GarageAlpha x DemiurgeFD Titanium 'Flying M' Rotor Key
 

This is a project who's roots can be traced right here in the forums over three years ago. It started as a thought experiment to re-imagine a logo for the FD3S incorporating the rotor shape and has now spawned into a new titanium key as well as a couple other projects slated to compliment the key.


https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1601071901
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1601071901
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1601071901
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1601071901
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...g?v=1601071901


The GarageAlpha x DemiurgeFD Titanium 'Flying M' FD3S Rotor Key was designed by @demiurgefd (on IG) who goes by @LO7 here on the forums. The key incorporates the rotor shape along with the 'Flying M' wings to pay homage to the modern Mazda logo. We were tapped to bring this concept to life using our experience in manufacturing and specifically, titanium.

The key itself is CNCd out of GR2 titanium and is a perfect fit to all 1992-2002 Mazda RX-7s. All pre-orders will also include the 'new style' RX-7 logo key chain, cut from carbon fiber as an added bonus.

If anyone is interested, we have pre-orders open NOW with delivery expected in the next 30 days (we're already in production). :icon_tup:


Mazda RX-7 [FD3S] GarageAlpha x DemiurgeFD Titanium 'Flying M' Rotor Key

Wow that's awesome! I can't get one myself, but damn that is sweet. Will you be offering the carbon Keychain separately?

Vince

That is one sweet looking key!

Linky no workie for me.

Nice looking key though!

add www to the address

The mark of a true FD enthusiast is a working door lock light.
Your products are so good, you're gonna make the japanese jealous of the US aftermarket.
I'm looking forward to the next development in this style.

UPDATED THE LINK! :uh:

Yes! We should have key chains available to order separately! :icon_tup:

:worship:

UPDATED!

https://garagealpha.com/collections/mazda-rx-7-fd3s/products/mazda-rx-7-fd3s-garagealpha-x-demiurgefd-titanium-flying-m-fd3s-rotor-key

:icon_tup:

Thanks so much! Everything we make is stuff WE want for our own vehicles - so yes - everything is enthusiast driven. :)

Payment sent. Thanks! :icon_tup:

Any updates or realistic timeline on when these will be shipped?

We're being told November 24th for CNC to finish up. This was originally November 15th - but we got bumped.

I think the original date was supposed to be around Halloween by reading your 1st post here, but thanks for keeping us in the loop. :icon_tup:

It was going to be a birthday present for myself and today was the day I was going to open it. lol

November 15th is definitely *around* Halloween in the world of making short run, one off products. ;)

But everything seems to be taking just a bit longer than expected. All my laser cutters, water jet guys, carbon fiber manufacturers are all busy and understaffed right now. Its...weird. But it's also the run up to Black Friday / Cyber Monday - so I'm sure everyone is getting ramped up for that as well.

Whatever the case - we are chugging along. :icon_tup:

November 24th plus a couple days to ship it? So the 30th or so?

Just trying to get an idea when to expect it. Your website says 4-6 weeks.

Yeah. That sounds about right.

I also just realized I *didn't* update this thread with the latest photos of the prototypes and carbon fiber key chains that showed up earlier in the month.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...G?v=1605540503
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...G?v=1605540463
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...G?v=1605540462

Enjoy!

Just so you know, this won't work on all later cars. The tip profile means that I couldn't use the key on my 99 spec car as I need it full fat all the way to the end.

I don't wanna keep bumping this thread with where's my key and it seems like no one is updating it anytime soon. Am I the only one who ordered and paid? Has anyone received a key?

I didn't know I was waiting for the group to get big enough or I wouldn't have sent my money over two months ago. . I'm cool with a refund if you are, but I'm over waiting.

Thanks,
-Nate

What's the big deal? It's a key. Have a little patience. I'm guessing you already have a key that works for your car. Does it really matter if it takes 3 months vs 1?

Probably depends on their expectations up front is my guess.

I'm sure itll be amazing if you are willing to wait. I've yet to get a product from these guys that wasnt fantastic.

Hey Nate,

First off - my sincere apologies for making you (or anyone) wait for this or anything.

Ambitious projects, on a small scale, occasionally run into unforeseen bumps and hurdles from inception to completion.

Sometimes that takes the form of development, prototyping or even production.

Every product we offer has to be up to a certain level of quality and that takes time. Additionally, in a project like this, where we are working with another party (DemiurgeFD) we need to meet our standards AND theirs. If I could go through the list of seemingly unnoticeable changes that we made to the design in order to get is exactly right - it would be a post unto itself (think radius on the face of the key, smoothness of transition from key to body, etc, etc, etc). These were only in the development/prototype phase.

However, the *actual* delay was in the CNC. Because we don’t have huge runs of anything, our orders get shuffled around a bit. This meant our production run went from end of October, to November 15th, to November 24th. The good news is, that’s where it ended and the keys are done and ready to delivery *to us* tomorrow. I’ve been watching tracking info daily and anticipating a post to tell everyone the good news once they touched down.

All that said, and to clear up a misconception you may have - this isn’t / wasn’t a ‘group buy’ per se. It didn’t matter if you ordered two months ago or today - we weren’t waiting for a certain number of people to sign up to move forward. We were trying to dial in a round about number so we could adjust production numbers - the reason we want orders (and reward supporters for that) is because putting your name on a list is one thing, but ponying up is another. In all our experience, be it expensive or inexpensive, big or small response - the conversion from ‘interested’ to actually a customer is about 1/3, meaning if 100 people rush to sign up, only 33 will actually buy once the item is available, as you can imagine, this introduces all sorts of issues.

As I mentioned, the reward for pre-ordering is the free carbon fiber keychain. We always try to think up something as a ‘thanks’ that’s cool and exclusive since we know things might not always go to plan and/or to incentivize the early adopters. If this isn’t of value to you and supporting us early isn’t worth the wait - that’s fine. We do this for the community. We do it because we love the platform and want to make cool stuff. We don’t do it to disappoint people.



Thanks.

Of course. We try to control expectations, and no one is more disappointed in delays than us. But I 100% agree with the sentiment - it will be worth the wait!



So bottom line - we are expecting these to be delivered tomorrow. Depending on what time that happens and how long it takes to turn them around - we should be able to start shipping the same / next day.

Expect photos in an additional post as well as tracking info in your email box. :icon_tup:​​​​​​​

30 days out said the 1st post in September. I was buying myself a birthday present which has now turned into a Christmas present. There was no update to this thread in over a week when I posted, which was a week after I was promised it would be shipped. The key, which I paid 185 for, is now advertised for 100 dollars.

Patience is one thing, but I'm not getting ignored AND charged nearly double what they go for. .

The first post was September 28th, so in fairness - lets call it October. My initial expectation WAS 30 days out, but that didn't happen. Every post by you was responded to in two days or less. Your initial question about delays was responded to in 15 minutes. So in what instance were you ignored? I genuinely would like to know so we can correct it in future projects.

As for the price - 100% incorrect. This key is NOT $100. The OLDER Spirit-R Titanium Key was $100 for Black Friday. NOT this one.

I'm really sorry your Birthday was ruined by this. Not my intent. Also, no promises were made. At best they were estimates - at worst they were off by a few weeks.


I get it, you're upset. We have a very fair and open cancellation / return policy. No restock fee, no reason even needed. We treat every customer how we'd expect to be treated. However, that's a two way street. That all said - a public forum is fine for discussion of delays and I am all for you airing your grievances - but please PM us or better yet, e-mail us if you have a concern over a specific order.

For everyone waiting - the keys arrived a day early and we worked all morning to package and ship them out.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...Rotor_Keys.JPG


Apologies for the delay - but I hope they exceed expectations. :bowdown:

I'm not trying to mess with anyone's business and honestly, I was talking with my wife the other day and she said "What ever happened with that key?" and I said "What key?" Then she reminded me and I got a little eggy since there were no updates since I sent my money months ago and I almost forgot about it.

This is a legitimate issue, and if the tables were turned and I had a key since September (lets call September September) and you still had no money, I'm sure this conversation would be different.
This is the thread where all of our correspondence has taken place and I prefer to keep things public. I've been ripped off for thousands and thousands of dollars on this club and I'm over private messaging when it comes to that crpap.

You won't have to deal with me much longer because I'm thisclose to putting my FD up for sale. I'm SO sick of playing games like this and it's getting tougher and tougher to find honest people to work on it or even buy parts like a simple key. Even Atkins isn't flying straight anymore.

I never discounted your concerns and asked honest questions about your feelings of being ignored. I don't see an instance where we didn't reply to a question, including this one. We provided information we had, when we had it. Sometimes that was good news, sometimes that was bad news, but we provided it all the same, in a timely manner. The one thing we could have done better was update this specific thread as routinely as we updated Facebook and Instagram - but I guess it's just speaks more to the migration pattern of owners.

If you feel a delay on a brand new product is some sort of game or is akin to being ripped off, then that's where you lost me. If you are questioning our honesty because we provided answers and interaction at the level we did - then I'm not responding to that with any seriousness. The product wasn't advertised as 'order today and it'll ship today'. It was advertised as a pre-order with a 4-6 week ETA that ran over to 9 weeks due to manufacturing delays. A refund is ALWAYS an option, no questions asked - that's how we safeguard from being called some sort of ripoff.

If you checked your e-mail, the tracking number is there and has been since the 7th. Its en route and should be in your hands this weekend. Again, apologies for the delay and thanks for supporting a vendor out here trying to do things right.

Again, you said 30 days out. I sent my money. 30 days went by and no one updated me. I asked and you said Nov 24th plus a few days to ship it. I said OK the 30th? You said yes. No updates again until I asked over a week after it was supposed to be on my doorstep. This is a legitimate issue from a paying customer. .

If I'm treated right, I'll become a cheerleader, but like you said, it's a two way street.
https://www.rx7club.com/new-member-r.../#post12441798
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati.../#post12429371
https://www.rx7club.com/wheels-tires.../#post12426991

So what's the solution here? You want me to apologize for the delay again? Ok, here it goes. I'm sorry there was a delay on getting this shipped to you and everyone else that ordered. We estimated 4-6 weeks, I thought it would be closer to that. It took 9 weeks. I'm sincerely sorry.


BUT, the last post you made was about being ripped off for thousands of dollars and dishonesty. Neither of which I did.

The post you made before that was about being ignored and paying double the price. Neither of which I did.

At ANY time - you had the option of a refund. After your birthday, after you were told of the delay, even after you opened your door and the package wasn't on your doorstep.

There is NO question of if this project was delayed or not. It WAS. I laid out exactly WHY it was delayed to help and adjust expectations. But what I DIDN'T do was make off with your money and not deliver what was promised. NOR did I ignore you, NOR did I drop the price on the product before you got it as you claimed.

So again, I'm sorry this was delayed. You were sent tracking information for the order on Monday. If you get it and don't like it for any reason, I'll take it back. I'm really out of ideas on how to satisfy you as a customer.

It sounds like you no longer have the fortitude to own an FD. I would hate to see if Santa missed that one present you were expecting if you are this upset about a novelty key. A lot of what these businesses do for this small community are very small run, niche and custom products. As someone who myself works in a manufacturing setting(over 500,000sq ft) with Corona virus, election, etc I constantly see delays in shipping and even raw material suppliers. The bunks of wood we purchase raw went from 4 week lead time to 10. People are getting sick, scared to work, taking advantage of unemployment $, etc that is causing delays everywhere.

There are plenty of buyers out there so I am sure you can sell it quickly if your this upset about a key. I feel like Alpha has done a decent job of keeping everyone updated, always has great products and has offered to give you 100% of your money back. I dont know what further you expect from a business. Please send me the details of your FD as I know a few people that are interested in buying one.

California people... you can barely buy a decent meal out there for $150, try not to get ripped off on their $400 a night hotels.
You can buy a house & hunting/farming land for that cost per month in the Midwest.
Its surprising someone could be so impatient for a beautiful aftermarket titanium key on a 30 year old car.
I've had no problems with G Alpha customer service.

I'm over getting bullied. Please refund my money. It's not about the key, it's about the three month wait and the refusal to acknowledge any fault by the vendor. Now this clusterfuck of idiots attacking me for wanting what I paid for in September?

Who's bullying you? I apologized, and apologized again. I not only acknowledged fault - I explained the situation in detail... and apologized again.

I cannot control what other people are saying or if they see the situation differently from you. That's the reality of having the discussion on public forums, which you said is preferable to PMs due to having "been ripped off for thousands and thousands of dollars on this club and I'm over private messaging".

Refund is no problem at all. Just send the key back once it arrives. It left on the 7th but USPS is super slow right now. Keep an eye on the tracking and email or PM us... or post on here I guess... once it arrives and we can provide return instructions.

I really don't know where the anger is coming from.

i ll buy his key

I have amassed no shortage of contempt over the years for various vendors that service this platform. Having been around the bock a couple times here I believe I can read through the lines to understand why you're saying your upset. But I have to say this all reads like you're just tired of the game. And I don't mean 'getting jerked around'; I mean owning and modifying a 30 year old niche platform. To my eye, GA has demonstrated that tit is unequivocally one of the good ones. We're well into the era of crowdfunded production business models (which this technically isn't but I'd consider it an offshoot) and small independent vendors have never had a lower barrier to entry for bringing their ideas to market. This is ultimately good for everyone but often times the largest 'cost' in operating this way ends up being time. GA is a tiny operation putting out tiny production runs and as such, isn't on anyone's priority list and we all know this isn't in-house production. Managing all those moving parts, that you largely have very limited influence over (with a pandemic on top), is a lot of work and there is a lot of compromise associated with it. Due to all of this GA is destined to miss timelines and lets be honest - having our expectations met is a luxury our passion is rarely afforded.

In truth I think you already know all of this, which brings us back to the real reason you're upset..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_mentality

Its GA not some fly by night indiegogo campaign. When you run a niche batch of products shit happens in the supply chain sometimes. The fact they've been so transparent and able to get anything done with this and the carbon fiber cowl with everything that has thrown a wrench in pretty much every manufacturing/supply chain this year is nothing short of a miracle.

They've taken the time to answer you every time in this thread. Vendors don't have to do that. Shit, I've ordered stuff from BMR for my mustang and to this day 9 months later still have gotten no reply to any of my emails. The stuff just showed up on my doorstep 3-6 months after the fact. In fact one of the items has a proven manufacturing defect that is well discussed on one of the mustang forums, and I still can't get a response from them about whether or not mine is impacted and what they're going to do about it.

idk its all relative I guess but have some perspective. Any issue or delay I have had with a GA order they have jumped on and made it right ASAP. Their customer service is consistently amazing. Throwing unjustified shade around like this at a good vendor is how a community ends up with one less good vendor over time.

GA, my sincerest sympathies for the need for you to expend your valuable time explaining the basics of product development to the ill informed and impatient. I believe you have demonstrated the utmost in transparency and responsiveness that one could expect from any vendor in pursuit of delivering this product to the market. It should be recognized that from inception, through development, to delivery is fraught with unforeseen challenges, yet dispite these challenges you persevere. For this I thank you. Every new product from GA I have waited for patiently has been of superior quality and exceeded my expectations. It has ALWAYS been worth the wait. In fact I wait with baited breath for what you might bring to market next. Please do continue to serve our community with your niche products that no one else will deign to even consider developing. Please know that for every one dissatisfied "customer" (and I use the term loosely) there are "10" of us (or more) that are quite satisfied. And please do know, your candor and honesty is greatly appreciated. Keep doing what you do!
Regards,
~Crispy

Update, no update.
No key, no refund, no contact as of today, which is just about three months since I sent my money for a key that was advertised as "30 days out"


"Bent over backwards", right.

Sounds good. Just send me your 180 bucks and I'll send the key in 30 days or so. If you don't get it within three months, don't complain or you're a high schooler with no fortitude.

Remember about 10 years ago when I was selling my tail lights? I posted large clear pics of every side from every angle and you bought them. Once they arrived at your house, you found a broken tab. I refunded your money 100% and you kept the tails. Am I really that tough to deal with or is there an issue here?

Do you have a tracking number? Because it was emailed to you on December 7th when your key was shipped.

What exact contact would you like? You specifically said you didn’t want PMs and wanted to discuss this in public - so here we are.

If you are now angry about USPS delays, I can direct you to the USPS website. I can't promise they’ll be as responsive and interactive as I am.

I’m not going to post your tracking number here on the forums - but I will post the latest update.

”ALERT: USPS IS EXPERIENCING UNPRECEDENTED VOLUME INCREASES AND LIMITED EMPLOYEE AVAILABILITY DUE TO THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19. WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND REMAIN COMMITTED TO DELIVERING THE HOLIDAYS TO YOU.

December 17, 2020
In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.”

I’m really sorry this is adding to the hassle, again, not in my control. It’s also not just affecting you.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3gb...holidays-covid

Like I said - ship it back as soon as it arrives. ...or keep complaining. Up to you.

Yeah USPS isn't doing great right now. I've got a few packages that have been delivered to the wrong city 2 or 3 times now, and are still on the way to me (but extremely late)

Filed under "there's a first time for everything" - in three years of being in business - we received our FIRST PayPal charge back claim! :burn:

I guess it would happen eventually, but i also assumed it would be for something a bit more cut n dry. Even better, Natey had his wife do it for him. Very sweet. :inlove:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...les/PayPal.jpg

1) Julie claims the item is still in West Bloomfield MI. It is not. It was dropped off there on the 7th (as I said it was) and took a WEEK to move to the local distribution plant in Pontiac MI. On the 17th is was noted as In Transit and Delayed. If ANY of those things were in my control, trust me, I would have done things differently.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/00...S_Tracking.jpg

2) Julie has claimed I have been rude and a bully on the internet. I'm really sorry if you feel this way. I have not intended to be rude or a bully. I think all my responses have been apologetic and informative. I wish things would have been different - but I deal with reality as it is - not how I hope it to be.

As mentioned MULTIPLE times - a refund is ALWAYS an option. But PLEASE, don't ask for the refund AFTER it ships. I mean, it's still fine - you can return it - but it's WAY cleaner if you just make the decision for a refund rather than string out a series of posts asking "why hasn't this shipped" only to get a tracking number, and THEN file a PayPal claim due to a USPS shipping delay... during the holidays... during a pandemic. It all just lacks decorum, especially considering we're all members of a very small and very tight knit community and have been so for 15+ years.

If you REALLY think in all my responses my goal was to keep you money and leave you out to dry - I really don't know what to say. :dunno:


I guess that part has changed? :rolleyes:

Since this is your first chargeback claim I'll give you some unsolicited advice. Print this thread and any other communications from him and provide it on the paypal case/dispute. Also provide the tracking number if Paypal doesn't already have it. Make sure the include/highlight the product page that describes this as a pre-order.

Then call support and get through to a person and explain the situation. 99/100 times they will resolve the dispute in your (the sellers) favor if you have this documentation. It will also (deservedly) flag his account for abusing the chargeback mechanism.

This is cut and dry chargeback abuse. You've (publicly) tried to resolve the issue with him and they key is clearly in the hands of USPS at this point. I've only seen one person attempt to be a bully here and its not you :dunno:

16+ years of ownership and community participation and the straw that broke the wife's back was a $180 key. Wow.

$165*

I'll buy it for $200 if GA will put it in a commemorative plaque.

This key specifically when you finally get it back from the return. I'm not interested in the normal, non-cursed key product. I need this specific one that causes temporary insanity.

I work for plant logistics for USPS. Let me know if I can help as I can see more data on our internal site. Detroit has been impacted with parcel processing delays as covered on our daily HQ calls.

Natey - honestlya, a key being produced and shipped later from a great company shouldn’t be that big of a deal as this thread makes it sounds.

Sincerely,

Tim.

Be careful what you offer. I have about two dozen tracking numbers I’ll send you that I can’t make heads or tails of. :banghead:

If it’s ok with Nate - I’ll send you his for more insights. Or I guess he can reach out. :dunno:

Honestly - I really appreciate the offer. Very kind of you. :icon_tup:

Send them, be glad to try and help!