Is there a high demand for aluminum pieces? I work for a machine shop and i can pretty much duplicate anything and have it made out of aluminum. What are some of the items that people would want aluminum but just cant find it? Im just curious to see if its something i want to get into.
Aluminum items on Fett
- Thread starter kursed30
- Start date
PropReplicator2
Active Hunter
Gauntlet rockets for sure, gauntlets maybe, 4th shin tool, gauntlet spikes/darts, toe spikes, stuff like that
. Goodluck.
clmayfield
Active Hunter
It has been hell finding hollow rangefinder stalks. Mojo-fett does them, but he hasn't been returning phone calls. I am surprised this isn't more widely offered.
Right now, the market is a bit flooded with gauntlet darts and knee darts. But gauntlet rockets are sparse, so that is another good piece. As are jet pack beacons if you can do them affordably. There are different models of the beacons out there, so there is room to make one that is not currently being made.
Right now, the market is a bit flooded with gauntlet darts and knee darts. But gauntlet rockets are sparse, so that is another good piece. As are jet pack beacons if you can do them affordably. There are different models of the beacons out there, so there is room to make one that is not currently being made.
Most of the stuff mentioned people do make. Off the top of my head these are the most common and desirable metal parts...
Gauntlet darts
gauntlet rocket
shoulder/cod studs
Jetpack thruster greeblies (Front and side)
jetpack stabilizer
jetpack beacon
Jetpack rocket collar
jetpack exhaust vent
Jetpack afterburner discs
toe spikes
knee darts
MCR makes all of these and more and usually has stock. However they may also be available in limited runs from other makers like Darkside. That said, another maker for any of these never hurt anyone!
Right now though id agree metal stalks for the helmet are a common one people want/need and we sometimes have a hard time getting. Both hollow and solid versions.
I also agree Helmet ears are also a big one but they usually need to be made to fit a specific helmet and the costs of them are usually high so its hard to get a run going sometimes.
Gauntlet darts
gauntlet rocket
shoulder/cod studs
Jetpack thruster greeblies (Front and side)
jetpack stabilizer
jetpack beacon
Jetpack rocket collar
jetpack exhaust vent
Jetpack afterburner discs
toe spikes
knee darts
MCR makes all of these and more and usually has stock. However they may also be available in limited runs from other makers like Darkside. That said, another maker for any of these never hurt anyone!
Right now though id agree metal stalks for the helmet are a common one people want/need and we sometimes have a hard time getting. Both hollow and solid versions.
I also agree Helmet ears are also a big one but they usually need to be made to fit a specific helmet and the costs of them are usually high so its hard to get a run going sometimes.
Fettastic
Active Hunter
I would be pleased to see more ESB Flamethrowers available, accurate with a nifty removable attachment method. Metal stocks, Metal ears for helmets are a big one, Gauntlet rocket, and also metal parts for EE-3 blasters. These parts are super expensive and if there were more suppliers I feel pricing would be a little more competitive and obviously help out the community. No offense to the current suppliers and I'm not saying that they are price gouging. I'm just saying that when there is only one or two suppliers of an item and the demand is high, they are allowed to charge higher prices. It's a simple supply and demand thing.
MachineCraft
Active Hunter
No offense, but you're wrong about how that would help the community. Supply and demand would insinuate that there is demand, and 'demand' for a specialized hobby product like ours is very low even in it's highest form. At the end of the day if you're getting into this business to make money, you'll be very disappointed. I can tell you that I have hundreds of hours of work in our drawings, parts, and QC (not to mention all the time that Holly puts in responding to emails and shipping orders), and if I spent that time doing another job, I would easily make double what MachineCraft has ever made us. The only reason we stay in business is because I love the community and I think it's awesome to see our parts on the super accurate Fetts out there. There's also other factors that play into pricing such as tooling, development, and keeping inventory on hand (which until we came along was never really a thing on TDH as most suppliers did periodic runs). Don't take this as me being scared of competition, because i'm not, but the second that this venture goes from making little to making next to nothing, we'll just close shop.
Chris4321
Active Hunter
Sounds about right!
cyberpyrot
Active Hunter
Well said.
Fettastic
Active Hunter
None taken Dakota! This hobby by nature is expensive and I'm sure everyone who decided to do this build and did their research found out that it would be nothing short of sizable hit to their pocket book so to speak. Again I wasn't saying you are over charging for your work...the intent was to state that the result to more suppliers for such parts that have a high demand within this community may bring out innovative ways to lower cost (hopefully without losing margin). And I'm not a machinist so I'm not sure maybe this is not possible. Again no offense taken, and I hope I didn't offend you with my opinion. Keep up the amazing work you are doing and I'm sure you are well aware of how much the community appreciates you and your wife
Not trying to get rich at all. Its just easy when i work for a machine shop and i can knock these out after work pretty easy. Im just looking to make enough over time to trade or buy a nice Fett helmet. I have tons of raw material here and i cant decide if i should do them out of aluminum or stainless steel.
MachineCraft
Active Hunter
None taken Dakota! This hobby by nature is expensive and I'm sure everyone who decided to do this build and did their research found out that it would be nothing short of sizable hit to their pocket book so to speak. Again I wasn't saying you are over charging for your work...the intent was to state that the result to more suppliers for such parts that have a high demand within this community may bring out innovative ways to lower cost (hopefully without losing margin). And I'm not a machinist so I'm not sure maybe this is not possible. Again no offense taken, and I hope I didn't offend you with my opinion. Keep up the amazing work you are doing and I'm sure you are well aware of how much the community appreciates you and your wife
I appreciate the kind words Cameron. Definitely no offense taken, I just think it's important the community knows that there can be a high cost to low prices sometimes. Especially with Fett parts, accuracy costs money and getting all the little details right is very tough to do, but it's what keeps us moving forward as a community and I hope that's something others want to continue to support.
Depending on what machining equipment you have available, I may be interested in having you run off some stuff for us if you think you'd be interested. Drop me a line at machinecraftreplicas@gmail.com if so and we can chat. Have a safe and happy New Years guys!
PropReplicator2
Active Hunter
Honestly, aluminum items would be more popular on Jango builds I would imagine... Lesser of boba stuff because the armor is painted different colors.
Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560
Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560
