Tyrannosaurus rex fine-cut figure update 1: THEY CAN FREE STAND!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Oct 05, 2021 at 03:58:16 PM

Today I was able to unpack the T. rex fine-cuts sent to me from the factory for both the 1/18th and 1/35th scale Tyrannosaurus rex figures, and I must say, I'm impressed.

One of the biggest questions since I began developing the Tyrannosaur line was- how will they stand? I felt that if I could get them to stand with a base and foot pegs, and no visible support, it would be a great achievement. And with the interchangeable lower leg idea, that problem seemed to be resolved.  Can it stand without a base? I doubt it... at least that's what I used to think. Behold...

So apparently by using both of the fixed lower legs, these figures can indeed stand on their own without the aid of a base and foot pegs. Who knew? I saw a photo from the factory a while back showing this, but I was still skeptical. Now I can confirm that yes they do work. I would even say that surprisingly,  the larger one is even more stable than the smaller one.

For those unfamiliar with the action figure making process, the fine-cut is the first stage of preproduction and is a resin duplicate of the original sculpted parts but are modified with functional joints, engineered to allow for the best movement possible.

These vary a little from the original prototypes in that the joints are more refined and functional, getting us closer to the final version. And the jaw works very well now too- see, the mouth will fully close.

Once a fine cut figure is approved, it becomes the basis for the metal tooling molds and thus all of the injection molded figures there after. 

There's more that I want to explore with these fine-cuts such as dynamic posing options and range of articulation (though it is a bit limited at this stage due to the rigid resin material). It would all be too much for one update, but I wanted to at least show some new photos of these guys and share the good news about the standing situation.

Alright that'll do it for now- talk to you all soon!

-David

First look at the Dryptosaurus prototype, plus the revised Teratophoneus!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 04:08:58 AM

Today we have our first look at the resin prototype for one my personal favorites of the series, Dryptosaurus aquilunguis! 

 For more info on the design, sculpt, and the package art for this figure, check out this Kickstarter update.

Big thanks again to Jeremy Monz for the molding and castings for this one.

 And now that we've seen the new Dryptosaurus, there's some unfinished business from yesterday's reveal...

Teratophoneus revised prototype

 After posting photos of the built Teratophoneus yesterday, it was brought to my attention by several people that the neck was looking a bit thin for this new head. And after considering the photos I felt that this observation was valid. I had hoped that Teratophoneus would share a neck with the juvenile T. rex figure, but it's obvious now that a unique neck will be needed for this figure. So I reworked the neck today and here it is with the beefier neck!

 Thank you to those who commented on this. I think it's a big improvement and I hope you all like the change.

Three down and one more left to build from this new batch. Alectrosaurus won't be far behind!

That's all for now, everyone- have a great Saturday night!

- David

First look at the Qianzhousaurus resin prototype!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 01:27:52 AM

 I recently received the new castings for some of the mid-sized figures ( thank you, Jeremy Monz) and immediately got to work on putting them together. I chose to build the Qianzhousaurus first since it's the next stretch goal figure and we haven't seen much for it yet. So here's the first look at the figure!

 The standing method is still being developed. Because of the shorter 'heel' portion of this style of leg compared to the juvenile T. rex, the clip doesn't work so well as this area ends up being too wide. Though this set up here seems to work well. I also think a small toe peg will be helpful and will likely be added as well.

Here's how it scales with a human, at around 4" / 10.16cm tall.

I'll go into more depth with the development of this figure after the unlock, but I just wanted to quickly share these images. 

Still to build- Teratophoneus, Alectrosaurus, and Dryptosaurus. 

Talk to you all soon!

-David

Qianzhousaurus sinensis is unlocked!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 01:27:30 AM

Another stretch goal funded! The 1/18th scale Qianzhousaurus sinensis  is now UNLOCKED and is selectable from the 'add-ons' menu to include in your pledge. Add-on price: $53(US)/ $55 (INT)

 Yesterday, I showed the first photos of the Qianzhousaurus prototype figure. In case you missed them, you can check them out here.

 Color Design

The colors for this figure were based on the blue Malayan coral snake.

As with several of the stretch goal figures, there's plenty of painting to be done and not enough time for them all to be shown during the campaign, but as with the Ceratopsians last time, the BackerKit survey after the campaign will remain open until all of the prototypes are finished in case anyone is having trouble deciding on their favorites.

 Parts Layout

The parts layout for this figure is most similar to Teratophoneus, but features a different head, neck and hands.

 Qianzhousaurus is part of the Wave 2 assortment and is estimated to deliver in March of 2023.

Head Sculpt

 Another great head sculpt by Jake Baardse for Qianzhousaurus. He also sculpted the hands as well.

And here's a look at the articulated model courtesy of Aaron Doyle.

In-progress Package Illustration 

 Shannon Beaumont is currently working on the package art for Qianzhousaurus, but in the meantime we can take a look at her process so far.

 Shannon came up with the pose by watching shore birds on the beach as they scratch themselves with their feet. She always manages to find ways to ground these amazing beasts in reality with so much personality. I'm really looking forward her final version!

That's all the news for now. Expect another new prototype build reveal later today and don't forget,  the 'Gore King' Lythronax is the next unlock at $350,000! 

And please remember to keep sharing the news, it's especially important around this time of the campaign.

Thanks everyone!

-David

First look at the Teratophoneus resin prototype!
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 03, 2021 at 01:25:31 AM

A bit later in the day than expected, but as promised, here are photos of the 1/18th scale Teratophoneus resin prototype!

Okay, I'm beat- that's it for now. Tomorrow I'll have new photos of the Dryptosaurus prototype.

Have a great night everyone!

-David