Production Update 3

There are lots of "behind-the-scenes" activities going on here at the Bombshell Factory. Most of this has involved setting up some stuff in QuickBooks in order to track things like income and outgoings. In order for me to be productive, this kind of organization is key so that things are lined up and not subject to be a distraction while sculpting.

We finalized the payment for some of the artist this week and did a little contract signing for the Dixon license. I got some color comps in from Keri for Meagan & Dusty and they look great. I'll post the final paintings once they are approved. Painting has started on some of the other characters as well and I'll update you on the progress as soon as I hear back on them.

In addition to finishing up some other over-due client work to ship out, I was able to put together a few more armatures and start filling out the anatomy for the Sword Maiden.

I've also created the blanks for our resin base inserts. The 50mm insert is still a bit rough around the edges, but the 40mm and 30mm are fitting in just fine. These pieces will be molded and cast in resin. These resin blanks will be used to model the actual scenic base inserts which in turn will get their own molds for production casting. I have it on good authority that we may have found a local supplier for plastic gaming bases in these sizes and will be able to offer them with the Babes. I'll post more on that as it develops around the end of the year.

Bombshell Digital is almost operational. The delay has been getting the correct HDMI cables for the monitors and an AirPort card in order to move the existing system to a more accessible area. In the interim I have some great resources to reduce the learning curve as much as possible. As an existing sculptor with experience in other 3D software along with being a Photoshop "power-user" I expect the curve not to be as steep as it could be otherwise. Really looking forward to posting some renders for you all.

Checking in with Kevin this week, he has armatures put together for the iSlug Sidekick and the Thulle piece that goes along with Professor Karrick. As soon as there is some anatomy blocked out on them I'll try to post an update pic.

That's all for this installment, Next week I hope to have a larger selection of pics of the sculpts for you. Hang in there.

~Patrick
The Sculptdude

Production Update 2

Let's get right to it. I have made some progress on Nowada and finished the main sculpting on Sally.

I generally sculpt directly over a wire armature and build up the material in layers. Bombshell Miniatures officially endorses Kraftmark's Procreate as the preferred sculpting material of choice. Sally has just about everything finished except the hands and rocket pack. Her gear will be created and printed from ZBrush. These items will also be available as part of the Sci-Fi equipment sprue.

The ring on Sally's collar may need to be extended a bit. Once the vaccuform table comes in and I can get some test casts of her helmet this will give me a better idea of how the parts will fit together.

NEWS

For those asking, if you would like to get art directly from Matt Dixon, you can head on over to his web shop and get it directly from him. He has a set of Dixon's Vixens cards available with many of the Babes we licensed for miniatures.

Things are starting to roll forward at a good clip. All of the bussiness nonsense is now completed, registering the name and setting up our new bank account along with tax allocations. I have upgraded a little bit of hardware and software here and ZBrush is up and running. I still have a good selection of print vendors to test the files once I get some printable pieces to send.

Over the next week, in addition to sculpting more Babes, I will also begin on the base inserts so we can start on the initial molds for those. There are a few sidekicks waiting for attention too.

See you next Friday!

~Patrick
The Sculptdude

Production Update 1

Fellow Bombardiers, I have been working diligently for the past couple of days to get some work done on the sculpts. This batch is getting close to completion. But first a couple of items to address.

KICKBACK

We will be sending the Kickstarter Survey™ either late in November or early December for you to choose your Kickstarter Rewards. This will be the primary way we will package your items so it will be important to include everything you want the Kickstarter pledge to cover. If you have added items on via PayPal Donate, those will be added to your Kickstarter rewards package.

If you add to your pledge amount via the PayPal Donate page you should be able to indicate what the extra amount is for in the text box on the payment page. Also include your Kickstarter screen name so we can match up what you will be getting.

WORKBENCH

As promised here are the shots of the stuff in progress. Betty has an all new face. I also increased the thickness of the legs from front-to-back in order to compensate a bit for mold compression. I don't have access to my regular lighting rig and will get better pics of these once I get back to the studio.

Tim has been sitting next to me at the conference and has expressed that he's very pleased with how she looks in person.

Maelee has a new hairstyle.

Vivian gets a bit of diving suit gear, hat and hair.

Nowada gets a bit of costuming and an axe.

Bomb Squad contributors Martin Jones (L) and Kevin Williams (R) are working on leveling up!

Top sculptors (L - R) Jason Wiebe, Gene Van Horne, Bobby Jackson, Julie Guthrie, and Bob Ridolfi are also in attendance lending their expertise.

More work is on its way including Sally and a few critters. Will post more soon!

~Patrick

CONGRATULATIONS BOMBARDIERS!

We the Bomb Squad want to offer all of you the sincerest appreciation for your support throughout the entire fundraising campaign on Kickstarter.

BOMBS AWAY

The first two segments of our one-year plan have already been accomplished. Thanks to our fantastic Bombardier supporters, we have been able to bring all the ideas to launch a full line of miniatures at once. While the remaining stretch goal was not enough to reach putting a full Reinforcements set into production right away, we were completely blown away at the sheer volume of backers and pledges we received during the final hour of the project.

In light of that final total, as a special thanks to all our Kickstarter supporters, EVERY KICKSTARTER BACKER will receive a special Doctor Helen Salinger Babe for absolutely FREE! That's right, no additional pledging, no add-on, right down to the $1 RACK Level!

Doctor Salinger is named after a strong female character from Pulp Sci-Fi during a period when such characters were rare and far between. Big thanks go to artist Tim Collier who sat and rendered this while I was trying to finish my Pathfinder assignment during last week's trip to the Reaper Factory.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

The PayPal thingy is live.

You can send more money to us and select more Babes. If you pledged on the Kickstarter project, you can add to your pledge total there and indicate additional rewards we can send to you.

Remember, this is NOT a Pledge Manager, an online store, shopping cart, or point of sale.

Your contribution will go towards production costs, setup expenses, overhead, and administration costs for the start up of Bombshell Miniatures. We will be sending you reward items to thank you for your generosity when the production period completes in early 2013.

KICKSTARTER BACKERS will not need to include additional shipping charges if we can verify your Kickstarter pledge and ship it all to the same address with your previous Kickstarter Rewards selections.

THE PLAN

Just like the Cylons, we have a plan. We have already reached the first two segments and are now in the Production Phase. This is where the bulk of the work for the launch project will take place. In the first segment we initiated a soft launch in August by setting up a blog and Facebook page to announce the upcoming fundraising campaign. The second phase was the Kickstarter fundraising itself. In the third phase production will begin where the models are actually made and manufactured. All throughout this phase, I will be posting regular updates and photos as to the progress of the project from sculpting, 3D renders, molding and casting news and anything else I can add to include you all in the process.

The Fulfillment Phase will begin when we start shipping out the rewards packages from both the Kickstarter fundraising and the ongoing PayPal support until we reach the Retail Phase. There will be no "stretch goals" or additions to the existing line during this phase.

In the Retail Phase we will close the fundraising for donations and rewards options and launch our full-featured online web store. All of the non-exclusive models that were funded for production will be available along with a selection of new models we will premier for the web store launch.

During the Retail Phase we will continue to offer new releases on a regular schedule as we wrap up our year-long plan with our premier at GenCon 2013. By that time we should have a large selection of models as well a special Convention Exclusive figure we will reveal later with other exciting announcements for the following year.

We do not plan to launch a future Kickstarter funding campaign for Bombshell Miniatures at this time.

NEWS

Again, thanks for all your hard work, hard earned dollars, promotion and overwhelming support. I am still amazed at the number of backers and the amount we raised just on my reputation as a sculptor and with Tim & the other artist's designs. I appreciate your confidence in us more than anything else.

The massive work put in over the last two months to get this up and running and the constant monitoring it has required has been taxing. I did not get any actual work done on Friday due to the heavy maintenance the Kickstarter project page required for constant updating.

Special thanks go to Vicky who built all the rewards levels, crunched the numbers and added great incentives to the project. Thanks to Martin, Kevin and Brett for their continued moral and immoral support throughout the pledging period. Of course none of it would have been possible without the fantastic art from all of our great artists especially Tim.

I'm going away for a couple of days but I'll be back reporting to you live from the Reaper Factory during their annual Artist Conference where I will be sculpting on the Babes.

Looking forward to showing you some really cool stuff!
Patrick
The Sculptdude

Final Day - Atomic Punks

Pull out all the stops! You guys are completely unstoppable!

TARGET ACQUIRED

$135,000 ACHIEVED - THANK YOU!!! Matt Dixon's Viexens the Atomic Punks are available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10. Along with that, when the goal is reached, we will add a Sidekick GhNT Spybot to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

TARGET SCANNING

$145,000+ Fire Brigade will be available as Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10.

MYSTERY BABES POSTED!

Why stop now? You asked for them and we want to get them to you! As we get closer, you get to see what they are!

Final Day - Cave Girl

Still more amazing pledging going on!

TARGET ACQUIRED

$125,000 ACHIEVED - THANK YOU!!! Matt Dixon's Vixen the Cave Girl is available as an additional Babes choice at any level that has a Babes choice as a reward. Along with that we added a Bombshell Relic 4 to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

$135,000+ Another of Matt Dixon's Vixens the Atomic Punks will be available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10. Along with that, when the goal is reached, we will add a Sidekick GhNT Spybot to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

I'm still sculpting!

P

Final Day - Rocket Bike

This is an awesome last push to get some of the remaining items unlocked for choices! We are taking it one goal at a time!

TARGET ACQUIRED

$120,000 ACHIEVED - THANK YOU!!! The HS38 Rocket Bike is available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10. Along with that we have added one Sidekick Flakk to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

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TARGET SCANNING

$125,000+ Matt Dixon's Vixen Cave Girl will be available as an additional Babes choice at any level that has a Babes choice as a reward. Along with that, when the goal is reached, we will add a Bombshell Relic 4 to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

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NEWS

That is amazing! We tore through the goal to get that bike which I am most excited about. When we voted in the polls, this was the one I was pulling for!

I am still working on Betty and the other girls and will have pics posted of the sculpts today, before the project closes. Only 6 hours remaining . . .

sculpt, sculpt, sculpt . . . pledge, pledge, pledge . . .

~Patrick
The Sculptdude

Final Day!

This is it. Less than twenty hours to go. It has been a long haul. We started in early August planning the project, designing the concepts and crunching the numbers. Now we only have a few hours to unlock the remaining pieces. I am confident we can get there.

For good measure, Tim sharpened up his drawing pencil and whipped out three massively cool Babes I would be thrilled to share with you. They will be revealed only if we get to the pending Mystery Goals shown in the Babes Choices section!

If we reach the goals these pieces will be available as regular Babes choices, otherwise the pieces will not be in production until late next year. There are some pretty cool things lurking in there.

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TARGET ACQUIRED

$110,000 ACHIEVED - THANK YOU!!! Luta & Shunkaha are now available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10.

$120,000+ HS38 Rocket Bike will be available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10. Along with that, when the goal is reached, we will add one Sidekick Flakk to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

__________________

NEWS

Spent most of the day at Reaper finishing the Hyrekia sculpt. I also finished up a couple of other things to clear my workbench and make room for all the Babes needing attention.

Tim was kind enough to provide me with the additional details regarding Vivian's diving suit. He worked out some pretty specific things to create the art and the extra views of the equipment are invaluable to help with the sculpting. She will be an awesome figure when finished. I'm really looking forward to working on her some more.

As we are gearing up here at the Bomb Factory to go into Babe production, I wanted to specifically thank all of you making this possible. It is a pretty amazing thing when close to a thousand backers can latch onto an idea and a concept to work together to make something really happen.

Everything is in place to make some truly fantastic models. You should all be very proud, because you are the ones who made it possible!


~Patrick
The Sculptdude

Less than 48 Hours to Go

Welcome new and existing backers! The final 48 is going to be a wild ride. There are several cool items still waiting to be unlocked. We here at the Bomb Factory hope that we will get to make them for you.

TARGETS ACQUIRED

$95,000 ACHIEVED - THANK YOU!!! Professor Karrick & Thulle are available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10. Along with that, we will include a Sidekick iSlug to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

$100,000 ACHIEVED - THANK YOU!!!  Delzira the Demon Princess as now available as an additional Babes choice at any level that has a Babes choice as a reward.

ADDITIONAL GOALS

$110,000+ Luta & Shunkaha will be available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10.

$120,000+ HS38 Rocket Bike will be available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10.

$125,000+ Cave Girl will be available as an additional Babes choice at any level that has a Babes choice as a reward.

$135,000+ Atomic Punks will be available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10.

$145,000+ Fire Brigade will be available as Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10.

$155,000+ Linna & Girron will be available as Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10.

$160,000+ ? ? ? 



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REWARDS

Rewards levels are broken down to include several choice options.

• You can include as many Additional Support items as you want at ANY pledge level. Maelee is limited to three per backer.

• You need to back at BOMB KIT level to add Reinforcements. BOMB KIT gives you 3 Babes + Maelee + Relics + extras including shirt. You may opt to trade only the shirt for two additional Babes choices indicated in the survey.

• When you up your pledge you need to put in the total amount you want to pledge now. A survey will be sent after the project for you to select your rewards options.

• International Backers choosing rewards with MORE than 3 Babes and a Postcard Set MUST include $12 additional shipping with their pledge, including Canada.

NEW FAQ

We have had several questions about the availability of pledge rewards in light of achieving the remaining stretch goals. I decided to post that concise info to give all our new backers the info about the final hours of the project.

"What if someone pledges NEUTRON and only 1 or 2 Reinforcements goals are achieved but they don't want to select duplicate rewards?"

It's all about choices. Choose to pledge a certain amount. Choose which rewards you feel are best for the amount you decide to donate.

If you don't want to be stuck with "empty slots" that you would need duplicates to fill, adjust your pledge or backer level by clicking the "Manage Your Pledge" button. You have up until 5pm CDT on Friday to determine if we reach all the goals to get what you want for your rewards. As many have already mentioned in the Comments Section, if you pledge higher now, we may in fact reach all those goals by then . . .

The NEUTRON Level is aimed at newer backers and those who want to be able to select a pledge level without having to calculate how many Babes and Reinforcements to add on. Basically it is likely to be simpler than the PLASMA Level if you want Reinforcements options is likely to be as close to a 'complete collection' option as we can make.

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NEWS

Many of you have asked if we will be offering rewards packages for additional support pledges even after the funding of our current Kickstarter project ends.

The short answer is YES!

On Saturday, after the Kickstarter funding period closes Friday night at 5pm CDT, we will set up a specific page to begin accepting additional pledge support through PayPal Donations.

THIS WILL NOT BE A KICKSTARTER PLEDGE MANAGER.

Unfortunately we do not have the resources to hire a dedicated code monkey to custom build a pledge management site like the big companies that funded millions for their projects.

However! We will make the various rewards items available for your continued pledge support throughout our fulfillment period using PayPal Donations. There will be a link at the top of the Bombshell page that will take you to the Continued Progress page where you will be able to add pledge funds and select additional rewards for your support. Look for this little graphic to appear at the top of the main Bombshell Minis site once that is all set up.

Again! Thanks for all your support. We appreciate your continued interest and dedication to making the Bombshell project a success beyond anything we expected or imagined.

~Patrick
The Sculptdude

68 Hours to Go!

Today has been the highest pledge day since September 16th! I have to hand it to the Bombardiers, you guys really got out there and beat the bushes to drum up the pledges. I also want to welcome and offer a sincere thanks to all of our new backers who are starting to jump on board as we count down the final hours of the Kickstarter project.

TARGET SCANNING

Our Next Goal - Less than $4000 to go!
$95,000+ Professor Karrick & Thulle will be available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10. Along with that, when the goal is reached, we will add a Sidekick iSlug to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

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PROJECT UPDATE

We have restacked the graphics on the main project page. Hopefully the new Rewards Levels image will make pledging a little easier to understand.

Two new backer levels are added:
$170 PLASMA which includes the BOMB KIT + 15 additional Babes choices (18 Babes total)
$200 NEUTRON which includes the BOMB KIT + 15 additional Babes choices (18 Babes total) + Your choice of any 3 unlocked Reinforcements Sets.

If you pledge $230 and select NEUTRON you will be able to get one of everything offered, if we unlock all the Babes and Reinforcements shown. That would be 18 total Babes and six Reinforcements Sets. This actually saves $10 from the total of the previous NAPALM Level + 6 Reinforcements which totaled $240.

NEW HYDROGEN LEVELS

We increased the number of HYDROGEN Levels to include three new sculpts. If you pledge at the HYDROGEN Level you can get one of the offered sculpts for Meagan, Sally, Sword Maiden, Nowada, Vivian or Tetsu Ko.

If you want to upgrade your HYDROGEN Level with PLASMA to get a sculpt plus 18 Babes plus 3 Reinforcements Sets of your choice, pledge at the $725 amount and select the HYDROGEN sculpt of your choice. After the project closes you can indicate the PLASMA upgrade during the survey.

How about that for an awesome Bombshell Blast?!?


RELIC 4

We have added the fourth Relic - Tallah the Swordmistress to the Additional Support section. You can get as many items as you like from this section for the additional pledge amounts indicated.

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NEWS

Most of today has consisted of sculpting and updating the Main Page Graphics™. The itinerary for the next two weeks will be thus.

Tomorrow will be more sculpting with hopefully more pics of the Babes in progress. I still have several outstanding pieces to finish for Neomics, Laughing Monk, Reaper, DGS Games and Antimatter as well as a couple of others. Fortunately the Privateer piece goes out in the mail in the morning.

Thursday is our weekly visit to the Reaper Factory where I will be meeting with some of the other Bomb Squad participants and dropping off at least a sculpt or two. Friday will be spent monitoring the final hours of the Kick project followed by a celebratory gathering at a local pub for some well deserved suds and darts! Saturday the Sculptdude turns 45! So, I'm taking that day off.

Wednesday will be the beginning of Reaper Artist Conference, a week-long conclave of painters and sculptors sharing all the latest tips and tricks we've put together from the previous year. I will be taking all the Babes along with me and while working on some additional Reaper things, will also be posting the first of the Regular Friday Updates™ from the con.

So, I know many of you are probably thinking, "Whew! All this will be finished up Friday." And for many it will be. But it is actually the start of Bombshell Miniatures, because all the work to bring you the best Babes we can really begins!

~Patrick
The Sculptdude

Three Days and Some Hours Left!

Despite popular opinion I am actually sculpting on the Babes! I removed the larger head for Betty and will work up a replacement. I will also be beefing up her legs a bit for molding.

Nowada has been blocked out with the basic understructure and anatomy. Next she will be getting an initial layer of drapery and armor. I will also begin the weapon next.

Vivian has a glass bead in place of the helmet until that is built in ZBrush and printed. As work progresses on her I will post renders of the helmet. She has a rudimentary layer for the diving suit. More layers will be built up to fill out the bulk of the armored plating. I thickened her waist a bit to facilitate casting. Were it the proportions in the art it would be prone to snapping when pulled from the mold.

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TARGET ACQUIRED

$85,000 ACHIEVED - THANK YOU!!! Chooser of the Slain Geirahöd the Valkyrie will swoop to the battlefield as an additional Babes choice at any level that has a Babes choice as a reward. Along with that, when the goal is reached, we will add a Fantasy Weapon Sprue to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

TARGET SCANNING

$95,000+  Professor Karrick & Thulle will be available as a Reinforcements Add-On Set for your additional pledge of only $10. Along with that, when the goal is reached, we will add a Sidekick iSlug to every BOMB KIT for FREE!

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NEWS

Due to popular request, we found the fourth mold for Relic Tallah! She will be added to the Additional Support section for an added pledge of +$5 soon. When we reach the goal for Matt Dixon's Cave Girl at $125,000 one Relic 4 Tallah will be included in the BOMB KIT for absolutely FREE!

This is it! The final week! I know you are as ready to wrap this thing up as we are here at the Bomb Factory! There are still lots of cool things to unlock and add to your rewards. Over the next couple of days we will be adding a couple of new pledge levels and revealing some more Additional Support items. If all goes to plan, there will be daily updates through the remaining period of the project.

~Patrick

The Sculptdude