May 2024

Hello fellow Killer Bunnies fans!

May was a busy month for me, but actually more so because I'm a diehard Killer Bunnies fan than 3D modeling, because ... I went to the 35th Anniversary Killer Bunnies Bonanza! Had a fantastic time, made lifelong friends, and got to play Journey to Jupiter again! While I was there, I got to collaborate with Jeff and Jonathan more on my pieces and got some great ideas for future models.

In the weeks prepping for the con (bon?), I wanted to do something for Jeff and Jonathan. They are real pals and have helped me out so much, so I decided to give each of them the first full sets of markers. It's significantly more efficient to print out multiple copies per print, so to do 2 sets, I really have to do a couple dozen. This means that I have completed my first manufacturing run and have most of your pieces printed already! The bigger ones (like that dang Level 20 Funky Force Field) can only print 2 at a time, not a dozen.... So I gotta do a bunch of runs to get those manufactured. But these first few runs have gone really smoothly which is very promising for the long term.

BONANZA

Just a couple other highlights from the Bunny Bonanza that really made my day: Jeff and Jonathan asked me to bring two sets of Jupiter markers (they didn't know I was planning to surprise them with their own sets, so I actually had to get 4 full sets ready...) so that everyone could play with them for the Jupiter day. I happily obliged and this was what it looked like:

This also meant I got a bit more playtesting in and we discovered one tiny, little problem with my design.... In the game, markers need to be able to go on top of those hexes that are between Jupiter and its moons (called Weird Gravity Lagrange Points, or, WGLP). I had made it so at least one marker could land on them, but in our game there arose a need to put TWO on a single WGLP at the same time. Super rare, but it happened. I worked through the problem when I got home and was extremely happy to find a nice solution that is already implemented based on two changes I had made. If you remember...:

1. These WGLPs used to be based on a hexagonal pyramid. I changed this based on Jonathan's feedback to make them flat with undulating "gravity" marks poking out instead.

2. The heights of the leaves on the pineapple tops used to be random, but I changed them to end at the same height so that any marker could rest on top of the pineapples if needed.

To get the YBRS placed on there (even more rare for it to happen), you have to put it on its side. But I discovered that any other piece (including the pineapples), all you have to do is flip it UPSIDE DOWN! If you have two markers, it's more than likely one will be a pineapple or a carrot, so you just put that one on the bottom and can stack the others on top as needed. I actually found that the pineapples are even more solid than the carrots when placed on the bottom, which surprised me.

I was relieved to find this solution and it made me glad that I had gone the extra mile to refine those details earlier, even if they were for a different purpose.

STENCILS

In a rush during the days before we left, we quickly slapped together the stamps for the ink that goes on the outside of the boxes and also had to get the shrinkwrap machines working right. To make the inking process smoother for the mass production, I'm designing some stencils that will align the stamps in the exact same place every time on every box (something that was a ton harder to do for those initial boxes). Once those are done, manufacturing can begin in earnest. I'm finishing the (hopefully) last iteration of the starter box stencil now and should be able to finish the booster stencils next week. Which means by week 3 of June, I'll begin assembly of the boxes and by week 4 (or week 1 of July if something bad happens) should be able to start shipping them out. 

So, now that our boxing AND manufacturing systems are all primed, I can confidently say that we are on track to get your pre-orders on your doorstep in July, just like I promised! You're welcome. ;) It feels good to not be like every other pre-order company that has to postpone their deadlines. (I'm looking at you, every Kickstarter that I've ever participated in.... Though our favorite Jupiter Kickstarter looks like it may actually deliver on time.)

And that's it for this update! Thanks for following along.

~Hale-Bent

P.S. Here's a bonus picture of me and Jeff.