New Kaiju Kickstarter

Not defensive, and I do recognize his points about how much it would cost because those are pretty much the numbers I came up with. But I was making it clear not to Rich, but to anyone out there who are assuming I won't help with funding. I cannot complete this project on my own, that's why I am doing Kickstarter; that's why anyone uses it. You are just being rude now and I would appreciate it if you would please stop.

 

I have given this advise to literally everyone who asked me, and just about every time I get the same response.... So I dont even respond to this question anymore. This thread pops up and I say to myself, ah what the hell... deja vu ...

Good luck with your toy. Sorry I piped up.

 

You should be grateful that Rich took the trouble to give you some advice my friend.

 

Good advice, Waterbear. It transcends really to anyone doing anything they aim for; to be one of the best, you must learn from the best.

And good luck with your toy project, GM. Although some of the criticism is subjective, overall you've been handed some very valid, and absolutely valuable, suggestions from some experienced collectors / creators / chronic cultivators / chihuahua counselors / chip chompin couch cuddlers / lawyers? / etc. that I would most definitely take into consideration. Go away thinking of it as an early focus group from your target market.

 

I have no idea if this will fall on deaf ears or not but I really do want you to get your toy made so here is the absolute best advice I can offer.

1. Make a much smaller pledge level. 10 bucks for a postcard and a button is just too much. Button-lab can do high quality buttons that you could sell for a buck a pop and still make money. I have seen some cool kickstarters get funded by tons of people pledging at the lowest possible level. Lots of people want to support new toys. Not so many people have enough extra cash to do it. So a tiny pledge option is always a good idea. Plus often people who pledge for a button or sticker or whatever will see something get closer to the goal and they will up their pledge amount. It's a win win situation.

2. If you are sticking your own money into this thing then go all out. Make the buttons and postcards NOW so people can see what they would be getting. A simple mock up of the art doesn't cut it. Same with the prints. Pay your artists to do the work before your kickstarter begins not after or just if it's funded. Not many people will pay 50 bucks for a set of prints based on artwork they have never even seen. Again doing this ahead of time shows a a level of effort people need to see. I am not saying you didn't put in the effort, only that it's doesn't show.

3. You created a successful mini figure so why not do that again? Make a 1 or 2 inch version of your monster or of a sidekick in resin and price out the cost with your friend TGB and add that as it's own pledge level. In my estimation you could probably make a nice 1 inch figure at a 10 dollar level and pull profit. It would not only give people without 75 bucks a toy to pledge for but you would pull your own mini fans into your new project. Again I have no doubt people who pledge 10 bucks and see you getting close would consider going all in.

4. Make resin versions like lots of other people do and get some well known toy artists to do one-offs for you. Add them individually at specific pledge levels just like the 8-ball had. It worked perfectly. Again it requires you to shell out for them with your own money but that's not a bad thing.

5. You have some great people lined up for the actual production so you really need to showcase that fact. Just a mention of their names isn't good enough. Show off their previous work. Get people to see how good they are at what they do and how trusted they are in the toy world. Stack yourself on their reputation for real quality. Again as with the great artists you have on board a mention or link isn't enough. Don't just sell yourself, sell them as well. I realize sometimes it's hard to push like that but it really is a must. Also and this is just my personal opinion but with the guys who are making the actual toy why not get them to articulate the hips rather then the waist? It seems like a small detail but there is a large group of people who see waist movement and think american toy in vinyl rather then a true kaiju based sofubi.

This is all just stuff that might help. Most of which I have seen work several times in the past. Hope you see it that way and not as an insult or attack.

 

. . . and with 2 pages of comments and advice, and zero positives for the approach or sculpt . . . looks like back to the drawing board!

 

10 large seems a little pricey for a quote... how big is this guy? I've been quoted for half that for 6 inch tall figures, decent sized, realistic run. That's unpainted with no masking and only a handful of vinyl colors.

 

Forgot to mention I like the sculpt, reminds me of a Kamen Rider bad guy.

 

Gotta love this place... The truth hurts, but guess what, its the truth.
This thread is full of knowledge for up and coming toy makers...Peep game.

 

A post like this a couple of years ago would have turned out alot uglier so you got off real easy, Not here to judge tho. Toy making is a tough gig specially if you're going it solo. God knows how long I've been trying to get my sofubi toy out but life seems to always get in the way. 10k sounds about ballpark close what with wax, resin, tooling, masks etc. And thats not to mention paint, materials, shipping and the odd unexpected expenses. Rich needs no introduction, he's always ready to help fellow SBers. He was there to help and your post did sound like it was directed to him. Hopefully apologies was sent acordingly. You've got alot of competition in this arena as you may alreay know, so youve got to have top level game. Hang in there and re evaluate your sculpt, and plan of action. I can tell you from experience that waiting just a bit longer and spending some time here and learning more about the hobby will pay off.

 

Crashed & burned and deservedly so!

 

Oh don't worry, it's far from over. Aside from negative comments like this one that provides no actual use than to be negative, I have picked up quite a few good things to take away from this endeavor. So thanks! I'll be posting some progress pics of some other work in the near future. Sorry we all got off on the wrong foot, and @scaryandy, I'm so sorry that this put you in such a bad mood to the point that you can't bring anything to the table other than negativity. Make art... not war.

 

If you do another kickstarter, the only advice I can give is that "sofubi" is pronounced "sohffbi" and "kaiju" is pronounced "kigh-jew." Good luck!

 

Say's the guy that tried to charge $$$ for TRANSLATION SERVICES, so i think u owe him some money for the lesson GM2010

 

Pronunciation lessons are a free service.

 

Not negativity . . . REALITY!

Better to have realised the original concept sucked before investing $10,000 of other peoples hard-earned cash in it!

I don't know about art but I know what I like, I'll be a-surfin' in a swamp on a Saturday night

 

The lesson to be learned here is that before you ask for money, it would seem a good idea to ask people what they think of the product.

(Advice is two cents)

 

I liked the GI JOE man of action in the KS page. I was surprised at how long it took to sculpt the Gruin though. Was that "several years" as in you put it in the backburner then worked on it some more months later etc? I've read that it's origins are from the sea but I did not see a reflection of that on the sculpt. It's humanoid in form, was it a man that mutated from a ocean going creature? I would take it a bit more over the top. The beard could have been octopus like for instance. Details like seaweed on the body to suggest it comes in and out of the shore line to snatch its victims, scales, gills. Go to your local aquarium and take lots of pictures for ref. Draw your ass off till your monster tells its story at first glance. Your subject matter is open for lots of weird and off beat stews. Dig deeper man, your monster will come out with a bit more time and for the better.

 

This is the post I've been waiting for since I joined this board. I don't get "kaiju," I fail to see the appeal. I didn't see much of a difference between the Gruin and the beloved Bemon that people shell our hundreds for, but now I do. The Bemon tells a story of a mountain of pollution being mutated to a monster (even though that's impossible). Does the Gruin tell a story? I don't know. I'm critical of the anatomy, but I find it no different than the vintage Japanese stuff people collect which is pretty anatomically horrible in general.

 

I seriously can't believe I just read this...

 

You did. I don't understand kaiju. It all looks the same to me. But to each his own. I like the Balzac stuff which isn't very popular here anymore. I'm also working on my own thing that I'll post later, but since it's not anthropomorphic I doubt anyone would be interested in it. I'm making it for myself.

 

It's cool man. With your impressive Balzac toy collection (which admittedly is not my cup o' tea) and there being many others here who collect the same, I get it why you're here.

I'd just caution you to not lump this "Gruin" (and overzealous Kickstarter attempt) in the same boat as a Bemon kougai. If you can't see the blinding difference in artistry and skill between the 2 (and understand why the latter has become a classic toy in its own right), then I really can't say anything more.

 

I can understand that youre just not into most of the kaiju monster stuff.
personal taste, whatever..
but I really dont see how you could think it all looks the same..?
do you mean texture-wise? like nags look like bemons..?

cause i could name a ton of ultra characters that dont even look remotely similar..

 

There is a huge difference between someone knowing and altering anatomy in a very specific way for a very specific look and something being "anatomically horrible" like you suggest. Lots of vintage stuff was sculpted by people who mastered that art form. Just cause you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there.

 

I'm going to respectfully address the above three comments a someone who works as a researcher in a perception lab.

Yes, Gruin and kaiju look alike to me. Gruin is kaiju inspired and I've held a Paul Kajiu elephant pig monster and don't see much difference. But the reason isn't because of the level of work. I'm sure the Gruin guy could be great if he sticks with it.

The reason is because I'm unfamiliar and don't know what I'm looking for. It's like I like punk and can discern good punk from bad, but to an outsider it's all noise.

In order to actually perceive something, you need to be primed to perceive it and you need previous knowledge of it. I guarantee you the moment you saw your first kaiju figure you didn't understand it with the amount of complexity you do now. Now you are all experts and know what to look for. I'm not, still an outsider with a curiosity of the art. But I don't know what to look for and I don't get why people like it. It doesn't mean I don't respect that people do. In fact, I've spent hours looking through the collections posted here. I find it all rather fascinating and some of the newer soft vinyl pieces are beautiful pieces of art. One sculpt I really like is the "Dustman" as it has great character.

I wish my best for mr. Gruin. It's a good learning experience to have a failure. Never argue against your critics. Be gracious they have you some time. Make art for yourself and if people want to buy it, great. I think kickstarter is a good vehicle for big name products from established creators.