TerraScapes: Caves and Grottos - Redux - Tabletop Terrain

All Molds Finished!
over 7 years ago – Fri, Dec 28, 2018 at 11:35:06 PM

Well this is not the update I wanted to write today, though I am still pleased that there has been some progress.  The Casting Studio elected to work solely on the remaining molds instead of producing production pieces of the first few Core Packs.  My only complaint is that they told me a different plan back in November.   Being a small shop, I'm sure they have their reasons.  Alas, progress is progress and I am content with getting my prototypes back and intact so I can 3D scan them...

I will say this about their work... They are very good at what they do.  When we receive our first production pieces in January I'm certain we will see that this is the case.  These pieces, being so flat and odd shaped, are extremely difficult to mold properly.  Each week when I ask them for updates, I am constantly reminded just how much a pain in the butt these pieces are to work with!  The work shown in the following pictures should be commended!

It will take more than one mold to produce each piece through to fullfillment, but I am told that the new recruits have been trained to handle that when the time comes.  This is one reason why we have molds now, but not many production pieces for fullfilling.  Considering the mold making process is what was holding everything up, this news gives me confidence.

 I have not yet received a date yet in which I will take our first delivery of pieces.  Supposedly all other projects at the shop have been sidelined in order to start producing our tiles fulltime.  That tunnel is a long one, but there is a light at the end of it!

 Lastly, I would like to apologize for my lack of updates.  This is an extremely busy time of year for me.  Every Christmas Season I am tasked with being Jolly Old St. Nick!  I wanted so bad to take a photo with a bunch of finished production pieces and share it with you all.  I kept holding out in hopes that this update would have been the "Merry XMAS, here comes your tiles!" update.  I am confident that update is coming sooner rather than later!  Unfortunately there won't be any photo ops with Santa as I shaved to make room for the 2019 Beard!

 Happy Holidays!

Production Officially Begins!!!
over 7 years ago – Thu, Nov 08, 2018 at 08:49:01 PM

Hoorah! It has been a long time coming but we've made it. Pictured below is this project's first production piece! However, I do expect production to take a few months in total if pre-production was any indication.  They will be producing pieces Pack by Pack so we can begin fulfilling the smaller rewards sooner rather than later.  Unfortunately this means the lovely folks who purchased the full sets are simply going to have to wait until production has finished entirely.  I suppose that's how that works anyways! At any rate, once it ramps up, both production and fulfillment will be occurring simultaneously. This is so we can get these rewards out of my home and to you before they overwhelm us.  Wish us luck. We are still deep in the tunnel, but there is a light ahead.  Godspeed!

David H.

Production Halted until End of September
over 7 years ago – Sun, Sep 09, 2018 at 11:37:08 AM

I've been doing some leg work and searching for other facilities to take take on this project.  The quotes recieved were all within the budget, however their finishing dates were simply not acceptable.  As a result, I have decided to stay with the current production team.  The head of production over there assured me once again that he will be able to get things rolling by the beginning of October.  He will be focusing on the Core Packs first so we can start fullfilling them by the end of October.  Full Sets will have to wait until production concludes.  Production should take from 2 to 3 months to complete.  This is of course pending any more nasty Gremlins...

I want to stress to everyone that I am fully committed to fulfilling this project one way or another.  For it to take any longer to fulfill than necessary is stressful for me as I have so much more that I want to contribute to the tabletop.  I will say this though. After this project fulfills and as a result of its complications, I am strongly considering only releasing 3D printable products in the future.  More on that later though.  Until then, patience my friends.

David H., MGStudio

Production Hangups
over 7 years ago – Tue, Aug 14, 2018 at 03:00:55 PM

Well needless to say, things have not been going optimally.  The casting studio is another man down, and the Boss of that operation is trapped in his seasonal summer job for 12 hours out of the day 7 days a week.  He is simply overwhelmed, and will be until the end of September it sounds. 

Many of the pieces have been gated and are ready to be poured into molds.  However the boss is not yet confident in the person who was brought in to learn resin mold making process.  Molds are an expensive process and with so many pieces, mistakes can get costly.  Not to mention, we want these done properly.   This unfortunately leaves only the Studio boss to finish up the production molds.  

The good news is, once production starts I will be able to start fulfilling some reward levels immediately while production is ongoing.  It's just a matter of getting them poured and into production...

Seeing as the studio is trying to get these pieces molded while hogtied, we are collecting quotes from other casting studios to possibly finish the project if it is necessary.  I realize how precarious all this seems, but I can assure you that this project will be fulfilled one way or another, even if I have to do it all myself.  I however am tasked with watching a 3 year old on a daily basis.  So that too wouldn't be optimal.  For now we must still play the waiting game.  I'll keep you all posted as I learn more...

Molds and Mushrooms!
almost 8 years ago – Mon, Jun 18, 2018 at 08:16:08 AM

Hello Hello!

Last week I crashed the shop to help in any way I can to get TerraScapes molded! The prototype pieces all needed modified to allow for the the gates to be securely glued into them. The producers were a little apprehensive when tasked with drilling holes into them as they are made of foam and putty. I was happy to assist with this little hurdle, with no problem. Here's a pic after I took a drill to my prototypes!!

Before leaving the shop I was assured that the remaining work towards molding them would be wrapped up by the end of June. This gives us a few months to start producing these pieces and getting them out to all the terrain thirsty backers.

If you were not aware, I live only an hour and a half away from where they are being cast (or rather summoned). When production starts it is my intention to make a weekly trip out to the shop to gather what I can and start processing and fulfilling. Most likely this would mean that I will be fulfilling the smaller unpainted and painted orders first. I could wait and do it all at once, but seeing as I am a one man show, this would be the most efficient means of fulfilling. What this really means is that it is highly likely that many of you will see something hit your mailbox by the end of july or beginning of august (if not sooner if the dwarf gods smile upon us). I'd hate to get your hopes up, so please keep in mind that any number of gremlins could still rear their ugly mugs…

I also managed to finalize all the fungal forest STL files! I had to completely re-sculpt the spore cloud as I accidentally saved over my file! I am in the process of figuring out the best way to get those files to the backers, so I still have to manage that. Any suggestions? Either way, you should expect those files sooner rather than later! Like real soon! Once I get a moment I will paint up some of my FDM prints and show those off! Until then here are some .1mm prints off my cr-10.

Most likely King Boletus on the far left will actually be a nip smaller and the spore cloud below it will be a nip larger. Though, you could ofcourse print these in any scale you wish! I imagine a huge mushroom on your top would be pretty schweet cone game day.

Not bad for a less than $400 FDM eh? Turns out you can do the same with the cr-10’s little sister too, the ender 3. That one goes for just $200-250. It has never been a more exciting time for us tabletop hobby enthusiasts.

Stay tuned, more to come!