There's a video update coming.
1 day ago
– Sat, Sep 05, 2026 at 05:21:51 PM
(I just posted some of this as a comment, but I thought I'd double up and put it here too so that everybody sees it.) Short strokes: I too have been waiting to hear more information, with me waiting, that means we're behind getting out an update, but I've been out to Isaac now for a while about getting a detailed video describing the ongoing dramas of the production process for the figures, which has been by far the biggest problem slowing us down, always. Isaac will have way more detail (and it's way outside my area of expertise) but, in short, every time he thought we had a process with enough quality and detail, we have had to reset and start again.
Stay tuned for that.
With regard to the movie, we have two FINAL (because surely there can't be anything left undiscovered) archival tapes in to be digitized for what we call the fat cut of the movie, which will demand a new B roll pass from Isaac (which means dragging him away from the action figure production problems he's constantly triaging) and then we should be on track to do the finish without having to open it up again. We have pulled in so much footage and it's been challenging to figure out how to incorporate it artfully. And since we're filmmakers, we want it to be artful!
Re: the book. As you know, the text has been completed for some time, but we can't do our photo pass (which is massive) until we have all our documentary B roll in place, because it's the material from those B roll archives - from the tapes we got from Kevin, etc - that will be placed alongside the text. Having said that, since I too am waiting (choosing and laying out the photos are not my area of expertise) I have gone back to the Q&As and I'm recrafting them. Improved technology in outputting transcriptions from the editing software has enhanced the quality overall and I want to take advantage of that, since I can. I'll post a new chunk soon so you can see what I mean. I'm finding fresh nuggets that I think need to go back in and I fear for my page count, but it feels more satisfying. I've redone one Kevin, one Pete, Jeannine Laird, John Handy, Karl Aaronian, Ryan Brown and Fred Wolf and I am finding it much easier to edit than my previous transcript outputs, so I'm probably just going to keep on with this new process. Maniacal rewriting? Graphomania? Maybe, but while I wait, it's good to do.
In ending, I know it's frustrating for you, because it's also frustrating for me and I am going crazy as we work to juggle the financial realities of the more complex (action figure) parts of this campaign. Yeah, tariffs and cross-border issues and everything is more expensive than expected, but setting up on-shoring for toy manufacturing at the time we did, in the way we did, ended up costing us SO MUCH MORE than hoped, so we've been struggling to manage everything. You'll find out more in Isaac's video. All that to say, we're still here, still working, thanking you for your kindness and understanding, because that is what keeps us knocking through these problems one at a time, day after day.
rl
Toy Breakthrough
2 months ago
– Thu, Jun 25, 2026 at 06:58:26 AM
There is SO much over which I can exert no power to expedite aspects of this giant project, but recently Isaac sent me a video that makes me think some of our most frustrating problems have finally been addressed. You will see that video below and let me add that we also recently got our hands on what I am told is the very last piece of the production puzzle (an air dryer for curing outputs, I guess?). If what we are being told in this video continues to work out as it seems, we are very close to a final test phase and actual production. STAY TUNED.
As always, thank you for your patience. I have so little of it myself, therefore yours is critical for me to have any chance at retaining what little mental health is available to me at this time...
rl
Isaac Unboxes!
4 months ago
– Wed, Apr 29, 2026 at 10:28:16 AM
New Update with Kevin Treasure Trove
5 months ago
– Thu, Apr 23, 2026 at 10:12:01 AM
Hey there. Once again, I am reaching out to let you know that I'm yelling at the partners here and pointing at you guys and demanding that they give me some updates that I can share with you. I have ranted enough that I am sure I will be sent a video I can share very soon. Apparently, Isaac shot it already, so we should have it here soon.
It should be process from his efforts transferring Kevin's treasure trove of newly discovered VHS material into a safe digital archive and his highlighting bits from those discoveries.
Having this new material (which is, honestly, of varying quality and value) has, as we surmised, changed a big part of what we were doing, so Mark has rebuilt a new project, cracked open all the timelines in Premiere and has begun prioritizing b roll replacements with new stuff as is best in general. Making best use of this footage is a big task, but will be a fun one for him.
Isaac is finalizing and testing the latest round of moulds for the figures and has run what I hope will be the very last tests before we can run the actual, final figures. This has been WAY WAY WAY more expensive and frustrating than I could have imagined and has been challenging for us to match the high standards we have for all the variables - that includes material for moulds, for the media in the moulds, and the variability in approaches to manufacturing at scale, of which there are many. I do not pretend to understand any of it, but the end result should be impressive. And will have aged me by 25 years, which is scary because I am already old.
The same thing that happened with the movie happened to the book. Isaac and Mark are now sitting with new material that HAS to be included, so even though I wrote all the text ages ago as you know, the layout and the photos are pushed back to square one to implement the new stuff (which drives me crazy, but what are you going to do? It's too important not to use). Remember, however, that while the VHS trove is all interesting, much of it is not revelatory. We have to curate the best of it, particularly in the hopes that it hasn't been used elsewhere.
Anyway, I can only thank you for your patience, as I always do.
I wish I could be more patient myself, but I am sooooo not. I have absolutely been a pain in the ass for Mark recently with my intense nagging about the uncertainties. I am beyond desperate to announce an actual timeline for all the things. I NEED this to be done for my own sanity and only then will I be able to sit back and consider any satisfaction at all for this enormous project that has taken us so many years. When it's finally finished, I'll be in a rocking chair on a veranda, waiting for a nurse to come out with my warm blanket and bowl of applesauce.
rl
Many thanks!
6 months ago
– Tue, Mar 03, 2026 at 09:11:01 AM
You folks who have made such responses have made my day. I (Rand) don't fully grasp all the many factors needed for Isaac to be satisfied with his (and ultimately your) outputs, which I will admit I find very stressful. I'm so tuned to writing and filmmaking and we're at a great place with those (assuming we get Kevin's tapes soon...), that the slowdown with these more complicated, machine, material and technology heavy elements gives me heartburn. However, this positive feedback is amazing. MANY THANKS!
And stay tuned here for Isaac's next update (when he's at the next phase), because if I understand correctly, that one should be pretty tasty.
rl
