Boris' Cabinet of Curiosities [Patreon / Commercial]

[Schrumpfkopf]

Our favourite 32mm sculptor/drinker friend Boris Woloszyn has started a Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/boriswoloszyn

One pays 5USD per month and gets a snazzy mini in return.
This will be free of postage if minis are being requested after 12 months too.

That and there will be sculpting tutorials. Mostly images to start with, but we're
looking at expanding this with videos in the future.

Lastly there will be polls to help us find out what sculpts and tutorials you'd like to see.

And the December mini isn't too shabby either!


Thanks for having a look!

https://www.patreon.com/boriswoloszyn

[Elbows]

I like Boris' sculpts...but sadly the mini-a-month thing is dead on arrival for me in the US.  It's rather...dumb(?) to pay for one mini and postage for it each month vs. just ordering many at once from a shop.  I do hope this gets him some support and more stuff can be purchased normally though.

Combined shipping is the only way I can often justify normal miniatures in the $5-7 range.  I believe Boris is in...Poland?  So international shipping each month for one miniature would be...financially somewhat silly.

I see he mentions people not paying for X number of months and then having them shipped on his dime, which I don't really understand.  I think maybe a voucher style system would work better.  Pay $5 - get an insider look, and be able to vote for suggestions, etc., and every month you add $3-4 to a voucher system for a normal shop or something.

[mr ed]

I’d echo much of that. I saw the promo on Facebook earlier and I can’t see how this business model works, unless you’re a Super fanboy for Boris with money to burn. Are his minis worth 15 bucks a go? Maybe if you know what you’re getting, but as a lucky dip? On the other hand, a Boris KS that said you’re going to get 12 Boris character minis in a year’s time for a flat 60 USD sounds a lot more appealing.

[Schrumpfkopf]

I like Boris' sculpts...but sadly the mini-a-month thing is dead on arrival for me in the US.  It's rather...dumb(?) to pay for one mini and postage for it each month vs. just ordering many at once from a shop.  I do hope this gets him some support and more stuff can be purchased normally though.

Combined shipping is the only way I can often justify normal miniatures in the $5-7 range.  I believe Boris is in...Poland?  So international shipping each month for one miniature would be...financially somewhat silly.

I see he mentions people not paying for X number of months and then having them shipped on his dime, which I don't really understand.  I think maybe a voucher style system would work better.  Pay $5 - get an insider look, and be able to vote for suggestions, etc., and every month you add $3-4 to a voucher system for a normal shop or something.

Here is how it works.

1 mini per month is made which the backer pays 5 USD for. After 1 year we send the 12 minis out for free.
If a backer wants their mini(s) earlier then they need to stem the postage.
Postage to the US is 5 USD and to the ROW 10 USD.

That said, I like your voucher idea too and will think about it in more detail.

[Schrumpfkopf]

Quote from the text in the tier:

This tier doesn't include postage expenses, but if you're backing for 12 months without requesting some of the minis being sent, then we will stem the postage and send them to you on our expense.

Not sure how that's '15 bucks per mini' expensive?

[Elbows]

Sure, that's a bit on the vague side.  Also, while I really like Boris's sculpts...I don't know why I'd pay $5 and then wait a year to get 12 miniatures, etc.  Overall, I just don't see the appeal here as the end user.  (EDIT: I guess I can see this as a kind of...different Kickstarter experience?) The $15 per mini thing is basically what we'd pay in the US if we wanted each miniature sent to us each month.  Shipping to the US is never cheap from abroad.

Now, I can see from a collector's standpoint if the patreon sculpts were limited edition - maybe?  As in you'd be one of the few hundred people who owned the miniatures sculpted as Patreon minis or some such?  I dunno.  I hope this all works - just seems odd to me.

[Schrumpfkopf]

Thanks, it's clearly not for everybody then! And now that you've mentioned it - yes, Patreon is a bit like a Kickstarter on Valium, but I like the pace and it does seem to work.