would you buy recasted masks?

[confused piraka]

just putting this out here I know it's probably illegal

(an example would be a metru komau in dark green)

Edited March 18 by confused piraka

[doodleloot]

I haven't yet, but I think eventually I want to get some. The quality of a lot of the recasts being sold has gotten so good that they look pretty much like the real deal, it's honestly really cool. And there's just something kind of magical about seeing the old maks in colors that were never produced but featured in MNOG or other media.

And I don't think the legality is much of an issue, the quantities being sold are comparatively small and it's not like Lego is selling these masks themselves anymore.

Edited March 19 by doodleloot

[Nato G]

Absolutely, and the market for it already exists. There are numerous creators in the community who produce parts resin casts of existing pieces in new colours. 

[confused piraka]

@Nato G

@doodleloot

I'm thinking about using a injection molding service to make existing masks in new colors. I would outsource it via a prototyping company

(what colors and masks would you want?)

 

[Nato G]

You're putting us on the spot a little bit with that question. I can't imagine something like this would be cheap for you to do, and I'm not comfortable arbitrarily throwing out suggestions or requests without knowing what I'd actually be getting. 

I'd recommend first having a look at what this service you're contracting is capable of. What colours do they have available? How closely do they match official Bionicle parts? Can they blend colours? What will it cost? Do some tests to see if there are any issues with fragility, quality, detail, etc. Take some high-fidelity photos to show people the quality of what they'd be getting.

Then, if you decide it's worth getting into selling/distributing, maybe put a poll on Reddit, some community Discord servers, or somewhere else with greater reach to gauge what kinds of Kanohi people might want, and what colours they'd like to see.

[Aiden]

On 3/18/2024 at 8:18 PM, confused piraka said:

 

I'm thinking about using an injection molding service to make existing masks in new colors. I would outsource it via a prototyping company

 

In my opinion, it doesn’t make sense to do this. You’d essentially just be commissioning somebody else to do the work, then reselling the product. There are already people who cast their own masks in the community, like Nate and Socket. This feels like unnecessarily adding a middle man, it’d make more sense if you were making them yourself. I think this is something you’d do if you wanted specific masks that weren’t made for your personal collection- but at that point, you may as well just go to somebody who specializes in it in the community.
 

I’m not trying to necessarily discourage you, more so encourage you to put more work and effort into it if it’s something you really want to do- it would be really cool running your own mask making operation. It’s also much more rewarding when you can say “I made that”, rather than just “I sold that”, if that makes any sense.

Edited March 23 by Aiden

[T.B.O.C]

Go for casts. They're excellent, work for what most people want, and honestly are relatively affordable for what they are. I go for resin casts, since most filament based prints are gonna need more finishing to get into a nice smooth shape. Most masks I've gotten have been around the $15 mark - some custom painted, some cast in the correct colors, some unpainted for me to finish myself. There's also scores of 3D models for masks, so if you have them in mind you can get them typically. I've gotten official masks, and custom 3D prints for "canon" masks - such as the Mask of Creation, and the Great Kanohi worn by the Hagah, and recently even Helryx's mask.

Injection molding is not necessary, especially for display items. If you're interested though - several people already go through companies to do so. It's likely not worth your time or effort to navigate this yourself.

SocketBall is a great one, as many have said: though due to the limited nature of production, prints go fast (I managed to get their last few Rau's by waiting for them to drop LOL). Etsy is also full of people - the two sellers I prefer are there. I'm not sure if I'm allowed, but I do have recommendations on a few people I've gotten masks from. Primarily, this was for my Hagah, but I've also gotten some very nice ones: such as this Blue Rau for my Kotu.

Edited April 5 by T.B.O.C

[Nato G]

1 hour ago, T.B.O.C said:

Go for prints. I go for resin-prints. Some custom painted, some cast in the correct colors. SocketBall is a great one.

Just FYI, resin prints and resin casts are two very different things. Resin prints are made in a 3D-printer using a digital file of the mask, and though they're definitely way better than filament ones, as you said, they'll still have visible layer lines and extrusions where the supports were attached.

Resin casts are created in a mould of the original piece, which is what Socketball does, creating a perfect smooth surface that matches the official parts. 

[T.B.O.C]

27 minutes ago, Nato G said:

Just FYI, resin prints and resin casts are two very different things. Resin prints are made in a 3D-printer using a digital file of the mask, and though they're definitely way better than filament ones, as you said, they'll still have visible layer lines and extrusions where the supports were attached.

Resin casts are created in a mould of the original piece, which is what Socketball does, creating a perfect smooth surface that matches the official parts. 

Ooh - nice catch. Hadn't realized I was using the wrong terminology there. Resin casts for sure!