Lafayette Show 2015
We have our first report on the Lafayette Show 2016 from our good friend Ed Borris. We are hoping to hear from other people who attended this show. Here is Ed’s report of Lafayette Show 2016.
Just got back for Lafayette, I like the fact the shows is closer and the area is appreciably better than where we stayed at Indy the last few years.
The hotel itself things were a little messed up, we had people spread out on 6 floors, I was one of like 4 dealers on the 4th floor. I didn’t care for that too much at first , but it ended up okay. There was very little traffic for room trading other than visits from other dealers I would estimate that no more than 10 visitors to my room were either not dealers or usual suspects that go to the show regularly. Despite that my sales were moderate.
The show itself was fairly well attended, many more people than our last year in Indy and the traffic was brisk until about 1:00PM. We made sales but not all that many , most were lookers and not buyers of our products and we had a pretty well diversified line for sale. I heard there were a few big spenders, but I didn’t see them. I think we sold 7 bagged sets and a couple loose figures at the show so, it wasn’t highly profitable for us. One guy was impressed with my conversions to the point that he went home after visiting with me on Saturday and discussing conversions that he actually went home and did some of his conversions on some cheap knock offs of Timmee Nam era figures and brought them back to show me on Sunday. I gave some tips and he was going to try again with some better easier to carve up figures. I will go back next year, I’ll give these guys another opportunity as they did well I thought for their first try. It was a learning experience for them. ,I think one of the things they will need to do is not call it room trading, because if you are not familiar with this hobby, you may think you have to bring things to trade and not realize that really it’s an early bird shot at buying things. Something we take for granted, but others may not.
Stengel
On to Stengel , he didn’t show up for room trading but I ran into early on Sunday morning, he apologized profusely for all the troubles he’s had trying to get the product to us and thanked us for our patience. I did get my two sets of Marines and he did have some of his new Rebels, there were four dead or wounded Rebels, the three dead were on stand and the wounded guy on a separate stand by himself. The dead ones are kind of flat, but the wounded on a solo base was nicely done, in the bag there was also a loose separate rifle to add to your diorama. In the next set there were four rebels climbing the fence, they come already glued to the fence and one is dead sprawled over the rail, they come with two separate loose rifles. The last figure was Armistead complete with hat with sword running through it, a nicely done figure that people will want to have in their Gettysburg scenes. If you purchased all the figures of this line you got two extra rail fence pieces thrown in.
John Sr. did not attend, but John Jr states he’s getting better, he underwent multiple surgeries and he’s still not strong enough to travel to a show, but he hopes to have him attend the Gettysburg show in a few weeks. He got a clean bill of health with his last two doctor visits, but he still has some therapy and rehabilitation to go through.
Ed, did Stengal say what is causing the delay and does he have figures to ship to people like me who paid at OTSN?
Gary —- John Stengel Jr. had my own OTSN figures there, which I had arranged by telephone call for him to bring there, since I was attending. Like Ed said, he was profusely apologetic for the delay.
He said he now has all Vietnam figures complete for orders he took at OTSN and at other locations.
I mentioned you by name to him (identifying you as from Missouri) to make sure he recognized who I was talking about. I said you were on Paul Stadinger’s website, and were getting “anxious” about your order at OTSN.
John nodded, and said he was now prepared to get everybody their figures.
But Gary, here’s what I think: John has been so busy with things that he simply puts off the time-consuming tasks of actually boxing things up and getting them mailed. I think he’s hoping he can simply give the figures to people at the shows, like he did myself, Ed Borris, Mike Kutnick and a few others at the Indiana Show.
I believe that if you are going to OTSN again this year, and asked him to bring them there for you, he would, without fail.
I know that’s asking a lot. If you call him again, he may actually get yours mailed. But remember he also told me he would be mailing my own figures “the middle of next week”, and it just didn’t happen. That was back in January of this year.
When you talk to John in person he, like his father, is so sincere, humble, and personable that you can’t help but like him. When he hands you your stuff he is so apologetic for the delay that all is forgiven.
But I completely understand you’re getting a little frustrated at this point.
Don, thanks for the response. I won’t bug Stengal about these. I have already booked my room for OTSN so if worse comes to worse I’ll get them there.
Wait.Don’t they have a website or way to contact then direct?
I did long ago but had not done recently
Stengals do not have a web site. The only way to contact John is from the cell number he gave me.
Gary. If you are subscribed to the Adria NY toy soldier show, you may receive in the mail a flyer with direct two numbers(His home and his cell) and email. Stengels are sponsor for that show.This year I think will be done in June. I will try get that info later..
Gary,
He really didn’t go into details about why they were late, I know he lost a lot of time with his dad who was sick and required a lot of attention, plus his regular job. He did mention briefly some production he was having, but it seems to be resolved now. It seemed he was back on track now and didn’t expect further problems other than trying to balance his time.
I failed to comment of the Nam figures, a couple minor things, the faces aren’t all that great, and every one seems to have a pack of smokes and bug juice in the helmet band, other than that, I think they are well done , even the dead guy on a base looks good to me. All the poses are either laying, kneeling or crouched with the exception being the sniper the only standing figure in the set. I like all the poses except the guy throwing the grenade his pose looks a big strange to me. Others may find the guy crouching with the shot gun a little strange, but John explained he was supposed to be crouching behind a shell damaged tree, so if that was intent it works. Most appear to be in the 60mm range or very close. You can tell upon inspection that most were cast in multiple pieces and we’re later glue together. The same process was done with the Civil War figures I know that for a fact because he was still assembling some sets of those just prior to the start of the show. I’m not a modern warfare guy, but I’ll buy the Cong when they come out.
I tend to agree with with Ed’s overall view of the show. There were around 51 dealers present, with approx. 110 tables. It was the number of non-dealer attendees that seemed a little light, however. But remember, when it comes to toy soldier “dealers”, almost every “dealer” is also a “collector”, and at every toy soldier show, there’s always a lot of buying and selling going on between the dealers. But on Sunday morning, when the doors opened at 10:00 AM, it seemed there were more dealers set-up than attendees waiting to come in. I’m not sure there’s a solution to this problem.
My roommate, Bill Skinner, had a table to sell the vintage plastic he’s been accumulating all these years, and he ended up selling quite a bit of it. I left for home before the show ended, but called him up later, and he said he was happy with his sales. He had a nearly complete Ideal Pirate Ship for sale for $40.00, missing the crow’s nest. John Stengel Jr. came walking by before the show doors opened, and paid the asking price without a quibble.
I myself wasn’t selling anything. I went to the show with a list of things I was looking for:
1. Marx Zorro/Alamo Mexicans in round hats;
2. One Timmee 70mm knight’s horse;
3. One Timmee 70mm bareback horse with vinyl rubber-like saddle;
4. The new Barzso mini-tower to increase the height of the larger, wider castle tower;
5. Marx Prince Valiant character-figure knight with tassel;
6. Marx 60mm Robin Hood set knight with overhead chopping ax;
7. Marx Blue and Gray Union Centennial set;
8. Marx 13-star Old Glory metal flag;
9. MPC 35/40mm red and silver knights;
10. ExForce Persians.
I ended up getting items 1 – 6, but failed to find items 7 – 10.
I did, however, also obtain 10 Marx galloping cavalry horses; 10 Marx aqua-blue 7th Cavalry riders; two complete sets (32 figures) of Marx 7th Cavalry aqua-blue foot figures; 4 of the 60-70mm Beton/Bergin hard plastic horse and riders; 15 silver-metallic 54mm Fort Apache/Alamo Pioneers, plus 10 more in tan; 4 mounted ExForce Greeks already glued and assembled; 3 Marx 54mm Fort Apache Indian ponies; a Marx mounted 54mm Roy Rogers character figure on horse (from Rick Eber); 10 Marx flat tan 54mm WWII U.S. Marines; 2 Captain Gallant Legionnaires and 1 Captain Gallant silver Arab (from Ed Borris); and all of Action Castings new Civil War figures, including Sets 1 and 2 of Confederates clambering over the brown fence sections, and the new Confederate casualty set. I also got my long-waited General Pickett, General Lewis Armistead at Gettysburg, my previously ordered U.S. Marine set, all from Stengel’s Action Castings table. I liked the Armistead figure so much I got two of them, and was tempted to get two more, but decided to try to control myself.
This is part of the great fun at toy soldier shows —- to hold yourself in readiness to get things you hadn’t necessarily planned on, but which you get excited about when you see them.
A word on prices: they are all over the place. Some dealers are just trying to sell vintage figures while there is still some demand for them, while other dealers seem to want prices for their things which to me seem unrealistic, considering what others at the same show are offering them at. Here’s an example: I purchased 10 Marx galloping cavalry horses from Bill Nace for $1.00 each. But many other dealers were asking $2.00 each for the same horses; and a number of dealers were asking $3.00 per horse. These last dealers may have thought they were making more money by charging $3.00 per galloping cavalry horse, but they have to understand that buyers at the shows are actively comparing prices, and I doubt if any of the $3.00 horses actually got sold. Over the past 3 years, I have probably purchased about 50 vintage Marx galloping cavalry horses at shows, and never had to pay more than $1.00 per horse, despite the presence of $2.00 and $3.00 horses in the rooms and on the tables of other dealers at the same shows.
Joe Saine was present, passing out colorful flyers for his 2-day Michigan Toy Soldier Show and Auction, now set for the last two days of July this year. The Michigan Show has a very similar dealer list to the Indiana Show. We’ll see if MarxMan and Bill Murphy join us in Michigan again this year. They’ve been pretty regular in the past.
These toy soldier shows are pure heaven for me, and I’m glad Steve Connell and Rick Keller rescued this one —- the Indiana Toy Soldier Show — now the Midwest Toy Soldier Show in Lafayette, Indiana — for at least one more year. We’ll see what happens next year.
Don
It looks like you did well despite not getting some of your wants. On the black knight from Prince Valiant it is had to get him with his tassel. Check my store as I have some MPC Knights for sale. some of the others I am surprised they were not available.
I agree on the Marx cavalry horses a $1.00 is what they should be at a show. Too many think they can get the old prices for items. I like show as I can see the items right there. also I enjoy the thrill of the hunt.
I got just a few more items I forgot to mention, since I was sitting here at the computer when I was typing my list, rather than with the still-in-the-show bags stuff down in the basement:
3 of the large Payton horse and riders
2 Ideal gangster figures
2 red brown 60mm+ Stuart horses
10 Marx 54mm red/brown Fort Apache Indians
1 Ideal Canadian Mountie horse in yellow
1 Ideal 70mm knight horse in red
And that about does it. I was trying to ensure that every rider I already have now has a proper horse to go with him.
I didn’t really see a whole lot of boxed Marx sets changing hands, possibly because I wasn’t paying close attention to those items. But Allan Ford was there with some, as was Rick Eber, and Eric Koopmeiner from Wisconsin had some in his room.
Well it seems you had a lot fun fishing there!!!I’m glad u did.
For those who enjoy photos of the toy soldier shows, you can now go to “Midwest Toy Soldier Show”, hit “Gallery”. Rick Keller & Steve Connell have photos up of the April 10, 2016 show in Indiana.
Even for those of you on the East Coast, you will see plenty of Rick Eber, John Stengel Jr., Allan Ford, Toymiester, etc., as well as many of the Midwest dealer/collectors — Ron Barzso, Mike Kutnick, Joe Saine.
The photos are pretty good and are fun to look at whether you were at the show or not.
Here it goes:
http://www.mwtoysoldier.com/gallery.html
Don,
You forgot one Marx kneeling Arab.
Notice that I skillfully avoided having my picture taken.
Ed, I noticed that for some reason you didn’t get picked up in the photos, unlike your partner, Mike Kutnick. Usually, you’re front and center, but this year —- Nyet. Even I showed up in the background of a couple of shots.
Yes, I forgot to list the silver, kneeling Arab from the Captain Gallant set I got in the Ed Borris/Mike Kutnick room.
Since Steve Connell lives here with me in metro-Detroit, I’m going to give him a call to see how the show went from his perspective as one of the show organizer/promotors. On my way out, however, I bumped into Rick Keller, and he himself seemed fairly content with how everything went.
Well; I can not tell who you guys are in pic as never see you before, sorry.
But I saw Stengel’s Junior far back in one pic with cell in his ear talking…
And for what it’s worth, I’m the one in the same aisle just before Stengel, wearing my tan Jungle Jim bush jacket, looking down at the table intently, and then followed by Mike Kutnick in the forefront of the photo, fishing through a large cardboard box.
In other words, on that aisle, you’ve got Mike Kutnick, me, and then John Stengel Jr. talking on his cell phone, wearing his aqua-blue, zip-up hooded sweatshirt.
Ok, great Don!!!
Now I saw you. Nice to see you there searching and scanning in the hunting day…nice. Thanks x heads up as I was wondering who you were in all the nice pictures, now I need to find Ed too.
I been googling other shows and years and seen pics to recognize, but not clue..
I guess I’m just not photogenic.
Oh wait, that is my left hand in the picture. I only recognize it because on the stripes on my jacket sleeve.
Erwin,
I sent you a picture. Two actually, 35 years apart.
Ed,thanks I got both, thanks ;awesome!!!