VOTE! Should the UMA eliminate all resin model kit discussion?

[Count_Zirock]

What licensing has Monarch paid to date? Nosferatu is public domain. Ghost of Castlemare is an original concept, Sinbad perhaps...but maybe not even him. He doesnt really look like anyone from the movies per se....and  Sinbad is public domain. Gorgo is the only kit requiring a license. But it isnt out yet.

Moebius is another story. They jump through all the hoops for Universal.

Not just Universal (Monsters, Battlestar Galactica), either. Warner Bros. (Batman, DC Comics), Fox (Lost In Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea), Marvel, Lugosi Enterprises, etc. Now they're doing "Mars Attacks" kits, too, which means Topps & WB (for the movie-based stuff). They had to do a double license with Denncom and Dynamite Publishing, just to do the Monster Scenes Vampirella kit!

[StyreneDude]

What licensing has Monarch paid to date? Nosferatu is public domain. Ghost of Castlemare is an original concept, Sinbad perhaps...but maybe not even him. He doesnt really look like anyone from the movies per se....and  Sinbad is public domain. Gorgo is the only kit requiring a license. But it isnt out yet.

Moebius is another story. They jump through all the hoops for Universal.

Just sayin'.

There you go gettin' all technical and stuff.... ; )

[Hepcat]

This will help prevent resin kamikazes from joining the forum only to stir trouble and get banned in the name of their cause.... There will be no more resin jihad.

Are you saying that this has been happening on a semi-regular basis?

We're not going to ban someone at the UMA because someone says that someone said that someone told them that they were working with someone on doing something.  Some in the garage kit hobby think that we should, and stomped off in a huff.... The easy thing would be to just ban whoever whatever forum or group tells us to ban.  That will never happen.

You make it sound as if this is a fairly frequent occurrence. Is this so?

 

[Vandor Zorkov]

Voted No, but not because "I like garage kits and want to continue sharing and discussing garage kits at UMA" although that is true. Admiring kits is (or should be) irrelevant to the real issue here, which is theft and the possibly inferred tolerance of theft, and of thieves. You're either for it or against it but banning all mention of the problem is not the proper path. It does nothing, in terms of one's integrity, except diminish it in the eyes of observers, especially once you've said you're against recasters. Not being critical, just being honest.

Want to fix the problem forever?

1. If a known, proven recaster posts here - or if a shill posts on behalf of a recaster - ban the poster forthwith. Live up to the claim that you do not support recasters (thieves) in any way by making them and their supporters completely and permanently unwelcome.

2. Anyone posting a built-up recast can have it politely pointed out to them; perhaps they don't know they have a recast. But no one needs jump on them with both feet or attack them. Inform them of what they have, gently. They'll probably know what to do if they have any integrity. If they don't, admin can choose to remove the pic/thread, or leave it stand while allowing additional pics of the actual piece, serving as a side-by-side comparison and object lesson of why recasts are inferior.

Just an opinion.

[Monsters For Sale]

Why can't we classify discussion of any moral judgments on the rightness or wrongness of resiin kit production under the loose topic of "religion" - and discussion of any legal appropriateness or individual/corporate rights under the loose topic of "politics"?

Discussion of both topics is already forbidden on this forum.

If we confine our discussion scope to the materials, methods and artistic merits of both kit producers and builders, we should be able to keep our conversation cool and unpersonal.

I vote that the UMA keep the discussion - and we each keep our own heads.

We don't all have to agree on EVERYTING.

[Hepcat]

. If a known, proven recaster posts here - or if a shill posts on behalf of a recaster - ban the poster forthwith. Live up to the claim that you do not support recasters (thieves) in any way by making them and their supporters completely and permanently unwelcome.

No. The problem lies in the word proven. You want the administrators of the forum to become precisely what they've stated repeatedly they don't want to be - judges in a court of law. They don't wan't to assess allegations that such and such a poster/member is indeed such and such a person who at some time or whenever was ostensibly guilty of recasting. It's just a can of worms and the administrators want no part of it. It's not worth their time or aggravation.

They'll probably know what to do if they have any integrity. If they don't, admin can choose to remove the pic/thread, or leave it stand while allowing additional pics of the actual piece, serving as a side-by-side comparison and object lesson of why recasts are inferior.

What, return the kit to whoever sold it to them for a refund so that the recaster no longer profits from the sale? Somehow I don't think that will work out too well.

 

[Mord]

I only mentioned Dirty Horse because I admire his incredible build-ups (the best out there). I had no idea that there was any controversy involved. I also know Ray Santoleri and collect his little masterpieces. The best way to buy them is directly from Ray thru his website. There you have no doubt about their authenticity (and Ray's a helluva nice guy to deal with). I love resin kits and will only buy originals, but that's my decision. I won't impose my values on others (let their own conscience deal with it).

[Spock]

I have the ideal solution. If there is the slightest hint that someone is guilty we should bind them and throw them in the nearest river. If the manage to float to the surface then they should be banned for life. But if they sink and drown then no problem, they are innocent   
Many Thanks
Matthew Hopkins   

[darkmonkeygod]

I voted for keeping them, as I really like to see what people's photos of their collections and projects. That said, I'd be interested in seeing the Kits thread sub-divided into essentially licensed and unlicensed. 

[Count_Zirock]

That said, I'd be interested in seeing the Kits thread sub-divided into essentially licensed and unlicensed.

Yeah, let's draw a big, red circle of neon around unlicensed kits. Shall we brand them with a scarlet "U" on their breasts, too? And, what about original designs/creations, that aren't technically licensed, like The Ghost of Castle Mare? Do they get shunted off to the Kiddie Table, too?

[fmofmpls]

Thank you for your input and for your votes. We will keep things the way they are. We have already made changes here at UMA as to how the mods will police this forum. New Recruits (50 posts and less) will automatically be placed on a moderated basis. This will help prevent the knee JERK posts and their self-inflicted hari-kari that results. No more spam, no more resin kamikazes, no more resin jihad - at least not at this forum.

I'm now going to lock this thread and call it a wrap.