A Short rant on Brexit ...

 


Academic, I know, seeing as the UK (well, most of it) is out of the European Union now, but felt the need to purge myself, and where better than here.

This isn't going to be a long thesis on ALL the good or bad points of staying or going, more a personal rant from someone with a (very) small business.

I paint miniatures. I paint them for myself, to sell on my humble Etsy shop and I also paint for commissions. And while I do have customers from the UK, most of my other sales come from either the United States or Europe. You've probably guessed by now what I'm on the way to moaning about ... yup, Import charges. Correct.

My argument is distance and reason. I can (just) understand the sort of charges for import/export to countries other than the EU - the US, Australia ... But with Europe on our doorstep, being a member really did make things smoother - not perfect, no - but a hell of a lot easier than they are now.

There are many smaller, independent model companies that I purchase models from to paint, and all of them have/had loyal buyers throughout Europe. One in particular (Bad Squiddo Games) has a sculptor they use that is based in Poland, which means crazy charges for getting sculpts shipped over to extend their ever-growing range of models.

Now, call me crazy, but one of the points pushed by the Brexiteers was making us more global. And while that may sound fine for the Larger companies (many of which have now taken their operations overseas anyway), for medium and smaller businesses this has meant higher import/shipping costs and simple uncertainty: Going from dealing with fellow Union members on a direct and reasonably equal term, to having different charges/rules/regulations dependent on the country the item(s) will end up. 

Which brings me to my (personal) point ... When I get a commission of figures to paint they are shipped to me. This makes for a sizable Import charge. And so, to make the transaction viable, I'd have to up my prices to cope with that charge ... But when I send them back - painted - their value has increased, so the buyer can expect an even beefier charge at their end. The result: less likelihood of them using me to paint their models in the future.

On a slight tangent; most Remain voters understood that the EU wasn't perfect*. But while In, we ALL had a say: agree or disagree, pro-EU or anti - you had a say (see any number of Nigel Farage's speeches). But once out, nobody has a say. We all loose.

Well, that's my rant over. Pointless, but I feel better for venting. I'm going to put a list bellow of some of the companies I buy from and recommend, not for any other reason than I like their products and they're damn fine folk!

Stay well. Be cool. 


Bad Squiddo Games

CP Models

Hasslefree Miniatures

War World Scenics  

ABC Brushes


*I know that's a generalization, but no more so than Leave campaigners view that everything would be rosey Outside of the EU.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

L'ng Tchun Xlvr the Space Slann Pirate

Image
  Last year I was lucky enough to paint models specifically for the manufacturers of those models; such as Checkpoint, Great Escape Games and Bad Squiddo. And, toward the end of the year, I was sent a real gem by Indelible Inc - a Slann Pirate. The limited edition model (s culpted by Warfactory Minis and cast by Ramshackle Games ) is due to be given out at Lead & Steel 2025 , so if you're able to snag one, you'll have a cracking sculpt! As you can see, I stuck with a fairly traditional toady green for the skin and a retro colour scheme for the space suit. A number of other painters have been offered to paint this model too, so highly recommend a visit to Indelible Inc Warfactory Minis and Ramshackle 's facebook pages to see some of their work.
Read more

Pure Pulp

Image
In between painting some Cowboys and In'juns, I squeezed in a couple of models from Bad Squiddo Games , and tried something a little different with one of them. I gave Bridget the Bounty Hunter her own simple diorama. It's not pictured here (as its a pain to photograph well) but the model is covered with a small glass bell jar dome to make a more bookshelf display piece. I kept this one pretty basic; Bridget just seemed at home among the ruins of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, so odd foam chunks and some aluminium wire made for a solid base, and after some filler and sand it worked out pretty well. Continuing the adverturing, pulpy theme, I was lucky to get (as a freebie with an order) one of Bad Squiddo's new Pulp heroines. The lady pictured below is Shirley, but I saw her more as a 'Dita' and some evil agent sort, hell-bend on causing trouble for folk. Again, kept it simple here, going for a traditional auburn leather flying coat, but adding a dash of b...
Read more

Fantasy Allsorts ...

Image
A random selection of models, painted here-and-there between other projects. As much as I try, sometimes models lure me all too easily to paint them. On the positive side, they can act as palate cleanser when other painting gets a little mentally tedious. The first is a real grim piece from Bad Squiddo Games ; the Ghoul Matriarch. Squiddo has quite the range of ghould models - all just as beautifully horrific - and the Matriarch is the de-facto leader or figure-head of the ghoul horde. This resin model has some really nice detailing, with exposed bones, boils and a cowering male ghoul beneath her rancid foot. Nice. I went with a soft purple/violet for the skin, more to make her into a mix of ghoul and fantasy being rather than the pale sallow skin, that might suit more traditional ghouls(?) ... I know, ghouls are dead common, eh. I also made a basic ye-olde wooden sign with the Bad Squiddo logo to it, but this is for another model I was currrently painting (that'll sho...
Read more