Link's helmet is on the left, Fitz's is on the right.
It's still a crappy pic Fitz, I tried to fix it for you a bit:
Alright, time to put this to bed.
I just want to first say that I am not ruling on this as a 405th moderator, just as a guy who has two friends that had a misunderstanding. I have no authority to pass judgement here, I'm not an arbitrator for these kinds of disagreements at all, I just didn't want to see two good guys get into a fight without trying to help them solve their differences.
I've just gotten off the phone with Fitz concerning this.. and he's let me know that he doesn't have internet access for the rest of the night so he can't post here until tomorrow. He has some explaining to do about his intentions with Link's visors, but I consider his recasting defense plausible and now verified with the above photo. HOWEVER I want to stress that does not let anybody off the hook for accusing Fitz and running his reputation through the mud. Appologies are due all around fellas.
This did have all the warning signs of a typical recasting situation.. bad photos, unlikely explanations, and lack of good defense. I think this is truly just a misunderstanding, and I don't blame Link in the least for wanting to defend his creations.. Any one of us would have done the same if we suspected somone was making off with our hard work.
I've known both these guys for long enough to know that they're both talented, sensitive and trustworthy.. in other words they're good guys who are a great deal more alike than either of them are aware. One of the drawbacks to being a good guy is that people do try to take advantage of you sooner or later, so being defensive is frequently warranted. Sometimes though a good defense backfires.. and I think thats what happened here.
In short, heres how this happened:
Fitz made a ODST helmet, but had no means to create visors. He wanted to provide visors by purchasing them outright from Link but didn't want to step on any toes as a competitor. He listed his sales elsewhere in order to seperate the 'market' for the similar item. Fitz's camera is genuinely broken and thusly he doesn't have any reasonable documentation of it's progress or the finished product. He posted the sales solely based on his reputation hoping that people felt they knew him well enough to trust him. Link recognized the visor and likewise a helmet that bore a striking resemblence to his own and raised the recaster flag. This being Fitz's first effort to share his work with the 405th he was hurt by the accusation and felt he should dissasociate himself rather than go to bat with Link. Now the relationship between the two is messed up and Fitz's reputation is pretty sullied, and we're all at a loss for it.
Is Fitz selling recasts of links helmet?: Most likely not. Did he cross a line by intending to use Links visors with his helmet run?: Quite possibly. Could all this have been avoided if we all trusted each other a little more and were less defensive with fellow 405thers? Absolutely.
I remember better days here when we all shared our work and experience with each other more freely and it was a nicer place exchange our interests. I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but it feels a little tense around here right now. Whether it be because of the upcoming ODST costume season or due to everyone working twice as hard and not having as much time to talk to one another... I kinda feel like times are a little gruff around here, and I really wish it weren't that way. It's kind of a sad signpost to see this kind of apprehension and distrust rampant in our community. I now understand Fitz's sentiment earlier about trust.
Can we all take a deep breath and remember that we're all brothers (and sisters) on the same team, here because we all love the same things and want to share in our appreciation? Can we agree to put petty issues behind us and work togehter with trust, transparency, and goodwill? Can we remember that the internet isn't just a great invention for networking and doing business but is also a place where we can make lifelong friendships and find the acceptance we've been seeking in our personal lives?
I still have deep respect for both you guys. I hope you can shake hands and forget about this misunderstanding. I don't expect or demand it, but I'll always have a little hope.