We are pleased to say that orders are being sent out to customers. Thank you for your support and patience. It was a great feeling for Anita, Laura and I to see the first packages go to the Post Office.

The last week has seen a lot of progress in organising the workshop. We were able to start looking at orders and get ready to fire up the casting machines. All of the current orders that customers have placed are on the packing bench. We have picked what we can from stock but almost every order needs something casting.

That is the great news. We turned on the casting machine and melting pots yesterday and have begun to spin the moulds and pour metal. We are getting used to how the equipment it ‘feels’ but figures, arms etc are being cast. It appears at the moment that I am good at casting arms, the rear quarters of a horse and figures that customers have not ordered. Casting continues and we are looking forward to sending out customer’s orders very soon. Thanks to everyone for their messages and support.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to give an update on where we are with moving the operation from Woking to Bollington. If you have been following us on Facebook then you will know that all of the equipment, moulds, stock (both white metal and painted) and a whole lot of other material has now been moved to our new workshop (Mike now has a lot room for his wargames table!).

We have begun the process of organising moulds and putting them on to shelves, 700 down and a lot more to go!

This week will see us complete the organising of the moulds and then begin to organise the stock, once the new shelving has arrived. Casting cannot start as yet, as the machines are buried under boxes and bags of foam.

Hopefully, we will have them unburied and begin to look at fulfilling orders by the beginning of next week. Thanks to those of you who have already placed orders through the website.

After 17 years spent producing Military Miniatures in various forms, including 6 years at the helm of Imperial Miniatures, Mike Lewis has decided to retire and sell on the business. The new owners will be the Spencer family (Antony, Anita and Laura) who will be relocating the business to its new base in Cheshire at the beginning of October.

It will take some time to arrange the sale and handover of the business and to move everything to the new unit in Cheshire and while that is being sorted, this website will be open for browsing but you will be unable to order anything. Normal service will resume on October 1st.

Mike Lewis will finish off all outstanding casting orders in the next couple of weeks and painted orders will be completed in October.

I have finally managed to get around to sorting out a whole load of new releases for Dorset Soldiers. They have been added to the downloadable lists and will be added to the website as soon as I get a chance.

The releases are:

A151 Crescent Nurse kneeling
A152 WW2 nurse kneeling (based on A151)
A153 Standing Guardsman in tunic NA
A154 Standing Guardsman in Greatcoat NA
A155a Stretcher Bearer, B (see H242 for stretcher)
A155b Wounded Man, helmet, hands behind head, B
A155c Standing Nurse, Long Dress, B
A155d Standing Nurse, short Dress WW1, B
A155e Medical Officer standing B
A155f Wounded man B
C162 Running Zouave B
E60 Indian Damosh (Madagascar) NA
F195 Canoe
F196 Indian paddler
F197 Mountie Paddler
F198 German Colonial Trooper marching, slope arms
H283 T&B Pump and base
H284 Lone Star Crew x 3
K408 Arab Horse Legs
K409 Camel Legs
L240 Goldilocks and the Three Bears
L241 Arab Boy
L242 Kneeling Boy Scout with pole
L243 Window Cleaner
L244 Window Cleaner Cart (see H231 and H200 for ladder and bucket)

I am slightly behind where I would to be on processing orders due to the sheer volume of large and complicated orders that came in during January and February. I am nearly finished with three larger AQM orders that required a number of new moulds but still have a few 60-120+ band casting orders to finish (which also require new moulds) which will take some time. This has also had an impact on replying to complex enquiries that require time to work out the figures required and whether I have the moulds to produce them – I am concentrating on finishing paid orders before anything else. I hope to get back to a more regular schedule by April.

I have been ill for a lot of the last week so am slightly behind on orders but hope to catch up on some this week and clear some outstanding painting and casting orders. Unfortunately, things are taking longer to do while I am not well.

I will be closing for Christmas on the 18th December and reopening on January 4th 2021. You can still order over this period through the website but no orders will be processed until the start of January and I won’t be taking phone orders or responding to email.

Please place any orders you want before Christmas by 11th December and I will try and complete all orders up to 11th December by the time I close on the 18th.

Any painted orders placed in December will be worked on in January unless they are for stock items.

Please note that I am very busy at the moment and trying to finish writing up my accounts so orders may take a little longer than usual.

I have a couple of orders waiting on a new mould (where the insert for the original mould has been lost and so the figure is uncastable) but hope to get that mould made at the beginning of next week.

All painting slots for November completion are full so any new ones will move into December.

Also, please note that at the moment response to enquiries is slow as I am trying to clear paid for orders ahead of potential orders.

The website will eventually be updated with the rest of the painted sets and (hopefully) the start of photographing castings but that is not likely to happen until the end of the year.

Thanks for your patience.

I am receiving a larger number of orders for painted sets that previously and they are taking longer to complete due to various other work (the Coat D’arms paint side of the business is still extremely busy)

I have added a page detailing the current schedule for when I expect to complete the current painting orders and their current status. Hopefully this will be helpful.

The page is here:

https://imperialminiatures.co.uk/painting-schedule/