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2 days ago
Project Update: Pin Progress Update #3!
Pin manufacturing is majority complete at this time! They are being shipped to me in batches currently, which is necessary since they are all magnetic and there's some funky stuff happening with rare earth imports to the US currently, according to my manufacturer. That's a bit of a bummer considering I have a magnetic plush project in the works, but we'll see how this goes.
Pin updates:
Pin updates:
- Albino Gator - Got the cream yellow instead of the lemon yellow!
- Tiger and White Tiger - Fully remade, no more white fill where a cut should be!
- Fox and Blonde Fox - Same as the tiger, the white fill instead of a cut is gone!
Domestic Cat pin and Mouse Toy magnet - Production complete!
- Raw Meat magnet - Re-electroplated from gold to black!
If you're curious about the others, you can see photos of everything else on the last update! We currently have 1 set still in manufacturing (it may actually be done, but it has not been shown to me) which is the White Cannibal Unicorn, and everything is otherwise good to go.. mostly.
The grilled meats have remained an issue.
The language barrier is really wrecking me on this one. I spoke with my manufacturing rep for multiple hours nonstop about what changes I wanted them to make, and what changes I absolutely did not want. We went around and around with them asking me for approval on an incorrect sheet, me refusing it because it wasn't correct, me trying to say the changes that should be made, and them saying that means the pin must already be correct instead of it needing a different change than the one they kept insisting upon. I broke this down in to multiple images that got simpler and simpler, and wrote it out in every way I could think to both detailed and complex. After all that.. they made the changes I said no to in every conceivable way. I'm really not sure what to do. When they showed me photos I again had to be like no, that's incorrect in the precise way I was afraid it would be, and they apologized but we still haven't worked something out.
I really don't know what to do. I got the first picture, asked for the last picture, and got the middle picture instead. It is exceptionally frustrating.
I really don't know what to do. I got the first picture, asked for the last picture, and got the middle picture instead. It is exceptionally frustrating.
Technically this swap color is an issue on the 2-bone as well! But I didn't realize it until I was trying to get them to fix this. They kept asking if it should look like the 2-bone grilled, and I kept saying no, that the colors are correct but they were in the wrong place. I'm not even sure how this happened in the first place because it wasn't a part of either final artwork that I'd approved before production, and I didn't catch the error on the 2-bone soon enough. Luckily it looks better on the 2-bone than the original way imo, but for the haunch it is unacceptable so I'm.. gonna have to try articulating that it needs a fix again I guess, and if that doesn't work I'll have to find a new manu. Figures it would happen to the most popular meats...
A small number of pins have arrived!
As mentioned early on in this update, things are coming in batches. I am still waiting to receive most, and none of what I have received is a matching set. So far the following pins and meats have come in:
- Coyote
- Fennec Fox
- Lynx
- Cinnamon Raccoon
- Wolf Apple
- Neon Dino Haunch
I will be going through and grading pins and meats as I end up with matching sets. Because most folks have more than 1 pin set it is unlikely that I will get to fulfill many orders until all the pins are here, since they're not coming matched up and are sprinkled across a lot of batches.
Still, we are way behind on the manufacturing step. Things have been getting to me a lot slower than expected. With any luck I'll have everything in hand before November since I have that month off from conventions so I can still keep us within our timeline. It is possible
Choices for how your pins will work
With finished pins in-hand I've gotten to asses their functionality. Each set will have 1 small LOOSE magnet that can be optionally attached (impermanently or permanently) to either the back of the meat or the back of the pin's embedded magnet. This gives you multiple options for how you want to deal with adding any bulk to the front or back, and technically a way to do it without having any bulk added at all. They're compatible a variety of different display options, like cork board vs cloth banner, instead of working better for just one or the other.
- The meats will stick to magnets even without a magnet of their own. They have a blank, flat back. The pins have a permanently embedded magnet which keeps it looking flat in profile, so a meat can be stuck to a pin without the loose magnet in play.
- The loose magnet holds tightly to the meat when applied directly. You can place the meat on the magnet, then place the magnet anywhere you like. When placed on the pin it causes a gap between the meat and animal that is visible from the side.
- The loose magnet can also be attached to the back of the magnet on the pin. This has the two magnets joining forces essentially, allowing the connection to firmly hold the meat in place when it is put on the front. There will not be a gap between the animal and meat in this case, and the placement of the magnet on the back can even be used to move the meat on the front.
- You can choose to exclude the loose magnet entirely. It will just be much harder to pose the meats in any specific position or keep it stuck there if on a vibrating or brushed surface! Meats also will NOT stick to something like a fridge without the magnet.
- All of those options do not require anything additional to be affixed! However, if you want to permanently affix anything, you are able to. Just make sure you DO NOT USE HEAT if you want to maintain the properties of the magnets. Heat will ruin magnets, so don't hot-glue them together or use chemical bonding methods that produce excessive heat.
The Deadweights campaign is LIVE!
We've already unlocked Hook and Hugs as both their full size and Bantam Burial plush! Big Brew Bash is wrapped up just in time for me to stress over this campaign instead I guess haha. I know many of you here like more unusual animals, so I hope you might find something you like among these! Earlybird pricing is still on, but not for much longer- it turns off tomorrow morning. Now's the cheapest time to snag one!
All regular pins and many recolors are available for pre-order on Lairbrew.com!
If you are looking for an alt. color pin that isn't up, I ordered few enough of those that I will need to grade the shipment of the entire set before I can put any additional up for sale. For example, it looks likely that I will have many cinnamon raccoons available, but I can't put them up just yet!
See you when I have more to share!
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