Lighted Pony Project (back it!)

Skelton

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I've backed a couple hundred projects on Kickstarter. The reality is that if you are intelligent about what you back the likelihood of receiving what you "pledge" for is very high. I believe I've only had 4-5 instances where the project didn't deliver, and of those only one that was apparently a scam.

The others have been simple business problems. The people overestimated ability or underestimated cost, and that's always a risk.

I think the way Kickstarter works has been well stated, but maybe one more stab in case it's unclear for anyone. You're pledging an amount of money with the expectation that the project creator will try their best to deliver the goods/service for that level. It is not guaranteed. Everyone is charged when the backing stage ends if the project reaches it's minimum target.

All that said, I'm not a lawyer, but this seems to be a pretty clear case of infringement. The semantics about selling/pledging won't change that. For that reason, I'd be very worried about Ford having it removed during the backing stage. Again though, not a lawyer, and I don't have any real understanding of how aggressively Ford has protected their IP in the past. I hope they don't interfere, as I do think it's a cool project.

Edit: For what my opinion is worth, as someone who has backed a lot of campaigns... if I came across the Kickstarter on my own I'd say it looks low risk. There are a lot of little things that I look for, but bottom line is he's got a manageable objective with the experience to deliver on it.
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Gullwingdmc

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No worries. It’s odd to actually agree with someone on the internet. May have caught you off guard! Lol ?
This may be the first time in internet history ?
 

Gullwingdmc

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This may be the first time in internet history ?
The one thing I will say is I believe you do get an emblem for backing. I think he is just saying by pledging at that level you will be getting it for X% off what retail would be. That’s why the percent reduces with the more costly tiers. Otherwise it wouldn’t make sense to pay more for less of a discount. Unless I misread again lol.
@supared can clarify that for us.
 

connoisseurr

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This should have been a GoFundMe instead. I know it's not the appropriate platform for this type of commodity but at least it gives the creator of the GoFundMe project the ability to return funds to all customers; something that's not an option on Kickstarter.

That way if their project doesn't get the funding required, the project owner has the ability to return money to those who have donated. Have seen it done before.

Is it allowed? Maybe - maybe not. But just a thought for future consideration.

Example - a smaller donation that would help build attraction for a product, that also gives the donator an option to purchase at a discounted rate if the product gets to market.
 


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supared

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Will this require ANY modifications to the Mustang Mach E (drilling holes, cutting wires in harnesses, etc)? Is removing the existing pony straightforward, or is it held on with adhesive as well as fasteners?
Direct OEM swap. I'll give the easiest electrical option possible, and the base plan is simple.
 

ajmartineau

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There were too few Pole Position spots (Sold Out).
I missed it.
I don't need to pay for an hour of help.
 

Gullwingdmc

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Is removing the existing pony straightforward, or is it held on with adhesive as well as fasteners?
My understanding is there’s some clips that hold on to the posts on the back of the emblem. The back logo is held on with adhesive and clips, but the front one is just held on by the posts.

For reference this is the back of the OEM logo.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Lighted Pony Project (back it!) 76BADA0E-2760-4F18-861D-69F1B6AB58CD
 

Logal727

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Is this a new badge or a modification of the existing badge. If new badge, What is your plan if Ford objects to the use of their logo? I guess that’s my biggest concern.
 

Mach1E

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The one thing I will say is I believe you do get an emblem for backing. I think he is just saying by pledging at that level you will be getting it for X% off what retail would be. That’s why the percent reduces with the more costly tiers. Otherwise it wouldn’t make sense to pay more for less of a discount. Unless I misread again lol.
@supared can clarify that for us.
Oh, I didn’t think about it that way .

The way I read it, you get a larger discount and pay less for that discount, for being one of the first people to back the project. But what you said actually makes more sense. No wonder I was confused and kept calling it a donation. I was thinking, “why would you pay $200 just for a 30% discount.”
 

Gullwingdmc

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Oh, I didn’t think about it that way .

The way I read it, you get a larger discount and pay less for that discount, for being one of the first people to back the project. But what you said actually makes more sense. No wonder I was confused and kept calling it a donation. I was thinking, “why would you pay $200 just for a 30% discount.”
I think I read it that way at first too. The tiers probably should be a little more clear that you are receiving an emblem, at the equivalent of a X% discount.
 
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supared

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I will update the tiers to make it clearer. Every backer that contributes $179+ gets one of these "pre-launch" illuminated Ponies. In my field, when I bring a new technology to manufacturing sites, I refer to it as "Serial #1." When I copy and paste that and implement the second version, I call that "Serial #2." The second one usually incorporates learnings from the first. But, before I ever bring it to one of our manufacturing plants, I try to do a pilot test. That involves manufacturing at full scale for as long as we can afford to learn and improve. This Kickstarter is my pilot and the parts we produce will be high-quality but prior to retail. It will allow me to put all of the technical things in place so that when I go to put the product up for sale, I can back all of my claims. This is why I consider these lighted pony emblems "pre-retail." They will be retail quality, buy every single one will be tested for functionality, measured for proper dimensions, evaluated for visual defects, and some will undergo destructive testing. No one will receive any components that do not pass quality or functional tests. Some of these samples will also be sent to Ford to support the licensing request.

Because it is a legal matter, I was not planning to say much about the licensing path also being worked. But if reassurance is needed, then I kind of have no choice. It would have been better to keep these matters between me and Ford. Ford requests product samples when you apply for licensing. <- that is a link where you can see one of the ways to submit a licensing request and one of the steps is regarding samples. Sending them 3D printed samples does not exactly instill confidence that the product will deliver the quality expected and required to represent the Mustang brand. This is one of those "cart before the horse" issues. To send them something generic but full quality would mean sinking over $12k in mold costs just to throw away. That isn't an option. So, the Kickstarter serves the purpose of DEVELOPMENT, TESTING, CERTIFICATION, LICENSING, AND FEEDBACK. Backers are pooling funds to pay for the development and production of these parts. You are not "buying" a product from me yet. I have estimated the retail value to show that backers will not pay more than retail value by funding the development and testing. They will all-in-all come out under. I am not making a profit on the Kickstarter. Some Labor and Engineering will be reimbursed, but not enough lol.

Big post, but I hope that clarifies a few things. I have some great ideas for other products as well, but I think I'll go another route in the future.

Btw, as for updates, I just got word that my test batch of flexible PCBs went I to production yesterday. The solid state components going on those boards arrived yesterday. Once tested, if these boards and the components spec'd work well, then I will be leaning forward to get PCBs going for our Pole Positions and First Place backers. This just helos to make sure things stay on schedule.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Lighted Pony Project (back it!) Screenshot_20220119-210408_Outlook

Ford Mustang Mach-E Lighted Pony Project (back it!) 20220119_205723
 
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derelict

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I'm in... thanks for your work on this, it is one of the few mods I really want. I hope the talks with Ford go well too.
 

derelict

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You should post this on the MachE reddit subs too. There are two, r/MustangMachE and r/MachE.. additional MachE owners there ;)
 
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I'm in! I was on the fence until it was clarified that backing it would result in receiving the pre-retail version. Now I just need to hope I actually am able to get hands on the MME I ordered... haha

P.S. Please make the instructions simple for folks like me who aren't mechanically inclined and afraid to futz around with the car. Thanks for doing this!
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