I don't know if the printed ship pledges come with masts or sails, but I'm actually more concerned about the printed pledges not receiving stretch goals in printed form. For that matter I'm not sure that the print folks will get the STL files for the stretch goal ships? I've asked Henry to clarify on Facebook. If I get an answer I'll let folks here know as well.Originally Posted by Capn Duff
"It's not the towering sails, but the unseen wind that moves a ship."
–English Proverb
Hey, that's correct that the printed pledges don't receive the three stretch goals - that's simply to avoid the extra costs and logistical strain in printing 40+ extra models, which I'm not confident I could handle on top of the core sets I'm already producing on the single printer.
However, if people do feel hard done by the above, I'm happy to include the STLs or, once I get to working on the stretch goals (which should be around March), I could offer everyone the individual choice of adding them onto their order, depending on how the printing's gone up to that point (I plan to print each model in a big batch as it's completed). I'm sorry to be somewhat non-commital about it, but the honest truth is that printing and dispatching so many ships is, to me, the biggest challenge involved in all of this. I've had trial runs with physical orders before, but it was always dealing with one customer at a time - so I've tried my best not to bite off more than I can chew and stagger production (printing as each model's finished, so in batches of 15) and limit order counts/quantities.
Edit: I thought about this some more on my morning run and decided that, if people feel misled and had believed the stretch goals were included with the physical pledges, then I ought at least take some measures to make things right. To that end, I'll stick by what I said above and offer the chance, closer to the dispatch date, of adding the stretch goals on to the order, with a discount. Additionally, since I successfully test printed some 1/1200 masts yesterday, I'll add free mast sets for anyone who requests them (to that end, Diamondback, you might want to alter your pledge to subtract the cost of the masts we'd added to it). Finally, though, I will say that if anyone finds themselves reconsidering their pledges, it'd be perfectly understandable if you choose to cancel on the basis that you're not getting what you'd thought you were.
I really apologise for less-than-straightforward way I wrote the KS. I know that confusion surrounding the differences between the digital and physical packages has been a persistent issue, and I could have done better in reducing the obfuscation. I hope that, going forward, I'll draw on this experience to structure my future Kickstarters with clear delineations between STL packs and printed packs (e.g. dividing the blurb into two parts, each explicitly detailing things as though they were separate projects).
I would like to stress how grateful I am to all of you, though, and I am in no position from which it's reasonable to take your support for granted - without your pledges, I'd never have got this project off the ground and I am very much aware of that. I want to do my best to make everyone happy.
Last edited by HenryTurner; 12-31-2020 at 00:36.
Personally I'm fine with it as long as I can eventually buy the stretched models at a later date along with 1000th masts and sails. I was intending to do that anyway, once you have cleared your backlog.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Sure, I'm perfectly happy to offer that - it's not a question of being unwilling to furnish the models, more being in a bit of a panic about the sheer volume that need to be produced within a defined window!
I also have to admit that, the damages suffered by customers in the US and Australia before, when I've shipped there, have left me very nervous - I'd been sending bare hulls simply padded in shredded newspaper, and cannon/lantern breakages were unfortunately common. So this time I'm going to be wrapping the ships in tissue, then in "sausage rolls" of bubble wrap, with more bubble wrap lining the box and shredding to buffer it all up. I hope that'll be enough!
This all sounds sort of silly on the surface (and very much a matter of common sense) but it's interesting what little hurdles you can come up against when going into miniature selling/production for the first time!
What I hope, one day, is to either:
-Move to a new home where I can accommodate 2-3 printers
-Hire someone/outsource my printing
-Find someone who's willing to buy a commercial licence
Any of the above would allow me to do all this much more comfortably :) Suffice to say the current setup is less than ideal (tiny digs in a small square room; my bed's just beyond that radiator!):
Hoping I'll be able to move out soon(ish) upon "striking lucky" with a secondary Kickstarter. My current model is to put out an Age of Sail one every 3-4 months, on a rolling basis, that'll bring in enough to keep me doing all this full-time, but I currently dedicate about 2 hours a day to side projects; one of which I'm very enthusiastic about but keeping a lid on for the time being :) Idea is to use that time to create the odd "experimental" Kickstarter, which is already ready upon being announced (so as to guarantee I don't take any time away from my existing commitments) that could prove fiendishly popular or an utter bomb.
Guess I'm a gambler :)
That is fine Henry. Im so used to having to mend booms and masts on Ares ships that a lanthorn ot two would not bother me at all, but I can see that from your viewpoint with a reputation to build up, you would not like an adverse press at the onset. I think that offering the models at the 1000th scale will be a good move on your part for those of us who wish to complement our fleets with those ships not covered by Ares. I am especially keen to get my Dutch Fleet underway.
my best wishes for the New Year to you.
Rob.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Speaking of the Dutch, I've had a bit of a Dutch day!
A customer who I sold some prints to when I (briefly) offered to fulfill physical orders, sent me these pictures of my Dutch 74 - he has it fulfilling the role of Hornblower's HMS Sutherland in this diorama:
And, furthermore, today I began work on a Dutch frigate for my Anglo-Dutch range:
The final somewhat exciting bit of news, too - I spoke at length with a model manufacturer and he was really urging me to consider commissioning resin/pewter production of my ships and selling physical products. He walked me through how he did it himself and, well, it all seems rather achievable! I'm sorely tempted to make my next naval Kickstarter an attempt to weigh-in with generic ships - perhaps starting with, say, a Leda-class, Temeraire and Tonnant.
However, I'm not sure if that'd be of interest to you guys? I'm assuming that my value is more as a potential provider of niche ships that Ares hasn't covered - and that's rather at odds with producing ships with mass appeal that will sell enough to cover their production costs. I'm happy to do both, however, as it doesn't seem like digital design and selling physical miniatures are mutually exclusive occupations :)
Last edited by HenryTurner; 12-31-2020 at 08:56.
Henry, that might be another opportunity for you, as I mentioned in our email. Even within those there are variations and room to be different--the basic Leda is a straight copy of a French Hebe but there was also a "fir-built" version with a squared-off stern I don't expect to see anytime soon, the Cydnus class. Temeraires you have the Duquesnes (minor improved), Cassard (Large 74 version) and Pluton ("shallow-draft model") versions along with the British Pompee and America clones and the direct-ancestor Annibals, and there's the two variations of Tonnant-Bucentaure. Guess what I'm trying to say is, even within the "commodity classes" there's still room to do your own thing and carve a niche for yourself there too.Speaking of the Dutch, I've had a bit of a Dutch day!
A customer who I sold some prints to when I (briefly) offered to fulfill physical orders, sent me these pictures of my Dutch 74 - he has it fulfilling the role of Hornblower's HMS Sutherland in this diorama:
And, furthermore, today I began work on a Dutch frigate for my Anglo-Dutch range:
The final somewhat exciting bit of news, too - I spoke at length with a model manufacturer and he was really urging me to consider commissioning resin/pewter production of my ships and selling physical products. He walked me through how he did it himself and, well, it all seems rather achievable! I'm sorely tempted to make my next naval Kickstarter an attempt to weigh-in with generic ships - perhaps starting with, say, a Leda-class, Temeraire and Tonnant.
However, I'm not sure if that'd be of interest to you guys? I'm assuming that my value is more as a potential provider of niche ships that Ares hasn't covered - and that's rather at odds with producing ships with mass appeal that will sell enough to cover their production costs. I'm happy to do both, however, as it doesn't seem like digital design and selling physical miniatures are mutually exclusive occupations :)
--Diamondback
PMH, SME, TLA, BBB
Historical Consultant to Ares, Wings and Sails - Unless otherwise noted, all comments are strictly Personal Opinion ONLY and not to be taken as official Company Policy.
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