Notice | Devlog

Updates on the service.

Release Roadmap

V2.0

  • Marine Corps (done)
  • Heretic Faction (done)
  • Heretic Weapon modules (done)

V3.0

  • Refine Old Designs = More Modular (60% done, ENG Corps left)
  • Marine Corp Alternate Prow
  • Diorama
  • LED sets

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2023 - May 26

New Product

  • M1 Dreadnought Upgrade Kit
  • Expansion Bay
    • Grand S
    • Grand M

General Improvements

  •  N/A

2023 - April 04

New Product

  • M5 Armed Freighter V2
  • [Marine] Crusader Prow
  • Crusader Rudder

General Improvements

  •  Added [Marine] Hammerhead/Crusader prow options to M1 Carrier Titan.
  • Added [Marine] Crusader prow options to all Imperial vessels.
  • Discontinued M5 Armed Freighter V1

2023 - March 06

New Product

  • IMP Grand Expansion Bay L

General Improvements

  •  V2 IMP L expansion bay with more robust angel
  • Updated information on K7 Heretic Escort
  • Marine and Heretic prow options for Titan Carrier S
  • Updated assembly instructions for Imp Cruiser V3
  •  Updated categories for various ships if they have Heretic/Marine prows available

2023 - February 16

New Product

  • M3 Imperial Cruiser V3
    • Grand Forebay
    • Standard Forebay
  • Bridge – Marine Pagoda
  • Rudder & Keels
    • Rudder S/M/L
    • Marine Rudder S/M/L
    • Keels for Heretic and Imperial faction available in S/M sizes

General Improvements

  • Imperial Cruiser V2 discontinued
    • V3 is now more modular and can now fit the following parts:
    • Grand Forebay
    • Wing rudder attachment
  • Wing Options now available for M2 Imperial Battleship and Grand variant
    • Tower and Mk.3 Turret L
    • Rudder L
    • Marine Rudder L
  • Added Heretic Prow options to Titan Carrier
  • Added more bridge options for M2 class Imperial vessels
  • Renamed Heretic Half Keel M -> Keel M, and Full Keel M -> Keel L
  • Imperial Spire Replica now includes a long mast

2023 - February 06

New Product

  • M5 Imperial Light Cruiser V3
    • Grand Forebay
    • Standard Forebay
  • M6 Frigate V2
  • M7 Marine Escort
    • Hunter
    • Pagoda

General Improvements

  • Light Cruiser V2 discontinued
    • V3 features a new wing, modular rear/fore section, redesigned rear section with added details
  • Missile Frigate V1 discontinued
    • Missile pods removed and redesigned

2023 - January 28

New Product

  • M4 Grand Cruiser

General Improvements

  • Fixed severe website slowdown. Diagnosed issue as faulty API configuration with new couriers for international shipping. They were repeatedly pinging the site trying to update parcel tracking info.

2023 - January 19

New Product

  • Marine Corp Prows
  • Compatibility Parts
    • Battleship Wing Replica
  • Turrets
    • Missile Turrets

General Improvements

  • API Integration with other couriers because of Royal Mail ‘Cyber Incident’ on the 12th of January and suspension of all international delivery
  • Updated shipping weight/parcel size for each product for easier future automation

2022 - October 29

New Product

  • K2 | Heretic Battleship
  • Malice Prow
  • Gothic Rear Armour (Large)
  • Special Effect: Ramming Shield

General Improvements

  • Shipping times returned to normal
  • Finally created Staging Environment. No more pushing straight to Prod.

2022 - September 16

New Product

Notice

  • Website response time was terrible as I wasn’t finding the time to maintain it
    • Removed Child theme because of conflicts that creeped in
    • creative caching
    • didn’t solve the underlying issue but experience is markedly improved

2022 - August 10

New Product

Notice

  • Order processing time increased to 2 weeks
  • Cat diagnosed with terminal lymphoma, given 1-2 months

2022 - June 25

New Product

  • K7 | Heretic Escort
  • K5 | Heretic Light Cruiser
  • KGV Bridge
  • Heretic Prow (Small)
  • Rear Armour Plate (Small)

General Improvements

  • Recategorized the Heretic prows used in Heretic cruisers from Medium –> Large
  • Updated product categories to include [All] option
  • Updated product cross-sell & up-sell recommendations

2022 - June 05

New Product

  • IMP Cruiser V2
  • IMP Medium Extender
  • Legacy Bridge
  • Legacy Prow
  • Grand Prow

General Improvements

  • Updated product group images, added 1cm reference guide to annotated product images.
  • Discontinued IMP Cruiser V1
  • Added Heretic/Grand Adaptors to Heretic Weapon Pack

2022 - April

New Product

  • N/A

General Improvements

  • Started a new job that is highly taxing, mentally. R&D slowed to a crawl. Avg. order turnaround time increased from 2->4 days

2022 - March 20

New Product

  • Ordnance
    • Movement Tray 3/4/5 slot
  • Compatibility Parts
    • Mass Conveyor Insert
    • 3mm (1/8″) Peg Adaptor
    • 6mm (1/4″) Peg Adaptor
  • Fine Brass Chain
  • Weapon Packs (30% discount)
    • Heretic
    • Imperial
    • Slimline
    • Premium

General Improvements

  • 50% progress on Box art digital paintings
  • 40% progress on LED kit
  • 80% progress on Heretic Light Cruiser
  • 80% progress on Grand Cruiser
  • 80% progress on Imperial Cruiser (refresh)
  • 50% progress on Pegboard adaptor (needs LED option)
  • 50% progress on Hive City Diorama
  • 20% progress on ‘Highwind’
  • Last 2 months have been spent on R&D for LED integration. Bulk sourcing has been tricky and I’ve had to scrap 3 iterations because of size constraints. A lot of progress is being held up by this kit because it has to be universal, easy to apply and work for ALL ships. Work is further delayed because of the outbreak in Shenzhen and a lot of suppliers have messaged me saying orders cannot be shipped.
  • [Fine Brass Chain] is the result of 3 months of ordering samples from 15 different suppliers for £60. Everyone seems to have their own standard for measuring chains. I would like to build a chain making machine one day, they are beautiful hypnotising automatons.

2022 - January 25

New Product

  • Cruiser Builder
    • Wing M
    • Wing S

General Improvements

  • Added assembly instructions for Heretic Cruiser
  • Updated product image for Bridge Options
  • Updated product image for Cruiser Builder

2022 - January 13

New Product

  • K1 | Heretic Star Destroyer
  • Rear Armour Plating

General Improvements

  • Purchased a refurbished Huion H610Pro V2 Graphic Drawing tablet for £21.66. This should increase my sculpting capabilities.
  • Purchased Patriot Supersonic Rage Elite 128GB USB 3.1 drive for £23.06. I will use it to keep a third backup copy of my website and design files. The only way to improve my disaster recovery is to have offsite backup, maybe a cloud platform.
  • Sourced Voron 2.4 parts for ~£1200 equating to several months of sales. I will use it to print ABS functional parts

2021 - December 25

New Product

  • Cruiser Builder
    • Heretic Engine
    • Rudder S (light cruiser option)
  •  Bridge Options
    • Tsar Bridge

Design Changes

  • Revised Light Cruiser design
    • Added bridge options
    • Added 3x thruster options
    • Added 4x side armour options
    • Added detachable keel

General Improvements

  • Made the keel on ENG light cruiser detachable so that it can be shipped by L. Envelope – saving shipping costs for client.

2021 - December 19

New Product

  • Statue
    • Wolf
    • Eye of Behelit
    • Heretic Symbol
  • Special Effects
    • Spikes
    • Boils
    • Tentacle
  • Heretic Cruiser
    • Infested rear armour plate
    • Spike statue

2021 - November 29

New Product

  • Prow – Jaeger
  • Armour – Gothic
  • Bridge – Asymmetric Crane
  • Bridge – Catapult
  • Bridge – Cyclops
  • Heretic Weapon Spires (addon)
  • 20cm steel chain
  • Torpedo effect set

General Improvements

  • Heretic weapon spires will now come bundled with Heretic Weapons
  • Black and White decals will be provided as default on purchase of all ships M5 and larger(Light Cruiser)
  • Pre-schism weaponry will be discontinued once stocks are exhausted

2021 - November 12

New Product

  • K4 | Heretic Cruiser
    • Prow – Broadleif
    • Armour – Curved
    • Armour – Plating

Design Changes

  • Eagle Prow L now has torpedo holes

2021 - November 07

New Product

  • M2 | Imperial Grand Battleship
  • Bearded Axe Prow

Design Changes

  • The ‘handlebars’ on the Gunprow were removed and was widened. The large version can now be shipped by envelope

2021 - August 25

New Product

  • 7x Logistic Corp Modules
  • 1x Corvette set with stand adaptor
  • 3x Slimline weapons
  • 4x Turrets in XL and L size
  • 2x Decals in black & red

2021 - August 10

New Product

  •  Bridge Options
  • Expansion Bays

2021 - July 02

New Product

  • Waterslide Decals
  • Heretic Weapon Bays

2021 - June 13

New Product

  • M6 Escort Missile Frigate

General Improvements

  • Removed [Gift Cards] functionality and refunded the few who purchased it with ‘super coupons’ with no expiry date. It created a lot of headaches where coupon users would insert coupon codes into clearly marked gift code input fields. This would result in the error [Gift code does not exist] and an unhappy user.

2021 - April 25

New Product

  •  Engineering Corps
    • M3 | Battleship
    • M4 | Cruiser
    • M5 | Light Cruiser
  • Battleship Parts
    • M3 Expansion Bay
  • Prow
    • Knight
    • Mech
    • Gunprow

General Improvements

  • Removed Apple/Google [Pay Now] button on individual product page 
  • Added new prow size [ML] that sits between Medium and Large prows. It will be used on M3 class ships.
  • Added prod variation image  for saint prows

2021 - April 11

New Product

  • Gift Cards
  • Imperial Prows:
    • Shunt
    • Snowpiercer
  • Battleship Parts
    • Keel [L]
    • Tower [L]
    • Diagonal Spire [L]
  • Spires

Design Changes

  • The new spires will replace the old ‘fire control towers’ packaged in with purchases. I might throw in one or two of the older towers during the transition period.
  • Modified design of cruiser
    • lowered funnel height so that it is a better statue platform
    • removed ‘printed in place’ guns on wing tower so users can place custom turrets.
    • recessed the protruding arches on top fore section so that slimline weapon bays look better on them

General Improvements

  •  Added Gallery page, basically my Instagram feed.
  • Added Captcha to my form/enquiry submissions because of uptick in spam

2021 - March 28

New Product

  • Custom print & design commissions

Design Changes

  • Modify Saint/Holy Book prows so that they can fit spinal gun attachments

2021 - March 21

New Product

  • Turret (x3 sizes)
    • Wirbelwind
    • Tiger
    • Torpedo
  • Prow Guns (x3 sizes)
    • Dora
    • Dora Tri-barrel
    • Junon
    • Junon Tri-barrel
    • Armbruster
    • Dreadfaust attachment
  • Slimline Weapon module
    • Quad broadside
    • Hex broadside
    • Twin turret bay
    • Triple turret bay
  • Ordnance:
    • ☯Tao Fighter
    • ☯Tao Bomber
    • ☯Tao Transport

Design Changes

  • Modified pre-schism hangar bay (var. A) to have finer inlay

General Improvements

  • Added 32 SKUs to the accessory category. That is nearly a 50% increase to the range – pushing the accessory SKU count over 100. I don’t fully understand how I was that productive this week  but lets hope it continues.
  • Added a new range of weapon modules that I will call ‘slimline’ for now. I like chunky ships, but there are situations where a slimmer, simple profile is necessary by design.
  • I am  not sure where I will put the turret options. The simplest solution for me & the customer is to have the default standard turret – and the other options as an add-on. The only downside is that it creates waste if the customer doesn’t have a use for standard turrets.

2021 - March 14

New Product

  • Flying Bases
    • Citadel 60mm flying bases
    • 35mm stem for 60mm magnetized flight stand
    • 32mm third-party flying bases
    • 20mm slotta base w/ attachment for ordnance
  • Ordnance:
    • Torpedo
    • Heretic Transport
    • Heretic Fighter
    • Heretic Bomber
  • Pre-schism hangar bay: variants B & C

Design Changes

  • The rear flag on the battleship is now detachable

General Improvements

  • Order turnaround time has been reduced from >6 days to 1.6 days on average over the past two weeks.
  • Started offering third party bases at a 50% markup. I might have to raise it further depending on demand. I don’t want people buying in bulk. I would have to start managing supply chains and rely on partners who may not want to sell to me (I’m looking at you GW). It also defeats the beauty of this business: a zero inventory, print on demand service.
  • Marder prow option now appears for B-ship and Cruisers. The issue went unnoticed for a week. Need to improve my QA testing as products become more complex with multiple dependencies.

2021 - March 7

New Product

  • Pre-schism weapon bays
    •  Hangar

Design Changes

  • Minor design revision of battleship & cleaned boole on peg hole because Chitubox can’t slice messy booles.

General Improvements

  • Re-added Terms & Conditions checkbox on checkout page
    • Changed message to: “Paypal currency conversion is terrible. You can save 2~3% with even a basic credit card.”
  • Purchased Bambi BB15V dental compressor (£372) – it will be used for resin casting and airbrushing

2021 - February 28

New Product

  • Carrier Titan [M1 Class]
  • Prows
    • Marder Prow: size S/M/L
    • Prow flags

Design Changes

  • Hollowed out 0.5g (out of total 4g) of the new [Expansion Bay] module. This is important because it affects the balance of the ship.
  • Smoothed surface of [Statue – Shield] and put a frame around the shield edge

General Improvements

  •  Start using postal collection service from Royal Mail.
    • Pro: Increase order turnaround speed. I don’t have to stand in line at 8:00AM in the morning for the 2-hour window that the RM collection office is open for.
    • Con: I will have to absorb the (£0.75 per package) collection fee.
  • Increased post-processing from 2 -> 3 steps. The newly added step involves methylated spirits in a sealed container for 2 minutes at 40°C in the ultrasonic cleaner. It gives the models a purple tint. Residue removal increased from 90% –> 100%. Further testing required to see how it affects strength of parts.
  • Battleship Parts can be shipped by large envelope
  • Update prow product image

2021 - February 21

New Product

  • Carrier Titan [M1 Class] (50% complete)
  • Marder Prow: size S/M/L  (66% complete)
  • Battleship parts:
    • Expansion bay
    • Lion L statue
    • Invigilator statue
  • Cruiser Parts:
    • Dome M
    • Crane M

Design Changes

  • Smoothed surface of Eagle Prow L
  • Enlarged Beacon Angel by 20%
  • Re-modeled flame of ‘Burning Book’ prow so that it is easier to paint.

General Improvements

  • Set up Elegoo Saturn printer (£425). I can now produce Titan class ships
  • Massive increase in ship strength & durability.
    • Pro: strength without compromising detail, raises brand value.
    • Con: expensive custom resin will double production cost. Additional step required in cleaning process to remove oily residue = increase in solvent cost.
    • Validated using drop tests
  • Renamed ‘Statues’ product to ‘Battleship Parts’

2021 - February 14

New Product

Design Changes

  • Reduced height of Turret M so that it is compatible with GW lance bays

General Improvements

  • Prints will now be processed using an ultrasonic cleaner (£75).
  • Made mobile experience snappier. It accounts for 60% of all traffic.
  • New cover photo for Home page and FB
  • Added ‘Contact Us’ section on home page
    • Set up email forwarding so that I can respond on mobile very quickly
  • Add numbering to index image on Cruiser Parts. There are 19 SKUs in that product page and it is hard to find and select the ones you want.
    • Added form submission on product page

2021 - February 07

New Product

  • Premium Weapon modules:
    • Twin Plasma Cannon
  • Battleship Statues
    • Added 6 new options
    • Replacement statues available for purchase separately

Design Changes

  • Banners & Flags will be removed from models
    • This design issue has been polarizing for customers. An  optional add-on just like the clip on weapon banners will be made available in the future.
    • Effective immediately – previous model editions are now ‘out-of-print’.
  • Battleship:
    • Reduced height of balancing holes because gaps between weaponry were showing.
    • Added x2 ‘L Turrets’ to the package.

General Improvements

  • The following products can now be shipped by Large Envelope and will save shipping costs:
    • Light Cruiser
    • Premium Weapons
    • Large Fortress / Wedge / Eagle prows

2021 - January 31

New Product

Design Changes

  • Scaled up the Light Carrier by 10% so its’ size is more in line with Cruisers
  • Added more greeble details to the [Saint] Prow
  • Added more details to the [Eagle] prow
  • Added more details to the [Wedge] Prow

General Improvements

  • Removed [Failed Prints] product category after someone called me disgusting. Efficiency was also up and I was not getting enough print failures to justify maintaining it.
  • Reversed my decision on tracked deliveries only after witnessing people purchase £5 goods and pay £13 for shipping. Untracked Large Envelope shipping seems viable and can fit a lot of small scratchbuilder SKUs  and costs only £4 to ship. My earlier decision on tracked deliveries was a knee-jerk reaction to Royal Mail experiencing difficulties from a COVID surge that has since subsided.
  • Separated [Weapon Modules] into two products. Moved complex weapons that are tricky to print or require assembly to [Premium Weapon Modules]. I did this to provide price transparency. A lot of sellers use bait-and-switch methods to lure customers in with low pricing, but it only ends up sowing distrust.
  • Removed “I have read the Terms & Conditions” checkbox on checkout because recent rulings show it is pointless additional step for customers. For it to have any legal power, a new window must pop-up showing the actual terms and conditions, through which the user must scroll through to accept. No-one has time for that, especially when the stakes are this low.
  • Added the [Notice] section

2021 - January 24

New Product

  • [Failed Prints] product added – primarily for scratchbuilders and as a potential loss-leader
  • Cruiser Parts
    • 12 new SKUs for scratchbuilders
  • Weapon modules:
    • Torpedo – forward
    • Torpedo – broadside 
    • Clip on Banner x6

Design Changes

  • Balance/stability improvements for all models
  • [Cruiser Parts] Resized fire control towers to be thinner
  • [Cruiser Parts] Engine x4 is now smaller and ‘snap-on’ modular
  • [Weapon Modules] Added drainage channels
  • Torpedo tubes removed from all prows (except escort)

General Improvements

  • Free worldwide delivery now available
  • Changed all shipping options to tracked after losing many packages.
  • Redesigned ‘About Us’ page
  • Added labels on grouped product images
  • Designed & tested waterslide decal prototypes
  • Added dimensions to images on [Cruiser Parts] components
    • Not happy with final images but they will do for now

2021 - January 17

Product image on December 05

Product image on December 27

Product image on January 17

The above representative product [Imperial Battleship] has undergone several design revisions and render styles over the last month. The key emphasis has been on surviving the shipping process and design modularity.

General Improvements

  • All product pictures updated with new renders
    • Thumbnails reduced to 10kb PNGs 
    • Homogenized product photos in blue-grey resin colouring with profile shots.
  • Further optimized mobile website load times
  • Added banner option to weapon modules

Design Changes

  • Ships are now fully modular & customizable.
  • Statues will be replaceable, more options coming soon
  • Raised up the midsection of Light Cruiser
  • Added dimples to centre of weapon bays for easier module magnetization

Beta Service 2021 - January 10

New Product:

General Improvements

  • Tested layer compositing feature so customers can fully customize their ships and see what the end product would look like.

Beta Service 2020 - December 27

New Product:

General Improvements

  • Render with blue background for Accessory SKUs, and black background for Ship SKUs for easier differentiation
  • API Integration with Royal Mail – Click & Drop
  • Continuous efforts to reduce print failure rate below 20%, identify and strengthen structural weak points.

Alpha Service 2020 - December 05

New Product:

  • Imperial Ships added
    • Escort, Light Cruiser, Armed Freighter, Light Carrier, Cruiser, Battleship

General Improvements

  • Website launch & performance improvements