A Different Kind of Custom Mandalorian Board...

[Catal]

Mullreel has more or less covered it, but I want to add one thing. We aren't saying screen "accurate", we're saying screen "ready". We want kits that look like they could have been in the movies...even though they weren't. It's all about quality. Where I think you're misunderstanding is when we say "visual reference". That's to set our baseline, the foundations for our kits if you will. All mandalorian armor has certain elements in common. We want to make sure those elements are there first, before going further. We're not just repaints. I think as our members get their kits finished and you see what we're going for, everyone will have a lot better idea of our goals.

 

[72555]

i got a small question you guys say you gonna do modern era armor does that include the legacy era armor or not?

 

[Catal]

No, Legecy Era armor is totally different from Modern Era. At current we don't have any LE kits to base CRL's on, but we are not opposed to adding them in future once we have something to look at. One of our members is working on a LE kit and we're going to see how it works out before we decide anything.

 

[Ghostwalker]

that member would be me.
there is a lot riding on my performance, rest assured that I am working my butt off, putting every one of my skills to it's best use.
I am a patient builder, cut few corners and always seek input, both at the MMCC and HHS.

You can follow my Legacy Build at MMCC, there is no posted WIP on HHS since it falls out of current club scope there.
First kit - Legacy body
feel free to contribute over there, the least i will do is listen to your piece of mind.

the MMCC has it's place and so does HHS, there should be no conflict and little overlap.
One Troops, handling everyone from green recruits to top quality kits of all eras,
the other is only interested in top quality kits of the modern era.

membership is not exclusive, nobody is forced (or even asked) to abandon other costuming clubs.
signups are limited, simply to maintain a high standard of quality.
something that is impossible to do with open signups flooding the boards with more members than the exemplary members can handle at their current size.
as the club grows and more exemplary members join the ranks, they may choose to change the way registration works. don't get so hung up on registration.

 

[72555]

ya i know all about the clubs and ive seen your threatd ive been following it for a while your doing good progress i my self am trying to get all the materials that il need to do a legacy build and a modern era build but its kinda hard because of the country in which i live

 

[Ponte]

I think this group is fantastic, and definitely eliminates a lot of the...problems, with custom Mando work.

I'm in full agreement with the strict policy, as it will ensure accurate, high quality Mando outfits. The one thing I will say to a lot of the people here that are complaining about it being "too strict" is look at the costume and weapon design of the original trilogy...late 70's, early 80's. What was used for most of the characters equipment, clothing, and weapons? WWII/Vietnam era weapons heavily modified using PERIOD audio/automotive/industrial parts. Unfortunately, we're not in the 80's anymore with Star Wars, and Lucas and Co. now employs late 20 year old artists who use what THEY'VE grown up with (The Matrix, 90's anime, etc) as a point of reference for their character designs. That's why when we read all those 90's Star Wars comics, we see characters with spikes on their costume, or pony tails, or generally out of place articles of clothing and weaponry. Look at the Force Unleashed II...remember those giant Spider Robots you fought in the game, or those sleek and sharp sith stalkers you had to fight? Would you EVER see anything of that design in the 80's? **** no, that garbage looked like it was taken from The Matrix, or some current sci-fi summer blockbuster.

I've seen a few good custom mandos, don't get me wrong. From the paint and weathering, to the custom gauntlets, there have been many that have stood out. But you can not honestly tell me that the custom Mando sub-community isn't plagued with some pretty asinine stuff that just comes off as silly and completely unfitting for the Star Wars universe....Tribal tatoo designs plastered on armor...hot-rod flames? Collared spikes glued to armor? Obvious Toys R' Us nerf guns that look like they took a liberal dose of "Gunmetal" spraypaint? Random woodland camo M-16 magazine pouches thrown on some current Army issue MOLLE gear? Paint jobs that look like they've been concocted by whatever water-color craft paint was lying around their kid's bedroom? I understand that hobby groups want to beef up numbers, I get that; everyone wants to build a large community. But there's a reason why people aren't flocking to the 13+ group of "Toy Robots" (as I've heard a few spectators call) and are instead dying to get their picture taken next to the well-made Boba's and especially well done custom mandos/clone troopers.

Overall, I'm thrilled to have such a group that's determined to have such severe quality control because even though the numbers might not be up there, you can look to these guys to find all of the antsy spectators that are dying for a picture...not the green/purple/red Mando's that are carrying plastic swords and toy M-16's.

 

[Fett 4 Real]

You've been wanting to get that out for a while

 

[Mullreel]

that was cathartic just reading it.


thanks

 

[Nauur Baatir]

Okay. I've been reading this thread for a bit, and I don't think this question has been answered as concisely as possible, and I think this may be part of the cause for confusion here.

So correct me if I'm wrong, and that's a very real possibility, but your membership includes non-canon, or original, characters designed and created by the costumer, as long as they adhere to the quality standards, right? I think that the use of the word "Custom" is part of the misunderstanding, as it means different things to different folks.

 

[Mullreel]

Yes. I believe you have it.

The custom part is that they are non-canon characters, but they should look like they could have been just off screen in one of the Star Wars movies.

 

[Catal]

Nau'ur Baatir - You've got it exactly. As Mullreel, who is also a staff member on HHS, said you can do a non-canon character just make sure the kit looks in universe. In fact our membership is MOSTLY non-canon. We will also approve canon characters so long as they meet existing CRL's for the character and our quality standards.

Ponte - Thanks for the kind words, and even though you missed this past enrollment period, we hope to see you on the next one.

Fett 4 Real - Wondered where you'd gone! You need to get your intro thread up back on HHS so your account stays active. We'd hate to lose you!

 

[Fett 4 Real]

Yeh I dont for see me being able to get anything going at the moment with finances the way they are

 

[electric jay]

Yeh I dont for see me being able to get anything going at the moment with finances the way they are

You don't need a WiP, just an introduction.

 

[Mullreel]

Give an intro and then give some criticism. I usually like the old F4R critique. I love how you soft sell what you think and people have to read between the lines.

 

[Fett 4 Real]

Give an intro and then give some criticism. I usually like the old F4R critique. I love how you soft sell what you think and people have to read between the lines.

Roger will make an intro tonight for sure then...I had thought it was a WIP thread. I have been planning to do a custom sooner than later but its gonna be later now.

 

[Nauur Baatir]

Gotcha. Just checkin'. Sounds awesome.

 

[Ponte]

Had to look up "cathartic"...you're welcome

Yea, it wont be for A WHILE until I can actually work on a custom Mando, but virtually everything is planned out in my head from the found equipment, custom WWII based weaponry (hint: M1 Garand severely modified), colors, etc...

Gonna be sweet

 

[Catal]

All the same Ponte feel free to join next enrollment period. Throw your ideas up and see what sticks. Our WiP threads are not just for the build, but for the planning as well. It's always nice to get several opinions before starting.

 

[Ghostwalker]

thank you for the rant Ponte, I've been wanting to do that for awhile.

incidentally my Legacy WIP is now on HHS, though still not in current club scope.
if someone, me or anyone else, can pull of a high-quality, solid Legacy kit, club scope may expand to encompass it.
it is a matter of establishing CRL's, and quality standards.
so... if you are holding off joining because your Legacy build isn't "in" at the moment... don't!
come join us, bring what you have to the table, learn some new tricks and help me establish LEGACY!

 

[Spanner Murraan]

Heck... I even posted my Legacy/Modern transitional WIP. It will probably NEVER be acceptable to HHS, and I am ok with that. The reason I posted was to get some good solid feed-back from some real Knit-pickers. I am an advisory member of the HHS community, specializing in Paint and weathering, but I understand that sometimes my scope is limited, and I need outside opinions on my own gear.

And Ponte... you may be my new best friend. These are points I have been arguing other Mando costumers for quite some time. "Star Wars is about Surplus with **** glued to it, not Flash Gordon or Tron!"