We have contact!

[Daryl Collins]

I just received a communication from Mr. Nutt! It was an update on the status of my order and when to start expecting movement on the new owner’s execution of said orders and, hopefully, the beginning of the new chapter for Tudor. Target date seems to be a few weeks into the month of September. I am very happy to get this communication and excited to see what the game plan for products and the direction for Tudor Games will be!

[Terry43]

1 hour ago, Daryl Collins said:

I just received a communication from Mr. Nutt!

✨✨💫🧨💥💫✨✨✨T43👍🍀🎈🎉🏈 

[Benoît Racette]

Bryan is a real confidence guy. Pretty sure that he will keep Tudor Games on the top of the hill.

[Terry43]

On 8/28/2023 at 7:53 PM, Benoît Racette said:

he will keep Tudor Games on the top of the hill.

I hope so. 😃

I believe the hobby is at a low point right now. 📉

I went looking for the Miniature Pro Football Hall of Fame and I discovered that the last entry was in 2018 and the inductee's accomplishments remain unfinished.

I remembered the electric football/miniature football publication, Crackin' Plastic started in 2020 and I discovered by 2021 it had lapsed. This is basically what happened to the publication The Tweak which started in Summer 2007 and discontinued in 2010 with issue #15. I think Plugged In is still being published, but the Tweak, Cracking' Plastic, and Solitaire Illustrated are complete runs.

So, I went to the Miniature Football Coaches Association webpage, miniaturefootball.org, and the last entry is 2018, like the Hall of Fame. Furthermore, some of the links don't work and the FORUM link came up with a Deceptive Website Warning: "This website may try to trick you into doing something dangerous like installing software or disclosing personal information like passwords, phone numbers, or credit cards.” So I went to the MFCA Facebook page and it appears the page belongs to Elgin Clemons.

Going to the opposite side of the continent (from the comfort of my football room) I discovered the Tournament of Champions (TOC) web page has TOC rankings for 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. In 2019-20 there were 230 names listed, but only 75 actually participated in one of the six tournaments. In 2020-21 there were 258 names listed but only 79 participated in one of the six tournaments. In 2021-22 the number of names went up, but the number of participates went down to 71. 2022-23 contains 272 names and the number of participants dropped to 69. I believe there's a registration fee so there are 272 players who feel invested — at least in the beginning. Of those 272 names, only 68 have accrued any points in 2022-2023 and only 18 have attended 2 or more Tournaments.

Bryan Nutt is registered but has never participated. The same is true of Bill Klingbeil.

The California Electric Football League statistics for 2022 are posted, but the Upcoming Events tab doesn't have any upcoming events. The calendar is blank.

I believe the sale of Tudor is part of the shrinkage, but it may be part of the turn around. 📈 

Enjoy the Journey.    T43.   ⚡🏈♾️

[nefgm.org]

Tudor Games will always be the most recognizable brand associated with the game and hobby of electric football no matter who owns it. The fact that we now have a person who has been very active in the game and hobby as a player, highly competitive coach and product developer is very significant.

I appreciate your observations and posting your statistics gathered from the sources that you cite. However, I have to disagree with your assessment that the hobby is at a low point. I will respond in another post, later. When I got a couple of hours, LOL. 

 

 

[Jay]

Not to be negative, but I agree it’s at a low point. Until the transition is in full effect and things start rolling, it’s at a low point. The truth hurts sometimes and people have a tough time keeping it real and honest. I’ve been logging on to the website for over three years now and it’s the same thing. Out of stock and just the same ol products. If you weren’t a fan of the Uni-forms, like me, you were completely out of luck. No pre-painted figures in over 3 years. This is nothing against Bryan Nutt but the production of pre-painted figures, quarterback sets etc is key. There’s so many creative hobbyists out there who can take matters into their own hands and create these amazing figures but a lot of people can’t. Don’t have the equipment, skills or technology. There’s a handful of photos that I see where people pull off some amazing figures but I see a lot that aren’t so great. So yeah we need someone to revitalize the hobby and produce some product. Bryan Nutt might be the best thing since sliced bread for the hobby but give it a year from now then tell me that the hobby isn’t at a low point. I believe in Bryan Nutt.

[Daryl Collins]

I suppose my assessment, coming from a Coach who Uni-Forms was what brought me back to the hobby in a big way, could be construed as a bit nearsighted. I wait, with anticipation, what comes next! Since I don’t dabble in social media due to the nature of my profession, this forum has been a godsend. So if the next year doesn’t pan out to what I have hoped, it still is a much better hobby to be in now than in quite a while for this old dude. I stay positive, but not dismissive of all of the coaches who’s opinions come from those who have much more time and skin in the game than I could ever hope to have. Excellent posts, one and all!

[Curt]

Yes, this forum is a godsend...Ladies and Gentledudes, 
Hope all is well with you. I just noticed these comments and for what it is worth, it seems there are differences of opinion about the current state of our most amazing hobby. I support nefgm.orgs' quote of "However, I have to disagree with your assessment that the hobby is at a low point. I will respond in another post, later. When I got a couple of hours, LOL." I always love hearing from him and if he ever has that couple of hours, I want to hear that other post. 🙂
As to where something is at any point, it would seem necessary to review where it has come from and where it is possibly going. The main issues seem to favor ordering EF items and the details surrounding those processes. For those who are quite actively engaging the processes and do so often then, perhaps there may be a perception that can be supported to suggest a "low point" but I have to apologize to all those who feel that way because I've reached my "summit" with EF.
Let me clarify. For example, I did everything music: read, write, teach, play, record, both professionally and privately. There came a day that it seemingly reached its end, having done everything that could be done with it. The thought of quitting was hard until arthritis made it so painfully hard to continue, the choice became easy. 
Now, there is no intention to quit Electric Football but I've taken it as far as needed. I have 33 teams all painted with home and away jerseys. I use all of them. My brother tried to convince me to acquire all the teams in their past, present, and whacky Thursday night uniforms but then which color combo would be used for whatever game is being played? Staying with 33 teams works for me. The Ultimate sized board fits perfectly in its space. There is no need for any other board. The red and white plastic figures that came with Ultimate board serve as extras to be painted for figures that get lost or somehow need to be replaced. I have no interest in the college world. So, the only foreseeable ordering is to replace Triple Threat Quarterbacks, Scoreboards and other accessories as needed. That would seem like a low point to some, I guess. I hope no one's feathers have been ruffled or had their time wasted. Just my whacky thoughts. May Electric Football live forever! 🙂 Blessings to all, Curt

[Jay]

Everyone’s perception or meaning of what this low point means to them is different. And every single one of us has and is entitled to their opinion. For me, I see all sides of it. Even though my opinion of the situation may be different from someone else, I still like to hear all sides and opinions. It just broadens my perspective. Now, EF being at a low point doesn’t mean that your happiness, love and affection for the hobby has diminished or wavered. It doesn’t mean that it’s the end of EF and that it’s on life support. Like I said for ME and where I stand, I’m not a painter, I don’t like Uni-forms. Attitude is reflected by leadership and for someone like myself who’s bought pre-painted figures for the last 40 years and to not have them available for 3 plus years, yeah, I’m a feeling like someone (Brian Nutt) needs to take this thing by the horns and get it out of this low productive place. Has nothing to do with my collection or passion for the hobby. I remember being a kid and my mom would only let us order 1 team each, I’d have my sister who could care less about football order one and then give it to me so I’d have 2 teams! But now I’m a grown man and make good money and want to spend it on pre-painted figures! Hundreds of them. So that’s how I define “low point” of the hobby. I think about EF all the time and have more love and passion and appreciation for the hobby than ever. It just has to be owned and operated by someone who shares that passion and I think Bryan Nutt is that dude.

[nefgm.org]

I have sat down here at my computer to make that response I promised several times over the last week or so and I am still struggling with what kind of response to make. 

Obviously Tudor Games is in a major transition period what with new ownership and moving their operation from Washington to South Carolina. Like most of you I also am waiting with great anticipation for them to reopen shipping and to see what kind of changes they are going to make. Every day and several times a day, I check to see if the tudorgames.com website has made any changes and if their FB page has been updated with any new information. The only change I have noticed lately is that under the "About" section of the website, where they used to have staff listed, that has been removed. Bryan Nutt's website, Beenutt Decals and Figures (beenutt.com) also has no changes or mention of Tudor Games. 

I did find this listing on Bizapedia.com for Tudor Games, LLC TUDOR GAMES LLC in Spartanburg, SC | Company Info & Reviews (bizapedia.com) that was filed July 13, 2023. So apparently the process of an ownership change was taking place at least in July possibly earlier (maybe June). I was asked by Wyatt Strohm to become a moderator of this forum in May or June. Don't know if that was part of the transition process or not. 

As for the hobby being at a low point, I guess it depends on how you gauge the status of the hobby. 

The Miniature Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now there's a website I haven't looked at in a long time. Probably because i don't consider it to be a viable resource for anything currently going on in the hobby. Does have some interesting historical value that I need to include on the museum website. (Just downloaded their rule set to the NEFGM Library).  

The electric football / miniature football publications (Crackin' Plastic and The Tweak) mainly are no longer published due to the high cost of printing, low subscriber numbers and the inability of the publishers to get people to contribute articles. Plugged In! (MIggle Toys / Tudor Games' electric football newsletter) ceased publication with the sale of Tudor Games in 2012. I think actual publication ceased with the fall 2007 issue. At least that is the last one that I have been able to find a printed copy of. Solitaire Illustrated was never a printed publication. It only existed as an online publication available as a pdf. download through the MFCA website. All are currently available as pdf. downloads through the NEFGM Library. I do also have hard copies of several of these in the collection of the museum. 

The Miniature Football Coaches Association (MFCA - miniaturefootball.org) to date has been the only national organization to fully represent all areas and aspects of the game and hobby of electric football.  Unfortunately, in 2018, the website and forum became the victim of hackers and was so corrupted that it was unsavable and therefore discontinued. The organization and its status as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization was dissolved in 2018 and rights to the name and the domain name were given to Elgin Clemons in 2018. Currently the MFCA only exists as a Facebook Group with a membership of just over 3000 (and growing daily) with Elgin Clemins as the administrator and Ken Allen as a moderator. 

The Tournament of Champions (TOC) actually began as the product of the MFCA and the union of several regional tournaments. (The Capital City Clash, The Bama Blast, The Kansas City Twister, The Warriors TOC, and The Buckeye Brawl). It culminated with a national tournament (The Electric Football World championships) held in conjunction with the MFCA CON convention, now the TOC CON.  Very surprised at some of the names on the 2023-2024 rankings Some no longer with us and many who have not participated in an event in years. True, to my knowledge, that Bill Klingbiel has never participated in the TOC, but absolutely false that Bryan Nutt has not participated in the TOC. Not sure exactly when the last time was that he played in a TOC Event, but I have witnessed him playing in several. I have attended several TOC Events, but rarely have I actually played in one. The last being in 2020 or 2021. It is true that the numbers have dwindled significantly, with my personal observations being that on average only about 30-40 coaches actually attend and play in a TOC event any longer and then you have that top group of about 20 who play in multiple tournaments. 

Not sure what the deal is with the California Electric Football League. 

"The hobby" cannot accurately be gauged by only these numbers. They do not take into account the number of people who participate as soley collectors or solitaire coaches, many in private and not on the internet, social media or this forum. 

I do fear that Tudor Games as a profitable producer and retailer of electric football games may be at or near the end but in my opinion "the hobby" is very strong and will continue long into the future. 

 

 

 

 

  

[Terry43]

1 hour ago, nefgm.org said:

in my opinion "the hobby" is very strong and will continue long into the future. 

I agree completely. 👍  I know that Terry 43 will continue to play as long as he can draw breath. 😃 I'm certain other solitaire players feel the same.

Thank you for the details of the recent history. You've lived it. I deeply respect that. 🥇

Of course, it's my nature to worry. Now I'm worried about ITZ. A death in the family is always catastrophic and I'm worried the Klingbiel brothers are having trouble recovering.

Once again, thank you.

Enjoy the Journey.   T43.    ⚡🏈♾️