If you can't view this newsletter clearly, please go to www.Miniature-GIANT.com and click "Latest Newsletter" in either the left or right hand column.

News Flash #272 from Miniature-GIANT.com
New Products -- Available Now!
The following figure is now available for immediate sale and shipment:
    (2013 ReaperCon "Lion Tamer" Sophie Limited Edition -- VERY LIMITED SUPPLY):

 

Coming by late JUNE (exact date not yet set)
 -- Available for PreOrder Now!
(Preorders will be filled first!)
 -- Bones BATCH #3!

Bones (due by late June)    Devona, Female Wizard, 77036 MSRP:      $2.29 Our Price: $1.70 SAVE: $0.59	Bones (due by late June)     Wall of Fire (3), 77080 MSRP:      $4.99 Our Price: $3.71 SAVE: $1.28	Bones (due by late June)     Burning Sphere (3), 77081 MSRP:      $4.99 Our Price: $3.71 SAVE: $1.28
Bones (due by late June)        Spirit, 77098 MSRP:      $2.49 Our Price: $1.85 SAVE: $0.64	Bones (due by late June)     Nightspectre, 77099 MSRP:      $3.29 Our Price: $2.45 SAVE: $0.84	Bones (due by late June)    Marsh Troll, 77152 MSRP:      $4.99 Our Price: $3.71 SAVE: $1.28
Bones (due by late June)     Lizardman Warrior, 77155 MSRP:      $2.79 Our Price: $2.07 SAVE: $0.72	Bones (due by late June)     Fire Giant Bodyguard, 77179 MSRP:      $8.99 Our Price: $6.69 SAVE: $2.30	Bones (due by late June)     Kaladrax, 77192 MSRP:      $74.99 Our Price: $55.86 SAVE: $19.13

 -- Bones BATCH #2!

Bones (due by late June)   Ghostly Summons, 77095 MSRP:      $2.99 Our Price: $2.22 SAVE: $0.77	Bones (due by late June)    Labella DeMornay, Banshee, 77096 MSRP:      $2.49 Our Price: $1.85 SAVE: $0.64	Bones (due by late June)    Grave Wraith, 77097 MSRP:      $2.99 Our Price: $2.22 SAVE: $0.77
Bones (due by late June)       Barnabus Frost, Pirate Captain, 77132 MSRP:      $2.99 Our Price: $2.22 SAVE: $0.77	Bones (due by late June)    Snakeman Warrior, 77153 MSRP:      $2.79 Our Price: $2.07 SAVE: $0.72	Bones (due by late June)   Lizardman Spearman, 77154 MSRP:      $2.79 Our Price: $2.07 SAVE: $0.72
Bones (due by late June)    Tiik Champion, 77187 MSRP:      $2.99 Our Price: $2.22 SAVE: $0.77	Bones (due by late June)    Nethyrmaul the Undying, 77190 MSRP:      $74.99 Our Price: $55.86 SAVE: $19.13	Bones (due by late June)    Cthulhu, 77194 MSRP:      $39.99 Our Price: $29.79 SAVE: $10.20

 

 -- Bones BATCH #1!

Miniature-GIANT News
Parade Wreck - Update
     Since many of you have asked, yes, this is the same Damascus, VA that had that tragic "parade wreck" last Saturday.  We were set-up in the vendor's area at the end of the parade when it happened, so what I know is all from directly talking with eyewitnesses, rather than being an eyewitness myself -- so I guess that makes it "first-hand, hearsay".
    Damascus is located directly on the Appalachian Trail (a hiking trail that runs from Georgia to Maine), the Virginia Creeper Trail (a railroad bed converted to bike trail that runs 17 1/2 miles downhill through the Blue Ridge Mountains from Whitetop Mountain to Damascus, and another 17 1/2 miles generally uphill to Abingdon, VA -- many people take bike shuttle rides up to the top so that they can have an all downhill ride to Damascus), as well as several other trails, e.g., the Daniel Boone Trail, the Crooked Trail, etc.
    Well, once a year for nearly 30 years, we have hosted a festival for the hikers/bikers, called "Trail Days".  Last year, this sleepy town of about 950 hosted over 25,000 visitors to Trail Days.  On Saturday afternoon, there is a "hiking parade" through town, ending at the town park where there is live entertainment in our bandstand/gazebo, talent shows, etc.  So the parade is almost exclusively a throng of walking pedestrians. 
    This year, one driver, I believe he was the led car of the traffic following the parade, suddenly speed up, swerved around the parade trailing vehicle (ambulance), up onto the sidewalk on a two-lane bridge, and into the crowd of parade walkers.  Since the walkers were all facing the opposite direction, the car was very close behind, and the parade noise masked its approach, many were stuck without warning.  About a half dozen were air-lifted to nearby hospitals, others driven by ambulance.  No fatalities.
    The first thought of many was "terrorism", but that was simply not the case.  The driver was a fellow hiker (having walked the entire 2200 mile length some years ago), and had often joined in the parade, driving one of his classic/antique cars.  Some speculated that he was part of the parade this year, but that seems unlikely, since he was behind the trailing ambulance and he was driving a '97 Caddy.  Nonetheless, driving in perhaps the worst position, he apparently suffered a "sudden onset medical condition", e.g., a stroke, seizure, or possibly heart attack.  I believe that this struck his right side first, causing him to accelerate.� He still had some control and swerved to avoid a collision with the ambulance.  Unfortunately, that led to the collision with the crowd.  Some of the quick-thinking hikers jumped to the car, opened the door, and turned the engine off.  The driver at this point was in what was described as a full-body seizure and was also taken to a local hospital.  About 30 other hikers lifted the '97 Caddy up, off the ground so that fellow hikers could remove some of the victims that were pinned underneath.
     As many of you know, we run a Bed and Breakfast here in Damascus, and one of our guests was here on a 10th year reunion with her fellow hikers.  She said that she was about 10 feet from the accident and would never get the image of the event from her mind -- one of her friends had been seriously struck.  Her friend had three broken ribs, a broken femur (leg bone) and a "crushed skull".  They had to perform emergency brain surgery to prevent inner-cranial bleeding, but by last account, she was recovering.
     LESSONS LEARNED:  There are no guarantees in life -- sometimes "sh*t happens".

We have had parades in this country for hundreds of years, and car traffic following them for over a hundred, wherein there is always a car in the lead of that following traffic.  People are mortal and fragile, and occasionally have strokes or seizures (my epileptic wife had her first seizure when she was 13 while swimming in the ocean -- it can happen to anyone, of any age).  If this were a "float parade", there would not have been much damage (a.k.a. "Animal House").  But this one was a walking parade.  Every once in a while a series of unfortunate events comes together and a calamity is born.  Nothing could have been done to prevent it, short of outlawing parades, or cars, or humans.  Thankfully, in this case, there were no fatalities.

Update
    A quick update on customer suggestions to make Miniature-GIANT a better store:
    1) Social Media -- Check us out on Facebook -- thanks for all of you that have friended us there.
    4) Painting Contests.  May is here, and so we are collecting a new batch of painting contest entries.  Any figure that we carry and that you painted is eligible!  If the image has already been published on the internet, you must submit a new image from a slightly different angle.  Please send your  pictures to "PaintContest@Miniature-Giant.com".  (see details below)
    In addition to the fame and accolades that go with actually winning, all entries may also appear in our catalog pages -- just like we currently do with the professionally painted figure images that Reaper supplies us!  Your "master piece" along with your name as the "painter" would be included.
    5)  Gaming Cons.  Please submit pictures of recent gaming cons.  Running Miniature-GIANT and "The Millsap-Baker Estate" (more on this later in our blog) takes most of our time so we have very little time to attend  cons ourselves.  We would welcome your pictures so that we can share them with our other readers.  These can be "historic" (e.g., GenCon'06) or current.

(Newsletter Subscribers Only -- Painting Contest)
(monthly feature)

Congratulations to our February/March Painting Contest Winner! Nora Gillooly   As a Prize, I've sent them   a $5 coupon! Thanks to all that participated, this was a VERY tough decision for us this time -- we look forward to next month. Get your entries in by 6/1 to be considered for the April/May contest! Any figure that we carry and that you painted is eligible.  If the image has already been published on the internet, you must submit a new image from a slightly different angle. Please send your entries, and the figure's name/number, to "PaintContest@Miniature-Giant.com". In addition:  All entries will be considered for inclusion on our online catalog!  Yes, your image may be included in our catalog, with your name as the "Painter", just as we currently do with Reaper's own, professional painters!

This is a slightly modified Pathfinder: Battle Herald, 60104 MSRP:      $6.99  Our Price: $5.20  SAVE: $1.79  February/March's Winner! (Painted by Nora Gillooly - aka: "ALizardInCrimson") We loved the cloth shading, accurate detail work, and, of course, those beautiful eyes! Thank you Nora for sharing your work with us all.

 
Shameless Self-Serving Plug:

• We are one of the only Retailers (and the only web-store that we know of) that stocks all of their OOP!
• Stocking current and OOP means immediate shipment -- not having to wait for weeks.
• We complete all orders within 6 business hours and ship by the next postal day -- usually the same day!
• All of our current Reaper figures are 26% OFF, even our OOP are 15% OFF -- everyday!
• FREE SHIPPING available on ALL US orders over $75!!
• $5 shipping DISCOUNT on all international orders over $75
• Backordering and Preordering available for all Current and OOP items
• Please email us for any special needs -- we will work something out

As always, if you no longer wish to receive these weekly newsletters, please just click REMOVE ME to send us an email, or reply directly to this email with instructions.
We will immediately remove your email address from the broadcast list -- and please accept our apologies, as these notices are intended as a service not a disruption.
You will continue to automatically receive order and shipping confirmations when you place orders with us.

If you can not view this newsletter clearly, please go to www.Miniature-GIANT.com and click "Latest Newsletter" in either the left or right hand column.