January 2025 Update
about 1 year ago
– Tue, Jan 21, 2025 at 04:12:07 PM
Kusa is finally approved! It only took 3 months and 5 drafts. You can see him below in the packaging pictures.
Also, we have packaging progress pics!
A quick mock-up from the factory. This is the first draft, not final. There will be a bubble above the main figure bubble that will hold accessories.
We also realize that Chinese New Year is coming up. It’s an unfortunate part of working with Chinese factories. But even with the manufacturing pause this can cause, we are on the final stretch.
December 2024 Accessory Update
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Dec 16, 2024 at 11:35:09 AM
We mentioned this in our December 2024 figure update, but wanted to expand on it.
We were informed in October that the factory cannot injection mold in silver or gold. Because of the tight tolerances for our modular accessories, we would either:
1) Modify all the parts to be slightly smaller to adjust for the added paint
2) Not paint the accessories
3) Paint everything but the connection point
Our path forward is to injection mold the silver and gold accessories in a color that would compliment the painted color. Then paint everything except the connection point. Here's is an example.
Next, during our review, we realized that two of the accessories were incorrectly tooled; Torashi's claw and Shinobi's backpack. It appears that Torashi's claw is missing the lower half of the two-part tooling while Shinobi's backpack peg is incorrect. These are being corrected by the factory. Here are the images that we provided to the factory.
We understand that delays are frustrating, as we are also frustrated, but these are learning opportunities for both us and the factory.
-Matthew
December 2024 figure update
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Dec 12, 2024 at 03:38:37 AM
14 of 15 figures have been approved, and now we are only waiting on Kusa! See image dump below.
And finally, and update for Kusa. He has been a problem since the beginning. In the first factory image from September, he was injection molded in the wrong color, his camo was the wrong color, and he was missing his stripes. His base color was supposed to be the same as Badger (and GI Joe figures like Zap and Steeler) with a slightly lighter green for the camo pattern. For whatever reason, we really struggled communicating this with the factory. After some back and forth, we decided to run with the lighter base color.
By happy accident, Kusa is now molded in a lighter green that matches the GI Joe character Stalker, one of the inspirations for the figure. So we ran with it, flipping the base color green with the camo green. We are currently waiting a revision to the camouflage pattern, so hopefully he will be approved by months end.
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Finally, a quick update on accessories. I will elaborate on this in a few days time permits.
We were informed last month that the factory cannot injection mold in metallic colors. Since our parts are modular, the paint would affect the fit of the parts due to the already tight tolerances. So we are going to have the painted parts cast in a similar base color (i.e. light gray injection molding for silver painted parts) the painted in the desired color.
We also determined that two parts were incorrectly tooled; Torashi's claws and Shinobi's backpack. The factory is working on correcting this.
I will post images of our accessory concerns in the next update.
Factory Update 11/23/2024
over 1 year ago
– Sat, Nov 23, 2024 at 05:49:10 AM
Tom Petty was so right about the waiting being the hardest part, so we wanted to give a factory update so everyone understands what is behind the delay.
Figures
- We have been going back and forth with the factory since September to finalize the paint masks and tampos for the figures.
- Fortunately, 12 of 13 painted samples have been approved. However we have had a difficult time communicating with the factory about Kusa’s scheme, as that figure has the most complicated paint maskings.
Accessories
- Two pieces were tooled incorrectly. This is something we found out this week. Factory is working to correct this.
- The factory cannot injection mold in metallic colors. This is important because it means silver and gold must be painted and paint adds thickness to the parts. Our modular accessories have tight tolerances so that they clutch properly. The paint augments that.
- Our remedy is to not paint the “peg” portion of the accessory and have it molded in a similar color as the final painted piece.
We will post pictures soon and are thankful for all your support and patience. These figures will truly be worth the wait.
Painted Samples are 90% there!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Oct 31, 2024 at 02:12:09 PM
Just a quick update for everyone. After receiving the first drafts of painted samples, almost every figure needed some amount of tweaking. At this point, only one figure requires major adjustments and the rest are almost approved.
Also, we have run into a snag with accessories. The factory has informed us that they cannot injection mold in silver or gold, meaning that those color pieces require painting, which, in turn affects how the weapons assemble. We are working to find a quick solution that will not compromise the quality of the product.
While we wait, enjoy these great photos!
