The White Rabbit Banned from LRG

UPDATE (June 2nd, 2017):
The temporary suspension on the Beastformers account on LRG has been removed.

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– OFFICIAL STATEMENT–
Concerning the (temporary) suspension/ban of
The White Rabbit (Beastformers) account on LRG (LittleRubberGuys.com)

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In this statement The White Rabbit will explain When the ban on the Beastformers account has become active, Why the ban was imposed by the LRG Council, What the reason was for The White Rabbit to act, Why it decided to act the way it did and What consequences it has for its freedom of movement on LRG and in regards to ongoing (research) projects out there. Followed by a message to all creators of Reproductions and Exact Copies of the original Battle Beasts figures and a final conclusion. During this whole statement NO user-names or persons will be mentioned since this is not published with the intention to blackmail or slander any of those involved it is only created to clarify and explain what has happened for those who are followers of the Beastformers Blog and LRG members.

WHEN?
Due to an argument regarding the discussion whether or not Reproductions and/or Exact Copies of original figures from the Battle Beasts should or should not be marked with a Makers Mark or a Reproduction stamp the Beastformers account on LRG has been suspended by the LRG Council on the 18th of May 2017.

WHY?
The main reason for this was based upon a REPLY within a topic about custom Battle Beasts followed by a supporting newly created topic (HERE) in which a Policy Change is suggested for the Selling and Promotion, on LRG, of Reproductions and or Exact Copies of figures from the original toy line from the 80´s. But the ban did not come completely out of the blue knowing there have been some arguments going back and forth between The White Rabbit and the Councils behind the scenes related the same subject. Earlier this year on March 5th there where several frustrations about Reproductions being promoted in Topics on LRG where this was not supposed to happen and in a way it was completely disrespectful in my honest opinion taking advantage of a topic that has been composed and built up with valuable insights and information about the line. This resulted in sending a Direct Message to ALL of the Councils on LRG at once in which in a harsh and direct way some serious complaints were ventilated. Due to the, maybe to, aggressive way this message was composed initially, in order to express the urge of the subject, the understanding between the Council and The White Rabbit was hostile from the start. Maybe it was a too thoughtless move to compose the message as such knowing the Council now felt like a Wolf-pack to battle which is a tough battle to win for a Rabbit. Even though the initial complaint was more than valid the Council had doubts about the intentions and that together with the hostile atmosphere, created by The White Rabbit itself, made that it was a useless mission. Since this already almost resulted in a ban no further words and arguments were made in order to avoid it and to release the tension from the whole situation. Until this week when The White Rabbit felt it was called out in public, being slandered, and it had to stand up to defend not only itself, the original line but also (again) to stand up for the work and effort that is done by the Beastformers Archaeology Team.

WHAT was the reason?
For the followers of the Beastformers Blog and those who follow The White Rabbit on LRG or via the various Social Media accounts it will be no surprise that The White Rabbit sees it as its task to clarify and preserve the history of the Battle Beasts line. And since TAKARA and HASBRO are no longer out there, due to expired rights, to stand up against potential threats the original line is completely left unprotected in case the BB Community does not respond to this. If none is willing to take position against this threat of unmarked reproductions, which is basically a matter of polluting the original line by not only creating a potential threat for new and unknown collectors getting burned but at the same time it can be considered as spreading false information, the BB community will be further removed from the Original line and its History every time another one of these unmarked reproductions are sold. This is unacceptable for The White Rabbit and the Beastformers Team because it disrespects the original line and it goes against everything that is done in order to clarify, verify and preserve the History of the Battle Beasts which is our main goal. It cannot be that on the one end the Beastformers Archaeology Team is digging deep and working hard to clarify the History of this toy line, creating valuable content for the BB Community, while on the other end a LRG member is, without any form of protest, doing the complete opposite by spreading unmarked reproductions or copies completely ignoring and disrespecting the numbers, values and stories that go with the releases of the Original line. With unmarked Reproductions and or Exact Copies out there Preservation of information and History of the Original line alone is no longer enough because without actively Protecting and Defending that content it is a matter of time before History might be rewritten or becomes doubtful again. This is not something The White Rabbit can and will accept and that is why it stood up against this in a fierce way.

Battling for the good cause protecting the Beasts!

WHY was there the need/urge to act so fierce?
Only a few people might know the actual time and effort that goes into everything that is done behind the scenes in order to preserve and clarify the history of the Battle Beasts line so with every discussion about the unmarked Reproductions, in which people are on purpose ignoring all the valid reasons and doubt the honesty of our intentions, the tension builds up. With the sudden reply in a topic that was left abandoned for over a year calling out The White Rabbit with the intension and the hope to slander it unnoticed a highly explosive situation was created, resulting in the reply causing the ban. The only way to defend the original line this time was to come with a fierce reply showing that even the immaculate reputation of The White Rabbit is inferior to protecting the main goal; the original Battle Beasts line and its history. There is no doubt that the reputation of The White Rabbit out on LRG took a serious hit for those who do not support the ideals it is fighting for or who do not appreciate and respect the original line but the good thing is that there is no doubt that this reputation will regain itself considering the works in process with more valuable and interesting info about the Battle Beasts to come. For The White Rabbit this Battle might leave some scars but it is not over yet because when the original line and its history are left unprotected and damage is done there those are wounds that will not heal anymore and it cannot be undone either. That is why The White Rabbit will continue to hold guard taking hits and doing all the unpopular things needed to defend the Battle Beasts.

WHAT consequences does this ban have?
Do to the ban of the Beastformers account on LRG The White Rabbit can be considered paralyzed meaning it cannot reply to topics or direct messages (DM´s) and/or start new topics. So for those who might try to contact The White Rabbit via LRG or await a response out there please use the direct email (Beastformers@gmail.com) or use the contact options via the Beastformers Blog. Apart from that it has no major consequences since The White Rabbit is not depending on LRG knowing it has its home out here on the Beastformers Blog and all the research and other projects that ran on LRG, like some Beastformers Archaeology topics, behind the scenes will (temporarily) continue directly via email with the persons involved.

The White Rabbit banned from the place where it all began…

Apart from these slight inconveniences it is obviously a shame that The White Rabbit is banned from the place where it all started and where the passion for the Beasts grew and the BB virus hit. But if needed, in the future, it is a sacrifice The White Rabbit is not afraid to make if it turns out that the BB community on LRG is no longer appreciating the contributions of The White Rabbit and/or the Councils will make it impossible or unpleasant to operate out there because again the reputation on, and/or the access to, LRG is inferior to what is best for the Battle Beasts.

Message for the creators of Reproductions;
If you are a fan and/or collector of the Battle Beasts line and happen to be an artist creating, or planning to create, Reproductions or Exact Copies of original figures within the Battle Beasts and Laser Beasts lines it should not be that much asked to add a Makers Mark or a Reproduction stamp onto your creations, knowing it would prevent such problems, right? It even works in multiple ways because not only are you showing your appreciation and respect for the Original line, where it all began with, it also prevents future problems in case your creation might end up in the wrong hands being listed or resold as an original figure to another collector who is not aware of that and last but not least if you are proud at your creations adding a Makers Mark should be the icing on the cake. A Makers Mark is at the same time a good way to promote your work because it can always be derived back to you. This shows that adding a Makers Mark or a Reproduction stamp only has positive results for both creator and those within the BB Community who cherish the original line and its history. At the same time it means that there is NO legit, acceptable or understandable excuse for NOT adding such a mark either because it show that you do not care about the original line to begin with and it is only important in order to make money. The absence of time and or the willingness to create a unique Makers Mark is a poor excuse as well because a simple an easy solution mark can easily be made by stamping a mark into the mold you use and even afterwards by burning a mark into the bottom of a foot for instance. It does not have to be complicated but please create something that makes it distinct from the originals. This is your way to show respect for the Battle Beasts line and to those who make that the line is still alive and loved after almost 30 years!

CONCLUSION
Even though LRG still is and will always remain a valuable source for ALL BB fans and collectors world wide, including The White Rabbit, it would also suit the page if it would take a more active hands on approach when it comes to the preventing (even possible or future) threats to the various original toy lines out there who are discussed and loved on a daily base. Like requested/suggested to the creators of the Reproductions above it also should not be to difficult for LRG to process a policy change when it comes to the Sales and Promotions of unmarked Reproductions by LRG members. It might not make a big difference knowing sellers can always list on Ebay or go to any other online platform promoting their unmarked figures but it would be a strong statement to make if LRG takes the lead in this discussion showing that their members do care and are willing to make a difference. They are already standing strong protecting the own community because LRG members will be first to share, address or note false, fake, scam and whatnot like listings on Ebay and on other platforms warning fellow collectors. A good thing, without a doubt, but is it not weird that when it comes to the creations on LRG, by their own members, the whole marking discussion from a preventive point of view is missed or ignored? This means it is possible that an LRG member is now allowed to make a Reproduction without a mark but that in time, when it falls in the wrong hands or the hands of an unknown collector, with the Reproduction link fading or on purpose left out of the description that same figure can cause that a new topic has to be created warning and alarming fellow LRG members in the future for a Reproduction being sold as the real deal while it all could have been prevented by the LRG community to begin with. Why allow members today to sell and promote and unmarked figure when it has the potential to backfire on another member in the future…… It is better to prevent in my honest opinion than to ring the alarm bells when it is to late and all that is needed is a general consensus about adding a makers mark, or reproduction stamp, and those creators who refuse to do so after this whole explanation probably have wrong intension to begin with.

The ban of The White Rabbit is most likely temporary but whether or not the Beastformers account will actually retun to LRG in an active and contributing way as before will mainly depend upon the relation and understanding of the Councils out there. As long as they feel that this whole subject is not important and or they doubt the intension of The White Rabbit to stand up for necessity of a mark to be added to reproductions there is probably no workable environment.

So let us hope that the importance of this whole subject will finally be acknowledged by the whole LRG community sooner or later because it is of importance for all original toy lines out there. But for The White Rabbit there is obviously no room for debate when it comes to this in relation to the Battle Beasts line. There are and always will be various insights on this subject within the BB Community but The White Rabbit will firmly hold its position in this discussion and as shown it is not afraid to place its reputation on the line to defend that.

What is your thought on this subject?
Feel free to drop a comment below to share your thoughts.

Please draw your own conclusion from this statement and if you feel like you need to take steps against The White Rabbit, after this whole explanation, by boycotting or ignoring the various Beastformers accounts and/or the Beastformers Blog feel free to do so, no hard feelings. For all the rest let us hope that the ban and this whole Battle will eventually result in a durable solution that works for all creating a homogeneous BB Community again because in the end it is all about that one toy line…..

Enjoy the Beasts!

Thank you for your time and understanding,

The White Rabbit

 

UPDATE:
So what´s the actual threat the BB Community is facing!?

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IF nothing changes and exact reproductions of original and even concept or prototype figures (extracted from info shared via the Beastformers Archaeology Project) continue being spread without marking the history of the original line is influenced and polluted. And even though this might seem to be only an issue and a concern that´s solely on the table of those ¨few¨ purists within the BB Community who do care about the history of the line most people don´t seem to realize that the threat is not only for those collectors as well as the (new) collectors who might get burned buying a reproduction that´s not been mentioned or recognized as such. The majority of the BB Community doesn´t seem to realize that now these reproductions are still on the radar and even though most of them will still have a hard time telling them apart from the originals at least the note of it being a reproduction or American Made one is there, for now. Because once these go off radar in a couple of months or years and the connection is disappearing the risk we all face is the fact that original items might become doubtful. And once this happens it is much more than the original line that´s being hit because than it´ll also backfire to the BB Community as a whole resulting into conflicts, discussions and arguments amongst BB collectors who are unsure about the item being legit, getting burned, etc. and this will mean the end of, not only the BB line as we know it but also, the BB Community as we know it. For now it´s all fun seeing remakes and reproductions all over Ebay or wherever but once the seller has made its money and he´s done with it we´re left with the remains that´ll continue to be a threat to all of us for as long as they´re out there… Are they worth it to put the BB Community on the line for that!?

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