Interview with Battle Foam’s Romeo
This is the first of a series of interviews I’m doing with notable people in the Mini Gaming Universe. If you haven’t heard of Battle Foam then you haven’t been paying much attention for the last 18 months or so. The topic of Battle Foam has shown up in almost every mini gaming news site in recent months as well as striking up serious debates in the most popular forums. I thought I would ask the owner of Battle Foam, Romeo Filip, some questions. Here are his answers:
How long have you been a miniature gamer? What games do you currently play?
I have been playing for about 4 years now. I play 40k, Warhammer, Warmachine, Hordes, FOW, AE WWII, and Malifaux.
How did you get started making troop transports?
I played in all of the GW tournaments around the country for a few years and always seemed to break something during my travels. I used Sabol Army Transports, GW Cases, Tool Cases, and everything else I could find. Nothing worked so I started designing nerd purses. LOL
How long has Battle Foam been around?
We started out of my old warehouse from my other business in March of 2008. We are now in our new 11,000 SF warehouse in Arizona.
Your videos on your website are very professionally done. How long have you been a salesman? What did you do before Battle Foam?
I have always had the gift of gab. I think it may have come from my time in the Marines as a military police officer. I did 8 years in the Marine Corps and they really teach you to stand tall and believe in what your doing in life even if it means selling bags and foam.
Do you manufacture your products, or are they made elsewhere?
We have a huge warehouse in Gilbert Arizona that we produce all of our foam products at. We also provide all of our raw materials to our China factory to assemble. Labor is extremely cheap overseas so getting the bags assembled while still providing them with US based materials allows control over the quality at an affordable price. No company does it this way because of the cost of moving container loads of fabric, zippers, and Velcro costs an arm and a leg.
You’re products are more expensive then other alternatives out there. Can you explain why they’re worth the extra cost?
Its simple, quality comes at a price. We have a stronger bag that holds 2x as much as the competition in less space and with an endless amount of customization. The customer actually saves money when the compare the same size bag and price to the amount they can fit with our products. Also, we warranty all of our bags and foam so your money is protected also.
There has been a lot of talk recently about Wal-Mart rolling carts as transports. How does Battle Foam compare to that option?
Really? It does not compare. Its like comparing a Honda to a Ferrari.
There have been comments about distribution issues in the past when shipping to Local Game Stores. Is this still an issue?
I have never heard of these issues. We have a great relationship with all of our vendors and retailers. This is just someone trying to create drama when none is needed. After all it is the crazy world of war gaming.
Every time someone mentions your products in a forum or in on a web site it stirs up adamant comments both for and against your products. Why are people so heated in their arguments regarding Battle Foam?
Lets just look at the facts. Gamers are passionate people that hate change. We argue about new rules, new models, new codex’s, and so on. Our bags just hit the market that was completely controlled by Sabol and GW. We are the new kid on the block that people want to be best friends with or beat up. We rarely find a common ground with our community. People that don’t have BF products are mad they don’t. People that do have it brag they do and how much better it is. Its just the way gamers are.
What are your future plans for Battle Foam?
Well, that is a great question. With the success of the bag line we are launching into many directions. We are about to release the new X-Board Travel Display in April along with the P.A.C.K. 720 and several other bags. Along with that we plan on opening our new store front in Early June of this year. We also have other huge plans on the companies growth and future products. Just recently we partnered up with our 3rd and 4th miniatures companies in Wyrd Miniatures (Malifaux, and Darksons Designs, (AE WWII). Their new bags will release later this year and should bring great protection to a super cool new set of game rules.
Any chance on official GW products from Battle Foam?
That’s the second great question. We approached GW 6 months ago about privet labeling but as I like to say. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.
If you would like more information regarding Battle Foam you can visit their site here: www.battlefoam.com. They have some video explanations of their products as well as a link on the home page to a great review from The Beasts of War.
Battle Foam currently comes in a wide selection for GW games as well as officially licensed for Warmachine / Hordes and Flames of War.
March 5th, 2010 at 6:52 am
I’ve visited the Battlefoam HQ in AZ. As a guy walking in off the street with no appointment I expected a polite brush-off. What I got instead was a solid 30 minutes of Romeo’s time to go over all of his available products and even a few glimpses into some upcoming ones.
I’ve been in the customer service industry for 17 years and have learned enough to know that small businesses are carried on the shoulders of the service and personalities of their owners. Romeo’s crew has it right! Great folks!
April 14th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
The red font is hard to read.
Plural of “codex” is “codices,” not “codex’s.”
April 23rd, 2010 at 1:41 pm
And the singular of dickheads is dickhead. People like you waste all of our time with pointless nit-picking. Oh no, hope I spelled that right……ass.
April 23rd, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Oh, and I have a PACK 1500, and man, if you play Guard, get one. If you LIVE Guard like me, get 2.