I thought people came here to learn how to make their own costume.
The 405th is multi faceted organization that people can get out of what they want. We understand people come here for a variety of reasons and try to provide a space for as many as possible. That includes making sure we prepare for, and have systems in place to best serve, all those outlooks and styles of member.
Some people do just want to make their own costume. That is fine, that is why all it takes to be a "405th Member" is to have a Forum Account. And some people, many people, that is all they want. They learn to build, they get their files, they make their costume, and then they disappear and we never see them again. Or there are those members who just love making models and unfolds. They can be "members" without ever building a single costume. But they are still here and a vital part of the community, so they are afforded the same level of membership as any other person.
But some people want more. They want to do more with their costume, they want to feel more connected with the community. That's where our Regiments come into play. And you don't even need a costume to join a Regiment.
Some people strive for screen accuracy, and that is who Deployments are for, those members whose focus is on build quality. We reward them for their commitment and skills and we encourage them and others to keep improving by offering multiple levels of Deployments.
And outside groups, organizations, companies, et cetera do come to the 405th and invite us to their events to help them out. They do that because we are organized and we have the structure to deal with and fulfill event requests. We are cultivating a reputation for professional and courteous behavior in our appearances, and that goes a long way towards there being more invitations for all of us.
And even though it has not happened yet through our current event request system, someone could come to us and ask for a certain level of quality in costume for an appearance. It has happened before but it was done through back doors and "friends of friends" and unofficial channels. An open group like ours, with set rules and procedures goes a long way towards both
-Giving every member a more equal shot at getting to do some exclusive cool event, rather than only the friends of the "right" or "popular" person
-Allows an outside event to have a wider pool of candidates to choose from.
This diverse set of viewpoints and functions is one of the challenges we face, and as a Command Staff member you will need to be able to understand, respect, and balance them all.
