August 2022 Update
about 2 years ago – Tue, Aug 30, 2022 at 05:31:23 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Quick Update on Molds
over 2 years ago – Fri, Jul 08, 2022 at 09:26:38 PM

A very brief update for this month. I wish I had substantial information to give at this time, but we're currently in a waiting game as the factory works its magic.

All of the sample pieces that we received (and showed off in the previous update) have been assessed. We've taken many measurements, performed various fit tests for each piece and have taken notes on what adjustements we feel need to be made. Those notes have been passed off to the factory, and they are currently in the progress of doing that work. In some cases, they may need to disassemble one or more molds to properly machine the parts that need adjusting.

Unfortunately, we have no new pictures to show at this time. I hope to have more exciting news in the weeks to come. We are so very close - it's been a long road, and we certainly have already learned a mountain of ways we can improve our processes in the future. Thank you for your patience.

-Matt, Brick Mini

Samples!
over 2 years ago – Sun, Jun 05, 2022 at 04:58:47 AM

Today's update is BIG! we're finally seeing some fruits of this massive labor of love, and it's really exciting to be able to share this with you! The images and video in this update are raw and unscripted, but I just wanted to be able to post this update as soon as possible for you.

TL/DR/DW (Didn't Watch): We've got samples in house! They're still rough around the edges (literally), but they're looking promising!

The meat of this update is in pictures and video; however, I want to first kick this update off with a disclaimer and update on timeline:

Disclaimer:

*These samples are still a work in progress. Things like surface finish, color, connection-fit, and witness marks will all be refined.*

Timeline:

Having physical samples is a huge step forward for us in this campaign, but as you will see with the proceeding images and video, there is still work to be done. You may be familiar with the saying, "The last 10% of the work takes 90% of the time". Well, I want to bring that up because I want to temper expectations. Having physical samples does not mean that fulfillment is right around the corner. We especially need to be careful moving forward.

The first order of business is we need to do an in-depth analysis of each part and note-down any areas that need special attention in the molds - perhaps adjusting the dimensions, polishing, ensuring that an area is getting fully-formed, etc. Once we have those notes down and handed off to the factory, we can get an updated timeline estimation from them. We'll then want to get a new order of samples sent to us, and we can go through the process again - hopefully with not many new edits to make.

Time for Show & Tell!

With that out of the way, we can dive in. I've tried to sum up the samples for the most part in images, but for those that want to see a more close-up look and see what still needs to be refined, the videos will be a great resource.

I apologize for the dust in the videos and images. We tried to clean up the area prior to shooting, but the dust was undeterred!

If you happen to not watch the videos, that's okay! This image below is just meant to highlight some of the main things that need to be refined across the board on these parts. The green Nano Soldier in the middle from the first wave is shown as a reference for the quality bar. Though not pointed at, you can just see the witness mark from the ejection pin on the back of the green rifleman - this is the refinement that we want to see on these Wave 2 figures.