Merry Christmas

This will probably be my last post of the year, so I would like to wish all my fellow Mechwarriors a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

May your ammo bins be full, your PPCs charged and your heat sinks fully functional!

December Update

Folks, I have been casting and casting and casting....hell, I have had nightmares about casting.  The up side is that Fafnirs are going out.  I have completed and shipped over half the pre-orders.  They are being shipped in the order the invoices were paid.  So, those that paid in early August are getting theirs first, those that paid in September are getting theirs last with a couple exceptions.  International orders...shipping is crazy this time of year with the Christmas holiday and whatnot.  Unless any of you objections I would like to wait until after the holidays to ship yours.  If this is an issue for you, please shoot me an e-mail. 

Also, there are some brief build notes being published.  Most of the kit is self-explanatory but there are a few things that need some clarification.

Keep on building, mechwarriors.

It's been a while...Update!

Sorry it has been so long since I updated this blog.  I tend to put messages on Facebook and forget there are many who do not follow me there...just here.

As always, there are bumps in the road.  A month ago my caster contacted me to let me know that life has dealt him a bad hand.  I wont share all the details here...it's not my place. What I will share in what that means for you all.

The Fafnir:  When he contacted me he had not yet finished the molds...after 3 months.  He definitely was not going to be able to cast the kits until sometime in 2020.  He decided it was best to hand the Fafnir molds off to me and just let me cast them.  In addition to the Fafnir molds, he wanted me to get ALL my mold sets from him.  My wife and I had to rent an SUV, drive 12 hours, load the truck, get some sleep and drive all the way back...all between when she got off work Friday and had to be back at work Monday morning. 

The Catapult:  The caster was going to do this one right after the Fafnir...but that was when he thought the Fafnir would be done by the end of October.  There is no way he could get to the Catapult until probably spring.  That is unacceptable to keep the client waiting that long so it is going to fall on me to mold/cast that one as well.

Here is where the wicket gets sticky.  My operation is set up to for my primary focus...scratch building.  Secondarily is the molding and casting of the mechs.  My molding/casting operation is fairly small compare to the regular guy I use for the large jobs.  He has a giant compressor, 4 pots and a whole workshop.  I have a small compressor, a small pot, and a spare room I work out of. 

It is going to take time.  I have managed to complete 2 Fafnir kits and they will go out to the client this week.  Between now and the end of the year my sole focus is going to be casting Fafnir kits and molding the Catapult for casting.

On the up side, since I now have more molds and am doing SOOOOOOO much casting I can wiggle in some other casting jobs at the same time. Here is what is currently available:

Atlas (MWO style)

Galleon Light Tank

Sagittaire

Owens

Vulture MK IV

Nova Cat

Mad Cat MK II

Kodiak

Classic Centurion

Classic Commando

Classic Dragon

Classic Orion

Classic Clint

Shadow Cat

MW4 Templar

Currently the Archer, the Mad Dog 2019, Mad Cat 2017 and the Raven all need certain parts remolded and are currently unavailable.

More late, mechwarriors.

Classic Centurion

The Classic Centurion kit is now available.  It stands about 8.5" tall all parts are pressure cast resin. There are three different gun arms and the LRM in the chest is a separate piece so the builder can put a different weapons load out in there.  Price is $100 plus shipping. Please message me if you are interested.

General Update

I am trying to do better when it comes to updating this page as not everyone follows me on Facebook...and I don't Tweet...Twitt?  Currently I have several kits for sale in the Marketplace but here is a quick break down:

Kodiak

Vulture 2019 Edition

Wasp/Stinger Combo Kit

Dragon

Orion

Galleon

Within a week or so I am going to open a pre-order for the Fafnir so stay tuned!

Kodiak 1/60 Scale Kit

For Sale!  I have one Kodiak kit left over from the pre-sale period.  I don't intend to produce any more of these kits this year.  If you didn't get in on it, now is your chance.

Price for this 11" tall, 3 pound resin beast is $225 plus shipping. 

E-mail me if you are interested....

Mad Dog 2019 Edition Pre-Order Closed

UPDATE: I have reached the maximum number of pre-orders and am closing it.  Any kits available after pre-orders are filled will be listed in the Marketplace.

Thanks for supporting this project!

In 2017 I offered an upgraded version of the Mad Cat that was somewhere between the original version and the overly beefy MWO (MechWarrior Online) version. Ever since I have wanted to do a Mad Dog to go along with it. Now, I am making it available to you guys.

The arm lasers will have two options. The one pictured is the MWO style lasers. The kit will also include more traditional round laser emitters like the Mad Cat has. You can use one or the other or mix and match!

As I am now molding my own stuff, it will take a bit longer than when TimeSlip was doing my kits. I can promise, it won't be Kodiak long! I would estimate I would start shipping kits within about 6 weeks of the pre-order closing.

Here are some pics...there is still a little touch-up work to do. As many of you know, when you hit it with primer, all the little things you missed pop out. There is one pic that has some of my other mechs to give you an idea of scale. 

Don't forget, I do build-ups as well.  If you want one built up for you, tell me what you want and I can include a quote.  If you commission me to build the kit, you will get a 20% discount on the purchase of the Mad Dog. 

Again, e-mail me if you are would like in on the pre-order.  Paypal only, please...it is the most secure way for my customers. 

Firestarter Commission Available for Pre-order

Good morning everyone.  The patron who commissioned the Classic Firestarter has given me the green-light to produce and sell a limited quantity of them.  The kit stands about 7" tall will be around 16 pressure cast resin parts.  Much like the cast-on-demand kits, I will be molding and casting this one personally so the turn-around time should be 4-5 weeks...unlike the 6 month Kodiak process.  If you are interested, it will be $120 plus shipping.  Please e-mail me to request your invoice!  Carry on, mechwarriors. 

Coming Soon!

Sorry for the lack of updates to the blog.  I have been using...ugh...Facebook a lot more of late.  It is just easier to snap pictures with the tablet and upload them to FB whereas to use Blogger I have to download stuff to the desktop PC, deal with blogger....yadda, yadda, yadda.

Anyway in the next few months I have a lot in the pipeline.  First off is a commission piece that I have been given permission to cast.  The Classic Battletech Firestarter mech.  The patron allowed me to play with the design a bit, but he really wanted me to retain as much of the TRO look as possible...and that skirt was no possible, lol.    Look for that to be available to pre-order in a few weeks. 

After almost 6 years, the Annihilator is being kitted.  Here is a picture of the test cast from the torso mold...probably the hardest part to make.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Another client has commissioned the ill-fated Fafnir.  In case you don't remember, years ago I was having a hard time getting good casters to do my kits.  I tried a company called CelticWorks and it was a disaster. It looked like rather than de-gassing the rubber, he decided to pressure mold the parts.  Well, all my parts are hollow and cannot handle 65 PSI.  All the parts were crushed...the patterns destroyed. The client that initially commissioned the piece has asked to have another go at it so look for it this summer.

And finally, I have acquired the rights to produce the Stormcrow.  Many moons ago, a Canadian artist was commissioned by Armorcast to make the Stormcrow to go with their other kits.  Well, things did not work out with Armorcast and the kit never saw production.  The artist sold a few to some of us die-hards but that was about it.  Ravenstar Studios tried re-casting them last year but we got that shut down.  The artist has sold me his masters as well as a few updated 3D printed parts so look for that kit this summer.  

Resuming Operations

I have received some of the molds from the caster that couldn't cast anymore.  One set I received was the new Wasp/Stinger kit.  Please visit the Marketplace to see what is now available.  Again, these are cast on demand so please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Raven Option Parts

I have some 3D printed option parts for the Raven.  All you have to do is sand off existing detail and glue these on.  The 3 parts for the weapons pods can be used on the left or right side...just flip them.  If you want a set with your kit, let me know. These are prints done on a Formlabs 2 resin printer and are awesome quality.  They are $15 extra.

The Raven!

Several of you donated to support Battlemech Models and here is the result...the Raven!  This is the first kit produced 100% in-house...and my first attempt at casting and it turned out very, very well.  There are 10 pressure cast resin parts to this kit and several of the joints have been designed with posability in mind.  As with all my mechs it is 1/60 in scale and is a blend of the TRO design and the newer MWO design.  Full disclosure...some parts were 3D printed using a Formlabs 2 system. 

Here is a review a customer did of one of the first out of the molds!  Link! 

The cost of the kit is $120 plus shipping.  If you are interested in a copy, these are cast-on-demand and it will take about 4 weeks post-payment to get them out the door.  Please, e-mail me for an invoice.  E-mail....

The state of things....

Hi All. Sorry for the long delay in posts.  It has been a few months of drama for Battlemech Models. I have had all kinds of issues with the caster George Takacs and his company TimeSlip Creations.  Parts I ordered in July have never been delivered, restocks ordered in September have only been partially filled, and new kits were being delivered in unsellable condition.  Regarding the restocks I was told on multiple occasions they were "shipping the next day" or things to that effect. It took 4 months to get 2 kits.  One of the kits I asked for restocks on he had to "see if he could find the molds." Bear in mind, this kit was molded/cast this spring.  How you lose molds like that is unclear and unacceptable.  Then, he started blaming his partner (whom I had never heard of) even though he has always insisted he runs his own shop with a staff.  

TimeSlip Creations inability to fill my orders was effectively killing off Battlemech Models as he had the molds and masters for my kits effectively keeping me from being able to stock any kits.  

For all intents and purposes, I have had to terminate my business dealings with TimeSlip Creations. The runarounds, the half-truths, insisting things were shipped but refusing to provide tracking, and the inability to fulfill orders has just become untenable. 

Where does that leave Battlemech Models?  Well, I tried my hand at casting the Raven and the reviews of the kit have been pretty good.  I am currently molding a TRO Commando for a client.  

As for all my older stuff...the Orion, the Dragon, the Madcat, the Shadow Cat, the Archer, the Wasp, and the Loki...I am now going to have to engage in battle to get those masters and molds returned to me.  If I can get those, I can resume production.  From my lips to God's ear...