Post Fanime 2010 Weapons? Props? Peacebonding? Policy? Ask those ? here...

[Dany]

RE: Weapons Policy 2k10 - it's been tortured and tormented. It may be live soon (and by soon I mean hopefully within another day or two). Please be patient and bear with us. In the meantime; Rovers [at] fanime [dot] com can help you.

RE: Rovers have mishandled my props/weapons in the past. Hopefully, the sensitivity training I'm not-so-sensitive-about-instilling will work. Most of us recall that props can be expensive to make or buy, and that we should not f-up your weapon.

RE: "OK one year and not another" that happens at every con. People do stupid things, rules get tighter. Peace-bonders get more educated on what real guns look like, and their opinions change.

PS: The fact that they were guns; sometimes, real guns look like toys to the untrained eye. Sometimes, toys look like "real guns" to the uneducated. Now, really, it can unfortunately be hit-or-miss. We are attempting to be more educated about guns and gun-like props.

RE: RPG7 of pvc pipe and bottles & abs pipe javelin rocket launcher; as long as you don't make it *too* realistic, and nothing moves, I can be convinced to say OK. It needs to be really clear from a distance of about 20 feet in dim lighting that it's not real. The best way, if you have the props made, is to take some good pictures from a couple angles and send it in an email to rovers[at]fanime[dot]com.

Woo! thanks for the follow-up...our weapons are completed and I might just send the photos I  have to get another once-over (when I initially emailed it was before we even constructed them, so I figure it may be good to follow up!).

[Avairrianna]

Ok I have a general question about tanks. We need to drill a hole in tanks to prove/prevent them from being filled with something correct?

[Steve.Young]

That would probably be a good idea. I would probably say yes to several weapons if they were non-fillable.

[loner]

ok now this is a REAL response! thank you! unlike a couple of  *ahem* people here....moving on
the pvc pipe rpg/gun props are definitely up to "code" with most cons as well as my weapons which are ok at lets say...AX,WONDERCON, and any bay area local con, fanime seems to be the most inconsistent with them, i mean ive used them over the years and let me clarify what i meant with ok one year and not the another year...they ok'd it the 1st time i used it, the year after they said no, then after that they said yes, then last year yes but i had to strap it to my back while the guy with a decommisioned RPG walked around with a fanime peacebonded ziptie...it was a simple $2 toy i bought in chinatown i dont get it....oh and the cops seen me with it and said nothing to me. the rpg is ultra sensitive too i.e the "handle" already broke once so yea its obvious its not real i mean you can make out the 2 liter bottles and the funnel, but im pretty sure no matter what i do ill get crap for it despite following the "rules". Ie no moving parts,no airsoft,no loadables,orange tip, so on and so forth. i really do appreciate the response that sympathizes with cosplayers.

RE: Weapons Policy 2k10 - it's been tortured and tormented. It may be live soon (and by soon I mean hopefully within another day or two). Please be patient and bear with us. In the meantime; Rovers [at] fanime [dot] com can help you.

RE: Rovers have mishandled my props/weapons in the past. Hopefully, the sensitivity training I'm not-so-sensitive-about-instilling will work. Most of us recall that props can be expensive to make or buy, and that we should not f-up your weapon.

RE: "OK one year and not another" that happens at every con. People do stupid things, rules get tighter. Peace-bonders get more educated on what real guns look like, and their opinions change.

PS: The fact that they were guns; sometimes, real guns look like toys to the untrained eye. Sometimes, toys look like "real guns" to the uneducated. Now, really, it can unfortunately be hit-or-miss. We are attempting to be more educated about guns and gun-like props.

RE: RPG7 of pvc pipe and bottles & abs pipe javelin rocket launcher; as long as you don't make it *too* realistic, and nothing moves, I can be convinced to say OK. It needs to be really clear from a distance of about 20 feet in dim lighting that it's not real. The best way, if you have the props made, is to take some good pictures from a couple angles and send it in an email to rovers[at]fanime[dot]com.

[komozu]

 Yea, about that orange safety tape issue, i have an old clone troopers rifle that's pretty much painted black, but has a few holes in it so you can see it light up when you press the trigger. It also makes laser sounds, which sound nothing like actual gunshots. Would that make it seem unrealistic enough if i slap orange on the tip?

[Jerry]

 Aelia actually is part of the Rovers department who had been asked to look over the weapons policy and update it.

she's also been our "peace bonding queen"  for several years now, so she- along with our superiors have the final say when it comes to Weapons and prop compliance -

Hey Aelia , estimated time frame of getting the policy posted or linked somewhere on the fanime website or forums?

[loner]

the one M4A1 toy i had used to light up and play "phaser" sounds as well...(like i said it was a $2 toy) but apparently that was an issue one year, so i made the simple choice of trimming off the trigger and not putting batteries in. They ok'd it, but the following year they said no....then the year after they ok'd it again...i think ive had her peacebond a few of my things, but the one guy who i seemed to remember because he just had common sense as to what was realistic and what wasnt was a guy named "chaos".

Yea, about that orange safety tape issue, i have an old clone troopers rifle that's pretty much painted black, but has a few holes in it so you can see it light up when you press the trigger. It also makes laser sounds, which sound nothing like actual gunshots. Would that make it seem unrealistic enough if i slap orange on the tip?

[Aelia]

Jerry; I got that bounced up to those-who-have-the-final-say. I'm hoping it'll be cleared sometime in the next week or so. I'm not sure about the exact time frame.

RE: holes in the tank
Those would be a good choice, actually. If you make it clear to me that it can't be filled, we're just peachy on those.

RE: M4A1
"Khaos" is unfortunately off doing real-life things that are going to keep him from the con. I'll need you to bring it by for me to go over it, but in all likelihood it's going to depend on holster-ability,

Actually, as far as guns in general go, I've been studying up. The rule of thumb I'm going with this year is that if it's a hand-gun it has to be holstered. If it's a "machine gun" sort of thing, I'll need you to carry it attached to your back or something-- in such a way that you can't just sling it around. If it's too big for either of those, I'm going to treat it as a large prop. Just... please be patient with me on this one. I'm trying to learn guns enough that I'm actually consistent and good at that aspect.

[loner]

thanks that helps!

but the strapping to my back thing:
how will i be able to pose with the gun?
the gun will be used for several cosplays, is there a way where it cant be ziptied to that single cosplay, otherwise ill keep having to revisit you guys almost every costume change and i have about 8-10 costumes that weekend for photoshoots.....i want to make sure the staff will be consistant with that particular prop due to it being my only one because its one that passes all the "requirements"? (i.e i had a situation one year where a rover grabbed my gun and started walking to conops without any explanation, handed the gun to conops and walked away, conops asked "werent you just here?" my response was "the rover didnt believe i checked my gun here")
one particular set of costumes i really dont mind strapping it to my back because it should be.
but is there a way i can unstrap it from my back so i can switch in and out of the different cosplays without cutting the peacebond and having to revisit conops every photoshoot?
the hand gun thing.....always holstered no problem i take it out for photos and it goes right back in the holsters, im not new to responsible cosplay.....

is there a way i can modify it so i can "strap" it to my back when im not taking photos? but be able to unstrap it for photos or when i need to do a cosplay change? its still within your rule of thumb

[Aelia]

I wish I could give you clearance on the forums, but I really can't. I am willing to work with you to make the peace-bonding as painless as possible, and do it in such a way that you don't have to come visit us with every costume change.

You want to talk to me specifically (ask Rovers for "Erin" and you'll get me), and you want to come with your prop. I'll be there Thursday evening through Monday... though I doubt you'll wait for Monday to come see me. ;)

As far as people manhandling your props, I'm hoping to avoid that in all shapes and forms this year. Should that happen to anyone, I would like to know about it at-con instead of after. I can't do anything about it now, but had we known at-con, we could have stopped it.

[loner]

sweet!
ok maybe i can meet you thursday to take of this instead of friday when it gets hectic!
you are a real help and i take back alot of stuff i said about all conops/rovers being abusive, not all but there are a few and i didnt know that i can report them until i came to this forum, the next time i get into a situation which usually once or twice during fanime ill be sure to get a name and con badge number thingy.

ok ill start to modify something for you to check out, thanks again!

[Yumiko]

Ahh, so I just read through all 10 pages of the thread to make sure there was no official 2010 Weapons Policy List yet, and to see if my question had been answered.

Unfortunately, the one person that needed an answer to the same question I did never got a reply! (I think? Or maybe I happened to pass up the one reply with their answer OTL)

ANYWHOO, does anyone have a general rule of thumb on the maximum height of a prop? I'm in the process of building a scythe and an axe, however I haven't cut/sanded the handles yet and I would like to make sure I don't make anything too tall. (I know AX has a height policy... I don't recall if we've ever had one for Fanime though...?)

I'd also like to know if something like a plastic jug/vase (more specifically, an amphora) would need to be peace bonded? Knowing me I'll probably go and check with the staff anyways, but it would be cool to get some input here too!

Thanks in advance everyone!

[Charis]

Aelia: I e-mailed Rovers and hadn't heard back, which is why I'm asking again here.  Has there been any verdict on whether we can bring in multiple weapons to get peace-bonded at once, even if they don't match our current costume?  As previously stated, some of us prefer to get it out of the way as soon as possible (my usual tactic involves bringing all of my prop weapons to prereg peacebonding when a con has that, or down the first day otherwise) and it'd be nice to know in advance if that's viable.

Thank you.

[Yumiko]

Aelia: I e-mailed Rovers and hadn't heard back, which is why I'm asking again here.  Has there been any verdict on whether we can bring in multiple weapons to get peace-bonded at once, even if they don't match our current costume?  As previously stated, some of us prefer to get it out of the way as soon as possible (my usual tactic involves bringing all of my prop weapons to prereg peacebonding when a con has that, or down the first day otherwise) and it'd be nice to know in advance if that's viable.

Thank you.

Yo! I read the entire thread and have seen this mentioned a couple of times :'3

I think the rule is that you CANNOT get multiple props peace bonded at once, and that the original intention of this rule was to keep random people who didn't have costumes from running around with prop weapons.

Hope that helps!

[Charis]

Yumiko - I'm aware of the rule that's been stated; I was advised to contact Rovers directly asking about it, though, and hadn't heard back subsequently.  I appreciate you restating it, but as I said, I'm asking for absolute verification of this from Rovers because it's a new rule and something that a number of cosplayers would like to know for certain about in advance.

[loner]

id like to know too since im in the same boat, as i said before id hate to have staffers ok it one min and say no another when i have to change in and out of cosplays, its happend to me. Erin ill be there prereg day since youve been helpful so far

[dark-lord-of-sith]

To Aelia: Ok I read that the general idea for hand gun props would they would have to be holstered. What if you don't have a holster for it? Also the prop hand gun I am making came out of the mold for it slightly bent and I fully cut off the trigger and trigger guard. It will be painted black with Silver/White text on it and it is 15 inches long. What more do I need to do to it? It would be nice to know so I can finish the prop  up and have it all set for the con.

[loner]

definitely an orange tip, @ aelia: also i know you have to see it but for my rpg will it need an orange tip? ummm, rocket launchers dont have a muzzle its just a tube...and the rpg rocket launcher its made of two 1 liter crystal springs bottles glued together....we definitely should talk when i get there, since you have the final say id rather you take a look at my props since you've been helpful.

[Runewitt]

Is there an issue with wearing a gun belt, with holsters and bullets, if the bullets have the primers punched out and have no powder? I would NOT be bringing any prop guns, and it would be part of a costume.

[AtoroAion]

Okay, so 22 days away from the con and still no weapon policy? Not much room for error now... already finished everything I need, and now I'm just waiting for the policy to see if my weapon is a go or no-go, although here is a pic so someone may be able to give me a heads up.



No moving parts, orange tip as shown, no trigger even, no internal anything, all a hollow shell. Plus if need be it will be strapped to my back on top of a couple pouches (I'm going as Johnny "Akiba" Sasaki from MGS4) so I wouldn't be able to get to it.

Let me know whether I should even bother bringing it, thank in advance everyone ^_^