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Round 2 Model Kit Preview- iHobby
If I said our workload here at Round 2 is unbelievable right now, that would be an understatement of epic proportions. I barely have time to write this blog entry. I promised myself it would get done last week. Anyway, here it is now.
I just have minute to tell you about the Round 2 model kit preview we have going on at iHobby. We will be releasing our plan for the first half of next year. We’ll be bringing out around 50 kits by the middle of 2010. Around 20 kits will be genre (sci-fi/ pop culture) kits. Some have been mentioned in passing before and of course many have not. This just sets us up for a great 2010 with many more high profile releases to come later in the year. We’ll also be releasing our first print catalog showcasing all of our model kit brands.
Amidst our display, we will have a built mockup and hopefully a built test shot of our new 1/1000 scale Enterprise Refit. I hope to see everyone come out and take a look. To add to the incentive of just coming out and taking a look, I’ve got something special for a lucky sci-fi modeler- a test shot to take home of the new Refit kit. The only catch is that you have to write a review of it here and everywhere else on the internet that sci-fi models are discussed. So how will I know who to give it to? Just reply to this post. I’ll draw one of the names from the posts. Cut off for sign up will be Friday morning (when I leave for the show- no hard deadline so sign up sooner than later) You must be present to win Sunday at 1:00cst at the show.
I’m showing some pics of our finished mockup. It turned out well for being cast in all opaque resin. The decals you see are prototypes and will be tweaked to lighten them considerably. Notice the strongbacks are greenish gray, that’s why we keep calling this one the “Refit”.
http://www.ihobbyexpo.com/Consumer.html
Polar Lights model kit update: Enterprise Refit
Sorry I haven’t posted for a while. Things are pretty busy in Round 2 land. We are gearing up for our company preview in the Dallas Toy Fair as well a s iHobby coming up in October. I’m not sure whether I will make it to the show but everyone in the Chicago area will probably want to stop in and see what we’ve got coming up for 2010.
In the meantime, I just got in a revised mockup of our new Enterprise A Polar Lights model kit. The tooling is already underway but we needed this copy made up for our iHobby display. (if we are lucky, we’ll have a test shot on display as well) It is going right back out to Jim Small to be built up and painted.
The kit is really turning out nicely. Many of the detail revisions I’ve ordered have been made. Dealing with a kit at this scale has been pretty tricky because unless you see it first hand, you don’t really know what to expect detail wise. In addition to detail revisions (deflector dish and panel lines to name a couple), I also had a few adjustments made assembly wise. The nacelle grills on the previous mockup were assembled from the inside of the nacelle similar to our 1/350 version. I’ve had this changed so that they are inserted from the outside. This should help with painting I would think. The arboretum windows are the same way. Actually the only clear parts that insert from the inside are the pieces on top of the saucer. Another little change I made from the 1/350 kit was to have the chiller grills (I think that’s what you call them- the copper colored half football shaped grills on the sides of the nacelles) be made separate pieces as well so they can also be painted separately and inserted after all other painting is done. I hope this helps you guys out.
DISCLAIMER: One of the pylons was bent in shipping resulting in the nacelle sitting crooked. Also, some gaps look big in these quick photos. This is because the kit hasn’t been glued together. The gaps will easily disappear in the hands of a capable modeler. Oh, and the clear parts were incorrectly cast in opaque resin. Other than that, this is what you can expect in the kit.
1966 Batmobile Model Kit
I’m sure you’ve heard of our plans to retool the classic 1/32 scale 1966 Batmobile model kit. We even went so far as having a mockup created to match the old kit. Well, our plans have changed…
This arrived on my desk recently. Can you guess what this means?
Star Trek models: U.S.S. Enterprise Refit 1/1000 scale
I have to admit, I’m hesitant to show this off. Not because I don’t want anyone to see it, but because I don’t want to hear any feedback at this point. The kit will undergo some revision before tooling that will correct some of the eyesores that may be pointed out. I’ll address a couple things up front but it is not a comprehensive list of issues. All issues are being ironed out as I write.
I’m sure everyone can see the chasm-like panel lines. I had the same reaction when I saw the images of the mockup come in from the factory. That is the primary reason I blurred the last set of images. After seeing it first hand, it isn’t as bad as it shows in a photograph. They will be worked on believe me.
The other huge issue to be resolved is the deflector dish. It is way too thick. I’m really not sure why it was so hard for the mockup folks to grasp. Like I said, it will be corrected. No worries.
The part breakdown will have a few revisions too but nothing that won’t be appreciated. Special attention is being paid to this kit from a painter’s perspective. I’ve tried to make it as paint friendly as possible given the size of the kit. I’m betting we will get some requests on these areas to revise the 1/350 kit to build the same way to make it easier to paint. These are the kinds of things we will really pour over in the development of our 1/350 TOS kit.
The mockup builds up great I think. If all goes well, we will have a U.S.S. Enterprise Refit 1/1000 scale buildup at iHobby in October.
Jinkies! We’ve been busy working on our Polar Lights model kits!
So, how’s it going for you guys? We’ve been incredibly busy around here and its tough keeping our heads above water. We’ve been finishing up lots of packaging and instruction sheets for upcoming Polar Lights model kits releases. I’ve missed having a chance to write about some of our recent developments.
We’ve been getting ready for a big sales presentation to our reps for all of our brands for next year’s products. It gives us a chance to fill them in on what we would like to do and get their input about our product. On top of that, we are putting together mini catalogs for inclusion in our model kits. We’ll be doing a full-blown print catalog in preparation for the big iHobby show in October. At that show, we’ll be unveiling our release schedule for the first half of next year. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about our plans.
I’ve been giving final approvals on tons of test shots including the revised C-57D saucer sections which will now assemble to be a bit more sturdy and hopefully alleviate some of the edge warping that was prevalent in the earlier issue. Mr. Spock is looking good and he has a collar now. Finally, the UFO sprues now have part numbers on them.
(Literally) I just heard that our second run of 1/350 Enterprise refits just came in and half of them are going right back out to distributors. Grab them while they are hot!
The thing I’ve been busiest with is the new Scooby Doo Mystery machine box and instruction sheet. I’ve had my hands in instruction sheets before but Bob usually handles the packaging. He says he really wanted to do it but he is juggling a lot. It was fun to do a package for a change. I had to deal with a licensor supplied style guide and we usually cringe at the thought. It wasn’t too bad in this case. Their new elements look pretty cool even though they aren’t as spooky as they should be. Rather than using as little of the style guide as possible, I actually used it to steer the rest of the design on the box sides, back and instruction sheet. I’m pretty satisfied with the results.
Well, back to work on to the C-57D instructions.
Model Kits: Drama on Altair 4 (in Glorious 1/72-Scale)
Here’s another sneak peek at our upcoming Forbidden Planet C-57D model kit re-release. We unveiled the Id Monster a few days ago – heightening the drama is the crew of the C-57D, laser rifles in hand; Commander Adams barking orders into his communications device and the lovely Altaira suitably distressed by the whole situation.
The figures, along with the ID Monster, really bring the kit alive by presenting a bit of the drama that is at the heart of the plot of Forbidden Planet, rightfully hailed as a masterpiece of mid-century sci-fi cinema. In addition, the small size of the in-scale figures really serves to highlight the massiveness of the C-57D. A true sense of scale is something we felt was somewhat lacking in the last release of the kit, in spite of the inclusion of Robby and the detailed interior. Adding the human element somehow really puts everything into context, and helps bring the story of Forbidden Planet back to the forefront.
As with the Id Creature, Jamie directed the creation of the sculpts, starting with a series of turnaround drawings for the sculptors to use as a guide, and then providing comments and further direction as the sculpts progressed. As with the Id, we received approval on the sculpts just last week, and gray resin castings were photographed, retouched and incorporated into the packaging graphics on the box bottom.
Model Kits: Forbidden Plastic
At long last, the ID Monster makes his styrene model kit debut! Here’s a sneak peek at part of our upcoming re-release of the Forbidden Planet C-57D Space Cruiser, which includes a few upgrades since the model kit was last seen on the market. The Id Monster is cast in clear plastic – which is the closest we can get to “invisible.” Included here are images of Jamie’s original turnaround drawings, the approved sculpt (a resin casting painted primer gray) plus a Photoshop simulation of the assembled monster, rendered as if tinted with a transparent red glaze (as if he is being made visible by the force field fence). At 1/72 scale, he measures a whopping 2” tall, which makes him 12 feet tall in “real life.”
Why a Photoshop simulation of the completed monster instead of an actual buildup? Well, it’s one of those weird cases where the packaging is due before we’ve even seen an actual test shot of the figure, as we just received approval from the licensor on the new sculpts last week. Our new packaging shows off a nice image of the buildup on the box bottom, so I felt it was important to have a semi-realistic representation on the package back. Tooling is commencing immediately, as the kit is due out in November – and that’ll be here before we know it!
Model Kit: Tidbits shmidbits Vol.2
And a moment you’ve all been waiting for… a first glance at the 1/1000 Enterprise Refit model kit. Ahem… a little technical difficulty here… damn camera. Well, if I could, I’d show you a nice clear image. But I wouldn’t want anyone to be disappointed. Keep in mind that this is the very first draft. The overall shapes are good but many details need work.
The kit is being mastered from equal parts 1/350 kit and a set of Gary Kerr’s drawings (which are considerably more accurate, btw). We’ll see how much detail can be captured in a version of the ship at this scale. Whatever isn’t formed plastic will be supplied as decal. More images when the model kit gets further along.