89 Batarang and Smoke Capsules / Paragon FX Group

Batman89 said:
Rylo,

Would you or Matt be willing to share any insights as to how you produced the pictured prototype of the 89 Batarang and costs associated with it? Just for us crazies who may be interested in making one for ourselves.
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I don't want to speak for Matt, but he of course may feel like sharing. Our owner and Matt have a passion for this prop. Both were dialed in.
Their efforts resulted in an actual metal prototype. Again, this was very close to happening. It wouldn't have gotten as far as it did without Matt's enthusiasm and input. We all agreed nobody had produced an accurate replica.

As for costs associated with it? You mean what we spent? I'll pass on sharing those details. Not sure how that would help you realize a piece of your own. I mean, the hobbyist isn't going to license up and manufacture metal prototypes in Asia so our way wouldn't be your way. Props for curiosity though. (y)

I'll just say a lot of time was invested. We came at this piece from every imaginable angle. Metal, foldable, chocolate covered, you name it, we played with the option. In the end, the pool was just too crowded.

-Rylo

NOTE: Be sure and follow us on instagram for regular updates. Quick, someone go push us over 1500 before I open the window and jump!
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Last edited:
Rylo said:
I don't want to speak for Matt, but he of course may feel like sharing. Our owner and Matt have a passion for this prop. Both were dialed in.
Their efforts resulted in an actual metal prototype. Again, this was very close to happening. It wouldn't have gotten as far as it did without Matt's enthusiasm and input. We all agreed nobody had produced an accurate replica.

As for costs associated with it? You mean what we spent? I'll pass on sharing those details. Not sure how that would help you realize a piece of your own. I mean, the hobbyist isn't going to license up and manufacture metal prototypes in Asia so our way wouldn't be your way. Props for curiosity though. (y)

I'll just say a lot of time was invested. We came at this piece from every imaginable angle. Metal, foldable, chocolate covered, you name it, we played with the option. In the end, the pool was just too crowded.

-Rylo

NOTE: Be sure and follow us on instagram for regular updates. Quick, someone go push us over 1500 before I open the window and jump!
www.instagram.com

Paragon FX Group (@paragonfxgroup) • Instagram profile

1,515 Followers, 56 Following, 634 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Paragon FX Group (@paragonfxgroup)
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Click to expand...
Rylo it sounds like the perfect time to consider the '95 Sonar Batarang. ;)

The WB store version from decades ago is nearly impossible to find.
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Rylo said:
I don't want to speak for Matt, but he of course may feel like sharing. Our owner and Matt have a passion for this prop. Both were dialed in.
Their efforts resulted in an actual metal prototype. Again, this was very close to happening. It wouldn't have gotten as far as it did without Matt's enthusiasm and input. We all agreed nobody had produced an accurate replica.

As for costs associated with it? You mean what we spent? I'll pass on sharing those details. Not sure how that would help you realize a piece of your own. I mean, the hobbyist isn't going to license up and manufacture metal prototypes in Asia so our way wouldn't be your way. Props for curiosity though. (y)

I'll just say a lot of time was invested. We came at this piece from every imaginable angle. Metal, foldable, chocolate covered, you name it, we played with the option. In the end, the pool was just too crowded.

-Rylo

NOTE: Be sure and follow us on instagram for regular updates. Quick, someone go push us over 1500 before I open the window and jump!
www.instagram.com

Paragon FX Group (@paragonfxgroup) • Instagram profile

1,515 Followers, 56 Following, 634 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Paragon FX Group (@paragonfxgroup)
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com
Click to expand...
Thank you for sharing! Makes total sense. I would have gladly paid for chocolate covered…but then you have to consider melting and diabetes. There’s just no easy solution to this thing is there?
 
I can't say I understand how talking about how frustrating and annoying your paying customers are is a positive thing, but okay.

I thought I was gonna see a cool thing about upcoming products, but the tone from the beginning turned me off, so I only lasted about one minute.

I really got frustrated with parents of my students back when I was teaching. I never got to tell them how much they irritated me.

Considering how cheap props are going for, the economic times we are in, and people's financial state, it's not what I would have done.

To each his own though.

I hope it works for you.
 
Jamesfett said:
I can't say I understand how talking about how frustrating and annoying your paying customers are is a positive thing, but okay.

I thought I was gonna see a cool thing about upcoming products, but the tone from the beginning turned me off, so I only lasted about one minute.

I really got frustrated with parents of my students back when I was teaching. I never got to tell them how much they irritated me.

Considering how cheap props are going for, the economic times we are in, and people's financial state, it's not what I would have done.

To each his own though.

I hope it works for you.
Click to expand...
Respectfully, if you were to watch the full video, their frustrations and annoyances are more directed at the nature of the prop business today in general and not their customers. Quite the contrary; they encourage people ( in the video) to contact them and discuss any of their props. I don’t think anyone gets in this business unless they have a real passion for it. There are too many frustrations, and I suspect too little money, for any sane person to pursue. But I’m glad they’re doing it.
 
Batman89 said:
Respectfully, if you were to watch the full video, their frustrations and annoyances are more directed at the nature of the prop business today in general and not their customers. Quite the contrary; they encourage people ( in the video) to contact them and discuss any of their props. I don’t think anyone gets in this business unless they have a real passion for it. There are too many frustrations, and I suspect too little money, for any sane person to pursue. But I’m glad they’re doing it.
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Good to know. With the way they were talking about answering a question about shipping internationally I was suprised. No matter how many times you have to answer a question from customers it should always be polite. You may have had to answer it a thousand times, but that customer did not know the answer.

I am glad it got better as it went.

I just think it is odd to show such a discussion. At least the part I saw. IMO
 
Super bummed to hear that the 89 rang won't be on the product lineup, but I totally get it, from a business perspective. I personally think that 95% of batman fans out there are satisfied with the under 20 dollar replica from neca. I think it's inaccurate in a lot of ways and is on the flimsy side, but hey IT'S TWENTY BUCKS! I can see how Paragon would be swimming upstream against that piece, which is a bummer.

I will say that for my efforts to model the rang that we see on screen "perfectly", the starting point was "no assumptions". To my eye, every single replica in the market place today leans on the work of SDStudios from decades ago. And that work was not a solid starting point. So I started from the ground up, using reference materials that I knew for certain were "real deal". I think the only thing new that I had at my disposal was a 4k transfer of the film which yielded some really great, crystal clear screen grabs.

Anyway, I am super happy with the model that resulted from my research and interpretation of details that have long befuddled replicators. It was a really interesting and fun exercise.
 
MattMunson said:
Super bummed to hear that the 89 rang won't be on the product lineup, but I totally get it, from a business perspective. I personally think that 95% of batman fans out there are satisfied with the under 20 dollar replica from neca. I think it's inaccurate in a lot of ways and is on the flimsy side, but hey IT'S TWENTY BUCKS! I can see how Paragon would be swimming upstream against that piece, which is a bummer.

I will say that for my efforts to model the rang that we see on screen "perfectly", the starting point was "no assumptions". To my eye, every single replica in the market place today leans on the work of SDStudios from decades ago. And that work was not a solid starting point. So I started from the ground up, using reference materials that I knew for certain were "real deal". I think the only thing new that I had at my disposal was a 4k transfer of the film which yielded some really great, crystal clear screen grabs.

Anyway, I am super happy with the model that resulted from my research and interpretation of details that have long befuddled replicators. It was a really interesting and fun exercise.
Click to expand...
One day we get our perfect 89 Batarang.... one day.
 
Also sad to learn the 89 Batarang won't happen. I was really looking forward to putting an accurate one in my vault door display. The Ikon Design Studio is the best I've found to date, but still suffers from that same inaccurate shape they all do.
 
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