137 - BUSTER BALLOON'S BUBBLE PRINCESS CASTLE

Started by Areyouhappydad, December 19, 2014, 12:25:44 PM

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Areyouhappydad

Ok, so I guess a lot of you have seen this out there. I have not done any work with the qualatex bubbles but could see the potential in the design (possibly even without the bubble).
The structure of this design is such that a change in colour or addition of a little detail here and there can completely change the look of the castle.
I went for a Frozen themed castle as it is my daughters birthday in a couple of days. The bubble is in the post and will hopefully arrive in time. Since the structure really does not depend on the bubble (other than for potential sizing) I decided to start the review. I will add a further photo once the bubble arrives (if it arrives in the christmas post).
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

Areyouhappydad

#1
As always with a Buster or a Brenion video, the quality is top notch and the sound is very clear. It is $20, so at the higher end of the price bracket for a single tutorial. The video is instantly viewable once payment has been made. http://www.balloon-animals.com/catalog/ ... ucts_id=94
I do prefer video instructions over PDF purely for the visual confirmation of inflation sizes. I find this important because when fingers or hands are used as measurements, it can be very different from person to person.
Buster does use hand measurements but for most of the video also gives measurements n approximate inches to assist those without Buster size hands.
There are a good number of 350's used in this design so make sure you have enough before starting out.
I chose blue and purple for my castle with white turrets.
This is definitely a delivery piece rather than a stand and produce at a party, though the process is actually rather straight forward if you have some experience (particularly with making a bubble in the bottom of a 5inch round).
I think this is something that I will use again and again and whilst he $20 price tag is a bit higher than other single design instructionals,  you will soon see a return on your investment. I often see a design in like and try to replicate it but in this case, I reckon I would not have achieved the desired look without the video.
This is a great party add on and I recommend this to add to your collection.
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

nippy99

#2
Hi Stuart, I have just finished making these and will post a review shortly - it will be good to compare! The customer reaction is brilliant but sizing is key. It looks like you have followed the instructions carefully, but like me, your base is too wide!  More to follow...

If you look at my facebook page you can see my attempt.
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Areyouhappydad

#3
Hi Darren,
I agree, it would be good to read your thoughts on it. The base is too wide and is something I certainly need to adjust next time. I do wonder if a different colour would have given different results (I know some do seem to be longer than others). I stretched the heck out of he top balloon to try and get the same size so definitely the bottom ones I need to make smaller.
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

Areyouhappydad

#4
Just checked your facebook Darren and I like it. It definitely is better for making the base a little less wide. I can't wait to add the bubble balloon when it arrives
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

nippy99

#5
BUBBLE PRINCESS CASTLE v1

Thanks to Stuart for starting this review - I agree the quality of the video and sound is first rate and Buster is an excellent teacher.

The bubble princess design uses a Qualatex Bubble at its core to build various character themed castles. This is a brilliant way of presenting a Qualatex Bubble to your customer. The bubble can be air filled (as in Buster's instructions) or potentially helium filled so your customer can remove it if required to display as a separate item.

In a recent Facebook post there was a balloon 'artist' complaining that a local bargain store was knocking out helium filled bubbles for much less than they were selling them. This is the perfect way to upsell a bubble. No way will your local Clinton Cards be able to produce these...

Sizing the base 646Q bubbles to the correct size is critical. Buster uses his hands and fingers to 'size' the balloons and as a result my first design was too wide at the bottom. I had to remake it again which actually looks a whole lot better.

The Qualatex Bubble sits snugly - I have yet to see how well it stays in place when in the hands of a child. I will test this on Sunday! To be honest when I first made the design I wasn't very impressed - not sure why - but the reaction from customers has been brilliant. If only I could get my hands on a Frozen bubble!

Once you have made the first one to the correct side you should be able to produce these fairly quickly.

At a rough guess each design will cost around £2.50 to £3 in materials to make - not sure what you can sell them for... I bought a big batch of bubbles so will try to make all the variations on Buster's video.

[attachment=0:2ohl179v][/attachment]771-busterprincesscastle.jpg[/attachment:2ohl179v]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Areyouhappydad

#6
The cost is where a hobbyist like myself comes undone. I bought a frozen bubble on ebay for a little over £3. Where do you buy your bubbles from Darren? Off to look at the link at the top of the page to see if Graham sells them.
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

Graham Lee

#7
We have a few here under balloon accessories, need to have a bubbles button added, http://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk/ballo ... cessories/
"Lets Improve Our Art"
Balloon Excellence 2012 Award Winner
For Services to the Balloon Community.
https://www.balloonartwholesale.co.uk
http://www.sempertexballoons.co.uk

Areyouhappydad

#8
Thanks Graham  :)
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

nippy99

#9
I got them from upupandaway - crap service but needs must unfortunately.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Areyouhappydad

#10
Hi Darren,
Try dreemway.co.uk I have used them once or twice and just looked at their bubbles and they seem very reasonable.
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

Areyouhappydad

#11
Ok, so the bubble came today. They are really solid and rather cool balloons.
It fitted well between top and bottom, but as discussed, I will have to make the base narrower next time to allow the sides to be brought closer to the bubble.
The look is impressive and it has already got great comments. If you want to add value and a wow factor to a bubble, then this is for you.
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!

nippy99

#12
Looks good Stuart - if you are brave (like me) have a go at deflating your 646s a little to make them smaller without having to re-make the entire design - it worked for me. I gave away my first castle at the weekend and as expected... the bubble popped out of position!

I am planning to make another one tonight so will tie the bottom of the bubble into the base.

p.s. you did well to find the frozen balloon - a lot of places have sold out of those ones.
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

nippy99

#13
MERMAID CASTLE

The same design as before but with a different bubble and colours. This time around I ignored Buster's sizing and built the castle around the bubble balloon. The end result was so much better.

When I was at an event a few days ago my first princess castle was accidentally lit up by my laser - it made for a brilliant centre display. I have just posted a video of this mermaid castle lit up the same on my Facebook page. Take a look...

https://www.facebook.com/magicworks.ltd.uk

[attachment=0:tqo6w6z3][/attachment]mermaid-castle-bc.jpg[/attachment:tqo6w6z3]
Darren Atkins
MagicWorks Ltd


Twitter :
@magicworksltd

Areyouhappydad

#14
I took your advice Darren and adjusted the bottom balloons. It looks so much better now despite the bad, grainy photo
Kindest Regards
Stuart

We all have our cross to bear, but some of us need more wood than others!