautiful and collectible box..which sets a very high standard for us.

Happy collecting!![/quote]

[Oldallamerican]

Hi Rick,
Any chance of producing your metal AWI figures in plastic?
Benjamin

That is one series I've been waiting on, too.

[Plastic Fan]

Plastic fan,

My extra Omaha beach stuff shipped on Monday from Conteco. I hope to have it tomorrow. The Conte stuff is always worth the wait.

I am one of those plastic collectors who is just happy that Conteco is still making the plastic playsets.

FWIW, I got my bonus stuff a couple weeks ago, and have been too busy playing to post.

[modwalls]

I'm Happy to be back at The Hobby Bunker Fourm. This is where the serious platistic collectors are. Also it is great to know that Richard Conte himself is a true member. I am extremely happy with the Conte products. As I stated at Treefrog, I don't mind the wait for his products. When you finally see them, you say, "It's amazing he made these better than ever". As a converter of his fine product, I would like to say to him, Thank You Richard Conte for the best toy soldiers I have ever seen. They are second to none. Thanks Matt for getting your fourm up again. Mike.

[RC!]

I'm Happy to be back at The Hobby Bunker Fourm. This is where the serious platistic collectors are. Also it is great to know that Richard Conte himself is a true member. I am extremely happy with the Conte products. As I stated at Treefrog, I don't mind the wait for his products. When you finally see them, you say, "It's amazing he made these better than ever". As a converter of his fine product, I would like to say to him, Thank You Richard Conte for the best toy soldiers I have ever seen. They are second to none. Thanks Matt for getting your fourm up again. Mike.

Dear Mike

Thank you & all others who take time to pass along comments. Very much appreciated !

We are trying to continually improve our product both plastic & fine pewter and while it often takes longer than I would hope to deliver finished product into your hands I'm glad you folks like our soldiers.

I am so busy designing every pose and every building(and running the business side of the company in my spare time) that unfortunately I have very little time to stay active in these 'forums'. Matt does a nice job of trying to keep our new info up on this site but you may want to check out www.conteco.com periodically to see the latest pictures and news first.....Joe Baker's excellent blog is usually a good place o start. The latest stuff up is from the Viking Raid series and the new hand to hand Spartans vs Immortals sets

Thank you for your very kind words..I can always be reached at viceroyz@aol.com if you have unanswered questions...I try to answer every collector email which comes my way.

All the best Richard Conte

[Stryker II]

WELL SAID RICHARD! THE STATE OF THE HOBBY TODAY WOULD NOT BE WHAT IT IS, WITHOUT YOUR INPUT, EXPERTISE, AND ENTHUSIASIM TO MAKE THE FINEST TOY SOLDIERS EVER!!! KEEP UP THE GREAT AND FANTASTIC WORK--ROBERT ORTEZ RULES...........STRYKER II
SEMPER FI