The main reason I favor MassDrop at this point is because it is well known and has a strong community following. I kind of feel they have a better reputation than SP, and I'd want to leverage that good will.
But that's just my take on it.
Because SP failed to upgrade their site beforehand, MassDrop had stepped in and took all the orders, hence they have already built up all that extra Goodwill that SP has now lost.
Unfortunately that is how a service industry functions, if YOU drop the ball, someone else will step in and run with it to the goal line. Maybe in the end PMK should just stick with manufacturing only, just my viewpoint here.
Great post, Elrick. I wholeheartedly agree.
It would be interesting to eventually talk to some of the designers who choose to use PMK's new system and find out why they have no objections. I can't help but think there's another perspective out there besides the one held by veteran designers who want maximum control over every step of the process.
If the PMK system is such that I upload kit definitions along with renders and whatever other promotional material I can come up with, and then just let their pre-order system (which they are free to call an "interest check" system if they want) determine what goes into production, I think I'd be okay with that. As long as sets are perpetually available according to (pre-order) demand, I don't have any problem with SP being in control of production schedules. Why would I want to micromanage that myself anyway?
Ultimately SP gets to decide what and when to manufacture anyway, no matter where a group buy is organized and run. If their in-house system reduces time-to-market and maintains availability in perpetuity, then I see it as a potential win for the community. I would rather see one of my sets rotate through production every few months, according to demand, than force potential buyers to wait once a year or two for some massive GB to re-organize itself and launch subsequent rounds of production.
The main reason I favor MassDrop at this point is because it is well known and has a strong community following. I kind of feel they have a better reputation than SP, and I'd want to leverage that good will.
But that's just my take on it.
Firstly, no. SP does not get to decide what to run and when. If you place an order as a customer (as a Massdrop GB works), you're commissioning them to make sets for you. They give you a quote and a production slot. They have to stick to this. After agreeing to your order, they can't turn around and deny production without legal consequences. It's a business agreement, not a hobby-level request, such as a submission to PMK.
I do think you make a good point about the simplicity of submitting designs, there are probably some designers happy with this approach.
if your "design" is just a colourway and you don't want more work than submitting it to PMK, then that's probably the way to go. If you're building a full design with an inspiration concept and novelty caps, etc, however, then I highly recommend you don't.
For a design like this to be successful it will still need an external "traditional" IC stage to be run outside of the PMK site.
Let me explain. The only way the new PMK system could reduce turnaround time for a GB is if you remove community involvement in the set design. You make a design, submit it to PMK and they tweak and adjust it to make it producable (without community feedback). Then it goes up as an "Interest Check". If they think it has enough interest to get made, it gets made. There is no true Interest Check, like you have in "traditional" GB's.
Their process skips some of the most important aspects of set design, the so-called "Interest Check" stage on their site is actually the Group Buy stage for sets. Designs need to be complete before they get there.
PMK sets will have the same delays from first public exposure through IC and production to shipping as traditional methods, but the actual IC and design tweaking is done off-site and before submitting the design.
The work involved in doing a proper "traditional" set design with custom novelty legends, etc, is not trivial. There is a lot of back-and-forth between the designer and SP and the community to confirm feasibility of designs, availability and cost of specific options, which designs people prefer, etc. This makes most set designs have more intrinsic "value" than a simple colourway posted to PMK (the adjustments are made by the designer with community involvement, so they remain true to the design concept and desires of the community). This is just one of the components that make a set design that people care about. Doing a "traditional" IC with community feedback, then a group buy builds a sense of community and increases the "value" of the set further. It also allows individuals to have an influence on the design, novelties and kits. Participation in the GB, waiting and seeing the stages from IC through to shipping, is part of increasing this perceived "value".
If the perceived "value" of the set is not high enough, people will not be willing to pay the kind of prices you have to charge for the sets in order to get them manufactured. So IMO it's not just about nice colourways, reducing the work of designers and availability of the sets.
I also think that if people have participated in the IC for a particular set, been involved with novelty designs and choosing kit layouts and SP decide not to make the set, it's demoralising / disrespecting the effort, care and interest of those people.
The new PMK process has the potential to make set designs seem "cheap" by removing community involvement in the design, but cost more. Not to mention the fact that what they sell may not even be true to the original design concept any more (assuming there was one).
If you have to do a full external IC before submitting and there's no difference in time to production, the ONLY benefit of the new PMK system is that the sets MAY get rerun at some point (and this benefit is moot, as I'll explain). By choosing to run the actual GB through Massdrop instead, you can retain all rights, get the same tier-based discounts and retain the perceived value of the sets and design. Then it's up to the designer if they choose to let SP run their design at their discretion afterwards, like with the 1976 set. Best of all worlds.
Does Massdrop pay a royalty to designers? Does Signature Plastics pay the designer if it goes through Massdrop?
Yes.
No.
Great question and great reply. This is very useful and relevant info.