Hi Ultimates,
Happy New Year!
Project Status & Expectations
Dice Production
As reported in the last update the dice production has been completed and all dice are on cargo ships going from China to the Netherlands. The dice are expected to hit Dutch soil at the end of January.
Boxes
First off; THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR VOTES AND COMMENTS!!!
I wasn't able to reply to each individual comment because there were so many, but I read all of them, have considered all the comments, and counted all the votes - thank you again, could not have done this without you!
I expected to only get a few comments/mails, that's why I tried to keep it simple and low threshold by just letting everyone mail me or place a comment. And you all responded with such overwhelming force and enthusiasm! That's what makes you all Ultimates 😉
It did scare me a bit to see this on my mail app just a few hours after posting the last update though... 😅
As many of you pointed out: all boxes already looked rather similar (which makes sense because they all had the same requirements to fulfill), but there were for sure some favorites between the available options!
Without going over all the options again; most of the options were for #1 and #5. This surprised me at first, but it also made me extremely glad that I asked your opinions because most of this is just a matter of taste - and taste differs from person to person.
Immediately after I saw the majority of votes going for #1 and #5 I contacted those suppliers and send them my "box review"-files and request new samples that would fix any and all shortcomings with the first samples they had send me.
What shortcomings you may ask? Well... by now you might have realized that I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and I want to do my utmost best to make all of you happy with the final result. So for each sample box I had a review ready with required fixes for the next sample. Some of these problems/fixes were related to how snug the dice would fit in the foam inlay, how thick the foam inlay is on both top/bottom of the box, whether the hinge would be sturdy enough, whether the dice would be easy enough to take out of the box, etc. Example:
Two shortcomings that are easy to see: #1 (left)'s hinge wouldn't close all the way anymore after receiving only a minor push in the wrong direction. Meanwhile #5 (right)'s hinge was sturdy enough, but was way too loose which resulted in poor alignment of top and bottom halves when closing the lid.
The idea then was simple: I would receive updated samples for these two boxes. #1 was the clear favorite (especially when also taking "second favorite" votes into account) and #5 would be a great backup option (just in case), and both of these options had the dark brown color and subtle wood grain texture that both were very much favorited looking at the vote totals.
And it turned out it was actually simple for a change! Both manufacturers supplied new samples, but the manufacturer that supplied the new samples for #1 did a much better job incorporating the changes making this box so much better then any of the other options. They also feel they can complete production before the Chinese New Year celebrations which would make this option be available so much sooner.
Enough talk; time to show off the final box design:
The final box design (closed). The logo has been lasered with higher quality and a buckle has been added to ensure safe transport and shipping of the (rather heavy) metal dUltimate dice on the inside. The dimensions, color, and material are still the exact same as the original #1 option.
The final box design (open). The biggest change is that the split line between the bottom had and the lid has been lowered to: a) allow for easier pickup of the dUltimate dice, and b) makes is much better to show of the dUltimate dice when opening the box. The top half now also has added foam to protect the dUltimate dice from the top and sides of the inside of the box. The other more noticeable change is that the inside of the box has now also been painted to match the color on the outside which makes the entire box more visually coherent.
Still a nice and compact design made of actual wood. Not only will it look mysterious and intriguing to those that lay their eyes upon it, but it also keeps your dUltimate dice as safe as possible during transport.
The foam has been given a little bit more thickness in all directions to keep the dice more snugly in it's place, but also - and this might sound strange - to improve the sound the box makes when you close it! In the original sample it would be a very hollow loud "CLACK" sound of wood hitting wood; however that blow now gets softened by softer materials which makes opening and closing the box feel (and sound) just a lot nicer. You'll get to experience it soon as well 😉
To aid with getting the dice out of the box, just a little bit easier for those with larger finger like myself, there's a slight indentation in to foam next to the dice. Another change visible here is that the hinge has been improved to a hinge that's much sturdier and tighter without adding a lot of additional bulk to the design.
And finally, I've decided that a nice looking box like this will probably find a place on desks, shelves, and the like that some small soft feet will really help with preventing any damage to either the box or whatever it's standing on.
Looking back this final samples really looks a lot like the original renderings I made when setting up this Kickstarter campaign. Amazing!
Hope you all are as excited as I am about this box design - it is sure to keep your dUltimate dice safe during transport and is intended to last a very long time just as the dUltimate dice itself!
Timeline
Due to the delivery of the boxes taking place either just before or just after Chinese New Year I've updated timeline to reflect this. As soon as the dice are here I'll still be able to check them, but I really need the wooden boxes to be able package and complete these order for all of you. My apologies for the delays and I'm grateful for your patience. In the end I'm doing all I can (together with the manufacturers, purchasing agents, shipping companies, etc.) to get great quality products to each and everyone of you!
Moving soon?
Address changes can still be made by using your PledgeBox survey link. Before the dice will be shipped I'll send out a reminder for everyone to check their address information via mail/Kickstarter.
As always, for any questions and comments you can contact me at info@lenpolygon.com
Keep on rolling!
-Len