Grey Tyrannosaurus rex in-package, July Fulfillment plan and Wave 1 Progress!
over 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 29, 2022 at 12:24:00 AM

 Hello everyone, it's time once again to get caught up on the latest developments with the Tyrannosaur Series!

You can already see where we'll be starting off, so let's dive in.

Grey Tyrannosaurus rex Update

The grey T. rexes are in the final stage of completion now and I'll be reviewing the final final sample figures this week. Plenty of work has gone into the development of these which we'll get further into, but first here's a look at the figures in package!

1/35th scale

 Box dimensions 10.5" x 8.25" x 4.75"  (26.7cm x 21cm x 12cm)

 Each will come attached to two plastic trays with the main figure on top and the base with interchangeable parts on the bottom.

 One of the recent improvements has been the longer, more sturdy metal foot pins in the base.

 1/18th scale

 Box dimensions 18" x 12.5" x 8.25"  (45.7cm x 31.8cm x 21cm)

 Again, this one also comes in a similar arrangement to the 1/35th scale version, but MUCH larger of course.

This version includes the new metal foot pins as well.

 It's hard to get a proper sense of how big this box is from the photos, but this should give you some indication. Here it is with the adult Triceratops.

 So what's the difference between this sample and the final final sample I mentioned? Read on...

 T. rex mold adjustments 

One of the most challenging issues that has come up while developing these figures has surprisingly been getting the mouths to close completely. It was very important to me that the mouth could be closed as I'd shown previously with the fine cut figures (I even used a photo of this on the back of the packaging). But the injection-molded test shots were unable to achieve this. 

They had to first figure out what the problem was and then adjust the metal tooling to change the way the head and mouth parts fit together.  

 So at this point, I'm happy to say that this issue is now fixed on both heads, though I don't have them in-hand just yet. Here's the updated 1/35th version...

 And the updated 1/18th version. This was the much more complicated one to fix.

In addition, other recent adjustments include:

 -finding the right hardness for the neck and torso that could hold the correct shape while still being flexible enough to pose.

-Getting the 1/18th scale bases to attach more securely for posed displays

-Plastic hardness was increased for the standing legs for better weight-bearing durability. 

These were only the recent improvements- there've been more before this, like for instance the metal foot pins and the wires that were missing in the tail ends initially. Each new figure often goes through a few rounds of improvements before being ready for production, and the T. rex here has been one of the more complicated examples. 

Fulfillment plan

So what does all of this mean for the fulfillment? Will the time involved with these adjustments affect the shipping schedule? Yes and no. Normally this would be a solid 'yes', however, after all of the transit delays last year, I've been working on strategies for making the shipping process from the factory to the US more efficient thus making products available sooner. This includes hiring a new freight forwarder and working with an additional fulfillment warehouse.

For the Kickstarter pledges and preorders, I'm currently arranging to have some of the new stock warehoused on the west coast. This means that a small portion of the upcoming production order, enough for the current preorders plus some extras, are expected to be shipped in a few weeks via air freight ahead of the main quantity. These will be sent to a new fulfillment location, much closer to the factory than our main New Jersey location, in California. That way, fulfillment for the grey T. rexes should still be achievable during the latter half of next month as planned. 

The remaining stock will then be completed and shipped from the factory by the end of July via sea freight, estimated to arrive in our main warehouse sometime around late August or early September. However it's important to note that fulfillment to the EU and UK through Everything Dinosaur will still be subject to sea freight and will have to be fulfilled around that time as well. Alternatively, if you live in those regions and would prefer to have your items shipped from the US, please let me know soon. But if you're concerned about US import fees, you may want to hold off and ship with Everything Dinosaur, though you can also contact me about duty-free shipping options from the US, which will vary depending the destination.

Grey T. rex preorders

The grey T. rex preorders will remain open until the regular stock arrives, but the cut off for July fulfillment from the US will be July 5th, after that preorder fulfillment will change to late August/ early September when the regular stock arrives. (The retail price for the grey T. rexes will remain the same as the preorder, but the shipping cost is likely to increase slightly once in-stock since the current shipping charges are lower in most cases than the actual costs.) 

The other July preorder items are included with this fulfillment plan as well, and if it's successful, this method of sending out preorders ahead of the main stock will continue for future releases as an incentive for those who ordered early.

Wave 1 T. rex paint samples coming next month 

 That leads us to the latest on the Wave 1 figures. The good news is that the first paint samples for the T. rex figures are being worked on now, and I'm even expecting to have the regular versions on display at San Diego Comic Con next month! (more on that later) 

The not so good news is that all four of my hand-painted T. rex prototypes were lost during shipping, not even making it out of the US. Yup, shipping problems strike again, but there was always a contingency for this. As you all know,  I take plenty of photos of each prototype to share here and on social media, but those photos also serve as reference images for the factory to follow in case something like this happens. They'll make the best paint samples they can using that photo reference, then the samples will be sent to me. I in turn finish up the paintwork, photograph the figures again and send them back. To be fair, this is the only time we've ever lost a package during the production process, but luckily it's something we've been prepared for. In any case, we're getting new paint samples of these figures soon, and I can't wait.

More Wave 1 Fine Cut photos

In the previous update, I showed the factory's photos of the remaining wave 1 fine cut figures and this time I have a few photos of my own to share. These fine cuts are back with the factory now, I've provided them with my notes, and the tooling process is underway. Expect to start seeing paint samples of these sometime in August.

 Guanlong

 One thing worth mentioning is that all of the wrists will be changed to a barbell joint for hand movement in any direction. They used disc joints on these, which worked on the large T. rex, but for smaller figures, I found it too limiting, especially for posing the hands in more natural resting positions.

 Juvenile T. rex

 Also worth noting- the juvenile rex, as well as its other 'body 2' counterparts, will have small foot pegs in the base for temporary, free-standing poses. Though the posing rods will still be included for long-term display options.

 Dilong

 The tail on this Dilong is actually plugged in too low. Expect this to have the same tail attachment as the deluxe raptors, with a high and a low tail plug. The reversed hands however- well that's on me. ..

 Yutyrannus

 Do you spot the new piece? That's right, the base will include an optional add-on portion which can be used with both the Body 3 base (above) and the Body 4 base (below). And of course it will use the same connector tab that comes with the 1/18th scale T. rex. 

 As for the wave 1 schedule so far- with the new shipping strategy mentioned earlier, we still have a reasonable chance at mid-to-late September preorder fulfillment. However there's still plenty of work left to do so if anything changes, and it very well could,  I'll be sure to let you all know.

Upcoming Convention Appearances

San Diego Comic Con

Finally after a two-year hiatus, San Diego Comic Con is back and I was lucky enough to keep my spot as an exhibitor. The show runs from July 27 thru the 24th, with preview night on Wednesday the 26th. Even if you can't make it out, I'll be posting photos of my table setup and any new reveals on my social media. If all goes as planned, I'll even have the new July products at the show for sale while the preorders are being fulfilled. If you can make it out to the show, be sure to stop by table B-03!

Powercon

Two weeks later, on August 5-7th, I'll be at Powercon in Columbus Ohio. I've been wanting to go to this show for a long time now so it'll be great to finally attend- and as a guest no less! Once again, I'll have product on hand and plenty on display. I may even paint up one my own T. rex figures just for fun. 

So, that's the news for now and I hope you all enjoyed yet another look into this toy-making process. The coming month is shaping up to be quite eventful, so be sure to follow along with all of the updates on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter, or through the 'News' section of my website, updated every Sunday.

And remember, you can find the entire Tyrannosaur product line up for preorder at the Tyrannosaur Series preorder store . And for all other BotM items, check out my Creative Beast Studio shop.

                                Take care everyone, and happy summer!

David

More Wave 1 Fine Cuts, T. rex test shot figures and more!
over 2 years ago – Fri, May 13, 2022 at 04:28:50 PM

Hi All- it's time once again to check in on the Tyrannosaur Series progress and there's plenty to show, so get ready for another image-heavy update. But before we look at that, I do want to mention up front that the T. rex test shots had to undergo a few improvements recently, which I mention later, and thus it looks like the expected release date for the grey T. rex figures will now be July. On the positive side, this does line up better with the other upcoming July releases allowing for the possibility to combine shipments if desired. Note that this does not necessarily affect the estimated release date for the wave 1 Tyrannosaurs, expected in September. 

Anyway, on to the photos!

Fine cuts

The fine cuts for the wave 1 figures (which includes all of the shared  body 1 and body 2 figures as well) have been completed! The below photos were shared with me recently from the factory. For those new to the action figure making process, the fine cuts are the final versions of each figure that will be used for the metal tooling molds. Take a look!

Yutyrannus

 Different from the initial prototypes, these fine cut figures have functional joints and sharpened detail where needed. Though similarly to the prototypes, they are still cast in resin so the parts are rigid thus not allowing for the full range of motion that will be possible once molded into plastic.

 Yutyrannus does include a base as well, but was already tooled as part A of the 1/18 T. rex base.

Dilong

 This one shares parts with the 1/6th scale Dromaeosaurus as well as with the body 2 Tyrannosaur figures, but it was designed to utilize these parts seamlessly. Being the only 1/6 scale figure in the assortment, it's probably the most unique.

Body 1

For this body type, only Guanlong is part of the first wave, but it's more cost effective to tool shared parts of a body together, so here we have fine cuts for all of the smaller body 1 figures.

Guanlong

 Proceratosaurus

 Suskityrannus

 Eotyrannus

 Moros

Body 2

Again, with the Body 2 parts, all of the figures are being tooled together, despite only the juvenile T. rex being part of wave 1.  

It's worth noting also that in these photos, all of the hands are either misassembled or incorrect. In addition, the necks for the juvenile T. rex and Teratophoneus appear to be swapped and the tail is upside-down. Misassembly is not uncommon at this stage and can be easily corrected once I have them in-hand.

juvenile T. rex

 Teratophoneus

Alectrosaurus

 Qianzhousaurus

These are all on their way to me as I write this, and after I look them over and make any minor adjustments to the details, I'll send them right back to the factory for final tooling.

T rex test shots

The very first T. rex test shot figures are in and despite a few issues that we've had to correct, overall they're extremely impressive!

Adjustments that I requested include- using longer base pins for the feet, a closer fit for the neck-to-head connection as it's currently not fitting snug enough, and a jaw that opens a bit wider and closes completely. These mold adjustments took several weeks to implement and the revised test shots are en route to me now, so hopefully all of these issues have been resolved. 

Here's at look at few poses that I was able to achieve with these initial samples.

 1/18th scale

 This one is of course more challenging to pose than the smaller one due to it's massive size and weight, but it stands surprisingly well using both standing legs and no base.  Just don't lean him forward too much- that big noggin is heavy.

 It was a little finicky due to the short foot pegs, but I was still able to get some good poses out of this one. 

 I like the combo of one standing leg and one articulated leg for more dynamic poses. I'm hoping to get some cool one-legged poses out of the improved version. 

1/35th scale

 Admittedly between the two, this one is more fun to play with because of the smaller size, but that was to be expected. Balancing is easier so of course it's better for more dynamic poses. The obvious trade off however is the shelf presence. 

 Again, it stands fine without the base as long as both standing legs are used, but I found that using both articulated legs can work for this one as well.

 The shorter pegs weren't as much of an issue on this one due to the lighter weight, but I'm having them adjusted nonetheless. 

I'm really looking forward to the improvements to these- they're already a lot of fun!

Grey T.rex package design layouts

 And while we're on the topic of the Tyrannosaurus rex, here are the preliminary designs for the grey T. rex packaging layouts! For those that follow the Beasts of the Mesozoic releases, you'll find the package designs similar to the other unpainted figures that I offer, the re-issued Build-a-Raptor sets. 

1/18th

 1/35th

Well, thus ends another project update. But the Tyrannosaur Series news will continue, so don't miss any of it- follow along via my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter, or through the 'News' section of my website, updated every weekend.

And for more product info, check out the Tyrannosaur Series preorder store and for everything else, see my regular shop.

                    Until next time, everyone- take care! 

David

T. rex Test Shot figures, Wave 1 update and more!
over 2 years ago – Thu, Apr 07, 2022 at 11:03:22 AM

Hi All- hope everyone's been well. There's been plenty of progress with the Tyrannosaur Series lately, so let's dive in and take a look at what's new!

Tyrannosaurus rex test shot figures and package layouts

Though a little later than expected, the T. rex test shot figures have been completed and are en route to me now. Judging by these photos taken at the factory, they look very promising! 

I can't wait to get my hands on these to try out various poses, and you can be sure that I'll follow up on this with my own photos. 

Now that the test shots are done, we also have the box dimensions and blister tray arrangements, which will have two trays. However, the final versions will have the articulated legs attached, while the fixed legs will be in the bottom tray. 

 This arrangement will be standard for Bodies 3 and 4 as well.

Gray T. rex Paint Samples

 Not only am I receiving the T. rex test shot figures soon, but the first paint samples for the gray variants are on their way as well. Since these were originally estimated to release this month, it's safe to say that they'll need to be pushed back a bit, unfortunately. I'm now estimating for a June release. 

It should be mentioned that this delay doesn't necessarily affect the rest of the series. While setbacks are of course possible with the remaining waves, I don't expect this particular delay to have a direct effect on those schedules.

Fine Cuts underway for the rest of wave 1

 As for the rest of Wave 1, the factory has the tooling parts and are now in the process of creating the fine cut figures. Here are the parts layouts for each one (minus the joint parts).

Note that foot pegs will be added to the Body 2 bases allowing for temporary free-standing poses, though the optional posing rods will still be included for long-term display.

Dilong here will share some parts with the deluxe raptors, but still consists of mostly new parts.

 The articulation for each figure is mostly based on the T. rex figures, with the exception of the soft plastic neck, segmented tail, and extra standing legs, which are reserved for Bodies 3 and up.  Yutyrannus here has a unique body for this Series, but we could see this body used again for Nanuqsaurus at some point.

In addition to these releases, fine cuts for the other figures associated with Bodies 1 and 2 are being worked on as well. 

Sneak Peek at the new Tyrannosaur Series Packaging

This being the third official series of Beasts of the Mesozoic, I felt it was time to update the package design. Can you believe it's already been six years since the first BotM Kickstarter? For this series, we'll be doing away with the side sleeve and giving each figure its own unique box with a die-cut image of the dinosaur on the front. In addition, the window will be extended up around to the top for a better lit in-package display. Seen here is a work-in-progress example. 

 This will likely undergo a few more adjustments before it's final, but I just wanted to share an early look at these new changes!

More Catalog Shots for Wave 1

 And following up on the previous update, here are the rest of the catalog photos for Wave 1! It may be obvious by now, but this time around, the backdrops will be utilizing the same backgrounds created for the package illustration of each figure, thus giving the option to recreate the box art using the figure. This also allows for better variety with the backgrounds as well as more appropriate prehistoric themed scenes. (Diorama props not included.)

 1/6 Dilong

 1/18 Guanlong

 1/35 Tyrannosaurus rex Special Edition

 1/35 Tyrannosaurus rex

 1/18 Tyrannosaurus rex 

Bonus Photo 1/18 Tyrannosaurus rex Special Edition

Since this release will feature an homage to the original Dino Riders box design, here's one of the photos that will be used on the retro-styled packaging.

That'll do it for this update. There will be plenty of Tyrannosaur Series news to come so be sure to follow all the latest developments for this, as well as other Beasts of the Mesozoic offerings and more, via my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Or take a look at the 'News' section of my website, updated each Sunday.

And remember, the Tyrannosaur Series preorder store items will remain up throughout the duration of production. You can find it here.

 Take care everyone, and until next time!

David

BackerKit Lockdown is Tomorrow!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Feb 22, 2022 at 06:59:35 PM

Just a friendly reminder that the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Tyrannosaur Series BackerKit lockdown will be tomorrow, Feb. 22nd (for real this time, haha)! Currently, 93% of the backers have completed their survey, so if you think you may be in that remaining 7%, please send me a message and I'll help you with your order a soon as possible. 

What does the BackerKit Lockdown mean?

I realize that what happens for the 'lockdown' may not be clear, so here's a quick run down of what to expect:

- all pending credit card balances for both Kickstarter add-ons and Preorders, will be charged. This does not apply to items paid for with your Kickstarter pledge- only items added in addition.

- item selections will be 'locked', meaning that they can no longer be adjusted or added to manually. 

- While the items will be locked, your address will remain editable up until the time of shipping.

So the most important thing to know is that the pending credit card balances will be charged soon. I expect the actual lockdown to take place late tomorrow evening. 

Last Call for Kickstarter Exclusive Figures

The Kickstarter exclusive items,  special edition versions of the 1/18th and 1/35th scale Tyrannosaurus rex, are still eligible add-ons for those that backed the Kickstarter, up until the lockdown. The total orders for these two items will be used to determine the size of the production run quantity, so if you've been on the fence about either of them, now is the time to decide. 

Preorder Store

As usual, the non-exclusive items will remain available for preorder throughout the duration of the production period and will go to the regular retail price one they are in-stock. Preorders here can be added to an existing order upon request. Multiple orders will not be combined automatically.

You can find the BackerKit Preorder store here. 

New catalog shots for wave 1

I have a couple of new 'catalog' photos to share for the wave 1 Tyrannosaur prototypes.

These images will also be used for promotion and will be included on the profile cards for each figure. 

Yutyrannus

 Tyrannosaurus rex juvenile 

 Expect to see the rest of these pop up on my social media very soon!

Tyrannosaur Postcards added to the store soon

Now that the postcards have all been sent to Kickstarter backers, I'll be making all three sets available on creative-beast.com this week. 

So if you missed out on the postcards before, they will be back soon!

That's about all for now. But one more thing to note is that the test shots for both T. rex figures are expected to be ready in the latter half of March, which is very exciting! Although, that also means that the April release date for the grey versions may have to be pushed back a bit. I'll have to wait until I know more about the production schedule before making a formal announcement.

In the meantime, you can always find the latest Beasts of the Mesozoic news and more on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Or see the 'News' section of my website, updated each weekend.

           Take care!

           David

All Tyrannosaur Prototypes Finished!
almost 3 years ago – Sat, Jan 22, 2022 at 10:57:12 PM

 Hi All- just a friendly reminder that in about one month, Feb. 22nd, is the official lockdown date for the Tyrannosaur Series BackerKit surveys and current preorders. This means at that time, credit card charges will be processed for any remaining balances, and the order selections will be locked. However, if anyone would like to have adjustments made as far as adding non-exclusive items later on, I can still do this manually by request. 

And now as promised, all of the prototypes are finished well before the lockdown so let’s take a look at these latest additions. Click the first image of each one to see the full gallery, or alternatively, you can also find these galleries on my Facebook page.

Proceratosaurus bradleyi

Suskityrannus hazelae

Eotyrannus lengi 

Moros intrepidus
 

                 And of course, a look all five of the little ones together. 

 All of the item listings on BackerKit have been updated with the new photos as well.

 
           Printed items Update

      A quick note here to mention that I’m about 90% finished with sending out the printed items. I expect to have the remaining orders shipped out by this time next week. After that, the Tyrannosaur postcards will remain available at creative-beast.com. For those still waiting- thank you so much for your patience.


                That’s all for now. As always, you can find the latest Beasts of the Mesozoic news on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Or follow the 'News' section of my website, which is updated each week.
                And even after the BackerKit survey lockdown, you’ll be able to find the Tyrannosaur Series pre-order store here.

                Take care Everyone- stay warm!

                David