Final Post of 2012

Another year has come and gone and boy has it been one heck of a year.  The better half of the year was spent in and out of doctors offices and resulted in two surgeries...damn cancerous tumors!  Damn you I say!

On the model front, the Puma line was closed out.  Pity...I always had a soft spot for that mech...probably because it was the first scratch built mech I considered a success.  The Cougar pre-order was a success beyond my wildest imagination.  That one sold so well I am having to close that line...the molds are worn out.  Now, we have the Daishi at the caster and I am planing on which mech to do next.  It is my hope in 2013 to be able to produce 3 mechs.

What is going on right now? 

I just finished a TRO style Jenner commission.  No, I will not post pics...

I am working on a Victor commission. This one has potential.

I have been asked to do another Shadow Cat.

That is what others have asked for. I still have the Nova Cat to tweak. I have started a Nova and have Scott's Mauler and Owens to finish. I have made up plans for a Catapult that is more TRO style than Scott's MW4 version. I really want to do a Wolfhound too.  There are just too many mechs.

So, where does this leave us? I may be out of work, have doctor bills out the butt, and have more models to build that I can possibly get to...but life is good.  I have a great wife and son...what a great support system. And I have you guys...yeah, sappy huh?  Seriously, I have gotten to know many of you over the past year and value your friendship.

Thanks for all the support and see you in 2013.

Funk

Hey All,

Anyone else out there in a funk?  I just can't motivate these days.  I was commissioned to do a Jenner and while it is making progress, I am just not enjoying it...nor am I enjoying any of the other projects going right now.  I hope it is not the Holiday thing...normally I love Christmas with the family.  This year, I cannot even get excited over that.

Blah! Blah! Blah!

Update from the caster

Hi All,

I received an e-mail from the caster with an update on the Daishi.  The mold/casting cost have increased slightly but this is my fault.  When I got the initial quote, I forgot to include the SRM-6 that goes on the shoulder.  No worries though...the extra cost won't affect those that have pre-paid.

Here is what the caster had to say:

Hi Tim,

We will be wrapping up the mold mid next week and will start production on the initial 15.
We are hoping to ship the first batch of 15 before the holiday break.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Quick update

First...on a personal note...I am kinda irked.  Looks like the furlough is being extended another 30 days.  I think it is just time to look for a new line of work.

The Cougar line is closed.  I just got the last few from the caster and it seems some of the molds are starting to die.  I hope you bought them when you could, 'cause they are no more.

I have not heard from the caster since sending the Daishi...but that is not out of the ordinary.  Their casts are great...communication, not so much.  I will probably e-mail next week to see how things are going.

T

Daishi

The Daishi pre-order is closed.  If there is a second run of the Daishi the price will be significantly more than the pre-order price.

The masters are at the caster.  In the next couple weeks the molds should be done.  I will keep you updated.

I hope all my friends in the states had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Daishi to the caster

Just an FYI that the Daishi has gone to the caster...Express Mail...insured...ready to be cast. Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks we can get some test shots of the castings.

On another note, a couple more pre-orders would be nice. There are quite a few customers who were very vocal about getting a Daishi but have gone silent since the pre-order went up. The pre-order price is good through November 23, 2012. After that, the price will go up to about $150.

Thanks to all of you who did pre-order and especially to those who pre-ordered multiple copies! Without you, there would be no Daishi! I really appreciate your support!

Update: Daishi Pre-Order

We still need 5 more pre-orders to complete production of the Daishi.  To pre-order, see this page.  The pre-order price is $125 plus shipping.  The cost will go up once the pre-order closes.

Here is a layout of the parts. 

One thing you may notice is the arms are one piece.  This is for a few reasons...first (and primarily) cost.  One large arm is a lot cheaper than two smaller pieces.  Second, I did not intend this to be a kit originaly so I made them as a single piece.  To make them into two smaller pieces would have required substantial time and effort.

 

I did tweek the leg/hip area.  It is set up as a ball and socket...but you can grind down the "ball" and there is a nice hole through the hips for a dowel.

Finally, I added some detail.  Again, as a display piece I was happy with it but for it to be kitted I felt it needed a bit more detail.

 

Daishi Pre-Order

UPDATE 4:  Can we do it? 5 More Pre-Orders Needed

The Daishi is a big kit therefore a lot of resin...and rubber.  As such, the pre-order cost is going to be $125.00 plus shipping.  Standard shipping is going to be $12 in the lower 48 states and $23 for overseas orders (per kit...discounted rate for multple kits).  Sorry about that but this is on par with the Armorcast Altas in regards to weight. I will have a pic of the parts break-down soon.  This will be a resin kit that stands about 9.5" tall. This picture below show it with my 1/60 scale Flea and an IWM Annihilator.

Pre-order Procedure:  Please contact me via e-mail to receive a pre-oder invoice via PayPal.  Once I get 15 paid pre-orders the kit will be sent to the caster.  It will take about a month after that to get the molds made and kits produced. I am estimating mid-December for the first round of kits. As with the Cougar pre-order, if I cannot get 15 pre-paid orders, then all those who did prepay will get their money refunded to them.  This is why I use PayPal...I hate the fees, but it protects the buyers. Also, if you pre-paid for a Cougar and pre-pay for a Daishi, you will receive a special perk.  Look for it on your invoice!

FYI:  The "bonus" for repeat pre-orders...a ~25% discount on your first kit. So, if you pre-paid for the Cougar and pre-pay for the Daishi, your first kit will cost $100 plus shipping. This price is only good during the pre-order period.  Once the kit goes into production, everyone will be charged full price.

 

Furloughed

Well...not a great day.  We are still trying to get finances squared away after all my surgeries and today I got furloughed...at least 30 days.  If anyone wants a custom build, now is the time...lord knows I have got it.

COUGAR ORDERS

There are 6 outstanding Cougar orders. The caster assures me that the kits I ordered on October 16 are on their way...but I have not gotten a clear explanation about the wait.  They are already cast...they just need to be packed up and sent to me.

DAISHI

The furlough will not affect the Daishi production. When I make any money off of the previous kits, it goes into a PayPal account that is only used for the Battlemech Club productions. This way, when I do production run I can cover a significant portion of the start-up costs and cover the rest through the pre-orders. Sales after the pre-order get me back to the break-even point and if the funds go over that point, they are saved for the next kit. 

More later...

Daishi Kit

Ok everyone, I have broken the Daishi down into pieces and have sent the info to the caster for a quote.  I am hoping to keep it to about $125 per kit...but this is a BIG kit...on par with the Atlas when it comes to the amount of resin.  I have asked to have the torso hollow cast because that would be way to heavy for the legs if is is solid.

Like last time, this will be a pre-order deal.  If the requisite number of pre-orders are not filled then the kit won't be cast...and those who have pre-ordered will get a full refund.  Also, if you pre-ordered the Cougar, you will receive a discount on this kit with a paid pre-order or a free 1/60 scale Elemental (I saved all the invoices...I know who you are!).  I will decide which to do.

More to come....

New Kit in the running

I have been wanting to cast up another mech and it seems the Nova Cat was going to be the run-away winner.  BUT...I have had someone come forward and make a great offer to help fund the Daishi.  So, how many of you would be interested in having a Daishi in your collection?

Adrain's Argus

Adrain has build a few mechs of ours over the years.  Today, he has sent in his build of the Argus which he heavily customized.  Thanks for submitting Adrain...it looks great!

In his own words:  I totally forgot to share this with you. this is an Argus I bought from Scott, which I have modified. I added a cockpit using a 1/48 scale plane, machine guns underneath the "nose", added an engine and an electrical maintenance panel too. as for the paint job I went for a desert camo with a shark mouth. hope you like it as much as I do.
I do!  Nice take on this mech!

Home and healing

Alrighty everyone!  I am home and healing...actually, I got in and out Monday, but yesterday was a blur with all the dope they put me on.  Today I am dealing more with a sore neck...feels like they tried to rip my head from my body. 

So, it seems like it is down to the Flea or the Nova Cat.  If I do this, it will be like last time...doing pre-orders to get the ball rolling.  I still need to get a quote from the caster, but the Nova Cat is going to be a pain to cast unless I make some mods to it.  What would you all be willing to pay for a Nova Cat? For the Flea?

T

Back to the hospital (UPDATE)

So, I go back into the hospital Monday for another round of surgery.  This one should not be as bad as the last, but I will still be down for a couple weeks...hopefully less.  In the meantime, I am pondering the next kit to cast.  I am thinking either the Flea, the Owens, or the Nova Cat.  Any thoughts?  The Flea or Owens would be in the $50-$60 range and the Nova Cat would run around $100-$120.

Here are some additional shots of the Nova Cat.

For Sale

I am parting with the Hunchback. Contact me if interested or look here:

NovaCat

A while ago I wanted to build this mech, but Scott was already working one so I figured I would wait and see what he came up with.  Recently, I got his build from him and like with the Anni, I am carrying it to the finish line.

Daishi Update

I have done a little detail work on the Daishi.  It still needs some more detail work and weathering, but I wanted to get some pics up since it has been so long since I posted any real progress.

Also in the works...an Owens and Novacat. Both are builds Scott started and I am taking to the finish line...still tinkering with the Nova.

 

Selling the Hunchback

I am thinking of selling off my Hunchback.  The question is, would I get better results on eBay or through a private sale?  As it is a one-of-a-kind piece, I would start the eBay listing at $150 American.  Any thoughts? This is an old pic...I have put on different (smaller) hands.

Prometheus!

My latest build has been a Daishi standing about 9.5" tall, or 1/60 scale.  I decided to shoot it with blue and paint it as Victor Steiner-Davion's Daishi Prometheus circa the FedCom Civil War.  Sorry for the  pic quality...I have a hard time taking shots of glossy subjects.  Once I get it painted, I will dull-coat it and weather it down some.  I always start with gloss as it is easier to apply decals to.