logo Sign In

Advice Sought: Carbon Fiber Drink Coasters - Featuring Classic Star Wars Sigils

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Please redirect me to the moderator or the best area in the forum for this post if this isn’t that location (for example, I was thinking possibly the memorabilia section).

I’m looking for some pre-production input. I am beginning a small startup composites manufacturing company. We’re about to produce some carbon fiber drink coasters. And yes, I know there’s lots of people doing those but ours will be different. We’re going to engrave them with different designs, including 4 of the sigils from the classic Star Wars films (which is how I found the Original Trilogy forum in the first place). I’m preparing the campaign right now but before I launch it I wanted to check with experts like you guys to make sure the sigils I’m using aren’t too controversial (I’m sure there’s always bound to be some level of discontent).

First let me show you how our coasters will look in the non-Star Wars just straight carbon fiber version:

Now here’s a look at the version we’re going to produce with a top layer of Silver Texalium (kind of a nice contrast) 

We’re producing this special caddy for storing and artfully displaying any set of our coasters:

And while I don’t yet have any actual cut examples of the Star Wars versions of the coasters, I can show you the conceptual art files. We’re keeping overall shape as the basic hexagon since we like that it represents the carbon element. However the design on the face of the coasters would look quite different. Check them out below (it might help if I mention that the white portion is the area that would be machined away in our version).

We’re also planning to make these with the classic Star Trek Starship Enterprise Crew Member badges (4 in total)

Author
Time

Thanks for the relocation. It was my first post. I'm sure I'll get better as I interact more with you all. 

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Yikes. Not a peep? Not even as much as Droid beep? Am I to take this as a sign these aren't interesting? Maybe I should mention that we're planning to debut this product on KICKSTARTER intitially. TOnce it's on KICKSTARTER those Star Wars designs I shared (as well as 4 classic Star Trek badges) are intended to serve as a stretch goal incentive to help motivate folks to increase the pledges. My intention for posting this thread was just to get some early stage feedback.

Author
Time

I'd be happy to respond, but it's not likely to be on-topic...

Author
Time

TV's Frink said:

I'd be happy to respond, but it's not likely to be on-topic...

 

   0_o 

Author
Time

Don't mind Frink, it's the way he is. ;)

Merchandising isn't the main focus around here. In fact, memorabilia might not even make the transition to the new board. There are boards more devoted to collectibles like rebelscum you could try.

We've also had server troubles plaguing most of our users in the past week. The site has often been impossible to get past the front page.

I do like the designs, but I'm fuzzy on how you plan to license them. A Death Star silhouette might be more instantly recognizable than a Tie Figther solar panel.

P.S. Your signature image is a bit too big.

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/REMINDER-Image-Sizes-in-Signatures/topic/10616/

Could you resize it to at least 600X120 to comply with the rules? Thanks!

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

Author
Time

SilverWook said:

Don't mind Frink, it's the way he is. ;)

Merchandising isn't the main focus around here. In fact, memorabilia might not even make the transition to the new board. There are boards more devoted to collectibles like rebelscum you could try.

We've also had server troubles plaguing most of our users in the past week. The site has often been impossible to get past the front page.

I do like the designs, but I'm fuzzy on how you plan to license them. A Death Star silhouette might be more instantly recognizable than a Tie Figther solar panel.

P.S. Your signature image is a bit too big.

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/REMINDER-Image-Sizes-in-Signatures/topic/10616/

Could you resize it to at least 600X120 to comply with the rules? Thanks!

 No problem, SilverWook. I didn't realize I was breaking rules with my signature. I've removed it.

As far as licensing goes, to be honest I hadn't given any thought to it at all. We were planning to only offer those design option one time, and only those who were to back the campaign would be able to choose that design. After that we wouldn't make them again so basically we weren't expecting any kind of beef to come our way. After all, how many could we possibly sell over the course of a 30-60 day campaign? Well, okay maybe we'd get a "Cease & desist" order but any kind of legal action takes longer than that so we'd be done by the time it could be blocked. And like I said, they wouldn't ever be available again. Not with those designs but they would be available with our own design(s). 

Do you think I'm being naive? I'm quite sure Frink does :-p so no need to ask him, but what about you?

Author
Time

I'm no legal expert. Your operation might be small enough not to be noticed by the Empire though. People who make costume parts and replica props seem to operate below Lucasfilm's radar.

How Disney will tolerate such things from here on out remains to be seen. They get grumpy when a preschool paints Mickey on their wall. ;)

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?