Turn out the lights when you leave...

Ahh...a fine fall morning here is the south eastern United States. Birds chirping, breeze blowing, and storm clouds on the horizon.

Speaking of storm clouds...this has been a bad year for Battlemechs. Sales have been awful...only one pre-order was fully funded...the Jumpstarter flopped...and I have not been able to figure out exactly why...although I have my theories.

That being said, after a lot of thought and consideration I have decided to scale back production to minimal levels. In fact, after the Dervish run I plan on doing only two more mechs.  I am currently working the Vulture MK IV.  If that pre-order is fully funded, it will be produced in the spring of 2015. After that, I am going to finish the Nova that Dave chose in the Jumpstarter. Beyond that, I have no plans to produce more mechs. Once mechs in the store sell out, don't plan on seeing restocks any time soon.

The site will not go away.  I will post pics of what I am scratch building and regular builds.  If anyone submits pics, I will post them. I will still take one-off commissions but I guarantee that prices will start to reflect market rates since I won't be building them with an eye towards casting.

What is all boils down to is a cost/benefit analysis.  When the costs outweigh the benefits, its time to rethink things...and that is about where we are these days..."too much red ink in the ledger."

So, keep checking in...I am always working on something...just don't look for new kit announcements and don't be surprised when the Marketplace link goes away.

Dervish Pre-Order Part II

I had been planning to pay for the Dervish out of pocket as I only had 5 pre-orders paid for (normally need 15 to cover 2/3 or so of the production run costs). However, I have had health issues arise. Nothing serious, but the out of pocket costs are a bitch...and since we got dumped on a healthcare exchange (thanks Obamacare) we are paying more monthly for less coverage and greater out-of-pocket expense.

So, I am re-opening the Dervish pre-order...kind of.  In an effort to raise the funds to cover production I am going to sweeten the pot.  If we hit 15 paid pre-orders, then I will raffle off one of my out of production kits.  Here is how it will work...for each kit you pre-order, you will get one shot at the kit.  If you pre-order 2, you get 2 shots at the kit.

For the 5 that have already pre-paid, those purchases count towards the raffle and the 15 needed.  

What kit, you ask? Cougar!  Pre-Order your Dervish below!

Cost/Shipping Options

Domestic Shipping $110.00 USD International Shipping $135.00 USD

Various Updates

Good Sunday Morning, everyone.  I figured that while I sip on my morning coffee (and contemplate which cigar will come after breakfast) I could whack out a quick update.

For those handful that pre-paid, I am pressing the caster for a completion date on the Dervish.  He originally said in July when I sent it to him that he could start it the first of  September.  Well, as of this weekend, he has not started any of it yet. His last job ran over.

Sales have slumped seriously in the past 6 months.  I am blown away at how many kits I have on the shelf right now. As a result, I have even resorted to...gulp...eBay to move some.  BTW, they have really jacked up fees over the years.  Now you even have to pay them a percentage of your shipping costs. I about died after I sold a few kits and got an invoice for $100.

The next kit will be either the Nova, Vulture MK IV, or Masakari.

Speaking of the MK IV, that one is progressing well.  I have roughed out the upper torso and one gun.  I plan on making a master of the gun body and different tips as well as "ammo cans" so you can mix and match different arms.  You could make them both Autocannons or both PPCs or one of each.

Finally, I only had one suggestion for a BMC unit logo and no solid suggestions for a unit color scheme. I was thinking of doing something in an Air force gray (like Terence).  Then, the left leg would be left up to the individual to represent the unit they came from...because we are Mercs after all. Not an original idea...but lacking other input...

Vulture MK IV upper body

BMC Regiment Assemble!

First, a huge thanks to those that participated in my son's fundraiser.  He was thrilled to get the check that went in as a flat donation for his Fun Run!  You guys are great...I am humbled by the fantastic folks that surround me. 

Second...I have decided to come up with a formal paint scheme for FCY: BMC Regiment. I was inspired by Terrence Wong's build of the Vulture MK II.  His work can be seen over at MWO: Mercs.  I love the BMC & FCY decals he came up with...very military looking.  Ihave some thoughts of my own, but I wanted to open it up for ideas.  So, post your ideas, links to ideas, etc. in the comments area.  As there are so many possible units out there I have ditched the idea of offering decals for all the different houses and may just offer BMC Regiment decals & Logos.  Oh, that brings to mind that I am also kicking around ideas for a unit logo.  Feel free to submit them too!  Maybe I can come up with a special "thank you" if I adopt your idea. 

I also got a new photo cube.  I am tired of taking photos with just a flash and having detail washed out and god awful shadows. Here are my first few test shots. Since I am not using the flash I will have to play with lighting and get the tripod back out.