Hey all,
Long read, sorry. But I don’t post a lot, so cut me a break. 
It’s been a while since I’ve been a fixture in these parts and boy have things changed. Things started to get real crazy in the myers mask scene several years ago which turned me off to the whole thing. One day, I found myself staring at a wall full of white faces, which I had invested years of my life and thousands of dollars into, and it just perplexed me. Constantly chasing the next big ‘run’, wondering if I could charm my way into the clique whom seemed to be the only ones able to get in on the ~$1000+ new masks (sight unseen mind you) only to be disappointed that the finished product fell short of expectations. Waiting unreasonably long times for masks, hoping the artist didn’t oversubscribe themselves and disappear with your money. Well, it looks like things have settled down a bit.
Every year during halloween since then, I regretted not having a myers costume anymore. Last year I decided to catch up to see what was new, and was pleasantly surprised at the variety of masks available. Browsing the gallery, I immediately was drawn to the JTK. It was reasonably priced, didn’t require a full up front payment, and they took requests. Done deal.
Now I’m a fan of the screen used look which means I like the shadowing that makes the mask look like it did on film, while on display. I’ve always admired Mike and James’ work, but never had a good 75 or other pull to bother sending their way. Now I’ve made masks for years, but couldn’t sculpt an accurate shatner to save my life, so I don’t bother. When working with thin pulls, it can be difficult to get consistent results due to the position of the mask while curing and other factors. Some pulls just look better than others due to the final shape, and after adding in eye cuts and weathering, it narrows the gene pool of REALLY good masks down even further. One only need to browse the gallery to see this effect in action. Purchasing masks until I got a pull I liked, was not financially wise or productive.
Now, back to my JTK. When I was contacted that they were ready to being work on my mask, I sent a link from the MM.net gallery as reference. I am happy to say I got exactly what I asked for. I was kept up to date through their system of their progress, which was a refreshing change from the old ‘email and hope for a response’ method. You know, trying not to seem pushy and inadvertently getting moved to the back of the line, type of nonsense. So I am very happy with my experience and purchase. I only have the camera on my phone, so I’ll borrow some of Chris’s photos since he does it more justice than I can.
Thanks Chris for for the excellent job.
-Eric
