Topic: Econoliner: Corridors - NOW WITH PROTOTYPES!

[Luke Sprywalker]

So cool that you are doing this! I have been following along on facebook but wanted to get in here and vote.

[DocOutlands]

Thanks for the input folks - keep it coming. Master Sprywalker, thanks for making it a point to come vote. I'm thinking we have a real shot at making an amazing showing with this thing.  My artist has given me some teaser peeks at what is happening and it is AMAZING to me to watch how this stuff is coming together.

[DocOutlands]

And a huge thanks to TAMER for that front-page love!  Getting the word out to as many forums and communities as possible about this kickstarter is going to be a herculean task...

[DocOutlands]

Miracle-worker, I tell you!!  Here's the floor-tile design for the kickstarter set, FRESH from the artist!  It is 6"x6" and interlocks in all directions.  Currently, it is just over 1/8" thick.  We are going to work on modifying it so that all the designs come out to a standard thickness.

[Tamer]

And a huge thanks to TAMER for that front-page love!  Getting the word out to as many forums and communities as possible about this kickstarter is going to be a herculean task...

Your welcome, things like this make us all glad we are action figure collectors and customizers. This has been a gap that Hasbro has not filled and one we all want.

[CHEWIE]

Cool - I mentioned this at Yakface too.

And I'd love to include these items in my photonovel series... things like this are a true treat.  

As for ceiling panels - I don't think those are necessary, personally.  I like walls for sure - floors are just a bonus but I like the idea of as much versatility as possible with the walls/computer things.  The only thing I don't care for on the floors is the interlocking feature because it will always look like part of the flooring section is "incomplete." 

So in the end, I'm mostly interested in the walls.  

 

[DocOutlands]

Chewie, THANK YOU!  The folks like you who have to struggle to find ways to build sets for their photo-novels are one of the driving inspirations for this effort.  If I can make it easier for a photonovelist to build the set they need to tell their stories, then maybe we can all enjoy more stories.

I've updated the Kickstarter preview due to a question I received about product sizing.  Seems I've posted how big the pieces are everywhere *BUT* in the Kickstarter document!  That's been fixed.

I'm thinking today we may rebuild the mock-ups in order to do some photos showing why we opted for the 6" square tiles and include them in the video.  I have some large 1" grid paper that should do the trick.  Also, I'm hopeful I can get some other video material written and shot (today??) so I can get started putting that together.

At this point, I can tell you the Kickstarter WILL HAPPEN.  The designs we're getting are fantastic and I want them in MY collection!  Based on the level of excitement and interest from people I don't even KNOW, there are others out there who want them as badly as I do.  What remains to be seen is - can we crowd-fund it?  I got lucky on the designs, both in acquiring them and in the ability of my artist to quickly and easily rework them into suitable format.  What remains - secure funding to print the tiles through Shapeways, secure funding to make the molds, secure funding to cast the tiles (both as rewards for YOU as backers & future orders ... because once people see Chewie or Sprywalker or ANYONE else build a display with a set, they'll have to have one!), and ship them.  Out of all that, getting them printed is the biggest expense - and that is varying fairly widely, depending on the amount of detail on the panel.

In the MEANTIME, I'm casting parts for customers and watching molds get used to the point some are starting to come apart!   

[CHEWIE]

No problem - glad to offer what I can...

As for using Shapeways, the *only* concern I have is their products have had some granular properties with them.  I've bought some cantina chairs and a cantina bar - both look good, but translated better for the "gritty" look of Tatooine really well and may be a bit more rough than one would hope for computer consoles/etc.  Just food for thought.

[DocOutlands]

Chewie - that is a valid concern.  *Most* of the items I have purchased from Shapeways have been in the "White, Strong & Flexible" materials, which does have a very distinctly grainy surface texture.  However, I have bought some items in Frosted Detail material that seems to have a very smooth finish like I am hoping for.  I'm going to have a small sample of the floor test-printed, now that we have a pretty solid design.  (That also has the added benefit of opening up the wargame/minis market to us...)

[CHEWIE]

Cool, I was sure you were aware of that -- sounds like you're on top of things!

 

[DocOutlands]

I'm *trying* to be!!  I want this to come out better than anyone expects and more successfully than *WE* have dreamed!!  My measure of success is when a backer gets theirs in, sets it up, and calls or IM's 5 ppl they know to say, "THESE ARE SO COOL!!!  YOU MUST ORDER YOURS RIGHT NOW!!"  When we make something that fires the imaginations of our customers like that - we are succeeding.

So with that said, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask questions about how we are handling something or suggesting a way for us to consider.  We don't know everything - we've gotten where we are by stumbling along blindly and relying on the kindness and instruction of strangers who have become friends along the way.  If you see a pitfall we're rushing toward, let us know!  (I consider the graininess of the WSF material a pitfall and am glad Chewie brought it up.  It has its place, but the slick, finished wall of a starship is NOT IT!)  If you see a way we can make things easier, more fun, more useful, faster, etc - let us know!  We truly appreciate the interest that represents.   

[hemble]

Doc this is just awesome, I really like that you have done the walls in this design it gives so many possibilities not just for SW but any kind of Sci Fi be it a building structure or starship interior.

Ron

[DocOutlands]

Work on this project continues, mainly as we try to get a design that is thin enough to be affordable while still be printable on Shapeways.

[Tamer]

Work on this project continues, mainly as we try to get a design that is thin enough to be affordable while still be printable on Shapeways.

You might like listening to our podcast with Twelfth Parsec for his Space Trees. He lists some sites where it was way cheaper and better product than Shapeways.

[DocOutlands]

I downloaded the podcast yesterday - it's on today's schedule.  "Better results cheaper" is a definite plus, in my book.