Hi everyone,
I am new around here, and I hope I am not stepping on any toes, but I wanted to let people know about a kick-starter that I am working on. I am trying to raise funds to get a kaiju of mine, The Gruin, made into a classic-style sofubi toy. I have been working on this character for a few years now, and have finally gotten a sculpt together that has I feel has really caught the style I was looking for. I am working in association with Luke Rook of Grody Shogun and Lulubell Toy Bodega for the hopeful production and distribution of the toy. I have some great rewards for backers including artist prints of the Gruin by some very talented artist such as John Santagata of Radioactive Upper-cut (creator of the Kaiju toy 8-Ball), an exclusive colorway, and custom painted Gruin figures by folks such as Mark Nagata of Max Toy Co.
This is a major goal of mine in life and I feel very close to getting it actualized, I just need the funding to do it. I am not asking for any hand-outs here, support it if you can/want, otherwise please spread the word as much as possible. Thanks for your time and here's the link:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geoffmaxfield/the-gruin-kaiju-sofubi-project

ugh, no, this is not a good way to start.

oh no, what do you mean?

it's recommended that you spend a few days/weeks to get to know the board before breaking out the lemonade stand. you'll garner a lot more support that way.

Not to dog-pile you, but yeah... I'd have recommended letting the board get to know you for a bit, then start posting progress shots etc in the Resonators' Romper Room forum.

Unfortunately this can be seen as opportunism.

ok, sorry about that. I heard alot of good things about this forum, and again I don't want to step on anybody's toes. I wasn't aware of this recommendation. So sorry.

Yea, try getting to know people before asking them for money. I thought that was a given

Shoot, what should I do? should I pull the thread then?

I'll bet that it will be fine. Just be prepared for criticism and try to take it gracefully. Post some photos of your collections in the appropriate threads. Just don't act like all that you are here for is fame or money.

Welcome to the boards!

Thanks, yah I am always open to criticism as long as it's constructive and I would love to post some pics of my collection. I do feel it's important to build relationships for sure. Thanks for the welcome, and sorry for overstepping my bounds.

from your kickstarter blurb:(emphasis mine)
all snark aside, if your past successes have been lucrative, how come you're seeking outside funding rather than investing those previous profits into this venture?

that just means that I was able to make sales with the figure. I didn't make a lot of money on it (not many people do), but enough to make more of the little guys. And trust me, pretty much all the money that had made on that will be going to pay for it as best I can.

It is a bit odd to join up and have your hand out as your first post, but presuming that was an honest mistake, here is my take on your toy.

The character looks good, I can see that it could have that guy-in-a rubber suit monster feel, but I have a few issues I would try to work on. One thing is the proportions. You've made him very 'action figure-y' which looks good, but doesn't really fit in with the typical designs. Because what we know as kaiju toys here are made from soft vinyl that is hollow and pulled from molds, you will see that few things actually resemble yours I think. In fact, I am not a maker, but I think you would be hard pressed to fine such thin and long parts on anything. Hard to make and just doesn't have the same style.

Secondly, the detail needs work. It looks like this is more a rough conceptual mock-up, than a design reaching completion stages. There is obviously a lot of crudeness associated with these monster suits, but unless people are going for that ultra-realistic look, which honestly very few Japanese makers in this niche are, it doesn't really fit.

Lastly my principal concerns are for the finishing touches, particularly on the hands and feet, but mainly on the waist pelvis. Now, I realise this can be a troublesome area to sculpt, especially if you don't want to give the monster clothes, but also don't want to sculpt a massive package onto him/her - but right now it just looks half there. You can't have detail elsewhere but then leave this area smooth. I would suggest looking at some other examples of toys you like, and seeing how they have dealt with it. You can always add a bit of the 'veins' there, though I am not sure how this would look, or give him some spacey unitard. Also keep in mind that, as is, you have left him without articulation at the legs. (This is another thing that give him a more stale action figure look.) If you do make these separate pieces though, it needs to be blended to work successfully, and is not just a matter of cutting one through and adding a joint.

I appreciate the nod to Baltan with those feet, but the crookedness doesn't really seem aesthetically pleasing. The fingers are a mistake as they are now I think. You either need to make them more pronounced, like claws, or increase the digits, or something. They just don't seem to flow organically as a natural part.

My advice: Take your time. There are many other people even on this board who have been where you are, have learned countless things about sculpting and making toys; they have made the mistakes and worked new roads in the hobby. Their combined experience is in the decades. Sure you can try to 'that guy' who does your own thing and goes against everyone else, without any help, but why would you? There is a such a wealth of knowledge in this hobby, and that is why Skullbrain is a great place, even with some of the snags. People would be foolish to ignore the value that veterans in the field have - but everyone is free to make their own choices.

I think you will also learn that using words like "kaiju" and "sofubi" really mean nothing. It is the spirit behind them that is what we talk about here. There are plenty of other places where mass appeal and art toys can be discussed, and I am sure have loads of credibility.

my comment on this is: A goal of $10,000.....GET THE FxxK OUT OF HERE! Really?

If the factory is charging you $2k extra for GID and $5k for tossing in some glitter you are being bent over and shouldn't expect anyone else to pick up the tab!

Thanks for the advice, I can really work with those pointers. Definitely the challenge that I was facing was how it flowed from part to part and i was able to take a look at the sculpt and find a few places that could be cleaned up. And yah, that crotch has been a trouble spot for me (I already had to try to fix it twice). I'll try to post some update pics.
@Living dead & @Scary Andy: yes. really. After the dust has cleared from all of the math involved, plus the percentage that KS and Amazon takes, That's what is needed if I want to have tooling and a decent # of figures made. As for the Pricing of GID and Glitter, they do cost more to be casted, that's why they are extension goals (pie in the sky sort of stuff that is just something that could happen if it is more than successful). I emphasized in my first post on this page that you don't have to back it, I am just trying to spread the word. I can assure you that there was a lot of homework done on the matter, and that if this about as cheap as the pricing you can get (way lower than it has been in recent years).

Honestly I don't see anyone here pledging more than $100 with what we've seen so far. So the $10000 seems very unlikely. People here are very finicky and your "brand" is unproven. Who knows if you will follow through with everything, even if you do get the funding?

Do you know anyone on the boards? What do you collect? Can you show your other sculpting and painting in the custom forums? Have you tried making your toy in resin? Look at how PK and MVH and Splurrt all started out. They didn't rush into vinyl, they had to prove their artistry and commitment to the community first, and they all had resin toys that they transitioned into soft vinyl

If you want to consider cancelling your current campaign and re-launching it later, I can put you in touch with people that can make your vinyl toy for a cheaper price and they won't try to overcharge you for things like GID or glitter.

Russ brings up a great point, work your way up. Maybe even suffer and take out some loans, instead of expecting people to buy into something they know little about.

Number 1 though, stop reposting everyones long ass comments!

That is probably as much my fault. I hadn't meant for it to go on that long. Sorry about that, for those that read it.

I did not see your 'goal' of 10k$ before, but that is definitely overly optimistic. That is lofty for even a charity fundraiser to reach (unfortunately); people need to believe in you to donate money. I am not sure what the aim is for the proposal (a thousand people at 10$, a hundred donations at a thousand?, etc), but you would need five bucks from at least everyone on the forum, probably half of which members are not even active. You also probably don't understand how cheap we are even with our own toys! (speaking for myself at least)

Fair enough, you guys gave me a lot to think about, so thanks a bunch!

My opinion, for what's it's worth.

In all fairness, 10 k sneaks up real fast and this could honestly be that much to make 10" 5-6 piece toy. Wax, molds, labor, than say 30-50 pieces each of GID,BLACK, CLEAR ( House colors etc.) will set you up fast. But I'd say 10k will cover all costs with you not risking a single penny.

I think the most successful kickstarters are ones that a.) ask for as little as possible, and b.) see the person who's asking put up as least half of his goal.

So say you did need 10k. You should try to cover 5 k of your own money than ask for 3-4k tops. And if you've proven yourself to the audience your asking money for let them talk with their support. If you go over than you know you have the support of the community your asking a favor from.

I think it's a bit off putting to ask other people to fund all your project.

If you believe in your project you have to put your balls on the line so to speak.

Personally I find it hard to support any project if the actual person who's asking won't even put in money. Not saying you aren't, just putting that out there.

Also walk before your run. Make a small 2 piece mini to get a feel for just how hard it is to be a toy maker.

whoa whoa whoa, who ever said I wasn't going to put up my own money for this? Not that you actually said that, but you put it out there. I know how hard it to be a toy maker (especially when your trying to do it alone), I know that there is a ton of work that's involved. Just because I have never posted anything here until today doesn't mean a thing. I've put in the time, I've worked the resin, dealt with a mountain of trial and error (sometimes to the point of losing the piece entirely), I've researched this process for years. I took the advice of many, listened, and grew on it. If I lose this one, then I lose this one, but it won't be like anyone will lose anything other than a little pride. Whatever, I will deal with the humiliation, dust myself off and keep going. But don't you dare assume of me to try and burden everyone else with funding this without carrying as much as I can of it myself.

to all the snark you respond gently and submissively, but toward the one person who could actually help you through vinyl production, you get defensive? are you saying you'll be putting up $10k+ from your own lucrative profits, and the ks funding is in addition to that? let's shut this down and try it again after you've solved your crotch troubles.

I am loathe to tell anyone they are doing something "wrong" but I just don't see this particular project being successful as it stands.

Leaving alone the concept and sculpt because anyone can make anything however they want you really need to invest a serious amount of time in the actual kickstarter when you have such a high goal. Yours looks kind of thrown together honestly. Look and how the radioactive 8ball kickstarter was presented. It was beautiful. Great visuals and goals and ideas all explained clearly. All the one-off customs were done before the page went up which proved how involved the maker already was in the project. Taking a risk yourself helps others feel safe taking a risk on you. Same with the cheesestroyer kickstarter. That thing was all effort. If you aren't funding a chunk yourself at least take the time and effort to get your artists(you have some great people listed there)to do the art ahead of time. I mean really, having killer talent involved but only mentioning them in text is pretty useless. You didn't even add any images of their previous work, only links.

Then look at something like the Grim Creeper funding page that failed not too long ago. Very impressive concept and sculpt with lots of work and time put in but absolute zero effort on the pledge page. No descriptions of the creature or story or much of anything at all. It was bare bones at best. Which was sad because they toy itself would have been really neat. You need to realize most of the people who pledge don't know you or your work and aren't likely to do any research either. You need to sell your concept and toy and reputation all on that one damn page. Personally if your kickstarter page screamed of effort and dedication and involvement I might be tempted to pledge but as it stands I would feel like the effort I spent in making the $100 bucks I put up was more effort then you spent setting up that page. Please don't take any of this the wrong way. I would like to see you get your toy made for sure. I just think you need to go about it differently.

If you really want to make some money for your project then take the absolute best kickstarter page you have ever seen and makes yours better then that.