FanimeCon 2013 Weapons, Props, Peace-bond & Costume Policy [Final 1/1/2012]

[aetherltd]

Cosplay prop for Girls und Panzer, currently at Anime Expo in Los Angeles

What's the peace-bonding policy on this?

That it doesn't come onto convention property.

I can understand that.

The Girls und Panzer tank at Anime Expo. Crewed by the LT3 cosplay team.

[Aelia]

If they got a Panzer and wanted to pose with it at our convention, they'd have to find a safe place to do so, and we actually don't have anything like that on our premises.  I can't think of anywhere near Downtown San Jose that would have the necessary space for the trailer to haul it in (except the parking lots, and those are generally full by Friday) and stage it that it would be off city streets.

Impressive dedication to the cosplay though.

[SkylerKarashi]

So, I Wasnt Sure If Thisbwas Allowed Or Not, So I Thought Id Ask, My Sis Has An Injured Heartless Cosplay, And It Has A Sign That Says, "Im Injured... Hug Me!!!" With A Little Hurt Heartless In The Top Corner, It That Ok?

[xifumouse]

I have just recently started gathering stuff for my resident evil cosplay since the last time I was at Fanime 2012 it was really fun even though I didnt have a cosplay. The question I have today is that will Resident Evil cosplay be allow at Fanime 2014? Because I will be wearing pretty much all military gear "swat gear" with umbrella corp logo all over the cosplay. I read somewhere that military cosplay is not allowed at the convention is that true? Also the gear I have wearing include a prop gun and it is complete black but it does have a 2inch orange tip will that be allow as well at Fanime 2014?
I saw cosplay like this at Fanime 2012-2013 will this be allowed or did these people some how sneak in

[eralston]

I don't believe the policy for 2014 has been published yet but you can look at last years policy on the website. If you are just looking for a summary last years policy stated:

No costumes may be realistic depictions of American Law Enforcement or current American Military uniforms, or have the words POLICE, POLICIA, SWAT, FBI, DEA, CIA or any other official government agency names or initials on them.

If you still have questions it might be helpful if you posted images of what you intended on wearing so a rover could weigh in on whether it would violate the policy.

[BSaphire]

I have just recently started gathering stuff for my resident evil cosplay since the last time I was at Fanime 2012 it was really fun even though I didnt have a cosplay. The question I have today is that will Resident Evil cosplay be allow at Fanime 2014? Because I will be wearing pretty much all military gear "swat gear" with umbrella corp logo all over the cosplay. I read somewhere that military cosplay is not allowed at the convention is that true? Also the gear I have wearing include a prop gun and it is complete black but it does have a 2inch orange tip will that be allow as well at Fanime 2014?
I saw cosplay like this at Fanime 2012-2013 will this be allowed or did these people some how sneak in

@ xifumouse: I merged this into the W & P policy thread. For future reference, please post links to pictures that are relevant instead of the photos so that other forum users do not have a page of photos load when they read your post. I would also suggest contacting Fanime Rovers with your questions concerning your RE cosplay since W & P falls in their department and they can address your questions with more accurate answers.

Thank you
BSaphire

[BonjourHoney]

Hi there! I have a question about the prop weapons policy (and I know it might be changed by '14 but maybe people who have past experience with the policy can help me because I've never brought a prop to Fanime before).

I see that the rules for firearm props have lots of little nuances. I'm interested in having antique firearm props for my cosplay: a flintlock pistol and a flintlock rifle. I remember vaguely that laws are different for pre 1898 (or something like that) firearm ownership; does this apply at all to props as well? Will replicas of antique firearms be allowed as a prop weapon, as long as it has an orange tip and still follows all the other rules (don't point it at anyone, etc.)? These are, of course, display-only non-functional replicas, usually made of wood, but with little metal details (which I figured might be a dealbreaker).

I'm eyeballing stuff such as this:

http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/p-2130-19th-century-french-percussion-dueling-pistol-pewter.aspx
http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/p-2141-1806-napoleonic-period-french-carbine-rifle.aspx

The second part of my inquiry is: do prop swords HAVE to be peace-bonded into their scabbards? Are we not allowed to have them out for photograph posing (which seems to defeat the purpose of having a sword prop anyway, though again I'm unclear on this from reading '13's policy)?

Anyone who has advice to shed light on the matter would be most appreciated. Thanks so much! :) Looking forward to Fanime '14 !

[Imperial]

Wood, depending on what it is and what the weight of it is, is usually a no, metal also is on the same boat. I know its not the same, but you often got to get the plastic knock off of teh real thing, but do a little painting and it pretty dang close to looks the same.

on the matter of the sword, as long as you are only pulling it out of the scabbard at the gathering only, it should be fine, you may or may not be allowed to do it. the main concern about sword/sword-like is people whacking others, and its broad to be fair to all.

I say this from statements of others, but im not the book on this.

[Gwydion]

Wood, depending on what it is and what the weight of it is, is usually a no, metal also is on the same boat. I know its not the same, but you often got to get the plastic knock off of teh real thing, but do a little painting and it pretty dang close to looks the same.

on the matter of the sword, as long as you are only pulling it out of the scabbard at the gathering only, it should be fine, you may or may not be allowed to do it. the main concern about sword/sword-like is people whacking others, and its broad to be fair to all.

I say this from statements of others, but im not the book on this.

...and because it never fails that some moron decides he needs to have a sword fight in a crowded hallway.

But yeah, as they said, generally anything like that might just be out of scope for walking around with. When you have San Jose rules, convention center rules, and the experience of countless idiots ruining it for the rest of us that Fanime has it makes the prop rules very complicated. There's always a better idiot who thinks he's safe. Best thing for you to do is when the Prop Rules thread comes up for 2014 ask there and provide pictures and details, so the Cosplay staff can make a decision over it.

[KaitoYusa]

"Sword-like props may not be made of live steel (metal which can take an edge) have a hardened edge if of other materials (wood, plastic or laminates)."

What is the general threshold on an edge's angle before it becomes of concern? I understand not having 45 degree edges, as those are fairly sharp, but I figure 135 degree edges pose less/no safety hazard.

My scythe is primarily styrofoam and balsa wood. Is there little need to worry about edges? Or should I still be going through and sanding the edges? There's about two dozen pieces of balsa wood, and a whole lot of angles ranging anywhere between 15 degrees and 170 degrees. It'd be a bit of a pain to sand each and every layer, but if I knew which edges were of concern, it would make it a whole lot more manageable.

http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss300/Ochibi7/CRprogress.jpg
As you can hopefully see in the picture, some of these pieces partially overlap with each other, meaning some of the "edges" are barely even exposed, too.

"All props must be small enough to fit through a standard doorway without effort."

I'm a little concerned about this one here. I know how to carry my own prop through a standard doorway "without effort", but that doesn't mean everyone can, and I don't know if those working peacebonding will take that into consideration or not. I know these rules are in place as a precaution to prevent "idiots" from causing trouble, but not all of the rules can be designed with the "worst case scenario in mind". Otherwise, any and every prop would be a potential danger in the hands of someone horribly irresponsible. I'd just like to know a little better where the lines are drawn, as I suspect my prop is dancing along numerous gray areas.

[Aelia]

"Sword-like props may not be made of live steel (metal which can take an edge) have a hardened edge if of other materials (wood, plastic or laminates)."

What is the general threshold on an edge's angle before it becomes of concern? I understand not having 45 degree edges, as those are fairly sharp, but I figure 135 degree edges pose less/no safety hazard.

My scythe is primarily styrofoam and balsa wood. Is there little need to worry about edges? Or should I still be going through and sanding the edges? There's about two dozen pieces of balsa wood, and a whole lot of angles ranging anywhere between 15 degrees and 170 degrees. It'd be a bit of a pain to sand each and every layer, but if I knew which edges were of concern, it would make it a whole lot more manageable.

http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss300/Ochibi7/CRprogress.jpg
As you can hopefully see in the picture, some of these pieces partially overlap with each other, meaning some of the "edges" are barely even exposed, too.

"All props must be small enough to fit through a standard doorway without effort."

I'm a little concerned about this one here. I know how to carry my own prop through a standard doorway "without effort", but that doesn't mean everyone can, and I don't know if those working peacebonding will take that into consideration or not. I know these rules are in place as a precaution to prevent "idiots" from causing trouble, but not all of the rules can be designed with the "worst case scenario in mind". Otherwise, any and every prop would be a potential danger in the hands of someone horribly irresponsible. I'd just like to know a little better where the lines are drawn, as I suspect my prop is dancing along numerous gray areas.

On balsa wood, edge is not a concern. We do not have defined angles.

How tall will your scythe be?

[Aelia]

I have just recently started gathering stuff for my resident evil cosplay since the last time I was at Fanime 2012 it was really fun even though I didnt have a cosplay. The question I have today is that will Resident Evil cosplay be allow at Fanime 2014? Because I will be wearing pretty much all military gear "swat gear" with umbrella corp logo all over the cosplay. I read somewhere that military cosplay is not allowed at the convention is that true? Also the gear I have wearing include a prop gun and it is complete black but it does have a 2inch orange tip will that be allow as well at Fanime 2014?
I saw cosplay like this at Fanime 2012-2013 will this be allowed or did these people some how sneak in
[[images removed for people with slow internet]]

We do not allow cosplays which actually appear to be military, or which say PD or have other government/law enforcement names or acronyms on them.

Not all of those were, or should have been allowed. I cannot attest to "sneaking in." The majority of those were taken in public spaces.

I cannot say if your costume will or will not meet regulations because it actually depends on the specifics of your costume. If what you are wearing is indistinguishable from an actual SWAT outfit, or is, in fact, a real SWAT outfit, then we cannot allow you to wear it at the convention.

[KaitoYusa]

"Sword-like props may not be made of live steel (metal which can take an edge) have a hardened edge if of other materials (wood, plastic or laminates)."

What is the general threshold on an edge's angle before it becomes of concern? I understand not having 45 degree edges, as those are fairly sharp, but I figure 135 degree edges pose less/no safety hazard.

My scythe is primarily styrofoam and balsa wood. Is there little need to worry about edges? Or should I still be going through and sanding the edges? There's about two dozen pieces of balsa wood, and a whole lot of angles ranging anywhere between 15 degrees and 170 degrees. It'd be a bit of a pain to sand each and every layer, but if I knew which edges were of concern, it would make it a whole lot more manageable.

http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss300/Ochibi7/CRprogress.jpg
As you can hopefully see in the picture, some of these pieces partially overlap with each other, meaning some of the "edges" are barely even exposed, too.

"All props must be small enough to fit through a standard doorway without effort."

I'm a little concerned about this one here. I know how to carry my own prop through a standard doorway "without effort", but that doesn't mean everyone can, and I don't know if those working peacebonding will take that into consideration or not. I know these rules are in place as a precaution to prevent "idiots" from causing trouble, but not all of the rules can be designed with the "worst case scenario in mind". Otherwise, any and every prop would be a potential danger in the hands of someone horribly irresponsible. I'd just like to know a little better where the lines are drawn, as I suspect my prop is dancing along numerous gray areas.

On balsa wood, edge is not a concern. We do not have defined angles.

How tall will your scythe be?

Its maximum span is around 8 feet, but holding the shaft at an angle so that the scythe blade can remain above the shaft instead of out in people's faces drops the height to around 7. I've been able to move the scythe between my garage and inside the house regularly without problems so far.

Would it be better to break down the scythe into two separate props and only hold them together, end to end, during photo time? I can easily hide the split behind my waist/cape.

[Aelia]

Its maximum span is around 8 feet, but holding the shaft at an angle so that the scythe blade can remain above the shaft instead of out in people's faces drops the height to around 7. I've been able to move the scythe between my garage and inside the house regularly without problems so far.

Would it be better to break down the scythe into two separate props and only hold them together, end to end, during photo time? I can easily hide the split behind my waist/cape.

It sounds like it would be fine as a single-piece prop. The big concern about "easily fits through doorways" has a lot to do with emergency evacuations (which you may be aware we had to do in the past when SJCC lost power) We do not want people getting injured by each other's props, and as such it is important to us that they fit through a doorway easily.

I'd say it sounds like your prop should be fine as a single-piece scythe.

[KaitoYusa]

Alrighty, thank you very much Aelia!

[tvrtko]

I'd like to use a BrickGun as a prop.   Here's what one looks like: http://www.brickgun.com/Desert_Eagle/Desert_Eagle.html

If I add a bright-orange barrel extension, there's still the matter of making it non-removable.  The trouble with LEGOs is that everything is removable.  So, if I bond the pieces together in a way that I can demonstrate to the props staff that it's no longer removable, should that make the pistol compliant?  Thanks!

[KaitoYusa]

The trouble with LEGOs is that everything is removable.

I've heard that folks have done things such as supergluing lego pieces together, so I'm inclined to say yes, you can bond it. Don't take my word for it though; I don't work for peacebonding.


Should my scythe prop in fact be too large, would breaking it down into two separate pieces be sufficient to get it peacebonded? :-[


Additionally, what are the policies around fake bullets? As is, they will be:

• Made from a wood dowel or casting resin (no propellant whatsoever)
• Painted in a way that does not look real (http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss300/Ochibi7/vlcsnap-2013-06-21-20h23m45s98.png)
• Will be epoxied either directly onto the bandolier, or to a pin (like a badge) in such a way that it can't even be loaded.

[abcbadcat]

I am going to be painting and holstering a Playstation light gun as a prop and I have never used any gun props in previous costumes. I have briefly overheard something which may or may not be true and would like clarification... would the prop need the trigger taped down or removed to be marked as peacebonded? I would like to know if it WOULD need to be removed as I could do that during the prop making process and preserve the equipment. Thanks!

[Metriosity]

Is there an updated costume and weapons policy for this year? It would be nice to know what we can and can't do, before the serious prop and costume making gets under way.

[Admiral Donuts]

2014 one hasn't been posted yet, but if you have a specific question you can e-mail [email protected]