Balaur bondoc final sculpt pics and new Fan's Choice Pyroraptor package art revealed!
almost 10 years ago – Mon, Jun 13, 2016 at 08:35:23 PM

Balaur final sculpt parts

As many of you will recall, just before the conclusion of the campaign here, I unveiled photos of the assembled unpainted Balaur bondoc action figure. The original intention was to have it painted by then, but the additional stretch goal research and drawings set this back a bit so the parts were left umolded. I'm actually glad it worked out this way because to be honest sculpting new parts in addition to running a campaign and having a job is a bit insane (not to say I wouldn't do it again). So I took some time to refine the Balaur parts further and also adjusted the upper toe claw placement (thank you to those who called me out on that- I'm happy to admit a mistake if the figure will benefit). So here's a detailed look at the final Balaur parts before I sent them out last week.

The parts are being molded now with castings not far behind. I expect to be painting the prototype for Balaur by this weekend.

At this point I have a feeling some of you are wondering 'how's he going to get everything done by August at this pace?' Well admittedly I do often run a little behind schedule as I don't want to rush anything, but 'in August' should be doable. After the campaign ended, I had to then take care of all of the other things I'd been putting off during that time plus I recently also needed a few days to recuperate mentally, so things have been a little slower as of late. Once the BackerKit is finished and sent out (almost done with it now) the only thing left is to sculpt and build new protos so don't worry, when I get the momentum going again you'll be seeing the new items take shape more frequently.

Fan's Choice Pyroraptor package art

Aaand... as promised, here's a look at Sara Richard's latest package part for the Fan's Choice Pyroraptor figure based on the Varied Thrush color patterns. I am very much enjoying her take on these variant raptors!

That'll do it for now. Thank you all for the feedback recently about the Dromaesosaurus figure- I'm taking all of it into consideration especially the toe claw info and I may also move some of the primary wing assignments around a bit on the stretch goal raptors.

That's all for now- more progress soon!

First look at the Build-A-Raptor sets and the complete raptor parts map diagram!
almost 10 years ago – Sun, Jun 05, 2016 at 10:52:24 PM

Hi all!

Been meaning to post this particular update for sometime now but had to wait until I had enough parts sculpted for the prototypes.

Complete Raptors parts map

Although still adjustable, here is the updated final parts map for all of the raptor action figures. You can see now the plan moving forward for which parts are shared and which ones are unique between each figure. The goal here being to make efficient use of the parts options while staying true to the available fossil data and creating a unique overall look for each species. (pay no mind if some the parts shapes are a little inconsistent, only the colors really matter here).

 So I hope that gives you all a better of idea of how the line is shaping up and what to expect moving forward.

Build-A-Raptor sets

And as promised, here is a look at the current layout of each Build-A-Raptor set. Remember that these sets will have no paint and will be in a light gray color similar to what is seen here. The main body will remain intact with interchangeable heads, jaws, collars, primary wings, chest attachments, toe claws and tails. Parts from all kits are compatible. I am also planning to include the jumping pose rod that comes with each environment accessory pack. I think these will be a lot of fun for those seeking a more creative option for their raptor figures.

Soon I plan to update on the Balaur figure, but will save that for next time as this here is already a lot to take in. I also expect to have new Fan's Choice Pyroraptor package art to show within the week as well. Until next time!

Post campaign FAQ, Kickstarter shipping error, game plan and more
almost 10 years ago – Mon, May 30, 2016 at 12:11:39 AM

Just wanted to follow up with everyone and address a few things before we get rolling with the actual in-progress updates.

Kickstarter shipping charge error

I received a response from Kickstarter about this after the campaign ended on Friday.

'Hi David,

Thanks for writing in about this, and apologies for the delayed reply. I realize it was probably a little strange for you to be getting these questions from backers! There was an issue involving the shipping cost getting added to a pledge again when a backer adjusted their reward. However, we’re happy to let you know that the situation backers were experiencing has been resolved. Backers should find that they were charged the correct amounts, but please let me know if you are hearing anything different.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and we’ll do our best to prevent problems like this in the future. If you continue to see any issues, please let us know.

Best, Noah'

So hopefully this issue will be or has been cleared up. If there are any more issues, please message me and I will contact them again.

Post-campaign FAQs

While I can no longer add to the campaign FAQ's, I wanted to post a few here to help with the post campaign process:

How will I be able to select my add-ons and can I still change my pledge level?

You will be able to add on to or change your pledge level with the BackerKit survey.

When and how will I receive the BackerKit survey?

The BackerKit survey will be emailed to you in about a month

I missed the campaign! Will I be able to purchase these items another way later?

If you missed out on the Kickstarter campaign, there will be limited product available after the KS orders are fulfilled. This product should be available on my website- creative-beast.com by next summer.

Will everything be available later or only certain items?

The only item exclusive to the Kickstarter campaign is the blue velociraptor osmolskae. All others will be eligible to be sold on my website later.

I may be moving before the items ship. Will I be able to change my address?

Yes. you will be able to update your address with BackerKit anytime before your items ship which won't be until next spring.

The game plan from here

Now that the campaign is over, here are how you can expect to see things take shape.

• I will continue sculpting and making prototypes for next two months or so (expect updates here)

• In the following weeks I will also be building the BackerKit survey based on the final items listed and unlocked from the campaign.

• You all will be emailed the BackerKit survey in about a month where you will be able to select your add-ons, change your pledge level, and add to your pledge amount.

• The BackerKits won't be locked until I finish all of the prototypes which I expect to take around two months from now, possibly longer. I estimate they will be locked in the early part of August. During this time you can either submit your BackerKit or wait until you see the product you're interested in. You will also be able to make adjustments during this time. The sooner you can submit the survey the better, but for those who are interested in product that has not been shown, you may  hold off to see the prototypes before making your final decisions.

• The printed rewards will be made during this time, but can only be sent to those who have turned in their BackerKit survey.

• With all of the sculpted parts finished by this point, the final tooling will be sent to China to begin production.

• Once the BackerKits are in, the per unit amounts will be tallied and I will be able to place an order with the factory for each SKU (stock keeping unit)

• After a few months, I should begin to receive unpainted samples from the factory to check for flaws or ways to improve the product. Painted samples will follow.

• During this time I will be setting up with a Fulfillment center to handle storage and shipping out product to you all. I have a place in mind here in New Jersey who I've been in touch with, but I will also be checking with a few others to make sure I find one that best suits my needs.

• From there it's just a matter of receiving the final product from China and having fulfillment take care of the rest. I will be in touch with them personally to make sure everything runs smoothly.

• Once all the Kickstarter orders are sent out, the remaining stock will be available on creative-beast.com

So that should give you all an idea of how things are planned to play out. As you can see, the campaign was just the beginning.

Updated package art

Jonathan Kuo recently sent me some revised versions of the Adasaurus and Dromaeosaurus art work with the primary wings much more apparent. I actually did not ask for this change, but he wanted to to do it and I'm very happy with the results. Expect these to replace the original versions on the packages and other printed materials.

Well that'll do it for now. I know it's a long update, but I wanted to get all of that out there so we can move forward. I'm currently working on deign charts detailing all of the shared parts between each raptor figure as well as a layouts for the 'build-your-own' raptor sets. I'll be showing those next time. Until then, enjoy the holiday weekend!

We Did it!! Beasts of the Mesozoic is funded and bigger than expected!
almost 10 years ago – Fri, May 27, 2016 at 10:07:27 PM

Wow.

It's hard to find the words to express how grateful I am for the tremendous support you all have shown for this project. It has been a long journey for me getting to this point, but the pasts month have just flown right by. Seems like just a few days ago I was fumbling in my sculpting studio around trying my best to make decent video for the campaign. I had to learn a lot for this Kickstarter that I was previously unfamiliar with. Much of it relating to things I would normally have no interest in- making videos, officially setting up my company, marketing, doing interviews etc. ( I just want to sculpt and draw to be honest). But I knew I had to try and I really needed to know, no matter what the response was, if I was right. I needed to ask the question: Do people want realistic dinosaur action figures? I was sure that they would, I sure did. Seems silly to even ask, but I couldn't help but to feel like it was time to really know for sure. Had this project failed, I would have accepted that and continued on my previous course of limiting myself to only making dinosaurs as model kits. But I decided to put this question out there to be seen and judged and you all answered with a resounding - 'yes'.

Those final numbers of 2,661 backers and $351,753 is our voice now. There isn't a toy company out there currently producing dinosaur or animal toys that won't know about this. How will they respond now that they are seeing indisputable evidence that the market is ready to receive accurate, high quality figures of these beloved creatures? This isn't about really Creative Beast Studio, it's you, about us, the fans. While I do plan to continue forward creating more of these figures, I am essentially only one person (with a day job) and am very limited because if this. But if the other companies out there see this and are inspired to innovate and improve their existing product lines, that will be the true victory. That was the point all along. My friends, we have just taken the first critical step in that direction. I could only provide the means, but you all made it a reality. I sincerely thank you each one of you for supporting this project and being a part of the Dinosaur Toy Revolution.

I will continue to keep you all up to date on the progress of each prototype as I go these next few months and look forward to continuing our discussions and getting to know you all a little better.

Thank you all again and take care.:)

Linheraptor package art update!
almost 10 years ago – Fri, May 27, 2016 at 06:27:19 PM

As we round the last turn, I wanted to post a look at the final package art for the Linheraptor exquisitus!

 So there you have it- the package and concept for all 12 main line raptors. I will be adding these to the page right away and answering your questions very soon as well.

Getting so close now to unlocking the final stretch goal! Now is the time to start letting everyone know that the Beasts of the Mesozoic Kickstarter is about to end. Here's a graphic you all can use to help do that:

 In the meantime I will try to get together one more update about the 'build-your-own' raptor sets.

Now onward to final hours!