Putting the 'Success' into Successors...

Once again, Friday has come lurking from the shadows, crept up and mugged me while I still hadn’t realised that Thursday had left the room.   After a bit of scrabbling I’ve hurriedly found this week’s magic order number, which this week stands at #25953.

Releasing new codes and adding items to our ranges is one of those processes that goes on continually behind the scenes at Baccus HQ.   As is apparent from the outcomes of our uncannily accurate annual predictions it can also be a surprisingly uncertain and unpredictable undertaking.   A glimpse behind the curtain would reveal all the drama, the arguments, the tantrums and the tears that go into the creative process.  If you thought it’s just a matter of banging a few master figures into a mould and springing the end results on a grateful world, the think again.  Really, think again!

It's time to pray...

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t’s nice to report that we’ve not had a repeat of last week's meteorological shenanigans, and so it’s been relatively ‘normal’.  Many thanks to all who wished us well through the deluge.   Apart from a day of our village being cut off from the outside world, we came through unscathed, albeit in quite a soggy state.

‘Normal’ means that we have continued to churn order out this week, so I’m happy to announce that this week’s magic order number is #25849.

Moving on, we have last week’s postponed new releases…

It's time to pray...

I

t’s nice to report that we’ve not had a repeat of last week's meteorological shenanigans, and so it’s been relatively ‘normal’.  Many thanks to all who wished us well through the deluge.   Apart from a day of our village being cut off from the outside world, we came through unscathed, albeit in quite a soggy state.

‘Normal’ means that we have continued to churn order out this week, so I’m happy to announce that this week’s magic order number is #25849.

Moving on, we have last week’s postponed new releases…

Normal service has been interrupted...

There I was, a perfectly normal Friday, listening to the torrential rain, courtesy of Storm Babet, (who thinks these names up?), when the phone rings. It’s my wife, letting me know that all the local roads are flooded or are in the process of being flooded, and that our son’s school is closing early and I have to go and collect him twenty minutes ago. All of which put a pretty serious crimp in the normal Friday routine that usually consists of photographing new releases and teasers, then adding the former to the shopping cart, establishing the up to date order number and then composing a rambling post with lots of information and the occasional witticism. So…this week things are a little different. However, one thing that I have been able to salvage is an up to date magic order number, which stands at  #25803.

Something new, something that will soon be new and other waffle...

I’ll start this week by thanking the organisers of last week’s Partizan show.   There was a record attendance in terms of visitors and it was certainly the busiest that I’ve ever attended.  Thanks also to those of you who dropped by for a chat and the occasional purchase.  As ever, it was a pleasure for us to be there.

As usual, before we get on to this week’s new releases, there is the small matter of the magic order number, which this week stands at #25722.

So…what new goodies do we have this week? 

First WW2 Russian tanks have arrived

The week before a big UK wargames show is always a busy one for us.  In addition to the usual hectic round on casting, packing, processing and despatching lots of mail orders, we’ve got to get our show stock levels up to scratch, prepare bits and pieces for collection at the show and get any new items stocked and displayed.   Shall we say that it can get a bit hectic…

All of which brings us around to this week’s order number which has reached #25652.   With that out of the way, it’s time for a couple of new releases.

Great Northern War Russians

After last week’s paean lauding the virtues of England’s Steel City, it’s more of a prosaic piece today.   ‘Why’, asks one of my regular customers, ‘Do you always announce new releases the day before a wargames show?   Even if I know I am going there, it never gives me chance to work out what I want.’

‘Fair enough’, says I, ‘Let’s see what I can do’.   And so, this week will see the Partizan show releases available in time for you to actually order them for the show.   What a brilliant idea!   However, before we get on to all of that excitement, it’s time for a bit of housekeeping in the shape of this week’s order number which stands at #25601.   (The usual caution applies that a couple of orders prior to this will miss the cut and will  go out next week.)

The big news for this week is the full release of our resculpted and expanded Great Northern War Russian range.   These models replace what was one of the oldest set of sculpts in our catalogues and they bring the Russians bang up to modern standards.

Bit of a ramble this week, but do keep reading...

Sheffield is the home of Baccus 6mm  and we are steadily changing our packaging to proudly feature the coveted 'Made in Sheffield logo. 

It’s a city inextricably linked with the Steel industry and the manufacture of cutlery.  If your only contact with Sheffield is the wonderful film, ‘The Full Monty’,

then your impressions will be of a depressed and run-down place of grime and despair.  However, the truth is very different, as our home town is a vibrant bustling place and surprisingly green.  Very green indeed,  with the highest ratio of trees to population of any city in Europe. If you don’t believe me, try looking at the place on Google Earth.   All of which brings me to the point of this ramble, as driving to work this morning, it’s very apparent that the green leaves are steadily changing colour to a riot of oranges, browns and yellows.  Yes, Autumn is upon us, and for the UK at least, that means that the busiest time of the year is here.  

Between  now and December we have five wargames shows over a period of just nine weeks.  And that is why you will read posts from me repeatedly asking you to get your orders for collection in to us, preferably in good time.   It helps us, as we can make sure that we cast things that will sell, and you because we have things to sell that you want.   As the saying goes, ‘What is there not to like?’

Coming soon to a Baccus shopping cart near you!

I’d like to start this week’s offering by thanking all of the organising team and club members who were involved in the Colours show last weekend.  It was really well organised by a team working what is not the easiest of venues to manage.  Well done!

Moving on to the housekeeping, this week’s magic order number is #24583.   A combination of staff holidays over August, plus some days lost to illness put us behind schedule, but a real effort by the casting team has seen much of that backlog cleared and we are now well on track with getting orders turned around in a reasonable time.

New Release: The armies of Sumer and Ur

As I’ve telegraphed over the last couple of weeks, our latest range goes all the way back to the beginnings of history.   Some 6000 years ago, the area known as Mesopotamia became home to a remarkable civilisation that we generally call ‘Sumerian’.   It was a civilisation of city states and saw notable innovations ranging from intensive agriculture, irrigation, an organised religion, architecture, literature and written records.