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CandRsenal
CandRsenal

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Brainstorming and a trip

We took a trip out to the IV8888 shoot and had some fun getting back in touch with old friends and making new. Jay dubs this photo "Brothais."

While we obviously don't stand out to a lot of venders or other hosts, it seemed like every team had "that one guy" who recognized us. You know, the one who wastes time reading, studying, writing things . The one they turn to when the questions get hard or the engineering too specific. 

So for starters: here is a salute to the unofficial librarians out there, who represent so much if our viewership!

Now, while there I had some time with Sven from Manticore and realized he has plastic production equipment. This prompted an idea.

Currently all attempts at gaining advertising support for C&Rsenal have failed. Patreon supports the show as-is but leaves no room for growth and can be potentially fickle. Especially with us straddling some political issues, albeit not by choice.

We just do not produce a show that features sellable products.  What did suddenly pay out a LOT was merchandise in the form of T-shirts. Rather unexpectedly really. 

Now, we could go nuts branding everything in sight "C&Rsenal" or we could try something unique. I have long had an idea in my head to create miniatures of every gun we have covered. Nothing fancy, no moving parts. Just a set of minis I could put on a little toy rifle rack on my desk. 

Simple, direct, and it feeds that collecting itch. Would anyone be curious about a "Crozier scale" collection?



Brainstorming and a trip

Comments

Crozier scaled collection...no. A collection featuring crozier...yes.

Bryan Sportel

Yup. They’d be my goddamn Pokémon. Gotta catch them all.

I didn't see this til just now, but YES. That'd be awesome

Anders Patrick Bradley

That'd honestly be pretty neat, and probably a big hit in places where getting guns is tough or simply not an option for most. I'd only ask that you link or possibly produce a fairly universal rack for any mini so I don't have to search for one before buying any.

I am compleatly in!

Matti Opitz

I like the idea. What scale do you have in mind? 3-4 inches? Maybe a new one each month?

Robert N Ayres

I like that idea about the miniature firearms.

Nathan Boyan

I vote for that!

So long as the tooling costs are not out of proportion to the market value of the product, I'd say go for it. I'll take a .30-40 Krag, please.

I got you covered

C&Rsenal

oh nice, I might need some painting tips

C&Rsenal

I have for a long time wanted to convert my 3D models into something solid - but the finish from 3D printers is too coarse in my very limited experience (I have not been very successful in getting my 3D printer to work). So, number of questions/unknowns. First (forgive my ignorance) what is 'Crozier scale'. Second, what material - plastic or metal, third: production method - casting or 3D printing, or something else (I guess whittling is out). If there are people out there with experience of producing models, I should like to hear from them.

Rob Brassington

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!!!!!

Timothy Conklin

ABSOLUTELY!

Drakin Kubala

I want it to say 'Crozier Scale' on the packaging

Benjamin de Groot

Yes. Especially if they are large enough to have very nice detail. Closest I will probably ever get to owning a Lewis Gun...

Judge Roy Bean

Just make a stuffed cuddly Crozier, with blueberry accessories. We all know why we’re really here.........

I could see this working well but would suggest not gun-by-gun offerings but rather country specific sets of the most iconic guns of WWI, just the main ones, not the exotics. Rifles, carbines, pistols, revolvers, LMGs, HMGs, there would be some tough choices to make but it would be fun. For the French, for example, I could see Lebel rifle, Berthier carbine, Ruby, Modèle 1892 revolver, Chauchat, Hotchkiss M1914. Maybe offer them in a little stand like a rifle rack or an open locker with the HMG on a tripod to the side?

Matthew Long

I would be highly interested in this, assuming that the production quality would be high enough. I build and paint miniatures, so I could even paint them to look realistic, that would be cool!

Do eeet!

mike94551

I think it's a really cool idea!

I think if the models were highly detailed enough you could make quite a splash with the wargaming community. (I mean the proper tabletop one, not the World of Tanks, Warships, Warplanes company.) Personally, painting detailed models is something I find therapeutic, so I would definitely spring for some bare miniatures.

I need a mini rifle rack!!!!

Shut up and take my money! Will you be offering a mini Mae to go with them?

John R. Dorn

Heck yes please! I love the idea of a rack for each nation on my desk.

Most definitely.

Dang, got any photos though? This would be an inert, single color, plastic gun... just a lot of them.

C&Rsenal

I would absolutely buy that

Veteran of the Mushroom Wars

Alien Gear and a CZ 75 Compact DA

C&Rsenal

all yet to be answered

C&Rsenal

I would love a crozier size Lewis gun on my coffee table.

I work with casting metals and had an idea to make a sterling silver MP 40. It came out great with a removable magazine and a bolt that was spring loaded and locked back also a folding stock. The amount of work involved and the 65 grams of .925 silver made it a non seller on Ebay with a starting price set too high to cover the cost and labor.

John Stucchi

Oh I would so buy those!

Chris

I would so buy that

Jared Kennedy

Rather than individual pieces, how about a shadowbox of the different categories - machine guns, rifles, pistols and special weapons/miscellaneous . That way they don't all have to be the same scale - i.e. keep the shadowboxes the same size and scale the weapon models to fit. More of a display piece than a toy. The problem with this idea is that it increases your production and final item price, meaning a larger initial outlay, and probably lower total sales.

Library of Context

Nah, cosmoline smells like Admiral Akbar ["...CRAAAAP!"] -- Hoppe's #9 -scented cologne should work a treat for attracting all the gunchix out there [& we all know, gunchix are coolest!]

Bruce Brodnax

I'd say yes, but... in a fit of madness, I traded away all my old-school original G.I. Joe stuff when I was a tween-ager [for a slot-car track setup, iirc] so I don't really have any need for that kind of thing any more. Still want a C&Rsenal polo shirt I can wear to my job in the library tho'!

Bruce Brodnax

I could see a mini rifle rack on my desk :)

patrick russell

Would love to say YES!!! to the idea of desk mini's. However, I've been on a crusade to divest of stuff cluttering up my life and home... Unfortunately, sans a particularly noticeable effect. So, no, I really need to pass on the miniatures. :(

Mustafa's Fleas

Standard 1 in 6. National Rifles!

Simon Tan

Looking at Brothais, Crossbreed holster and what gun?

Chairman

Sounds very cool. Just remember: not too small, not too expensive. Thanks.

ERB2

I'm in.

Michael Cox

Would they be high capacity/fully automatic? Plus, can i mount my fancy new FLIR on them?

I’m in but what size would miniature be?

I'm not much for tchotchkes, but I am interested in more support for your team. However, it does sound like a better idea than those little green guys with the bent barrels I played with as a kid.

gary g. davis

Have to strike the right balance between price and quality. Drop below a certain level of quality and I wouldn't buy, regardless of the price. Shipping, and maybe customs duties, might be problematic for overseas buyers. However, that could make complete sets or collections more desirable---lower shipping cost per miniature. Another possible maker is WizKids. They make the tabletop miniatures for Paizo, Hasbro, and others. They're experienced and set up for this sort of thing.

A couple of ideas to make money for the effort 1) Invite and Charge a fee for the event you had (like a rock concert only firearms celebs and guns) Eric should have thought of that! 2) Auction off Autographed targets from Mae from specific episodes. 3) 1/16 Miniature guns but to with - 1/16 Action figures of you, and other popular gun bloggers e.g. Ian of Forgotten Weapons (hair brush sold separately), IV8888, MAC, hixox45, etc. 4) Create your own brand Cosmoline scented cologne and/or car air freshner!

Kenneth Marshall

I'd be interested in some miniatures.

As a avid collector of things I like the idea of miniatures

We have considered this and the short answer is "maybe." Best to test on inert trinkets first

C&Rsenal

Sadly that is not an option. Too mich overhead, would need 10x the audience to support.

C&Rsenal

good idea

C&Rsenal

Since y’all and a bunch of your audience (me included) are complete nerds. What about a “Point Blank Range” stand to go with the rifles? A card backdrop with the firing arcs in comparison from 0-300m of say 6.5x52mm Carcano, .303 British, 8x50mmR Lebel, .30-06, 7.62x54mmR, 8x50mmR Mannlicher, and 7.92x57mm on it for the major calibers. Would make it something interesting and incentivizing to buy the miniatures as sets vs. piecemeal.

Will Sanders

Good Idea... T Shirts were a great success. I’m happy for you. Unless you’re strongly opposed, I think coffee cups or Beer mugs with your Logo on one side, and an Iconic Firearm on the reverse might sell equally well. If you started with 1000, they might be produced for 5 or 6 dollars each, to be sold for 10.00. Window decals or bumper sticker type products would also spread the word. I could even see a C&R Event where everyone who attends (for a fee ) gets a goodie bag, T-Shirt, mug, pen, etc. you have the fan base to do it tastefully.

A Pete Bingham

It depends on the price point obviously, but I'd be willing to spend money on something like that.

Christian Thiel

I’d go for that. Felt guilty for not helping out with the t-shirts, but I never wear them unless I expect to get paint on it.

Definitely a good idea if cost, scale and postage are right. Maybe consider national groups such as British rifles, German machine guns etc.

Ian

I'd be in for a minis collection

Daniel R.

definitely interested

Alan

I think this is a good idea as long as you make them to fit one of the standard action figure sized scales used today. And there are many as you can see here (<a href="https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/the-scoop-on-action-figure-size-scales-17899)." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/the-scoop-on-action-figure-size-scales-17899).</a> The reason would be that I could imagine you attracting another market segment, being those people that collect and display military action figures. Having high quality, and most importantly, to scale, WW1 era weapons could be really attractable to those collectors, not to mention to those of us here that will buy pretty much anything you decide to produce.

Matt Faller

Crozier scale all the things.

Amigo1016

Absolutely.

What scale are we talking? 1/12th, 1/24th, 1/35th? Bare plastic or pre-primered? Will this set, that could be done in batches, include light and heavy MGs and pistols? And what about the display?

Tiger in man's clothing

I may not want to do a complete collection of them but there are certainly some I would want in there. Think you’d do the “Peerless” from your M1903(4/5/6) accessory fun?

Will Sanders

Miniatures would be very fun

Depending on how they look and how much they cost I'd be very interested. I have my doubts about the ability to produce a quality that I'd like at a price I'd pay but I'd like to be proved wrong.

Michael Quinn

My wallet just tightened the belt another notch. I am so in on the miniatures.

litgeek

Price and sized dependant. Probably should decide on a scale rather than all being "x" inches long. Ability to get detail on something like a Berthing carbine while not making a Mosin overly large or costly may be a fine line.

You have hit upon my curiosity

I would be curious about it. May be the only way I will ever own a Lewis Gun...

Josh Bowman

Not only yeah, but hell yeah.

Donald Gray II

I'd definitely go for it, if the price is right.

Definitely an interesting idea worth exploring for sure!

Chris Cherry

There are still a lot of hobbyists out there that would love painting their own mini models.

Jeremy

Cool idea. Worth exploring.

Jeremy

It's gonna depend a lot on cost, but I'd buy at least a few.

Jeff Freeman

Fair warning, I am not a production or 3D printing guy, but I just had this thought: Would it be possible and cost effective to produce plastic models of cut-away versions of some of the more interesting WWI arms, say Maxim, Lewis, etc?

Nuke Road Warrior

*Crozier sold separately.

Robert

I personally would enjoy this! Even though it might be expensive to produce decent quality miniatures...

I would like minitures of the ww1 guns very much. But i would like Them to be "high end miniatures" in metall. Not som cheap looking plastic low quality wal mart stuff.

Yes, I also vote book

I agree. I would love to have some, but doubt I would buy many of the more obscure ones.

Polaxymer

Not my thing, but it might find interest with some.

Ethereal

Finally! I've been asking for STL files of your CAD drawings so I could 3D print non-moving versions to do exactly this. Crozier with a Lewis gun plushie would be great too.

John Wall

Cost vs quality. That's all for me. Yeah, I like the idea, but they can't be too rough or, you know, cheap or crappy.

Anders Weidik Bendsen

I like the idea as well, especially for some of the higher end examples you have featured like the Ross MkIII.

Greg Cooke

This sounds like a great idea and gives something to display while the real ones are locked up secure. I would be very interested depending on cost

Timothy Billow

I like it. A rack of miniatures would go well with my posters.

Don't care for the idea of miniature non-working gun collection, but I'd splash out for a proper book produced by you. A CD with same content might also fly, but I want a book

Red Marley

I'd be down for some models. You could even go with unfinished models to give everyone the opportunity to paint and finish as a brand-new, fresh from the armory rifle or as a well-worn example. As a bonus, that would keep labor costs low on the production side as there would only be minimal finish work after printing or molding

I would like them

Bryan Sportel

I would love to see some miniatures that I could display. One thing that would be good to know is exactly what you mean by miniature. What would the perfect miniature be according to you Othias? Size? Will it be able to cycle? What materials? And more. There might be a market for high quality miniatures and there might be an even larger market for "looks good" miniatures.

I definitely want some.

Paul Crew

I focus on collecting portuguese firearms but interested in all military firearms. Having a collection of minitures would be cool way of getting a little of everything and still being able to focus on my collection

Almeida

While the idea is fun, I would not buy them.

Matt Rio

Only if it comes with Crozier and Lewis plushies.

DanGodofThunder

I would 100 percent fund those Crozier scale models.

Lucas Hagg

I might not do all of them but I would be interested in the MGs for sure and possibly others depending on how they look.

If you are gonna do scale models go by most YouTube views to least views that way you can do popular ones first to really find out if it's worthwhile

Would be cool to have models as I typically keep the guns in a safe and not out on display

I like the idea of being able to frame a set of minatures, like a 3D poster. Enfields first please.

I don't know about "every" gun but the favourites might sell well.

Peter Starr

I would, as acquiring proper firearms is tricky in the country I'm living in. It would depend on the price though and the shipping. Not sure if you are talking about 3d printed, or pure metal and wood reproductions. Either is fine by me.

Cost and size would be a factor. If you made it 1/6th scale you would pronbably get some interest from the GI Joe type doll collectors.

Lord Chaos

I would totally be down for some mini-Enfields

Perhaps something that could be displayed easily? Id love tobhave miniatures I can display on my desk.

Yes! I do tabletop RPGs - I'm running one set in WWI - and am dying to have scale machine guns.

RitalinGamer

Brilliant idea for us outside the USA too!

I love the idea. But cost could be an issue.

Eric Elcock


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