Someone posted way back that it seemed ‘strange’ that I hadn’t posted or chimed in yet. It was very simple. I didn’t feel that I had to. Everything that I read in the first few pages was fine. People were just giving their opinions. No need for me to chime in. I’m only now jumping on here because, as usually happens, the rumour mill has begun, so I’ll clear up some of the crap, and be off.
Firstly, the economy is in the crapper right now. There are a lot of people selling their masks. Some guys are selling their whole collections. I know of a couple of guys that are selling their IMAGE masks, along with some of their other prized pieces because times are tough right now. A good buddy of mine has bought and sold 2 IMAGE masks, bought a DW/KH, and is now selling that, which is his right. Mabye he doesn’t like the way they look. Mabye he can use the extra $$$ at this time. Christmas also just came and went. Lots of bills to pay.
Secondly, like with any mask or piece out there, some people may decide that the mask isn’t what they thought it would be. Some people weren’t ‘blown away’ by it. That’s totally fine. As someone stated, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. What I think looks great, someone else may think look likes sh*t. Everyone see’s things differently. It’s been happening forever. I myself have purchased a few things over the years that I thought looked great, yet upon receiving them in person, have had a different opinion, so I sold those pieces. No big deal.
My main reason for jumping in on the fun was the fact that somewhere along the way, it was implied that ‘perhaps beacuse the masks were’nt numbered, there could be more than 20 out there’. Well, let me clear this up right away. And you doubters out there can take this ‘with a grain of salt’. I could care less. Those who know me know that I’m not into the ‘scamming’ gig that many guys out there have become famous for. That’s one of the many reasons why I don’t hide behind a ‘screen name’. The reason that the masks were not signed boils down to a ‘goof up’. At the time I delivered the masks to Dick’s home, Halloween was a few weeks away. Dick was still getting the DVD’s and Rare pics together for the ‘package’. I still had to write my ‘blurb’ that came with everything. On top of all this, Dick was also prepping for knee surgery, which at the time, was to take place right after Halloween. So to say the least, things were slightly hectic. We of course, wanted these to be released before Halloween, so that when they were announced, everything would be put together and boxed up, and ready to ship with NO WAIT TIME, which is what we accomplished. For those that purchased the ‘package’, it DID come with the 8"x10" Rare pic of DW in the Original H2 gettup. Frame it and display it with the mask. It is after all, part of the ‘package’. Should the actual mask’s themselves have been signed? Damn right. But unfortunately, things were beyond crazy at this point, and it was missed. To now start to imply that mabye there are ‘more than 20’ out there because the masks aren’t numbered is actually humorous. Rest assured, the molds were destroyed once the 22nd mask was finished. I have my personal copy, Dick has his, along with the 2 that are still for sale, and the other 18 have been sold. I had NO problem destroying the molds once I was finished. I’m moving on to different projects, and have had more than my fill of the Myers scene. The market is so over-saturated with H1 and H2 masks right now (nevermind the versions from the other sequels), that I believe that there are now more than enough different versions of either the H1 or H2 mask to fill anyone’s need for the ‘perfect’ Myers replica (in their eyes).
As far as the ‘finishing’ goes, I’ll say what I said a looooong time ago. Having discussed the Hero mask with Dick over the past 10+ years, along with having seen it in person at his home 10 years ago, and talking with Tommy Lee Wallace about the overall ‘look’, I’m more than happy with the results, and more importantly, so are they. To me, that’s ALL that matters. They are the 2 guys that know the mask the best. I readily took all of their advice on how it should look and be painted and haired. Both Dick and Tommy said to me; “Andrew, keep it subtle. Don’t weather the hell out of it”. Dick was very specific on how the KH SLE should be altered to look more like the mask did in 1981. I worked and re-worked quite a few areas, until he was satisfied. I’ll always remember what TLW said to me back in March of 2011: “Andrew, I saw the mask during H2 and after, and I can tell you right now, it wasn’t nearly as weathered as some of these H2 masks are that I see at conventions. Most of the ones I see look like they’ve been dragged around the inside of a chimney. Others look too ‘pretty’, like a painting. Every bit of weathering is strategically placed. Cundy made it look like there could of been 10 different masks used in both H1 and H2. Lighting is everything. How it’s worn and who wears it is another. Weather it up, but concentrate on the lips, nose and a bit of the forehead. The rest of it was scuffed up, but not heavily weathered. If you want it to look like it did in '81 do it like that. Dick will tell you the same. People read so much into it. At the end of the day, the mask, having aged 3 years, was a ‘creamy yellow’ color with some subtle weathering, and the hair had matted right down”. That’s pretty much it.
To sum up; for those that purchased an IMAGE mask, I hope you’re happy with it. When it came down to getting advice and constructive criticism while working on this project, I had the 2 best guys you can imagine. And for those NOT interested at all in the piece, there a MANY more to choose from, and I’m sure that the choices will only increase over time.
-A
