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118th Dispatch – May 2014

118th Dispatch – May 2014

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F118TH: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON PEOPLE TAKING THESE FIGURES AND USING THEM FOR THEIR OWN CUSTOMS?

MJ: Love it! The main reason for the Marauder Task Force figure project was to provide easy to customize figures in a wide variety of colors. So the final figure is all up to you. To show just how much we appreciate the customizers in our hobby, we asked REAL customizers to make our paint masters…NOT toy industry professionals.

F118TH: WHEN YOU STARTED “GUN RUNNING”, WAS THERE ANY PLAN OR AMBITION AT THAT TIME TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW, PRODUCING YOUR OWN LINE?

MJ: “Gun-Running” merely stemmed from a need in my own collection. I just wanted cool guns for my guys. Over the last 9 years, it recently got to the point where I could not find enough cool guys FOR my guns! So taking my ideas to the Boss Fight folks, we worked to make the idea of fully articulated, MODULAR figure in a wide variety of colors possible. So no grand plan, just a series of products that arose due to need.

F118TH HOW DOES IT FEEL TO KNOW YOU HAVE YOUR OWN ACTION FIGURE LINE COMING OUT? IT’S A CUSTOMIZER’S DREAM BUT A REALITY FOR YOU NOW. HAVE YOU HAD TIME TO LET IT REALLY SINK IN?

MJ: Honestly, I haven’t had the time to do much else but work on the production and delivering the items as promised. Also, we’re already working on the next series of figures & accessories…so haven’t had the time to let it sink in. Maybe in December after the 1200 plus Kickstarter pre-orders have shipped, we’ll have a moment to let it sink it[sic]. But as Walt Disney said “Keep Moving Forward.”

F118TH WILL YOU CONSIDER DOING “NAMED” CHARACTERS WITH ACTUAL BIOS IN THE FUTURE?

MJ: Possibly, but there are so many GREAT named figures out there already. The “nameless, faceless, army builder” approach allows the figures to work with ANY type of toy figure (military, sci-fi, superhero, law enforcement, etc.). So the easiest way for us to gain acceptance with our fellow collectors is for the Marauder Task Force figures to be ideal “back ground” for whatever role they need.

F118TH: THE FIGURES ARE DESCRIBED AS “GAMING FIGURES” INSTEAD OF ACTION FIGURES. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS DECISION?

MJ: Kickstarter didn’t have a “toy” or “action figure” category, so we went with gaming figures.

F118TH: THE NEW FIGURES ASIDE, WHAT HAS BEEN ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE PIECES THAT YOU JUST COULDN’T WAIT TO SEE IN THE HANDS OF CUSTOMIZERS AND 1/18 SCALE FANS?

MJ: The Series #3 Modified British Sterling. A weapon “similar” the Stromtrooper E11 blaster. This weapon was our first attempt at a working folding stock. After the item released, it was like a light bulb went off in our head…what other working features could happen? Then we rolled into the modular weapons and expanded on the folding stocks & intricate details. All due to the modified sterling.

F118TH: IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SAY TO THE READERS? ANY TIPS, TRICKS, OR TRADE SECRETS YOU’D LIKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REVEAL?

MJ: Other than a huge THANK YOU for their support, my tip is stay positive. There will ALWAYS be annoying irrelevant “Negative Nellies” out there! Ignore them and do or collect things YOU want. Always try to leave our hobby a little better than it was when you found it.

We want to give a huge “Thank You!” to Marauder John for agreeing to, and taking the time to answer our questions! Don’t forget to check out their STORE, follow them on FACEBOOK, and if you aren’t in the know, you can see what all that 244 thousand dollars is going to get us on their KICKSTARTER.

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About Ian Walker

Just a stay at home dad, part time internet troll, and amateur photographer, with delusions of grandeur and a love for 1:18th scale toys.

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