#1 [url]

Apr 3 03 9:23 AM

Beresford,
after receiving AB's letter, I had a quick chat with Dr Brown about it. We wondered about the same things as you did - ie whether we could craft a proposal to Tony in which we would make it worth his while to produce some more figs. It's not an easy question to resolve, but broadly we came down suggesting one of two approaches:
1. Low volume, high value. A new range of command figs within the AB line that would charge £1.50 or even £2.00 for a single mounted general or ADC. In addition to making the inevitable Russians (which, incidentally I suspect are top of his list if he does start producing again), he could do a Von Wrede for the Bavarians, a Cuesta for the Spanish etc etc.
2. High Volume standard value. Here we would say, 'kindly make us 6 Brit marching infantry in Belgic shako' or six Marie Louises with a reasonable confidence that these lines might sell hundreds or even thousands of castings per year rather than the few score of the Wurtemburgers, Tony's last range.
It is pretty obvious, given what Tony's said, that it's pointless asking him to do Westphalian Cuirassiers, Tula Opolcheniye, Neapolitan cheveau legers etc - ie some private passion which we expect everyone else to share. It's got to be something that pays for AB.
Personally, I would even shy away from suggesting specific figs. He is an artist, after all, and he's got bored with doing Napoleonics. He needs to redicsover his own enthusaism and whether he feels he can do it. I would only say something along the lines of: if you want to do Marie Louises, late British cavalry, whatever, we would subscribe to 500 figs to make your initial work worthwhile.
regards
EC