China Trip part 1- Tooling Factory Visit, plus One Year Kickstarter Anniversery
almost 7 years ago – Sun, May 28, 2017 at 01:21:54 AM

On this day one year ago...

My first Kickstarter project was successfully funded one year ago today thanks to the contribution of 2,661 backers on May 27th, 2016, officially kicking off the Dinosaur Toy Revolution in a big way!

I learned a lot from the experience and there are things I plan to do differently next time, but because of the amazing support by all of you, we not only fully funded the project, but also unlocked 17 stretch goals and added an additional 3 raptors to the roster as well! Admittedly, it took longer than expected for me to get caught up on all of the additional sculpting, but it was such a privilege for me to put the time and effort into something that was my own and that I truly believed needed to be a part of this industry, that I'd do it again without hesitation.

As we reach more and more people about this project through BackerKit, 672 new backers have now joined the cause since the Kickstarter campaign ended. Coincidentally, the BackerKit total just passed the $200K mark yesterday! I can not thank you all enough for helping me make this impact on the toy industry as we create a new path of awareness and innovation for the dinosaur/ animal action figure market. I may only be one person on this end, but with the support of all of you, 3,335 backers strong (as of this post), I have already been able to achieve amazing things, and we're only getting started. Painted and packaged samples aren't far off and once I begin getting those in, I can start to pitch these figures to Natural History Museums and other related science retailers. The future of dinosaur toys is very bright!

 My China Trip part one- Tooling Factory Visits

As the tooling process entered it's final stages of refinement, I felt it necessary to make a visit to the factories in China. If anything was overlooked or not corrected at this stage, it could have irreversible effects on the remaining portion of the production process. Thanks to my good friend, China regular, and fellow NECA sculptor Trevor Zammit, my first visit was a smooth one. I had a fantastic time meeting all of the people involved with the project as well as taking in the sights and culture there. I was also very impressed by the efficiency and pride that was taken in making this product to my exact specifications.

Since the first day of my visit was Labor Day there, we spent a little time in Hong Kong first.

Hong Kong was a lot of fun and the toy shopping there was insane- but that's a tangent I'll save for social media.

Tooling Factory

I had a couple of meetings with the tooling factory while in China. The project was reaching it's final approval stage to finish the metal tooling molds and I needed to test out the latest test shot figures to make sure everything was working as it should. During this process, the smaller details of articulation and interchangeability were refined, and I also made sure that the figures and accessories were cross compatible between the various sets as much as possible.

 This new angled connector piece was added for the jumping rod allowing for more realistic jumping poses. It will be included with all accessory packs and can be used with any of the posing rods.

 More playing... err, testing.

One more improvement that was made was with the water splash accessory (included with the Wetlands Accessory Pack). Originally it was made to rest under the raptor's foot, but I had them shape it to grip the foot allowing for easier posablilty.

Also worth noting is that I have negotiated to have an additional body clip added to the tooling pattern. All of the standard raptors will now include this part in addition to the standard posing rod and rounded clip allowing for more dynamic poses. This piece was originally only included with the accessory packs.

So that's a look at the final test shots, but would you like to see how the figures got to this point? If you're like me, you'll probably find this next part very interesting.

Tooling Process

One of the first things I learned about the factories in China is that they are all highly competitive, which makes sense seeing as how there are so many. So for the sake of future manufacturing ventures, I will not be including specific details about the factory or the people I'm currently working with there. However, I did make sure to document the tooling process for you all to see.

Pantographing

(From Wikipedia) 'A pantograph is a mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen.' In this case though, it's done for sculpting.

Pantographing in the toy industry is a method of resizing sculpts into either larger or smaller sizes and is becoming somewhat of a lost art nowadays due to computer modeling, scanning, and printing technologies. However, the company I'm using to tool my raptor figures still sticks with the traditional method as it offers very precise control and sharpness for the details. Every detail is replicated exact to the original sculpt at the desired scale. It's highly skilled work to say the least.

 Fun fact- the parts I sculpted actually had to be slightly scaled up from 100% to 105% to adjust for shrinkage during the plastic molding process. Therefore the tooling parts are slightly larger than my prototypes. The fine cut raptor figures were representative of that 105% size. Many times, action figures are sculpted at twice the size (2up) and then scaled down using this method. The larger sculpted size allows for more detail on the scaled down version. (The 105% is in relation to the final 100% size of the production figure and not the sculpted prototype.)

 Sculpting

 Although the sculpted details are pretty much final when they are sent to the factory, there is usually a certain amount of adjusting that takes place after pantographing. It's not uncommon to have sculptural adjustments made to the articulation so that the movements function as well as possible. In some cases, additional textures may also be added during this stage as well.

 After pantographic and sculpting adjustments are made, we end up with a fine cut version of the figure, which as mentioned before, is always at 105% of the final production size. Here is the Acheroraptor fine cut as an example.

Once fine cuts are finished, they are submitted for approval to be molded for the metal tooling process.

Tooling plates

Tooling plates are then created for each specific piece of a project. These are arranged to be shot in same color plastics and are made to fit into existing larger metal casings. I didn't see any assembled BotM metal tooling blocks out when I was there, but here's one good example. You can see how the parts are arranged in this mold to all be shot in the same base color. Each mold set is made to be injected in a specific color.

    The metal tooling plates can also be adjusted at this stage as needed for final approval.  

 I did manage to see one BotM metal tooling plate while I was there. Interesting how intricate they are even containing separate pieces within a plate.

 Stacks of stored metal molds are a common site at these factories. They're so heavy that a crane system, often built into the ceiling, has to be used to move them around.

Injection

Once the metal molds are made, they are inserted into large mold injection machines. This is where all of the test shots begin to be made. While this particular factory specializes in tooling and does not have a full production facility, the production factories have very similar machines for the mass production injection process.

Inside of these machines, the metal molds are placed and locked in. The two halves are pushed together and then injected with liquid plastic.

 The liquid plastic is made from heated plastic pellets fed into a funnel-like container on the machine. Once heated to the proper temperature, the liquid can then be injected into the molds.

From that process comes all of the parts on full sprues. Many times after injection, the parts are placed in water to help them cool down evenly and prevent distortion.

 The parts are then either cleaned up and assembled into figures or organized for reference purposes to aid in the production stage.

And from there the first stage is complete and we get glorious, fully functional action figures!

So that's a crash course in how toys are born. Now you can begin to see why making a toy line is such a large and expensive undertaking. To put this project into perspective, most common toy runs consist of between 3- 6 figures, or SKU's, albeit larger quantities. We have 24 SKU's for this series of Beasts of the Mesozoic. That being said, our situation is not uncommon when compared to other crowdfunded independent toy runs. The difference in SKU's are an important factor as to why the larger companies can bring their toys to market faster than the independents. Smaller toy makers like myself, have many more molds and many more parts at once which usually equates to longer production times. However using this method of 'doing it all at once' helps keep costs to a minimum and thus keeps the product affordable for customers despite having smaller production run totals.

The production company for BotM received the molds the following week after I left China and have been diligently working on new painted samples. We're still aiming for a late summer/ early fall ship date.

I'll go into the painting and package design process in the next update for Part 2 of my trip.

Podcast Cantina Chatter Interview

 

 In other news, I did an interview recently with Victoria Brazil for her Cantina Chatter podcast. We discuss the Beasts of the Mesozoic project, my background in the toy industry as well as the potential of action figures in our modern collector culture. I very much enjoy doing these types of interviews as there are always plenty of questions and stories that I may not have thought to share otherwise. (Disclaimer- I did this interview well after midnight on a weekday, so if I sound a little tired, that's why. LOL) Definitely worth a listen though if you get a chance.

That will do it for now- thank you to those who made it this far. :)

As always, please be sure to follow my progress on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all of the latest Beasts of the Mesozoic news and more. I plan to show updated pics soon on paint samples in the weeks to come. Message me if you have any questions about your order or if you want to add items to an existing order.

And please keep on sharing and telling your friends about this project. Also, kindly direct them to the BackerKit Preorder Store.- we're reaching more people every day!

 

Until next time everyone!

New Test Shot Video, an Early Look at Production Paint and Packaging plus Spectrum Highlights
almost 7 years ago – Thu, Apr 27, 2017 at 11:46:05 PM

Today marks one year since this journey officially began. On April 27th, 2016, the Beasts of the Mesozoic Kickstarter campaign launched and nothing has been the same for me since (in a good way). And thanks to the help of all of the backers here, the dinosaur toy industry will never be the same either.

So with that being said, let's dive in and see where the project currently stands.

Test Shot Video Part 1 

While the past few weeks have been a bit hectic due to traveling, I did manage to shoot a quick video review of some of the Raptor test shots. It was a little tricky to film these figures since they are mostly in translucent white (you'll notice that the autofocus is having a tough time in a few spots) but luckily the details aren't the subject of this particular video as I mainly wanted to show the articulation and some of the play features.

Only after filming the video did I notice once again that the Dromaeosaurus' right arm popped off again same as it did in the previous test shot video from China. This is an odd coincidence as this is a different test shot. However I will say that while playing with all of these off-camera, I didn't find this to be an issue in general. Nonetheless, I have asked the tooling factory to tighten up all of the pinned joints such as elbows and lower legs.

Pre-Production

Pre-production is now underway which means the paint and packaging are being developed for each item. This stage requires a group of people developing systems and strategies that are both efficient and effective for achieving the desired look and level of quality based on my prototypes and instructions.

Paint

Paint samples are being created now for accessory packs, nestlings, and several of the standard raptors.

Packaging

These are the first packaging mock-ups for the figures that I've seen. Although the proportions are different than what I had originally envisioned, this more compact design for the raptors might be a better way to go. All of the proposed design elements such as the package art on the slip cover sleeve and environment background image are still planned to be included. It's important to note that these designs are in no way meant to be final and can easily be modified, so this will be a separate process unto itself. Once we have decided on the best packaging solution, they will create digital templates for me to use with my graphic design files and after it has all been properly formatted, I will send them the final hi-res images for the packaging.

 For the Accessory Packs, it was especially interesting to me to see what they would come up with since not only had I not worked that out previously, but the sets changed so much from concept to final version. I like what they've come up with so far.

China Trip

I will be leaving to visit the factories in China this Saturday and will spend a week with them to help with paint, packaging, and construction. Once I arrive, I'll be meeting up with my good friend and fellow NECA sculptor Trevor Zammit who has been a huge help in communicating with the factories on this project these past few months since I couldn't be out there and he'll be helping me coordinate with the workers during my visit as well to make sure production gets off on the right foot. Looking forward to seeing the process first-hand as well as avoiding potential issues before they happen.

While I'm away next week, my access to the internet will likely be very limited, so if you need to contact me, please expect a longer wait time for a response than usual. At the very least I will be able to respond when I return the following week. Also worth noting is that I likely won't have access to social media so if you notice a lack of updates next week, it's because I'm in China. I do however plan to return with plenty of news and photos.

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live

 One of the places I traveled to recently was to Kansas City, MO for the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live event this past weekend. This was my first time having the BotM Raptor figures on display, and I would even encourage visitors to play with them. The response was very positive and I was able to reach lot of people that otherwise would not have known about the project. It was interesting how gentle most were with the raptor toys, holding them as if they were real creatures. It's a good sign when an unpainted toy has enough character to merit that type of response.

Also on display were my various model kit builds- always great for getting people to come over to the table if nothing else.

 The highlight of the show for me was when James Gurney stopped by. I've been a huge admirer of his work for many years now and him showing up at my table was pretty surreal. He seemed especially interested in the Raptor toys and was testing out one of them. It would be great to have him as a backer. There aren't too many famous people I'd care to have my picture taken with, but I couldn't pass this one up.

And here's me with my creations. It was a good show and I thank everyone who was able to make it out to stop by. (Thanks goes to my friend Pamela Lea Coggins for making me take this pic. )

Wrapping up...

Post Cards

If you paid for your post cards, you should have them by now. All printed materials have been sent out. If there are any issues, please let me know and I'll check on your order status for you. I do have some left over post cards. Contact me if you'd like to order directly. I plan to offer the remaining sets through my site later this year.

 Red Raptor Still Available

There are still some red Velociraptor osmolskae variants available- just a heads up if you've been considering adding it to your order. You can order direct from the pre-order store or contact me about it directly and I can add it to your existing  BackerKit order.

1/6 Velociraptor Model Kit Now Available

For those interested in model kits- I am now offering a 1/6  model kit version of the BOTM Velociraptor mongoliensis figure which is inspired by Jonathan Kuo's gorgeous package art. Please contact me directly if interested.

Shipping Delay Reminder

In the last update I had mentioned that production is going slower than anticipated and this will prevent us from shipping in May as initially planned. The current estimate is now for late Summer- early Fall. Please keep an eye on these Kickstarter updates as more information becomes available.

Unanswered Surveys and Declined Cards Update

Recently, BackerKit automatically added backers who's cards were declined from the Kickstarter to the current backer list bringing the current tally for unanswered surveys to 72. This means that if you were declined initially, you still have chance to pay for the items you pledged for during the campaign. I'm not sure why this happened, but hopefully this is good news for some of you. In addition, there are currently 8 declined cards from locked down backers. If you need information about your order, please message me.

That's all for now. As always, please be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates on this project and anything else I may be up to. Also, please keep spreading the word about the Backerkit Preorder store - , tell your friends about Beasts of the Mesozoic, and help support the Dinosaur Toy Revolution!

Take care everyone- I'll talk to you all in a few weeks.

First Test Shots- Video Preview from China
about 7 years ago – Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 12:40:08 AM

Beasts of the Mesozoic: Raptor Series First Test Shots video

In the last update you all got a look at some of the Raptor test shot figures- the first ones to be injected in plastic as the tooling molds are tested and refined. Now, thanks to my good friend Stefan Folkins (you may remember him mentioned as the artist behind the diorama backgrounds I shot on a while back), we have an even better look at the new figures. Stefan has been kind enough to make a video for us to view some of the first test shot figures direct from the tooling factory.

A few things to note before watching the video. These figures are currently going through a process called 'debugging' which means that the articulation is being tested and refined, so these figures here are not necessarily representative of the final product, aside from the obvious lack of paint.

Some of the flaws I've noticed from this video are: no tongues, some loose parts (you'll know when you see them), collars are too low on necks, some of the tails may be upside down, and Adsaurus' back feathers need to be glued into place.

Now that that's out of the way, there are also some strong positives as well: wires in tails work well, small raptors also have tail wires (woo-hoo), jaw gape is much improved over prototypes, secondary feathers (forearms) will be interchangeable, jaw interchangeability is very simple, great range of motion on necks.

Without further ado, here is the video:

So that's a look at where the figures are so far. The others are being worked on as well, and all test shots are planned to be completed by next week. Once they are finished, they will be sent to me for review and I will give notes on improvements. The tooling molds are planned to ship to the production factory by April 22nd and from there the final versions of the figures will begin to take shape with paint and packaging. In fact, I am planning to visit the production factory myself in early May to oversee the beginning stages of production and make sure everything is on the right track. That being said, it's time to address the elephant in the room...

How can I possibly begin shipping product in May?

Well, unfortunately, the shipping dates will have to be delayed a few months, very sorry everyone. I sincerely apologize but I will not be able to hit my original estimated ship date of May 2017. I wanted to have more info before mentioning anything officially, but as the year continues to roll forward, I'm sure it's become obvious that this project is a bit behind. Between all the additional time I needed last year to sculpt the new pieces and now with all of parts and figures that the factory has to account for, it's no surprise that the production process is taking longer than expected.

On the plus side, the tooling factory is committed to doing the best job they can with these figures and I'd much prefer that they take the time they need to get everything right instead of trying to push everything through to meet a deadline. They've all been very communicative and helpful throughout and I have no doubt that these figures will turn out great- we'll just have to wait a little longer than expected. Once the production factory gets the tooling and finalizes the paint and packaging, I will be able to get an accurate timeline of what to expect. Shipping this Summer could still be a possibility however, but it's too early to know for sure. I will keep you all posted on the production schedule as more information becomes available.

Well that's all for now. Before I go though, I want to update you all on the BackerKit status. There are still 46 Kickstarter backers left who have not submitted their survey info (please check your spam folder if you think this may be you.) And there are 8 people with declined credit cards. Please be sure to fix these issues as soon as possible to guarantee your order. If you have any questions or if you wold like to add to your existing order, feel free to contact me via message or email me at [email protected] .

And please be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates on this project and more. Also, don't forget tell your friends about the Backerkit Preorder store if you haven't already.

Until next time- later!

Action Figure Test Shots- first photos!
about 7 years ago – Wed, Mar 15, 2017 at 09:50:29 PM

Test Shot Figures Update

Now that the tooling is finishing up for the Raptor series, the factory is now producing the first sets of functional, plastic action figures using the brand new molds. These are commonly referred to as 'first shots' or 'test shots'. Recently, I had requested a few photos of the completed test shot figures and I really like what I'm seeing so far.

The two photos above were my very first look at the Beasts of the Mesozoic Raptor series in plastic form. Since this my first time creating my own line of toys, it goes without saying that this was quite an exciting moment!

So now a test shot is being made for each figure and piece in the line and the process will take several weeks. They are scheduled to have concluded all test shots by March 24th.

Once completed, the test shots will be sent to me for approval. The purpose of these test shots are to debug articulation and construction. Once everything looks good, I'll give them the green light to send the tooling molds on to the production factory where the mass producing and figure painting can begin.

Now before anyone asks, the colors here do not represent the final product in any way. When creating test shots, they normally use whatever extra plastic they have on hand to inject the new molds with, which is why the colors are mismatched and random.

These first test shot figures will likely be requested by the production factory to produce early paint samples.

Something you may have noticed is that there are hardly any visible pins now, a change I am very happy about. Assuming the stability isn't comprised by the alteration, these will remain the way you see here.

 Some of the poses in the photos below seem to have a few mis-positioned feet and tails and in a few pics the toe claws are off, but that is subject to whomever poses the figures and does not represent the final look.

Here's an interesting pose. I think they're supposed to be fighting, but maybe they just really like each other.

 Very happy to see some shots of the Mircoraptor and Nestling figures as well. They're looking great so far!

 And then it's all brought together. Check out the modular functionality of how the bases can be fit together. Very cool for a multiple figure diorama display!

 At this point in the photos, you can also see the egg clutch and tiny hatchling.

  That's all of the photos I was sent so far and these really have me looking forward to the rest of the line. I'll be adding these to my Creative Beast Studio Facebook page soon so you all can view higher res versions.

Velociraptor osmolskae quantity update

In other BotM news, I do want to say that there are still a few red variant Velociraptor osmolskae figures left  for pre-order as well as a very small quantity left now (less than 20) of the blue version for you Kickstarter backers. If you'd like to add to your existing order, please message me.

That's all for now. Before I go though, I just want to say that there are still 47 Kickstarter backers left who need to submit their survey info (please check your spam folder if you think this may be you.) And there are also 9 people with declined credit cards. Please be sure to fix these issues as soon as possible to guarantee your order. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

As usual, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all of the latest news and updates on this project and more. And please tell your friends about the Backerkit Preorder store if you haven't already.

Be good and until next time- take care everyone!

Velociraptor osmolskae red variant available now on BackerKit
about 7 years ago – Mon, Feb 27, 2017 at 07:46:09 PM

The Final Raptor

For those following me on social media, you may have already heard... there's one more raptor left, and he's a bit late to the party. 

Since beginning this campaign last April, there have been many welcome surprises, and this one is no exception. In an effort to utilize the remaining Kickstarter Exclusive blue Velociraptor osmolskae stock, I contacted the production factory to see if it would be possible to make a running-change to the figure run, basically trading the blue for red and changing the eye color while still using the same paint masks and patterning. Thankfully, they are willing to accommodate the change and just like that, we have one more raptor to add to the flock! Now even those who discovered this project after the Kickstarter campaign can collect each of the twelve raptor species.

Here's a look at the new prototype for the Velociraptor osmolskae red variant.

Since this is a variant, quantities are more limited than usual (less than 300 units) so I don't expect it to be available for too long. This can be ordered separately or added to your existing order.

The pre-order price is $35 (add $1 US or $3 INT for combined shipping). If you would like to add on to your existing order, please message me. Funds can be added with Paypal if preferred (a small fee may apply). I have been getting many messages about this figure already, so please allow about 24 hrs or so for me to get back to you. However in most cases it shouldn't take that long.

On a similar note, for those here with multiple orders, I can combine them for you, but this will be done by request only- it is not automatic. Also, there are still 50 unanswered surveys, so if you think you may be one of them, please check to make sure your order is completed. I can send you a link to your order if needed.

The Velociraptor osmolskae red variant is up on the BackerKit pre-order store now.

And in other news...

Post cards now shipping

Print orders have all been fulfilled and now the post cards-only orders are currently shipping. If you ordered any post cards without a print or a calendar, please be sure to check your address to make sure it's up to date. There are a lot of post card orders so I ask that you please be patient. These will be going out over the course of the next several weeks.

 And on a final note-

Figure production is going well right now as the parts continue to be tooled. This process will likely take a few more weeks due to the high parts count. Once they are completed, I will be receiving the first unpainted test shot samples from the factory which will be very exciting! I will keep you all posted on the progress, in the meantime keep an eye on my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for regular updates.

Until next time!