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Dimentex

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Posts posted by Dimentex

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, bjsavage7 said:

    There's no "new hotness", but more of a "try desperately to update that when possible". ;) 

     

    Oh, and to put the "decrotive stitching" to rest, that does not include the common three stitching lines found on most screen-used gloves. 

     

    Lol.  I meant more new rules being applied to Krennic and Price and Thrawn without applying them to others, but yes, I get your point.

     

    And thanks for that clarification - in that case, would the gloves sold by Wampa wear be in your opinion good for Level 1 of an IN?

    Would these work for staff officer?

    in Costume Questions - Ask Here!

    Posted

    3 hours ago, kman said:

    Correct, the CRL doesn't explicitly mention the seam, but they do discuss the correct "type" of boot, and that type of boot doesn't have a seam in the front.

     

    The CRLs would be 50 pages long if we tried to list every single thing you can't do...

     

    No, but a simple clarification - "plain shaft boots with no visible seams or adornments" would suffice.

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    Ok, so it's 20% less in England - you're still looking at 50-80+ GBP.  Euros are close to 1:1.  Central American garrisons are hosed - just Mexico is 1300-2000 pesos.

    But you've made your point, and so have I.  To you this is no big deal.  And if you want a whole lot more bridge crew and a whole lot less officers, I guess it isn't.  But to a large swath of people?    This would be a game stopper.

     

    It's clear however your mind has been made up, and we will not influence it or change it - not even to say slow down, lets get some good IOC vendors going.  Because sorry, Etsy means markup.  Markup is not keeping with the whole "sell for as close to cost as possible."

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, nocternus said:

    https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/265237429/imperial-officer-rank-bar?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=star wars rank bars&ref=sr_gallery_2

     

    $100 for a Rank bar?

     

    You're joking, right?  Tell me you're joking that something so trivial as a Rank bar should cost someone $100 for entry.  We allow the Disney $25 hat that's not accurate - why put the flag in the ground on this?

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, kman said:

     

    Darth Cleavage sells push button rank bars.  I have one of hers (along with the raw materials to make a couple more myself, but I was curious, and hers was good enough I haven't gotten around to making more yet!)  Perhaps her site should be linked in the "where to find" portion?  I don't know how well set up she is for high volume work, though.

     

    That's who I've contacted, but her response rate is a little...  well, slow.

     

    And that would be my concern as well.  If we make everyone get push buttons for Level 1, is she prepared to get killed?  Or will it become the same complaints we saw with Jenny when she got backlogged then had a family emergency?

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    22 minutes ago, nocternus said:

    I have made my own push button bars i have also purchased them so no you dont have to make them yourself

     

    Again, not trying to be a jerk, but where?  The only purchase info on all of IOC is for the buttons.  There's a link to a picture on FB that is in German in the Krenic CRL thread - I'm sorry, but to have a resource list for EVERYTHING else, but to tell people "you can find them, just go look, I bought mine" and say nothing else...  come on man, we're better than that.

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    Good Post Kman, gonna hit it piece by piece with my input

     

    19 minutes ago, kman said:

    Hats: Are talking about increasing the standards for hats?  The Disney one is widely available and relatively accurate.  For now... but what if they stop selling them?  Jenny is not accepting new orders.  She still hasn't shipped orders place July 15.  So I don't think she's a viable source at the moment.  Molli is an extremely promising source, but she has not yet proven herself long term.  For those who can't sew, what are the other options?  Clothears is great, but WOW expensive.  Ditto for Anovos... plus they're not even shipping at the moment (pre-order only), and even the standard line is kinda of nutty expensive, IMO.  Anovos also has a habit of doing ONE really run of something, shipping it (after a year+ waiting time), and then simply not doing it anymore.  (Ex A: Han Solo costume is gone after the one run, and they've said they have no plans to do it again)

     

    Hats already have levels, so I would say no.  I was simply saying to my eyes, when I got the Disney hat...  I was less than impressed.  Yes, it passes the sniff test, and let's be honest, little kids in hospitals CBA to tell the difference most of the time - the ones that do I give their parents GA information to try to get them started - but it didn't meet MY expectations.  But that's the point - L1 allows it, L2 does not. (Hence why I haven't done L2 or L3 for my officers - I have everything else, but when the rubber hit the road, I wanted Krennic more than $100 for a new hat.
     

    22 minutes ago, kman said:

    Code Cylinders: I gather the discussion involves eliminating chalk holders entirely?  What if they're modified, as in StrongBow's tutorial?  With the proper (homemade) clips they look awfully close the accurate replicas, certainly from a few feet away.  (those homemade clips can be made with a pair of scissors and $5 worth of needle files, btw)  I definitely wouldn't mind a blanket ban on ALL clips that look like they came off a pen, which I see way too often.  Unmodified chalk holders definitely fall into that category, or even those where they actually took the time to paint the top blue, but still use the pen-style clip.  (I believe those are actually accurate for the Rebels officers, btw, but that's a separate costume in a separate CRL)  As for the replicas, are there any true replica vendors other than Philo?  His are great, but I'd hate to hinge the entire plan on one vendor.  Ditto for belt boxes, frankly.  Imperialist really hasn't gotten up and running since he moved his shop, so we're down to one major vendor (Philo) for the accurate boxes, AFAIK, unless there are others skulking about the UKG that don't advertise

     

    There's at least one guy here in the states that made them from real dosimeters he picked up, but that's got to be a limited stock - I love the look of Philo's, but as you said, do we have another vendor?  Requiring those at L1 with only one vendor might lead to a problem if say he's injured tomorrow and can't work for a year.

     

    24 minutes ago, kman said:

    Rank bars: Are we discussing mandating push button rank bars at all levels, or just level 2/3?  I'd certainly support the latter, but I personally think the chip style made by Tiggie and other vendors is fully adequate for basic acceptance.  They look good, even if they're not as accurate as the actual push buttons.  And that's certainly not a difference you can even see from more than a few feet away.  Incidentally, while it's true you can't make push button rank bars with scissors, you CAN make them with literally no tools other than a ruler and some sandpaper, since Home Depot and pretty much any other materials supply shop will do the single cut needed for the bar stock, then the rest is just minor smoothing with sandpaper, cleanup, and glue

     

    That was the discussion, yes.  Mark has weighed in on another thread that he uses the plexi, so I think that's a mute point at this point, but yes, I think Tigg makes a damn good bar.  And if we got vendors making as accurate of bars with the push button style, I'd be fine with the push forward - but as of yet, we don't.  (Again, kids in hospitals CBA to tell the difference - yes, they look better in our big pictures, but if that's your thing... idk what to say.

     

    And yeah, I guess HD could do it - issue is I've never had them cut me two pieces of metal exactly the same size - so for a single bar it's fine, for a double, that's a LOT of sanding brother.

     

    27 minutes ago, kman said:

     

    This hasn't been mentioned yet, but: Gloves: I believe we are now requiring the gauntlets with 3 stitches down the back for Level 3, as used by the TIE pilots.  This text should be added to the CRL, so people don't have to replace their gloves if they know (or suspect) they want to go all the way.  The photo should be changed, too.

     

    Agreed.  If it's simply "buy these, not these" lets do that.

     

    28 minutes ago, kman said:

    Side note re people with disabilities being unable to make their own rank bars: I certainly get that some people are all left thumbs, or even truly disabled.  Those people have to buy their parts from someone else.  It's pretty unlikely that they can sew their own uniforms, too, but we're not shying away from recommending people who can't sew should buy them or have them made by a tailor, so why are we shying away from recommending people who can't build them either buy them or commission someone to build them?  I understand that's beyond someone with true physical/mental disabilities, but as I mentioned, they're buying the rest of the costume elsewhere, anyway, why not this, too?

     

    That is honestly my whole point.  When the topic of rank bars first came up, the argument on one side continues to be "But it's so EASY to make those yourself!"  Not "You can make them, but if you can't/don't want to, here are 2/3/4 vendors to purchase from that we have CONFIRMED make quality ones."

     

    As I explained to someone else, You have Easy, Fast and Good.  Pick two.  I have never been on the side of allowing crap - but I fall on the easy and good side, where as it seems sometimes people fall on the Fast and Good and think if you want Easy (i.e. vendors) you want cheap looking.

     

    I've put as much into Krennic as some people have put into TK's, and I'm not done yet.  Cheap doesn't even come into play. :P 

    Anovos Officer uniforms

    in The Officer's Lounge

    Posted

    11 minutes ago, kman said:

     

    Agreed, to an extent: I'm 6'3" with a bit of a beer belly.  I won't take a chance that their stuff will fit me.

     

    Although as to pants, does "too short" matter, for pants that are being tucked into knee high boots?

     

    Maybe, maybe not.  Depends how short is too short.  They're intended to hit mid-calf I believe - all the lacing is hidden by the boot.  On me?  You'd probably have half of the lacing out of the boot, and look like my jodhpurs were too small.

    Krennic CRL

    in New CRLs

    Posted · Edited by Dimentex

    2 minutes ago, eliste said:


    I'd say at one point the whole line was the shoulder line. So it would meet the neck where the shoulder seam would on a normal shirt. It would make sense to reinforce there.

     

    *looks down at shirt*

    Oh hey, you're right, that seam isn't on the top of the shoulder, more the back side.

    I swear, I learn something new here every damn day.

    (Explains why if you fold a shirt using that seam it gets all wonky...  41 years on this rock and I never noticed that stuff)

    Krennic CRL

    in New CRLs

    Posted

    6 hours ago, eliste said:

    I thought it was a seam til I went back to the photos and now I don't think its a seam. You can see the top stitching going through the top-stitching on the yoke's side triple-stitch.

     

    Where do you think it meets up with the neck?  Definitely doesn't look like midline

    Anovos Officer uniforms

    in The Officer's Lounge

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, buckrogersbarker said:

    Trouble I found with the breaches turned out to be with the length.  But at 6'4", I am taller than most.  They didn't scale the center portion of the jerkin for the larger sizes either.

     

    That's why I stay away from their stuff - if you read the REALLY fine print on their site, they say their costumes are meant for 5'8" to 6'1" (maybe 6'2") with a "normal" body

    I am 6'6" with a 38 inch inseam (Doc told me once if my torso had ever caught up to my legs I'd be around 7'2").  The Jacket probably would fit, the pants wouldn't have a chance in hades.

    MY first 501st outfit - ISB officer

    in The Officer's Lounge

    Posted

    33 minutes ago, Duragis said:

    so 15 inches is the accepted length for level one certification?

     

    Hang on, let me link the thread for how to order CPS.  I've done this 3 times so far with no issues

     

    I will say I had to add a couple of CM's to my collar the second time because the first was tight - like almost couldn't breathe tight.  And when you measure your chest, if you are like me and have a belly bigger than your chest, measure the largest part of your torso - most of the issues I've seen with something not fitting on that have been too tight across an area that wasn't used to measure.  You can always get it take in a bit - it's really hard to get it let out.

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted · Edited by Dimentex

    34 minutes ago, Daetrin said:

    Don’t get me wrong – I love full detachment discussions, but at some point you need to circle the drain with a few folks and make the hard calls.  Rest assured, no matter what you do, someone will be unhappy.

     

    And that's fair.  My one suggestion/idea/whatever would be get folks that are invested in making that costume the best it can be.  Take Thrawn or Price for example - there's like 3 or 4 people on each making it right now - and doing a damn fine job.  Let's get their input, instead of someone who may or may not have studied the character anywhere close to the amount of time they have.

     

    As we said on that other one we are still debating, we're not mad because the CRL is bad - we just think some of the items were a bit overboard, or unclear.  The more clear and concise, the less room for error on either costumer or GML.

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    And hopefully we don't hit that day until we have equally available and accessible vendors.

    Here's why I'm stuck on that, and I never will be unstuck.

    Good friend and Garrison mate in South Texas.  COMPLETELY Blind.  Doing it himself is not an option.
    Cousin in Denver with only partial use of his hands due to a disease he was born with.  Doing it himself is not an option.
    The best friend of one of my second cousins, who lost both arms at the elbows in Iraq or Afghanistan or somewhere over there - she has robotic limbs, but they can only do basic tasks.

    That's the viewpoint i'm coming from.  Yes, doing it yourself can be fun - if you can.  Financially, ability wise, or even physically.  But i've spent a good portion of my life working with and dealing with people who just can't.  And I don't think it's fair to either tell them "sorry, you're SOL" or "well, can't you find a friend who can?" instead of finding, verifying and pushing vendors we know make accurate stuff before any change is pushed forward.  Whether it's Krennic or Staff officer or Price or Thrawn or whatever.

     

    We continue to send people to Tigg, to CPS, to Jenny (in spite of some of the delays, though it sounds like she's cleared a lot of that up), to Philo and so on.  We do because we know they make quality stuff (ok, CPS can be hit or miss, but it's USUALLY quality) that can be approved as long as it fits.  Every thread I've seen doesn't start with "you should make it yourself" but "here, check these guys out, but IF you want to make it yourself, check these threads out."

    I appreciate and see where you're coming from Kris.  I've seen the pictures from London, and I hope to see a lot of you here in Orlando - and a ton of Executor level Officers is a damn sight to behold.  I look at my Krennic cape, which is approvable, and see areas that I want to improve on - I'm not happy with how he did the seams on the inside, simple things like that.  Things that I intend to fix, or remake - or at least try to.

     

    That's all I'm saying.  Let's push for the changes at higher levels, and make it known that they will become the standard at some point - but let's get some people working with vendors to get this stuff up to par too.  Krennic's boots, for example - I'd love to see Imperial Boots start making them for correct Level 3.  I'd rather give my money to another Legion member than source outside and hope that they come out right for twice as much.

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    Also, I hope neither one of you think I'm arguing just for arguing's sake - these are serious issues I have with this.  I have no issue with higher standards, but I think they should be realistic.  If we made a change that basically required the correct fabric at level 1, and CPS was suddenly not an option - how many new officers a year would we have?  I would hazard a guess not even 40% of what we have now - because the other options (Anovos, some of the other costumers, doing it yourself) put it out of reach either financially or talent-wise for a large swath of our group - even existing members.

     

    I mean, look how hard it is for some people to even get a hat - I have the Disney Parks store hat - it's approvable, but to me, as a star wars fan?  It looks like garbage.  But at the time, I had the $25.  I didn't have the $80-120 and 6 months to wait.

    Proposed Updates to CRL Staff Officer Black to Staff Officer Rogue One

    in CRL Updates

    Posted

    1 minute ago, nocternus said:

    Pushing people to a higher standard is helping them it's not being elitist what I'm saying is the standards should change as we move along and learn more as Paul said today's L3 will be tomorrow's L1 or we will stagnate 

     

    Ok, so two questions that are on my mind - one, at what point can you not improve something anymore because either it looks just like the movies, or we don't have access to the materials to make it anymore?  Which is my second question - granted, this could be 20 years down the line, but if we do something like the proposed Rank bar change, and as the world goes digital, those stop being made - do we go back to the old standard?

     

    We talk about future proofing, but that's a two way street, isn't it?

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