Wave 3 Arrives- Fulfillment Now in Progress!
about 3 years ago – Thu, Dec 16, 2021 at 08:32:32 PM

 It's time for wave 3!

With us now well into our holiday season for 2021, I hope you all are enjoying the excitement that this time of year usually brings. And for those who've been patiently waiting for the wave 3 Ceratopsians to arrive, it's about to get even better!

Arrival at US warehouse

As some of you may have heard, last week we finally received our big shipment of the wave 3 Ceratopsians at our New Jersey warehouse! Being such a busy time of year, it took several days to get everything organized and added to the existing inventory. But the impeccable team at Fulfillrite has done an incredible job, as always, with getting these new items sorted out and ready to ship to eager preorder backers. 

Despite all of the hectic activity right now, the Fulfillrite team was still kind enough to provide me with these photos of the new items just after their arrival.

I really can't praise the Fulfillrite team enough for their diligence in getting these sorted out and shipped. We're still getting caught up now, so if you haven't received a shipping confirmation yet, please give it a few more days. We expect to at least get the US preorders to all of the backers in time for Christmas, and we'll definitely do all we can to get our international backers their items in time for the big holiday as well.

If you're looking to track down any of these wave 3 figures, they have been added to our 'New Arrivals' section and are now in-stock and ready to ship!

Well, all except for one...

Adult Triceratops delay

While we have received the complete stock of Xenoceratops, Albertaceratops, Sinoceratops, Utahceratops, Pentaceratops, and Torosaurus, the stock for the adult Triceratops unfortunately had to be split into two separate shipments, and we are currently awaiting the majority of this order. We did however receive a small quantity of adult Triceratops, 212 to be exact, and they have been prioritized for early backers and orders containing multiple items. 

The remainder of the adult Triceratops shipment is estimated to arrive in the first half of January. This figure will remain in preorder status until we receive the rest of the shipment. My sincere apologies to anyone who we weren't able to send this out to yet, but will we send all of the remaining orders as soon as we can. 

Everything Dinosaur fulfillment (UK and EU regions)

In other news, I've also received confirmation from my UK retail/ fulfillment partner, Everything Dinosaur, that they have now received their wave 3 shipment as well and have begun preparing orders for the UK and EU regions! This is a great surprise as initially the arrival estimates were for early January. And luckily in this case, there is no shortage of adult Triceratops, so Everything Dinosaur will have all of the wave 3 items available. 

Shipping restrictions to Australia and New Zealand

For our backers in the Australia and New Zealand region, there is a temporary service disruption for USPS and Asendia postal services from the US, mostly due to COVID-19 precautions. While we can still send items via DHL or Fedex, these methods are generally twice as expensive and would require an additional shipping charge. If you live in these regions and would like to request that we expedite your shipment, please message me. Otherwise, we will ship these orders out as soon as the restrictions are lifted. For a full list of USPS international service disruptions and any associated updates, click here.

Split shipping charges for wave 3

For those backers who requested to have their order split into multiple shipments, the wave 3 charges have been applied to your BackerKit order. These shipping charges are based on the same shipping prices used for wave 2. Keep in mind that the wave 3 figures only include the body 4 and body 5 types.

In some cases it wasn't necessary to charge the entire amount as it will depend on shipping location and number/size of the items. I will follow up with those whos' charges have not been collected yet so that we can get your orders fulfilled as soon as possible.

New video reviews 

Thanks to several of our backers here who are also talented YouTube reviewers, I'm happy to present you all with a thorough look at each figure from this wave. A big 'Thank you' goes out to BionicleSaurus, Dino Scream Reviews, and Andy's Dinosaur Reviews for helping me share an early review for each of these figures! 

Sinoceratops

 Pentaceratops

 Albertaceratops

 Torosaurus

 Utahceratops

 Xenoceratops

 adult Triceratops

The end is in sight now for finalizing the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Ceratopsian Series, and by the next Kickstarter update, I expect that it will be concluded- but we can save our goodbyes for that time. And while we see this Ceratopsian Series come to close, you can expect to see more Beasts of the Mesozoic Ceratopsians in the future as the line evolves.

Well, that is all of the news for now, and I suppose this will be the last Ceratopsian Series update of 2021. But when I'm not creating Kickstarter updates, you can always find the most up-to-date Beasts of the Mesozoic news on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Or just check out the 'News' section of my website, which is updated each week. 

I hope you all have plenty of great memories from this year and I wish you all the best during this holiday season.  

Happy holidays and here's to a great new year in 2022!

-David

Wave 3 Status- final production photos, fulfillment update and more!
over 3 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

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 3 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 3 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! 

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 3 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!

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.

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.

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!

 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...

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-