Kitz Concept Toy Thread 2.0

[rsvictor1976]

So I took a break from collecting and am clueless to KitzConcept. I see a lot of talk about this Kickstarter project and preorders. Can someone fill me in on what the drama is all about?

[varitechs]

a Kickstarter project is like a pre-order for a limited time, it is generally done to raise funds to launch a production

The only difference is that if the total amount requested is not reached, thé project is canceled, we are not charged on our credit cards and the creator of the project does not receive the money

[jvmacross]

For the KitzConcept KickStarter it's a bit more complicated....

KC's existing PO system essentially works like a kickstarter....pay a deposit in advance for the delivery of the item at some future date.....which was working fine until their release dates became more erratic to the point where POs are now taking years to get released....all while receiving next to no updates on the PO release dates...

And this is the biggest issue with the KC Kickstarter....like their most "recent" POs....the listed release dates on all of their Kickstarter items are now meaningless due to how they have been handling their current open POs...does anyone really think they can stick to the tight schedule they are advertising on Kickstarter?  

Unfortunately, KC is now  insinuating that only via Kickstarter support will their customers be able to get any of the items on their current Kickstarter....they are counting on the anxieties of some of their customers....as the saying goes, fool me once....

Instead, KC should concentrate on reorganizing how they release their product....get their open POs delivered....then rethink their future production schedules so that years long waiting for items in the dark becomes a thing of the past....personally, I don't mind if they release only 1-2 items per year as long as they are released as promised....for additional cash, maybe a couple of VF-1 repaints or some of the canon schemes they have not released in between new product releases...I hope KC can fix their problems...

[varitechs]

28 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

For the KitzConcept KickStarter it's a bit more complicated....

KC's existing PO system essentially works like a kickstarter....pay a deposit in advance for the delivery of the item at some future date.....which was working fine until their release dates became more erratic to the point where POs are now taking years to get released....all while receiving next to no updates on the PO release dates...

And this is the biggest issue with the KC Kickstarter....like their most "recent" POs....the listed release dates on all of their Kickstarter items are now meaningless due to how they have been handling their current open POs...does anyone really think they can stick to the tight schedule they are advertising on Kickstarter?  

Unfortunately, KC is now  insinuating that only via Kickstarter support will their customers be able to get any of the items on their current Kickstarter....they are counting on the anxieties of some of their customers....as the saying goes, fool me once....

Instead, KC should concentrate on reorganizing how they release their product....get their open POs delivered....then rethink their future production schedules so that years long waiting for items in the dark becomes a thing of the past....personally, I don't mind if they release only 1-2 items per year as long as they are released as promised....for additional cash, maybe a couple of VF-1 repaints or some of the canon schemes they have not released in between new product releases...I hope KC can fix their problems...

It's not the question of rsvictor1976  but you right to notice it...

It should be noted that if their lead times are abnormally long, it is because the orders are not enough to launch production... and since it is a small company, they have to wait until they have enough orders. I think they are honest but when you order their product, you have to accept that there may be delays.
However, the interest of this Kickstarter campaign is that they can get a large sum to launch their production and that is why I believe in it.

 

[jvmacross]

40 minutes ago, varitechs said:

It's not the question of rsvictor1976  but you right to notice it...

It should be noted that if their lead times are abnormally long, it is because the orders are not enough to launch production... and since it is a small company, they have to wait until they have enough orders. I think they are honest but when you order their product, you have to accept that there may be delays.
However, the interest of this Kickstarter campaign is that they can get a large sum to launch their production and that is why I believe in it.

 

He asked what the drama was....so explained it...

Also, if they know they cannot produce the items after taking customer deposits they should be clear about that....instead, they decided not to say anything or provide few or any updates, so now they have a trust problem...

At some point their current business model will not be sustainable and many are in a position to lose their money....unless you think KC will return all deposits? 

I do not belive that their current goal is a guarantee that every item will get produced, if he is struggling to produce the items that are stiil pending with paid deposits....

[locidm]

What are the risks with supporting kickstarter? If they make the target then they'll charge us and produce the toys. If they don't make the target then they'll not charge us. I guess the worry is that they make the target, take the money, and then somehow tanked and disappear without consequence?

[jvmacross]

11 minutes ago, locidm said:

What are the risks with supporting kickstarter? If they make the target then they'll charge us and produce the toys. If they don't make the target then they'll not charge us. I guess the worry is that they make the target, take the money, and then somehow tanked and disappear without consequence?

You answered your own question....lol

[varitechs]

19 minutes ago, locidm said:

What are the risks with supporting kickstarter? If they make the target then they'll charge us and produce the toys. If they don't make the target then they'll not charge us. I guess the worry is that they make the target, take the money, and then somehow tanked and disappear without consequence?

Yes of course but since i received the Battlepod, i have confiance 🙂

[Big s]

2 hours ago, varitechs said:

It's not the question of rsvictor1976  but you right to notice it...

It should be noted that if their lead times are abnormally long, it is because the orders are not enough to launch production... and since it is a small company, they have to wait until they have enough orders. I think they are honest but when you order their product, you have to accept that there may be delays.
However, the interest of this Kickstarter campaign is that they can get a large sum to launch their production and that is why I believe in it.

 

In their recent picture of the hot pink zentraedi pilot, it’s standing next to a vitruvian hacks knight by boss fights. That particular company is very small and their original knights were on a kickstarter. But after that the majority of their products have been standard releases with a few that are exclusive to certain sites like the red one pictured, which was a bbts exclusive. They still do an occasional kickstarter for a figure every now and then, but not often. They mostly just used the process to start their company and don’t rely on the process.

If a company is relying mainly on that process, then it’s a bad sign. There’s been several companies and many of which were toy companies that have gone under using this process. Many of those go under bankruptcy and then don’t pay the customers back their money. That’s really why so many people are against this here. This particular company is getting further and further behind on their promises making it even harder to trust them. And when that company doesn’t communicate well with their customers, then it’s just another red flag to add to the pile.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand a lot of smaller companies are dealing with delays post Covid. Things got a little weird overseas, but many people have been waiting multiple years on their products and that can cause mistrust, especially with a lack of communication.

If this company was more reliable and good with their customer relations, that probably would get more people involved in their process, but the majority of people would still rather just see a simple preorder at a website they trust like BBTS or Entertainment Earth or whatever their favorite spot is. No upfront cash and easy cancellation in case things look bad.

[jvmacross]

I too recived my Regults..three of them...with no explanation, until recently, on the missing Gluu-Gers that were advertised to be included....and the wait was over 2.5+ years with hardly an update during most of that time....and that is not even taking into account everything else they have yet to deliver on while asking for yet more payments for 'promises'....

To me throwing more cash at KC would be less about confidence and more about blind faith...at the moment I've run out of both for KC...

I do wish them luck though....

[sh9000]

Gluu-Ger.

Edited November 15 by sh9000

[Big s]

the colors on the toy look way off, hope they fix that and ditch the sparkles. And they keep posing it with the elbow pads to the sides, but i think that part can be rotated where the joint meets the lower arm.

[jvmacross]

Agreed....they seem enamored by those sparkly paints...

The other thing that has not been brought up is the size....I am glad that this fig will apparently fit into the Regult's cockpit...but I honestly would have preferred a static fig for the cockpit and a 6" figure that matches the rest of their fig line....plus it would look better against an HMR or even their own VF-1's....oh well....beggars can't be choosers, right?

[Big s]

2 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Agreed....they seem enamored by those sparkly paints...

The other thing that has not been brought up is the size....I am glad that this fig will apparently fit into the Regult's cockpit...but I honestly would have preferred a static fig for the cockpit and a 6" figure that matches the rest of their fig line....plus it would look better against an HMR or even their own VF-1's....oh well....beggars can't be choosers, right?

The size is definitely a weird one. If it’s just barely taller than a knight from boss fights, then this dude is gonna be small for an hmr, even a 1/100 wave kit and maybe too big for a tomy tech VF-1. It’s basically out of scale for everything, especially the regult that it’s meant to ride. And those sparkle flakes will be more than a foot large no matter the scale.

But if they just fix the color and ditch the bedazzle, then I’d still buy a few. The stupid sparkle paint is gonna make a figure that doesn’t match the vehicle 

Edited November 16 by Big s

[jvmacross]

49 minutes ago, Big s said:

The size is definitely a weird one. If it’s just barely taller than a knight from boss fights, then this dude is gonna be small for an hmr, even a 1/100 wave kit and maybe too big for a tomy tech VF-1. It’s basically out of scale for everything, especially the regult that it’s meant to ride. And those sparkle flakes will be more than a foot large no matter the scale.

But if they just fix the color and ditch the bedazzle, then I’d still buy a few. The stupid sparkle paint is gonna make a figure that doesn’t match the vehicle 

Maybe he is trying to go for the 'brownish' version of the armor?....but even then....the colors are still off and the shiny aspect just makes it worse...and the helmet is wrong...

Edited November 16 by jvmacross

[sh9000]

I just messaged KC asking if the colors of the Gluu-Ger figure can be changed to be closer to the anime.  Also if it can have a matte appearance instead of shiny appearance.  Maybe more people can direct their questions and concerns to KC.

[jvmacross]

43 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

I just messaged KC asking if the colors of the Gluu-Ger figure can be changed to be closer to the anime.  Also if it can have a matte appearance instead of shiny appearance.  Maybe more people can direct their questions and concerns to KC.

Thanks....Nobody seems to really ask the important questions on their FB site....

Edited November 16 by jvmacross

[Big s]

6 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Maybe he is trying to go for the 'brownish' version of the armor?....but even then....the colors are still off and the shiny aspect just makes it worse...and the helmet is wrong...

The brownish one there is the other armor type similar to Kamjin, I don’t know if it’s a heavier type or commander type or really what the reason some even have a different type. The elbows, helmet and crotch flap as well as some body details are the big differences between the two. 

[jvmacross]

6 hours ago, Big s said:

The brownish one there is the other armor type similar to Kamjin, I don’t know if it’s a heavier type or commander type or really what the reason some even have a different type. The elbows, helmet and crotch flap as well as some body details are the big differences between the two. 

So it's also the wrong fig for the regult?

[Big s]

1 hour ago, jvmacross said:

So it's also the wrong fig for the regult?

No, I  believe both armor types were seen using a regult. To be honest, I haven’t found any information about the differences in the armor types, but maybe someone with a good reference book might. 
there appears to be two for the males and I’m not sure if it’s a rank thing or a heavy use thing or just two different types and no one cares, just get what there is kinda thing.

its hard to find information on a google search about these

[Big s]

This info was from a Robotech fan site, so take this with a grain of salt

so maybe it was the wrong armor for the regult. I think it’s gonna take another viewing of the show to spot them for sure. But according to this the light armor guys just piloted recon stuff and fighter pods and power armor. 
 

Again this was from a Robotech site and may have false info

[Big s]

I tried finding some images of a Regult pilot and for a while only found pics with a heavy type.Even this diagram shows a heavy.

But after a lot of scrolling, I found this one with the light armor. Although he is getting out of a recon type, so still not sure on the basic combat type.

[sh9000]

Another pic from KC.

[jvmacross]

It really does look to me that he is trying to do the colors that match that of the first Zentran we see in the show....I hope he can avoid using those "candy apple" type paints and stick to how his original concept fig looked....I'd be OK with either the purple or brown armor as long as the colors were as close to the anime and more importantly flat or semi gloss at worst....

[Chronocidal]

This is feeling like one of those cases where it feels like they should just leave it unpainted to keep the costs down, but maybe the costs are already high enough that they're just painting it to make it feel more worth the money?

I don't know.  The colors are really just obnoxious, and I have no idea why they would make them glitter.

And frankly, isn't the entire point of this figure so you can put it inside the Regult?  Why paint it at all, when one of the primary functions is just going to scrape it all off?

[Big s]

3 hours ago, jvmacross said:

It really does look to me that he is trying to do the colors that match that of the first Zentran we see in the show

Nah, the first one was greyish brown, not sparkle pinkish and that was a whole different armor set.

I may be wrong, but I don’t even remember the light armor being any other color in the show other than that dark blue grey and a lavender color. I know the heavy was shown in greyish Brown and Kamjin had a Green set, but I don’t remember that in other colors. I’d have to do a rewatch to find out, because it’s tough to find images of the body armors on google.

Edited November 17 by Big s

[jenius]

While I would throw my vote for a lavender color over the more red of this prototype, I also don't have a hard time imagining that different Zentraedi war groups would have different color armor so this could be a valid paint scheme for some group. I'm curious how hard it's going to be to squeeze this figure in... that cockpit is not roomy.

[sh9000]

New pic.

[Big s]

2 hours ago, jenius said:

While I would throw my vote for a lavender color over the more red of this prototype, I also don't have a hard time imagining that different Zentraedi war groups would have different color armor so this could be a valid paint scheme for some group. I'm curious how hard it's going to be to squeeze this figure in... that cockpit is not roomy.

I get doing non cannon paint jobs, but on an initial release, they should stick with the iconic color of the anime. Personally I wouldn’t mind green rather than sparkle pink

you could try a 1/18’th figure to test the fit

Edited November 17 by Big s

[Mechapilot77]

So are the people who ordered a battle pod with pilot going to eventually (as in soon though!) get the pilot ?  I hope it doesn't depend on this Kickstarter like at all.

[varitechs]

5 hours ago, Mechapilot77 said:

So are the people who ordered a battle pod with pilot going to eventually (as in soon though!) get the pilot ?  I hope it doesn't depend on this Kickstarter like at all.

No, the pilot that comes with the battlepod is not dependent on Kickstarter

Edited November 17 by varitechs

[PNW_Sweetie]

My pre-order is with BBTS, so assuming this figure doesn’t go into production for another couple of months, combined with the literal slow boat from China, we aren’t seeing the Battle Pod until the Spring time, are we? 

Edited Sunday at 06:58 PM by PNW_Sweetie

[Atomski]

Something I am not seeing pointed out in this discussion is by doing it on Kickstarter they could end up not providing a finished product and we would still be out of money. Strikes me as odd they took this to Kickstarter when they already had a preorder system in place. 

Also 127K for 3 vehicles and 10 figures? Math ain't matching. 

And the mix of stuff? This is like 4 Kickstarters combined into 1, and that is just wave 1.

[varitechs]

2 hours ago, PNW_Sweetie said:

My pre-order is with BBTS, so assuming this figure doesn’t go into production for another couple of months, combined with the literal slow boat from China, we aren’t seeing the Battle Pod until the Spring time, are we? 

The BBTS boat is expected in December and BBTS will send you the Battlepod.

For the pilot, it's the same for everyone, we will receive the pilot later when it is ready.

[varitechs]

42 minutes ago, Atomski said:

Something I am not seeing pointed out in this discussion is by doing it on Kickstarter they could end up not providing a finished product and we would still be out of money. Strikes me as odd they took this to Kickstarter when they already had a preorder system in place. 
 

As we said in this thread, they are a small company, they have a lot of ideas but not enough funds and that's the whole idea of Kickstarter, it's a crowdfunding campaign to help them produce. It's in all of our interests if we want really cool products like the Battlepod otherwise who will ?

Don't be suspicious, they haven't scammed anyone and their products are good.