CONTE COLLECTIBLES

A close up look of the prototype Conte Collectibles Norman castle and battering ram.

The appearance of Conte Collectibles at OTSN is always one of "what will show up" in new product and future releases. Collectors at the 2007 OTSN  were not disappointed as Conte Collectibles showed products in both metal and plastic. Their displays in their first floor room were amazing. Just where do you start?

Prototypes of the new articulated Spartans

There  were so many things to see  in the room, I decided to start talking about the new articulated Spartans which will start a new era in plastic figures.  These figures are based on the Conte metal figures. What makes these figures different from other figures is they are articulated like little action figures. When we first heard of these figures we were skeptical. We remember the attempts of  Britains with a series of knights which did not work. When we saw the prototypes of Conte's we were just blown away. The figures have movable arms, wrists and some figures have movable forearms as well. The heads come off so you can replace a bare head with helmet head, etc. They had on display twenty figures which they had changed into a hundred different poses.  This new concept is literally jaw dropping. Now you can have so many different poses without converting or waiting for a company to do new figures which could take years.

Richard Conte of Conte Collectibles was so impressed by the results that he had ordered the company to start shipping the figures. The figures will be packed seven to a card in five poses. (This could change) Richard said that he had several people who wanted 500 of these figures. He was hoping to have these figures in November. (This could be longer due shipping problems. Conte Collectibles was was waiting for an order from DHL which instead of going to its intended location got stuck in a warehouse.)

Richard Conte said that trying to get the process correct has delayed his plastic figure production. He had to find a company that could do the small ball joints and this was a long and difficult process. Now with that part remedied he was moving ahead with his plastic figures. Once the plastic Spartans are out, the next one to be done in plastic will be the Immortals followed by Romans then Zulus. This production will be contingent on several factors.

A side by side look at the Conte Collectibles Viking ship and Roman Galley ship

The "By Thunder" Roman galley ship that had been advertised on the web is really Conte Collectibles Roman galley ship. Richard said they had used the name "By Thunder" to keep people from calling the office and questioning the staff. (We doubt this ploy really worked) On display at OTSN were the two versions. For metal collectors the ship will come with metal figures while the ship for plastic collectors will come with resin figures. The figures are well detailed right down to chains on their ankles.  They are taking preorders now.

A close up of the Viking Raid figures in metal. Most of these figures will be in styrene plastic

The new playset for this year was part one of the Viking raid. The first set has the Viking ship plus various figures. The special poses will be done in a styrene plastic getting closer to having plastic figures at a reasonable cost. One of the on going problems for these limited run playsets is how to do the special poses at a reasonable cost. In previous playsets Conte Collectibles used special runs of the metal figures painted in one color to match the other plastic figures in the same set.  This new process will allow people to have the feel of plastic. The other Viking raid playsets will have a church plus much more.

A display of  the metal Spartans vs. the Immortals

Metal collectors a had lot to choose from including the new Spartan and Immortal figures. Conte was also showing prototypes of 24th Foot figures and Civil War Zouaves. Richard Conte mentioned that he had figures in a metal set where he can have a ladder being pushed back from a wall by a defender. The ladder will have a figure starting to fall off. This will be an amazing piece. Richard plans to use it first with the Vikings then use it in other series as well.

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Richard Conte with a prototype of a new Civil War Zouave figure

Richard Conte has so many ideas on the docket, as he said only cash flow and time will dictate when these items come out. Another item he has on his "to do list" which he displayed was a Norman Castle. The castle walls  were on display. Richard is even thinking of putting small LED lights in the castle urns to simulate fire.  The castle can be used with the Viking raid sets to make a fantastic layout. One thing we did not see was the Cog Ship due to a DHL shipping problem. Hopefully in the near future Conte Collectibles will be able to show this piece which you will use against the Vikings. Another prototype at the show from Conte Collectibles was a Pirate ship. This is a new Pirate ship from the wooden one that Richard Conte displayed years ago. He said the company that made his first ship went out of business. We hope to have more pictures in the near future.

Robert Ortiz,Conte Collectibles' sculptor working one of their future releases

To get more information go to www.conteco.com

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