Wave 3 Status Update, plus First Look at Packaging, Paint process and more!
over 3 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.

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.

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. 

 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

 (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

Wave 3 status update- paint samples and more! Plus, Tyrannosaur Series campaign date announced!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Jul 02, 2021 at 07:33:02 PM

Is it summer already? Wow, 2021 is really zooming right on by. From the Ceratopsian Series to preparing for the next phase of Beasts of the Mesozoic, there has definitely been no shortage of work to be done on this end. That being said, there's plenty of progress to report, so let's kick off this update with the latest news on the big Ceratopsians of Wave 3!

Current production status for Wave 3

Production for the wave 3 Ceratopsians is moving along at a good pace and factory is working hard to complete the first set of paint samples for approval. 

 Thus  far, I have paint samples for Torosaurus, adult Triceratops and Utahceratops and they are all looking great with only very minor notes for adjustments. Here's a look at what we have so far!

Paint Samples

Torosaurus 

 Triceratops (adult) 

 Utahceratops 

The remaining four are still in progress but expected to be finished within the next week or two. I'm told that the figures for this wave have been particularly difficult to paint due to the complexity of the paint jobs, so they're taking a little longer than expected to complete. They are no doubt intricate designs, and I've encouraged them to take more time to get them all looking as good as possible. Here's a behind the scenes look at the paint process.

 The paint sample stage is when the factory develops specific painting methods and applications to match the look of each prototype figure. Once each sample is approved and the paint methods have been established, we can then proceed with the final production run.

You can imagine how patient these painters must be- having to follow my designs, I know I didn't make it easy for them!

Test shots

 While we await the remaining paint samples, we can at least take a look and the appreciate these awesome test shot figures!

Packaging progress

Progress is also being made with the package design as well. I've received the 'white box' samples which give us our box dimensions, blister designs, and figure placements. And for size, check out the Triceratops and Torosaurus in package compared to the 'Big Boss' of wave 2, Pachyrhinosaurus. These new guys are huge!

And currently I'm working on the digital files for the package designs as well. This is my Photoshop workspace at the moment.

 Still plenty to do here, but far enough along that you can begin to imagine the final packaging. I intend to have these finished by the time the samples are all approved for production.

1/18th scale Ceratopsians and Raptors update

Progress is also continuing on the little 1/18th scale Ceratopsians and Raptors. My paint masters are done for the three Ceratopsians and the Raptor paint masters are nearing completion. Once these are all finished we'll be able to move forward with final production quotes. 

 These raptors are nearly done too...

 Look for these to be up for preorder sometime in July with an estimated availability for November. 

Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter date announcement!

 If you've been following me on social media, you've probably already heard, but I want to announce here that my next Kickstarter campaign for the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Tyrannosaur Series, will begin on Sept. 22nd, 2021!  And yes, I will be leading off with the star of the line, Tyrannosaurus rex in both 1/18th and 1/35th scales. 

With 22 possible Tyrannosaur figures in total, there will be plenty of progress to reveal between now and the launch date, but don't expect me to show off everything in advance- I'll need to save something for the big event!

That'll do it for now. For those still wanting to lock-in the preorder pricing for Wave 3, you can still find them on BackerKit or you can now preorder directly through creative-beast.com. I can also add on to an existing BackerKit order by request. Wave 3 is still currently expected to ship by the end of September 2021.

As always, for news on the Ceratopsian Series, Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter, and any other Creative Beast Studio related news, you can always find the latest info on my social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. No social media? No problem- you can check out the 'News' section of my website , updated each Sunday with all the same news. And while you're there, be sure to check out the dinosaur blog as well!

Take care everyone, and until next time!

David

Wave 2 has arrived in the US and fulfillment will begin on Thursday, April 22nd!
almost 4 years ago – Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 10:16:00 AM

Hi All- I just wanted to send a quick update to you all regarding the status of the Wave 2 Ceratopsian figures. 

Wave 2 Warehouse Arrival

As of yesterday, the wave 2 items have been received at the New Jersey warehouse! Here are some photos of the newly received products thanks to the helpful folks at Fulfillrite.

I do need to mention however that the Glow-in-the-Dark Zuniceratops (green) was shipped in a separate freight container and will be arriving a few days from now, but they are only a few days behind. Fulfillment of orders not containing the GITD Zuniceratops will begin tomorrow.

Last call to edit addresses for Wave 2 items

If you've moved recently and are expecting items from this wave, please message me immediately with your current shipping address.

Split shipping balances

For those who have requested to have their orders ship according to wave, the wave 2 balance is now due ( $8 for US or $10 for international). Most of the charges have been made at this point via the original BackerKit orders, but there are still a handful of backers who require updated payment information. If you know that you have a split shipping balance, there's no need to worry since you can pay it at any time. But I'll be contacting those people directly via messenger within the next few days.

Final Days to preorder Wave 2

Just a reminder-the Wave 2 Ceratopsian figures will only remain available on the BackerKit preorder store until Monday, April 26th. 

So if you want to lock in that preorder price, now's the time. As of Monday, these items will be made available on creative-beast.com at the regular retail price. For those wanting to add to an existing preorder, please message me.  Also, the Wave 3 items will remain available for preorder until fulfillment begins this fall.

That's it for now. I'll have plenty of updates next time on the Wave 3 production status as well as news on the resized 1/18th ceratopsians and raptors. Remember to follow my progress on social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Or you can check out the 'News' section of my website , updated every Sunday. 

Take care everyone, and I hope you all enjoy the new figures!

David

Wave 2 Shipping Soon, Wave 3 Tooling completed and more!
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Mar 31, 2021 at 04:02:52 PM

Hello again everyone, hope you all have been well. There's plenty happening lately with the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Ceratopsian Series, not the least of which is the imminent arrival of the Wave 2 Ceratopsians! So prepare yourself for one of those photo (and video)-packed updates. 

Without further ado, let's get to it!

Wave 2 Fulfillment to begin in mid-April!

As of March 8th, the Wave 2 figures began their long journey from the factory in China and are currently 'on the water', making their way to the US, and to Everything Dinosaur (UK) right now. Estimated fulfillment is mid-April for US fulfilled orders and early May for Everything Dinosaur fulfillment. Keep in mind however possible delays due to customs clearances and freight transport to their respective warehouses. 

We still have several weeks left before the Wave 2 figures are ready to go out, so there's still time to get addresses and payments in order. I'll be sending out a Kickstarter message reminder prior to fulfillment, but wanted to mention these key points:

 Address updates

If anyone has moved recently or would like to change their shipping address, please private message me with your new address as soon as possible. 

Split Shipping 

For those that have requested split shipping thus far, I want to keep the additional shipment costs simple so here's how it breaks down:
US orders: $8 per additional shipment
            International orders: $10 per additional shipment

The additional shipping expense will be billed to your order on BackerKit. Please message me if you have any questions, need help with payment options, or if you'd prefer to pay directly with Paypal. I plan to begin this process next week.

Please note that if your order contains Wave 3 items, the Wave 2 items will not ship unless split shipping is requested. If you'd like to have your order split into multiple shipments, please message me.

 UK and EU fulfillment

In-stock Wave 2 UK and EU orders received by 2/24/21 will be fulfilled by Everything Dinosaur. For those in the EU concerned about customs fees from the UK, Everything Dinosaur has informed me that they will be shipping DDP (delivered duty paid), meaning that European customers will not have any additional costs.

 I want also to mention that lately I've been receiving a large amount of messages and emails after each Kickstarter update, so in anticipation of this, please allow me a few days to respond to everyone. Rest assured that I will follow up as soon as I can.

 
Final Packaging for Wave 2

As we anticipate the arrival of the second wave of Ceratopsians, here's a look at each of the final products in-package!

 As of this posting, these are all still available at the pre-order price on the BackerKit preorder store. Once they hit the warehouse next month, they'll be available at their regular prices at creative-beast.com.

Zuniceratops (GITD) orange variant

You won't find this one on the BackerKit store- the orange variant GITD Zuniceratops is exclusive to Toypizza.com and will be available in April as well!

Wave 2 Early Review Videos

For an advance look at the new Wave 2 Ceratopsians, look no further. Collected here are the early review videos! A big 'Thank You' goes out to these YouTube reviewers for taking the time to provide us with an early glimpse at these figures.

Dino Scream Reviews 

 Andy's Dinosaur Reviews

 Laura Legends

 Shartimus Prime

Ben's Collectables

 JurassicCollectables

 I've also been posting quick preview videos on my own YouTube channel. I suppose you could call them 'articulation videos' or 'action previews' as I tend to push the joints a bit further than you may normally see in other reviews. 

Remember if your new figure is stiff, heat it up with some hot water or a hair dryer for just a few seconds- there really is a lot of movement on these fellas.

 
    Wave 3 Tooling completed!

As we head into Wave 3 production, the metal tooling molds for the largest figures in the line- adult Triceratops and Torosaurus (aka Body 5) are now completed. Here are just some of the molds.

Body 5 test shots

We also have our first look at the test shot figures for these huge beasts! 

 Notice the horn pegs on the Triceratops (below)- the only figure in the series to feature interchangeable horn options.

These photos were taken from the factory, but I'll be receiving my own test shot samples for review soon. Stay tuned to my social media for the latest on that.

 
Resized Ceratopsians Update

 For those that caught the previous update, you'll remember mention that the 1/6th scale Psittacosaurus and Protoceratops andrewsi were getting rescaled down to 1/18th, matching the scale of the rest of the Ceratopsian Series. But there is one more addition to these little guys- say hello to Protoceratops hellenikorhinus!

The new head was once again brilliantly sculpted by Jake Baardse.

Could we see Protoceratops h. at the larger, 1/6th scale later on? Very possibly.

I'm hoping that these can be ready with Ceratopsians Wave 3 in September, but if not I intend to have these available in time for the holidays.

Well, that is all of the latest news Ceratopsian news for now. But I do have one more thing that I want to sneak in here (I hope you don't mind)...

And that's all for now. For the latest on the Ceratopsian Series, Tyrannosaur Series development, and all Creative Beast Studio related news, you can find me on social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter. Not on social? No problem, you can check out the 'News' section of my website , updated every Sunday. Plenty of cool blog posts to read there as well.

Take care, and until next time!

 David

 

Wave 2 Production and Fulfillment Status, Wave 3 Tooling News, and More New Items!
about 4 years ago – Wed, Feb 03, 2021 at 11:34:56 AM

Hello again everyone, I hope you all had a great holiday season! 

By now, all of the in-stock wave 1 orders and split orders have all been shipped and have (hopefully) been received. It's been a blast seeing all of the great photos on Instagram and various social media of the new Ceratopsian figures out 'in the wild'. The Wave 1 Ceratopsians are now in-stock and available at creative-best.com .

The holiday shipping season was much more hectic than usual so I thank you all for your patience as there were a lot of challenges regarding the deliveries, especially for international shipments. Big thanks goes out to Everything Dinosaur for helping with the UK and EU deliveries. They were super-efficient and thorough with shipping out the wave 1 rewards and preorders. 

If anyone is still waiting for their wave 1 items, or if you need to split your order to receive in-stock items as they are released, please send me a message and I'll assist you with your order. Please note that the information I can share via public comments is extremely limited.

It's been longer than usual since my last update, but progress has continued all the same, and we've even added a few new items in the process. There's plenty of news to catch up on, so let's get to it!

Wave 2 Status

Production for Wave 2 has been going very well. With the experience gained from the first wave, I'm hoping to make this second wave even better! My initial plan was to have these items shipped from the factory by Chinese New Year (Feb. 12th) in order for us to begin fulfillment in March. However they confirmed that doing so would require them to rush the final production so I asked them to take a little more time and make sure that it's done right. This means that the items will now ship from the factory in March thus pushing back the estimated fulfillment to delivery in April. I felt this delay was necessary in order to avoid  having the figures rushed to meet a deadline.

Final Paint Samples

I've received paint samples for each of the Wave 2 figures, which have now all been approved. Here's a look at each one sporting some fun poses.

I'll be posting more photos of each of these on my social media channels in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! These, as well as Wave 3, are still available at the preorder price at the BackerKit Ceratopsian Series Preorder Store. 

 In-Package Samples are en Route now

Not only are the Wave 2 figures now finalized,  but the packaging is as well. The factory has just shipped final packaged samples of each item to me for approval. These photos were taken just before being shipped.

I'll be taking my own photos of each one later, but these are a good preview of what can be expected for the final versions.

Glow-in-the Dark Zuniceratops

In case anyone missed the announcement in December, there has been a new addition to the Wave 2 assortment- Glow-in-the-Dark Zuniceratops! 

Inspired by GITD dinosaur toys from the 70's and 80's, this is a fun variant of the Zuniceratops bringing the retro color style to a modern dinosaur sculpt.

 Even the packaging is designed differently to give it that vintage vibe. 

And there's not one, but TWO different color options for this one! While the regular version, green, will be sold as usual through BackerKit, creative-beast.com and supporting retailers, the orange variant is exclusive to our friends at ToyPizza.com! Shout out to Jesse at Toy Pizza for collaborating with me on this figure offer and helping to make it possible.

As with the other packaged samples, these are also on their way to me as well. 

The response for these so far has been very good for both Jesse and myself, so we're really hoping that there'll be potential to make more of these GITD variants in the future!

 Wave 3-  Torosaurus and adult Triceratops are tooling now

I recently received photos of the final fine cuts for the 'Body 5', the largest size at 18" long. Most of the photos show the Torosaurus arrangement, but photos of the adult Triceratops head are included as well.

 Similar to how I had the details refined on the sub-adult Triceratops, Psittacosaurus, and Protoceratops, I had the scale details deepened and refined throughout to make sure that they would not get lost after being painted.

 Triceratops head

Tooling is currently underway and these will be shipping as part of wave 3, still expected in September of 2021.

1/18th scale Protoceratops, Psittacosaurus, and Raptors 

The fine-cuts are now finished for the upcoming 1/18th scale Protoceratops and Psittacosaurus figures. These measure 4" in length and will be in-scale with the main Ceratopsian line. 

 Although there will be no articulation below the elbows and knees, each will include interchangeable lower legs to achieve a similar range of poses to their larger, 1/6th scale counterparts. 

 It's also worth noting that the bases will have the 'Beasts of the Mesozoic' logo embossed into them and will be cast in a clear plastic.

 Here you can see the size difference when compared to their larger versions.

And what fun are the herbivores without some carnivores to go with them? The 1/18th scale raptors are also in development right now! Here's a look at the 'rough cut' of Linheraptor ( for size approval only). 

Velociraptor and Dromaeosaurus will also be available with this first set at this smaller scale. I'm hoping to include these with the Wave 3 releases. Preorders will go live after the prototypes are completed and I can confirm the estimated month of delivery. 

That's all the latest news!  If you don't already, you can follow me on social media at Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter for the most up-to-date news on this project and also for the upcoming Tyrannosaur Series Kickstarter. You can also check out the 'News' section of my website , updated every Sunday.

Take care everyone- until next time!

David