Calling All Geeks!

So I was just reminded why I don’t post to the Mando Mercs board as much as I used to. After AdCon I was starting to get back into it, but I’m afraid that this shiny happy may have just rubbed off a little bit.
Last night, someone posted a complaint due to another member making reference to a certain bodily function. (A boner – the comment was actually pretty funny because it was a girl who said it.) This led to a whole rant with all the classic bits about “This is a family board” and “Think of the children” and “This is a double standard!” Now, me, I’ve always responded to tense situations with jokes. Often time lame jokes, but you get the picture. If you really want to get Freudian about it, I think it all stems from trying to lighten the mood whenever my dad (and, more recently, brother) start causing drama. Anyway, I posted a joke and a bit of dialogue from The Office. (One of the best “That’s what she said” moments ever!) But when the Holier-Then-Thou crowd continued, I made another joke, this time with a little bit more of a point to it. Basically, I pointed out that Mando culture isn’t exactly kid friendly either. Now, I’m not saying we should fill the boards with porn and snuff pictures, but I don’t think we should all have to carry ourselves like Disney princesses either.

After that, the guy who started the thread rips into me a little bit for interrupting their “constructive conversation” (because singling people out and telling them their bad –the woman who made the original post- is so constructive. He also accuses me of trying to provoke an argument. Again, like publicly calling people out isn’t provoking anything. Anyway, I was actually trying to prevent any fights by lightening the mood.

And here’s another thing. The guy who started the argument is part of the Falco group. The Falcos are notorious for talking on and on about getting drunk and smoking and all sorts of debauchery. So I just find it a little ironic that one of them posts something about cleaning up the boards. Also, I’d like to know where it stops. Swearing isn’t allowed on the boards – unless it’s in Mando’a. Ass is against the rules, but shebs is just fine. Now that is a double standard. It’s like, are people offended by obscene concepts, or just arbitrary words? Can I really say something that’s absolutely vile but make it okay by replacing certain words with made up words? “Yeah, I was garblexing some chick last night in her glee-glorp and then I totally zeezaped all over her beeba.” That’s really okay? I’m just saying, when I was little (before my mom completely gave up and started speaking freely herself), my parents told me that fake swearing is the same as real swearing.

Ah, fudge this bull snot.

Now that my Mando is done (Yeah, I keep forgetting to post pics here, so… Here you go.) I think I’m ready to move onto the next project…

I know, it seems impossible. But here are a few things to consider: First, I learned a LOT while working on my Mando armor. I have plenty of new skills and tricks at my disposal that I didn’t have before that will help a lot. Second, I’ve actually decided to build an older style Dalek. Specifically, I want to build one from “Genesis of the Daleks“. The GotD style is quite a bit simpler then the NS Daleks.

Really, the way I’m going to approach this is not as one big project, but a bunch of smaller ones. I’m going to try to get my dad to help me build it’s skeleton and then I’ll use heavy sign board as the “skin”. I may even start gathering parts soon. The plunger arm is actually a plunger, so that’s easy. The gun is fairly simple as well. (I even thought about making a second gun for Gotal’ur to carry on his belt. lol) One of the good folks at Project Dalek pointed me at a web site that sells perfect hemispheres for the skirt and the two ball joints for really cheap. The one part I’m a little worried about is the one part that seems to trip most people up: The dome. The guide says that the only way to really do it is to mold it out of fiberglass. And these guys actually care about infringing on copyright stuff, so where as I was able to buy a Boba helmet from someone else, apparently no one sells Dalek domes. I may be in luck, though. Apparently, there is a growing trend to make the dome out of paper mache. I didn’t think it would work at first until I saw some people’s progress pictures, including one of a guy standing on his paper mache dome to prove it’s strength. So, yeah, I think I’m going to try that.

Man, this stuff always seems to happen in clumps…

Comic artist Michael Turner has passed away after his long fight with cancer. He’s done lots of great work, including the covers to DC’s Identity Crisis and Marvel’s Civil War. The industry has truly lost one of it’s greats.

Meanwhile, Howard Chaykin and Rob Liefeld continue to live. WTF?

Have you ever caught yourself using phrases or mannerisms from TV shows without really thinking about it? For instance, after watching the Office for a few years, I’ve noticed an increase in my use of “That’s what she said”. I’m not even intentionally imitating Michale Scott, it just genuinely pops into my head. And, yesterday, while trying to explain the history of the X-Men to a co-worker, I realized I’ve picked up one of David Tennant’s verbal traits from Doctor Who. It’s kind of hard to describe in writing, but I’ll be explaining something in really simplistic or basic terms, hesitate, give an exaggerated “Well…”, and then go into more detail. Again, I wasn’t even consciously doing it.

This is awesome. Here’s a Dark Knight trailer done entirely with footage from the original Adam West Batman movie.

My next Star Wars costuming project!

Not really, but hats off to these guys for taking on such a huge (no pun intended) project. This would actually make for an interesting set piece for the Mercs when they go to events. After all, bounty hunters are nobody without someone to hire them.

Just read this interesting article on what was cut from the (awesome) Incredible Hulk movie. (LINK)

Well, I guess it’s time to announce it. My armor is done. Or, at least, it’s ready for it’s first con. (I guess you’re never really 100% done.) I just tried on the full set of armor for the very first time and I am ecstatic. Even my nerves about showing it off to the rest of the world have quieted down significantly. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any pictures (everyone else was already in bed.), but I’m sure I’ll have plenty after this weekend.

I’m really excited for AdCon. My bags are packed and I’m all set. It’s just a few hours away. In fact, it’s only about three hours until I plan on getting up, so I suppose it would be a good idea to go to bed now. See you guys again on Monday!

Okay, for anyone who may doubt the status of my armor (perhaps wishing to defecate in my helmet. lol) I give you proof that my armor is just about done:

Now a few notes: First, you have to give me a little bit of slack in this picture. I know it’s all a bit sloppy and uneven, but bear in mind that I completely dressed myself AND I was trying to take my own picture, which is difficult even under normal circumstances. Second, my crotch plates are not pictured because I have the backing set aside for my dad to put in eyelets tomorrow. I assure you that a) they will be done, and b) it won’t look like I’m wearing normal pants. Third, my belt probably won’t appear as shown. In the picture, I have three mettle buckles and I’ll probably cut it back to just one and bring in my pouches. I think it’ll just look better that way and it’ll actually allow me to put my arms all the way down. Finally, I’m not done weathering all of my armor. I know my chest plates look a lot cleaner then my stomach plate, but that’s only because I haven’t gotten to it yet.

I also have to say that I can already tell which pieces are going to give me trouble. My knees and my gauntlets. Now, my knees probably won’t be too bad. As long as we aren’t running (and I can promise you that I’ll be doing absolutely no running in this thing!), they should stick just fine. Anyway, with the way every thing’s situated, you barely even see them. My gauntlets have me a little more worried. Even that, though, I have a few ideas. Ironically enough, my gaunts may end up looking a lot more like their original design.

It’s kind of weird. I like my armor. I’m very happy with how it turned out. In fact, I think I may go so far as to say that it’s exceeded many of my previous expectations. Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel slightly self-conscious about it. It’s my baby and now I’m getting ready to show it to the world. This weekend, as much as I’ve been looking forward to it, is also quite intimidating because it’s going to be a huge test. Will it survive being worn all day? How will it look standing next to the other hard-core Mandos? Are certain people going to make comments that’ll make Wayne Brady choke a bitch? I’m very nervous and excited all at the same time.

UPDATE: Apparently Velcro works better when, you know, the two halves actually touch. Heh, realized that my knees were slightly off before and that’s what caused the minor problems I had. See, I tried putting the kneepads on after putting on my pants before which didn’t work because my knees don’t exactly fit the kneepads perfectly. This time I attached them before I put on the pants and they’re working great. I’ve even sat down and gotten back up a couple of times and the kneepads are holding firm.