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Beasts of the Mesozoic: Ceratopsian Series Action Figures

Created by David Silva

Beasts of the Mesozoic: Ceratopsians- a line of scientifically accurate dinosaur action figures with elaborate detail and articulation

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Wave 3 Status- final production photos, fulfillment update and more!
over 2 years ago – Thu, Oct 28, 2021 at 07:55:40 PM

Hi All! I know with all of the attention lately on the Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter, it'd be easy to assume that the Ceratopsians were taking a backseat in terms of priority. But rest assured that is not the case, as the final steps of production for wave 3 and the corresponding shipping arrangements have also had much of my attention this past month. 

Wave 3 Status Update

So where are things at with wave 3? Well, the good news is that production is finished and looks great from what I can tell. However, not surprisingly, there have been delays with securing shipping arrangements from China to the US and to the UK. We seem to have it sorted out, with the shipments only just now leaving the docks as of this update, but we've lost an additional three weeks due to these delays and thus it sets back fulfillment estimates to early December now instead of November. This change will be updated on the preorder store and on creative-beast.com listings.  As mentioned previously, these pre-orders will remain open at the discounted pricing until the items are in-stock.

Cargo shipping issues

We could also have additional challenges with truck freight shipping to the warehouse once the shipments arrive stateside, but for now we will remain optimistic and do all that we can of fulfill the rewards as soon as possible. Many of you have probably already heard about the problems affecting sea freight shipping from overseas as well as truck freight shipping domestically, but in case you're not aware of the current situation, I recommend checking out this video. And of course, there are plenty of other videos and articles on this topic as well. 

Factory fulfillment

There were a small number of shipments that were sent directly from the factory to backers who are local, in China and Taiwan, as well as to some of my retail partners in eastern Asia. So if you see any Wave 3 figures popping up on social media, that is why.


Now with that addressed, let's take a look at the final production for wave 3!


Ceratopsians Wave 3 unpacked 

Just before the final shipments are packed up for cargo loading, I like to have the factory open random cases and take photos of the contents. They do send me my own final samples, which I showed last time, but just to be sure that the quality is consistent and not 'hand-picked, I ask them to take photos of stock examples that they have there at the factory. So here's a look at the photos they sent and I must say- I'm not disappointed!

Xenoceratops

 Albertaceratops

 Sinoceratops

 Utahceratops

 Pentaceratops

 Triceratops

 Torosaurus


A closer look at the final products

And following up on those photos, they also opened some random figures for each one as examples of the final products. 

 Xenoceratops

 Albertoceratops

 Sinoceratops

 Utahceratops

 Pentaceratops

 Triceratops (adult)

 Torosaurus

 Between these photos and the few photos I've seen online from customers in Asia, everything is looking very good and I can't wait to get these out to everyone. We just have to deal with this pesky shipping situation first.


Tyrannosaur Series

And I know this is a Ceratopsian Series update, but in case anyone here backed the recent Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter and missed my Thank You update- I just want to say here, a sincere 'Thank you' to everyone here who participated or at least let other people know about the campaign. It was successful well beyond my expectations and I'm very excited for the opportunity to be able to bring you all this new series of figures. There will be more details to come regarding the BackerKit pledge manager and the pre-order store in the weeks to come.


New Interviews

In case you missed them, I recently did a couple of new interviews discussing the Beasts of the Mesozoic line and other dinosaur toy-related topics. A big 'thank you' goes out to Jurassic Outpost and Paleo-Nerd for giving me this opportunity to chat about my figures!


Jurassic Outpost interview

Paleo-Nerd

Toy Con NJ/ Legions Con

Click the image for show info

For anyone in or near the New Jersey area, I will be attending the Toy Con NJ/ Legions Con event this November 13th and 14th! I'll have Beasts of the Mesozoic stock on-hand to sell, plus you'll be able to check out the final samples of the Ceratopsians wave 3 figures and most importantly, I'll have the Tyrannosaur Series prototypes on display for what will likely be the only time to see them in public. So if any of you can make it out to the show, I'd love to see you there!


Well, that's all the news for now. As always, you can find the latest Beasts of the Mesozoic and related news, on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. And also on the 'News' section of my website, which is updated each Sunday. I will be sure to keep you all posted on any further developments with the Wave 3 fulfillment, but hopefully we won't experience any more significant delays. 

Thank you again for your support and for your patience in receiving these figures- take care everyone!


-David

The Beasts of the Mesozoic: Tyrannosaur Series is now LIVE!!
over 2 years ago – Tue, Sep 28, 2021 at 09:17:05 AM

The Tyrannosaur Series is now LIVE on Kickstarter and we're off to a great start! Check out the campaign HERE.


Please back early if you're interested and be sure to spread to the word to anyone that you think would enjoy these figures! 

Thanks everyone!


-David

Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter is FUNDED and 3 Stretch Goals are UNLOCKED!
over 2 years ago – Sun, Sep 26, 2021 at 09:47:28 AM

I just wanted to send out a quick update on the progress for the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Tyrannosaur Series. 

We were able to reach our funding goal of $185,000 in record time- just under 13 and half hours! 

click the image to see the campaign

If you've already backed this project, thank you so much!

And now we've kept things going with three stretch goal unlocks!


1/18 Tyrannosaurus rex (juvenile) 

The juvenile T.rex  figure measures 12"/ 30cm in length and features 20 points of articulation as well as three sets of alternate feet, base and bendable tail. Add-on price: $53(US)/ $55 (INT)


1/18 Gunalong wucaii 

One of the smaller figures being offered, Guanlong comes in at 8" / 20cm long, with 19 points of articulation including a bendable tail and base. Add-on price: $32 (US)/ $35 (INT)


1/18 Yutyrannus huali

The Yutyrannus figure measures 16"/ 41cm in length and features 22 points of articulation as well as three sets of alternate feet, base and bendable tail end section. Add-on price: $73(US)/ $76 (INT)

Click here to go to the Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter campaign!

The colorful 1/6th scale Dilong is up next!

And there's plenty more to come...

Let's keep unlocking these new Tyrannosaur figures

See you soon!


-David

Wave 3 nears completion- Final Production Samples and Tyrannosaur Series Campaign Info!
over 2 years ago – Wed, Sep 22, 2021 at 05:15:04 PM

Hello again everyone- I hope this update finds you well. There's been no shortage of activity here at the studio lately so let's dive in and catch up on all the latest developments!

Wave 3 nearing completion!

Ready to be let loose!

Production for wave 3 is wrapping up now and is still on track to finish by the end of this month. Once finished, we're expecting it to take at least 4-6 weeks for the stock to arrive at our warehouse so we're hoping to begin fulfillment by the first half of November. As some of you may have heard, shipping delays from China have been very common lately so it is possible that we could see longer transit times than usual, but we're going to do all that we can to get the product to our warehouse and shipped to backers as soon as possible. In any case, it is nice to know that the production is nearly done and I'm happy to report that it's looking great so far! Speaking of which, let's take a look at some brand new sample figures.


Final production samples in and out of package

I've just received final production samples for three of each Ceratopsian figure and after going over all of them, I was pleasantly surprised by how well these turned out despite the very involved and detailed paint designs. It looks as though that extra month of production time has paid off!

So here are the final products in-package and also out against their included backdrops. I think it's worth noting that the in-package figures and the opened figures here are each different samples, because it's nearly impossible to tell.  


Xenoceratops

 Albertaceratops

 Sinoceratops

 Utahceratops

 Pentaceratops

 Triceratops

 Torosaurus

These photos are nice, but they can't possibly convey the weight of these figures in-hand- these are some beefy dinosaurs!

For those still interested,  the pre-orders for these will remain open until the stock reaches the warehouse and fulfillment begins, so there's still time to take advantage of the reduced pricing. Wave 3 can now be pre-ordered through my website here or on BackerKit. In addition, these items can still be added on to an existing pre-order by request.


 Split-shipping balances for wave 3 

For those of you who have requested to split your shipments, I will begin charging the remaining shipping amounts for these Wave 3 figures in about three weeks using your payment method on file in BackerKit, but if you'd prefer to use a different method or need to update your credit card, please private message me. And please note that if you have not contacted me directly to request split-shipping or if you have not ordered Wave 3 figures, this does not affect you. Also, regular orders that are set to ship 'all-at-once', will not owe a balance.


Split shipping pricing

Because of the large size of these figures and the recent increases in shipping prices, I've had to increase the base shipping price by $3, but the per figure cost will remain the same as it was for Wave 2.

Base shipping- $11 (US), $13 (Int.)

Per figure- Body 4; Xeno, Alberta, Sino, Utah, and Penta-  add $3 (US), $7 (Int.)

Per figure- Body 5; adult Triceratops, Torosaurus-  add $5 (US), $8 (Int.)


Time to double check your shipping address

With about 4-6 weeks from fulfillment, it would be a good time to check your address on file if you need to, but unless you've moved within the last two years, this shouldn't be an issue.

UK and EU Fulfillment

Orders that are in at this point from the UK and EU regions are expected to ship via Everything Dinosaur as their shipment is currently being prepared at the factory now, which also includes their store stock. These rewards are expected to ship out to backers around the same time as the US fulfillment.

Messages

I'm anticipating a very busy week with the new Kickstarter going live soon (more on that  below), so if you need to contact me regarding your order, please allow me a few days to follow up. But please know that I will get back to you as soon as I can. 


More 'Action Preview' videos

I've added a few more videos on my YouTube channel showing off the articulation range and to get a closer overall look at each of these wave 3 Ceratopsian figures. 

Albertaceratops 

Sinoceratops

Utahceratops

Pentaceratops

 I'll be sending out some of my new samples to select youtubers in the next few weeks in order to give you all an early (and more professional) review of these figures, so be sure to watch out for that!



The Tyrannosaur Series begins on Wednesday, Sept. 22nd!

 Can you believe it's already here? And before anyone does the math, yes this is one whole year sooner than the amount of time it took to reach the Ceratopsian Kickstarter after the Raptor Series. It's hard to believe that we're already set to begin the next one, but we're ready for it (more or less) so why not? I even have the factory working on the fine cut models as I type this, so we're already ahead of where we normally are for a new series.

1/35 scale fine cut T. rex

I have some general info on the upcoming Kickstarter event that I've just recently shared on my social media. This was copied from that post:

 Pricing- The large 1/18th scale T. rex will be $200 each and the 1/35th scale T. rex will be $60 each on Kickstarter. As with previous series’, the prices will increase a bit afterward for the preorder and then again for retail. Projected release is Sept. 2022, but since we already have the fine cuts in development, this is a conservative estimate and it could be a little sooner. Also, the special edition variants will be $210 and $65 respectively due to the more elaborate packaging.

T. rex figure parts layout

Standing- the standing issue will be resolved with interchangeable solid lower legs that peg into the base, with the intention that you use one lower leg essentially as the ‘stand’ while the other leg remains poseable. This will be the case with all figures 14″ and larger. Anything smaller than that will still require a standing rod due to the small feet and/or to maintain a specific price point. Flat foot standing without the base may be possible, but I won’t know for sure until we have test shot figures completed.

The initial funding goal will be for the four T. rex figures- the standard 1/18th and 1/35th scale figures, plus the two special edition variants-1/18th ‘Dino Riders homage’ T. rex  and the 1/35th ‘Walking with Dinosaurs homage’ T. rex. All of the other figures shown so far will be stretch goals and the order will be revealed during the Kickstarter campaign. The exact time of launch will be Sept. 22nd at 11am EST.

Ezra Tucker returns to BotM!

Tyrannosaurus rex painting by Ezra Tucker

 If you've seen my social media recently, you may have heard that wildlife painter and original Dino Riders package artist, Ezra Tucker has returned for the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Tyrannosaur Series!  Much like we did with the Kickstarter exclusive Monoclonius, the art will accompany an homage to the Dino Riders T.rex at the 1/18th scale, and which will be limited to Kickstarter backers only.  And also once again, there will be signed prints available of Ezra's incredible box art. If you liked the Monoclonius homage figure, you won't want to miss out on this one!


Well, that's a wrap for now, and it's time to finally go finish that new Kickstarter campaign page...

So nice to see them all getting along.

For more Beasts of the Mesozoic news, you can always find the latest on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Or, go to the 'News' section of my website , with all the latest info and some fun blog posts as well.

And keep an eye out for a quick KS update on Wednesday morning for the launch of the new campaign. Take care everyone, and hopefully I'll see you all for the Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter! 

-David-

Wave 3 Status Update, plus First Look at Packaging, Paint process and more!
over 2 years ago – Mon, Aug 09, 2021 at 01:16:02 PM

Hi All! I hope you've been well and are enjoying the summer. There's plenty of Beasts of the Mesozoic news to discuss so let's right get to it!

Wave 3 Status Update

Everything is still moving along well with Wave 3- the paint samples have been approved and the packaging files have been completed.  However, we did get hung up a bit on the paint sample stage. As mentioned in the last update, the larger size of these figures combined with the intricate paint designs did require some additional time for resolving the painting methods. And while I am happy with the decision to take the extra time to get them right,  this has unfortunately affected the schedule. The ship date from the factory has now been moved one month from the end of August to the end of September.  Which means that fulfillment from the US and the UK is now estimated to begin in late October or early November.  

It must also be noted that there have been many delayed shipments from China lately due to a shortage of sea freight shipping containers. I'm not sure if or how this will affect our shipment, but I wanted to at least mention it here as it has been a concern lately for companies shipping manufactured items and could potentially impede the delivery of goods. Hopefully it won't be an issue by the time we're ready to ship, but of course if there are additional delays, I'll be sure to let you all know. 

Since we now must wait a little longer because of to paint samples, I thought this would be a good opportunity to actually show how the paint approval process works, and what all it entails. 


 The Paint Sample Process 

Last time, we took a look at the paint samples for the adult Triceratops, Torosaurus, and Utahceratops, while the remaining paint samples were still being worked on. Not long after that post, I did receive the rest of the paint samples, and overall they looked very good. But there were definitely some areas that needed improvement. These paint samples are very important to get correct as they serve as the template for the thousands of copies to be painted afterward for production. Even the smallest mistake could be replicated again and again on the production figures so I always want to make sure to be thorough when reviewing these paint samples with the factory. It may not guarantee a perfect result every time, but it does go a long way to making them as close as possible to the originally painted version.

Matching the Prototype

This process begins when I send the factory the original painted prototype for them to copy. These painted prototypes are the very same figures that you all see initially in the photos representing the final action figures, which at that stage are essentially like resin model kits. They rarely survive the journey to the factory in-tact, but they are normally separated even when they do. No longer needed for display or photography, they only have to serve as a guide to follow for painting the action figures.

The fate of the first painted Ceratopsian prototype. Not pretty, but for a good cause.

This paint prototype is referred to as the 'Paint Master' ( labeled 'PM' in the images). The hand-painted samples are meant to follow the paint master parts as closely as possible. 


Paint Notes

Each prototype will receive multiple paint samples for the various painters to follow for production, and each sample is made to look exactly the same. If a change is requested based on my own paint sample, then all of the samples must be adjusted accordingly. Only after I approve the changes will these move on to the mass production stage.  In general, the samples are usually about 90-95% correct, but sometimes details are missing or colors/ shades are a little off. 

 Here are some examples of notes that I've sent the factory for this wave.

Xenoceratops notes
Utahceratops notes
Sinoceratops notes
Albertaceratops notes
Pentaceratops notes

That's not quite all of the notes, but that gives it does give a good idea of what's involved. I should mention that this is the normal process- paint sample notes are to be expected, and this assortment had about an average amount of paint corrections. It was the time spent painting the initial samples that took the additional time leading to the delay. Adjustments like these, however, are usually completed within 24 hours. The next step is to receive the in-package samples, which I should have in about a month or so.

I hope that provides some insight into that part of the action figure making process. Now let's take a look at the paint samples themselves!


Paint Samples- part 2

Below are the paint samples that I wasn't able to show last time. I've gone ahead and touched up a few missed paint areas that were noted for correction such as the scutes on Xenoceratops' back, the blue spots on Albertaceratops' neck, and the deeper browns on the Pentaceratops' body- all to better represent the final product. That being said, these were very good when I received them, but of course the missing details had to be noted and corrected. 

Xenoceratops

Albertaceratops

Sinoceratops

Pentaceratops

 The Star Wars figures are for scale only obviously, but it is fun to match them up!


I've also begun making my Action Preview videos for this wave. Here's the first one for Xenoceratops showing the range of motion and overall details. I plan on making more of these videos in the coming weeks.


Packaging Print Proofs

 As I'd mentioned, the packaging is now completed! Here are photos from the factory of the print proofs which are on their way to me now for approval. 

Albertaceratops packaging
Sinoceratops packaging
Torosaurus packaging
Triceratops packaging
Utahceratops packaging
Xenoceratops packaging
Pentaceratops packaging

 Once I have these in-hand, I'll be able to mock-up in-package versions of the paint samples, which I'm really looking forward to. 


New Release date for small Ceratopsians and Raptors

We'll see you little fellas in 2022!

 (Shared directly from my social media post as I really couldn't think of a better way to state this news.)

I have some news regarding the resized 1/18th scale Beasts of the Mesozoic Ceratopsians and Raptors. The painted prototypes are all completed now and we're almost ready to begin the tooling process. However, I feel that managing production for these right now along with the wave 3 Ceratopsians and preparing for the Tyrannosaur Kickstarter may be a bit more than I should commit to at the moment as I want to make sure that all three projects receive the proper amount of attention. I'm also concerned about these releasing so soon after the Tyrannosaur Kickstarter may cause people to have to pass on one or the other due to budget constraints. So with all of this in mind, I feel that it's best to hold off on production for these little ones until after the Kickstarter and instead plan for a spring 2022 release, with preorders beginning in February. I know this may disappoint some of you who were looking forward to getting these in time for holidays, but I would only put these out if I knew I could give them the proper attention and setting the release date back a bit will help to give each set of figures plenty of room to be worked on effectively. But rest assured, the small raptors and ceratopsians are still being released! 


Tyrannosaurus rex Teaser

Before I conclude this update, I wanted to leave you with a recent image of the newly painted 1/18th adult T-rex prototype along side the juvenile. At 27" long,  this thing is a beast! And a big shout-out once again to Jake Baardse for a truly amazing job the on sculpt. 

There's still plenty more to look forward to from this series, so stay tuned to my social media for more reveals and remember to save the date- the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter begins on Sept. 22nd!

That's all for now. There is still time to take advantage of the preorder pricing for Wave 3 on BackerKit or  pre-order directly through creative-beast.com. These items can still be added on to an existing BackerKit order as well, by request. 

For more on the Ceratopsian Series, Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter, and Creative Beast Studio , you can always find the latest news on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Or, you can check out the 'News' section of my website , with the same news plus cool blog posts.


Take care, and I'll see you all in the next update! 

David