Brook Willard's FMJ now shipping...

[Christopher Barrett]

I recently picked up the FMJ bottom plate / 15mm LW Mount. Any idea if there will be changes to these? I don't believe the bottom of the camera is changing...

 

[Mark Toia]

Stand by guys, nobody's gonna get screwed.

Brook, I'm not worried,
I have got a top plate for my EPIC... and it works. Im sure you will make top plates for the X as well....

I don't know why people are worried.

But if RED recall our M's and put new tops on them.. then... maybe a tiny bit worried.

But love your gear none the less.

Will stand by for updates . ))))))

 

[Ken Willinger]

Stand by guys, nobody's gonna get screwed.

Thanks Brook, you da man!

 

[Bob Moore]

I certainly didn't mean that you or Curt were screwing anyone. You have been more than upfront and the product is exceptional.

I agree...I had ordered a FMJ and when I saw the discussion contacted Brook and View Factor Studios and put my order on hold until this all panned out.

Looking forward to the updated top.

Bob

 

[Mark Pedersen]

Brooke,

So, does the FMJ fit the Epic X without modification? Will you have a bottom plate that drops into the EPIC quickplate? Also hope it would have a 15mm lightweight rod option like the assault plate.

M

 

[Brook Willard]

The FMJ-Top for the Epic-M does not fit the Epic-X. A new plate to fit the Epic-X is right around the corner, as is a process to help people transition. Since all Epic-Ms will eventually be updated to the Epic-X design, people will be able to make the transition to the new top plate when it suits them. Details forthcoming.

The rest of the FMJ will work with the Epic-X without any issues. All of the parts will also continue to function with the new Epic-X FMJ-Top.

I am no longer planning a bottom plate that fits into the Epic DSMC QR sliding baseplate because RED already offers this product as the Modular Assault Plate. I initially posted a rendering of such a baseplate and made several prototypes but decided to cancel the product when I saw that RED was making their own!

For those who want a side cheese plate without using the sidearms [which currently require the FMJ-Top and FMJ-Bottom for support], the Stealth Plate is the easiest, fastest and lightest option available.

The combination of the FMJ-Bottom and FMJ-LW15 parts provide lightweight 15mm iris rod support. They have been shipping for many, many months and the design is quite familiar to many.

Stay tuned for pictures of the new Epic-X top plate and relevant details for Epic-M owners.

 

[Rocco Schult]

Hey Brook,

great stuff here and buying in into your system is basically no question, but...:
Is there a way to combine the FMJ with REDs QUICK RELEASE PLATFORM ?
To kind of get both, the cake and the money ?
From what I can get, it seems you have your bottom plate which can't be used at the same time as REDs, err, assault plate.

...

Cheers

 

[Jonathan Stevenson]

I am no longer planning a bottom plate that fits into the Epic DSMC QR sliding baseplate because RED already offers this product as the Modular Assault Plate. I initially posted a rendering of such a baseplate and made several prototypes but decided to cancel the product when I saw that RED was making their own!

Little bummed about this. I was hoping to have a bottom plate that works with Red QR, has a mounting point for the 15mm rods, AND has mounting points for the FMJ side arms...

Just sayin'

 

[Curt von Badinski]

great stuff here and buying in into your system is basically no question, but...:
Is there a way to combine the FMJ with REDs QUICK RELEASE PLATFORM ?

Its doable as long as you don't expect the offset from the rods on the hybrid system to be correct. The FMJ-BOTTOM adds about 1/2" to the height so and 19mm or 15mm studio accessories will not work. The best we can do on that front is to add another 3/8-16 hole on the bottom of the FMJ-BOTTOM to allow you to bolt the Red QR plate to it.

Little bummed about this. I was hoping to have a bottom plate that works with Red QR, has a mounting point for the 15mm rods, AND has mounting points for the FMJ side arms...

The design of the Red QR system makes the side arms completely impossible to integrate with the QR plate. There is too much material all around the plate to actually get any mounting points in place for the lower portion of the side arms. We will eventually offer side arms that do not require the FMJ-BOTTOM... in that case it will work with the Red QR plate.

 

[Chris Zamoscianyk]

I have the top and bottom plate but didn't buy the side arms. On my ET baseplate (15mm studio) the locking mechanism would hit the side arms and not lock. the VF peeps were looking into a fix. Is this problem resolved?

Other than that, the top and bottom plates are amazing.

 

[Brook Willard]

Little bummed about this. I was hoping to have a bottom plate that works with Red QR, has a mounting point for the 15mm rods, AND has mounting points for the FMJ side arms...

Just sayin'

Unfortunately they would interfere with the QR mechanism on the DSMC baseplate. The Stealth Plate is the best option for now.

That said, I am still planning cantilevered sidearms - sidearms that attach to the top plate but do not require the bottom plate. Working out the balance between strength and weight right now but they'll arrive when they're ready!

 

[Christian Pfeil]

Hey Brook,

great stuff here and buying in into your system is basically no question, but...:
Is there a way to combine the FMJ with REDs QUICK RELEASE PLATFORM ?
To kind of get both, the cake and the money ?
From what I can get, it seems you have your bottom plate which can't be used at the same time as REDs, err, assault plate.

...

Cheers

...1+
very good question, that's what I'm looking for aswell.
thanks for answer.

 

[Brook Willard]

Here are the two best options:

Currently shipping:

Stealth Plate

Shipping in the future [old proto rendering]:

Cantilevered sidearms

The design has changed a bit. This, when combined with RED's Modular Assault Plate, will give the functionality people are hunting for.

 

[Jonathan Stevenson]

Unfortunately they would interfere with the QR mechanism on the DSMC baseplate. The Stealth Plate is the best option for now.

That said, I am still planning cantilevered sidearms - sidearms that attach to the top plate but do not require the bottom plate. Working out the balance between strength and weight right now but they'll arrive when they're ready!

Ah! Forgot about the cantilevered ones you were developing. Seems like a nice happy medium

FYI, can't wait for the new FMJ for my Epic-X which should arrive in a few weeks!

 

[Jarek Zabczynski]

That said, I am still planning cantilevered sidearms - sidearms that attach to the top plate but do not require the bottom plate. Working out the balance between strength and weight right now but they'll arrive when they're ready!

Since they attach only at one point on the top plate, have you considered the sidearm branching off to two mounting points on the top plate? I can see situations where many of us only need one sidearm. Having a really strong one that mounts in two points would be great.

 

[Curt von Badinski]

Since they attach only at one point on the top plate, have you considered the sidearm branching off to two mounting points on the top plate? I can see situations where many of us only need one sidearm. Having a really strong one that mounts in two points would be great.

Yes. The plan is to use two mounting holes... The render is old and was when we were going to have grips around the castle features.

BTW, If anyone wants to mount their Red QR plate, you can drill out the center 1/4-20 hole on the FMJ-Bottom and tap it with a 3/8-16 thread. That will give you two positions that you can use to mount the QR plate.

 

[Dave Weber]

Any word on the FMJ for Epic X ?

 

[Brook Willard]

We're in late prototyping. I'll announce the program to update M plates to X plates this weekend or early next week.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

We're in late prototyping. I'll announce the program to update M plates to X plates this weekend or early next week.

Great work Brook, I like this new design even better.. if that is possible he he.

BTW, in preparation of "Rape of a Beauty" 3D, I'll love to stop by and visit you on "Gatsby 3D" set if I make it out of Milan before you guys are done shooting...

 

[Peter Lyons Collister ASC]

Brook,

You have nothing to do down there but quote F. Scott Fitzgerald and drink Fosters. So why is soooo hard to modify your design and get it out.

(can you tell you are missed north of the equator?)

Peter