LOHAN Kickstarter bid IS GO: Back our Vulture 2 spaceplane launch

We're excited to announce that the Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) Kickstarter campaign, which will fund the relocation of our audacious ballocket mission launch to Spaceport America, is now live. Following the reveal of our substantial mugs earlier today, we've given in to reader browbeating and have added an …

[Vic]

Make it live!

I want to get my paws on some of those goodies!

Vic.

[Lester Haines]

Re: Make it live!

We're just going through a few final steps...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Make it live!

Ebay after the launch!!

[Vortex]

Starting price too low?

Entry point should be a tenner, IMO.

Also I rather fancy an engraved tankard. How about some kind of *multisave* (2 for £60 maybe), so you can toast progress with a friend. You could call it "A nice pair of jugs".

[Lester Haines]

Re: Starting price too low?

Well, there's no harm in having the fiver option I reckon. Yup, the magnificent pair of jugs option has, er, legs

[Anomalous Cowturd]

Target too high?

Thirty grand?!

That's five grand a head for a team of six.

Are you going for a month?

Or flying business class and staying at five star hotels?

Or just planning on running up a mahoosive bar bill?

[Lester Haines]

Re: Target too high?

Take out the spaceport fees, kickstarter fees, the cost of the merchandise...

[Anomalous Cowturd]

Re: Target too high?

So how much is Dicky B charging you to let your balloon take off from his bit of Murrica?

And what's wrong with just driving to an empty bit, and letting it go from there? They have quite a lot of it over there you know.

Or just smuggle the fucker into Spain, and lie about the motor if customs pull you.

God, I'm a tight bastard.

:oD

[Vic]

Re: Target too high?

Take out the spaceport fees, kickstarter fees, the cost of the merchandise

Have you let the local Jobsworth know how much cash is going into a different economy as a result of his intransigence?

Vic.

[Lester Haines]

Re: Re: Target too high?

It's in the email I have prepared for him after the event ;-)

[Pete 2]

Tax attacks

> Take out the spaceport fees, kickstarter fees, the cost of the merchandise...

Wottabout taxes?

If this undertaking is being done under the auspices of El Reg (presumably already VAT registered) then won't there be VAT on the merch you sell. And maybe come corporation tax on the rest? (IANAA, but you'd already guessed that!).

If you're doing this in a personal capacity, what's your income tax situation. As for going to the USA on a commercial venture ... Does that need a visa? And I'd love to see your travel insurance application: "Oh yes, we want medical cover to go the the USA to launch a rocket ... "

[Pet Peeve]

Re: Target too high?

I'm kind of hoping they can sneak in Ariadne and dad too. Stretch goal!

I don't normally support kickstarters that aren't really kickstarting something (like a company or product line), but Lester's antics have been quite entertaining over the years, so why not. Buying a glass so I can raise a pint to 'em on launch day.

[JennyL]

Mention PARIS

You have successful form in the space plane arena, make sure that gets a mention. That way any non Reg reader can invest with more confidence.

[Lester Haines]

Re: Mention PARIS

Yes, I've had a couple of emails to that effect. I'll add a section about PARIS.

[meh1010]

:)

I think live now?

[Lester Haines]

Re: :)

It is. Bloody hell!

[Vic]

Re: :)

> It is

Good show that man!

Vic.

[Shippwreck1]

Engraved Tankards...

Any pictures available of the engraved tankards?

It's not that I doubt the quality of any work done by you guys, but it's nice to see what kind of receptical i'm getting for £40... ;-)

GOOD LUCK!

[Lester Haines]

Re: Engraved Tankards...

Fair enough - I'm on the case

[Eugene Crosser]

typo

Just a nitpick: it says "Ad Adstra Tabernamque" near the bottom of the kickstarter page.

[Lester Haines]

Re: typo

Well spotted. Sorted now.

[paultnl]

Good value for £40

I got the glass! Good luck with the project.

[Lester Haines]

Re: Good value for £40

Nice one. Cheers.

[Peter Simpson 1]

Done!

Eagerly awaiting my pint glass.

Good luck to you all!

[Mr_Pitiful]

Hmmm

Just trying to decide what to tell the wife I'm buying into.

She doesn't like letting off rockets with our 7yo at the best of times!

Couldn't you do a "appears on CC bill as strip club" or something?

[Swarthy]

I want the glass!

But I think I'll have to settle for a mug. It would be ...difficult to explain to SWMBO that I drpped ~$74 for a pint glass (and a good cause). ~$35 on a coffee mug (and good cause), she may be more forgiving of.

[Lester Haines]

Re: I want the glass!

Understood. Thanks for your support and we'll lift a glass or two in your honour.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd pay why?

You've kept this project going in Spain as the PP has fucked all of us over, totally.

Now you want money to fly to the USA??

Seriously??

Na, not happening.

[Lester Haines]

Re: I'd pay why?

Well, it will happen. Hardly our fault Spanish bureaucracy screwed us over, and for the record I'd much prefer to do it on my home turf. So na, na yeah.

[cookieMonster]

In for a Euro mission patch

Best of luck Lester..

[Lester Haines]

Re: In for a Euro mission patch

Good man. Cheers.

[Anonymous Coward]

Suggested per-donor is $100. Required donation to cover only non-alcoholic expenses is $5.87.

[Lester Haines]

That's a little unkind. More like $6.32.

[Robert Masters]

Woohoo!

Proud to claim "first buy" on the patch line.

Good luck, gentlefolk! Oh, and Lester.

[Anonymous Coward]

I popped for the North American mission patch

Since I am already overrun with coffee mugs and t-shirts.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Airfix Model?

When is the Airfix model coming out?

[Lester Haines]

Re: Airfix Model?

It's a lovely idea.

[John Brown (no body)]

Congratulation to the SPB team...

...you just got me to put money up for the first time for a kickstarter project.

Wifey thinks it's a lot for "just a pint glass" but I know it's a special piece of memorabilia hewn from the living crystal that can only ever be a valuable investment in the advancement of human science and drinking.

[Lester Haines]

Re: Congratulation to the SPB team...

Exactly. Living crystal is hewn and the world is a better place. Cheers.

[Bill B]

Have you done your usual thorough research into the move? Rumour has it that the States is a no (good) beer zone. Tea might be in short supply as well.

[Lester Haines]

In typical Brit style we'll be taking our own tea. Regarding beer, when in Rome and all that...

[Vic]

Rumour has it that the States is a no (good) beer zone.

Although it's good to take the piss whenever possible, some of the best beers I've had lately have been from the USA. There *are* excellent brewers over there.

That said, the amount of good beer available pales into insignificance alongside the vast quantity of undrinkable horse piss they usually sell :-(

Vic.

[Pet Peeve]

As in most places, drinking shitty beer is entirely a choice. And it's a bad, stupid, and incomprehensible choice in the US, where for every tap with the bad stuff, there's always great stuff right next to it. And please choose it - most of the US would be fine telling you not to give any money to the Bud/Coors piss industrial complex. The US generally doesn't do bitter, but for everything else, we've got you covered.

I will also note - I've been on your side of the pond, and I found some atrociously bad beer amongst the great beers, including one that gave me a raging headache halfway through the first pint. What in the name of all that's unholy does Brains put in their beer? Ground glass?

Anyway, looks like the kickstarter is moving well. Hope it works out!

[Vic]

What in the name of all that's unholy does Brains put in their beer?

There's a reason Brains SA is known as "Skull Attack"...

Vic.

[Isabello]

Beer

On my first visit to New York last year I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the US mircro-brewery scene is very active. I drank some great beers, including bitters, in Brooklyn.

You have my thruppny worth - well 20 quid for the mug actually. It'll look great next to my vi reference mug :D

[Steve Davies 3]

Re: Beer

There are some great beers BUT BUT BUT

For a head brewer to say that a beer is ok to drink when it is really cloudy with yeast is beyond the pale.

He was proud of his un-pasteurised, un-filtered beer but had never thought about letting a barrel settle before tapping into it.

Words failed me.

{happened in a town in Colorado last May}

[The First Dave]

So, name me a good 80' (that's "Eighty Shilling") that's available in the US

[shyted]

Err, I want a tshirt and a tankard, but apparently can only back a project once?

[Lester Haines]

Yes, I find that a little strange. Kind of thought you'd be able to pick multiple rewards.

[ibchristian]

... any suggestions as to how to circumvent this issue? I've put in for the £200 package but then couldn't add additional packages... must have at least two tankards!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

The Spanish government should be shamed into action

Their lazy, corrupt officials are a disgrace.

[AutonomousCustard]

Small price to pay

I've signed up for a mug, but don't feel like one; it's a small price to pay for the enjoyment and mirth that the SPB has brought over the years.

[paultnl]

Half the tankards gone already!

[Anonymous Coward]

@Paultnl

Imagine what the demand would be if the tankards came pre-filled!!

(I'd have bought a tankard, but it seems they drive on the wrong side of the pond)

[KrisMac]

Another Excuse for an elReg Launch Party?

I was lucky enough to get to the Aussie Register Launch Party and meet the Vulture South crew.... ('nuff said, headache lasted the weekend...)

Now that I'm standing by the letter box eagerly awaiting my LOHAN Pint Pot I'm thinking that getting like-minded individuals into a bar with their respective LOHAN Loot in tow to watch the launch live and toast the accent might be an entirely different, (but appropriate) excuse for a Launch Event all on its own?

Oh bugger... now I will have to watch the mailbox for my invitation to a party as well.... hadn't thought of that...

[A K Stiles]

add-ons

It should be possible to add the options to acquire stickers / patches / mugs / tankards to your pledge - I know the Elite: Dangerous guys managed it anyway.

It would be appreciated as I've realised my sub doesn't include a tankard (I think) and I'd quite like one, but don't want to reduce my pledge to your beer fund this fabulous project

[Lester Haines]

Re: add-ons

I've been having a look and Kickstarter says: "On Kickstarter, it is only possible to pledge to each project once from a single account. Accordingly, backers can only choose one reward tier per pledge. However, you can change your pledge amount and reward selection for as long as a project is live."

[A K Stiles]

Re: add-ons

I think it was some mechanism around over-pledging (pledge more than the chosen reward level), then requesting the extra goodies from a price-list

e.g. select a £40 pledge level, but pledge £60 quid and ask for £20 worth of patches / stickers etc.

No idea how complicated it is to manage though - only ever played from this side of the KS fence.

[no-one in particular]

Re: add-ons

There isn't any KS-approved mechanism for handling add-ons: I know that a lot of projects do them but then they tend to use a third-party post-KS site (BackerKit, PledgeManager, AfterTheCrowd) - and pay them fees as well - or set all the pledgers up with an account on their own online shopping site; or they just get into a terrible mess, have KS surveys that are incomprehensible...

But you can add on tier pledges just to provide a few more combos - eg, how about a mug plus a tee-shirt, for those whose unfortunate circumstances mean a tankard wouldn't get much use?

[AstroNutter]

Bottoms up!

Just pledged, for an exclusive glass. It is a required item needed to raise a pint at all the hard work.

(register needs a photo of a pint in a Lohan glass to replace the beer icon)