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Mini Museum 4: The Fourth Edition

Created by Hans Fex - Mini Museum

Beginning with amino acids captured during the birth of the solar system, the Fourth Edition takes you on a new journey spanning billions of years of science and history. You'll visit the bright highlands of the Moon, witness devastating and cataclysmic events here on Earth, and examine hundreds of millions of years of evolution. You'll turn your attention to the march of human civilization. The collection ends by turning back toward the promise of space and marveling at the wonder of life. And it's all right here in the palm of your hand...

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Mini Museum Age of Dinosaurs Launches!
over 4 years ago – Tue, Sep 24, 2019 at 01:16:38 PM

Hello, everyone!

I'm excited to announce the launch of our latest collection, a special Mini Museum called Age of Dinosaurs!

Mini Museum Age of Dinosaurs is a subject-matter focused collection, a deep dive into one of the most epic periods of time in the history of our planet: the Mesozoic Era!

You can find more details about Age of Dinosaurs on the Kickstarter project page and our website.

As always, thank you all so very much for your support!

- Hans

Production Update: Illuminated LED Stand Shipping and Unboxing, Print-and-Fold Gift Announcement Cards, More Backer Stories: Marcus Kirsch and Kohei Gondaira
over 5 years ago – Fri, Dec 21, 2018 at 12:48:24 AM

Hello, everyone!

As you might imagine, we've been very busy packing and shipping since our last update! The Smalls arrived and have gone out, and the first shipment of Illuminated LED Stands has left the warehouse!

If you haven't heard from us, chances are that our automated emails are going into your junk mail folder. Please visit https://mm4.backerkit.com to retrieve your survey or send us an email at [email protected] and we'll get your shipment moving!

Illuminated LED Stand Shipping

I'm happy to report that the first shipment of Illuminated LED Stands finally arrived earlier this week! 

After the Stands arrived, we moved quickly to review and move them to the warehouse for immediate shipment. As of today, we've shipped all pledges with Stands in Batch 01, Batch 02, and the Shuttle tier. The remaining stands should arrive next week, at which point we will finish shipments in Batch 03, 04, and 05.

I know this has been a lot of back and forth so thank you all for your patience. I also want to send a special thank you to the backers in early batches who wrote in asking us to delay their shipments so that others could get theirs in time for the holiday.

For context, when we found out that the Stands would be delayed, we directly emailed all impacted backers with an offer to "split-ship" items that might be gifts. The response was great and we managed to get all requested shipments moving behind the scenes. So again, thank you!

Production Illuminated LED Stand Unboxing

With the first shipments of Stands arriving in homes, we thought it would be helpful to walk through everything in the kit.

Illuminated LED Stand with a Couple of Friends
Illuminated LED Stand with a Couple of Friends

The Stand arrives fully assembled with the accessory parts inside the main cradle. To begin, remove the accessories and set them aside. Disassemble the Stand by removing the Top Cornice from the Cradle, and then the Cradle from the Base Tray.

In this picture you can see all the accessories removed and ready for assembly:

Illuminated LED Stand Removed from the Box with Accessories Displayed
Illuminated LED Stand Removed from the Box with Accessories Displayed

The accessories include:

  • Three (3) AAA batteries
  • One (1) USB Cable and Plug Set
  • Three (3) Color Filters
  • One (1) Reflective Surface
  • One (1) Clear MM1 Tray Spacer
  • One (1) Mini Museum Logo Sticker
  • One (1) Instruction Sheet

Putting in the Batteries

Underside of the Base Tray with Batteries Installed
Underside of the Base Tray with Batteries Installed

Open the battery door on the bottom of the Base Tray and insert the three (3) AAA batteries as indicated. Test the light by flipping the switch, but make sure you're not looking directly at the LEDs - they are bright!

Bright Light! Bright Light!
Bright Light! Bright Light!

Please Note: If the batteries are not in the right orientation the Stand will not light up. This happened to us the first time we put the batteries in, and we were being careful! 😊

Inserting the Mini Museum

After placing the batteries inside the Base Tray and testing the light, insert the U-Shaped Cradle into the Base Tray:

Putting the U-Shaped Cradle back into the Base Tray
Putting the U-Shaped Cradle back into the Base Tray

Now add your Mini Museum (See note below if you are putting a MM1 into the Stand).

MM4 in the Stand and ready for the Top Cornice
MM4 in the Stand and ready for the Top Cornice

The Top Cornice goes on next. Slide it on carefully and allow the cornice to rest on top of the Mini Museum.

Now you're all set!

MM1 First Edition Note: If you are using the Stand with a First Edition Mini Museum, you'll want to add the clear tray spacer before putting in your Mini Museum. To use the spacer, remove the protective film and place the spacer inside the bottom tray.

Left: Placing the Tray Spacer - Right: MM1 in the Stand
Left: Placing the Tray Spacer - Right: MM1 in the Stand

Using the Color Filters

The color filters are meant to be used under or on top of the Mini Museum. When placed under the Mini Museum, the color effect is very dramatic. When placed on top, it is more subtle. The filters can also be combined to create different colors.

Adding the blue Color Filter to the Top of the MM4
Adding the blue Color Filter to the Top of the MM4

In addition to the Color Filters, we've included a Reflective Strip as well. This strip can be used on top of the Mini Museum to increase the brightness of the downlighting on the specimens. I could go through all of the variations here, but really you should try them all and have some fun!

Please Note: All filters and the reflective surface have a thin, peel off coating to keep the surface nice and clean during transit. Make sure to peel that off first!

Peeling off the film from the Color Filters
Peeling off the film from the Color Filters

Overall, I am very happy with the way the production stands look and function. We're looking forward to shipping out the remaining stands as soon as they arrive and we're also excited to see pictures from all of you as well!

Print-and-Fold Gift Announcement Cards

It's also time to update our print-and-fold gift announcement cards. There are three designs for the Fourth Edition and each are available using the links below.

GLITTER

Download "Glitter" PDF

"Glitter" Design
"Glitter" Design

MERRY

Download "Merry" PDF

"Merry" Design
"Merry" Design

HOLIDAY

Download "Holiday" PDF

"Holiday" Design
"Holiday" Design

The cards are a simple way to announce the upcoming arrival of the Mini Museum or even a nice addition to a gift package!

Glitter Print-and-Fold Card interior, printed on simple card stock
Glitter Print-and-Fold Card interior, printed on simple card stock

More Backer Stories: Marcus Kirsch and Kohei Gondaira

After sharing backer Seth Johnson's letter about Katie in the last update, we received two additional stories that I wanted to share with all of you.

The first story comes from backer Marcus Kirsch:

I just wanted to add my praise and my own story about the museums.

We have one of every range so far and after the last one arrived, I had a very special day with my daughter of 5, Ilona at our Natural History Museum in London.

Ilona at the Natural History Museum in London
Ilona at the Natural History Museum in London

We took two of our museums with us and had about 8 dinosaurs to find at the big museum. We found 6 and it is most amazing to put things into perspective and to realize what we have sitting in our home.

Ilona's AMAZING notebook entry
Ilona's AMAZING notebook entry

I used to work at the museum and it fascinated me then and today it is wonderful, that I can share this with my daughter. Thank you so much.

The second story comes from backer Kohei Gondaira, whose face I'm sure many of you will recognize:

Left: Kohei in 2014 - Right: Kohei and son in 2018!
Left: Kohei in 2014 - Right: Kohei and son in 2018!

About Four years have passed since I first found the Mini Museum. It is a pleasant time for me to tell my 1 year old child about this treasure.

Thank you so much for sharing your stories Marcus and Kohei! It is truly wonderful to think about the learning and stories that will pass from you to your children. In so many ways, this is exactly what I hoped for when I created the Mini Museum and it is certainly what we all keep in mind here as continue the journey together.

Thank You!

As always, thank you all so very much for your support of the Mini Museum. We still have more work to do to finish the Fourth Edition, as well as more stories to share.

... but now it's back to work!

- Hans

P.S. If you would like to share your story with the rest of the Mini Museum backer community, please email [email protected]. We'd also love to see pictures of your Mini Museum wherever it might be in the world. You can tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Just use the hashtag #minimuseum and we'll find it!

Production Update! Smalls and Stands on the way! Larges COMPLETE! Katie Turns 5!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Dec 01, 2018 at 05:11:26 PM

Hello, everyone!

It's been a few weeks since the last project update and we've been busy!

I'm happy to note that the first batches of Small Mini Museums have cleared QA and will be on their way to the warehouse next week. If all goes well, we should begin shipments with Small Mini Museums by the end of the week.

I have similar news for those of you waiting on the Illuminated LED Stands! Production on the first batch of Stands is complete and they should ship to us next week. We are expecting their arrival in the warehouse on December 10/11. The final batch will follow a few days later.

We'll be working hard to turn shipments with Small Mini Museums and Stands around as quickly as possible, with most shipments upgraded to Express methods to reduce the delivery time.

In addition to this news, I am also happy to report that ALL Large Mini Museums for Kickstarter backers are complete! The final batches will arrive in the warehouse on Monday. We plan to get those out quickly so that we can clear a path for catchup on Small/Stand orders without delaying any other shipments.

Again, I want to thank all of you for your patience and support! You have all been incredibly kind and patient as we work to deliver the Fourth Edition. I also want to say that your encouragement in the form of emails, social media posts, and private messages has been so very helpful. We've had some very long days and it is wonderful to see familiar names and faces!

Katie Turns 5!

Speaking of familiar names and faces, I'd like to take a moment here to share a letter we received from backer Seth Johnson. Most of you will recognize Seth as "Katie's Dad" and I have to say this letter really took my breath away!

Is it a holiday? It sure feels like a holiday.

It’s certainly one of my favorite days: the arrival of a new Mini Museum!

That means I get to send you yet another email with my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in bringing MM4 together. The Mini Museums are the cornerstones of our family’s personal natural history museum, but they’ve ended up as a springboard to so much more.

Katie with all four Mini Museums through the years
Katie with all four Mini Museums through the years

Our daughter Katie is a curiosity machine, coming home with new additions for her ‘collection’ tucked into her lunchbox, her pockets, and even her shoes. Together we sort through them, identify them, and then they get tucked away into her personal museum of drawers and jars.

We’ve also slowly added to our family collection, finding places to gather and acquire flowers, leaves, seeds, sticks, bones, stones, bugs, shells, claws, teeth, fossils, and all kinds of fascinating artifacts that we can learn about together.

"If you’re curious what catches a kid’s interest between the ages of 2 and 5, her dutiful research assistant (read: me) went and recorded the contents of her collection a couple months ago."
"If you’re curious what catches a kid’s interest between the ages of 2 and 5, her dutiful research assistant (read: me) went and recorded the contents of her collection a couple months ago."

Katie turns 5 in a few weeks. My little girl loves roller coasters and toy stores, but she also loves the woods and museums. She loves asking questions about planets and geology. One of the earliest drawings we have from her is “intestines”.

Katie on Halloween a couple weeks ago. She wants to be a paleontologist, and was thrilled to see the plesiosaur in MM4, as she dressed up as Mary Anning. (She had us make a fake fossil plaque she could bring along, since “our real fossil is too fragile to carry in my candy bucket.”) Guess what her favorite artifact was in MM4?

I love science and history, and as the father of a newborn I dreamed of sharing my wonder at the world with my child. The Mini Museums have become true milestones as I watch those dreams become a reality.

Katie and her collection!
Katie and her collection!

Please let me say it one more time: thank you, to everyone on the Mini Museum team. I hope there are more Mini Museums in the future. I can’t wait to find out what’s in them—and where they find us.

Our best to you all, Seth Johnson, Melissa Binde, and Katie Binde

<dries eyes> Thank you so very much for this beautiful letter, Seth!!!

It is very moving to see how Katie has grown, from the little child reaching out to grab the Mini Museum, to a full-fledged explorer of science and history. In many, many ways, your letter expresses our own deepest hopes for the Mini Museum: sharing a love of science and history, connecting with others who feel the same, and of course inspiring a passion for exploring the world around us all. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family and for letting us share this with the community!

And happy birthday to Katie!! 🎂🦕🎂🦖🎂

- Hans

P.S. We have many additional pictures yet to share, along with some great updates from other backers whose faces you will no doubt recognize. If you'd like to share your story, please email us at [email protected]!

Shipping and Production Update! Pictures of the Production Illuminated LED Stand
over 5 years ago – Fri, Nov 09, 2018 at 01:35:24 AM

Hello, everyone!

I hope this message finds you well! Here at MMHQ and the warehouse, we are deep into the first stages of shipping!

This week we moved into the first pledges from Batch 02 and expect to begin shipping Batch 03 near the end of next week. We've even received a few pictures from backers Justin Owen, Kevin Schumacher, and Joshua Lieber!

Clockwise from the top left: Justin Owen, Kevin Schumacher, Joshua Lieber
Clockwise from the top left: Justin Owen, Kevin Schumacher, Joshua Lieber

For those of you waiting on the Illuminated LED Stand and the Small Mini Museum in Batch 01, Batch 02, and the Shuttle Tier, I have progress to report!

Assembly of the Small Mini Museum is still in progress. They're queued behind a batch of Large Mini Museums so I don't have an exact date when they'll clear polishing and QA. However, Display Boxes are at the warehouse, and everything is set for quick shipment once we have them in hand.

On the Stand, the production sample of the Illuminated LED Stand arrived and I'm happy to report that everything passed inspection! We green-lighted the manufacturing run last night, and approved air shipping units to the warehouse to minimize the wait. I will update once I have a precise arrival date.

Approved! Mike from Red Blue Collective gives the thumbs up as Bill inspects a MM1 in the Stand
Approved! Mike from Red Blue Collective gives the thumbs up as Bill inspects a MM1 in the Stand

We had to leave the sample with RBC as a reference in case there were any issues during the run, but I was able to take a number of pictures during our review session. Let's have a look!

Production Stand Sample with MM2
Production Stand Sample with MM2

Overall, I am very pleased with the way the Stand turned out. The finish is smooth and soft. As you can see, all internal light-bleed has been eliminated. The pieces fit together perfectly, and it is simple to take it apart again when you want access to your Mini Museum.

We were also able to add a few upgrades which improve the display!

Placing a MM1 in the Stand and adding a blue Color Filter on top.
Placing a MM1 in the Stand and adding a blue Color Filter on top.

First, a sheet of soft felt was added to the back of the cradle to cushion the Mini Museum. It also acts as a diffuser, and really makes the specimens glow. Next, the design of the Top Cornice was improved by adding a recessed channel, which allows the top of the stand to rest on the Mini Museum.

Underside of the Top Cornice showing the recessed channel.
Underside of the Top Cornice showing the recessed channel.

As a result, each stand will automatically conform to the height of any Mini Museum. This new fit makes it simple to use Color Filters on the top or the bottom of the Mini Museum, which turns out to be a simple way to adjust the vibrance and provide more options. Applied to the bottom, the colors are very dramatic. Applied to the top, the colors are subtle.

Ammonite highlighted with Red Color Filter on top. (should have used a macro lens on this!)
Ammonite highlighted with Red Color Filter on top. (should have used a macro lens on this!)

Suffice to say we spent quite awhile playing with the Stand and all the variations. It was really fun, and I can't wait to get this into the studio with all four Mini Museums. I also can't wait to see pictures from all of you once the Stands finally arrive in your homes!

As always, thank you all so much for your support and patience! If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected]. Your email will go into our ticketing system which allows any member of the team to act quickly on your questions!

- Hans

Shipping Begins Tomorrow! Fourth Edition Companion Guide Digital Released!
over 5 years ago – Tue, Oct 30, 2018 at 01:12:28 AM

Hello, everyone!

This is a very quick update to let you know that our spot checks at the warehouse went well! The team will start preparing the first orders from Batch 01 and the Shuttle Tier tomorrow, with shipments going out in waves each day. The waves will be small at first and then increase in size as we confirm our processes are running smoothly. 

Your tracking number will be sent by email once your shipment is picked up and scanned by the carrier. If you have any add-ons, they'll be charged to your card at this time.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your patience!

Fourth Edition Companion Guide Digital

With the start of shipping, we're also excited to release the digital version of the Fourth Edition Companion Guide!

Pages from the Fourth Edition Companion Guide
Pages from the Fourth Edition Companion Guide

The Fourth Edition of the Companion Guide is filled with information and beautiful pictures about each specimen in the collection and two bonus essays. We had a lot of fun putting this edition together and we are very excited to share it with all of you!

Download the Digital Version of the Companion Guide [PDF 79MB]

Thank You!

As I mentioned this weekend, the start of shipping is always an emotional moment for us here at Mini Museum. It represents the culmination of more than a year's worth of dedicated work and the support of each and every backer. We are all so grateful for the opportunity to continue this journey with you!

I'll have a more detailed update soon with information concerning outstanding items outlined in the last update!

- Hans