Final Post of 2013 and Next Kit Announcement

Another year has come and gone.  I have to say that 2013 was a bit better than 2012.  There are some lingering medical issues from the surgeries, but nothing that one can't work through. Work is still up and down.  One term, 40 hours a week...the next...6 hours a week.  Now, thanks to the Affordable Care Act no one is going to get more than 28 hours or so a week...or so I am told.  Way to go, Mr. President....frickin' chuckle head.

Enough of that personal garbonza.  You are not here for that, you are here to read about mechs. Where did 2013 take us? 

1.  We finally got the Daishi produced.  What a fiasco that was...but we are all happy with it.  Speaking of which, I am sitting on about 5 Daishi torsos....wonder what to do with those?

2.  The Victor commission saw kitting.  That one sold out as did the Daishi.

3.  The Vulture Mk II was kitted thanks to the loan from Dave and the hard work of JPG. That sold out.  

4.  The Flea was just produced.  I have about 4 of those left. If the molds can pull more, I may try for another 10.  We'll see.

5.  I did several commission pieces this year.  Most were good builds...most...
 
What's on the bench?  From last year, I still have a Mauler and Owens at about 80% completion.  There is a Nova at about 50%.  I have the plans done for a Crab, an Avatar, an Atlas redesign, a Catapult redesign and am about 60% done with the MekTek Dervish.

With 2014 hours away, I find myself pondering the future.  What kit will be next?  We could spend time guessing and laying hints, but I might as well announce it. The next kit will be the Mad Cat MK II.  It is almost done and I plan on doing a pre-order in a couple weeks.  About 1/3 of the way in, I decided to kit this so I built most of it with that in mind.  Most joints are basic ball and socket sets that will allow for posing.  This pre-order will probably be a bit different.  I may sell "slots"....offer 10 pre-order slots at 20%  below regular price.  Then another 5 slots at 10% below retail.  After those are paid for, all other orders will be at regular price.  A nice reward for those that jump in and help get these produced.

Stay tuned.  Pics will come soon. Happy New Year all...and thanks for making 2013 a success.

Just some pics....

So...(as I start so many of my posts)...I thought I would play around with posing these mechs. The first I played with was the Thor. Next, I decided to play with this years Victor kit. I beefed up the shoulder area around the head. Then, I put an even bigger gun muzzle on the arm. WTH, right? Next, I started playing with the legs, making the hips ball and socket set ups. Here are the results....

And now I am playing with the Flea's legs too.  Here is a new pose for the Flea.  Since it is a Dragoon's mech, I am going with the rust look of Alpha Regiment. Oh, the Christmas pricing on the Flea has ended.  Thanks to those who supported the sale.

 



Annihilator Cancelled

Good Evening all.  Those of you who pre-paid are seeing refunds from PayPal for the Anni pre-order.  I think it was a bad idea on my part to try and push out one more kit at Christmas. There was no way we were going to come close to pre-selling the 15 needed to get production rolling.  Many regulars were either not interested or could not put the money into this during the holidays.  So, for the time being, the Annihilator will go back in the display case. To those who did pre-pay, thank YOU!  And save those pennies...you know there will be more to come.

I am currently working on a commission piece...the Armorcast Mad Cat. It has been a long time since I built an Armorcast kit and I hate it.  This thing is a pin-hole and bubble nightmare.  The kit looks beautiful, but the moment you do the lightest sanding BLAM! Pin-hole hell. I have used over half a tube of putty on this thing. For the most part, the filling and sanding is done and I can get down to work on the fun part...painting! Here is the paint job he wants....

The Crab has really piqued my interest.  I may start playing with it and if Sam decides not to commission it, then it will go in the box of half finish builds...right along side the Nova, the MekTek Dervish, the Mauler, and the Owens.

CHRISTMAS SALE!

I have a limited number of Flea kits available.  They are on sale for only $60 and that includes shipping within the United States!  Get them while they last!

Finally, I have been working on a BIG project for a while now and it is coming close to fruition.  It is one of the few builds I have actually designed to be a kit. It is th////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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Its December? Crap....

Alright everyone.  Time for some brutal honesty....I don't think we are going to make the 4 mech mark this year...but not for lack of trying.  We got the Victor, Vulture and Flea out the door but it seems the Annihilator is not going to make it.  Even with the firm commitments we won't come close to making the pre-order requirements and with it being Christmas and Scott's deciding to get one more mech cast it seems like the fates are aligning against FCY.  I will keep the pre-order open through the 13th as I originally said I would, but without a Christmas miracle the Annihilator will end up back in the display case.

A regular customer and follower named Sam has started his own blog called Myomer Dreams.  He did a really neat article discussing the old Tyco Battletech toys.  Check it out here.

Sam also was talking about commissioning a Crab.  He pointed out that I have cast up light mechs and heavy/assault mechs but there is a gap in the medium mech range.  At first, I was not sure about it but the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of making a Crab.  That design has a lot of potential for a scratch builder like me.  Any thoughts on casting that one?

Update

The Annihilator pre-orders are coming in at a trickle. So far just 3 paid and 1 waiting to get a paycheck.  I will run this pre-order through December 13.  If there are not enough paid orders, refunds will go out and I will ponder the next kit.

On another note...am I being left in the past?  It seems those of us who make these kits are moving to 3D printing.  All of the Reverse Disabled products are 3D printed....Scott's Urbie and Vulcan are 3D prints...and I am still toiling away with a knife and plastic.  I can see the beauty of getting a difficult or detailed piece printed, but I like making my mechs by hand...and I have no clue how to use the 3d programs and I am not inclined to learn.  Makes me wonder if I am going to end up out of business because I can't keep up with the times.

Sigh.....

Fleas and Annihilators (the Dragoons would be proud)

The Flea kits came in this week and today I shipped all paid pre-orders...domestic and international.  This weekend I will get some build notes published, but this kit is the most straight forward yet. I will also get some pics up.

Next Kit:  Since the Madcat Mk II will not be available anytime soon, I am planning on kitting the Annihilator.  I am also working with David White to get a LARGE print of his Annihilator drawing signed.  All who pre-order will be put in a drawing for the signed print. Look for more info in the coming week once I get a casting estimate from JPG.

Always Something....

So, the Fleas are supposed to be finished up this week.   Still not the 4 week turn around I was gunning for, but if it is the quality of the Vulture I can wait.   There are about 4 Vultures left and after they are gone, they are gone.  The large molds are not pulling decent casts and I am not paying for more molds.  Once these are gone, the Vulture line will be closed. 

I have been asked why I "close lines." Each run is 30-40 kits depending on how long the molds hold. Usually, those who want them will buy them in the first run.  If I make another run (like I did with the Puma/Adder) I will end up with stock that takes a year or more to move.  That is money that could gone into producing a different kit. So, once the first round of molds breaks down, the line closes.

Progress on other builds:  NONE.  My son brought home a Parvovirus from school a couple weeks ago.  My wife and I have both contracted it.  What does that mean?  Well, in adults it manifests as joint pain...severe joint pain...and some fatigue that can last for weeks or even months.  I can't hold a hobby knife, sanding stick, paint brush, etc. without my hands aching.  I had Friday, Monday and Tuesday set a side to work kits/commissions but have gotten absolutely nothing done.  Sorry about that.

BTW, any thoughts on the Avatar Omnimech?