Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor Series Action Figures

Saurornitholestes sculpt update
almost 8 years ago – Thu, May 05, 2016 at 08:34:56 PM

Just want to update everyone on the progress of the first stretch goal raptor- Saurornitholestes. Here's an in-progress shot of how it's shaping up so far. As you can see, this on will have a very long, feathery tail among other new pieces:

I plan to finish this one up over the weekend and will be handing the parts off to be molded on Monday. After that if won't be long before we see a finished prototype!

On a side note- we're fast approaching that $100,000 mark. Keep getting the word out guys- it's working!

More tomorrow. :)

1,000 Backers!
almost 8 years ago – Wed, May 04, 2016 at 07:55:12 PM

Over one thousand backers have now pledged for this project in less than one week! That's an outstanding response and I thank you all so much for the support you've given this campaign! I've noticed that for a lot of you, backing this project is your first experience using Kickstarter and I think that really speaks volumes about how important this project is for you. For those new to Kickstarter, please feel free to post any questions in the comments section, or message me directly- I'll do what I can to help!  We're closing in now on $100K and hopefully our funding goal won't be far behind.

Just wanted to briefly address a few items that have come up lately.

• Stretch goals- for those unfamiliar, these are add-on rewards that will only become available if a certain amount is pledged above the main funding goal (in this case $125,000). For example the first stretch goal, Saurornitholestes, will become available once we reach $135,000, then Balaur at $145,000, and so on. Once these are 'unlocked', you'll be able to simply add to your existing pledge the amount needed to cover the items you want. The stretch goal figures will be $35 for US backers and $37 for International backers. There is no additional shipping on these as it will be combined with your initial pledge level. (unless you're only pledging level is for the print, in which case please add a one-time shipping amount of $10 for US backers and $25 for International backers).

• Alternate payment methods for EU backers (update)- Just getting back to this briefly after posting Kickstarter's suggestions in an earlier update, one of our backers from Portugal offered this alternative as well:

'Hi. I just saw your post about people from the EU having difficulties due to the lack of a credit card. I, too, lack a credit card, but fortunately there's a service that obviates the need for it. It might just work for Portugal (or, more accurately, to people with a bank account on a Portuguese bank, even if it has branches in other countries, like Caixa Geral de Depósitos, or CGD), but it might solve some wanna-be-backers issues just the same. It's called mbnet.

How mbnet works is that you create an account that is associated with your bank account, and then their site lets you create a virtual credit card with a specified limit that has all the data of a normal cc (including the 3-number pin that is missing from debit cards). Tutorials on how to join and use are available on-line (just google mbnet), and it's a great service - it's what I use for all my online shopping, like kickstarter and Steam.

Again, I think it's availability is limited to adherent banks, but it might permit some people to pledge who otherwise couldn't.'

I hope that helps some of you who do not have a credit card. If anyone has other advice about alternate payment methods, please feel free to comment or message me.

• Kickstarter Exclusive Raptor- to be unveiled later this week, the exclusive is an incentive figure for backers of this Kickstarter campaign which will not be available on my website later. It will be an add-on to your existing pledge (same as a stretch goal- see above) at the special price of $30 each for US backers and $32 for International backers. More on that soon!

That's all for now- thanks again everyone for the amazing support, and keep telling others about this project- we want to unlock those stretch goals! :)

Just one more thing... I wanted to tell you guys about. I won't normally suggest other campaigns for you all to check out, but my good friend from art college, Bryan Tillman, is also currently running a Kickstarter of his own- the 30 Day Pitch Bible for those creatives out there who like to organize and build new projects. Bryan is an educator and chairman of Animation at the Washington Art Institute in DC and has several successful Kickstarter campaigns under his belt. He was also one of the first people I went to for advice on running my own campaign. So please take a look at what he's offering and throw some support his way if you can- it's a great tool for getting new creative projects off the ground: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kaiserstudio/30-day-pitch-bible

Stretch goal #2 added- Balaur bondoc!
almost 8 years ago – Tue, May 03, 2016 at 09:07:37 PM

Just added the second stretch goal- the much asked about Balaur bondoc! This will be available to add-on once we reach the $145,000 mark. Balaur will feature several unique parts but most notably double sickle toe claws and will have the largest primary wings! Check the campaign page for more details. (And just a note on this one- the final version will more closely resemble the package art than the concept art in case anyone is wondering.) More soon!

Saurornitholestes head sculpt progress
almost 8 years ago – Mon, May 02, 2016 at 09:36:59 PM

Just wanted to share an in-progress look at the head sculpt for the stretch goal #1, Saurornitholestes.

I'll be posting my progress on this as I go. Planning to have a finished prototype within the next few weeks!

New video interview - Inside the studio with The Beasts of the Mesozoic Kickstarter
almost 8 years ago – Mon, May 02, 2016 at 09:34:46 AM

My friend Ultimate Toy Collector stopped by the studio yesterday for an interview with me and an in-depth look at the Beasts of the Mesozoic project. If you've been wanting to know more about why I'm doing this, how the prototypes are made and what to expect moving forward, check out the video:

 More updates soon!