Back in January, I chatted with Guy Himber of Crazy Bricks about their custom Dino Dude minifigure accessories. Well, it turns out the first project of prehistoric proportions was so successful that it is getting a sequel. Welcome to… Dino Dudes 2!

I spoke with Guy about revisiting the dinos, what they learned from the first campaign, and why certain dinos were chosen the second time around. Plus BrickNerd readers will get a special perk for supporting the Kickstarter today only!

Dave: Thanks for chatting with BrickNerd again! Jumping right into the questions, when did you decide to do a sequel to Dino Dudes?

Guy: Hi Dave! Pleasure being here again. It was an easy decision to do Dino Dudes 2. Not long after the conclusion of the original Dino Dudes, we already knew that we would plan a second release of even more dinosaurs. We sent out some informal surveys and collected some info to help inform the sequel, and now those recommendations are becoming a reality.

Dave: That was quick! What did you learn from the first run that you incorporated into Dino Dudes 2?

Guy: We learned that with a strong enough and beautifully rendered design, we can do an epic scale minifigure project at the level of Dino Dudes One. Typically, we like to “corral” our project down to one mold total. But Dino Dudes was the first Kickstarter where we could justify the production of two complete giant-sized injection mold tools (along with the inherent costs). Most custom accessory companies might consider doing one dinosaur figure because of the inherent molding and production costs. We did FIVE complete dinos!

Dave: What new dinos are entering the herd? Any famous ones or dino facts?

Guy: First up is the Ankylosaurus. That was one of the most requested dinosaurs the first time around. “Ankles” is one of the more distinctive and easily recognized Dino Dudes. How many dinosaurs carry their own club around with them everywhere they go? We couldn’t resist creating a complete suit of turtle-armor. The Ankylosaurus deserves the #1 spot in our popularity poll.

Next up is the Carnotaurus. That’s the one with distinctive bull-styled horns over its brow and a triple row of back spikes. Many people will know “Carno” from the Jurassic Park Fallen Kingdom film. A strange fact about the Carnotaurus, the stunted arms of this dino are even smaller than the limbs of a T-Rex!

After that, we have the Dimetrodon, though I have to share a secret that this spine-sailed dino isn’t actually a dino! That’s right... they lived 40 million years BEFORE the first dinosaurs appeared on earth and it is actually more closely related to mammals than to reptiles. So... for the purposes of our little toy adventure, we will allow this fine specimen to be a part of our Dino Dudes 2 team.

Dave: Last time, in addition to the core dino figs or parts, you had some stretch goals and add-ons to unlock other dinos. Will this campaign work the same way?

Guy: Yep, each set of Dino Dudes 2 will include all of the parts to create these dinosaurs (you supply your own minifigures) and an additional two more dinosaurs (Brontosaurus and Centrosaurus) if we unlock all of the campaign’s stretch goals. We also will have the option of getting complete minifigures with custom printed minifigure legs and torsos and well as some fun random heads.

Dave: The Kickstarter campaign has been successful so far, I know you’ve already unlocked one!

Guy: We’ve already unlocked the Brontosaurus! Ya gotta have a Brontosaurus!! As I’m sure you know, the Brontosaurus has had a long and checkered history in the world of paleontology. In Dino Dudes 1 we had a “Stand-In” for the Brontosaurus in the form of the Brachiosaurus. With the follow-up project, I just knew that the Bronto Brothers absolutely had to make an appearance on the brick-built stage.

Did you know that a Brontosaurus skull has never been found? Also, the classification of the Brontosaurus has been an ongoing battle between various scientists since Victorian times! It has only been as recent as 2015 that enough research has been conducted that the Brontosaurus genus has been considered a valid and separate classification. I could babble on about Brontosauruses. Want to know more?

Dave: Maybe after the interview… So that leaves one last stretch goal to unlock. What is the lucky last dino?

Guy: The Centrosaurus! I am a big fan of a game (sadly, no longer available) on iOS called “Durango.” It was an amazing RPG-styled romp through a world populated with numerous dinosaurs to hunt and train. I learned and memorized the names of many of the lesser-known dinosaurs in the steamy jungle islands of Durango. One of the stand-out dinos was the Centrosaurus. It is easily confused with the more well-known Triceratops, but the “Centro” has a distinctive crest and giant nose horn akin to a Rhino. Dinos like the Centrosaurus become my frequent friends on that app!

Dave: I wouldn’t want to step on that minifigure barefoot!

Guy: Actually at the factory, tests are done with a “Sharp Point Tester” device to check the pointiness of a given part design. If a part is found to be too pointy or sharp then the design is rounded and softened until it passes the Point Test. For the Centrosaurus, we may potentially diminish the big nose horn or, hopefully, have a rubber horn for his nose! So you needn’t worry about accidentally crushing poor Centro.

Dave: That’s a great point (no pun intended). In what ways do the materials you use determine what can and can’t be done with a Dino Dudes mold?

Guy: ABS plastic is a rigid material. That means that when we engineer a mold for the injection of plastic parts, we have to make sure that there are no “undercuts” in the design of the final part. An undercut is a recessed surface that can’t be accessed by a straight tool, hence the hardened liquid plastic would be permanently stuck in the mold cavity and impossible to remove. That would make trying to put these accessories onto minifgures quite frustrating if they didn’t fit.

If we are making “squishy” parts (something more rubbery in durometer like PVC), we actually can allow for a small percentage of undercutting and a little more freedom in the complexity of the part’s design.

Dave: Speaking of design, what are you doing differently this time around? Did you learn any hard lessons from Dino Dudes 1?

Guy: The great success of the first Dino Dudes campaign allowed us to expand the numbers and designs of dinos dramatically. One of the more impressive designs we did was the Fossil Edition versions of the five original dinosaurs. Artistically this was one of the most extra choices we could make and the number of custom pad-stamps and printing operations was kind of off the charts. We nearly broke our factory with by doing them!

In the end, the fossil versions were highly challenging but artistically rewarding. Although it was uber-difficult and fraught with dangers, it turned out to be well worth the tremendous efforts involved. It is unlikely that we will introduce the Fossil Edition in this next iteration of Dino Dudes 2... it was just too crazy, overly time-consuming, and expensive to produce. We will continue to produce fossil-themed dinos in the years to come, but only from the first series. But we have a few other fun add-ons in mind this time.

baby nessie offer bricklink edition ver2B.jpg

Dave: Crazy Bricks has become known for providing extra goodies and add-ons for your Kickstarter campaign. Can you give us any preview of what is to come with Dino Dudes 2?

Guy: Well first off, in honor of this interview any supporter who signs up today-only will get a free Nessie! CrazyBricks has become renowned for the number of free goodies we love to give our Kickstarter supporters. We have a whole bunch of fun things planned to roll out as freebies and unlockable add-ons.

Ankylosaurus promo square PARA ver 2.jpg

One of those add-ons we want to offer is a Parasaurolophus. “Snorkel-head” was one of the dinos we had originally considered for the first Dino Dudes. It is instantly recognizable by his distinctive head crest—he uses the same body form as the T-Rex. Also, we wanted to make sure we had at least one gluten-intolerant Dinosaur.

Dave: Wow, another dino! You are ambitious with this sequel. Will you also be offering new color choices like last time?

Guy: You can expect even more color options. For example, when we did the first Dino Dudes, we had red “Kaiju” versions of some of the Dinos (Pterodactyl, T-Rex and Steggo, to be exact). If unlocked, we will make the Brontosaurus and Triceratops available in Kaiju format like last time. We might even make orange and black-boned fossil-style original Dino Dudes available too. And here is a really big secret… if unlocked, we will make the original Dino Dudes available as Plushie lookalike add-ons! (You should really let Teresa know based on her LEGO Plushie article, though these will be printed accessories and might not be as huggable!)

Dave: That’s an ambitious menu of add-ons and stretch goals. Do those affect the final price at all?

Guy: Although our pricing has risen since the last Dino Dudes project, we have decided to keep all of the pledge levels the same. We want to make sure and reward those collectors who pledge our projects, and we always try to make sure that they have the best opportunities and deals when it comes to supporting our Crazy Bricks Kickstarter projects.

Dave: Crazy Bricks certainly is known for flair and fun when it comes to custom LEGO accessories. How do you infuse “CrazyBricks DNA” into your designs?

Guy: In short, we like to make and design things that fans would otherwise not see from the mainstream toy sources. We also like to chase IPs that might not otherwise get to be seen in brick form (i.e. Grumpy Cat). We do have a certain style and design sense that is a bit silly and a bit adventurous which has become our signature look, and we are proud of it.

Dave: That is quite the reputation to live up to! After Dino Dudes 2, what is the next great idea?

Guy: We wish we could tell you that we have a decades-long master plan that dictates what and when we make for Crazy Bricks. For the most part, we have a long list of ideas and concepts that we want to create and put into production. We are always bouncing around ideas for possible future lines of Crazy Bricks accessories and we take many of these ideas through the concept art phase and then some of them make it all the way to 3D digital models. Fewer still are then realized as resin prototypes, sometimes based upon available raw materials and sometimes just our mood! Ultimately, we try to create two to four Kickstarter projects every year along with a number of non-crowdfunded projects based upon our available resources and inspirations.

Dave: That about wraps up my questions. Thank you for sharing your time, and I hope Dino Dudes 2 is a success.

Guy: Thank you for the opportunity to be on BrickNerd again! And don’t forget to grab your BrickNerd freebie baby Nessie if you support Dino Dudes 2 today!

Have you supported Dino Dudes 2? What dinosaurs would you want to see in a potential Dino Dudes 3? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Do you want to help BrickNerd continue publishing articles like this one? Become a patron like Charlie Stephens, Marc & Liz Puleo, Paige Mueller, and Rob Klingberg from Brickstuff to show your support, get early access, exclusive swag and more.