Chicken Fried Toys/Dime Novel Legends

CFT sent out a new update and I'm actually pretty disappointed with them right now. For context, let's remember that the Kickstarter to produce these items, which let's also remember were technically part of the PREVIOUS Kickstarter but just didn't get to funding, ended on NOVEMBER 18, 2024.

According to the September 10th email update; files will be going to tooling IN 30 DAYS.

Almost a full year out from the Kickstarter and they haven't even started tooling yet. In fact, the email also said that it'll be about 8 weeks after that before tooling samples should arrive. Which means this Kickstarter, for items that were part of the previous Kickstarter, will be reviewing tooling samples MORE than a full year after funding was met.
That seems pretty fucked up to me. These guys aren't new at this. This is a company that has been producing quite a few figures already, and has been producing items during this time frame.

Still no allocation set up for backers, about 1 year out from Kickstarter conclusion. No tooling. 1 year and it's still basically vaporware. I don't understand how they think this is acceptable. It feels very much like the old 'whatever, you don't like it, don't buy from us' attitude is still in full effect, unfortunately.
 
Damien said:
According to the September 10th email update; files will be going to tooling IN 30 DAYS.

Almost a full year out from the Kickstarter and they haven't even started tooling yet. In fact, the email also said that it'll be about 8 weeks after that before tooling samples should arrive. Which means this Kickstarter, for items that were part of the previous Kickstarter, will be reviewing tooling samples MORE than a full year after funding was met.
Click to expand...
Got that too, but I was too annoyed to even post about it.

I was curious if they had started any production work but figured they must have done something by now. I really don't get it, but now I'm guessing the real reason they haven't launched the allocation page is they knew they weren't going to start any steps for production for awhile...and knew that nothing would be in hand until mid-2026 at best, so better to slow play the website so they didn't have to admit the "expected delivery date"...
 
Update - supposedly the special store for the backers will be opening soon - asking everyone to update their information in Kickstarter so they can create accounts that will be allowed to access it. Once open, backers will have 45 days to use their credits before they raise prices and open it up to everyone, I think.

Glad some movement finally - taking nearly a year to let us allocate our credits (I just want what I pledged...) still crazy to me. I will be curious if I have things in hand withing 2 years of the KS ending.
 
I mean, it's not a big deal or anything. But does anyone else think it's pretty fucking douchey to put a 45 day limit on 'use your credits or pay more' for BACKERS, who backed at specific prices, after taking over a year to even LET them allocate those funds?

Hell, it's douchey to tell backers they may end up having to pay more at all given that, again, backers backed the project with prices on the KS. They shouldn't be allowed to say 'well, actually... you backed for a dollar value and all we have to give you is that dollar value and if we raise the prices on everything so that dollar value gets you less, then that's your problem for backing a Kickstarter like some kind of fool.'

Goddamn. Just every part of this company is so fucking mismanaged.
 
fac said:
Update - supposedly the special store for the backers will be opening soon - Glad some movement finally
Click to expand...
And 30 days later, there is a tab on the website for Kickstarter Allocation and page that says "This page is being updated. Allocation coming soon." So progress?
 
altcunningham said:
I would love to support this line but it always sounds so clown shoes.
Click to expand...
Maybe unsurprisingly, supporting the line will sometimes make you feel like clown shoes.

It's a really fun line when you're just.. playing with the toys. Really is. I think it's important to give credit where it's due. The figures look great. The quality is pretty good (they could work on a few things for sure - who couldn't). They've shown a pretty strong commitment to making this line enjoyable to look at if you're a dio person that wants civilians and fun stuff for the shelf beyond just a few gunfighters or cavalry soldiers. They've shown off some really cool figures that make me excited about what a DNL display COULD look like if they ever get around to making this stuff...... which brings me to:

But everything else about collecting the line is an awful experience. Communication is bad. The excuses (when they bother at all) are lame. The priorities of the primary hands-on owner seem all fucked up. As a customer you definitely aren't made to feel like you matter beyond exploitative statements like the 'if you guys don't support it, we can't make it' kind of stuff that we all know customers love to hear. LONG waits for no apparent good reason, product you pre-ordered being sold at shows before KS backers or pre-order holders have their stuff shipped. Just everything about how the company is operated does not make me feel great about supporting them or feel like I, as a customer, am valued at all. Especially the kind of 'if you don't like it, don't buy from us' attitude when people have concerns/complaints.

The int. shipping policy for their website, for example, is literally a giant middle finger to everyone outside the US, as I've complained about here before. I don't know a lot of companies that are SMALL and need the sales to also take such an obstinate, disinterested attitude when someone says 'hey man, I'd like to buy from you but you're making it complicated and unapproachable to do so.' Wild stuff.
 
Damien said:
The int. shipping policy for their website, for example, is literally a giant middle finger to everyone outside the US, as I've complained about here before.
Click to expand...
I will likely order the figures I want from these guys in the future, once I know the horses are coming. (Unless folks have had a bad experience with them)

https://smalljoes.com/cat/Wild-West-Cowboy-Western-action-figures-56.shtml - they seem to have a good selection and looks like they will ship anywhere.
 
I don't know how many of you know about the guy who is behind CFT. Alyosha was a 1:18 parts caster back in the day. Broken Arrow Toys. I will say he was one of the better casting people out there (he was no Daremo though), he got a little too big in the head, and towards the end of it all he wasn't fulfilling orders, and when people would ask about it, he was downright nasty to them. If I remember right he's the reason why selling casted parts on Hisstank was banned. He sponsored a custom contest on Hisstank many years ago, and sent you some random heads, and you had to make a figure with what you got. I was disqualified from it after I posted my figure on BanthaSkull (my own damn site) and he added the rule that it couldn't be shown anywhere previously.

So yeah, reading all of the above here fits in with what I know about him from his past.
 
fac said:
I will likely order the figures I want from these guys in the future, once I know the horses are coming. (Unless folks have had a bad experience with them)

https://smalljoes.com/cat/Wild-West-Cowboy-Western-action-figures-56.shtml - they seem to have a good selection and looks like they will ship anywhere.
Click to expand...
SmallJoes is great. I dropped off considering them because their Canadian shipping prices used to be downright fucking insulting (like, the same size/weight package from BBTS being 20 dollars to ship and SmallJoes wanting 55 kind of outrageous). I haven't checked lately to see if that's still the case.


DarthDre758 said:
I don't know how many of you know about the guy who is behind CFT. Alyosha was a 1:18 parts caster back in the day. Broken Arrow Toys. I will say he was one of the better casting people out there (he was no Daremo though), he got a little too big in the head, and towards the end of it all he wasn't fulfilling orders, and when people would ask about it, he was downright nasty to them. If I remember right he's the reason why selling casted parts on Hisstank was banned. He sponsored a custom contest on Hisstank many years ago, and sent you some random heads, and you had to make a figure with what you got. I was disqualified from it after I posted my figure on BanthaSkull (my own damn site) and he added the rule that it couldn't be shown anywhere previously.

So yeah, reading all of the above here fits in with what I know about him from his past.
Click to expand...
Yep. JE or John. That's him.
There was actually some pushback, which either went away or was silenced, when CFT first started up because some people didn't trust him to not do.... well, what he's doing right now. So there you go.
 
It's still perplexing why HE is the face of that company, when they have someone who is 1000% nicer, more personable, and doesn't take everything as an insult right there.
 
It's definitely a bizarre choice. Like, I kind of get it. The other guy (Paul) is just a 'money guy' and, to my understanding, doesn't really -want- to be involved in operations in that way. He doesn't even seem to want to have a toy company so much as he wants to have cowboy toys and making them himself was the only way to make that happen.
At the same time, if he wants to be able to keep making toys happen, even if just for himself, it may be wise to reconsider how the company is structured.
The other side of the other side... of the other side... of that is the guy we're talking about is a lawyer, I believe, and probably doesn't have TIME to be the face of a company.

But I mean.. hire someone. There are some seriously dedicated fans that would probably work for peanuts and a few free figures to do PR and customer service work. Which frees up the other guys to do the 'making of toys' part of being toy-makers (not that they're spending a lot of time on the other two things anyway). And that's an opportunity to get someone that's not only well-liked within your community, but just better-suited to that type of work. John may have LOTS of great qualities as a person and even a business owner, but the stuff we're talking about here aren't it.

Being cantankerous might be charming for a dude on a forum talking about G.I. Joes. It's not charming from the face of a company that you're giving hundreds or thousands of dollars to.

But given all the long delays with no communication beyond no reasons given or lame excuses, while the same guy is attending every convention he can get to; I'm really not convinced he's taking it seriously anyway. And if it's just a side-hustle to both guys, it's probably not a line anyone else should take very seriously either. Buy them when they're in stock and let the two owners figure out how to put the funding together to make them.

Those are the options, right? Either treat your business like a business, and your customers like customers, or treat it like a side gig and sell stuff when you have it to sell. You can't have it both ways.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top