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Backburner: Five Axis tC FRONT GRILLE! (Post #1 Update 12/9)

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Old 06-26-2008, 12:44 AM
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Default Backburner: Five Axis tC FRONT GRILLE! (Post #1 Update 12/9)

Final Update:


Sorry guys... I've been tied up w/ multiple things at work and haven't been able to monitor the forums like I used to... Everyone's been taking their vacation before the year ends, so I've been covering shifts and pulling my hair out x_X

Summary if you didn't want to read everything below:
I'm sorry to say, but the grille has been placed on the backburner for now. The 100+ list on page 1 contains those that expressed interested. The actual committed group only consists of 30 people. With these numbers, it isn't a financially sound decision for Five Axis to pursue this project at this time. This project is currently being placed on the back burner and may be visited in the future if enough interest is there. The financial "break even" point for the project was 200 units. The comfort level was 100 presold units (60 to consumers, and 40 I -Longo- would commit to purchase). As mentioned, no financial transactions have taken place. All commitments were made as a simple PM stating serious interest in the item. Many offered to do a prepayment, and all declined. I've been in the GB world for years... it's never wise to collect money on a GB ESPECIALLY if the product isn't even available yet.

Backstory of how the thread started:
The thread originally started because so many people were asking me about the grille. I then began to gather interest before asking Five Axis if they wanted to pursue this project. The grille only exists on 2 vehicles. 1 being Troy's tC, and the other one is somewhere in the wild. With our original list (about 60 people when I presented it to Troy), Five Axis felt we would be able to pull it off. He requested one of his suppliers to build the prototype. The prototype was (unfortunately) of sub-part quality. It was dismissed and another manufacturer was found. Their price was a lot higher though. That's when the price announcement for the grille was made and people from the original list started backing out.

Here's the answers to all your questions since my last post on the thread:

Comment: This is a spam post.
Answer: Not at all. The project started out with great promise (over 100 tC owners expressed interest). After the pricing was announced and confirmed, interested dwindled. Due to SEMA, Five Axis wanted to wait until Nov to continue gathering interest on this project. We've been restructuring our front line parts team, so I haven't been able to check the boards as much as I used to... so that's my fault, not Five Axis'.

Comment: With over 100 others on the pre-order list I don't think its going to be a problem. I am anxious as well but do not want to end up being bound to it when money will be tight around the holidays.
Answer: The 100+ on the list are the original people that expressed interest. When it came time to commit to it (no money still, basically a confirmed "I Will Buy"), only 30 of 100 decided to actually purchase. Multiple reasons came up, but no excuses were needed. This interest (30 of 100) pushed Five Axis to look at the financial side of the situation. The "break even" point is 200 units to be sold. Five Axis' comfort level was 100 pre-sold (60 pre sold to guests, Longo to pick up an addition 40 pieces, 100 left in Five Axis' stock). Since we're way off from what his aim was (plus the economy ), it's been placed on the back burner for now.

Conclusion:
So in essence, the project is on the back burner for now. We (Five Axis and I) will still be keeping an open eye and ear on it and look for any new developments (more interest, lowered production cost/retail price, etc) though.


-------------------------------------------------------------------





We've received many inquiries in regards to the Five Axis front grille as seen on our Five Axis Edition tC. I've decided to start a listing of how many people are interested so I can convince Five Axis to check into getting it into production. I'm hoping to get a few people on the list before approaching him, so we won't know any pricing/eta until later.

Adding yourself to this list does not force you into purchasing. Once we get a good amount of interest, I'll approach Five Axis and get a solid quantity and price and start a true GB thread.

Estimated pricing will be added once we get a good following and feel we're good to contact Five Axis

Please note: Official pricing will be posted here (original post). All pricing seen in the thread will be what people are expecting to pay (guestimates). No price has been set yet because this is basically a interest thread to see if Five Axis will consider producing the grille.

Preliminary notice of pricing, not set in stone yet:
The MSRP will be set around $200.00, but they are still checking on the minimum quantity they have to make. I'm foreseeing a $170 to $180 shipped price, but I will have to wait and see my cost before confirming the selling price.
A new prototype is in production now. We will have that available for viewing (and an array of pictures from all angles) to ensure it's what everyone is expecting. It should be 1-2 weeks for the prototype to arrive though
Update 8/16:
Q: Will there be a lower matching grille?
A: Nope. Since the design of an inset lower grille looks funny, Five Axis has decided not to create one. The upper grille is still on. We're just waiting for the prototype. The manufacturer is lagging it

Q: Oi! There are over 10 pages in this thread! Where can I get the newest information?
A: This thread title will be updated w/ the date starting 7/31. When the date changes, an update will be posted in a new post and updated on the original post also. This way, everyone can see the news (hopefully).

Q: Will there be a lower grille?
A: Troy is looking into a design the compliments the upper grille and lip kit. No confirmation of the lower grille has been received yet. Once an answer is received (will go into production OR will not make), we'll have an update

Q: Should we still add ourselves to the list? It looks like we have enough interest.
A: Yes. I will be sending out a PM with all of the vital information once it is finalized (Pricing, Color Options, Time Frame for GB pricing, Set Orders, etc). This way, you don't have to look through tons of pages for updated information.

Q: Where the heck is that prototype you promised for mid July?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
A: The manufacturer hasn't sent the final production piece in yet. We're still waiting on him. Once it's in, Troy will approve/modifiy it and we'll present it for SL's tC members to approve of. Once approved, we'll finally begin taking orders and producing/shipping the units.

Q: What color is it?
A: The grille will come in a flat black. Since the tC doesn't have a crazy amount of colors, we (Longo) will provide painting services. We're hoping to get it to about $20 per piece (aka, get a group of 10 wanting the same color, spraying 10 pieces, and shipping them). That way, we'll be able to provide a cheap and easy paint service provided by a Toyota Certified Collision Repair Center.

Q: When?!?!?!
A: Quality products take longer to get to the market than thrown together ones =P We're waiting for the prototype to arrive (a few weeks late already). We want to ensure all the prospective owners know exactly what the grille looks like off the vehicle, and how it looks on the vehicle before going into production.

Update 8/27:

The prototype was received from the manufacturer... but the quality wasn't up to Five Axis' standards. A new manufacturer is working on the grille now. We should see it shortly (hopefully).

Update 9/10:

Code:
We received the tooling cost for the grille from the new manufacturer... it's quite a bit steeper than the original manufacturer (we see why, LOL). 

MSRP if this manufacturer is used: $250.00 
ScionLife Price would be at about $230.00 shipped 

I'll be PMing a batch of people at a time to see if they are still in or not. We'll be getting the lead time information soon also. 

Everything still isn't guaranteed though. The new break even point is actually 200 grilles. If we can get a firm 60 partcipants and I pick up 60 myself, then Five Axis will be confortable moving forward on this. It's a difficult point to start the grille since the tC is on its final year before the model change (maybe 1 more year, nothing confirmed).
Thanks again for all the support





Here is the rendering of the production model:



Code:
Sorry guys... I've been tied up w/ multiple things at work and haven't been able to monitor the forums like I used to... Everyone's been taking their vacation before the year ends, so I've been covering shifts and pulling my hair out x_X

Summary if you didn't want to read everything below:
I'm sorry to say, but the grille has been placed on the backburner for now. The 100+ list on page 1 contains those that expressed interested. The actual committed group only consists of 30 people. With these numbers, it isn't a financially sound decision for Five Axis to pursue this project at this time. This project is currently being placed on the back burner and may be visited in the future if enough interest is there. The financial "break even" point for the project was 200 units. The comfort level was 100 presold units (60 to consumers, and 40 I -Longo- would commit to purchase). As mentioned, no financial transactions have taken place. All commitments were made as a simple PM stating serious interest in the item. Many offered to do a prepayment, and all declined. I've been in the GB world for years... it's never wise to collect money on a GB ESPECIALLY if the product isn't even available yet.

Backstory of how the thread started:
The thread originally started because so many people were asking me about the grille. I then began to gather interest before asking Five Axis if they wanted to pursue this project. The grille only exists on 2 vehicles. 1 being Troy's tC, and the other one is somewhere in the wild. With our original list (about 60 people when I presented it to Troy), Five Axis felt we would be able to pull it off. He requested one of his suppliers to build the prototype. The prototype was (unfortunately) of sub-part quality. It was dismissed and another manufacturer was found. Their price was a lot higher though. That's when the price announcement for the grille was made and people from the original list started backing out. 

Here's the answers to all your questions since my last post on the thread:

Comment: This is a spam post.
Answer: Not at all. The project started out with great promise (over 100 tC owners expressed interest). After the pricing was announced and confirmed, interested dwindled. Due to SEMA, Five Axis wanted to wait until Nov to continue gathering interest on this project. We've been restructuring our front line parts team, so I haven't been able to check the boards as much as I used to... so that's my fault, not Five Axis'.

Comment: With over 100 others on the pre-order list I don't think its going to be a problem. I am anxious as well but do not want to end up being bound to it when money will be tight around the holidays.
Answer: The 100+ on the list are the original people that expressed interest. When it came time to commit to it (no money still, basically a confirmed "I Will Buy"), only 30 of 100 decided to actually purchase. Multiple reasons came up, but no excuses were needed. This interest (30 of 100) pushed Five Axis to look at the financial side of the situation. The "break even" point is 200 units to be sold. Five Axis' comfort level was 100 pre-sold (60 pre sold to guests, Longo to pick up an addition 40 pieces, 100 left in Five Axis' stock). Since we're way off from what his aim was (plus the economy :doh: ), it's been placed on the back burner for now.

Conclusion:
So in essence, the project is on the back burner for now. We (Five Axis and I) will still be keeping an open eye and ear on it and look for any new developments (more interest, lowered production cost/retail price, etc) though.

I'll update Page 1 w/ this info also.


Update 10/2:

Code:
 PMs are now being sent to ~10 people per day to confirm if you will purchase the grille or opt out of the GB. After we get a serious count of participants, payment will be requested. Payment will be due around the last week of October OR the 2nd week of November, depending on how quickly everyone replies. Please keep any questions in the thread if possible. My PM box is the same size as everyone else's, so if I get bombarded, I won't be able to read all the PMs. 

Regarding Paint: We'll be holding off on that until we're collecting payment. That way, we can get the exact quote for paint (guestimated at around $25-$30 previously). I have contacted the painter to see what the minimum amount of the same color will be to get price in that ballpark.
Tentative Listing:

001. Checho10
002. Schaumburgscionjt3
003. smilezdc
004. o5_trd_tc
005. WhiskeyMassacre
006. optional
007. 1 KlEan tC
008. tCtCtC
009. trentonm <---------------Black Cherry Pearl
010. foreveristomorrow
011. mbaledge
012. hyperwhitetc
013. 57Scion <--------------CSM, pending on what painted looks like
014. Curtislo9
015. ScionJim23
016. NCCOOLJ98
017. jsingh
018. riboflavin
019. 07SiC-tC
020. BluAEon
021. sciontific_tC
022. cavalierkid888
023. ScionTEK
024. tekmunny
025. iheartzombies
026. BlizZard
027. chubbykai
028. patchnauty
029. pureXtC
030. Kratos
031. yamaha16bw
032. Freep
033. 1SWTTC2006
034. Hunner
035. eMan40
036. CarbonXe
037. vingt10 <-------------- Black Sand Pearl
038. REaL
039. Twiggs <----------------------Still down, No paint
040. RnB180
041. dookie1427
042. Mush627
043. ExpresScion<-------------------No paint
044. highvoltage1
045. bunniztc
046. Infinitevisi0n<------- Black Sand Pearl "still down too"
047. gjpjr84
048. Freeflowing
049. mksm2000
050. vietboinumba6
051. tcridinclean
052. djrza786
053. 08tcboy
054. Blackonblack91 (Corey G)
055. TRed3123
056. B_Izzle
057. t_urbo_C_harged <-------------- Black Sand Pearl<-------Still Down!
058. purpled_out_tC<---------------- Flint Mica----still down
059. TheTexastC <----------------------Still down! Pm me when ready
060. nat10E
061. Chaseonbass
062. KRider830
063. CRUZtc8 <------------------------CSM
064. nauticac
065. pinoyFMtC
066. shooting-star
067. modified785
068. Tom11x
069. slimrick_711
070. zer0myst ---- still down
071. Agent99 <-------------------- Flint Mica
072. Wingman172
073. tcboi513
074. mastertech86
075. java09
076. drockdamian
077. marcusxncca
078. higgy<------------------------- Black Sand Pearl
079. MrRipley15
080. huslindan
081. jackotamo
082. ippskidder
083. derickjayce
084. AnyMeans<--------------------FM
085. Erik-tc<---------------Black Sand Pearl
086. sushixfish
087. jiggydragon <----- Black Sand Pearl
088. Blade_Alchemist
089. wowwitsgau
090. SteveMG <-----black sand pearl
091. thegetupkid426
092. toyotaguy <---------------------------------Flint Mica
093. t1437m <-------no paint (how does it look like if unpaint anyone please?)
094. supapen
095. landark
096. Gambit7
097. BLUEMEANIE <----------NBM
098. CSOCSO <----------SSM
099. j0hnBlaze
100. zchmiel
101. Bobby_Lee
102. ValenciaS
103. goin2c3
104. NauticalBlue06
105. rsdubya <--------------don't need paint
106. mecha <----- no paint
107. Xionlion <-----negative on the paint
108.
109.

110.
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Old 06-26-2008, 12:46 AM
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1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
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Old 06-26-2008, 12:51 AM
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what does it look like?
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Old 06-26-2008, 12:52 AM
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depending on prices and color options, I wold be down for one. Also I would like a lower to match 5axis upper!
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Old 06-26-2008, 12:57 AM
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1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
2.Schaumburgscionjt3
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:17 AM
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Originally Posted by 1_kLEan_tC
depending on prices and color options, I wold be down for one.
x2
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:22 AM
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im in!
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:24 AM
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more or less :D
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:24 AM
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in, depending on the price
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:26 AM
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depending on the price and color, i would probably be down for it, definitely if there were a matching lower grille as well.
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:26 AM
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1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
2.Schaumburgscionjt3
3.smilezdc

in depending on price as well
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:28 AM
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no more dakine grills...
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:28 AM
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I'm all over it like rice on a Honda!
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:32 AM
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1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
2.Schaumburgscionjt3
3.smilezdc
4. o5_trd_tc
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:36 AM
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X the rest of them^^. I want one, but again, price matters. The '08 bottom grill flows nice, but if they made a bottom five axis, even better

1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
2.Schaumburgscionjt3
3.smilezdc
4. o5_trd_tc
5. hyperwhitetc
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:38 AM
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1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
2.Schaumburgscionjt3
3.smilezdc
4. o5_trd_tc
5.WhiskeyMassacre

I am definitely in as well. I have been looking to replace my stock grill ever since it got damaged
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:46 AM
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1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
2.Schaumburgscionjt3
3.smilezdc
4. o5_trd_tc
5.WhiskeyMassacre
6. optional

price depending as well
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:55 AM
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I've been waiting for this moment for a long time haha finally it's good to see it going somewhere.

1. Checho10
2. Schaumburgscionjt3
3. smilezdc
4. o5_trd_tc
5.WhiskeyMassacre
6. optional
7. 1 KlEan tC
8. SuchaCleanTC
9. trentonm
10. foreveristomorrow
11. mbaledge
12. hyperwhitetc
13. 57Scion

I went ahead and added everyone who was interested (you're not forced to buy it if it goes to production). Please add your name to this list if you want. The number will be off count if all you post is "I'm in"
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:55 AM
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1. Checho10 <--hell yea im down
2.Schaumburgscionjt3
3.smilezdc
4. o5_trd_tc
5. hyperwhitetc
6. WhiskeyMassacre
7. optional
8. BlizZard
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Old 06-26-2008, 02:01 AM
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In depending on price.

1. Checho10
2. Schaumburgscionjt3
3. smilezdc
4. o5_trd_tc
5.WhiskeyMassacre
6. optional
7. 1 KlEan tC
8. SuchaCleanTC
9. trentonm
10. foreveristomorrow
11. mbaledge
12. hyperwhitetc
13. 57Scion
14. Curtislo9
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