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Yeah, 2016 if we're lucky here.

I feel bad for the 81 "Complete Imbrian" people...it might be an extra long time for them!

It's a good thing they aren't trying to apply the wisdom of King Solomon.

Didnt we see WIP pics of the sea dragon eons ago and nothing about it since? I pledged mostly for the elves and crew Jody was planning to create. No work has happened on any of those at all. I feel slightly heartened that Jody's still active on the KS page but im getting ever more skeptical i will ever see those elves and my money.

 RiTides wrote:
So, he has gone back to his first excuse - Trollforged. Nevermind that he hasn't sculpted hardly anything lol. Comparing them is like night and day - Ed at TF had to cancel taking Jody's project, sure (and he cancelled, not the other way around!) due to other commitments, including finishing the aforementioned RBG campaign. But he Did finish it, and continues to work like crazy to keep his operation going and to finish his own campaign. It's the exact opposite - late, but regularly updating and doing all he can to work towards completion.

I am really tired of people blaming TF. Ed got a little too enthusiastic just like everyone else, but he hasn't made any excuses, went above and beyond on working with certain sculptors, and is doggedly toiling away on a kick starter that has been (I'm sure) the opposite of a financial windfall.

Hmmm...

RiTides of 3DG on January 4

Same tired excuses for months: TF, Valiant, wife, upcoming baby, car. I can't see why this would change now, you've literally said all the same things for SIX MONTHS pre-baby, with ZERO progress.
Why haven't you shipped Beagle's pledge? I think it's obvious you blew the funds on "living expenses" long ago, and are just going to stretch this out as long as you can.
If you wanted to be done, sculpt in the darn evenings! That what Ed at TF, who you love to blame, is doing. Works all day to pay the bills, comes home and texts me at 11pm to work out printing/casting details of a sculpt he's working on. In other words, working his butt off, and updating regularly to boot.
You showed signs of hope in April or so, then just gave up. Maybe you should try working on this an hour a day, updating regularly, and you'll see how backers would flock to support you. Instead, it seems you're literally doing nothing on this, and using the same excuses over and over for, as I said, six months now with no progress.

RiTides of 3DG on January 5

I think the most frustrating part is, we all want the same thing, for Jody to be successful. But by refusing to take responsibility, update, or show/make any progress on the remaining sculpts, of course he has alienated the backers, and ruined his reputation for any solo venture in the future.
---
Simple steps to start to change all that:
1. Respond here to Beagle, who asked in October for you to ship him existing sculpts.
2. Make an update showing progress.
---
I say you haven't since April, because that is when we were asking you for more updates on Dakka, and you showed the Lich, Sea Dragon WIP, and accessories. Since then, the only new sculpt shown was a rough WIP of the Death Knight. One WIP in 9 months!! And that is Before you had a baby. You need to commit to slowly and steadily work on this, and to update to hold yourself accountable, to have any chance at making forward progress / one day finishing. In the past, you estimated something like 11-13 weeks to finish remaining sculpts. If you just work an hour a day, you could get through that easily. Whether or not that's your normal process, at this point it seems to be the only way to get this moving / one day done.
---
I mean this to be constructive, I hope it is. You need to show signs of progress, one WIP in 9 months even before a big life change is just impossibly slow, it would take you a decade finish if the rate does not improve.

zoroaster100 5 days ago

I sent a PM to Jody requesting a partial refund for the miniatures I have not received, since I am growing concerned about ever receiving them. I left it up to him to propose the amount. Unfortunately he advised that I cannot get a refund until after the project is complete. I don't understand the reasoning why that would be. I grow concerned this is turning out to be another situation like I had on the Center Stage Miniatures' Kickstarters I backed. In those Kickstarters, Center Stage Miniatures ran out of funds without fulfilling the Kickstarter. I don't know if that has happened here, but I am growing concerned. At least I did receive some miniatures I this Kickstarter, maybe half of what I pledged for, while a lot of people who pledged for Center Stage Miniatures' Tome of Horrors received nothing for their pledge. But still, $350 was a large chunk to put down for this. In the future, I will be a lot more cautious about backing any solo artist doing large projects on Kickstarter on their own, and probably just back such projects for a small amount I can consider more of a donation rather than a significant miniature purchase.

Creator Jody Siegel 5 days ago

Zoroaster, I've explained the refund policy before, back in March. In addition, I take the time to write it out again to each person who messages me about it, every time. I stand committed to fulfilling this kick starter and providing refunds when able to do so. That is beyond what's required by kickstarter. You also have the option of changing your order and subbing out miniatures that are available now, which you can do whatever you like with. I'm trying to be as flexible as I can given the circumstances while still trying to complete the project.
--
RITides, I messaged Beagle days ago within minutes of seeing his post but I respond to most customer service requests via private message because it's up to the backer whether or not he/she wants to share information about their pledge, and it reduces the amount of email notifications people receive about issues that don't affect them.
As for an update showing progress. I'd love to, and as soon as possible. I'm sure you're already aware of the extra financial responsibilities i've been handed so I won't keep repeating them, but as soon as I get a chance I will. I've been seriously considering whether or not it's worth the time/money investment to start sculpting with zbrush due to the speed which people claim you can sculpt, since lately more things are demanding my time and I need to create more time in the day or become more efficient with what time I can get.

Kara Nash 2 days ago

I'd be concerned that your style would change in Zbrush due to the change in materials.

Gniknok 3 days ago

Jody I just want to say that I support you and the difficult decisions you are making, but I backed you specifically because I liked your sculpting. I have worked with people learning z brush and while it is efficient, there is still a steep learning curve. Not to mention the learning curve associated with 3d printing. Stick to what you know and do very well.

Oh boy...

Got to agree with Kara and Gniknok - I don't think I'd want his zbrush minis...

This thread is my schadenfreude space.

 Alpharius wrote:


Got to agree with Kara and Gniknok - I don't think I'd want his zbrush minis...

Agreed.

I have to wonder if Jody is trolling the KS backers now, he can't honestly believe that the project would be finished faster if he changed to an entirely new way of sculpting, one which presumably he has no experience with?

Now that the TGG project is looking to be winding down, I am glad this thread is here to face palm over ever newer creator silliness!

The weirdest thing of all is that if he does switch to Z-brush he's then going to be on the hook for some significant expenses for printing the final figures out,

probably a lot more than if he just sculpted and did resin casts
(unless he has a friend with a reasonably expensive 3D printer)

and he's already admitted the money is at best 'limited' (if not gone

It is...odd that he continues to refuse to address the fact that all the time leading up to the 'loss of work' due to his wife's pregnancy seems to have been relatively 'inactive' in terms of sculpting for this Kickstarter.

He seems to regard that period of time as his "spare time", during which time he sculpted his amazingly well received Beer & D6 figures.

I think it's an artist thing, at least the kind of artist who has no interest in establishing deadlines, let alone trying to meet them. It think that's what happened with this kickstarter. Reminds me of Arena Rex and MIKH. There have been enough comments about hangovers and alcohol too that I wonder if that has been a contributing factor (as in too much partying, not an accusation of anything more serious). What's funny is that Jody now seems to be trying to buckle down since the birth of his son. Unfortunately, by Jody's own admission, none of this new-found sense of personal responsibility is been directed at bringing the kickstarter any closer to completion.

I am a fairly open minded, easy going and understanding person probably more so than the average person but that is mostly because I've been in those difficult situations. However there are some things that don't make sense based on what was said and overall just some poor decisions made. I completely understand the strain that goes into starting a new family, it became even more difficult for my wife and I when later our son was diagnosed with Autism. It also why when working with Kickstarters I never stopped working my full time job, even when I'm doing paid work for companies like CZE and Blizzard because the money that comes from that doesn't pay my bills... it allows me to continue doing what I enjoy but it isn't where my security for my family comes from. Also the funds from that are completely seperate from my actual job.

I know when times get rough it can be tempting to pull money from something I'd have access too but the extra financial burden, should have had no impact on the funds he already obtained to pay for the work he was supposed to do. If every time it got tight I pulled money from my childrens college fund, on the premise I'd pay it back (lets be real, it never gets paid back), then my kids wouldn't have any money in their funds. The way he says there is extra expenses makes it seem like the money from the KS was spent on non-KS items. In which case he should of already been paid for his commission time to sculpt... now if he undersold the amount of time it was going to cost that is a different thing, but it doesn't mean you just stop working.

I won't even go into the baby being a baby is the best time to get work done. Sure there is feeding and changing but most of the baby play doesn't revolve around crawling or walking. You don't have to worry about the baby getting into things and there strollers, rocking chairs, and bouncers the baby sits in for most of the day. I found I got the most work done when the baby was sleeping, which was quite a bit.

I get bothered about things like this because being someone when he does a KS, is basically a one guy show... it makes it hard on people like us. We'll have to deal with the questions, concerns about how the project is ran (which is fine) but moreso because of situations like this. When in reality it was just poor business decisions at the end of the day which led to the situation.

Creator Jody Siegel 4 days ago

Thanks guys. I'm going to talk to my clients and see if I can push things back a little. With tax time approaching the refund should cover us for a couple of months. I think by then my gal should be well enough to get back in the job market. I'll finish up what I'm on now and then get then complete the death knight. So I think we should have an update with pics by the end of the month.
@Paul, the easy answer is what you see on the website, plus I have a few more sculpts done and mastered in resin but as yet unreleased.

In my mind, I'm seeing a young Al Bundy.

It's insane (for him to) think that his wife is going to go back to work with a newborn infant.

What's this?!?

AN OFFICIAL UPDATE?!?

Update #58

Feb 15 2015

We're back to work!
Comment

Hello Backers! For those of you who aren't up to date on how this kick starter has faired, we've had a long pause on progress while I was covering the bills to take care of my family during my fiancé's pregnancy and recovery. A couple weeks ago the doctor gave her the go ahead to get back to work and exercise so she's on the job hunt and I'm free to work on the project. Our baby is now nearing the 2 month mark and has decided to show us mercy, sleeping longer, peeing less, and keeping the decibels down from blood curdling to more of a chalk board sound.

Now that I'm free to work on the project again I can promise that outside of completing the commitments I made while my fiancé was pregnant, I won't be taking any more outside work until this kickstarted has been fulfilled. No side projects, nothin! Just Imbrian arts miniatures. I'm itching to get back to the stuff I love doing, and I have a bunch of new updated concepts of some older miniatures in the range that I'd like to work on too.

Moving forward I'd like to try and stick with a bi monthly update system. I should be able to complete 1-2 pieces a month, around what we were able to do when the project first started. Casting of resins and releases will depend on how quickly I can get them done with the set up we have now. I'd like to continue doing the casting, since I have much more control over the quality of the casts, but we have less space than before, so If I can't release miniatures regularly, we'll look for a really top notch resin casting service. I have also been unable to keep up with the demand for bones, so we may ask Valiant to do those again, and that will give me more time for sculpting, and casting the collector's pieces.

Thank you so much for being tolerant and understanding of the circumstances for the past 10 months. It's been really crappy for you, and for me too, having the business stalled out because of real life situations.

PS. I have a bunch of resin zombies that I have not yet released because they don't have cards yet. If you're interested in an early set without the cards, send me a message!

So, his plan seems to hinge on the idea that his fiancée looking for a job is practically the same thing as his fiancée having a job.

Yeah, that is indeed 'The Plan'...

Oh boy.

If she is working, who is watching the baby while he is sculpting? Does he think babies are self reliant like cats?

For the next few months, the baby mostly eats, sleeps and poops. The SAD can do handle it.

That is not really close to my experience. For one thing, I had to stroll my son for hours because that was the only way to get him to nap. Hours. Walking in a big circuit. When he was awake, he required mental stimulation. If I wanted to get anything done, I had to wear him so he felt secure. Feeding him was also time intensive since I couldn't nurse him.

Some babies are more needy than others, but unless one is using the old "let him cry it out" method, one is not going to have very much time at all to do fine, delicate work with blades or resins that can't be near a baby, especially when one does not get to sleep at night uninterrupted. Keep in mind Jodi expects to finish one or two models a month when he works at his good pace. This guy's got a crippling case of Tortoise Nervosa.

I know that, but I'm otherwise at a loss to explain the thought process behind being able to sculpt full/part time while mom is working.

I believe that Jodi is saying that now that his wife can work, he will no longer have to put aside the work that he's already been paid for (the Kickstarter campaign) and by all appearances spent all the money from and can now work on finishing up sculpting and casting the miniatures that are now over two years late.

Aside from finishing up the miniature commissions that he did take on to help pay the bills while his wife couldn't work.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
I know that, but I'm otherwise at a loss to explain the thought process behind being able to sculpt full/part time while mom is working.

The same kind of thought process he has displayed throughout the last 11 months, apparently? And even a few hours before that.

1-2 pieces a month? That's a pretty low bar to set. Like really low. Might be possible. I count at least 9 minis, some of the more complex (dragon), that are left to be finished. That'll only take another 5 months!

*sarcasm*

 Alpharius wrote:
I believe that Jodi is saying that now that his wife can work, he will no longer have to put aside the work that he's already been paid for (the Kickstarter campaign) and by all appearances spent all the money from and can now work on finishing up sculpting and casting the miniatures that are now over two years late.

Aside from finishing up the miniature commissions that he did take on to help pay the bills while his wife couldn't work.

I would love to see the process map for this.

It just seems like he's hoping for the best but anticipating the best. "No way anything can go wrong in this economy. Dealing with an infant and a postpartum working spouse can't be that difficult."


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I just realized Jodi's job is basically "make choking hazards look interesting."

That worries me.

I...don't know what to say...

Update #59

May 6 2015
I got hit by a car!
6 Comments
3 likes

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to let you know that I will have a long overdue progress update for you this weekend.

Normally I'm pretty quick to respond to emails and I do pay attention to the comments. I realise that this long of an absence would be cause for concern. On top of my computer issues (logic board needed replacing) I was hit by a car while on my motorcycle and following the accident I've had so much stuff demanding my attention that I let the update get pushed back.

In case you're curious, I was riding my bike and I stopped for a school bus that had turned on its flashers. The car behind me wasn't paying attention, or thought I was going to blow by the bus and ran right into me. My leg got crushed between the car and the bike. I was hit hard enough that the car ripped off the saddle bag on the left side and threw it (I think it hit me in the leg too) about 50 feet down the road. Amazingly, I have no broken bones, but my left leg got thrashed pretty good. I've spent nearly every day in the last two weeks dealing with lawyers, doctors, the other guy's insurance company, and the repair shop.

I have still been able to get sculpting done, so now that we have a working computer and most of accident issues are resolved, I will be responding to your emails and comments as speedily as possible and we'll stick to the update schedule previously mentioned.

Watch out for motorcycles and drive safe!

Is it worth me being a total a**hole about this in the kickstarter comments and raising the fact that whether or not this accident truly happened has no bearing on the current or previous lack of progress on this campaign? When i read the update i just wanted to pull my hair out. Seriously... does he think this should minimize his responsibility for the state of things? Im tired of BS excuses. Im tired of the drama. Just get the work done. End of story.

No, but I think you've learned your lesson about the risks of backing the first KS project of a creator.