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You may be wondering why you haven't heard from us a bit earlier this month. Well, a good way to summarise this is that August and the beginning of September have been pretty intense. Not a lot of sexy stuff, but a massive amount of work nonetheless.
As you may already know, Raging Heroes is made up of three key departments: Creative, Production and Logistics. As the Creative work of TGG2 was completed at the beginning of the summer, the Creative team has now moved on to other projects (Scroll down to the Creative section to find out more about what's coming up).
Also, please note that we've got a SALE with FREE SHIPPING going on in our regular shop!
Both Production and Logistics department are currently in full swing to manage the completion of TGG2 and everything related. Because of that, this Update is split in 2 sections, so you can have a better understanding of what is going on and who is doing what.
Oh, and just so you know... now that the sculpting is done, we did a few calculations of what the Creative Team has accomplished: in total, the number of individual characters, vehicles and mounts created and sculpted adds up to a staggering 450 sculpts. This is about twice as much as the number of sculpts created for TGG1!!!
All these sculpts were made in about 300 working days. This works out to 1.5 sculpts every day!
Over 3,300 Parcels have already been Shipped!
First of all, for reasons which we shall share with you in a forthcoming Update, shipping the TGG2 took truly epic proportions. The entire team at the studio stopped whatever they were working on and started packing, sorting orders, answering messages, and running to the Post Office with cars filled to the brim with parcels. As you can see in the picture below, there was a point where most of the workspace was filled with bags and bags and bags...
We are still waiting for some of you to get in contact with us so that you can choose your Rewards. So please get in contact as soon as you can.
Unfortunately, as always, mistakes can happen. If there was anything wrong with your shipment, please head over to this page and complete the appropriate form.
You would not believe the kind of crazy stuff that can happen during a Kickstarter fulfilment.
For example, we got a message from one of our US backers who wondered why the tracking of his package was showing that it was on its way to a faraway land... We discovered that he had entered CA for California in the Country field instead of the State field... And so the parcel was on its merry way to Cambodia!
Then there were the lucky few who got their parcel shipped twice, because the printer jammed and ended up printing their Rewards Selection twice. These errors were usually discovered the evening that the parcels had been dropped off to the Post Office, when we were entering the tracking numbers in the system...
Not to mention the on-again, off-again threat of the Canada Post strike, which meant we packaged but had to store those shipments upon individual Canadian backers' requests, concerned that their shipment would be held off for weeks... (In the end, the strike never happened.)
And then, there were the English backers who wondered about customs and shipping fee if Brexit were to be effective... (No change for at least 2 years, as it turned out.)
There are many little stories like that, that keep happening every week.
Still got questions or concerns? Please contact us directly through the forms on this page.
Then of course, there were many vacation days accrued to our collaborators, and they kindly waited for the bulk of the shipments to happen before taking off. So from late August to early September, the place was a bit of a ghost office.
And then, with the end of our key TGG2 activities, some members of the team arrived at the end of their mission with us and went off to other projects, whether permanently or for a few months. We wish them all good luck for their new ventures. Of course, on our end, this meant some internal reorganisation and reassignment of duties.
For example, those of you who have been in touch with our Customer Service have most likely been in contact with Sandrine. While Sandrine is still with us, she had moved on to other missions and work with us less often, so Ioana has taken over. The transition slowed down the department for a bit, but the good news is that your messages can now be responded in one of 4 languages: English, French, Romanian and Italian!
This time in a Kickstarter project is also very special for us because, now that sculpting and shipping is done, it is a period were we can focus very strongly on making every aspect of the production better.
Thank to your feedback on your TGG2 minis, we can spot things that may have been missed before, as well as uncover recurring issues.
Of course, our focus is always on the quality of your models. That's the reason why we've been doing a massive overhauling of the printing as well as the mould-making process. It's a tough decision to make, because it means that the production is slowed down or partly halted (which is why you haven't seen a lot of updates on this document until now), but the delay is always worth it.
We have completely transformed our 3D printing pipeline. This is really huge!!! We have multiplied our 3D printing capacity by over 400%. This not only means that we can print much more rapidly, but it also means that we can more easily test stuff for a much more reasonable cost.
For example, below is something we could never have done before: a test print of the massive Erzebel. Now, as you can see, the print is crappy and very low-rez, but just being able to do that allows us to check proportions, assembly, and more in a way that is incredibly effective.
We also took the time to test several different software for the 3D printing tasks. Without going into the boring technical details, we can tell you that some of the solution we have encountered makes many improvements on all levels.
Working closely with the foundry, we have also determined a new system for splitting the miniatures in several different parts. In the end, it will mean cleaner casts and gates (a gate is the part that attaches a mini to its sprue) that are more optimally positioned.
First, let's start by acknowledging what an amazing job the foundry does for us. Yes of course, miscasts and other problems can happen. But if you are not versed into the technical aspects and know-how of mould-making and casting, it is probably hard to appreciate how the casting of the TGG2 Kickstarter is such a big leap up from TGG1. In the end, you might not see the difference, but TGG2 miniatures are so much more complex, intricate and full of details that for the foundry to be able to cast our minis is almost like pure science-fiction.
But of course, just like us, the Foundry team is not the sort of guys who sit on their laurels. So in the past few weeks, we've been engaged in much testing and brainstorming on how we can make sure that the quality of the cast always remain at the top level and that the way the miniatures are laid out in the moulds helps us to have less mistakes made in the packing department.
Below, you can see two new types of layout that we have been experimenting with. The 'pizza slice' system seems to have a lot of potential for many reasons. And if it is the system that we choose to go with, it might even yield special bonuses for you that were not even planned before. To our knowledge, no other brand has done this before. It's nothing big or exceptional, but I'm sure you will appreciate it...
And, with the massive influx of new moulds and stock for TGG2, we've also had to reorganise our workspace. The foundry is already ahead of us, as they've now built many new shelves and stacks to accommodate all the new moulds, current and upcoming. And our end, we are still in the process of moving stuff around and adding shelves everywhere.
So, as you can see, we have been far from idle, even with the vacation time. But since our available time has been mostly taken up with process improvements, it means that the production itself slowed down a bit. However, this work is absolutely crucial for the good health of any project, and this was the best time to do it. But the production pace is already picking up. All the Troops' 3D printing will be finished at the end of next week, which is a massive achievement! And the printing of Heroines will be done most likely the week after that. Then, we'll finish the printing process with the Monsters and Machines.
The production schedule at the foundry will somewhat follow the same order, except for the most popular items, which we will try to place earlier in the queue.
If you are still waiting for some Rewards, please stay tuned for our next Update as our planning should be much clearer by then. Meanwhile, keep an eye on our Production page which is updated in real-time.
When we opened the Pledge Manager earlier this summer, it was really great for us to be able to interact directly with so many of you, and to feel your excitement about the upcoming TGG2 miniatures. From the massive amount of positive comments we received when you got your minis, it looks like they have lived up to your expectations and maybe in some case exceeded them. After so much hard work, it is a great reward for the team to get this praise and to feel that we've made you happy. So here are few of these comments and messages:
Dux: " Just got the first wave of my TGG2 models last night, and I'm just blown away by the details. These gals look so gorgeous. " (Facebook - September 2016)
Christopher : "Amazing details in these figures. What a fantastic job you have done.Feel proud to be a backer on this project.Thanks!" (Facebook - September 2016)
Benoit : "Hey Raging. I just received my models from you and I have to say you have outdone yourself again!!! I am so happy with the money I have spend with you. Thank you so much, and keep up the good work." (Facebook - September 2016)
Solène : "Yesterday i just came back from the ETC in Greece and i saw i had a package waiting. I opened it and instantly drooled all over your models. They are gorgeous, stupendious, well detailed and amazing. These girls look so though and sooo sexy at the same time! I have to stop myself from spending even more money on them ! Thank you so much" (TGG2KS - August 2016)
Stefan : "Hey you awesome Raging Heroes Team :) Thanks you for your great work <3 The Minis are perfect .... so perfect that i want to ask you if i can maybe get a bit MOAAAAAAAAAARRRR AWESOME RAGING MINIS :DDDDD I know the Manager closed with 10. August but... i can write you so i try :P Wish you all all the best, be AWESOME like all the time ^^" (TGG2KS - August 2016)
Li Keel : "Hi Team, First of all, let me just take the time to remark on the quality of the models, amazing, I am super impressed with these models and dunno how you beat your last kickstarter but.. it happened. So great job on that. I'd also like to use this time to thank you for the service you are providing. I cannot begin to understand how much effort the entire raging heroes team must put in to make this all possible. So really guys, thank you, your models are impeccable and your service is amazing." (Mail RHTeam - August 2016)
Veronika : "Hi, I would just like to let you know I have received the first shipment of freebies and two more heroines and they are absolutely outstanding. I haven't touched them in any way yet, still waiting for them to air out as you recommended, but all the details... I expected top quality from you after previous experience, I drooled over the renders, but this is a whole different level. They are so small! So lovely and full of character! Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for all your hard work, dedication and pure artistry. Best regards - Veronika" (TGG2KS - August 2016)
You also sent us some pretty cool pics:
However, we are fully aware that unfortunately, some of you received a few less than optimum models. Despite all of our efforts, there were a few miscasts in a few batches that escaped our attention. We have to admit that at the time, the fact that this happened was a bit of a mystery for us. All our miniatures are double, and sometimes triple-checked. And yet, despite this, some miscasts slipped through.
After investigation, it looks like some of the specific information given for quality control would occasionally get lost or distorted through the chain of command. We have put steps in place to fix this. We also effected some staff changes. And of course, we completed this by reviewing and upgrading our manufacturing process, as described above.
We have seen here and there some concern about the complexity of some of the sprues that the miniatures, and the fact that it might make it hard to properly cut the parts away from the sprue without damaging them. This is due to the very high complexity of the minis, and, as noted above, we are already working with the foundry to make the gates (the parts that connect the miniature to the sprue) less intrusive for the next batches.
However, we have also published a tutorial on our site to share with you the optimal way of cutting the model from the sprue without any damaging it. I strongly suggest that you read this short information.
We've also seen here and there comments as to how the colour of the resin might affect its other qualities. First of all, please keep in mind that contrary to plastic injection moulding, which is most often done in big Chinese factories with massive machinery, spin-cast resin is a craftsman process where every single mould is created and handled by hand by a team of very talented artisans.
Like every item made by hand, it means that in some way, each item is unique. The colour differences you might see in your various TGG miniatures is simply due to the amount of dye that is added to the mix. It does not affect the composition nor the quality of the resin in any way. Some batches may be darker, some others may be lighter. But in the end, it is always the same resin.
After finishing the sculpting of TGG2 in early summer, the creative team started to focus their twisted minds towards new goals. As we already told you, several projects are currently in the works.
We already have tons of concept for TGG3. And the sculpting of these new characters will start this October. There will be probably a bit less miniatures on TGG3 than in TGG2, because TGG3 will be centered around our miniature game. But as always, if things go really crazy, who know how many new minis we might make.
The TGG game will be a science-fiction game featuring our six current Sci-Fi armies. If you are a Fantasy gamer, however, know that we also have plans for you.
We plan to run the TGG3 Kickstarter sometime this winter.
But before that, we've got something else planned: we will soon launch a Scenery Kickstarter. We have been playing with a lot of cardboard and boxes this summer. And even if the photos below are not quite impressive, we can tell you that we are planning some pretty insane stuff... And we think that your gaming table will never look the same again! More on this very soon.
In case you missed TGG1, it's now been over a year that we have started releasing the TGG1 miniatures publicly. And this month will the next-to-last release of new TGG1 models, both on our website and with our retailers.
To celebrate this and the back-to school season, we will be having some super attractive deals for you with our brand-new Army Packs within the next few days. Also, we are now releasing the WereSheWolves, both individually and in a specially-priced box of 4. And within the same week, the Mechas are going to join the fun.
To top it all, we now have FREE SHIPPING until October 2 on our entire webshop at www.ragingheroes.com. Check it out!
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At Raging Heroes, every army we create starts with carefully chosen ingredients. For the Dark Elves, you've got: Refinement. Elegance. Extreme Evil. Gothic fashion. Japanese Rock bands. Scandinavian fairy tales illustrations from the 19th century. Find out more about your past and future favorites!
coralinealgae
September 24, 2016
What about the mold release issue? Have you come up with any possible solutions for that?