Happy project update day backers! We're back again with another bi-weekly project update along with some other fun goodies to share.

First thing's first, we're continuing to hammer away at the minis on the production roster day-by-day. As of today we are at an estimated 55% completed with all of the production (conservative estimate). We've even started some assembly of the various parts of the pledge kits so that we can transition into fulfillment more smoothly when the time comes. Overall things are looking great and even with a few recent hiccups with one of our SioForm machines (Meatloaf wasn't sucking - its vacuum pressure regulator went on the fritz! 😉) we're keeping pace.

So yay for all that! But that also means we're getting closer to the closing of the pledge manager. We're planning to close it on June 6th - that's about two weeks from now. So make sure you take care of getting your pledge all wrapped up if you haven't yet!

And as always, if you've moved since originally completing your backer survey please login and update that or email us at [email protected].

Now, we want to share with you all some behind-the-scenes on how a miniature is brought to life. We're going to break this up into a few segments that we'll stretch out over the next few update posts (we like to keep our audience riveted!)

To begin, unsurprisingly, a model starts at the concept phase. We select a monster, character, or object we want to create or that is specifically needed for a project. Then we research that subject to hone in on what we want to do with the model. We ask ourselves - How can we make it interesting or different than what is already out there and available? Can we do anything cool that could link it or pair it with any already existing models in our catalog?

Once we've got a solid idea, we work up a brief to submit to the sculptor/modeler we've selected to work on it. The brief will contain the name of the subject, approximate size, references and other descriptions and details about the subject. We'll include style examples and guides for the artist to work from, along with the desired pose(s) and any additional elements we want incorporated into the model, such as clothing, weapons, facial expressions and more.

The artist will begin by blocking out the model and present a "T" pose, which is just the model at its most basic form - standing straight up with its arms out to the side. We'll then supply feedback on adjustments for proportions and fixing any aspects of the model that may not have been clear or were misinterpreted by the artist. We work with many artists from around the world and sometimes there are things lost in translation, so to speak. From there we'll go through additional rounds of revision to pose the model and add/adjust details.

Since we're designing models for casting, we've got to keep in mind the limitations inherent in the production process. Chiefly, the SioCast production process utilizes silicone molds. We'll get into the nitty-gritty of the production part of the process in another update, but because the molds are made with silicone, they have a limited lifespan (compared to say a metal mold) due to the constant heating and cooling as 235 degree Celsius plastic is injected into it over and over, thus slowly deteriorating the silicone over time. The silicone can also be susceptible to tear out and other damage when models aren't designed properly.

During these rounds of revision with the artist we're constantly inspecting areas of the model to address and avoid the kinds of things that will create problems down the line with molding/vulcanizing the model, or which affect casting consistency once the mold is in production. Common adjustments during this stage are for weapons/objects that are too thin/frail, aspects of clothing that are causing unwanted gaps/undercuts, and poses that may prove problematic to mold without resulting in tear out of the silicone once it is vulcanized.

Eventually we'll reach a finalized and approved model! From there we will drop the model into CAD software so we can scale/size it and if the model is multi-part we will cut it up into various parts. once that's done it will move on to the mastering stage of the process... but that will have to wait until our next update!

Last on the agenda for today is that we want to announce our next upcoming project that will be launching over on Kickstarter - Dragon's Cache! Dragon's Cache features an all-new roster of minis that includes themed warbands and other fantasy monsters and miscreants for use in your favorite RPGs and tabletop games. We're excited to share more details about the project soon, but for now, please click here to go over to the pre-launch page and sign-up to be notified when it launches!

We'll that's all for this update, it was a bit longer than usual so we appreciate those of you who made it all the way to the end. We'll be back in a couple weeks with another update right around when the pledge manager closes and we'll be gearing up for the Origins Game Fair. See you in the comments!

Hello everyone, it's been a couple weeks since our last update so we're back for a super quick one for you (the "how we make 'em" update will be coming soon though, we just didn't get it all together in time for this update unfortunately).

We're estimating we're about 45% completed with production, so a nice 15% jump from a couple weeks ago. With about 90% of backers having completed their survey (thank you!) we should been pretty well set with our target production numbers being very close to what they will wind up at when it's all said and done.

For those who haven't completed your survey yet, we want to let you know that the pledge manager is going to be closing around the end of May. We don't have an exact date yet, but just be aware that's the current time frame.

A reminder that if you've already completed your pledge, but have moved since or plan to move in the near future, please don't forget to update your shipping address on your survey.

If anyone needs support for their pledge, survey, or anything else, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

We've also released the new minis for May, the Red Caps and Shadows, on our website. We have them available here as well, but if you want to get them separately or with some non-Dragon's Hoard Remastered minis you can now do so. They're for sale all this month at a special price!

The last bit of news to share for this update is that we'll be attending a few gaming conventions over the next couple months:

If you'll be attending either please stop by our exhibitor booth and say hi!

Thanks for reading everyone and we'll be back in a couple weeks with a more meaty update for you all. See you all in the comments!

Hello once again to all of our fine backers! It's time for another project update to cover production and other topics. Let's jump right in!

As you can see from our handy graphic above, we're an estimated 30% done with production as of today. We're continuing to make good progress on our SioForms ("Steely Dan", "Aerosmith" and "Meatloaf", as we affectionately named them). We've been continually producing DHR minis along with the usual assortment of minis for other companies we do contract work for and filling restock orders for retail. There's a lot going on!

We've included some more images of production minis that are fresh off the line:

Speaking of new minis fresh off the line, we've got four brand new minis that are our upcoming NLM Direct releases for May - Red Caps and Shadows (made in a smoky translucent color)! Normally these new monthly releases will go on sale directly at our online webshop, but this time we've also added them to the DHR Pledge Manager. You can find them listed alphabetically in the "Individual Mini Add-On" section.

This way you can add them to your existing pledge at a discounted rate rather than needing to make a separate webshop order for them (especially useful for our international backers who we don't want to leave hanging with a pricey separate shipping charge). And just to be absolutely clear so there is no confusion, they are not being included retroactively with any DHR pledge level, they are add-on only items.

We hope you like them! You can expect new releases direct to our webshop every month moving forward. We've got some spicy stuff on deck!

Lastly, another thank you to everyone who has completed their backer survey already. You all rock! For those who haven't, the pledge manager will remain open into May. Although we don't have an exact date for when we will close it just yet, we expect it to close in late May most likely. We'll keep everyone posted as we get nearer so there are no surprises.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading and we'll be back again in the few weeks with another project update (we're thinking of doing a little bit of a "how they're made" type of update). Until then, we'll see you in the comments!

Hello backers, we're back again with a bi-weekly project update!

As of today we estimate we're 20% done with production. There's a little wiggle room there as backer surveys and late pledges are still coming in, but we're making good progress at this early stage nonetheless. We're still finishing off the last remaining masters to clean up and knocking out the final molds needed for the project.

Below we've got a gallery of some of the latest DHR minis in production!

Speaking of backer surveys, thank you to everyone who has already taken care of getting it submitted! It greatly helps us plan ahead knowing how many extras of everything we need to account for in our production goals. If you haven't yet, don't worry the pledge manager will still be open for awhile longer so you've got time. We'll be keeping everyone updated on when we are getting close to it closing so no one (who is keeping up with our updates at least) is caught off guard.

If you haven't received your backer survey yet please let us know at [email protected] and we'll make sure it gets to you.

That's all for today - short and sweet. See you all in a couple weeks with another update!

Hello to everyone, we've back with our first post-campaign update! We'll be covering topics for the pledge manager and production progress.

The first order of business is to let everyone know the Pledge Manager is now set up and ready to go. We were expecting to have to wait until Friday to send them out, but we got the green light from Backerkit already so we're going for it. We sent out a "smoke test" to about 5% of backers yesterday and so far we haven't received any reports of issues. Based on that we're feeling confident we've got everything set up properly so we've just sent out all of the Backer Surveys. If you were a backer of the project please check your email associated with Backerkit for that. If you don't see it in your inbox, make sure to check your spam or promotions tabs to ensure it didn't get filtered there. The Backer Survey will allow you to complete your pledge by verifying your pledge items, selecting Add-Ons, and submitting your shipping address. Filling out your survey is an essential action for all backers to be able to receive their rewards so don't ignore this!

If you do run into any issues with filling out your survey, or have questions about anything, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] so we can assist you.

Along with the pledge manager being open comes the opening of the Pre-Order Shop for Late Pledges. Anyone who missed out on the campaign can now jump in and pledge. Please share the link with family or friends who might be interested!

We want to point out a few things that are important when filling out your Backer Survey or Pre-Order. First, please make sure your shipping address is correct. This is obvious of course, but also supremely important for your rewards to get to you. We do encounter address typos while we're doing fulfillment of every project and we're all human (we think), so an extra reminder can't hurt. We'll be periodically reminding everyone to update their address if they move prior to when fulfillment starts (you'll probably get sick of reading the reminders, but we don't want anyone to forget!).

If you are a backer from outside the USA, we highly suggest you enter your phone number in when filling out your shipping information. From our experience fulfilling three campaigns, having your phone number available could be the difference between the carrier delivering your package or not. We're happy to say our international backers were quite adept at getting their phone numbers in for our Next Level Encounters project and we had no reports of packages not being deliverable - so kudos to those folks for being awesome!

For EU/UK backers, you should be charged VAT during checkout. We've done numerous tests prior to opening up the pledge manager to make sure this works properly, but you never know once something goes live. So if you think you should be charged VAT, but aren't please contact us!

This update also marks the first production update for the project. As you can see from our handy graphic above, we're roughly 12% done with production. We're busy getting new masters and molds created and churning out those cool little miniatures each and every day. As we move along we'll be sharing images from production and showcasing the new models as they hit the production line.

Of course the tracker above doesn't account for additional purchases in the Pre-Order store or from backer add-ons that will be made. As those come in it will change the math, but we'll keep you all informed of our progress with every bi-weekly update moving forward.

That's all for today. We'll be back in a couple weeks with another project update for you all. In the meantime, we'll see you in the comments!

Just a quick update to celebrate the defeat of the odious Otyugh Glutton (🎵 queue up the victory fanfare! 🎵) - thank you to everyone who has backed the campaign to unlock this model for the All-In Pledge! If you didn't back at the All-In level, don't worry, it will be available a la carte in the pledge manager to add to your pledge.

We'll be back later with another update later today to put a pin in the campaign (ends @ 4pm Central US time) and share info for what to expect in the coming days/weeks, when the pledge manager will open, when backer surveys will go out, and more.

Hello everyone!

Dragon's Hoard Remastered is in the books and the campaign has now concluded. Our first order of business is to thank everyone who pledged their support to make this project a reality!

After that, the next order of business for us is setting up the Pre-Order store and opening the Pledge Manager. We'll begin finalizing setup of the Pre-Order store for late backers potentially by the end of next week.

For backers, your next step will be to complete your pledge survey which will allow you to grab add-ons and any other minis and items that are available in the pledge manager, then complete your pledge by filling out your shipping info and covering the shipping costs (and VAT if applicable) to your location. However, before we can send those surveys out, Backerkit has to finish recording and compiling all of your pledge info and payments. This takes 14 days according to them. So once that happens and your info is imported into the pledge manager, we can then send out those surveys, which should be right around the end of the month. We know it feels like a "hurry up and wait" situation, but the rules are the rules, so hang tight on that and we'll give you plenty of notice in a big ol' update full of info and tips so you're prepared when the time comes.

We do want to reiterate that all of the pledge options and add-ons will be available a la carte in the pledge manager along with each mini from the campaign (and that includes the Otyugh Glutton stretch goal and the Red Dragon). You'll also be able to snag extra copies of any of the pledges as well. If you want a second All-In Pledge, or if you wanted to grab one of the special Veteran pledges to add to your original pledge, you can do that as well. All that is to say, you're going to have plenty of options!

As we move our focus fully into the production of the project, we will still have regular updates to keep you all informed of our progress along the way. We plan to post updates every two weeks and sometimes weekly when we have an abundance of new stuff to show you or important topics to cover. Those who were a part of our previous projects know we put an emphasis on communication and like to keep everyone in the loop along the way.

We're sure you all have questions so please comment on this update so we can address those below or in a future update post.

Again, a dragon-sized THANK YOU to everyone who helped bring Dragon's Hoard Remastered to life!