By tobycj
#4973118
kahuna900 wrote: October 4th, 2022, 6:23 pm
tobycj wrote: October 4th, 2022, 5:21 pm Either way, you've put no money down, you've not entered into any sort of contract with Mack's, so if his material costs have increased in the meantime why would he honour the old price and lose money? You've got to remember this is one guy doing this and fronting all the development and material costs up front, not some big corporation who have huge bank balances.

Oh but I have put money down, nearly $500 on the few items they have released as I was expecting a shell would arrive at some point. But it's not just the shell, I understand he has problems getting the shell manufactured but where are all the other parts? At this rate it will take 10 years to receive all the parts needed to complete this project.

I don't know why people are so defensive of this guy, he hasn't even posted an update on the Facebook page since February. Last October he posted about the factory producing a successful test of the shells and then "Ding"... nothing!!

It's a real shame, I was really drawn to this design that was already painted and could be assembled with all the provided hardware, but unfortunately I think the time has come to cut my losses and move on.

Good luck to all the members who continue to wait on Mack's Factory. I really hope things change soon and you actually get what you've been waiting for.
My point was you've not put money down on the shell itself. All the parts can be used on any other good shell, so you've not "lost out" at all by buying them really.

For what it's worth I saw it mentioned that production should start pumping out shells soon, now they've sorted a lot of the issues they've had.
#4973125
Ha, right after I criticize their communication they post this:
On Facebook, Mack's Factory wrote:We understand your frustration and feedback. It's both helpful and important.

So I've identified a few of your concerns: the price going up, lack of communication, and the fact the roll-out of products has been slower than hoped for.

The price going up: Unfortunately, the cost of raw materials has increased and became harder to source. Anyone who's grocery shopped probably knows that all too well. Additionally, the labor involved in producing parts has also been a challenge since skilled labor is not as available as it was few years ago. This is arguably affecting every vendor, both vendors in our fandom as well as probably anything you're buying in the market today. The price increase is not Mack's deciding to be greedy and charge more, it's overall market impacts and inflation. What's reported in the news doesn't affect just Amazon, Wal-Mart, and IBM - it affects the entire economy, and especially small businesses like Mack's. So as much as it sucks to raise prices, which it truly does, that's unfortunate side effects of the last few years. And again, not a money grab. As much as it'd be nice to offer the shells at the price it was a year or two ago, the price to produce them has increased and it basically would mean that Mack's would be paying more for the shells than they're selling them for. Understandably, this will price some people out and that's extremely disheartening. But in order to offer them at all, that's the cost of being able to make them. Hopefully, things will start to change for the better and that won't be the case forever.

Lack of Communication: That's a fair criticism. I know the last few years have been rough for everyone, both people and companies alike, and a lot of things have had disruptions. Mack's will start to do some more announcements as things start to return to normal - we're keeping at it and motivated! As with any ambitious project, it runs on support, encouragement, and feedback. Remember, Mack's is not a billion dollar company - it's essentially a passion project trying to achieve something amazing for the community. And that community being supportive is both incredibly rewarding and motivating. That's our job to earn that. It's energy and we love it!

Lack of product roll-out: Again, this is a fair criticism. It goes without saying that the proton pack, in addition to not being a toy, is also made of dozens and dozens of parts. Trying to produce each of them at the scale of hundreds is expensive, time consuming to design, and reliant on factories, labor, and materials. And as you know, that's been fairly constrained recently. The good news? Things are starting to return back to normal, but inflation and effects still linger. Mack's is starting to ramp back up and get at it again, but we're adapting to the changes in the market and world - and that takes time. We're on it!
Again, we hear you and appreciate you being here for the journey!
I hope they're right and we get to see new parts sooner than later.
mrmichaelt liked this
#4973129
WhoaFoogles wrote: October 5th, 2022, 2:18 pmI hope they're right and we get to see new parts sooner than later.
They posted a photo in one of the Facebook groups showing some banjo fittings, so it's possible that's the next part they're going to release.

UPDATE - 7 Oct 2022
Banjo fittings are for sale now!
Pack of 2 - https://macksfactory.myshopify.com/prod ... 3110-04-20
Pack of 3 - https://macksfactory.myshopify.com/prod ... -20-3-pack
Image

(Someone on Facebook asked for a 3-Pack, I assume so they'd also have one for their trap pedal)
Last edited by prodestrian on October 7th, 2022, 5:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
WhoaFoogles, Jimsy33 liked this
#4973188
Rhett J. Martin
3h ·
This weekend Illfonic celebrates the upcoming release of Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed at NYCC down in Tribeca at the Roxy Hotel, located next door to Hook & Ladder 8. , and Mack's Factory was well represented! Pictured with an assortment of props I usually offer, are four full Legacy Proton Pack and Wand builds. Some parts are available now, other are coming in the next few weeks, and more are being fine tuned. But now you know that YES things ARE being produced and prototyped out, and the results are starting to appear!

Pics on Facebook of finished packs I think look amazing.
prodestrian, Jimsy33 liked this
#4973191
prodestrian wrote: October 5th, 2022, 5:15 pm
WhoaFoogles wrote: October 5th, 2022, 2:18 pmI hope they're right and we get to see new parts sooner than later.
They posted a photo in one of the Facebook groups showing some banjo fittings, so it's possible that's the next part they're going to release.

UPDATE - 7 Oct 2022
Banjo fittings are for sale now!
Pack of 2 - https://macksfactory.myshopify.com/prod ... 3110-04-20
Pack of 3 - https://macksfactory.myshopify.com/prod ... -20-3-pack
Image

(Someone on Facebook asked for a 3-Pack, I assume so they'd also have one for their trap pedal)
In description it says not part of the official build…so I’m guessing it will come with another part with hologram sticker.
#4973193
JamminJP45 wrote: October 7th, 2022, 6:08 pm In description it says not part of the official build…so I’m guessing it will come with another part with hologram sticker.
I don’t really get why they just didn’t add the tube that would go with it (that’s an option in the “Coming Soon category on the MF website). I’m going to pass on this until there is a set that includes it. I don’t really care if it doesn’t come with the hologram or not. I’m way past any desire to get their “certificate” at this point.
Last edited by Kingpin on October 7th, 2022, 7:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.Reason: Fixed quote coding
kahuna900 liked this
By tobycj
#4973196
Ghostguy66 wrote: October 7th, 2022, 6:33 pm
JamminJP45 wrote: October 7th, 2022, 6:08 pm In description it says not part of the official build…so I’m guessing it will come with another part with hologram sticker.
I don’t really get why they just didn’t add the tube that would go with it (that’s an option in the “Coming Soon category on the MF website). I’m going to pass on this until there is a set that includes it. I don’t really care if it doesn’t come with the hologram or not. I’m way past any desire to get their “certificate” at this point.
It's 6" of 4mm red pneumatic tubing that you can buy for a dollar or two, weird that puts you off buying these completely!
Kingpin liked this
User avatar
By Ghostguy66
#4973622
SpiderFan2k3 wrote: October 19th, 2022, 4:29 pm Can confirm: Idealized and Legacy shells are starting to roll out.
What number on the wait list are they on (if you know)? Haven’t gotten the email yet. I’d hate to think I missed my email to order.
User avatar
By Ghostguy66
#4973630
That makes me feel better. I was concerned when I saw someone in the 180s who indicated that he had gotten one and I was worried that I missed it.
By JamminJP45
#4973801
Ghostguy66 wrote: October 19th, 2022, 8:38 pm That makes me feel better. I was concerned when I saw someone in the 180s who indicated that he had gotten one and I was worried that I missed it.
Wish we knew what number they were on in case there was an issue receiving email. I’m in the 140s and have not seen anything yet.
User avatar
By kind2311
#4973832
A nearly 2-year-old build thread with no actual building in it. Ridiculous.

Sony should give license to more than one screen-accurate builder/company at a time. I'm sure there are other businesspersons/fans that could provide the same quality and accuracy but in a fraction of the time that Mack's takes to put out their products. I've been on the mailing list for two years for thrower parts, and still not a word. :sigh:
kahuna900 liked this
User avatar
By SpiderFan2k3
#4973870
kind2311 wrote: October 25th, 2022, 12:59 pm A nearly 2-year-old build thread with no actual building in it. Ridiculous.

Sony should give license to more than one screen-accurate builder/company at a time. I'm sure there are other businesspersons/fans that could provide the same quality and accuracy but in a fraction of the time that Mack's takes to put out their products. I've been on the mailing list for two years for thrower parts, and still not a word. :sigh:
The film came out almost 40 years ago and Sony is only just now allowing someone to produce officially licensed parts molded from the actual props, not just based on measurements and photos. Mack’s Factory wasn’t given the right to make these parts at random, it was because they wowed Sony with the quality of their work. And remember, Sony isn’t financially backing production—they’re just giving their blessing to use the intellectual property and taking their slice of the money pie.

There is as much interest in the franchise now as there has ever been, and a whole new generation of fans (like my 5-year-old) are going to have access to literally everything we always wanted. I’ve been lurking on these boards for 17 years and haven’t seen anyone who has been consistently producing quality parts. Even the GBFans shop has only been at it for a fraction of that time.

You can be upset with how long things are taking, but know that practically every company supplying something new needs to get up and running. Unlike some others sellers, Mack's Factory isn't taking money ahead of time in order to fund their production. Aaron's footing the bill upfront and only selling the parts he has in stock. So, yes, there’s a wait. But where else are you going to get everything already cast, trimmed, colored, and finished, holes tapped, with all the mounting hardware, labels included for each item?

The pandemic didn’t help. The shortage of skilled workers didn’t help. There is a lot going on behind the scenes of this small company that we don’t know (R & D for future items, product restock, real life, etc.) Mack’s factory isn’t Hasbro. They don’t have the big corporate resources. They have to make something, find the kinks, work them out, remake it, make changes, make it again. Not every part comes out of the mold perfect. Aaron is really no different than AJ in regards to how his store functions, except that Mack’s Factory was given the license by Sony. It’s basically one guy, a fan, relying on a lot of subcontractors to supply items.
tobycj liked this
User avatar
By Ghostguy66
#4974101
Has anyone here on this thread gotten an email in the last few weeks? Based on their FB posts, they seem to be ramping up production a little bit.
#4974174
Yes, they combined into a single list. I created two accounts to keep my idealized and legacy parts/orders separate. When my number came up I went idealized first. I'll wait for #1000 to roll around and get the legacy then as I was not in a place financially to get both at once.
User avatar
By Ghostguy66
#4974352
So, since the emails to order the shells are supposedly going out for some, has anyone gotten a shell yet? I’d love to see some photos and/or thoughts about it. It’s been curiously quiet. You’d think there’d be posts all over the FB Mack’s group by now with people posting pictures of their new shells. I certainly would. Some guy there got a legacy shell back in October, but nothing since. Not complaining, just curious.
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