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After loosing so much time this summer because of the Paypal crisis, things are now back to full speed. As you can see in this update, there is plenty of prints and moulds and test spins done, and you'll also get more specific information about delivery dates and about our other projects. And don't forget the survey at the end, with a special bonus for you !!
If you have a hard time envisioning how massive our current output is, here are just a few of images of the minis that were printed and moulded since our last Update. Please keep in mind that not everything is shown here. For specific details on each model and its production status, please scroll down to the last section of this Update.
Production Update
In our last Update, we promised you we would go into more details on what's currently manufactured and how our new workflows impact the production.
Some of you have been concerned about the fact that we did not share much info about when the next shipments would start to happen. Of course, we understand that you want to get your Rewards as soon as possible, yet it is always tricky to give precise planning information as there are always the chance of a few mishaps happening that might just delay the production a bit more. So we try to stay very prudent every time we give you dates.
But today, we are very happy to announce that the work we put in to upgrade the workflow and processes has been super positive. Everything we had planned regarding manufacturing has been running right on schedule for the past few weeks!
From an outside perspective, this might seem perfectly normal, but if you look at the amount of minis that moved into production, got moulded, and are now ready to be cast since the last Update, you may realise that this is nothing short of extraordinary. We don't think that even the biggest names in the industry output more than this in a full year. Anyway, we are currently keeping up with our best projections, that is, outputting a full unit every day!
Why update the workflows?
If you are among those who've been commenting on why we once again chose to update our workflows, well, it's precisely for this: to finally be able to get the kind of output rate we are now getting. Thanks to your backing our project and your constant support, Raging Heroes has grown in a very short time from its early days as a small craft studio. This transition continues to be a massive daily challenge on each and every member of our team, and of our suppliers.
We are doing more and more parts of our business (design/creating/production/sales/marketing/logistics/etc.) fully in house. Ultimately, this integration means more and more efficiency on all level and the current 3D Printing / Mould Making process is a perfect exemple of that.
As creating the moulds for all Troops and Heroines will be done by very early December, the Foundry will then enter a massive casting phase for all of December. The improvement we have made to the production process with the pizza pie Family moulds (which we showed you in our previous Update) means that we will have a faster and more effective process of picking, quality control, and packing, thereby speeding delivery.
Consequently, this means that the next round of shipments would start in January for the bulk of our backers, and possibly earlier for some of you. We look forward to working with the Foundry in this upcoming casting phase to more accurately forecast the delivery process for you.
... it is pretty likely that the moulds for these models will be created towards the end of December. However, before giving you any precise scheduling on this, we need to see the speed rate of the casting production process. So we'll have more to share with you on this in our next Update.
That being said, the first one to be moulded and cast will be the Avatar of Shaah, the most popular of our Monsters and Machines. So it is very likely that the shipments of Rewards containing the Avatar of Shah will start in late January. And the others will follow.
You may remember that we announced a scenery Kickstarter for November... But as you might have noticed, this campaign has not yet launched. One of the reasons we are always reluctant about making announcements on what is coming is that much happens while we develop projects: new ideas come up, new concepts, new twists... Very often, it feels like it would be quite sad not to give that some extra time in order push the best of these ideas to fruition. So we decided to allow more time to this project.
During this Fall, two things happened. First, there were a few pretty big projects running on Kickstarter in November, and so it felt that the timing to launch our campaign was not optimal. Then, we received new concepts for the Sisters of Eternal Mercy's fortifications and other buildings. They were so crazily good that, in turn, new interesting ideas popped up and so, it made a lot of sense to reorganise this Scenery project.
So, since there will be much more than expected for this gothic themed scenery, we have decided to push back the whole Scenery Project a little, and break it up in 3 distinct Kickstarter projects.
The idea of splitting the Scenery Project in 3 will have several positive impacts:
So we definitely think this will be a win-win for everybody.
So, will it really look cool?
Well, here is a sample of something we are working on.
Imagine some sort of labyrinthine construction into which the Sisters store their massive knowledge and prayer tomes. Something like a giant underground library that would make The Name of the Rose's one look ridiculously simple.
We've designed this environment, as well as the others we are working on, as a series of building blocks from which you'll be able to create simpler, smaller, but gorgeous and evocative structures all the way to a massive convention-like table. In fact, to be honest, we think you might have rarely seen convention sceneries as awesome as what we are preparing for you...
We are working hard on this. We had a first set of alpha tests last month, and we have another series all of next week.
We currently have 2 games in development. They somehow run on the same DNA and are very complementary in terms of development. What it means is that working on one help us finesse the concepts of the other.
Of course, one is the 28mm TGG game. The other, also set in the TGG universe, is a 54mm game for up to 5 players. This will be a fast and fun game where you'll be able to unleash your inner megalomaniac super-villain...
So stay tuned! We can't wait to share more on these 2 projects.
If you have not taken a look recently at our live production spreadsheet, here's a quick summary of what's going on (as of Wednesday Nov. 16. Please note that this spreadsheet is updated every day or so.
Status: 5/ Back-ordered
These 5 models are back-ordered, but they should be back in stock within 14 days:
Status: 4/ In Stock
There are 44 items in this category, or 45 items when we count the Freebies box (which is made up of items from this list, but which does take a while to assemble). All of you who made their Rewards Selection before July 28 have already received most of these items. Some of you missed out on some, because we could not anticipate their success. The reorders were made over the months of September and October, and will be shipped along with the remainder of your Rewards Selection.
Status: 3B/ Ready to Cast
The production moulds for these 34 items are ready. The casts prototypes have been validated. The moulds will be spun as soon as everything that is in category '3A/ Moulds in Progress' is finished. So we are looking at A LOT of spinning in December.
Status: 3A/ Moulds in Progress
There are 44 items in this category, and they are swiftly moving up to the next one.
The 30 Troops will be done first, and should move up in 7 to 14 days.
The 14 Heroines will be done immediately after, and are expected to be done in less than a week.
Status: 2/ Sculpted (and awaiting 3D printing and moulding)
There are 12 references in this category. The first 2 will move up to '3A/ Moulds in Progress' within the next 5 days. The remaining ones (mainly Creatures and WarMachines) will deliberately NOT be Moulded for several weeks, while the Foundry shifts its focus from Moulding to Casting.
Status: 1/ WIP
This category is empty. Everything is done.
And to end this Update, we need your feedback:
To reply, please complete this one-minute survey no later than Wednesday, November 23, and to thank you, we'll add a bonus $5 Store Credit to your TGG2KS account for you to spend if/when the Pledge Manager is reopened.
We'll share the results in our next Update!
Edit (Nov. 22): Also, don't hesitate to leave a comment and tell us what you think about The Toughest Sceneries of the Galaxy... (Note: Comments are moderated to avoid SPAM, of which there can be A LOT; they are approved once a day on the 3 days that follow the publication, and less frequently after that.)
Comments will be approved before showing up.
At Raging Heroes, every army we create starts with carefully chosen ingredients. For the Dark Elves, you've got: Refinement. Elegance. Extreme Evil. Gothic fashion. Japanese Rock bands. Scandinavian fairy tales illustrations from the 19th century. Find out more about your past and future favorites!
MrBeeF
December 15, 2016
Nice work, i’m impressed!