Pictures of progress with stuff that’s not actually yours.... sounds similar to my experience.
Here’s how my interactions with that muppet went down:
I originally posted a WTB thread on Rebelscum since I couldn't post in the Cargo Hold at TDH (didn't have 50 posts). I posted a WTB thread for ESB stuff. Mike contacted me with the following email on 3rd Jan of 2016:
Hi there, I have a ESB Boba Fett Helmet I'm just about finished with, would you happen to be interested in it? It is a fiberglass Master Replicas helmet, which is a 3d scan of a real production Boba Fett helmet instead of Bobamaker's fan sculpt helmet. Let me know if you're interested.
Anyhow, we talked about doing a full commission build, jetpack armour, and everything. So I agree and start getting all my parts and stuff sent to him. We chat regularly (usually every day) as I ask about progress and other questions in relation to my build etc etc.
Then a month later 31st Jan as I chased him up to see what sort of range finder kit I should buy to fit with the helmet he tells me:
As for the MR helmet I had lined up to sell, I unfortunately had to keep it inorder for a very close friend to use for a troop. It was a really tough decision there I'm sorry but If you still want a helmet paint up I'm still down.
I then have to go back to sourcing another helmet. I actually think he had no intention of selling me that helmet (if he even had one to start with) and he just needed a cash injection as he was quite pushy in following me up for how soon I could pay. I said to him:
I have to say I am pretty disappointed, it was you after all that approached me offering the helmet for sale. That obviously pushes the total build time for me back quite a bit as well. Plus I now have to source a helmet etc etc.
His reply:
My apologies, I didn't mean to come off that way. I was just trying to help but something else that was more of a priority came up unfortunately. There is still a chance to find a helmet, if you put up a WTB thread up I bet you'll get a few people trying to sell you one. My apologies, I will try to help you find one.
I told him I was going to put in an order for an Animfan helmet. Then he sends me this email on the 2nd Feb
I have some exciting news that just came up if you still are looking for a great new helmet. It's more expensive than the Animefan due to it's has direct lineage to the Preproduction 2 helmet. The only helmet out there with lineage to a real helmet. It's a Lee Malone helmet, the holy grail of Boba Fett helmets. I can finish this up for you ESB style if you'd like or just sell it as a piece of Boba Fett history. Due to it's rarity of these castings (only under 20 made I was curious if you'd be interested in one. Would that be something you might be interested in?
He was quite keen for me to buy one as I asked questions back and forth about it's origins. I had also noticed when I started researching that someone previously posted about the Malone Fetts a while ago on the mppc forum. I was starting to get suspicious as he sent me a couple of pics of it that seemed to have come from that thread or the person in that thread. He writes
Not to sound too pushy but he only has 2 left, so let me know if you want to order one.
Anyhow, around the same time I had ordered some stuff from Dakota (Machinecraftreplicas) to get sent to mike for my build and Dakota emailed me saying ethically he cannot send it to Mike. So I started chatting to Dakota a bit more about things and my experiences to date with Mike and my concerns and Dakota's advice was get your money back ASAP. Dakota then put me in touch with some other commission builders/painters.
Then when Mike knows I an going to get the armour and that Malone Fett helmet sent somewhere else to get painted he says
Oh it's just a $255 PP2 GMH helmet actually, not a Malone helmet after all. They are pretty close though in generations.
I'm willing to bet he was going to paint me up a GMH helmet or some other **** he had and tell me (and charge me for) a Malone Fett. I'm actually thinking if he could get one of those helmets he was probably going to keep it for himself and give me something else. But as soon as he knew the raw helmet was now going to another commission painter they would no doubt be able to identify it for what it really was. So he suddenly said "oh it's just a PP2 GMH helmet".
Anyhow, the whole affair just seemed really shady right from the start! I still have all my old emails from him with pics etc of everything that went down
