Operations Update

 Hi All.

In September I mentioned that operations would be limited due to health issues.  There are several regulars who visit this site and not my Facebook page so here is a rather long winded update.

All year I have been dealing with increasing abdominal pain and fatigue amongst other things. The abdominal pain prevented me from working in the shop for more than a couple hours at a time. Anyone who understands anatomy knows that the "core" of the body is involved in pretty much any and all movement. Almost every activity in my ship requires bending, twisting, leaning over, etc. 

I finally visited a doctor in August and he found several problems all related to the cancer surgery in 2012. When the cancer doc did the surgery he really did not take into account the nervous system...he just chopped out the the tumor and the margins and whatever nerves were in the way just got chopped out.

So, I had a procedure to help me swallow...yeah, I was having trouble swallowing food and drink. 

In late October the surgeon who had tried to fix the shit hernia repair situation back in 2016 went in to fix yet another hernia that had popped up.  When he went in he found things in my abdomen were much, much worse than the MRI had shown.  After he got in there he found that the muscles in my abdomen looked like "swiss cheese."  The hour-long surgery turned into an almost 5 hour procedure. The surgeon had to take apart the muscle layers, fix all the rips, insert more mesh in between those layers and then rebuild my abdominal wall with even more mesh.  I spent almost 6 weeks in bed. My activity was limited to shuffling around the house, using the toilet, showering and taking my oxycodone and morphine.

I just had a follow-up with the surgeon this week and he was quite irate that I was doing simple things like sweeping the hard-wood floors.  He said that if everything goes perfectly I might be at 75-80% healed by the beginning of 2023. Once he feels I am healed enough I will have to go through physical therapy to tone/retrain my core muscles. 

My plan is to start taking on limited casting jobs with the understanding that it will probably take a couple weeks to get the kit cast. 

I am, unfortunately, without any income since September.  The only income I have is what I have coming from Patreon (9 very loyal supporters). Even with health insurance, the amount out-of-pocket has been outrageous and has pretty much drained out emergency fund. 

So, I'm trying to get back on my feet.  I have upgraded from being in bed to being in a recliner. Ugh. If there are any kits you want to order feel free to hit the marketplace. If you wan to join my Patreon you can click HERE. 

Thanks for your support and patience.

Facebook Client's Page

For those that have not moved over to the new Facebook Clients page (see link in previous post) you are missing out on a lot.  I have auctioned off several of my older, out of production mechs to help with medical costs and whatnot.  There has been a Bushwhacker, a Deimos and now a Dervish up for sale. 

I regularly get e-mails asking about re-popping some of these old designs...well, now is your chance so don't miss out. 

As I said, right now I have a Dervish up for auction (not eBay, the FB page).  The current bid is $150.  Message me if you want to throw a bid into the ring.

Limited Operation through EOY 2022

Due to recurring health issues, upcoming surgeries and the emotional stresses of these issues throughout the year, I am going to have to limit operations through the end of 2022.  The currents jobs I am working I will complete and I can do some limited casting. 

I will also be selling off some of my old stash to cover expenses during this period. If you are a customer, join the new Facebook page. 

Battlemech Models Clients | Facebook

If not, watch eBay.

Goodbye for now. 

Updates

I'm still locked out of Facebook and their "customer support" is a joke.  It's all automated and every path I take leads back to the "You've been suspended until we decide otherwise." I cannot access messenger, any of my pages...nothing.  So, for the time being you can always reach me here: Old School E-mail

All but one of the Marauder orders have shipped.  Yay!

A limited number of the Marauder kit will be made available for sale.  This kit is for advanced builders.  It sells for $160 plus shipping.  Sorry about the price but resin has gone up 30% in the past years and shipping is going through the roof as well. 

The Enforcer is also going to be available in limited numbers.  It was originally a Patreon Exclusive, however, those same Patrons have agreed to allow the mech to be sold publicly. $140 plus shipping. 

Other projects in the work include an updated Atlas and I am working with the designer of the Quickdraw and Savannah Master to remake the Vindicator.

More later!

Facebook Jail

While I was fast asleep the other night (Ambien ER will do that) an e-mail came through asking if I had changed my Facebook password.  Within a few hours of that e-mail another e-mail came through saying my account was suspended for violating community standards.  I clicked the link in the first e-mail saying that it wasn't me that asked to change the password and was taken to a screen stating that I had posted images of child sexual exploitation.  I haven't been able to do anything or to get any help.  Everything redirects me to the "your suspended" screen and when I click on "Help" it only gives me the option to log out or change my language.  I did manage to get to a screen where I could log into the "Support" area but it wanted my user e-mail and password.  I put in my user e-mail and clicked the "forgot password" and I was taken to a screen stating my e-mail was invalid.  What the hell?   There is virtually no direct support and I just have to wait for the bots to review my claim that I didn't change my password.

This means I can't access the Private Large Scale Battletech Builders, Battlemech Models, or messenger.  Unfortunately, messenger is what I use to communicate with clients for builds, commissions, or just other little things. 

In the meantime, if you need to get in touch with me please e-mail HERE.

I guess I'll have to hold off on the next mystery mech auction as well as a few other things. 

Credit Where Credit is Due

The Marauder molds the caster made held out better than I thought and once I figured out the correct plates and tension, the casts I sent out were better than initially expected.  Granted, I have a lot of miscasts and these new blue rubber molds are not holding up as well as the old pink rubber molds these still turned out kits that everyone seems to be happy with.  So, I will concede that while there may have been a sh*t-ton of issues along the way the molds turned out really good kits.

Marauder...Bad News & More Bad News but a light at the end of the tunnel

My caster, JPG Productions, has quit the project.  We had a lengthy discussion and there were too many contradicting "reasons" for delays and no answer for why the project sat idle for 2 months.  He did, after all, solicit me for work back in February.  Anyway, I was laying out my required timetable for completion and he said he'd be happier if he quit the project followed up with an "lol".  Initially, I wanted to hold him to our agreement.  That included a 15% discount every two weeks beyond the 6-week completion date.  At his pace I could have gotten the kit completed for almost nothing.  However, past experience has taught me when someone is doing a job they don't want to do they generally do not do their best work nor is it prioritized. 

I have received the molds...most are okay.  Others are pretty poorly done and will more than likely require remolding before I can complete the 30 orders outstanding. 

What this means is that I am having to rearrange my entire schedule.  I am having to delay the the Awesome commission and pause my work on the Atlas commission, put the Nova & Stormcrow back into storage, limit future build commissions I take, and work like crazy to get the Vulcan done ASAP.  The molds for the Vulcan are, at least, done and I am currently casting those kits.  

I am frustrated and infuriated beyond belief.  Several nights this week I have only slept for two-three hours because of the way this is weighing on me.  At least now I feel like I have a little bit more control over the situation.

Hang in there folks.  You have always gotten what you paid for and this will not be any different...just delayed. 

Marauder Pics

Just a few snaps of the Marauder proof. 

Enjoy!

Marauder and Vulcan

Oh...my...gawd!  I got the proof of the Marauder and am pretty happy.  There were a couple issues and the caster is working on them.  The end is in sight.

That being said, I am going to start sending out Vulcan invoices.  I have been fine tuning the parts and had to make a couple cosmetic changes because of some rubber traps.

Stay tuned for preview pics of the Marauder.

Vulcan Pre-Order

First, for those waiting on the Marauder the caster ASSURES me that it will be done by the end of the month. I'm sorry for the wait and while this caster may be slow, he does good work. 

I generally don't like opening a pre-order for a new kit when there is still one outstanding but I can't keep the business on hold while my caster gets his who-ha sorted out.  That being said, there has been some interest in the Vulcan redux. This is an updated version of the Classic 3025 line.  The legs and body have been beefed up, details added, lots of articulation, etc. 

If we get 15 pre-orders, the kit will sell for $100 plus shipping.  If we hit 20 pre-orders the pre-order price will be reduced to $85 plus shipping. Anyone who is interested please e-mail me at HERE. I will begin collecting names and if we hit the 15 mark I will start sending invoices.  

Savannah Master Kit

Savannah Master now available! This 6 piece kit measures 4.5" long.  It has a separate cockpit and bottom vents as well as positionable thrust vein.  Albert Benton and I have been working on this rework of the classic since December of 2021.  I get A LOT of requests for vehicles, so here's your chance. 

My photography skills don't do justice to the level of detail Albert managed to get on this little guy.

The kit sells for $30 plus $10 shipping to the lower 48 states. Please e-mail me if you're interested!

Vulcan????

So...I was going through the 3D mechs I purchased from an artist in Canada and there are some that are great and some that are just...bleh.  I always considered the Vulcan to be an ugly mech.  However, I recently played MW5 and saw the redesign of the Vulcan.  I actually liked it.  Now, I tend to avoid the MWO versions of mechs as there are 3D copies all over the web and everyone seems to have a 3D printer and an Etsy shop.  But...

My bailiwick has always been taking the Classic 3025 era mechs and updating the designs.  The Vulcan seemed like a prime candidate for one of my makeovers. So, here it is...an updated Vulcan.  Please note, this is not a finished form....just a rough draft.  If there is enough interest, I will finish it off and kit it once the Marauder is done and shipped.

If this is a kit you would purchase, please let me know in the comments sections.

Thanks and have a great day!

With the old Wolfhound for scale

From the back

Marauder Pre-Order Closing

FYI:  The pre-orders for the Marauder seem to have peaked.  As no new orders are coming in, the pre-order will close on Friday January 25.  Any Marauder ordered after that will be sold at regular retail, currently TBD but it will be around $135 plus shipping.

Marauder Pre-Order

I have my quote from the caster and am opening the pre-order for the Marauder. The price will be $120.00 plus shipping.  Shipping to the lower 48 is $12.50.  Due to the constantly varying rates and Covid restrictions, International orders will have shipping billed separately once the kit is ready.  Please PM me or e-mail battlemechmodels@hotmail.com to order. 

The kit will have 2 cockpit options, the AC is a ball and socket for dynamic poses, and other joints are bevel/recess designs like the Quickdraw hip joints. This allows, again, for more dynamic poses when building.  While I neglected to measure it I would estimate it at 8.5-9" tall.

January Update

Projects are moving along nicely.  I am making good progress on the 3025 Marauder.  The cockpit has been a pain as we don't want this mech to look like a Macross Glaug...we want it to look like a Battletech Marauder.  That round opening "eye" is too much Macrossy so we are trying to design one that flows with the mech's body and looks different from the Macross look.  Pictures to come soon.

In the mean time, here is an update on the Savannah Master.  The artist has added some detail to the cockpit area and the engine.