Ethos

Our Ethos

We're very concerned about the state of the world right now. Having fun hobbies is a great way to put worries aside for a while, but we're careful to make sure ours doesn't end up contributing to the problems.

Geoff and his wife are both artists with a love of doing things by hand. Physically seeing a piece emerge as you work on it is satisfying and somehow grounding. It's been sad in recent years to see traditional artists sidelined in publishing (of course, digital art is cheaper). Digital sculpting (easier to turn into injection moulds for plastic production) has pushed out many physical sculptors. Now "AI" LLMs feed off the work of others to produce derivative "slop" so that companies don't have to pay real creatives. Oakbound recognises the value of human creation. We are committed to working with traditional artists and sculptors. We have been fortunate to be able to commission legends of the fantasy gaming world such as John Sibbick and Tony Hough. We are equally committed to sending work in the direction of the new generation of traditional, physical artists such as Christian Schwager, Jimm Odell and Aaron Howdle.

In a market full of plastic we believe hand-crafted metal models still hold a special place. Our suppliers source raw materials from reclaimed pewter and tin, reducing the extraction of new metals and avoiding ethical issues associated with mining operations. All our miscasts and sprue material goes back in the melting pot, wasting nothing. Oakbound offers a 'metal return' policy, buying back unwanted models (from any manufacturer) to be recycled into fresh new miniatures. Contact us at info@oakbound.co.uk for details. We limit resin use to large models where metal is not a viable option.

Oakbound products are packed in the minimum amount of plastic possible, sourcing bags that contain at least 30% recycled material and are themselves recyclable. Our cardboard packaging can be recycled in most household waste collections.