Let’s get this finished. Strike Force Alpha!
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Jul 10, 2023 at 12:10:02 PM
Finally, we have some things to report. The factory has been slammed and we are doing things a little bit differently to get this order wrapped up. The order is simultaneously being worked on at three places to finish things off. Capes are being made at a clothing factory and should wrap up soon. Cards are being made at another factory. Plastic is being injected for figures and weapons; the outer package is being made while the inner trays are being figured out for each figure layout. The good news is once an order is at this stage, things move fast.
I had to create mock-ups for each figure and the parts layout. In order to layout the extra parts where they could be seen on each package we quickly ran into a problem. With the extra hands and weapons, we would either have to put them in a bag behind the figure or increase the bubble size and make an inner try for each design. That way the backpacks, guns, extra heads, and weapons would all be on display. Since we have this swappable system on the heads and hands, it was important that you can see what parts you have to play with. Also, most figures now come with a second head and those need to be on display.
The issue this caused was none of the artwork or card layouts we had would work anymore, because they’d be covered up with the bubble. So new art and layouts had to be created. Instead of artwork on the side it’s now on the top. I’m so much happier with how this card design looks. We appreciate George Vega jumping in at the last minute and getting the card art finished for us. The factory said I should have more photos tomorrow of additional packaged figures. I think from here out the updates will be more plentiful and have lots of progress photos. I will keep posting pictures every time they are available.
Almost to the finish line!
over 1 year ago
– Wed, May 31, 2023 at 11:34:31 AM
Since the last update I have been in contact with the factory almost nightly working through Pantone colors, tooling plans, packaging requirements, and pricing, and other questions and concerns they have. There is almost 200 individual molded parts so there are a lot of details to nail down. We’ve also been waiting for a slot in the factory’s production schedule. The factory came back this week and said the order will be finished by the end of July. I also secured the funds and paid for the order. A couple of things to note.
To expedite the order the cloth goods (capes) and packaging are starting now as well. The package will be collector friendly with the figures able to be removed.
I’ve paid extra to include an extra head with each figure. One of the heads is new and wasn’t part of the Kickstarter.
I’ve paid extra to have the paint applications upgraded on some of the figures. This also included making additional paint masks to accommodate the upgraded paint apps. Matt Lecroy did an excellent job painting samples and coming up with the paint schemes.
We are going to include stands with every order no matter how big the order is. This is just for Kickstarter backers. This doesn’t mean if you ordered 20 figures you’ll get 20 stands. There will be at least some stands in every order, exact number to be determined. I’m still negotiating a price with China on these.
If there is an opportunity to pay extra to expedite the shipping from China to the USA, I’m willing to pay that to get things in your hands quicker. We will negotiate that in the coming weeks.
The factory has agreed to document as much of this process as possible when they get to a stage where pictures can be taken. These will come more frequently in the last month or so of manufacturing.
We are done with molds/engineering and moving on to manufacturing.
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Mar 16, 2023 at 01:20:54 PM
I wanted to give everyone an update. We are moving on to the manufacturing stage. I’m going to repeat that WE ARE OVING ON TO THE PRODUCTION STAGE! I’m excited to finally be at this point. It’s been a really long stressful process, but honestly that’s just how it goes sometimes when trying to manufacture in China. A lot of what I’m about to tell you has been experienced and talked about by many companies over the last year or so. Although I’ve made several projects in China, I’ve never experienced all of these issues. To be honest I haven’t experienced too many issues at all. When we started the project it was done with the information we had at that time. Had I known all these difficulties would arise, I would have never started the kickstarter. Now that I see these awesome figures in front of me, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t know, because these figures need to be in collectors’ hands.
Some of the issues were the following:
Multiple people not paying for their pledges.
Issues with the parts scans from the first factory.
Conflict of interest with the first factory.
Redoing all the sculpts in digital format in record breaking time and reengineering the body since the physical scans weren’t usable and the first factory had the samples.
Moving the project to the new factory after paying for services at the first factory that weren’t usable.
Shut downs multiple times for Covid and blackouts in China
Production costs and labor costs in China increasing.
Mold factory behind schedule and not equipped to make this many molds at one time. Machinery constraints.
More covid.
Issues with engineering on some of the parts.
Running out of money (due to backer non-payment, losing funds with the first factory, re making molded parts we weren’t happy with and rising costs)
Well, you get the idea. Lots of things in the world fell apart and the timing for this project fell right in the middle of it. That being said I’m running the project and I have to take responsibility for it. Have I made mistakes along the way? Yes, I have. I’ve learned a lot through this process and there are many things I’m doing differently now on other projects. I apologize for the things I could have done better and the fact you’ve had to wait so long. I take the fact you pledged your hard-earned money to this project very seriously.
We recently got all the engineering fixes made to the mold. Some were minor, but we wanted these figures to the best we could make them. Some I think most companies wouldn’t worry about. Who cares if the figures won’t hold the weapons well and the joints break when you move them? Well, we care. These figures are Matt and I’s resume for future projects. We can’t make up lost time but we can give you the most innovative quality product we can produce.
I also sold some property I owned to ensure there was enough funds in the bank to pay for everything. In summary molds are done, funds are secured, and I’m working with the factory to get the order on the productions schedule. This should get underway in the next couple weeks. We should be able to get a tentative date when the order will be done at that time. I’m going to ask for lots of photos throughout the production process which will be a lot more exciting to look at than pictures of steel molds.
I will be at Toylanta with protypes next week (Matt is stopping by as well) I will be at the Cotswold Collectibles booth, come by and see us.
Mold updates and paint samples
almost 2 years ago
– Mon, Jan 16, 2023 at 06:17:15 AM
Just got tracking from the factory. Samples from the improved molds and paint samples are on the way via Fedex to my house. This has been a long stressful process and we appreciate everyone's patience. Fingers crossed that all the issue have been finally addressed. I don't have an ETA but would assume that I will be able to post an update with pictures sometime in the next 5-7 days. Hopefully all the issues are corrected, and we can move to production now. More to come soon.
Some of the issues being addressed.
Loose fit in some of the joints. All joints in molds checked and adjusted to ensure tight fit. Mold change.
Open hands not holding weapons well. Mold change.
Hands not being easily removed and swapped out. Material change to more flexible material on hands.
Open hands being rigid (fear of broken thumbs). Material change to more flexible material on hands.
Two few backpacks don't stay in back. Mold change.
Heads not easily removable from neck post. Material change for heads.
Kanstruct weapons: a few of these don't stay in place tightly in the arm cuff. Mold changes.
Neck movement is loose on a few of the figures. Mold changes.
Nomad torso: strap details left off of torso. Mold change.
Android arm kits: arms don't stay together at elbow and some attachments have poor fitment. Mold changes.
production test shots and paint apps
almost 2 years ago
– Fri, Dec 16, 2022 at 06:36:55 PM
A couple important things to discuss. I posted this update on the Facebook group a while ago but for some reason this post didn’t come through in Kickstarter. There’s another more recent update at the bottom of this message. If you haven’t jointed the Facebook group come check us out. It’s easier to post updates there. Search for scorched earth initiative on Facebook.
Physical production samples have arrived at my house. I requested the samples to inspect the articulation. I need to do a more thorough inspection, but at first glance they look fantastic. I requested these samples to get in front of any potential issues. Main issue I see is the neck is a little loose and the heads are a little tight. We will need to correct this. The hip joints and other joints are nice and tight for the most part and the hands and feet are easy to swap.
Second milestone is the paint masks are completed and the paint samples are completed for most parts. There are some heads for the Lost Squadron, a couple bonus heads, and the Android and Zombie kits that I haven’t seen yet. There are a few things to correct on the paint samples. I’m working with Matt Lecroy to come up with a list and get these notes to the factory. I really didn’t expect them to get the paint applications so close on the first try. Paints are like 95% there.
We need to iron out these details before we can start production. What’s the timing on the corrections? It is going to take as long as it takes to make the changes to the molds. I don’t think it will be long. The factory is firing on all cylinders and responding very quickly on this project. Once these details are fixed we can place the order and get a timeline on completion. We are getting there. Matt and I would rather give you the best product we can rather than bad quality figures we rushed through the process.
Enjoy the first shots with paint applications.
Update #2
Waiting on the green light from the factory to start the production process. They told me earlier in the week the fixes to the molds have been made. Even though this came at additional costs to make these changes we felt it was worth the cost and wait to give you figures they look and function with the best quality we can provide. The main issue we’re with the movement of the neck, hands holding weapons, hands and heads being removable. Perfecting the molds is a huge hurdle we needed to overcome. I’ve also requested another set of samples with these changed to ensure everything is correct. The request of samples also comes at the cost of time and more expense. Also totally worth it to provide you the best product possible. We hate that you’ve had to wait but we want you to be reassured you will receive your order and you will be happy with the quality of your figures. More info coming soon.
