CALLSIGN: LONGBOW™ Backerkit Pre-Order Store

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - September 2026
21 days ago – Wed, Sep 30, 2026 at 08:02:44 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

We're back with your monthly update on the LONGBOW® Kickstarter Project. 

*IMPORTANT* It's time to update your address!

As we get closer to our next shipment of figures, it's time to make sure your address is up-to-date in BackerKit. This is the software you used to select your figures and verify your address. And how we'll fulfill orders. 

If you need help with updating your address, you can message us directly here on Kickstarter or email us at [email protected], and we can manually update it for you. (Please use the email you used to back the campaign so we can verify it's really you). 

Production Update

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

Early in the month, we received this video of the factory packaging team practicing carding the figures. You can see them :

• Prep the bubbles
• Add the figure and all of the accessories, laying face down
• Place them in a special Jig to make sure the bubble and card are straight and in the correct position
• Heat-seal the cardbacks 

Once they have the system down and they're ready to go, they ramp up this process for the full production run. 

Just this week, we got a further update. Packaging is complete for all of Lancer and Krasny-Ninja! Here is a video shared with us on Monday of the completed cartons, palletized and ready to go. 

As of this writing, these figures are still at the factory. We have given the team the details for freight shipping. We're waiting to hear back on confirmation that these are "on the water" and on their way to our US fulfillment center. 

Volk, Uptown, Spetsnaz, & Outlaw

For the next batch of figures, we have an image of the updated ABS parts tree. The factory team has been making some corrections to this body where there were fit or finish issues. 

Note: the front torso parts are missing from this tree. 

We expect to get updated samples on these figures as the next step in the process. Then, once those samples are approved, the factory can begin production. 

We'll share more on these figures as we get updates from our project manager. 

Fulfillment Plan

Once Lancer and Krasny-Ninja arrive stateside, they will be processed at our fulfillment center. Kickstarter orders will be fulfilled first, then BackerKit pre-orders. 

Lancer and Krasny-Ninja will remain available on the pre-order store through October 18th. 

Once we've shipped those orders, we'll share more information about how the remaining in-stock figures will be available for purchase. 
 

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

Our final show of 2026 is approaching! 

Join us as we round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required, presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS 

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - Aug 2026
about 2 months ago – Mon, Aug 31, 2026 at 08:01:39 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

Here is the progress we've seen from the factory team in the last month: 

Production Update

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

Production has been completed on KRASNY-NINJA (these were pretty much done in our last update). 

We had two revisions to make on LANCER. The factory is already implementing these changes and has assured us they will not add substantial time to completing these figures. 

• Adjustments needed to be made to the paint application on the Lancer's eyes. (The eyes were not quite pointing in the same direction.) The factory has already cut an updated mask for this and is in the process of painting. Our project manager, Dave Proctor, sent along this image of the updated eyes:

• A change has been made to the forks that hold his machete on his backpack. Originally, the pack and forks were supposed to be made of PVC. Once in production, the forks would bend and would not hold the accessory as well as we would like. The factory recommended a change to ABS for the forks and to manufacture them as a separate part. This part has already been tooled, and Dave sent along this image: 

** Note: these are not the final colors and were just used for testing.

Cardbacks for these two figures have been produced and are awaiting heat-sealing. Once Lancer is good-to-go, they should be able to start packaging these guys right away. 

We are continuing to push the factory team to complete these as quickly as they can. 

Volk, Uptown, GRU Spetsnaz, Outlaw, and Henchmen

We were told the factory team was doing some fine-tune polishing on the body tools for these figures. This process cleans up any rough or flat spots that may be showing up on the finished ABS parts. We don't have any pictures to share of this, but it is an important step for overall quality control on the figures.  

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

We have a little bit of a fall break here before our last planned show of the year. 

Join us as we round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required, presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS 

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - July 2026
3 months ago – Fri, Jul 31, 2026 at 08:28:08 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

We hope everyone had a great July this year and an extra special Independence Day! 

Production Update

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

Work continues on these two figures.  Our project manager, Dave Proctor, sent along this great shot of a bin full of Krasny-Ninjas. 

Henchmen 

The factory provided us with a video of the latest sample on the Henchmen (Tracksuit).

Shock-Trooper & MTF Retro-Ops

The factory team also provided us with some video of the new prints for the Steel Web Shock-Trooper and MTF: Retro-Ops figures.

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

We have a little bit of a fall break here before our last planned show of the year. 

Join us as we round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required, presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - June 2026 - PAINT!
4 months ago – Wed, Jul 01, 2026 at 02:01:54 PM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

We would like to wish everyone here in the States an early Happy 4th of July, as we celebrate 250 years of American Independence. Have a happy and safe semiquincentennial, everyone! 

We'd also like to thank everyone who came out to Joefest 2026 in Augusta. It was great to get to chat and hang out with many of you this past weekend. It was EPIC!

A special thanks to Doug Hart for joining us again this year! 

Production Update

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

As we mentioned in last month's update, these figures are currently with the pain department. Mid-month, our project manager (Dave Proctor) at the factory shared these images with us of the figures making their way through the paint process. 

Please note that these parts have some paint applications, but not all of their paint, and will have additional detail upon completion. These are in-progress shots. 

Paint work continues on Krasny-Ninja as well.

Dave also sent us this video to share of the paint process. Much of this work is still done by hand at the factory. You can see that parts are placed into the mask, and then the spray application is applied. 

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

We have a little bit of a fall break here before our last planned show of the year. 

Join us as we round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS

CALLSIGN: LONGBOW Update - May 2026 - PARTS!
5 months ago – Sun, May 31, 2026 at 08:00:14 AM

Hello CALLSIGN: LONGBOW® Backers!

We're posting this from the DFW G.I. Joe and Action Figures Show. Thank you to everyone who came out to the show. It was great to meet everyone in person. 

Unfortunately, Bill Young was unable to attend as the show approached. We hope he can make it out next year! 

This month, we have a lot of visible progress to share from the factory team.

Lancer & Krasny-Ninja

• The factory has started molding parts on the Lancer & Krasny-Ninja!
• They shared images of all the ABS parts for Krasny-Ninja.

• We also got to see some of the upper body ABS parts for Lancer. 

• We were also informed that the factory is staffing up the paint department, which hopefully will help keep these figures moving forward without delay. 
• And on that note, they've started painting Krasny-Ninja! Check out all these left hands with painted gauntlets.

Volk, Uptown, Spetsnaz, & Outlaw

The same corrections that they've been working on for better waist and leg movement function have been updated on these figures as well. 

Steel Web Shock-Trooper, MTF: Retro-Ops, ADAPT Trooper, & Henchmen

• The model shop has completed the modifications on the 3D files for these three figures.
• At this stage, these are still 3D prints. The files used to create these prints will be used to cut the new tooling.
• These new versions have corrections to prevent the issues we saw with the waist/leg movement on the other figures. Creating these models is intended to head off those issues before the tooling stage.

JOEFEST

Come see us at JoeFest Toy and Comic Convention, June 26-28, at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center in Augusta, GA.

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

And we'll round out the year at our home show, Assembly Required presented by CODENAME: IOWA, November 13-14, at the EMC Expo Center at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, IA.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at these conventions around the country!

Thank you again for making this project a reality!

-GRINDSTONE TOYS