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Here is an update on my Mechanical Playing Card. Just got the final relief in. Its made of Steel. The gears are Gold plated and yes its functional. I will have a link to see the video of the deck in action. I'm still set to launch this project on Kickstarter next month. Looking forward to its reception. I assume this will be the worlds first super embossed relief Tuck Box that's functional as well. In my campaign I will offer standard embossed tuck Box of the design, a metal relief and a plastic relief which will look like the metal version you see in the photos. This will give folks who may not be able to afford the high end versions a chance at being apart of the project. There will be more additions to this project so stay tuned. Check back soon.













Card Back Side.



Joker Card.



I used the Theory 11 Artisan Tuck Box as an example to showcase the mechanism.



















Mechanical Poker Box kit.








Amber Rix precision Dice. A nice touch to this project. You can purchase these on Kickstarter. She is on her second campaign.



The Finished look after the gilding process (Silver leafing or in printing terminology, Foiling). After foiling then a patina is applied or sometimes referred to as weathering. This is done to give it a more realistic metal look. Its done simply by adding watered down black paint.








By turning the Bolt Clockwise, this turns the gears which engages a spring latch mechanism withing the face of the box causing the box to open.



So it's been a while since I was last here. I have been working away on this project and it has come almost to the end. Im ready to launch my Kickstarter soon and here is the results.








To see it in action go here. http://vimeo.com/75658531" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Details as to how it works. http://vimeo.com/75791774" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My Kickstarter Draft page. Launching October 12th. http://vimeo.com/75791774" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Can you give us a ballpark number on how much this stuff will cost for us?

No doubt many will buy this for the box alone (and I can't blame them), but I have to critique the back design.

- It is a very obvious one-way design due to several elements, if it was just the middle logo it wouldn't be too bad though.
- It has unnecessary text, usually the less text a back design has, the better. Removing the "1972 DM" would also help the above point.
- Just black and white makes it very boring, especially when the box looks as good as it does.
- Thinner borders!

Hello Tom, appreciate your input. After making the prototype mechanism and actually fitting it with the Tuck box, the DM 1972 will probably Be so small you wont really be able to see it anyway. So it will more than likely be dropped from the design. DM 1972 is my initials obviously and my Birth year. High grade bolts have numbers on them similar to what I put on the bolt and they grade the structural integrity and strengths of the bolt for different industrial uses. Lol.....thats the artist Geek detail nut in me....

When you say thinner borders, do you mean to extend the entire design closer to the edge of the card?

Also, is it traditional to make the back design of a card the same as the back of the Tuck Box or visa verse? If I were to just go with the DM logo on the back of the card would that be non traditional or does it matter?

Thoughts?

Dale.

MagikFingerz wrote:Can you give us a ballpark number on how much this stuff will cost for us?

No doubt many will buy this for the box alone (and I can't blame them), but I have to critique the back design.

- It is a very obvious one-way design due to several elements, if it was just the middle logo it wouldn't be too bad though.
- It has unnecessary text, usually the less text a back design has, the better. Removing the "1972 DM" would also help the above point.
- Just black and white makes it very boring, especially when the box looks as good as it does.
- Thinner borders!

I forgot to give you an idea of cost.

I plan on making a standard embossed foiled tuck box which will go for $11 (approximately)
The releifed Tuck box like you see in the image will come in 2 options, Plastic with a metallic finish and the Metal version you see in the post. This is a ball park figure so please don't quote me just yet, Plastic version approximately $50. Metal is going to be limited edition, stainless steel, gold plated, crystal encrusted. Around $200 plus.

Thanks for indulging me, Dale. I'm disappointed (though not surprised) to hear of the high cost of the metal edition. Seems realistic though. Great idea making the more affordable plastic one!

Regarding the back design matching the back of the box; I don't think it has been discussed much before, but I would say that it is traditional. What's important to consider when doing this though, is that if it doesn't match it completely, taking the cards out can bring a sense of disappointment (at least when it looks better on the box, which is usually the case). And just to clarify, when I said "just the logo" I meant having the logo as the only one-way element in the design. I do like the rest of the back design, though I would like some color or shading or anything to make it more eye-catching.

And yes, thinner borders = extending the back design closer to the edges. It makes the cards look better when spread out, as in fans.

Hey Dale,

The Tuck Box looks gorgeous! Have you thought about using a high-quality straight on photo of the Tuck Box piece and using that as the Back Card? Making the photo two-way wouldn't be a big deal in Photoshop.

Another possibility with the back Design is to do a hi-res Render of the 3d Model from your concept images. The model surfaces should be less reflective and have some texture maps though, so they can match the physical piece as close as possible.

Thanks, Randy

MagikFingerz wrote:Thanks for indulging me, Dale. I'm disappointed (though not surprised) to hear of the high cost of the metal edition. Seems realistic though. Great idea making the more affordable plastic one!

Regarding the back design matching the back of the box; I don't think it has been discussed much before, but I would say that it is traditional. What's important to consider when doing this though, is that if it doesn't match it completely, taking the cards out can bring a sense of disappointment (at least when it looks better on the box, which is usually the case). And just to clarify, when I said "just the logo" I meant having the logo as the only one-way element in the design. I do like the rest of the back design, though I would like some color or shading or anything to make it more eye-catching.

And yes, thinner borders = extending the back design closer to the edges. It makes the cards look better when spread out, as in fans.

Thanks again for your input. I will play with the design a bit more, make it pop a little more.

RandyButterfield wrote:Hey Dale,

The Tuck Box looks gorgeous! Have you thought about using a high-quality straight on photo of the Tuck Box piece and using that as the Back Card? Making the photo two-way wouldn't be a big deal in Photoshop.

Another possibility with the back Design is to do a hi-res Render of the 3d Model from your concept images. The model surfaces should be less reflective and have some texture maps though, so they can match the physical piece as close as possible.

Thanks, Randy

Hello Randy, yes I did actually take into consideration using the front shot of the CAD drawing as the back of the card. I have seen other card decks out there that are Steampunk themed and they all look cartoonish. There is nothing wrong with that but for me I'm not a fan of it. I like the mono chrome look, its simple and clean. If I took the CAD image you see above and placed it on the backs and I decided to alter the colors of the Super Emboss mechanism then it will not be consistent in the design in my opinion. What I will do is add some color to the black and white design to make it pop just a bit more. Thanks for the input.

Dale.

These are about to be live "October 12th 2013 is the day. 4pm London time". Here is his Kickstarter before it's live: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dal ... n=c72c7942" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I do remember saying once about the Federal 52 deck "what are you talking about don't you see it? this is the new pedale. it's like the second coming of jesus. he should do very good" Well, I having warm fuzzy feelings about this deck. It's unique and needs a second look. I know you guys can give him some good advice...

It's a fine piece of sculpture, no doubt about that, but the deck seems almost incidental...

Edit - I do realise this is by design and it's all about the tuck box, but it seems such a shame not to apply your obvious talent to the whole of the deck.

The description also says that the aim is to make this the 'Ferrari of plaiing cards'; the modified tuck IS an (r)evolution of design, and it looks absolutely beautiful.
Outside it looks like an Enzo, but under the hood... it's a Mustang. High quality, but pretty ordinary.

montecarlojoe wrote: Outside it looks like an Enzo, but under the hood... it's a Mustang. High quality, but pretty ordinary.

This is very well said.

montecarlojoe wrote:It's a fine piece of sculpture, no doubt about that, but the deck seems almost incidental...

Edit - I do realise this is by design and it's all about the tuck box, but it seems such a shame not to apply your obvious talent to the whole of the deck.

The description also says that the aim is to make this the 'Ferrari of plaiing cards'; the modified tuck IS an (r)evolution of design, and it looks absolutely beautiful.
Outside it looks like an Enzo, but under the hood... it's a Mustang. High quality, but pretty ordinary.

I LOVE you guys..... so brutally honest in your opinions....... Me and my wife love reading these comments and are not offended at all. Constructive criticism. ("Enzo, but under the hood... it's a Mustang".)

My profession is design/fine art and manufacturing, mainly sculptural design is my strength especially if its Kinetic. When I took on this project part of my creative brain could only focus on how to make this thing physically move.... and the other part of my brain (the business side) was trying to figure out how to make it affordable for everyone. Technical design is my strength but very different from graphic design which is like Kryptonite to me... I did my best and even reached out to some designers I knew as well as Kicstarter successors but either they wanted a huge chunk of my Kickstarter earnings instead of one flat fee or I couldn't get a graphic designer to focus on my project enough to meet my deadlines as is the problem with most artist and Designers. We can be flakes, even with their own projects..Lol.! So I apologize for the lack of attention to the inside of the deck.

I wanted to use my preexisting real sculptures as part of the design for some of the card backs and the back of the Tuck Box for my already existing fan base and collectors of my art, that's the Marketing side of my brain. One of the biggest issues I have with my art business is the majority of my fan base can not afford my work as it caters to the 1% of society. We all want a Ferrari Enzo but we cant all afford it, with that said I created this project with the intent to capture that Dale Mathis look, feel and quality but at a fraction of the cost compared to my $27,000 mechanical desk. I believe I have accomplished this considering you guys Love the work and the ingenuity behind it. Because you are hard core card collectors you know how better this 3D card deck could be as a whole package, I get that and respect that.

I feel that this Kickstarter will do ok and if it does believe me I will do another one, I'm actually already working on it. Just look at this Card project as a Card deck for the people, me getting my feet wet or that old saying my Grandfather would say to me, "You have to crawl before you can walk son". I promise that the next one will be catered for the core Card Collectors as well as my art fan base.

See you on launch date folks and I appreciate your opinions.

Peace,
Dale.

volantangel wrote:

montecarlojoe wrote: Outside it looks like an Enzo, but under the hood... it's a Mustang. High quality, but pretty ordinary.

This is very well said.

Id rather it be compared to a Mustang any day versus a 1971 Ford Pinto..... Hahahahahahaha...! Ill put more muscle in it on the next one.. for sure.

Dale.

I'm glad that my comments were taken in good humour!

I love the mechanical sculpture - even that without the playing card aspect is pretty much unique. I'll be thinking long and hard about pledging - because where else am I going to get a piece of kinetic art like this again for such a price?

Looking forward to seeing the live project!

montecarlojoe wrote:I'm glad that my comments were taken in good humour!

I love the mechanical sculpture - even that without the playing card aspect is pretty much unique. I'll be thinking long and hard about pledging - because where else am I going to get a piece of kinetic art like this again for such a price?

Looking forward to seeing the live project!

Its all good my friend. No offence taken unless you talk about my Momma then we have a problem....

Se ya on launch date.

Peace.!
Dale Mathis.

If you guys missed it, here's an unboxing video I did of a prototype. Finished piece will be very close to what I have in hand. Another Dale Mathis masterpiece. Stay tuned for the full over the top trailer hah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80-kK5AN ... e=youtu.be" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

DELETED BY ADMIN

This is not a question that should be posted in the forum. It should be done by PM. If you can't follow the rules sprouts, go elsewhere.

You are right. Thank-you for taking that post down. I was thinking way to far ahead. That should have been strictly a PM. I still want to say dalemathis is the new "Deck in a Bottle" reward.

AND I GOT THE TOTAL PACKAGE FOR $1 YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Jerk. Kidding, nice grab Pete. I got in for the $12 deck.

hehehe yeah I saw that.....damn it feels good I love Dale's work and this mechanical deck is just amazing

badpete69 wrote:AND I GOT THE TOTAL PACKAGE FOR $1 YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I hate you now

Given that some people charge $15+ for their custom decks alone, and popular deck accessories like Porper clips sell for around $30, charging $25-$30 per deck for this project is a very reasonable price point and I have to commend Dale for making his art accessible for those outside the 1%.

Dale is a boss. Love that guy.

i went for the frame at $155 - this is just a awesome piece of art to decorate my wall with!

This looks amazing! I have put it on my wishlist.

MagikFingerz wrote:

badpete69 wrote:AND I GOT THE TOTAL PACKAGE FOR $1 YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I hate you now

We all hate you now

ahhh come on be glad that someone part of this community got it....After all the time I spend monitoring Kickstarter every day, something good was bound to come my way hehe

badpete69 wrote:ahhh come on be glad that someone part of this community got it...

Can't I be both?
Glad it was someone from the community.
Sad it wasn't me

Seriously though, congratulations.
Just be sure to post good pictures. With immaculate lighting in impressive settings.

No blurry stuff