Greetings from the Front Lines;
The week started with a bit of a scare, but things turned out well and the scouts have been sent forward in preparation for the launch of our offensive. Hit the ‘read more’ button and I’ll brief you on the details.
OPEN ORDERS
As of this morning, all orders have been shipped. It’s a good time to place your order as you will be first in line to have your order filled come Monday morning.
CUSTOMER CARE ISSUES
As far as I know, I have taken care of all but one customer care issue. That one deals with out old T6 conversion, so it is proving difficult to resolve — but I’m working on it this weekend.
PLANNING FOR OUR SPRING OFFENSIVE
The week started with a scare. I had serious concerns that I might have had skin cancer. Luckily, the Lord opened an early appointment for me. This is a minor miracle in itself because the best dermatologist office in town is usually months out in scheduling, but I got in the day after I called. better still, the doctor sent a piece of me in to be tested, but he said he is very confident there is nothing to worry about and the test will be negative. I got the distinct impression the test was more to cover his legal liability than because it was medically necessary, so I feel much better.
This took me back to preparing for the next offensive. I have all the forces ready to start the attack, but there wasn’t enough time to do the listings correctly. Since I am tired of doing things in a hurry and ending up leaving things un-finished — sometimes for years — I decided to hold off on the new releases for one more week. This way, I can take a day or two next week to take proper pictures and do detailed write-ups for the new items. So, in my mind, the scouts are out and preparing the way for the first wave of our offensive next week.
NEW PRODUCTS
A little teaser for next week. I will have a few smaller items from Karl. These include a better muffler for the Tamiya M10 (and any M4A2); an un-mounted road wheel for the HVSS suspension; the jeep-mounted radio set from our M10 interior; an M3 belly plate for the Miniart kits without the escape hatch; and, finally, several small items to help fix the mold-shift issues found in some of the Miniart M3 kits. As for myself, I will have the newly re-mastered M5 Prototype conversion. This also covers the first 50-something production vehicles. I will also have new mantles for the M5A kits; alternative volute spring brackets for the M5/M5A1 suspension; and a host of spin-off items from these early M5/M5A1 kits.
In addition to this — and not necessarily coming out next week — I also have the re-mastered M1/M1A 75 mm howitzer ammunition and packing tube sets almost ready to re-release. The field-modified communication phone in the empty .30 cal ammunition box will be re-released soon, as well as several other items that have fallen off the product listings over the years. So, finally, I am going to get TMD’s troops off their laurels and moving forward once more.
KARL VAN SWEDEN
I spoke to Karl this week. He is taking a serious look at the new Tamiya M3 Stuart kits. I have no idea what — if anything — will come from this, so we’ll have to just wait to see what happens together.
THE SHOP
The shop is in need of some cleaning. If all goes well, I’ll get to it this afternoon, or sometime Sunday. But it is still in better shape than it usually is. This is a good thing, as it helps improve my general attitude, which keeps me wanting to move forward.
THE OFFICE
The office also needs a field day (cleaning up). Here again, this will depend on how the rest of the day goes, but it isn’t that bad. It should only take about 30 minutes to get the job done.
THAT IS ALL
Well, that’s all I have for you this week. Hopefully you will be as satisfied with my continued progress. I know I am. So, until next time, please stay safe and try to build something (preferably something using TMD resin).
Joe