Hobilar Archive: Volume II

After eight years (yes eight) the second volume of the Hobilar Archive is on it's way to the printers.  As before this will be a data CD in a full colour wrap around card wallet for £12.00 plus delivery. The CD contains issues 51 to 100 of Hobilar and should be available on 25 April 2020.



My roles, as archivist, has been to manage the project (part time), prepare the digital content and produce the various indices via a purpose built database. Here's an example output from the indexing.

Advertising Material

Items from my first three painting commissions for Ian at Fighting15s are to be used in his latest advert.  However I don't think they can compete with the female Hussar.

The advert is due to appear in the next issue of WSS.

Painting Commission 003

As my retail business winds down I have started painting a few display samples for Ian at Fighting15. Here are the latest results from the 15 mm Gladiator medieval ranges:


FE020 Unarmoured 13th Century Spearmen

Painting Commission 002

As my retail business winds down I have started painting a few display samples for Ian at Fighting15. Here are the latest results from the 15 mm Gladiator ancient & medieval ranges:


FE028 Prussian/Lithuanian Archers

Painting Commission 001

As my retail business winds down I have started painting a few display samples for Ian at Fighting15. Here are the first results from the 15 mm Gladiator ancient & medieval ranges:


FE012 - Prussian Light Horse

Plans For The Future

Vexillia began in 2002 importing high quality wargames miniatures and accessories from across Europe. Later I offered selected ranges from the UK including my own ranges in 2008 & 2011.

After all these years I have finally decided to close the online business at the end of 2020 and retire from hobby retailing.  Just hobby retailing mind you.

Now as I sell my remaining stock, I would like to thank all my many customers and hope you find some last minute bargains at vexillia.com.

Once the shop has closed you can still search any remaining stock using the links on the Retail Clearance page which is accessible via the menu bar above.

Vexillia Hobby Retail Reorganisation

I have been selling wargames miniatures online since 2002 when the internet was young.   Now it's time to reorganise the operation; probably for the last time.  This has been brought about by a combination of factors:

• Since 2012 I have consistently lost suppliers as they withdrew from the increasingly unprofitable 15/18 mm  wargames market.  The list is a long one: Acies Edizioni, Venexia and Corvus Belli to name but  a few.
• The rise of the Kickstarter.  There have been a number of such projects featuring 15/18 mm ancient or medieval ranges.  Given that customers' disposable income is finite, these projects have diverted money away from conventional channels like Vexillia.
• The ever increasing cost of airmail delivery.  Royal mail have been increasing their prices annually for the last five years.  Shipping to Europe or elsewhere is now very expensive and a real disincentive to buy from the UK.
• In Feb 2018 my sixteen year association with Mirliton ended.  The new commercial terms offered by Mirliton were simply unacceptable.

The effect of the first three factors have been apparent for a number of years, slowly chipping away at my turnover and profitability.  I have dealt with this by reducing my costs wherever I can.  The last factor obviously happened rather quickly but its effect was lessened as I held a considerable stock of Mirliton miniatures.

Nonetheless I have decided to begin the process of simplifying the business even further by clearing all of my retail stock over the next 6-9 months and by selling the two 15/18 mm ranges I own.  This will leave me with various books, games and flag sheets.  When I reach this stage I will decide whether to close altogether or operate as a very minimal web store. I expect the whole process to take about a year and a half.

The final decision will depend purely on the financial arithmetic: can I turnover enough money to make a profit after I've paid for things like the shopping cart, web hosting, accountant's fees etc.  Sadly, it's all too easy to see a situation in which I would not make anything at all.  I will not trade at a loss.

On the positive side there will be lots of bargains to be had but my advice is don't delay.  Some ranges are still selling well at full price and when I do reduce stock the popular items are selling very quickly.

An Insight Into Game Design

Neal Reid, the author of THACE and the Somme Series, was recently interviewed by Neil Shuck of Meeples & Miniatures fame.

In episode 209 of the podcast Neal talks about how our partnership works and the games he's designed since we started working together: the Somme Series, THACE (WWII) and Revolution! the soon to be released game of intrigue set during the French Revolution.

If you'd like an insight in to how these card games came about download the podcast, grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy.  Neal's segment begins 35 minutes into the podcast.

Welcome

Like many people I do more than one thing to earn a living. This site is intended to be my portfolio where I draw together the threads of my professional life.

Please bear with me while I finish building the site.