Project Lab Coat
What is Project Lab Coat?
Project Lab Coat (or “PLC”) was a moment of self-reflection, and asking ourselves, “Are our discs currently the best that they truly can be?” As we reflected deeply and critically on our product line as a whole, we came to the conclusion that there are indeed some things we can do to make our discs better.
We believe that visual excellence should match performance. Accordingly, we took a critical look at our stock stamps. Most of the stock stamps in the MVP & Axiom lineup are close to 10-15 years old. They were great at the time. However, over the years, we have continued to push the bar higher in stamp design, and a lot has changed in the last decade. Our industry-leading multi-foil stamping capability has been the pillar of pushing the limits in stamp design over the last decade. Despite this progress, many of our stock stamps actually predate this period of advancing capability.
These circumstances made it obvious to us that the majority of our stock stamps deserve to be the best that they can be. Accordingly, the majority of our stock stamps will be refreshed with a new design that encompasses the beauty of multi-stamping capability.
As part of this same commitment to making every aspect of our discs the best they can be, we also took a hard look at the visual standards that define the MVP Disc Sports brand. The look of the black rim has been iconic for MVP, and keeping that focus on consistency is paramount. That concept is at the core of everything for the MVP Disc Sports brand. When it comes to plastic, flight, and the overall look – it’s all about consistency. As the MVP Disc Sports brand evolved with additional plastic technologies, including Eclipse and R2 Neutron plastic, a white rim standard was adopted for those plastic types for visual and functional reasons.
During our moment of self-reflection, we have also come to the realization that the MVP Disc Sports lineup is better represented with a white GYRO rim standard across all of its plastic lines, not just Eclipse and R2 Neutron. Accordingly, we will be making this change in the MVP Disc Sports lineup for all production starting in 2026 and beyond.
We feel that it is important to preserve the foundation that we have built for the MVP Disc Sports and Axiom Discs lineups. The precedent set forth in the MVP Disc Sports identity is the “consistent look and feel.” In fact, this is the very reason we chose to develop Axiom Discs as a separate brand when we wanted to explore making prettier discs with greater emotional appeal. We have since maintained this premise between our two GYRO brands, and we will continue to preserve the identity of both brands with this new standard.
In summary, Project Lab Coat is our commitment to ensuring MVP and Axiom discs fully represent the best of what they can be today, not what made sense a decade ago.
Why did we choose white as the standard color for the GYRO rim in the MVP Disc Sports line?
We first want to answer this with an explanation of why MVP Disc Sports currently has black as the standard color for the GYRO rim. In the beginning, MVP Disc Sports was established in 2010 as a part-time gig for founders Chad and Brad Richardson. Brad was still a senior in high school, and Chad was just starting college for a career path unrelated to MVP Disc Sports. It was pursued more as a hobby than an intended career path. Accordingly, the company operated with minimal starting capital and partnered with their father’s injection molding company in the early years to build its product line.
With the exception of the early First Run Ion, we realized that the only practical option was a standard color rim for every run that we did. The production facility we were working with simply didn’t have the type of equipment required to produce such a large variety of colors for a small-scale startup, nor were we certain to invest in such equipment when the company was so young. It was simply a choice of practicality in the early days of the company.
As disc golf has grown over the years, media production and visual appeal of the product has become increasingly important for the brand’s visibility. We wanted to make sure that MVP Disc Sports preserves its visual spotlight in a way that doesn’t change its identity. During our moments of self-reflection, we realized that adopting a white rim as the standard was the best way to accomplish this. Its proven track record over many years in the Axiom line and select MVP plastics made it a clear choice as the new standard.
The adoption of a standard white GYRO rim also provides a strong functional benefit of visibility during disc golf play. A white rim on a Proton disc also enhances not only the visibility of the rim, but also enhances the optical glow effect that Proton plastic is capable of. You can expect to see a greater selection of options in Proton plastic in its best and brightest form.
Should we expect any changes in the plastic or flight of the discs?
No changes are being made to the flight or plastic of the discs. All discs will continue to be produced in the same molds in the same plastic in the same production facility in Marlette, MI.
All of the changes taking place in Project Lab Coat are solely a visual refresh of the MVP Disc Sports and Axiom Discs lineups.
Will every stock stamp be changing?
We intend to upgrade most stock stamps, but not all.
Some of our stock stamps already are quite modern and sleek, and therefore, they will remain unchanged. Some examples include MVP Eclipse, Axiom Eclipse, Axiom Total Eclipse, Simon Line Discs, and James Conrad Line.
Some of our stock stamps will be undergoing some minor refinements, but conceptually remain the same. Some examples include MVP Fission and MVP Plasma.
Other stock stamps will be completely overhauled with a fresh concept, which includes MVP Neutron, MVP Cosmic Neutron, MVP Proton, MVP Electron, Axiom Neutron, Axiom Proton, and Axiom Electron.
The redevelopment of our stock stamps has been a months-long process that is still being worked on. Further updates about other stock stamps will be provided in the coming months as we roll out our refreshed lineup.
Will there be any changes to the lineup itself?
A big part of our Project Lab Coat self-reflection was a critical look at our current catalog of stock items. Frankly, many products that were popular 10-15 years ago are not as popular as they are today. Additionally, many products in our lineup have become more popular in recent years. Accordingly, as we roll out the refreshed lineup, there will be a shift in the plastic options offered in each mold.
In general, our more popular models will see more plastic options offered, and our less popular models will see less plastic options offered. Some exceptions do apply, such as models with technical limitations in certain plastics or athlete lines of discs that follow a different contractual standard.
Overall, we intend to keep the refreshed lineup no larger than the existing lineup of stock models, as we feel it’s important not to overwhelm retailers with too many options to keep in stock. At the same time, we also felt it was important to ensure that the lineup in general consisted of options with greater turnover so that retailers are not sitting on slow-moving inventory.
Will I still be able to purchase discs with a Black GYRO Rim?
We recognize that many fans with MVP Discs in their bag appreciate the “consistent look” in their bag or may simply prefer the traditional look of a black rim in general. Therefore, we intend to start including black rims in the large gamut of colors offered in the Axiom Discs lineup. In other words, anyone with this preference can rest assured that they can still find black rimmed GYRO Discs as a stock offering.
One thing we’re particularly excited about with this new standard is that black tends to swirl very nicely in the overmold, and we now can do so in a way that doesn’t break any rules to our brand standards, as black rims previously weren’t a production standard for Axiom Discs.
MVP Discs will solely be produced with a white GYRO rim in all runs starting in 2026 and beyond.
When can we expect the new lineup to roll out?
Our lineup of mold and plastic options is substantial. The process of restocking our full lineup with the refreshed lineup will take several months. However, we expect to restock dozens of items every month throughout the season until our refreshed lineup has been fully launched.
The PLC release schedule will largely be prioritized by popularity, so the more popular models will see their refresh earlier in the year rather than later.
Rest assured that we are just as eager as you are to roll out the new PLC lineup in full as quickly as possible.
Will Pre-PLC or “The Classics” be discounted?
Not immediately. Retailers have been restocking a lot from our “Classic” lineup in recent months. In order to protect the investment retailers have made in our products, the current MAP policy will remain in effect for those products. Furthermore, The “Classics” still exhibit the same great performance of today’s standards; their distinction is solely visual.
We anticipate some discounts to take place in later quarters this year, but the availability of items will be more limited as these discounts take effect.
If there are any items in the Classic lineup that are important for your game, they are readily available at most retailers that carry MVP products, as our inventory of “The Classics” is currently quite healthy. This was an intentional effort to ensure the Project Lab Coat refresh is as smooth a transition as possible, both for retailers and customers.
Will the Streamline Discs lineup be seeing any changes?
We do not intend to make any changes to Streamline Stock stamps in 2026, but we certainly won’t rule out any changes in future years. We see it as likely that we will do a similar self-reflection of the Streamline brand in future years. However, since the Streamline lineup was conceived in the era of our multi-foil stamping capability, it was less of a priority to refresh at this time. We will continue to focus our efforts on the two GYRO brands in 2026.
