Folks,
THANK YOU! We had a great sale! Things are finally starting to look up around here and I am looking forward to the future again. Give me a few minutes and I’ll share some of my plans with you.
AFTER ACTION SALE REPORT
First, let me thank all of you who took advantage of the sale. You folks really came through for me. The bills for April have been paid and I was able to buy some new equipment for the shop. Even better, I am not going to be weeks behind like I usually am after a big sale. As of right now, I only have 16 orders left from the sale and I fully expect those to be shipped by this time next week. So, all-in-all, the sale was a HUGE success.
THIS WEEKEND
Now that I have the shop under control, I am going to take a couple days and go to a show in Aniston, Alabama. The idea is to hang out with friends and other modelers. I must confess: my decision to stop going to shows may have been a mistake. True, getting ready for them is hard on me, but I miss seeing you guys. So, plans are in the works to start going back to the shows as a vendor starting next year. The only change is that — this time — I might only be bringing our top selling products instead of the full line. This way, what does not sell at the show will sell in short order after I get home, which will actually help me instead of hurting me. Another win-win (I hope). We’ll just have to see if the idea I have to make this happen will work out for me.
NEXT WEEK
Starting next week, I will be back on the master bench. I still have a thing for Commonwealth projects, but I am going to finally get on the Panther family. This will include the gun tanks, jagdpanthers and bergepanthers. Somewhere along the line, I’d also like to wrap up the M3 Lee/Grant projects and maybe even the T-30/34 items. The problem now is simple: if I have taken too long, I might not be able to get to them because I must keep up with whatever is new and hot on the market. Sadly, I need to start focusing on the realities of the business side of TMD, and that means I need to make things that will sell and sell well. It sucks, but it is how I stay in operation.
MY WORLD
I continue to work on the finishing touches on the house. I still need to get the trim molding up and painted. Then I need to make thresholds for all the flooring transitions. And I have to make a few window sills and shelves, get two doors replaced, finish getting the chimney fixed and complete the landscaping on the yard. Then I have to fight with the insurance company, my mortgage company and my contractor so I can get all my money released to pay for this stuff. As you can see, my world is still full of fun, but I still have a positive attitude about it all. It sounds like a lot, but it should be done by the time BB gets out of school for the summer.
THAT IS ALL
OK, go forth and model (preferably using TMD resin). and, in all things, please, stay safe and, if at all possible, be nice to each other — especially to fellow modelers.
Joe