Saphira, Queen of the Skies, as imagined by Christopher Paolini himself!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Survey Regarding Late-Pledge Timeline!
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Dec 13, 2024 at 05:09:41 AM
Hey all! Bryce here, sneaking an Update in while Eira is on vacation so she can't yell at me 😭😭😭
Lol jk. She doesn't yell. Well... Not ever time 🤣
THE QUESTION
I'm reaching out because after chatting with Christopher about a question we had, we decided it was one best posed to you guys for feedback. That is:
How long should we keep the Late-Pledge period open?
We are currently averaging an addition 5-10 orders a day on the Late-Pledge Store on BackerKit (weekends included), leading us to believe there are a LOT of members of the community who missed out on the project while it was running. Their price is the full $110 retail cost (so you guys do still have a big advantage for being campaign backers) but we've had several comments and messages about people being grateful that they could pick the statue up even if they missed the Kickstarter/after they were able to save up for it.
So with that in mind, we are narrowing this Late-Pledge period to 3 options we'd like to hear from you guys on:
One, we keep the Late-Pledge period open for 1 month (ending it at the end of December, 2024). This is the most limiting in terms of access to people getting the statue and income for both Christopher and Wraithmarked, but it keeps the statues the most limited and "rare" of the options.
Two, we keep the Late-Pledge period open for 3 months (ending it at the end of February, 2025). This is the middle road, allowing extended access to the community for people waiting for Christmas money and the like, and allowing WM to access what is likely to be most of the latecomers.
Three, we keep the Late-Pledge period open for until the day we finalize order number. This allows almost anyone who wants a statue to hear about it through the community and grab one, resulting in the most income for Christopher and WM, BUT it means the least "rare" statue of all since it might result in an extra 1000-2000 orders.
PS: A good clarification to make is that none of these options will create any measurable delay in production or fulfillment. Printing and extra 1000-2000 orders probably takes a few days, and shipping might take a few more days. So we're talking like... a week delay IF we get that many orders.
For transparencies sake, as you cast your vote, please keep in mind that WM will be producing a small overprint of the statues for security's sake (to allow for damage, printing mishaps, etc) so anything leftover from that small overprint will eventually go on sale at a future point at at least the $110 retail cost. Just so you guys are aware.
THE SURVEY
With the above in mind, we would be very grateful if you took the time to fire off your opinion on what Late-Pledge period you would be most comfortable with for this statue via the survey link here and below! Your thoughts on this matter to us, and we'll be taking them heavily into account when making a decision before the end of the month! Thanks all!
As always, thank you all, talk soon, and Happy Holidays!
And That's A Wrap!
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Nov 29, 2024 at 03:00:34 PM
Hey there, folks!
It's been an amazing month with y'all, and we hope you feel the same! This is going to be an incredible statue and we're pumped to begin working on it - the excitement is real! In the final hours of the campaign, you've helped us cross the threshold and raise more than $1.6mil! Thank you all so, so much!! <3
NEXT STEPS
Now with the campaign done, here is what you can expect in the coming weeks and months.
First, Kickstarter will process all of your payments. That will take approximately 15 days.
Once the payments have been processed, we will send out surveys to the email addresses you have attached to your Kickstarter account.
Answer your survey questions and grab any extra Add-Ons you want. For those of you asking how to make your tier selections, you'll do that here.
As we get all of the products made, you can expect to see an update from us 1-2 times a month. So stay tuned here for all the latest!
Once we have the products and are ready to start fulfillment, we will post an update and send an email giving everyone 48 hours to update their addresses if needed. Once that window closes, you will not be able to update your address yourself and will need to contact us directly to make those changes.
With addresses locked, we will start packing and shipping. This final step will take some time. We appreciate your patience. ❤️
Please be aware that the times mentioned above are estimates. We try to stick to them as much as possible but sometimes it takes an extra day or two to move on to the next phase of the process.
If you need support at any point, please send an email to [email protected] and we'll do our best to help! :)
That's the end of the canned Update 😆! I'm off to FNM! Talk to you all soon, thanks for the amazing month, and enjoy your weekend, all!
-Bryce
Only 10hrs left to pledge/update! $1.5mil reached! We are now the #4 Most-Funded Kickstarter ever in the Publishing genre!!
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Nov 29, 2024 at 05:14:15 AM
Hey all! Bryce here for one final Update before the end of the campaign!
LESS THAN 10HRS LEFT TO BACK!
Sorry to shout it out one last time, but we just KNOW there are going to be a bunch of people who will voice regretting having missed this project, so we're really trying to make sure everyone is aware that time is very limited now to guarantee your statue/Add-Ons, not to mention get them at the discount. The moment the campaign ends, all prices will be adjusted to their full retail value, and discounted combo packs like the Collector's Tier will no longer be available
Obviously we totally understand that some people have no choice but to Late-Pledge if they are pledging at all due to circumstances, but if you're among the people hanging out for the last minute to see how the project goes, now is the time. The last minute is here 🤣
Regardless, though, thank you all so much for your support!
We woke up this morning to discover you guys pushed us not only into the Top 5 Most-Funded Publishing campaigns of all time last night, but shot us right be #5 and into the #4 spot! Unbelievable, and thank you all so, so much!
At $1.5mil, this campaign has done better than we could have ever imagined. You guys are amazing, and we're holding our breath to see if we can managed 1.6mil before 6pm ET rolls around the the project comes to a close!
#4! Holy wow!
Thank you all again. This couldn't have happened without you guys, and we can't wait to get this statue into your hands!
Cheers all, it's been wild, and we'll see you on the other side!
Less than 48hrs left to back/update your pledge!
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Nov 28, 2024 at 07:57:37 AM
Hey all! Bryce here! The team has today and tomorrow off (Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!), so it's just me manning the ship through the end of the campaign!
LAST CHANCE TO UPDATE!
I wanted to make sure to remind everyone that there are now less than 30hrs left to back the campaign/update your pledge! If you haven't been paying attention to our new Add-On, we now have an Armored Saphira Bust, project-exclusive pins, and uniqueoriginal art by Daniel Govar all available to add onto your pledge!
v3 Armored Saphira Bust. WIP.
LEFT: WORLD OF ERAGON plaque, RIGHT: "SAPHIRA" in human runes, TOP: Zar'roc aflame!
Oversized Saphira bust pin!
Two original art test samples approved by Christopher!
WHY UPDATE NOW NOW?
Good question! In short: If you can it will be cheaper to update your pledge now.
While the Armored Saphira Bust will remain the same price post campaign, almost everything else is going to see a cost bump, the statue included! So this campaign is not only your chance to guarantee your products, but also to get them as affordably as possible!
PLEASE NOTE: We'll make another announcement, but we are having trouble with the Armored Saphira Bust US shipping cost while setting up the post-campaign pledge manager. IF the bust is more expensive post-campaign, it will only be $2 more, for US backers only, and you WILL get a refund within 14 days for that cost difference.
This does NOT affect campaign pledges.
HOW TO MODIFY YOUR PLEDGE
DESKTOP (OUR RECOMMENDATION):
While a project is live you can adjust your pledge by visiting the project page and clicking the “Manage your pledge" button. On the following page, select "Change your pledge".
From here, you’ll be able to adjust your pledge amount or switch to a different reward tier (changing reward tier will automatically update your pledge amount). Additionally, you’ll have the option to add any add-on rewards (even if you don't switch reward tiers) or give a little extra with bonus support.
MOBILE APP (HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES):
The process is different for iOS and Android, so please check the Kickstarter guide here:
$1.25mil Stretch Goal OBLITERATED!
over 1 year ago
– Tue, Nov 26, 2024 at 05:58:45 AM
YOU DID IT!
The final Stretch Goal of this campaign has officially been surpassed! You guys are absolutely incredible... we're still in shock over hitting one million, haha! This is all thanks to you guys. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU.
Hitting this (new) last Stretch Goal (holycowwediditomg) means that the gorgeous Armored Saphira Bust will now have a custom-molded plastic cutout encasing the bust and packaging that will protrude out of the box to really enhance the unboxing experience! This means you can also show her off 3-dimensionally in or out of the box using the cutout window!
As a reminder, here's the newest WIP of the bust Otavio Liborio has been working diligently on! As a reminder from the original image we shared of the bust, with this new design, the base has been widened to reduce the risk of being knocked over, and more unique dwarven dragon armor plating was added to differentiate this design from the statue!
WIP of the armored bust. Improvement in progress!
THE ARMORED SAPHIRA BUST
(You can skip this part if you've read either of the other Bust updates 🤣)
In case this is your first time hearing about it: the Armored Saphira Bust will stand at ~7" (~17.78 cm) tall and feature a specially posed Saphira neck and head, plated with dwarven dragon armor. Like the statue, she will be grey PVC for durability and detail!
We anticipate the bust will come in one piece, but it may be two depending on the recommendation of our production partners.
The bust is $60+s/h ($12 US, $15 non-US). Sorry for the extra shipping, but given the limited specific volume of the statue's box, even if the bust comes in the same shipment it will significantly increase the dimensions and weight of the parcel. More than likely it will have to be a separate shipment.
MAKING HER EASY TO GET
Because we know this is the goal many of you have been looking forward to the most, we are going to make her as easy as possible to pick up! Not only is this bust an Add-On like the watercolor paintings and pins, but shortly after this Update goes out we'll be creating two new tiers to include her, one bundling the statue and bust and combining their base costs and s/h, one bunding two statues and two busts for the collectors, which will provide an additional small discount!
HOW TO MODIFY YOUR PLEDGE
DESKTOP (OUR RECOMMENDATION):
While a project is live you can adjust your pledge by visiting the project page and clicking the “Manage your pledge" button. On the following page, select "Change your pledge".
From here, you’ll be able to adjust your pledge amount or switch to a different reward tier (changing reward tier will automatically update your pledge amount). Additionally, you’ll have the option to add any add-on rewards (even if you don't switch reward tiers) or give a little extra with bonus support.
MOBILE APP (HAS BEEN HAVING ISSUES):
The process is different for iOS and Android, so please check the Kickstarter guide here:
