Frequently Asked Questions
So – Brigade Models. Who are you ?
We’re two wargamers who’ve been making and selling models on and off part-time for over thirty-five years. In 2014, circumstances allowed one of us to start working on the business in a full-time capacity, since when we’ve grown and grown our ranges. We wrote about the history of the company way back in 2013, when we celebrated our 25th anniversary.
OK – sounds good. I feel like placing an order – how long do you take to ship ?
Most orders are turned round within a week, sometimes much less than that. The one exception is 3D printed items – although we keep some stock, if we have to print anything from your order then it can take 10-14 days. There is an exception for EU orders (of which more in a little while).
Can I place a next day order ?
We don’t keep a lot of stock, most things are cast to order so we can’t offer a same-day service unfortunately. If you’re really in a hurry to get something, drop us a line before you order and we’ll advise you how quickly we can turn it round for you.
What about shipping times ?
We generally now use Royal Mail Tracked 24 for UK orders under 2kg, which in theory is a next day delivery service (although nowadays not everyone gets post every day so it could be 2-3 days). For larger UK orders we will use a courier – usually UPS, which is also 2-3 days. We don’t generally use the budget courier services unless we really have to. Tracked 24 has (limited) tracking information, but if you wish you can select a signed-for service at check-out.
For overseas orders up to 2kg (except the EU – see below for that) we use Royal Mail International Standard (which use to be known as Airmail). This takes around 7-10 days to destinations such as the USA and Canada, 10-14 to Australia and New Zealand. Large orders (over 2kg) go by courier, again usually UPS but this can vary depending on the destination country. Due to a quirk in Royal Mail’s pricing, tracked services to the USA are actually cheaper than untracked for anything but the smallest packages, so we use that by default – other countries will need to choose between tracked and untracked at checkout.
You’ve mentioned the EU a couple of times ?
Without wishing to flog the dead Brexit horse again, leaving the EU has been problematic (to say the least) both for buying supplies from the EU and shipping orders to it. However, we have found a shipping solution that handles all 27 EU members. It’s a bit more expensive than Royal Mail but it does handle import customs duties and fees all in one. When you place an order with us we charge you VAT at 21%, which we then hand over to the courier company who pay it to Netherlands customs when the orders are flown to Schiphol airport. From there your order comes straight to your door via the DHL courier network with no further fees or charges. This takes 7-14 days depending on how far you are from the Netherlands (which is especially frustrating for orders from Ireland, which have to cross the UK and go all the way back again !).
There can sometimes be a delay in shipping out EU orders – we have to send them to a shipping hub at Heathrow, and it’s not economical to do that for one or two parcels, we have to wait until we have enough to make a shipment worthwhile. So depending on how many EU orders we get, there can be a delay of a week or two before we get your order on its way.
EU shipping is flat rate regardless of order size. It varies between £12.50 up to a maximum of £19.50, roughly depending on how far you are from the shipping hub in Schiphol.
Do you charge any sort of sales tax ?
Brigade Models is VAT registered (VAT No.864388874), so UK orders are charged VAT at 20% (except for books, which are zero-rated). This is included in the prices shown on the website. Postage is also liable for VAT.
For EU orders, the rate is 21% on the whole basket, so prices are fractionally higher. If you update your shipping destination in the shopping basket, the website will then show correct EU prices.
VAT does not have to be paid for destinations outside the UK and EU , so you can deduct 1/6th of the price shown from each item (except books). Again, if you go to the shopping basket and update the destination country then prices without VAT will be displayed.
My country isn’t listed in your shopping basket – what do I do ?
Our website is set up to handle orders to almost every country we’ve shipped to in the past – if yours isn’t listed, contact us and we’ll add it if we can. We aren’t able to ship to every country in the world, there are restrictions on certain destinations by the shipping companies.
So how do I pay ?
We use the PayPal payments system – so you can pay either with PayPal, or using a credit/debit card if you don’t have a PayPal account. There is also the option to pay cash on collection (this is for only for orders picked up at shows – we don’t offer any collection service from our workshop). Depending on where you are, PayPal sometimes offer various schemes allowing you to spread the cost of the order over several months. We also now accept Google Pay and Apple Pay (again this is processed by PayPal). We never receive your credit card or other details apart from your name, address and other contact information that we require for shipping.
My order hasn’t arrived – what do I do ?
If your order hasn’t arrived after 10 days (UK orders) or five weeks (overseas orders) then please contact us and we’ll do our best to sort it out. Most of the time it’s just a case of being patient, almost every order turns up eventually. It’s always worth checking with your local post office to see if they have it – sometimes they’ve tried to deliver but there’s no-one home, so it’s sitting waiting to be collected. We’ve found that US orders especially can randomly disappear into customs, them re-emerge a month later to be delivered – although with electronic customs information this is not happening nearly as often.
If your order really has gone missing, them we will file a claim with the Royal Mail who will do some more checks. If this doesn’t turn up anything then we’ll send you a replacement and claim from Royal Mail for the missing one. Please don’t leave it for 2-3 months before checking with us – there’s a time limit within which we have to claim for missing items.
Please check that the delivery address specified on the order is correct – sometimes customers have moved but not changed the address associated with their PayPal account. We will always to deliver to the address specified on the order form – if this address is incorrect then we cannot be held responsible. Usually the parcel eventually finds its way back to us and we can resend to the correct address – however, we will in these cases ask you to cover the additional cost.
What if there’s a problem with my order ?
We are human (the robots have yet to replace us) and we do make mistakes. If there’s a problem – either something is missing or faulty, get in touch with us straightaway and we’ll sort it out for you. We may ask you to send us a photo of a faulty item – if there’s a casting issue then that helps us rectify any problem. We have a page on Cancellations, Refunds and Returns.
What are your models made from ?
Our models are cast either from lead-free pewter or resin (it’s also known as liquid plastic). You’ll need to observe come precautions when handling them. Metal parts may have sharp points or edges which will need to be cut off or filed down. You’ll want to wear a mask when drilling, filing or sanding resin models as they can generate a fine dust which could be harmful if breathed in.
Our 3D printed models are printed in resin. We’ll remove any supports but you may need to clean up any left over stubs or rough edges. If filing or sanding, again you’ll want to wear a mask.
Our models are not toys and are not suitable for under-14s. Parental supervision is advised for all under-18s.
How do your models arrive ?
All models are supplied unassembled and unpainted. 3D printed models are mostly one-piece, although some are split into a small number of separate parts. You’ll need a modest modellers toolkit to assemble them – knife, clippers and maybe some needle files. They’re best assembled with superglue (cyanoacrylate) or two-part epoxy for larger models.