(KICKSTARTER) Mantic Mars Attacks! Funded in 13 minutes!

[Doomsdave]

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but Mantic Just blew it for me.  I spent $300 to get my stuff.  Supposed to be August delivery.  Latest update is that I won't get it until November.  I could get JUST the basic box if I'm willing to part with an additional $10 to pay for the shipping of separate orders.  Turns out I could have walked into a store and gotten the basic box before I will see my reward for pledging.  Mantic: "Thanks for being a backer chump". 

Sorry for the rant.  Any other backers ill over this?

[Michka]

Actually I'm pretty happy with the turn around on this Kickstarter. After so many late campaigns, one that delivers in the same year is simply amazing to me. I mean, this is nothing compared to Robotech, and then there's Otherworlds. Closing on two years now waiting for that one. I'm surprised when a Kickstarter delivers on time. Just as long as I get my stuff, and it's decent quality I'm happy. (Anyone looking for some Sedition Wars resin?)   

[Doomsdave]

I do see your point.  I was under the mistaken assumption that "reward" meant getting something early and/or cheap in comparison to the actual retail release.  Being rewarded for fronting capital seems like a good idea.  Now I understand that "reward" means "Shut up and give us your money, expect delays, pledge manager errors, and total indifference that a retail cutstomer would not normally deal with". 

Side note:  It would be nice if KS had a feedback mechanism like ebay.  That would highlight project creators who fail to deliver on promises.

[Too Bo Coo]

Side note:  It would be nice if KS had a feedback mechanism like ebay.  That would highlight project creators who fail to deliver on promises.

I hazard to guess that this is not entirely an oversight.... 

[Doomsdave]

I hazard to guess that this is not entirely an oversight.... 

You are probably right.  I have backed about 20 projects in the last 3 years.  More than half are late.  The balance are early or on-time.  This one irritates me more than the rest though.  Mantic is company with some time and projects under their belt.  They are executing on a license from another company.  Their poor performance will impact their other products.  Their sh!t should be fully together. 

[Too Bo Coo]

Oathsworn did... twice. Much smaller KSs though - I can't imagine the nightmare of trying to fulfill one of the really big ones!

Ditto for Zombicide, and it all arrived beautifully packed.  I've never had a problem with that KS.  I think their minis are also the same restic crap, I had a hell of a time using plastic glue trying to glue them to lexan disks....  But the Zombicide minis are quite well done, and aside from the general problem of even small mold lines on this material, they were great fun to paint up.  Hope you guys have better experiences in the future, it's awful to hear or experience the 'otherside' of KS. 

This, GoW, Sedition Wars, etc are all good examples that even big names and big companies doesnt automatically translate into good product.  And if this is true, think how important it is to keep smaller and newer publishers 'honest'.  I remember the second failed Road/Kill KS where the creator got outright nasty when people asked direct questions about his project.  Also, in some ways, when we pay upfront for the creation of a game, I cant help but feel it gives less incentive to make a better game or components as they already have the money.  This may be cynical, but it does creep into the back of my mind sometimes...

[rwwin]

I have backed about 20 projects in the last 3 years.  More than half are late.  The balance are early or on-time.

I'm sure everyone's KS experience has been different, and I haven't backed quite as many projects as you but I do keep a close eye on things and I would put the "late" label to most projects I've backed:

Zombicide (Phase 1)                    1 Month Early
zombicide (Phase 2)                    1 Month Late
Sedition Wars (Phase 1)              2 Months Late
Sedition Wars (Phase 2)              6 Months Late
Dreamforge Plastic (Phase 1)        4 Months Late
Dreamforge Plastic (Phase 2)        6 Months Late
Dreamforge Plastic (Phase 3)        Still Not Delivered, running 16 months late
Kingdom Death                           Still Not Delivered, running 10 months late
Bug Hunt Corridord                      8 Months Late
Zombicide 2 (Phase 1)                 On Time
Zombicide 2 (Phase 1.5)               Not anticipated but 2 months after phase 1
Zombicide 2 (Phase 1)                 On Time
Tablescapes                              Still Not Delivered, running 9 months late
Deadzone (Phase 1)                    On Time
Deadzone (Phase 2)                    3 Months Late
Deadzone (Phase 3)                    Not anticipated, not delivered, at least 3 months late
Bombshell Special Edition              On Time
Dark, Darker, Darkest                   1 Month Late
Incursion                                   Still Not Delivered, running 6 months late
Mars Attacks                              Still Not Delivered, running 1 month late
Shadows of Brimstone                  Still Not Delivered, running 1 month late
AVP                                          Still Not Delivered, running 4 months late

All my other campaigns are still in their original window so can't say how they'll shape up.

Given the above list, I don't think Mars Attacks one month slip is that big a deal.  The big take away I've learned is that CMON and Mantic are "generally" on time but quality is hit and miss.  Any campaign that sources miniatures or tooling out of Wargames factory has high quality but MASSIVE delays (Dreamforge, KD & Tablescapes).

[wellender]

Go take a look at the mess that Iello made with Guardians Chronicles.  That thing is a nightmare.  I managed to get out of it.  It had bait and switch going on with the miniatures, no communications with the backers, super late, etc.  I am very happy with Mantic compared to that.  At least we are getting everything at one time.  Shadows of Brimstone is about to ship the base game and it will be another year before we see the add-ons.

[Commander Vyper]

Guys  this is about Mars attacks really not general  KS issues :/

[CptJake]

A guy on BGG says the included clear plastic domes for the Martians don;t fit well at all.

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1243076/first-component-criticism

If that is an issue for you, you may want to verify the report and if true, see how Mantic intends to handle it.

[aircav]

I got my copy yesterday. I haven't tried the helmets yet (or even taken them out of the packet!)
My initial worry was the paper gaming mat it has some extreme folds in it?
The cards could have been much better quality as well, I was stupidly expecting playing card quality & they are very flimsy card 
The Terrain pieces are really, really nice & very useful for other projects, I did find it odd though that as its supposed to appeal to board gamers that there is no instruction leaflet for those that have no modelling ability.
Some of the figures have very noticeable mold lines on them.
The rule book is very nice production & full colour throughout, die cut counters are nice & thick.

[Mingans Marauders]

For those with models in hand: What is the material like? Are they like Zombiecide? Dreadball? Reaper Bones? I read somewhere they were like the Star Wars/D&D prepaints, but those sort of varied in their quality.

[Dr. The Viking]

For those with models in hand: What is the material like? Are they like Zombiecide? Dreadball? Reaper Bones? I read somewhere they were like the Star Wars/D&D prepaints, but those sort of varied in their quality.

My impression was that it was like the D&D/Star Wars stuff. A lof of the bases on my figures were deform (not flat..) and the figures stood leaning forwards or backwards.

A few weapons are notably bent (here especially the General Tor model is annoying). Also the clear helmets provided have a bad fit and slightly wrong form (too wide to the back). 

As I'm going to rebase them all anyway it is not a huge issue for me, but I think it goes to show that these are definitely board game gaming pieces and not 'proper' miniatures. So don't expect quality stuff.  

Considering that I'm a fan of Mars Attacks and am really happy to finally have some toys to play with, I may be too positive in my assessments.

[rwwin]

I just got my copy in the mail today.  I don't have time for pictures right now, but I think comparing them to Zombicide is pretty fair.  They have about the same level of stiffness and detail.  There are some mold lines (some more noticeable than others) and there I've noticed a few figures with some mold slip or offsets.  The figures are certainly NOT restic!

Now on to the martian helmets/domes.  They are definitely vac-u-formed and have that distinctive bell shaped flare at the bottom where they were cut from the sheet.  There is a definite front/back orientation to them.  After test fitting some random figures, it looks like all the domes "slope" at the back so that they actually sit on the backpack tanks and not inside the collar.  Why they shaped them this way isn't immediately obvious but it does look "wrong" when you look at the dome from the rear quarter view on the figure.  Sadly this doesn't look like something you could "fix" with heat shaping or trimming very easily.

There is one upside to the thinner vac-u-formed domes over thicker injection molded ones.  I have a number of figures with injection domes (AT-43 Karmans, Flying Frog martians) and with the thicker plastic you get some distortion to the heads inside.  With the vac-u-formed domes I don't see any sort of distortion.

This is just a preliminary verdict but I'd say that martian domes aside, the figures are on the high side of "board game" quality but still a bit short of what you might expect for "tabletop quality".  As with any subjective analysis, your millage may vary.

[Elbows]

Now, the question is...will someone come out with replacement domes, and would it be worth waiting?  I'm not invested in this game (hated the film) but it does suck that they don't fit.