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:
First Look at Production Progress- Nasutoceratops Fine Cut, Final Tooling Parts Breakdown, and More!
about 5 years ago
– Fri, Dec 13, 2019 at 12:58:14 AM
First Fine-Cut Photos- Nasutoceratops
All of the parts for the Beasts of the Mesozoic: Ceratopsian Series are now with the tooling factory and fine cut figures are being worked on now.
Fine Cut?
A fine-cut is the very first stage of production in which the parts I created for the figures are duplicated and refined for detail and engineered for maximum range of motion at the articulation points.
For figure construction, I create a parts layout like the one below, for each figure. The parts are all designated with a letter/ number name so that they can be referenced throughout the process as needed.
This particular fine-cut was without it's correct neck at the time of construction, so the next best neck was used for now, hence why it looks slightly longer than it's prototype. However this will be revised on the next version.
The joints have all been added and the the horns are now removeable so that they can be injected in a softer plastic for the final version. The 'cheeks' will also need to be adjusted to fill the gap when the mouth is opened. Fine cuts usually require one or two rounds of revisions before being approved.
Once a fine cut is approved, those parts will be used to create the metal tooling molds from which the final action figures will be made from.
As mentioned all of the Ceratopsian Series parts are with the tooling factory. Here's a look at every piece they have now, grouped according to those figures which share parts.
You may notice that the Triceratops has two different sets of horns. The idea is that the two sets will be interchangeable allowing you to display the figure as a younger adult or an older adult. However, I want to be sure this interchangeability can be done without detracting from the aesthetics of the final design. Normally there would be a nice break from the keratin horn to the scaly skin texture, but with the Triceratops, the face is all keratin so I want to be sure that we can keep the seams as minimal as possible if the horns are to be interchangeable. If this can be achieved, then we will proceed with the two sets of horns.
A Final Farewell to the Ceratopsian Prototypes
While it happened a little later than expected, it finally came time recently to part with the work I've done for the past two years. These 25 hand-painted prototypes have concluded their service as display models and will now go on to be immortalized as the paint masters to be followed for creating their action figure offspring.
Xenoceratops- where the line began.
Goodbye Pachy
Farewell my friends, may you all be the seeds for something much greater.
Once these are received at the factory they will serve as the basis for how each figure is to be painted. First a set of 5-10 hand-painted samples will be created for each prototype. Upon my approval, these samples will be used by the various workers to follow for the mass production of each ceratopsian action figure.
Credit Card charges for Kickstarter Surveys
As I'd stated previously, balances for Kickstarter-funded items added to surveys were charged as of the Dec. 4th lockdown, and the surveys are now locked. However, I was only able to charge for surveys not containing BackerKit-funded items as there doesn't seem to be a way to separate the Kickstarter items and the BackerKit items within the same order as I had planned. Because of this, all orders containing BackerKit-funded items will be charged forthe balance on February 7th along with the regular pre-orders. In the meantime, you may still make Paypal payments toward your balance if you click the 'Edit address' button on your survey order, but otherwise credit cards will not be charged for those surveys until February. Also, if you have a locked survey and would like to add to it before Feb. 7th, please private message me with your info and I can do this for you manually.
Group Shot!
Before I sent the Ceratopsian tribe on their way, I was able to get a shot of all 25 of them together at last! I've been looking forward to this scene for a long time- look at what we've achieved together!
ALL ITEMS UNLOCKED AND FUNDED! BackerKit Surveys Due Today!
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Dec 04, 2019 at 08:01:00 PM
CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!
WE DID IT! All 25 Ceratopsian action figures are now funded and unlocked! I can't express enough gratitude for the support you all have brought to this endeavor. Thank you all so much!!
So it goes without saying, the adult Triceratops and the Tororsaurus are now officially UNLOCKED!
The Kickstarter surveys on BackerKit are now at 89% complete as of this post. I know some people need a little more time to get their selections in or have payments to sort out and that's fine, but I urge everyone who hasn't finalized their survey to do so as soon as possible so I can take an accurate count of the items needed for production as well as being sure that I have everyone's mailing addresses. If you never received a survey in your email or if you're having trouble finalizing your survey, please message me and I'll help you as soon as possible. Remember, your order will not be cancelled regardless of your survey status at lock down, so if anyone is having issues, there's no need to worry about losing anything. Since it seems like people need a little more time, I'll hold off on locking down surveys until later tonight.
In closing...
It looks like we only needed another month to get the funding we required for all of these horned beasties and wow what an achievement this is to fund dinosaur figures like these! It's a great victory, but there's still plenty of exciting work to be done and I can't wait to share everything with you from the production process, to the package design, the fine cuts, painted samples and everything else related to this journey. What a day this is.
Again, thank you all so much and until next time!
David
BackerKit Surveys Lock Down Tomorrow, Plus a look at the Finished Pentaceratops!
about 5 years ago
– Tue, Dec 03, 2019 at 10:05:34 PM
*Surveys Lock Down Tomorrow*
If you haven't done so already, please be sure to finalize and submit your surveys by tomorrow. We're currently at 85% so let's get that number as close to 100% as possible by this time tomorrow. Even if you're not adding anything on, I still need everyone to confirm their address and I need to take final counts for production as well.
BackerKit charges will begin tomorrow, but for those who have orders containing both Kickstarter-funded items and BackerKit funded items, it may take me a few days to separate the items, so some orders may not charge until later in the week. Remember if you stayed within your Kickstarter pledge credit and/or you only added BackerKit items, no charge will be necessary at this time. If a charge does not go through for some reason, no need to worry as your order will still remain in the system, but any balance will need to be paid as soon as possible. And for those who still have not received a survey via email or need a direct link to your order, please message me as soon as possible so we can get it sorted out.
Finished Pentaceratops Prototype!
As promised, here is the final finished prototype, Pentaceratops. I was able to get this one painted just in time for the survey lock down!
We're only a stone's throw away from unlocking that adult Triceratops and then it's only another $15K to get to the Torosaurus! To check the status or share with potential backers, here's the preorder store link: https://beasts-of-the-mesozoic.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
Thanks everyone- talk to you soon!
David
Finished Torosaurus Prototype, Black Friday Giveaway, and More!
about 5 years ago
– Fri, Nov 29, 2019 at 07:32:41 PM
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I wanted take a moment and get everyone caught up on this past week’s progress.
Painted Torosaurus Prototype
As seen recently on my social media, here’s the finished Torosaurs latus prototype, painted by Matt Holt!
For the full Torosaurus gallery, click here. Torosaurus will be officially funded at $465,000 and is the final figure of the ceratopsian series. For more info, check out the Preorder Store here.
But wait, what about Pentaceratops?
Pentaceratops Painted Prototype WIP
Painting is currently underway for Pentaceratops and I still plan to show it before the Dec. 4th survey lockdown. For now though, here’s a work-in-progress look at the prototype so far. Expect to see more soon!
Split Wave Shipping
Now that we‘ve funded figures from all three waves, the question of how shipping options will work for orders containing figures from multiple waves came up recently and I thought it would be good to share my answer to this here in case anyone missed it in the comments section.
‘The Kickstarter and BackerKit platforms are only set up to collect shipping charges for one shipment, meaning that split shipping can not yet be accounted for. Since orders will vary greatly for each backer due to package weight and destination, orders will be split upon request and will require an additional payment based on those variables at the time of shipment (which I plan to keep as low as possible.) If split shipping isn’t requested however, each order will ship automatically as soon as all of it’s items are in-stock. This only applies to the action figures and not the printed items or pin, which will ship separately regardless.’
So basically, if backers decide to split thier shipments at anytime, they can contact me about what they want shipped and I would then let them know the additional shipping amount based on their request. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to let me know.
Black Friday Weekend Coupon and Test Shot Giveaway!
A quick heads up to the Raptor Series fans about this weekend’s big promotion: From now thru Dec. 2nd, when you use the 10% off code TURKEYRAPTOR19 for any order on creative-beast.com, you’ll be automatically entered to win 1 of 4, one-of-a-kind Raptor Series Test Shots sets! The four winners will be announced via social media on Dec. 5th. Good luck!
Well, that’ll do it for now. Enjoy the holiday weekend everyone!
David
Pentaceratops 'Unlocked' in BackerKit, and a Look at the Finished Utahceratops Prototype!
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Nov 20, 2019 at 04:46:52 PM
We've surpassed the $420K funding mark and Pentaceratops sternbergii is now fully funded and unlocked- congrats everyone!
Remember, as a BackerKit funded figure, credit card orders will not be charged for Pentaceratops until Feb. 7th 2020! Expect to see paintwork progress for this big fella by the end of the week!
Finished Utahceratops Prototype
As some of you may have seen on my social media, I've recently finished the paintwork for the Utahceratops prototype. Take a look!
Colors this time were based on the Gila Monster, a tribute to it's Utah namesake.
Step aside Dr. Grant...
The full gallery can be viewed here, or to see all ceratopsians galleries thus far, click here.
Finally...
The next unlock is the one many have been waiting for, and what a privilege it is for this to even be possible, the massive 18" adult Triceratops horridus is the next unlock at $450,000!
