Hey Folks...
First of all, please allow me to apologize for the cryptic and somewhat vague message that we've been giving you. It's the best statement we can make at the moment.
Now, here, I will try to explain, as honestly as I can, what's going on and what you can expect.
Xtreme Hobby is me, Mike. We're not a huge corporate super entitiy that has an enormous factory floor and casting machines out the wahzoo with several seast of Rhino running 24-7. I run the business mostly out of my laptop or desktop, a wireless modem and my shipping department is me, my wife, five cats and 2 1/2 year old twins. I work out of my den and do the best I can. Saddly, due to my limited resources, I'm forced to out-source much of my produciton effort.
Earlier this year, I was laid off from work. I was able to concentrate some on Xtreme Hobby, but, it simply wasn't going to pay the bills (in fact it was barely sefl sustaining). a little over a month ago, I have found a new job and this new job, as any new job does, requires a lot of effort and time. Thus, I have not been able to keep up with the demands of Xtreme Hobby, the new Job and the family. Something had to give.
That's the personal side of it.
The professional side of it is this. There are simply a lot of questions that I don't have an answer for.
Our EStore is run vitually entirely by Paypal. This is more that satisfactory for domestic orders. International orders however, have left me in a complete quandry. It costs a lot to ship overseas and, to have shipments turn up lost is frankly killing me. Switching to a more secure means of shipping (FedEx and UPS is a stop gap. Because they cost more (A LOT more) and nobody seems to like it.)
I don't really know how to upgrade from Paypal without paying through the nose. And, I refuse to roll those costs onto you. And, I really don't have an answer as to how to get my ships to your international folks.
Production. This has always been a thorn in my side- getting my ships cast in a quality I'd be willing to ship to you. Fact is, I am still fighting with that quality control bug. The mistakes I made with Wave 1, I'm still paying for. The advice I've received proved fruitless. And, I've made some pretty horrible business decisions based off of that advice.
Basing is another issue. The bases we have, while better than they were before, are still not satisfactory. And, short of doing my own bases (which would increase the cost of the mini like 20%+), I have no idea how to present a quality base for these ships to you.
Finding good help at a price that I can afford is also a tough issue. The saying "If you want things done right- Do it yourself" cannot be more true for me. In many cases, the work I've received had to be done over, and over, and over again, or comepletely redone by me. If I didn't have the time to do it myself, then I definitely do not have the time to redo it.
Wave 2 is essentially me. I'm doing it. Simly because I can no longer trust anyone to do it. And, I'm falling behind. I don't have the time to sit in from of my computer and model these ships out, so many of the Wave 2 model are not done.
It's not so much money as it is time. I do not have the time for Xtreme Hobby at the moment. I need to take a few and figure out the answers to some of these questions.
Now, what does this mean to you? Cold Navy is not going away. I'm not selling it off nor am I going to box it up and shove it into my attic.
It does mean, however, that I'm taking a break. Addressing some of these issues, those that can be addressed. And, after a while, hit this thing on the head again.
When are we coming back? I don't know. I'm not going to shine you on by saying 'soon.' I just don't know. If i can't put out a good product, then, I'm not putting out a product.
What you can do to help? Believe me, if you could help, I'd let you. But, then, I'd have to pay you and there's a ton of legal felgercarb that I'd have to deal with. All I can ask is this:
You've already got Cold Navy ships. Paint 'em, play with 'em, enjoy 'em. Try to have a good time with your friends with them. Use them for what they were ment for- to have fun with.
Take pics of your ships and show them off here in our forums. Take a few moments and write up some battle reports and maybe a scenario or two so that others can see what your doing with the ship you've bought.
Just play, Folks. Just Play.
There you go. That's the tall skinny of it. I hope that answers some of your questions. I'll be stopping in often to keep up with you folks (I ain't dead yet), so, I'll try to answer what other questions you may have.
Cheers!
