I've come to view these "when will my kit ship?" questions as a bit of a trap. It forces me to make a guess and then if the date I've been forced to provide passes I'm jumped on as if I've intentionally lied. I'll say that I have two kits nearly ready to ship, hopefully Monday. If my machinist has followed through on his promises to me I will have 6 more motors from him ready to install, also on Monday. The remainder of the first six should go out over the course of next week. Another three should go out the beginning of the following week. With any luck by that time I'll have more motors and can finish the first 12 off.
Anyone who want a raw steel, unpainted, unassembled kit that needs to have holes tapped, needs alignment and final massaging can have theirs right away. In the very near future I think I'll have the current kit price be for exactly that level of completion. I'm charging nothing for the final painting and assembly work that I do. You're talking a couple of days of free labor per kit. I'll continue to provide the fully assembled and ready to run kits but they are going to cost more. I've been so eager to make this happen that I've done too much for free.
This project reminds me of movies about start up rock bands like "That Thing You Do". They're working on their songs, getting a few breaks, climbing the charts, and then the quarreling among the band members starts. One of my more sympathetic friends here on the Forum has observed that my efforts are like "herding cats". This kit is a team effort, produced by myself, my machinist Steve, my US parts suppliers, my laser cutting and forming shop, and the hardest part- Chinese motor suppliers. I deal with being sent damaged motors, the wrong motors, and vendors who say that they have 1,000 motors in stock and can't deliver 5 after you've paid them and waited two weeks for the motors to ship. The prices in China are irresistibly good, but you will pay in time and aggravation.
