Overall, I like it. Possibly a few more photos (bishop, rook) would be helpful. A couple of early thoughts (probably need more coffee so I'd have better thoughts):
- I'd prefer the knight to be a bit "beefier" with slightly more head tilt to the front.
- the bishop seems somehow "incomplete" without the little ball. I understand that's a significant point of breakage but still...
- possibly the bishop's mitre cut could be at slightly more of an angle.
Just some thoughts from an old patzer... 
@PandDos Coincidentally, @Kohpablanca has been down a creative path similar to yours in creating a new style chess set. It might be worth it to send him a message to bounce around ideas about production. And what he has found out in his research. And he's from Australia as well! Hah.
If you haven't read the below forum posting already, it's worth a look. It's a great interesting read. I'll link it here in case you (or anyone else) haven't seen it because of it's poorly named Topic Name, compounded with the awful search function here. Good luck!
Hi @GrandPatzerDave thanks for the feedback. These are some good point for me to consider. I've added the close up of the castle and the bishop in the post.
- ill definitely be playing with the knight shape some more. so ill keep your comments in mind on that.
- for some more context on having no ball. None of the miters that I researched had any ball on top. I also consider that while the ball is familiar for a lot of chess players, it did not add much value in easily identifying the piece. There are also a lot of soviet sets that look amazing without a ball on top. Though it will be interesting to see how this change is received.
- the angle of the Bishop cut both is making the hat closer to the look of an actual miter, and also is similar to the cuts on the original staunton sets. Again though ill be interested to see how its received.
Ah, @PandDos, I now see your intent/influences. I'll be curious to see what the other forum members think as well.
A thought on the rook: I've come to like rooks with turrets that flare out some - a nice touch, IMO.
I like how your stems have a very nice overall shape (not too much and not plain straight!) and blend well with the bases.
thanks, @Pawnerai ill be having a look through that thread. Cheers
@GrandPatzerDave yer, I agree with the rook flare. I find a little is nice, but I was trying to get away from it being too emphasised part of the design. The rooks currently have a 3 degree flare, I'm considering prototyping it at 5 degrees as well to see which works better.
@PandDos -
Food for thought...
Be careful when considering some opinions which are based in large part on existing designs. There is little point, or profitability, in making another set that mimics the design of existing sets. The point, and the potential desirability, of your design is to offer something different (just not too different)...
For example, sets like this come a-dime-a-dozen...
Having said all that, I suggest that the King, as the most important piece, be slightly taller than the Queen. Also no artifact (which could potentially break off), or at least a less obtrusive one, need protrude from the top of its crown, ensuring that the King remains agnostic. Eliminating or reducing the size of the artifact would allow the King to be made taller than the Queen, and still come in at 3.75 inches.
When you've finalized the design and it's ready to be offered for sale, you might check with @ShelbyLohman about getting your set mass reproduced. He's a chess retailer/wholesaler. Perhaps he would be willing to give you some guidance. You might even consider getting into some business arrangement with him. His plastic 'Ultimate Chess Pieces' (Amchesseq.com) have already become iconic.
You're definitely on the right track though! I wish you success.
Thanks, @RussBell
I would like to clarify your comment a little. You mention the risk of the design being too generic. Do you think thats happened on this set? Making the set different to the other out there is definitely important to me. Id be interested to hear you view on what aspects you think could be worked on.
Funny you mention the king being taller, I had just made him a little lower on the last prototype to have the shoulder of his crown very similar in stature to the queen's coronet. In terms of balancing the set, I'd actually considered this an improvement. I'm not too worried about the top breaking off as it has a thick stem connecting it. The set is designed to be very robust. I've done a little drop testing on the prototype and even the printed version is holding up really well.
Cheers
Hi @Boydcarts
I wanted to try something a little different when I put the eyehole in the knight. It's definitely a challenge to make a hole that both looks like an eye and is also simple enough to manufacture. Maybe it still needs some tuning. Thanks for the feedback on that.
Thanks, @RussBell
I would like to clarify your comment a little. You mention the risk of the design being too generic. Do you think thats happened on this set? Making the set different to the other out there is definitely important to me. Id be interested to hear you view on what aspects you think could be worked on.
Funny you mention the king being taller, I had just made him a little lower on the last prototype to have the shoulder of his crown very similar in stature to the queen's coronet. In terms of balancing the set, I'd actually considered this an improvement. I'm not too worried about the top breaking off as it has a thick stem connecting it. The set is designed to be very robust. I've done a little drop testing on the prototype and even the printed version is holding up really well.
Cheers
No, I don't think your set is too generic, In fact, with the exception of the German style Knight (a style I'm not fond of - as I consider it to be too thin, skinny), I think your current design is fine. My comment was intended to caution you from modifying the set to the point where it does become generic, as a consequence of being influenced by others' opinions. As far as King height - from your photos, that is, the height and angle of the camera lens with respect to the pieces - it was difficult for me to judge the height of the King relative to the height of the Queen. I just wanted to offer my opinion that the King's height, i.e., the top of its crown, be greater than that of the Queen. Apparently that is the case.
If you prefer to stay with a German style Knight, here is what I consider to be an improved design. It's primarily the added girth of the body, below the head, that I prefer over your current anorexic knight. Also there is additional dimensionality (sculpting) of the head, forward of the eyes, in the snout area, which I feel enhances the Knight's overall appeal. (The grooves for the mane are a nice touch, but not essential.)
Having said all this, I don't consider anything about your current design to be a show stopper. In most respects it is a nice design, well conceived, IMO.
@RussBell thanks for clarifying. thats clear now. I'm going to have a think about the points you made on the knight as they are all valid. The design I have has some key differenced to the German knight. But it also has some similarities as well. While I'm still on the fence about how much i like the German knight, one thing I appreciate is the simplicity of the manufacturing to create that style of knight. I actually think there are a few soviet knights that do a much better job of achieving a nice aesthetic without complicating the manufacturing. Cheers
@PandDos -
Well, other than the fact that I don't find the Soviet Knights any more appealing than the skinny German Knight, I have exhausted my critiques and suggestions (at least for the moment!)
You might find the following forum thread interesting - its theme is the "German" Knight. Of the Knights in the thread I suppose I prefer the one shown on page 3, Post#51, by @BeyondDuplication, since it it seems to be almost identical to the design I had suggested above. The Knight in Post#52 (first photo) is similar, and equally acceptable to me. The common denominator is that they all have some girth in the body, and there is some dimensionality/sculpting of the snout/jaw area.
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/quotthe-good-the-bad-and-the-uglyquot-german-knight-set?page=3
So the ball is in your court. Once again, I wish you success in your venture!
Hello I Have a Chessset from Anri. The King Arthur model. Who can Tell me where I can sell it. And who nows a realistic price?, thanks
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