Below you will find some of the most frequently asked questions that we receive. If you have a question that isn’t answered here, please fill out our contact us form or give us a call at 800-274-5194 and we would be happy to help.
Q. How long does it usually take to complete my order?
A. Remember, most of our items are custom created to ensure a detailed likeness of a certain pose or you in unifrom. As a result, development times for our products vary greatly depending upon the specific product and size of the project. We have listed some of our standard turnaround times for our products below. For further details on a specific product, please make sure to visit our product section.
| Product | Standard Turnaround Time |
| Miniature Statues | 6 – 8 weeks |
| Prints/Coins/Medallions | Many in stock |
| Custom Badges/low reliefs | 4 – 6 weeks |
| Plaques, Awards, etc. | 2 – 4 weeks |
| Unique Sculpture | Depends, you design it, sketches returned in a week |
Rush orders are available upon request and on an open availability basis.
Q. Why does it take so long to receive my order?
A. At Brodin Studios we take pride in the detail and quality of each and every piece. All of our bronze pieces are created using the “lost wax” process – an excessively lengthy and physical method. Every step in our process is done by hand and all of our monuments and statues are completely customized to your department – right down to the arm patch, chest badge and more. To ensure that you receive the finest quality product we take extra time to make sure we get everything just right. It requires a 22 step process to complete. Call early if you can, extra time helps so much, thanks.
Q. How do I place an order? What items will I need?
A. You will find everything you need to place an order, including any necessary forms, located on the How to Order page. Ordering steps are slightly different if this is your first purchase with Brodin Studios than if you are a return customer. First time buyers for miniature statues and monuments MUST fill out and send us a Uniform Checklist. Three digital photos must also be submitted for miniature statues – arm patch photo, cap badge photo, and chest badge. If you are looking to purchase a monument or life-size statue, you also need to include a digital photo of an individual dressed in the Department uniform.
Q. How much does a custom bronze statue cost?
A. Because so many of our products are 100% customized we ask that you contact us or give us a call at 800-274-5194 for specific pricing. For some of our more standard products, you will also be able to locate pricing on each item’s product page and we will send you a complete price list that includes all our standard sculptures. We generally price our statues by size, so most 6″ miniatures are very close in price, as are the 2/3rds, life-size and even larger-than-life scale, no matter the difference in pose. We have special relationships also with many small SWAT teams, and other groups that we make special one-of-a-kind sculptures for, so ask, suggest, or invent something neat and special for your group, we’ll form an exclusive deal with you, one a year, fine with us.
Q. What forms of payment are accepted?
A. We accept cash, check, and money orders for all of our products. We also accept Visa, Master credit cards and debit cards. Please contact us if you have any additional questions about payment forms or terms. Ask about discounts.
Q. What is the “lost wax” method you keep mentioning?
A. The ancient “lost wax” method is a more than 5000 year old way of hot bronze casting. It is a time- consuming, and labor intensive process that is always dirty and sometimes dangerous – not unlike police work. At Brodin Studios, we prefer the “lost wax” method over other forms of hot bronze casting because of the intricate detail and quality work of art it allows us to produce. To learn more about the “lost wax” process, and see photos highlighting the steps, view our Lost Wax section.
Q. Can you make custom bronze replicas of logos, medallions, and badges?
A. Yes. At Brodin Studios we can create replica of your department logo, badge, or a custom medallion. You can use these as a gift, presentation piece, of whatever else you would like. We never have charged for what companies sometimes call, “set-up” or “art” or any original molding fees because we know law enforcement and fire/rescue, once they see something they like, they’ll come calling, so we feel we’ll make up some of these original costs in future sales as we hope to build a regular relationship with police and fire (and military, of course). Look in our “Fund-raising Items” section of products for at least fifteen custom items that we design only for you and we’re open to new suggestions always.
Q. How are the large statues installed?
A. Each of our large or life-size custom bronze statues has stainless steel threaded rods that jut out through the bottom of the feet. If the statue is being installed to a solid base these rods are epoxied into holes drilled into the base. If the base itself is hollow a nut is used to thread onto the rod from inside. We supply templates with all larger statues and will advise on installation, sometimes we deliver and will assist on site. Of course, we want to be invited to the unveiling ceremony, but don’t ask us to speak, large statues honor you and yours, not us.
Q. Do you have any monuments in our area?
A. We have hundreds of monuments located throughout the United States. Contact us at 800-274-5194 and we will be happy to provide you with location of monuments and Memorials closest to you. Somewhere on this website you’ll find a long, long list of previous large sculptures that we created but are constantly failing to update. Sometimes we haven’t even received photos of some of our early productions, that’s unfortunate. But, give us a call and we’ll send you albums full of photos of our work that we do have, and tell us about sculpture in your city we’ve probably never seen, we are great collectors and admirerers of sculpture and we’d love photos of your Memorial, even if it’s one we didn’t sculpt. But, there are hundreds that we have, be our guests, thank you. Never Forget the Fallen!