Good evening, gang!

So, pins are still in production, and after the eyebrow situation, I have asked the factory to check in with me a little bit more often. They have been doing so, and offering additional photos in separate lighting to make sure colors are correct.

Pin manufacturers - even the best of them - have a habit of taking sample photos with a SpongeBob disposable camera in the 5th level of the Backrooms. Colors are often wildly off from how they appear in-person.

My art style allows for some leeway in colors, as long as the idea of the pin stays intact. I allow some wiggle room as long as contrasts stay roughly the same and a pin still reads as its designated critter. But, sometimes, it pays to make sure, and we have a situation like that here.

Our KOBOLD pin turned out much darker than intended.

A fellow, very kobold-savvy artist let me know that this color series can have this problem. It often turns out darker than intended, and it may not necessarily be a manufacturer error.

This result is different enough from the intended ugly-cute anemic pink shown in the artwork to be an issue. I know you kobold crew are very passionate people, and any issues with this design could anger a vocal minority that could bite my ankles and throw rocks at my face.

Due to costs, and inconvenience, and all that shit, I'm not heart set on remakes... yet. I'd like to hear from you.

If you backed for the kobold pin... do you think he needs a redo? Do you still like him after a little too long in the tanning booth?

HUSTLE veterans know I usually offer some options when things don't go right, and this is no different. Store credit, extra free B-grades, or waiting for a full replacement of the medium rare kobold could be on the table here. 

Comments, suggestions, and desired outcomes are welcome. Let me know what you're thinking as soon as possible.

Good afternoon, gang!

Not the most fun one here - I have confirmation from the factory that we will not be seeing pins shipped until the end of June. When we factor DDP delivery times in, it is unlikely they will arrive until at least the second week of July.

A few designs have needed remakes, and this is a gigantic order with a lot to get through. Delays were never out of the picture, but, unfortunately, this does confirm some disappointing news.

I will not have pins here in time for Anthrocon pickup. If you're going to go make your furry pilgrimage this year, your CHALLENGE COIN CRITTER pins will not get to go home with you.

Because this was almost, kind of, hopefully possible until today, I don't mind comping shipping for you. If you opted for AC pickup, you will be getting an email to make sure this message gets to you, and you'll get your guys sent to you at no charge. I am sorry for the inconvenience here.

If I can't have pins for July 3rd, I definitely can't have them in June. Our July 21st WNY pickup also cannot happen without pins. Same deal, you guys will get an email from me shortly with some alternate options. I would prefer not to ship these at my expense, since half of you are a zipcode away from me, so, we'll figure something out.

Silver lining, this means we do have a clearer timeline of when pins will arrive and we can start the next steps. Grading will begin (with no Anthrocon rush, thank fuck!) as soon as C3 coins set foot on my doorstep, and we can expect the earliest order bracket to start shipping just days after.

Are you in that first bracket? Make sure your credit card on file's good! We had you guys for your last round of charges last week. Let's make sure those get covered so there's no delays.

I'm gonna go get those emails out to pickups, and go close up the job tonight. I'll check in with you next time I hear something.

Good afternoon, gang!

So, despite the best efforts of back-end features and code to sabotage my plans, we did have successful charges late last week. Thank you to BackerKit staff for working through that, and hopefully things work as intended to save everyone some trouble next time.

All USA C3-only backers, non-EU international backers, preorders, and local pickups were charged for shipping and any addons. Your money will be going to cover the final installment of pins paid on delivery, as well as some samples...

That being said, we do have some failed charges. I have 10 of you guys in that group who didn't go through.

Unpaid campaign backers had until May 12th to get their shit sorted. I'll be giving paid backers who are missing their balance until August 20th to pay their dues and claim their pins. Otherwise, thank you for your donation, I'll toss your pins to the local animal shelter to sell and cover animal care costs.

Did you back THE HYENA FAMILY? Are you in European Union Europe? Don't worry - you haven't been charged anything, and you don't need to worry. You will be on the hook closer to when pins arrive.

At this time, I am hoping and praying to any possible higher power that pins arrive this month. I am not counting on it but I am guessing late June or early July.

I caught a few issues at the factory before things shipped, which will save a lot of time and money in the long run, but it means some designs are being remade before the whole order goes out.

That's about it, for now. I appreciate you guys bearing with me, this week continues a streak of absolutely horrific luck and incidents happening outside of the HUSTLE. If you're waiting to hear back from me, please bump our email or DM and let me get back on top of things.

I hope to have something a little more fun to share next week. Take it easy, and enjoy a hopefully-mild early summer evening.

Good evening, gang!

Just a quick heads up - we are waiting out a potential back-end issue with BackerKit's segmented card charges. This means yesterday's announcement about Thursday charges is no longer accurate.

While this is a small change of plans, it shouldn't affect things too much. Make sure your card on file is accurate if you haven't already. You should still be expecting a charge before June 13th if you're in the categories listed here.

These pin pictures got dropped on BlueSky earlier, but if you're detoxing from the socials, let's toss 'em to you here, too. Most of these pins are final, sans their black epoxy background - you can see it on a few, like the duck toller, deer, and dalmatians, though!

Final note, I'll finally be closing pre-orders this Saturday (June 6th).  If you missed out on CHALLENGE COIN CRITTERS and any of these designs speak to you a little more as physical items, this is your last chance to get them at campaign price at campaign times.

C3 pins will not be available retail until everything's graded, backers get their pins, and inventory is set up. This could be as late as early September. If you want 'em, get em now!