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Gildor´s last thoughts are very interesting.
I became acquaintance to mithril very lately, in 1998. So there were ten years of production already.
I was desappointed indeed to find out at this time, that the production is running out. There were only rare stocks in the shops around me, and these were five or six of them. At this time internet was still young and I remember the first steps of ebay very well.
That seemes to be the turning page: the miniatures ran out of the shops and there was only ebay left. Ordering in Ireland directly- without PayPal and other easyments- was difficult, too dificult for a former "buyer in a shop around the corner". So something fell into oblivion which hasn´t had to be . . .
That the company (still) discard all those ideas (drop an eye on last years´primer-discussion) - even from the Man - is remarkable.
I agree to Master Barli in saying, that I never did understand the deletion of earlier ranges of Mithril figures.
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Barliman wrote:
Don't forget to give us a link so that we can take a look.
Will do. No idea what the link will be till its made "live" next week 
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... lot's of informations and lots of history in last 10 posts... nice to learn something like that from all of you.... about commercial development, about problems, quantities and quality, and wishes and reality ! I hope our love connected with C.T. man's art will be enough hard and unbreakable in order to give it a long lifespan in this beautiful figures....
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I hope so too, though I do worry sometimes that Lars may pull the plug if he decides on a whim that the profit margins generated by the Mithril range just aren't big enough. It's a shame that Chris's experience and enthusiasm isn't given more free rein, since he's the one who understands the market best.
I think I'll sit in the corner for a while and mope over a beer until I feel less depressed. Or perhaps several beers.
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I doubt Lars will do that anytime soon, for a simple reason...
there are actually ONLY 15 companies in the world who are licensees of Middle-Earth Enterprises (MEE, former TE)
If you remove the "giant companies" who have licences such as Warner Bros, New Line, Weta Workshops, Electronic Arts, and indeed GW... that makes only 10 "smaller companies" to have the right to publish Tolkien content under licence and Mithril is one of those...
Considering how HARD it is to gain such a licence, keeping alive the company who owns it is some kind of guarantee even if the company does not produce anything for a while...
And the licence is attributed to Mithril...not PA, (which is quite different in terms of licence and contracts)
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Huooommm ... right, Master Gildor ... right indeed. And that's why the former discussion (about a year ago, I think) about if Mithril could be given up by PA was useless. Master Edman does have some interest in that, as far as I know - though I cannot identify the source of that interest.
Rrruuoooommmm ... you referred to the MX535 and me, Gildor, so let me point out clearly again: I thought that this massive thing might also help Mithril to promote the Company.
By now we all know that it didn't help, because it wasn't promoted. Just some hints on the boards on the internet that are for people who know and like Mithril miniatures. That was it.
About this I am a bit disappointed.
I think this could have been a chance for Mithril to merchandise better.
rhuuoommm ... alas ...
NO! ... to point it out again!!!! ... I never thought of making money from that, never! - But in the meantime I have to witness that "they" did not take that chance.
Whenever I think about it, I get angry, because I know how much enthusiasm, skill, effort, heart, work ... again and again, Chris took into sculpting this vignette ... and "they" simply promoted it in some newsletters on the internet which are never read by people who don't know about Mithril Miniatures .... rhuoom
Huuuuuuuuuoommmm ... I try to calm down a bit ...
But I am really satisfied with another matter. That MX535 brought a change. I insisted not to use that "primer" any more, at least for the vignette. The Boss had quite a stock of that poor liquid and wanted to have it used up for spraying further releases. - Then, it was The Man who intervened and tried to find a better spray. Those of you who have received the last figures will see (and feel) that.
this too is a long entry, Master Gildor.
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I feel bad.
I wish I had more resources to help.
The Unexpected Party should have been marketed to a wider audience.
Personally I should have pimped the thing on RPG.net, The One Ring, or The Last Alliance. Maybe put something up in The Hither-lands blog. I didn't. Never even occurred to me to do so. The thought depresses me.
As you all may be aware, I've been putting together two miniatures centric MERP adventure modules, merely to publicise Mithril. However, the work requires me to collect a lot of Mithrils, paint a lot, and its generally slow going. (And I've a book I should be getting on with too!). And I need to improve my photography.
I hope circumstances soon allow me to work faster. It might help a teeny-tiny bit.
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They have posted most of the recent releases on TMP (the Miniature Page) where people generaly complain about the cost, but at least hundreds of miniature painters do see the product and know that it is available, and that Mithril is still in business. I do see the occasional person ask if this is that same company from the eighties that did MERP miniatures. I post positive comments and answer some questions on that forum. It may do some good in the long run. I am proud of something that happened on that forum when my Angmar Half-troll standard bearer was posted, it was well recieved and nicly commented on by TMP users.
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Huuooommmm ... Master Gavin, there's no need to feel bad at all ... huoomm ... as I still do value your interest and time you put into in these matters very much ... huommm ...
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Rhuuooommhom ... as for more serious matters, Master Barliman, may I please take a seat at your corner and share a liquid with you? ... huoomm? ... all this has become too serious for a nice talk in the Pony, meseems ... hooommm ...
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Drinks all 'round?
Drinks all 'round.
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I think so too. But I can't drink too much, or I'll become even more depressed. Perhaps just the one barrel, I think.
As regards your efforts with the wonderful UP, Master Tree, "it was a great day and s great hour, whatever may come after".
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I wonder, off the top of my head, if it would not be better to transfer the Mithril name to Chris and just use Mithril for mass casting and distribution.
A sort of networked solution, rather than a centralised one.
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I'm not sure I follow you master Gavin 
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Me neighter.....??

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Uhm, Mithril, right now is an imprint of Prince August with one major employee - Chris Tubb.
Make Chris Tubb the head of Mithril with responsibility for marketting and product planning and design.
Use whatever infrastructure Prince August has to produce the product, and sell it.
This instead of Chris Tubb freelancing for Mithril/Prince August and having decisions made about his work in Cork.
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As long as all of you are sitting around drinking, I would like to hear what you hope or expect from the next M-series release. They did mention that Dundlendings would be included at some point.
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We know what the next two releases are supposed to be already - Helm's Deep 2 ('Death to the Strawheads' = Dunlendings) and Helm's Deep 3 (of which several of us know the content, but aren't allowed to broadcast it yet!). A Helm's Deep 4 release has also been worked on, though I'm not entirely certain that The Man has completed it. The Tree or Master Gildor may be able to confirm (I haven't personally heard from Chris for a while).
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Huoommm ... why discuss matters here that we cannot decide upon ... rhuoomm ... I do remember people discussing about how to handle the weather ... hooommm ... there were some who wanted sunshine, others wanted to have rain ... huomm ... that's difficult, isn't it? ... huom ...
not mentioning those who like a thunderstorm ... alas ...
as for you, Master Shadyt, I guess you might be right ... huoomm ... as there are two more sets of the 'Helm's Deep' series being finished for quite a while by now. The second of them was called "Strawheads", as far as I can remember (Dunlendings they are) ... huoommm ... I forgot about the name of the third series ... huooommm ... that's all I can say ... rhuoommm ... so, let's keep fingers crossed that the regular M-series will be fed with some more nice figures this year ... gruoohuomm ... hommm
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Rhuoommm ... while I was trying to pass on my latest entry dear Master Barliman once again was quicker in responding ... huoommm ... I thought of him as being asleep ... huoomm ... but he seems to be much faster than Ents ... huoommm ...
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That's the advantage of having fingers rather than twigs, Master Tree - which is also the only reason you don't pour your own drinks, I suspect.
Asleep indeed, Master Tree! - I was merely sitting here thinking with my eyes shut.
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huoomm... yes, I saw that, Master Barliman ... huommmrhuoomm ... oh, of course I didn't take any harm from your absence at the bar ... rhuoomm ... Nob's doing a good job over there, meseems .... rhuom ... yes, he does ... as for you, Master Barliman, I would like to wish you all the best for the rest, so to say ... gruoommm ... see you again, once you are awake ... huomm...
I hope you don't mind that in the meanwhile I dumped all them bar-tabs you keep hidden behind the bar ... huomm ... it's a mess ... rhuoomm ... not only to keep them wargskins clean ... huom.... anyway, I can cope with that .... gruuoohuommmhommmhomrhuom
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I cannot confirm for the fourth set theme but there was a fourth set of helm's deep planned at first ...
the second set "strawheads" has been finished LONG ago... the third set, of which I don't know the name should have been finished quite some months ago... and I don't have leave to discuss about it...
about your idea Gavin... Chris used to be co-owner of Mithril... he HAD to sell his "parts" of the company back to Lars for ... personal reasons... and he is now a "big" employee, but he has no word in the politics of the company and he works FAR from the company I remind you (Chris lives and works near London, while PA/mithril is based near Cork in Ireland... he does not visit the company often and is not aware of day to day basis / decisions / politics of Mithril company...
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I am glad that they have the undercoat problems worked out before they released the next M-series.
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