Swanson & Swanson Fine Arms is a producer of custom made, precision engineered arms and armor favored by the Nepleslian 1% set. Located in Funky City, Nepleslia. Swanson & Swanson's reputation of quality weapons made individual or in small batches gives its products a market of constant demand.
Originating as a small family business in the years following the Kennewes Offensive, Swanson & Swanson was formed at first as a two man workshop performing custom engravings by its namesakes. Robert and Errol Swanson, a pair of ID-SOL who proved that love could bloom on the battlefield against all odds, and then settled down to make beautiful firearms together soon earned their mark on the world. First noticed when they presented a series of six customised NAM HHG's to their former superior officers as a gift of thanks for their time in service. Those officers said the weapons proved to be of such startling masculine elegance and beauty that they soon requested the duo make more of them.
Over the years, these presentation pieces became more and more in demand as gifts for high ranking officers on retirement, or for Nepleslia's wealthiest set who wished for show pieces. Those who had the money began requesting hand made bespoke weaponry for the sake of show, and over time the renown of their weaponry became such rare and valuable commodities trading solely on their own reputation that they earned their reputation as one of Nepleslia's higher-crust designer armories.
Swanson & Swanson products have no strict corporate logo, but are all hand-engraved with a pair of swan's wing as a maker's mark. The exact styling varies by artisan, but they usually wind up looking something like a mustache.
“Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.”
| Swanson & Swanson Fine Arms | |
|---|---|
| CEO | Mr. Errol Swanson & Mr. Robert Swanson |
| Faction | Nepleslia |
| Product Symbol | Sw |
Still owned by Mr. and Mr. Swanson, their headquarters are known as 'the Atelier', which also doubles as the two ID-SOL's homes. A penthouse suite in Funky City's Argent Towers district, with half of its floor space dedicated to the gleaming ivory-white work floor of the Atelier itself, where every piece is hand made and worked upon by one of the Swanson's direct apprentices using traditional tools and state of the art machinery.
As a small operation, there is not real corporate body which has left Swanson & Swanson as one of the most prominent 'Mom and Pop' armories in known space, and the owners see no real reason for it to grow beyond that.
The Atelier itself is the only known production floor of Swanson & Swanson, every piece hand made, or hand customised by the small team of the organisation. The only other holdings are two floors of the building the Atelier stands upon, which are used for storage, and a private vault in one of the most secure banks in Funky City where unsold completed works are held to be picked up by buyers.
Swanson & Swanson's structure is quite simple; a single small workshop working on a master-apprentice basis where the two original artisans, the two Swansons keep a direct hand in control of their business. While they have few products of their own which are replicated or mass produced, the organisation buys small amounts of weapons and armor from other organisations to customise and resell as an after-market option of incredible prestige.
The company itself is considered a patron of the military arts, and recruits through a series of scholarships offered to students in engineering academies, colleges, and universities across the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia and even (less popularly, but still available in) the Yamatai Star Empire. With aspiring armorers sending in examples of their work, in exchange for having their education paid for in full and an offer of a position of apprenticeship to the Swansons.
Swanson & Swanson are renowned for their customisation work of other weapons, integrating gold, jewels, ivory or any other precious materials into firearms and their accessories. Those with sufficient money to spare may also join the waiting list for the creation of bespoke firearms, custom made to measure for the buyer at great expense.
Artisanal fittings for pre-existing weapons are the most commonly rendered service, with pre-existing firearms sent in to the Atelier being reworked with precision and artistry. This service usually runs a price of roughly 30,000 to 80,000 DA depending on the request made, and the weapon in question.
Bespoke engineering, custom made firearms and other one of a kind armaments or accessories may be requested, but the waiting list is incredibly long indeed. Some have waited up to three years for a piece to be completed, but they are usually considered well worth the cost. This service can run anything from 150,000 DA for a custom made firearm, to several million for artisanal power armor, or a bespoke fightercraft.
While the appeal of Swanson & Swanson is uniqueness, and custom tailoring of haute couture armaments, in the past there have been several custom items which became so popular as to bear requests for replicas to be made. While there are usually a limited number of these in existence, there are usually some found on the open market for slightly cheaper than a newly made specimen from the Atelier. These products include:
Dumont created this article on 2016/12/09 00:47.