Project Update #28: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter Update 16

I am really starting to believe the end (of production) is near!

In the last couple of weeks I have finished the Demon Flyers, pictures below, and will pack those this week. Robi sculpted a variant Flyer, which cast up very easily, and I managed to get one copy of the "tricky" miniature per pack cast up. The Flyers come in packs of twelve, but I very much doubt you will be able to fit more than nine on their bases. In future, on the webstore, they will be sold in packs of nine.

I have also completed casting the chariot hounds and two of the three crew figures. Picture below. I only have three more moulds to make and cast. The Chariots, wheels and the final crew member with a whip. Hopefully, this can be completed in the next couple of weeks. Then it will be done. Just invoicing, packing and posting to do.

Chariots work in progress

Thanks to everyone for keeping the faith.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #27: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter Update 15

Another interesting couple of weeks...

First up, best-laid plans of mice and men. Almost as soon as I suggested posting out some Demon Infantry to backers who ordered just those models, I got a twenty eight day Covid 19 isolation order from my hospital. I am going in for a test this Wednesday, and have to isolate for two weeks either side of the test. So no posting stuff out for me until July. I have also closed down my webstore over at www.blackgateminiatures.com until then.

On the plus side... I have cast up two of the Demon Flyers and am well on the way to complete the third. Picture below.

Demon Flyers

On the minus side, the fourth Flyer is proving very difficult to cast up. This can happen sometimes with single piece miniatures that have large horizontal spread, from stuff like wings. Robi is rushing through an emergency fifth miniature this week and hopefully, I can still get some copies of the fourth one cast up, maybe enough for one per pack. So it may work as a bonus all round, with five rather than four sculpts in the unit but time will tell. He will then work on the remaining sculpts for Demon Beasts, Greater Demon and Demon Cavalry but my work for those will start after this Kickstarter is completed.

I have also been working on the Chariot Hounds, and am about two thirds of the way through production. Picture below.

Chariots Hounds

In the next couple of weeks I intend to continue with the casting of the Flyers and Chariots and will update you after that.

Until then, Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #26: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter Update 14

Things are moving along, a little more slowly than I would like. Having my three kids at home permanently, and one that needs pretty much constant attention when home schooling, is eating into my available time. Also, I am having to juggle casting up an increase in orders for the BGM Ogres during lockdown with moulding and casting up this Demon range. First world problem though I know.

On the plus side. The Demon Characters are cast up and just need packing. I also have cast up half the Demon Flyers and am working on the moulds for the other half and the Chariots.

The eight characters for the pack

Also, I have finally, finally finished bagging up the roughly 500 packs of Demon Infantry. It's been emotional....

Infantry spotted!

Almost 500 packs of Demon Infantry!

Next week I am planning to start gradually sending out orders to backers who didn't purchase any Flyers or Chariots. This is for two reasons. Firstly, it should help calm nerves around this Kickstarter ever ending. Secondly, the picking and packing of the orders is something I can involve my youngest in as part of his home schooling :) At the moment I do a weekly trip to the post office to send orders from the Ogre range, and so it wouldn't be causing any further problems or risks to start sending out Demons. The priority is still, and will continue to be, finishing off the moulds and production of the remaining Demons as soon as possible.

Thanks for your patience and please keep the faith.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #25: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter Update 14

Things are moving a little slower than I would like, but they are moving forwards. I have to balance casting the demons with fulfilling orders that are coming in for the older Ogre range. This is also hampered by my domestic situation. Three kids at home permanently and one needing constant help to home school will cut into your free time somewhat.

On the plus side. The Character have been cast up and just need packing. I have also managed to cast up half of the Flyers.

The eight characters ready to be bagged up

Next up, I have finally, finally, finally finished bagging up the almost 500 units of Demon Infantry needed for the Kickstarter. It's been emotional.....

Infantry!

I am going to start packing and shipping weekly, starting with those backers that didn't purchase any Flyers and Chariots. Will be slow, as the majority of my time needs to still be on casting up the remaining range but it something I can get my youngest to help with as home schooling :)

Please keep the faith. It's been a crazy year but we are getting nearer.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #24: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Wow what a few weeks it has been but I don't need to tell you all that. What a time we are living in...

Now that I have become accustomed to the new "normal", of having three kids and a wife at home, I have started to find time in the days to work on Black Gate MIniatures stuff.

All the second batch of sculpts have been successfully mastered, and now can be moved on to the production phase. Pictures below.

Character Pack

Chariot

Demon Flyers

I have completed the production moulds for and cast up the first half of the eight character sculpts. Picture below

First half of the Demon Characters

Next week I plan to finish the rest of the Demon Characters and then begin work on the remaining two units, Chariots and Flyers.

I will provide another update when I get chance.

Stay safe and well everyone.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #23: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter Update 12

First off. The Demon Infantry have finally, finally, been cast up. That's about 500 units. In hindsight, maybe 14 sculpts was too many for practical purposes but nobody every complains about getting too many different sculpts in a unit. Now I just have to pick and pack them, that's not a job I am looking forward to......

In other news, I have done the most stressful part of the process for half of the latest set of sculpts. Putting the "green" sculpts into a vulcanising press and subjecting them to a whole lot of pressure and heat, then praying that what comes out is usable, has to be the craziest part of the job. Pictures of the first production masters are below (they still need to be cleaned up before being used in the production moulds).

Three members of the character pack

Chariot crew

I sent Robi a Demon Infantry figure to keep things in scale and he put some spikes on him and sent him back, and so he will be added to the character crew pack.

Hounds and chariot

Chariot underbelly, work still needed on axle

As an insight into the process, the chariot axle is not casting properly. I will try and get the mould running better, but the shape is prevent me venting the axle. If that proves impossible, I will remould the chariot. Luckily, my skill at not destroying the "green" sculpts has improved a lot and the chariot is intact after the first run. My plan is to turn it over in the next mould and hopefully get better access to vent the axle however the process is half skill, half witchcraft.

The rest of this week and next week will be spent creating production moulds for the stuff I have shown above and also getting started on the packing of the Demon Infantry.

Will try and update again soon.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #22: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter Update 11

It's been a busy few weeks.

Finally, I am in a position to give a few units of the Demon Infantry to backer, and Warmaster Podcast co-host, Paul Winter. It's taken a bit longer than I expected to get to this stage for one reason or another, including it taking longer than expected to cast these little blighters up. You should start seeing some pictures of painted units for these and also the Hounds and Swarm in the next few weeks.

Demon Infantry for Paul

Next up in importance.... I have the rest of the sculpts from Robi :) Flyers, Characters and .... Chariots!

Here for your enjoyment are the Flyers. Next update I will share the Characters and then after that the Chariots.

Demon Flyers

Finally a couple of pictures to update the casting progress. I have all 14 Infantry model moulds working and have completed casting up 8 sculpts. I have also cast up another batch of Hounds and hopefully this will complete their casting. The Swarm have already been cast up.


More Infantry

More Hounds

So, that's the update. Things are moving forwards. For those of you going to Brno for the Warmaster Euro GT next weekend, see you there and the first drink is on me.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #21: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 10

Welcome to 2020, the year that the 10mm Demons will be delivered!

It's been a rough end to 2019. I managed to get over the tendonitis in time to do a few days work before Christmas, but then have been struck down with flu since. The flu is proving very difficult to shake, but I did manage to get in a couple of afternoons casting this week, even with the flu. Hopefully it will clear this weekend and work can properly resume next week.

Robi did manage to sculpt the Demon Lord miniature just before the end of 2019 and a picture of it is below. It's the first of the eight sculpts in the Character Pack, which was free to backers who spent more than £100.

Demon Lord from the Character Pack

I will post up another update in a couple of weeks time.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #20: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter Update 9

It's been a bit of a slow few weeks. Family medical issues coupled with my suffering from tendonitis has led to things taking longer than hoped. I had some acupuncture today and, with a bit of luck, the tendonitis will start to ease off.

I have 8 of the 14 Infantry model moulds working, although one will have to be done again, as the fail rate is far too high. The picture below shows the amount of little Demon dudes cast up so far.

Current state of Demon Infantry production

The casting of the blue tubs at the back is finished, the ones at the front are about 60% done, apart from the one on the right, which is only about 15% done and needs a new mould making.

I have also bagged up, ready to ship, 150 units of Swarm and 50 units of Hounds.

Obviously things are behind schedule, and for that I am sorry and feel bad. However, do not worry, I will get this Kickstarter finished as soon as I can and then shipped out to you.

Robi is working on the Flyers, Chariot and Characters this month and so I should have some pictures of those sculpts to share with you soon.

As always, thank you for backing the project, it will be worth it in the end.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #19: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 8

After a hectic few weeks, featuring a half term holiday and an operation under general anaesthetic for my eldest son due to a football injury, this week things got back to normal.

Production of the Demon Infantry is coming along but is a little slower than I anticipated. Focus has been on casting up of the first four sculpts and I can confirm I have produced about 600 of each, which is enough of these four miniatures for about 300 units. This represents about 20% of the total amount of Demon Infantry that need casting up and so we still have quite a way to go!

First couple of thousand Demon Infantry!

Next week will hopefully be finishing casting up these four chaps, and making up the production moulds for the remaining eight Demon Infantry miniatures.

I feel it's prudent to mention at this point that the December 2019 delivery date is going to slip. The production is taking more time than anticipated and I am still waiting for some of the sculpts to arrive. Not sure how more extra time will be needed but hopefully I can give you a better idea by the end of November.

I will post up another update at the end of next week.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #18: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 7

A bit thank you to everyone who has completed the reward survey, 54 of the 64 have been returned already, which is fantastic and helps with the production planning.

Next the production update.

The Demon Hounds production moulds have been completed and you can see a picture of some of the cast miniatures below. I need quite a few more of these cast up but will be working on these in the coming days.

Demon Hounds are starting to appear!

Next up is the biggest job of this whole Kickstarter. The Demon Infantry. The master mould process went well and now I have enough miniatures cast to allow for the creation of the production moulds. Picture below of the master casts.

Master casts of the Demon Infantry

On reflection, and seeing them in pewter, the original "test" Demon fits in quite well with the other 13 Demon Infantry, and so will be joining this unit. That means there will now be a Leader, Standard, Musician plus 11 other sculpts. You will get a single copy of the three command miniatures in each pack plus an additional 21 miniatures from the other 11 sculpts. Packs will contain a maximum of two copies of any single sculpt, so you will have a very varied and interesting unit on the table.

I will give you another update towards the end of next week, then it's a weeks school holiday in the UK, and so production will be suspended for that week.

Anyway, things are moving along nicely, and you may even see Paul Winter sharing some pictures of his painted Demon Hounds and Swarm on Facebook.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #17: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 6

Things are moving along nicely now.

This morning I have sent out the reward survey. Please fill it in and send it back when you can, as it will help me plan the production better. I will leave your address details amendable until near to the time of shipping, just in case you move, and will notify you by update when the addresses are going to be locked down.

I managed to get the moulds and a load of Demon Swarm cast up last week (picture below).

This week I will be working on getting the moulds and casting done for the Demon Hounds. Next week, work starts on the Demon Infantry, which will take quite a bit longer due to their being 13 different sculpts and a lot more units to cast up.

I will also be talking to Robi about phase two of the sculpting which includes the Chariots, Flyers and Character pack.

Expect another update next week.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #16: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 5

Production has finally started!

It's a big day here at Black Gate Miniatures as the Demon miniatures have started to appear in pewter.

Robi sent me a batch of sculpts, pictured below, containing the Demon Infantry, Hounds and Swarm.

I have master moulded the Hounds and Swarm models, and the very first copies of those miniatures are shown below. The moulds need a little more work before I can cast the models to make the production moulds, but these first miniatures will be given to my Warmaster Podcast co-host Paul Winter tonight for him to paint up and share.

I am so happy to be finally able to get on with the production and you can expect much more frequent updates from now on.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #15: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 4

Another quick update but this time with some exciting news!

The first sculpts have been made and you can see the very first picture of them below. I can't wait to get started on the production process and hopefully will be doing that very soon.

First 12 miniatures sighted!

Everything is still on schedule (just) and I will do my best to keep everyone up to date if anything changes.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #14: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 3

Just a quick update to say that Robi has begun sculpting!

That is really great news and means I can relax a little.

I am away for a holiday for a few weeks, and so hopefully by the end of August, I will be back with a further update with some pictures of the actual sculpts.

Then production will start in September.

Everything is still on schedule and I will do my best to keep everyone up to date if anything changes.

Have a great summer.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #13: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Post Kickstarter update 2

This is by far and away the worse bit of the Kickstarter process.

Nothing really to say, but with each passing day the internal pressure to say something builds until you feel compelled to post an update.

On the plus side, I have spoken to the Robi (the Sculptor) and he has confimed that work should begin in July. That is all still on plan and so long as I get the scupts by the end of August, everything should remain on schedule.

I will post further updates when I start to get my hands on the actual sculpts and begin the moulding and casting process.

Thanks for your backing and continued patience

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #12: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

The first of the intermittent updates during the dead period between the Kickstarter ending and the sculpts arriving.

Not a lot has happened, it took almost three weeks for Kickstarter to release the funds, which seemed a little longer than for previous campaigns.

Christian has been paid for all his incredible art and this are progressing with my sculptor Robi. I have also ordered some previsions for the moulding and casting process.

Not much will change for a few months but I will do my best to post monthly at a minimum, hopefully with pictures of sculpts etc.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #11: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Thank you to each of the sixty nine backers and outline of the way forward.

"Successfully raised £6,682 with 69 backers"

Sixty nine of you believed in the 10mm Demons and so they will be brought to life.

It will take about a week for the money to be transferred from Kickstarter to my account, after that the process will be as follows.

Finish paying for the art, from Christian, for the whole Demon range, including all second phase models.

Finalise the details with Robi for the sculpting of everything included in the Kickstarter.

Wait for the sculpts to start to arrive. This will be the biggest gap in time and updates will be thin during this time. Expectation is all sculpts will be with me by the end of summer but it all depends on how quickly Robi gets to doing the sculpts.

Send out the Reward Survey to backers. You can specify what miniatures you want at this stage and any extra purchases will be settled with the PayPal invoice for the actual P&P.

Organise the provisions needed for moulding and casting.

During the Autumn, I hope to be doing the moulding and casting of all miniatures.

PayPal invoices will be sent for any extra purchases and the P&P balance. Refunds for any excess P&P charges that were included by Kickstarter will be sorted at this point. Unless you are Paul Winter :)

By the end of 2019, the packing and shipping should be completed.

So we are soon going to be entering the quite period. Rest assured that even if updates are not frequent, this will be moving on in the background.

Thanks once again for backing the project.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

Project Update #11: Kickstarter for 10mm Demon Infantry Miniatures from Black Gate Miniatures

Thank you to each of the sixty nine backers and outline of the way forward.

"Successfully raised £6,682 with 69 backers"

Sixty nine of you believed in the 10mm Demons and so they will be brought to life.

It will take about a week for the money to be transferred from Kickstarter to my account, after that the process will be as follows.

Finish paying for the art, from Christian, for the whole Demon range, including all second phase models.
Finalise the details with Robi for the sculpting of everything included in the Kickstarter.
Wait for the sculpts to start to arrive. This will be the biggest gap in time and updates will be thin during this time. Expectation is all sculpts will be with me by the end of summer but it all depends on how quickly Robi gets to doing the sculpts.
Send out the Reward Survey to backers. You can specify what miniatures you want at this stage and any extra purchases will be settled with the PayPal invoice for the actual P&P.
Organise the provisions needed for moulding and casting.
During the Autumn, I hope to be doing the moulding and casting of all miniatures.
PayPal invoices will be sent for any extra purchases and the P&P balance. Refunds for any excess P&P charges that were included by Kickstarter will be sorted at this point. Unless you are Paul Winter :)
By the end of 2019, the packing and shipping should be completed.
So we are soon going to be entering the quite period. Rest assured that even if updates are not frequent, this will be moving on in the background.

Thanks once again for backing the project.

Demons forever!

Barry

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures