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...