Re: [Epic] Space Marine Tanks and Epic 40k Snapshot...

From: Richard Dewsbery <dewsbery_at_...>
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 08:48:31 +0100

> I don't know about everyone else but I'd be interested in knowing the details.

Okay, ask and ye shall receive - but don't say I didn't warn you :-)
Here are some excerpts from a conversation with Temp.


> 98 GW shops in the UK. 13 or 14 sprues of models and buildings in the > Epic 40k boxed set. Approximately 10 sets sold in each shop during > the first week of Epic 40k (in my local, it was closer to 25). That > makes
> 12,000 sprues of _epic_ for the starter box set. Add in the small �5 or
> $10 Eldar, tyranid, Marine and ork boxes. Also add in the WH40K
> plastics, both for the basic sets and the extra squads. And the WH
> plastics. So quite a large weekly production really.
>
> And an epic sprue is one of the more complicated mouldings, with many
> fiddly bits increasing the cost of the mould and plastic, and decreasing
> the life of the mould. 12,000 plastic garden chairs would be much
> easier to produce, in the same time, they just take up more space in the
> warhouse. In comparison to citadel, I'd say the chair manufacturer has
> it rather easy. Size isn't everything :-)
>
> > 2) As far as actual dollar figures, I am most
> > familiar with the small, proto-testing extruders (which is not to say
> > extremely familiar). They are amazingly expensive for something that can
> > only produce a test sprue about the size of the building sprues for E40K.
> > The one I dealt with was $200,000 and change, IIRC. Now, I'm assuming that
> > Citdel either has a lot of the overpriced, smaller extruder (they'd have to
> > be daft), or a handful of larger ones. Either way, that comes to a big
> > chunk of change.
>
> $200,000 is about right for an 80-tonne pressure moulding machine. Add
> in the cost of the tooling - the metal mould - say $50,000.
>
> The machine would be capable of churning out approx one sprue every 10 > seconds. 360 per hour, 15,000 per week.
>
> > The simple fact is, that in plastic molding, the material cost is often
> > negligible compared to the equipment cost. If you can keep the machinery
> > running until after it has been depreciated and paid for itself, then you
> > are sitting pretty, so I'm pretty sure that the plastics side of Citadel is
> > making money hand over fist. For example, the skeleton boxed set used to
> > cost $25. Buying the separate components that would make that up now is
> > about $70. So they are ripping people off either way.
> >
> > Temp
> >
> Ah, but who says citadel actually do all the plastics work themselves?
> Most companies needing plastic mouldings of high quality in anything
> other than vast quantities will go out to a third party. Who makes toy
> soldiers one day with one set of tooling, and may make garden chairs the
> next.
>
> Richard
Received on Fri Apr 11 1997 - 07:48:31 UTC