Short-term Changes & Updates
Hey there!
This would be my first time addressing you all as members, so first and foremost I just want to say Thanks to all of you. The reception to these kit cards has been a lot better than I could've ever imagined, and I couldn't be more grateful. These past few months have been a blast for me and this all is only possible because of you. I can only hope my work keeps reaching more people and keeps being interesting to all of you.
Next, let's talk about some changes coming this next month of June.
New Sub Tier
The first change this month is going to be a new subscription tier, Official Supporter. I fully understand that some people have no interest in commercial license, but I've had some feedback about wanting to support anyway. I've always directed those with intent to support to boost / comment on MakerWorld, but this can be tricky for those that do not really engage with the platform and / or don't get boost tokens.
Since this is the case, I've decided to add a new, cheaper tier for those that would like to give a little bit back even if they're not selling. This tier will help me a ton, and don't worry, you'll get something nice back, I promise - just keep reading ;)
Exclusive content for Paid Tiers
The second change this month will affect paid tiers and this comes in the form of exclusive content. This will come in 2 forms, namely:
Access to 1 Patreon exclusive model a month
Access to PDF Assembly Guides
These 2 types of content are intended to both - thank you all for the support, and give a little more bang for your buck to your sub. The PDF assembly guides will allow your sales to be cleaner (no need to send a GIF anymore, just add your printed booklet to your sale or send the PDF via email) and the exclusive model will give you an additional piece of content to look forward every month!
Why is this content paid and what does it mean for Free users?
I want to address this right away because i know some of you will see the above and think "But hey I want PDFs as well" or "Oh damn so now we got less models every month?". Both of these have simple answers that I want to put out as transparently as possible.
First let's talk about the exclusive model. No, you will not see a change in my release patterns due to it and you will still get the same amount of models. My goal for the past months has remained the same - providing you all with 2 kit card models a week to the best of my ability. This will NOT CHANGE. You will still receive these, and your feedback will still be the most valuable thing you can provide me. The additional model will be an extra, most likely from a later gen or from another series.
Now let me address the PDFs. By now, I'm sure you have all seen at least 1 of the animations I make as assembly guides. For me, these were always enough. As I made more models and models became more complex, however, things began to change. It is one thing to be active and respond to the questions of anyone who asks "where does X or Y piece goes". It's different for those who are selling. Those who sell may get a bad review because they did not provide instructions or things were not clear. I needed to help them as well.
Now the question became how do I help them. The answer ended up being simple - Assembly Guides. The problem, however, was simple as well. Doing the PDF would take time and would most likely need different software. At the end of the day, this translates to additional costs which, sadly, would need to be covered for this to be viable. Hence, the final answer was making this exclusive to those that pay.
Now, will this be true for every model? Not necessarily. I can fully understand how some models like Scyther have so many pieces that the GIF just doesn't do it justice. If this is the case, of course I will provide you all with access to an Assembly Guide given there is enough demand (again, your feedback is my only source of knowing what you need - so be sure to let me know).
Closing it out
Anyway, for all of those who got all the way here, just want to say Thank You again :) I really appreciate the support you've given me and how you've taught me that this work is appreciated. When I began doing these models I only saw it as a way to bring back some childhood memories but by now, I'm just having so much fun I can't imagine stopping.
Let's hope we can do this for a long time :)
Have a nice one, everyone!