Dealing with the crisis

There's something I need to get off my chest ... and it might get a little emotional, so please bear with me! :-)

There can be very few places left on this planet that have not been touched by the pandemic crisis we have now. And some of the challenges to master it will be to focus on what's really important and help each other out as best we can.

Therefore I have two request for you guys. 

First, if you cannot afford supporting small creators like me, don't you worry and don't hesitate to cut your support and make sure to focus on your own life for the time being. I wholeheartedly thank you for your support and hope to see you come back when things get back to normal again.

Second, if you can continue to support me it is much appreciated and and will help me a lot. This is my job now and at my age and with the current situation I don't think it will be easy or even possible to go back to my  old ways.

I will try to continue my work as best I can under the circumstances. I have many "bits" planned for the future so these will continue to get released on a monthly basis as long as I have the means to produce them. With materials stocked up for apx a years worth of time, if nothing else changes, these bits should be secured for the time being. 

Because of the current situation I have to spend more time on other errands so I might not be able to post as many WIP updates as before. So maybe some of the bits will pop up unannounced and in a surprising manner :-)

For my larger models I am not sure how to continue. I have been preparing a lot in the background and one themed set was about to get introduced to the public but I see sales stalling right now. So I have decided not to throw new large sets into a market that cannot afford them for now and continue to develop new content for a time when we can all enjoy this hobby again fully. 

I have one or two new ideas for models that I find fitting for current circumstances that I want to work on in public and I want to make them donation based, so that everyone who wants to can support me according to their abilities. 

I have enjoyed the development "behind the curtains" lately as it gives me a bit more breathing room to experiment without the time pressure of - for example - monthly releases. So I hope the dust settles sooner than later so I can share my regular work again!

Finally, I wish you all strength and a good social network of friends and family to master the current challenges we face. Don't panic (it never helps), stay grounded, do what needs to be done and most importantly be there for each other. I believe this last point is something we really need to learn, even on a global scale!

Maybe we need to tighten the belt for some time but that can be a good thing too. May we all come out of this lean, happy and healthy on the other side!

Chris