THE END
PART II (PRELUDE)
BATCH II

RELEASE INFORMATION

30 JUNE 2023

99.99 USD

7068 ALUMINIUM

38 IT’S IT (LIGHT ORANGE), 44 VALENCIA (DARK ORANGE), 28 EETSIT AND 6 POPCORN EDITIONS MADE

Diameter 52mm, Width 40mm, Gap 4.4mM

65.5G

M4 x 10mm axle

CONCAVE C bearinG

19MM TYPE 40 LANDING PADS RESPONSE

The original End was conceived by yo-yo legends Doc Pop and Phil Cox of Yes, Absolutely, then brought to life through the machining expertise of Nick Corea. The result possessed an elusive quality that cannot be fully expressed through specifications or CAD drawings. It simply had “it”. The End Part II followed in 2021 as a collaboration between RSO and Yes, Absolutely. Released in two runs-Prelude and Finale-it preserved the spirit of the original while addressing many of the limitations associated with its earlier construction.

Both versions quickly became highly sought after. Although Finale moved closer to the specifications of the original End, many players developed a particular preference for Prelude and its distinctive play character. Prelude Batch II returns to that version-but its story began alongside the first batch two years earlier.

The halves used for Batch II were originally machined in 2021 alongside the acid-wash Preludes.

They were intended for several additional colourways, including a splash finish. Unfortunately, the splash did not turn out as planned. The affected halves were stripped and re-anodized in two shades of orange. The new finishes were beautiful, but stripping and re-anodizing had slightly altered the bearing seats, making the yo-yos unusually difficult to assemble. The Eetsit colourway suffered from similar anodizing flaws and underwent the same process, with the same consequence.

After considerable effort, my machinist and I concluded that assembling the remaining halves was no longer practical. A separate production run was commissioned at a substantial premium. That run became Finale and provided an opportunity to refine the CAD further, bringing The End Part II closer to the proportions of its predecessor. The unused Prelude halves were expected to be discarded.

That should have been the end of them.

Two years later, an unexpected message arrived from my machinist. The Prelude halves had never been disposed of. They were still sitting in the factory, unassembled and largely forgotten. Doc Pop and I quickly met over Zoom and agreed to recover whatever could still be completed. A fresh batch of bearings was obtained, and an extensive process of swapping and matching halves began.

Assembly required patience. Many combinations were tested before acceptable pairs could be found. The completed A-grades play exceptionally well, although a very slight trace of vibration may be detectable when they are spun aggressively. It is subtle enough that Doc Pop did not notice it when he first received the yo-yos-although, admittedly, I had not warned him beforehand. Only approximately half of the completed yo-yos qualified as numbered A-grades. The B-grades are distinguished by a “Yes, Absolutely” engraving. The red-and-white splash halves presented the greatest challenge. Their anodizing flaws were sufficiently severe that only a handful could be completed as A-grades.

Prelude Batch II is not a recreation or a newly machined reissue. Its halves belong to the original 2021 Prelude production and retain the same CAD, specifications and fundamental play character.

At 52mm in diameter and 40mm wide, the design remains compact and understated. Its 65.5g weight gives it a substantial presence without making its movement feel cumbersome. The rounded profile sits naturally in the hand, while its restrained width and balanced distribution produce the composed, deliberate character that distinguishes Prelude from Finale.

This is the original Prelude, finally assembled two years late.

he lighter orange colourway is named “It's It”, after the San Francisco ice-cream treat made from vanilla ice cream placed between two oatmeal cookies and covered in dark chocolate. Its anodization is slightly darker than the orange used for Finale, giving it a warm, nostalgic appearance.

“Valencia” is the deeper of the two orange colourways and the darkest solid orange used on any version of The End. Its name refers both to the Valencia orange and to Valencia Street in San Francisco, where Doc Pop once lived. A substantial portion of this colourway was sent directly to him.

The “Eetsit” colourway pairs brown and silver halves, faithfully recalling the palette of the original Anti-Yo Eetsit. It is a reference that brings the lineage of The End back to the yo-yo from which its story began.

The exceptionally scarce “Popcorn” colourway features a red base with a silver-white splash. Its finish draws from the nostalgic appearance of striped popcorn boxes and complements the cinema theme of the accompanying artwork. Only a handful qualified as A-grades, and these were given to RSO collectors.

This is not another production run. It is the missing part of the original one. Some endings simply take longer to arrive.