Fall Updates - 000 Ti7068, Japan, Future Projects & More
by Jeffrey PangNovember 08, 2022
It feels like it has been a long time since I've done a post but really I think just a lot happened in October. The 000 54SE that was released in September was a huge success - I ended up selling out all units through my direct store. During October it was a grind of getting those orders out the door. I received the Ti-7068 000 and Fulvia, but only half of the accessories and stickers. It's why I had to separate them from this 000 release. The Fulvia sold more than I expected - the Champaign colorway sold so quick I had to pull some from the store for retailers.
It was my 30th birthday at the end of October. I felt super stressed out working so much. being a one man operation started taking a toll on me during these bigger releases. I remember looking at the tickets to Japan for an hour deciding if I should go or if I should grind through more work. In hindsight I'm really glad I went. I knew I was going in 2023 but it was awesome catching up with so many friends and planning for next year. It would be cool if I could move there for a few months leading up to worlds. I met up with Eiji Okuyama of Mowl (https://shop.mowl.jp/) who showed me around Osaka - it definitely felt good having a local show you the cool areas. Eiji is such an awesome dude. I got to meet a bunch of OG THP people and had so much good food. We did end up working on a yoyo design together, but it has been on and off since the first time I met him in Germany so time will tell if it makes it to production. His dedication and attention to detail is actually really impressive - something that inspires me to keep pushing with my own product releases.
I also had the chance to visit one of the most famous drift tracks with a car friend of mine who I've known since I was 19. It was just nice to scope out Japan since I know i'll be there for longer term next year. One of my dreams is to have a drift car in Japan, but the logistics of that is a bit insane.
I brought my grey 000 on the trip as my main throw - I debated on bringing a Fulvia but I found the lightness of the 000 was less fatiguing as a travel yoyo. It's definitely a much more casual weight distribution compared to the weight rings of the Fulvia.
I really only do blogs for when I explain a new design process. You can check the one I did for the Ti-7068 Fulvia and 000 here. The addition of the anodized finishes explores having different textures on certain surfaces of the yoyo. For both the Fulvia and 000, I requested a bead blast only on the functional grind surface, or "catch zone" while keeping the hub area a more glossy premium machined finish. This interesting contrast really changes how the anodizing looks. The smoother machined surface was also masked off near the bearing seat area, creating a continuity of the hub texture.
For the Fulvia I focused on a warmer fall pantone, while the 000 represents a change to the winter season. The cooler grey, silver and teal colors compliment each other. I also find the cooler colors work well with the softer less aggressive profile of the 000. The same edge and bearing seat engraving has been applied as a minimalist branding touch.
As far as releases goes, it has been super interesting transitioning to a new material and a different price point. It's crazy to think the year is almost over. One of the last things I wanted to update people on is the mentioned full plastic Luftverk yoyo. It will be available for preorder soon - I am super proud of the new manufacturing technique that was developed to make it. I'll explain more on it later, currently I have the final prototypes in hand so it's pretty close to release. I am aiming for a pretty low price point - it has definitely been a challenge with the shipping cost hikes and increasing material prices. With the first batch of yoyos being 3000 pcs I really need the community to help. Hopefully I to pay off the insane amount of money I've dumped into the project but I know that it's on me to make a good product as well.
Anyway that's pretty much everything that's going on in my world. Next year will be interesting - I really see a big change in the manufacturing world. When I started Luftverk 7 years ago, it just felt like such a different place. A lot of my friends are starting to do their own projects so It will be interesting to see where it goes from here! Sorry if this blog post was a bit all over the place - but to wrap it up i'll be dropping the 000 next week!
Both models will be available for purchase on Sunday, Nov 13th at 10:00pm EST in the Luftverk store.
It has been nearly 4 months since Ive been in Japan, and 5 months since I left Toronto. Writing that out makes it feel short but in reality it feels like forever ago. The last launch of the Plastic Peak was an overwhelming experience. I felt so grateful to work with CLYW, a company I grew up with. When the World Yoyo Contest hit I didn't know what to expect, but I had started noticing a feeling of burn out after grinding out so many yoyo related projects and in a weird introverted way I was a bit reluctant to go.
CLYW is a Canadian brand that started in 2006. I was 14 at the time when I watched this new brand unfold on the Yoyonation forums. They released their first yoyo named the "Peak" with 50 pieces retailing for $85. Today, that yoyo has used asking prices north of $2500 making it one of the most insanely rare and expensive yoyos to date. This "OG Painted Peak" featured a custom painted surface by a Canadian airbrush artist named Levi. Overtime as the Peak was impacted or dinged, the paint would chip off meaning there are only a handful of units in the world that survived in mint unused condition. Later versions would be released in more durable anodized finishes, but these first 50 "OG Painted Peaks"cemented CLYW into yoyoing history.
This one will interesting - since mine and Augie's relationship go a far distance back. Its also kind of a weird story of how like minded free sprits will seemingly eventually cross roads no matter how unlikely that is.
Growing up in what I like to call the golden area of competitive yoyoing I was blessed to be inspired by yoyoers with so much unique style. These players helped me stay hooked in yoyoing and I often wonder if I would have even stuck with it without them. Players like Yuuki Spenser, John Ando, Eric Koloski, Paul Han, Shinji Saito and of course Augie Fash were some of my favourites. Before there was a yoyo "meta" all these yoyoers had their own 1A style which is why I think fondly of this era.
Jeffrey Pang
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