JP - Improved T-REX - Work in Progress on 3D Printed Version

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-jp-tv-mod-cztv-gauging-interest

Quoted from Cobra:
So you will not ship to Canada?

I've never shipped anything to Canada, so not sure on prices. In the US I think I'll be able to fit it in a flat rate prioriy box, so I'm willing to absorb the cost. I was assuming it would be more for anywhere outside of the US, so I would expect the buyer to pay $400 + actual shipping. I would ideally ship through a service such as UPS where they don't pass it off to someone else and then we end up in a grey area for which carrier is responsible if there's an insurance claim.

#852 9 years ago

CZY

CraZyMuffin

CzTV Mods

Saint Clair Shores, MI

10y 62,800 398 12

How about a partial trade for one of my up-coming mods? (mine+cash) Sounds like I might be done/close by the time it gets to my turn in line for your mod

#853 9 years ago

DHF

fosaisu

Pinside+ Frequent

10y 142K 10,340

Congratulations on the finished product, it looks fantastic (and appears to work great from the video)! Really looking forward to reading reviews from the test group!

OP
Quoted from winteriscoming:
I guess I'll start a list of interested people at this time. Please PM me that you want to be on the list, even if you already have.

I know it's still early days on the business end of this project but it might be worth clarifying at some point how you view the "interest list" working. E.g., PM me to get on the list, it may be a few months until you're up but at that point I will email you to confirm you're still on-board (or collect a down payment or full payment, or whatever), and then I'll make and ship your T-Rex.

Just as an example, Aurich does a good job with his translite projects of spelling out how his "interest list" works (not suggesting that his exact approach would make sense for your project where the work is not front-loaded to the same extent as with a translite, just that it seems to work out well to have rules and expectations spelled out in advance).

#854 9 years ago

CBM

spfxted

Pinside member

Saddle River, NJ

12y 147K 24,659 4 9

Beautiful work...fair price!

#855 9 years ago

ABB

Aurich

Mods and Opinions

Torrance, CA

11y 144K 23,395 3

Quoted from fosaisu:
Just as an example, Aurich does a good job with his translite projects of spelling out how his "interest list" works (not suggesting that his exact approach would make sense for your project where the work is not front-loaded to the same extent as with a translite, just that it seems to work out well to have rules and expectations spelled out in advance).

I think we all know by now the way to keep people happy is to just communicate with them. It's amazing how much happier people are when you just tell them what's going on.

#856 9 years ago

PJE

BleacherBum

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 57,900 392 11

PM sent! I think this is a fair price for all of the work you have put into this. You sir are a true artist.

#857 9 years ago

JRL

harbngr

Pinside member

Oakland, ME

11y 59,900 379 10 8

Will you be offering an unpainted, just the plain old black molded option to purchase? Your work is amazing and I think your paint job is amazing. I am pretty talented with painting myself from all the work I have done on miniatures an models.

Your price is more than fair on the painted version, but I just not sure if I can come up with that much now over the holidays. But depending on what you thought was a fair price for just the unpainted, maybe I can squeeze the budget for that.

#858 9 years ago

MAS

Edenecho

" I will not be selling unpainted ones until interest in painted ones subsides (or I get tired of painting them)".

#859 9 years ago

RON

NYP

New York Pinball

Smithtown, NY

12y 72,800 1,382 6

Been following this thread, just a few questions, when will they be available and how much will they cost? Will they come painted or unpainted?

#860 9 years ago

PJE

BleacherBum

Pinside+ Frequent

9y 57,900 392 11

Hi NYP,

An earlier post answered your questions (post 837).

You asked: when will they be available?
wintericoming post 837: "I guess I'll start a list of interested people at this time. Please PM me that you want to be on the list, even if you already have. I can't guarantee how long it will take before the initial pilot run is finished, but I will begin producing more after that. I will probably produce them at a slow rate... maybe a few a month."

You asked: Will they come painted or unpainted?
winteriscoming: post 837: "I will not be selling unpainted ones until interest in painted ones subsides (or I get tired of painting them)."

Hope this helps.

#861 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

Wow, I have lots of PMs now!

Sorry if I don't respond directly. For now if you send a PM then you're on the list.

I would imagine once I get through the pilot group, I'll start getting some more ready to go and will reach out to the people at the top of the list about customization options, etc. I won't collect any payment until I'm ready to ship.

At this point the wait list goes beyond my current stock of cast t-rexes, so if I make it through, I'll have to do a new run.

I'm really not sure how quickly I'll be able to turn these out once I start going through the list, so some people could be waiting for several months at this point.

An important thing for me to point out is that the little time I have available for production of these comes after my full time job and time with my wife and family. I'll work my way through the list, but it will take time. I've got to get some pinball and video game time in there, too.

#862 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

Quoted from BleacherBum:
Hi NYP,
An earlier post answered your questions (post 837).
You asked: when will they be available?
wintericoming post 837: "I guess I'll start a list of interested people at this time. Please PM me that you want to be on the list, even if you already have. I can't guarantee how long it will take before the initial pilot run is finished, but I will begin producing more after that. I will probably produce them at a slow rate... maybe a few a month."
You asked: Will they come painted or unpainted?
winteriscoming: post 837: "I will not be selling unpainted ones until interest in painted ones subsides (or I get tired of painting them)."
Hope this helps.

I think (hope) he was just joking.

#863 9 years ago

MAS

Edenecho

I would encourage people to read the last 2-3 pages before asking about what has been answered already

#864 9 years ago

MAS

Edenecho

OP
Quoted from winteriscoming:
Wow, I have lots of PMs now!
Sorry if I don't respond directly. For now if you send a PM then you're on the list.
I would imagine once I get through the pilot group, I'll start getting some more ready to go and will reach out to the people at the top of the list about customization options, etc. I won't collect any payment until I'm ready to ship.
At this point the wait list goes beyond my current stock of cast t-rexes, so if I make it through, I'll have to do a new run.
I'm really not sure how quickly I'll be able to turn these out once I start going through the list, so some people could be waiting for several months at this point.
An important thing for me to point out is that the little time I have available for production of these comes after my full time job and time with my wife and family. I'll work my way through the list, but it will take time. I've got to get some pinball and video game time in there, too.

Fully understandable :-)its something worth waiting for, even though it may take months

#865 9 years ago

RRV

rviguet

Pinside member

Lewisville, TX

12y 41,150 231 15

I was shopping my JP while this project was going on. I made a few mods for my JP myself (lighted backboard, lighted banner plastic, and east dock sign) and would show those to my wife with very little interest from her. I showed her the post a few pages back with the stock T-Rex and the new T-Rex side-by-side and she was very vocal about how nice the new one was. She has never really been all that interested in the tweaks I have done to my machines, but her reaction to the new T-Rex really speaks to the results of this project.

Honestly, I didn't think the stock T-Rex was all that bad (I mean it is just a toy in a pinball machine), until I saw that side-by-side comparison. I am on the list for one of these. I haven't told my wife the price. I hope she is still excited after she sees what they cost (she was not all that thrilled with $160 for a topper).

#866 9 years ago

ODB

Gryszzz

Pinside+ Frequent

Indianapolis, IN

10y 120K 13,251 9

Do neighbors / guys youve drank beer with, get a fast pass ?
Haha. Jim I would love to be on the list please and thank you.
I will pick up.
You are one talented guy man. Bravo !

#867 9 years ago

HPY

Santeh

Inactive member

14y 47,650 989 30

OP
Quoted from winteriscoming:
Edited previous post and updated with price.... and there's a waiting list now, so hop on and be patient.

Please add me to your waiting list! Thank you!

#868 9 years ago

MAS

Edenecho

Quoted from Santeh:
Please add me to your waiting list! Thank you!

Send him a PM.

#869 9 years ago

RON

NYP

New York Pinball

Smithtown, NY

12y 72,800 1,382 6

OP
Quoted from winteriscoming:
I think (hope) he was just joking.

Yep

#870 9 years ago

MAS

Edenecho

Quoted from NYP:
Yep

Didnt see the smilet at once, so fooled me

#871 9 years ago

DAB

Pinfidel

Pinside member

10y 99,800 3,924 9 51

This came out spot on gorgeous!!! Now THAT is how you do a T-Rex.

It would've been awesome if you could have added some little arms to him. I think that would have really enhanced him and given him more personality, life and realism.

Regardless, you knocked it out of the park with this one bro. Well done!

#872 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

Quoted from Pinfidel:
It would've been awesome if you could have added some little arms to him. I think that would have really enhanced him and given him more personality, life and realism.

You weren't around to defend the idea when everyone voted it down.

I did a mock-up and didn't think it looked right with the already odd shape and proportions of the body/head due the frame I had to build on top of. I even thought about just having them look like they're kind of folded into the front section of the body, but it looked weird.

Quoted from Gryszzz:
Do neighbors / guys youve drank beer with, get a fast pass ?

Perhaps. I'm not announcing to people what their place is in line, so maybe you are towards the top...

#873 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

It's evolution, baby!
Before and After

#874 9 years ago

SMK

smoke

Inactive member

Seattle, WA

11y 23,400 156

I may have missed it ...... how plug and play is the mounting of your T-Rex to the Game?? I have not seen any install pictures did you do some? is the first run full yet?

peace, B.

#875 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

Quoted from smoke:
I may have missed it ...... how plug and play is the mounting of your T-Rex to the Game?? I have not seen any install pictures did you do some?

I haven't really posted any directions or pics yet. Assembly is required, but luckily it mostly uses screw holes that are there in the stock t-rex. The most difficult part is that a rivet has to be drilled out of the original jaw to remove the stock plastic. The replacement is held on by a nut and bolt.

I will say that installation should be done by an experienced pinball tech, and the game should be off and unplugged. Installation is done at the risk of the owner.

Quoted from smoke:
is the first run full yet?

For now I'm just collecting names. I have a list that goes beyond my current stock, so I guess in that sense the first run is full.

#876 9 years ago

CNH

ChadH

Pinside member

12y 92,400 2,859

OP
Quoted from winteriscoming:
It's evolution, baby!

No doubt! Evolved!

image.jpg

#877 9 years ago

MIK

Cobra

Inactive member

Vaughan, ON

11y 46,800 836 2

UPS to Canada sucks because of the brokerage fees. USPS would be the better choice I think.

-1

#878 9 years ago

SMK

smoke

Inactive member

Seattle, WA

11y 23,400 156

so I can be dense and times, your T-Rex slides onto/over our existing T Rex and frame, correct?

#879 9 years ago

AJO

aobrien5

Pinside member

Highland, IN

11y 90,300 3,974 5 8

Price is as expected and what I was afraid of. I'm out.

Not saying it isn't worth it or appropriate for the amount of work, but well out of my price range for mods.

#880 9 years ago

JSG

Jared

Stern Pinball

Rockwall, TX

11y 103K 3,814 8 12

$400 more than reasonable for a hand sculpted, custom made, hand painted piece of exceptional beauty. It's not just awesome, it's one of the all time greatest fan made mods all of time.

#881 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

Quoted from smoke:
so I can be dense and times, your T-Rex slides onto/over our existing T Rex and frame, correct?

It's a complete replacement for the plastic peices on the stock t-rex. The stock frame is used, but platic parts removed and replaced.

#882 9 years ago

HPY

Santeh

Inactive member

14y 47,650 989 30

Looks great! Thank you. PM sent for waiting list.

#883 9 years ago

DAB

Pinfidel

Pinside member

10y 99,800 3,924 9 51

OP
Quoted from winteriscoming:
You weren't around to defend the idea when everyone voted it down.
I did a mock-up and didn't think it looked right with the already odd shape and proportions of the body/head due the frame I had to build on top of. I even thought about just having them look like they're kind of folded into the front section of the body, but it looked weird.

It's been awhile since I read all the comments within the thread, but I did remember you talking about "tiny arms" on a past page and I couldn't find it. I didn't realize it got voted down. I'da given it a thumbs up though. Either way, you TOTALLY nailed it brothah. And all the praise, thumbs up and positive comments are well earned and deserved. It came out AMAZING!

#884 9 years ago

BXB

BobC

Pinside+ Frequent

Antioch, CA

12y 52,050 1,132

Wow! Really looks great now!

But beyond what I can pay... Oh well

#885 9 years ago

TSS

Tsskinne

Tommy's Pins

11y 138K 6,878 14

Congrats!

#886 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

Well, now that I've had the t-rex in my game and have taken more time to play-test, I discovered there are still some technical issues I need to work through and the pilot group is going to be delayed a bit.

Right now the main issues are:
1. The paint isn't holding up as well as I'd like, especially around the mouth where it makes contact with the pf. I'm already seeing wear and it hasn't been that long. I realize now that skipping out on primer is making it so that the paint isn't adhering as well as it should. I'm able to easily scratch it off with my fingernails. I'll need to experiment with some primer and see if that cuts down on this issue.
2. There's a scenario where the ball can be picked up and held at the edge of the lips without actually getting into the mouth. In the upright position the jaw ends up more closed because the plunger is pushed in, and it's strong enough to hold the ball regardless of power going to the coil (i.e. turn the game off in this position, and it still holds the ball tight in the lips). It doesn't come out until the ball-search, and when the t-rex bends down and the mouth opens more, it falls out. I'll need to route out a bit more in top of the mouth so the upper frame can be bent up a little more. Ideally the ball would not be held tight in that position, and therefore would have at least fallen out of the mouth while raising up rather than being held there.
3. Because I'm using a bolt rather than a rivet in the mouth, there are times when the ball doesn't end up going past the head of the bolt and just sits in the front of the mouth, not coming out until ball-search. I had cases of the ball just sitting in the front with the stock t-rex, but at this point, I'm pretty sure I can blame it on the bolt because in a separate test I used a rivet instead and haven't had that issue. I'm hoping to avoid using a rivet because most people don't have a rivet press. I suppose the alternative would be to have people ship me their jaw and I could do the installation, but that would not be idea. I'll look into bolts with lower profile heads.

#887 9 years ago

MJH

TimeBandit

redshiftLED.com.au

Sydney, Oz

10y 159K 5,511 3 65

Stick with it mate. Best of luck on your testing. This is a great product.

#888 9 years ago

???

DropTarget

Pinside member

11y 64,050 2,283 23

What about some sort of clear coat?

#889 9 years ago

JDN

futurepinhead

Pinside member

12y 76,800 3,358 25

Really looks awesome man. And knowing your decently new to the hobby, like me, excites me at whats around the corner. Hopefully I get a chance to see this beast in action at LAX!

#890 9 years ago

RYE

Pimp77

Pinside member

20y 92,650 6,275 78

Quoted from DropTarget:
Right now the main issues are:
1. The paint isn't holding up as well as I'd like, especially around the mouth where it makes contact with the pf. I'm already seeing wear and it hasn't been that long. I realize now that skipping out on primer is making it so that the paint isn't adhering as well as it should. I'm able to easily scratch it off with my fingernails. I'll need to experiment with some primer and see if that cuts down on this issue.
What about some sort of clear coat?

That was my first thoughts...seal her up.

#891 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

Quoted from DropTarget:
What about some sort of clear coat?

Quoted from Pimp77:
That was my first thoughts...seal her up.

The issue is happening in spite of the clearcoat I used. I don't know if a clearcoat can help over a paint that already easily chips off.

#892 9 years ago

ABB

Aurich

Mods and Opinions

Torrance, CA

11y 144K 23,395 3

I would definitely use primer. That's the whole job of primer, to penetrate and bond with the subsurface and provide a stable base for the paint. What are you painting with? Acrylics? When I did my Sparky I used Brite Touch grey automotive primer, and acrylics over that. You could probably use a black primer even and then start your drybrushing and other layers over it, let it stay semi exposed in the recesses.

You said earlier something about some matte vs glossy divisions, are you sealing with a matte poly or anything? I would do that and then do any hand applied gloss coats over that.

#893 9 years ago

DAN

Curbfeeler

Inactive member

Des Moines, IA

11y 58,650 602 6

OP
Quoted from winteriscoming:
The paint isn't holding up as well as I'd like

Jim, you should just skip the middle man and powder coat this already. Pinballers powder coat everything eventually anyway!

#894 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

I scraped all the paint off the original green one with a wire brush, scuffed it up really well, cleaned it off, sprayed some gray primer, covered all that with black paint and proceeded to the paint it like I originally was. It's definitely picking up paint better than it was before, but I'll need to let it all dry thoroughly before I judge if the paint is staying on better. Then I'll follow up with the various sealers.

Ideally I think I would start with a black primer, but I had the gray one on hand. Impressively, the black covered covered the gray in one coat.

The paints are acrylics.

#895 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

I'm doing a second trial with a different primer.

I had intended to post more pics of the "final" version, but the technical issues are setting me back some. While the pics so far are representative of what I want it to look like, I'll post more when I have a better final version worked out.

#896 9 years ago

JIM

winteriscoming

Pinside member

The next paint trial is going to be with oil-based enamels. After all the trials, I'll see which I think will hold up best.

#897 9 years ago

MAS

Edenecho