How did you get into video production?
Is it true you used to do professional wrestling?
Where did the name “Lord Kayoss” come from?
Why do you not upload to your youtube channel more often?
What kind of music do you listen to?
What are some of your favorite video games?
How do I get a thumbnail for my username to show up on your site?
Do you watch your videos a lot after making them? Which one is your favorite?
Where did you get that costume!?
How did you get into video production?
The art of filmmaking has interested me since I was a child, but unfortunately most children lack the kind of money required to purchase necessary equipment so my aspirations were delayed a while until I could cobble together some basic hardware to begin experimenting and learning. My first videos were shot with an old VHS camcorder and edited with two VCR’s and a stereo cassette player. Timing was everything, and the final product was always dependent on a little luck. Technology has made the process much easier, but I’ll never forget those old days and all that painstaking tediousness.
Is it true you used to do professional wrestling?
Yes. I wrestled under the name “Kayoss” off and on for several years. There are a few clips featured on youtube. ‘Used to have full-length matches visible on my old Myspace page, but that site barely functions at all these days so I’ve removed the links.
Where did the name “Lord Kayoss” come from?
A portion of the name originally surfaced in 1991 while I was playing Final Fantasy II for the SNES. I was renaming Cecil, the main character, into something that sounded more menacing to me. I guess at age 11 the name Cecil just didn’t have the “it” factor for me, and I was trying to come up with a satisfying name I didn’t mind looking at for the entire game. Then I remembered the original Final Fantasy and the final boss of the game, Chaos. I thought to myself, “Hmm, Chaos…what a cool name. Sounds like it has some kind of mystique to it.” After tweaking the spelling I came up with “Kayoss”. That became the new name of the Cecil character, and unbeknownst to me at the time, would be connected to me for the rest of my life. I began using it as a pen name for my writings in middle school, then made it the name of the wrestling character I portrayed in the late 90’s, and eventually carried it over to my videography in the new century.
The “Lord” portion was added about mid-way through my tenure in wrestling. My favorite wrestler is/was The Undertaker, who was often referred to as the “Lord of Darkness”. Hence, “Lord Kayoss”. Yep, that’s how that happened.
I’ve grown a bit weary of the name to be quite honest. Partly because of how long it’s been attached to me, and also the ‘Lord’ part tends to irk me these days. Names like Lord or King sound overly righteous and pretentious and carry a vibe of arrogance, which has never been me. That’s why here anymore when you hear me refer to myself it’s simply “LK”.
Why do you not upload to your youtube channel more often?
The two main factors are time and inspiration. I stay pretty busy in my personal life and often times my workload goes for long stretches. When I have some free time to focus on labors of love, i.e. YouTube-type stuff, there needs to be inspiration. One thing you’ll probably notice about my work is there’s no popularity contest I’m trying to win. It’s never been about how many videos I can throw up there or how many likes/shares I get, etc. While I appreciate the support, you’ll never hear me say things like “be sure to SMASH that like-button and comment/share/subscribe.” Not my style. I make YouTube videos when I’m inspired. And whether the video gets a hundred views, a hundred thousand, or over a million… the intent is simply to reach people with similar interests. If I have an idea and a story to tell that I feel you might enjoy, I’ll get to work. If I’m not feeling it I’ll focus my attention on other things until inspiration strikes. I don’t believe in asking for your time if the product you’re about to view wasn’t put together with some degree of passion.
Impossible to pick just one. But, favs that come to mind are Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Michael Biehn, Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen, Jim Varney, Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye, and Colin Clive.
Again, not possible for me to pick just one. But here’s a short list:
The Way, The Shawshank Redemption, Dracula (1931), Ed Wood, The War at Home (1996), Halloween (1978), Alien/Aliens, Back to the Future Trilogy, Terminator I/II, Rocky (All), Rambo (All), Million Dollar Baby, Heist, Lean On Me, A League of Their Own, The Fugitive, Universal Soldier, Willow, Predator, Live From Baghdad, Sin City, Young Guns I/II, American History X, Sling Blade, Full Metal Jacket, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Gremlins I/II, The Karate Kid, Meteor, The Longest Yard (2005), Batman (1989), A Perfect Murder, Can’t Hardly Wait, Beetlejuice, The Blair Witch Project, The Devil’s Rejects.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Classic/hard rock (Def Leppard, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, Queen, Boston, 38 Special, Sammy Hagar, George Thorogood, ZZ Top, Joe Walsh, Billy Squier), old school heavy metal (Megadeth, 80’s Metallica, Slayer, Ozzy/Sabbath, etc) mostly. But, to quote my all-time favorite frontman (W. Axl Rose), “a great song can be found anywhere.” I elect not to stay confined to one particular genre. I have my favs, but great music is all over the place past. You just never know when or where a good tune will speak to you.
What were the “breaking the law” instances in the Nightmare RIR film that you could’ve “went to jail several times” over?
Nothing worth bragging about. I’ll just say I took certain unlawful risks that endangered only myself in order to get certain scenes shot for the video.
What are some of your favorite video games?
There really needs to be a list by category for this one to do it justice. Below is a list of every system I have owned and my favorite games for each one (including some arcade listings).
ATARI 2600
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NES
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SNES
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GAMEBOY
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ARCADE
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N64
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PLAYSTATION 2
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PSP
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PLAYSTATION 3
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PLAYSTATION 4
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NINTENDO SWITCH
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PC
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How do I get a thumbnail for my username to show up on your site?
You have to create an account at gravatar.com. Signing up is easy. All you need to keep in mind is you have to sign up at gravatar using the EXACT SAME email address you used to sign up here or IT WILL NOT WORK. Create an account there and upload an image to set as your thumbnail. You’ll be asked by gravatar to rate the image (PG, R, X, etc) before you make it final. My site is set to display images up to an R rating, so you probably shouldn’t exceed that or it won’t show up here. After your account is created at gravatar and your thumbnail is set, it should show up here within 5-10 minutes. Easy peezy, ja-pa-neezy.
Do you watch your videos a lot after making them? Which one is your favorite?
Not really. I watch them a lot before releasing them, correcting mistakes or making general changes. Probably for that reason, by the time they’re released I’m kinda sick of seeing them.
But, an old favorite is Nightmare RIR. Though pretty dated by today’s video standards, at the time I was really happy with the way that little film turned out. One of the biggest challenges as a creator is getting the finished product as close to your mental vision as possible. That one was pretty close. What you see on screen is pretty similar with what I saw in my head when writing the screenplay and imagining how the visuals would play out. Only thing that held it back were budget/equipment limitations. All the video was shot on VHS and edited with outdated versions of Pinnacle Studio and Sony Vegas on a Pentium 4 PC.
One of my favorites of the past couple years was the product review I did for Massdrop at the end of the EASY Horse Breaking in Red Dead Redemption 2 video. They gave me a $120 headset and asked for a review, so I wanted to give them a good one. I really liked the way it turned out (and hope they did too). It had a good flow with smooth transitions and my sinuses were clear enough for a clean voice-over.
If I see you at an event (i.e. horror convention, etc) in costume, is there a cost to take pics with you?
Absolutely not. Not knocking anyone who charges for pics, but it just isn’t something I agree with.
Where did you get that costume!?
Been getting this one a lot since I started making unboxing/cosplay videos. If you’re watching an unboxing show of mine the answer is always in there. But, there are certain non-unboxing vids as well as random photos on Twitter and Instagram that feature me in costume with no info on where the wardrobe came from which leaves a bit of viewer-curiosity.
Below is a complete list of every artist I’ve ever worked with, their last known contact info, and the pieces they commissioned for me. Keep in mind these guys are independent and some have a tendency to disappear once in a while, so if any of the links to their pages aren’t working, Facebook is probably gonna be your best bet at tracking them down…
CRASH CUNNINGHAM
Personal Notes
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STEVE BELLAMY
Personal Notes
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JOSH LUDEMANN
Personal Notes
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JAMES UPDEGRAPH
Personal Notes
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MARGRET OLSCHEWSKI
Personal Notes
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COREY STANLEY
Personal Notes
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BRIAN SILLS
Personal Notes
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TIM MILLER
Personal Notes
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CFX
Personal Notes
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JAMES CARTER
Personal Notes
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NIKOS DRESIOS
Personal Notes
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JUSTIN MABRY
Personal Notes
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DAVID MILLER
Personal Notes
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JUSTIN WILLIAMS
Personal Notes
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KYLE HUCULAK
Personal Notes
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JAMES POWER
Personal Notes
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JUSTIN WATSON
Personal Notes
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MARTIN PENA
Personal Notes
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STUDIO 135
Personal Notes
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SHALLOW GRAVE FX
Personal Notes
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GNATHIC NIGHTMARES
Personal Notes
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Personal Notes
Crash Cunningham: Crash’s Gruesome Goalie Masks are second to none. Great guy who produces the best in all things Jason. Chances are you’ve seen his work in several areas of Friday the 13th media. His wait times can run a little over, but that’s to be expected from someone as in demand as he is. If you’re going for screen-accuracy, Crash is the man you need to get your hockey mask from, hands down.
Steve Bellamy: Your go-to guy for latex hoods. Have worked with him several times for various Jason hoods and he has never let me down. Also does a wide variety of other work (including hockey masks as well as non-Jason stuff). His TMNT pieces are becoming the stuff of legend. Krang!
Josh Ludemann: Josh is a great artist and commissioned a lot of the earlier Jason stuff you’ll see on older YouTube videos of mine, circa 2012-16 or so. Most recently he did the coveralls I’m wearing in the Michael Myers Halloween Kills Costume video. Good communication and prompt shipping. Only real gripe I have is he never came through on the silicone Part 8 arms I allude to in the Jason Part 4 and Part 8 unboxing videos.
James Updegraph: Outstanding work, shit customer service. What can I say? You won’t find a better silicone Freddy mask than a Darkride. It is an absolute must if screen accuracy is your thing. However, their customer service is horrible and communication doesn’t exist. I never got a reply once after repeated inquires after my order was approaching six weeks late. My products did finally arrive, right at the 12-week mark, which is the most important thing. Still, not writing people back is shifty business. James built quite a shady reputation among the Freddy fanbase (check out the forums over at springwoodslasher.com for more). Majority of complaints were the same; late orders and absolutely no correspondence. A couple people even claimed their orders never arrived at all. At $500+ per mask, that’s just absurd. Word on the street currently is James doesn’t take personal orders anymore, as his website has disappeared and the official Darkride Facebook page hasn’t been updated in years (check out the private group ‘The Darkriders’ on FB where James is a member). The good news is his masks are sold second-hand, albeit at four-figure prices, on eBay and various FB horror/cosplay communities. So, getting your hands on one of these relics is still possible if you’re willing to pony up.
Margret Olschewski: One of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing business with. Her work is beautifully crafted and tailored to your exact measurements. Professional product and very warm customer service. Every interaction with her was a delight. Product arrived right on schedule and even included some candy from abroad. Classy lady and worth every cent of her price tag. The sweater she made for me was so perfectly done that I nearly had an anxiety attack when the time came for me to weather it, as I couldn’t bear the thought of damaging a single thread.
Corey Stanley (Yeroc): Our transaction was short and sweet. My Part 2 Freddy hat arrived right on time and was expertly crafted. Good guy, great talent. Recommend!
Brian Sills: Fantastic artist and friendly communication. I asked for a Part 4 Freddy glove with some alterations and Brian was happy to facilitate. He sent pics as the job was coming along to make sure things were meeting my expectations. Product arrived as scheduled and was outstanding. You ain’t gonna find this at no Halloween store.
Tim Miller: Communication is awful and only continues on a downward trajectory, but the man’s props are the best. Bought my neck-notch machete, rubber-head ax, and ’78 Lamson replica butcher knife from him. All studio-quality props, hand-crafted, and completely badass. My Michael Myers costume is 10x as menacing when stalking about with a ridiculously large butcher knife in hand. Throat-slashing kills never looked so real until Tim introduced his clever neck-notch machete. And that ax……. I almost got shot in Covington, KY walking to my car dressed as Jason 4. Cops thought that sucker was REAL, and who could blame them? Final thoughts; Tim has slowed way down on production in recent years, and if his current stretch of inactivity and lack of communication are any indication, this won’t change any time soon. Sadly, looks like the second-hand market is mostly where you’ll find DirtKnap stuff moving forward.
Composite Effects: As discussed in this video, I was really pleased with CFX and their customer service. They crafted the silicone Jason hood to my specifications and answered every question I had without a hiccup. Silicone is a bit pricey, and CFX understands customers are shelling out big money for their stuff. They take it very seriously and make sure you’re happy with your item. I never had one ounce of buyer’s remorse when that hood hit my front door. One of the best additions I could’ve made to my Part 4 Jason attire.
James Carter: Ah, James. The man with the waiting line so long it could wrap all the way around his home county (twice). JC is an intriguing entity. I personally don’t know of any other mask maker out there, anywhere, who has a loyal cult following so enamored with his work that they’re willing to spend a couple hundred bucks just to get a blank mask shipped to him so they can stand in line for five years waiting to have it converted. If you think you know the story of the original Michael Myers mask; think again. You’ve got nothing on the inhabitants of michael-myers.net. These guys live this stuff, every single day. You’d have to in order to want to invest that kind of cash and time into owning your very own JC Michael Myers mask. There’s a reason why James is their champion. He’s that damn good. Seriously. He can capture Michael Myers from 1978, 1981, 1988, and/or 2018 and deliver him straight to your doorstep. Only variable is time. How long are you willing to wait? I waited just under four years for mine, and I wasn’t exactly smiling about it, but I remained patient, stayed in line with my fellow horror brethren, and eventually it was my turn to officially sign my name in the JC customer catalog. He’s one of the nicest guys you’ll do business with. And when that time comes and it’s your turn to direct him to convert yet another unsuspecting Shatner clone to the darkside, you’ll instantly forget there was ever a wait to begin with.
Nikos Dresios: Nik is the mysterious fellow behind the NAG acronym you may have heard of. Residing in Athens, Greece, this super-talented artist is responsible for some of the most notorious Michael Myers masks on the independent scene, most notably the highly sought-after 75K. He crafts highly accurate replicas of the original Don Post Captain Kirk mask (referred to as “blanks” in the Myers trade) which are sent on to conversion artists like JC. It all starts with Nik. If not for his perfectly crafted Kirk replicas, we wouldn’t have some of the most devilishly beautiful Michael Myers masks that we find ourselves drooling over today. I bought a 75K blank from him to have shipped on to JC some time ago. Nik was very pleasant to deal with and crafted my 75K from the old mold as requested. I got a message from JC about two weeks later confirming my blank was resting comfortably in his possession.
Justin Mabry: Justin has headed NightOwl Productions for many years and has brought the Myers trade some fantastic pieces such as the Psycho and more recently the Creep. But, it’s often his unadvertised Shat that makes it’s way ’round the indy scene. Like Nik’s Captain Kirk replicas, Justin’s NO Shat is another favorite blank that many choose to pick up and send to a conversion artist to be given the immortal Myers treatment. I bought one from Justin around the same time I picked up a 75K from Nik and had it sent to James Carter. JC himself recommends the Shat for the best 1978 Halloween conversion possible. Justin was a pleasure to deal with and our transaction went off without a hitch. Good man.
David Miller: One of my most recent transactions was with Mr. David Miller of David Miller Creations, aka elmoscave on ebay. I picked up a Friday the 13th Jason “Under Mask” No Face hood from him a couple months ago. What I got was an exact replica of the hood worn by Tom Morga in his portrayal of Roy Burns, the ambulance-driver-turned-pseudo-Jason killer, in Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, complete with certificate of authenticity. I had been looking for a good Roy hood for quite some time, and thanks to what I’ll publicly refer to as an anonymous tip, that’s exactly what I got with this purchase. Interesting the ebay listing doesn’t specify what this item actually is in the title. They advertise a latex “Jason” hood complete with bloody ax wound, when Roy is what you’re really getting. Also, very noteworthy, the hood showed up with a slit up the back which is a huge no-no in screen-accurate cosplay. I contacted David through ebay to inquire and got a reply from Terri, his assistant. David agreed to remake the hood for me with no slit. I sent the old one back and had the new one about a month later. Communication was rather spotty at times and left me a bit wary on a couple of occasions. But, in the end, my product arrived with no huge issues and there was no slit up the back and also no blood painted into the ax wound as I requested, as any avid Friday fan knows Roy’s hood is clean in the film. If you purchase one of these I encourage you to specify they omit the blood, and definitely request an omit of the slit. Lastly, pay no heed to the estimated delivery time quoted in the listing which is generally two weeks. It’ll likely be a month before it shows up, but hey, one irrefutable truth I’ve learned in this hobby; no good thing ever shows up on time. It always takes longer than they say. Just accept it and be patient.
Justin Williams: One of the nicest guys I’ve done business with. High quality work. Justin crafted a fantastic Jason Voorhees controller for my PS4 exactly to my personal specifications. His work is top-notch and dealing with him is a total pleasure. I needed the controller ASAP for the Jason Plays Mortal Kombat X video, and Justin went out of his way to find the quickest, most cost-effective shipper in England and got the controller to me in the USA in less than a week. Can’t say enough good things about the guy. If you’re thinking of contacting him for a custom controller, hit up his Facebook page and get the process started. You’ll be glad you did.
Kyle Huculak: Ordered a Jason 8 silicone hood from Kyle and am very satisfied with the final product. Hood is expertly crafted to match screen detail and fits my head like a glove. Interactions with Kyle were very polite and professional.
James Power: James and I almost did business on a Jason 8 hero hockey mask. Transaction went all the way down to the moment he was about to ship, and due to a miscommunication on my part, we discovered the product wouldn’t reach me in time for Halloween. Understanding my need to make other arrangements, James happily refunded my money and was completely professional. Great experience.
Justin Watson: Smooth transaction and great product. Not many people offer the Jason Part 8 arm sleeves, and the ones that do will have you paying more for those than any other part of the costume. Justin offers these at an affordable price and they hit the mark in pics and video. Good communication, fast shipping, great experience.
Martin Pena: Martin’s Revenge of the 5th is the new H5 badboy in town. Currently unmatched in its screen likeness, the Revenge is a must-have for any huge fan of Halloween 5. At certain angles it is nearly mistakable for the screen-used hero worn by Don Shanks’ in his incarnation of The Shape. Martin’s communication was great, and the mask arrived within the quoted time-frame (3 months, I believe). A+ experience.
Studio 135: Bryan Silva at Studio 135 is an artistic dynamo, crafting some of the best silicone masks you’ll ever see. His Final Chapter mask brings Ted White’s Jason Voorhees to life. Amazing product and fantastic service. You’ll notice nearly every piece listed on the site is SOLD OUT. Contact Bryan directly at the Studio 135 Facebook page to request one of their masks. It may take around three months depending on their workload, but Bryan will follow up when your mask is ready. Fast shipping and top-notch product.
Shallow Grave FX: I picked up a Jason Voorhees Part 3 Acrylic Lazy Eye Insert for one of my hockey masks from these guys. Easy ordering, good communication, fast delivery, and quality product. Good dudes.
GnathicNightmares: I had messaged Thad a while back about crafting some Jason IV dentures to complement the awesome Studio 135 Final Chapter mask. Not only did he deliver… he knocked it out of the park with these badboys. Thad’s work and customer service are both top notch. Great guy to deal with!
Dishonorable Mentions
Mike/All Hallows Ghost, otherwise known simply as A.H.G.
I’ve had a couple misfire experiences with certain individuals in this hobby, both artists and fellow collectors/cosplayers alike. A few forgettable interactions ranging from vast difference of opinion to unintentional bad chemistry. The majority of these could easily be written off as culturally different personalities that just don’t mix. Nothing malicious in most cases. But, one guy who was a straight up asshole to me was Mike/AHG. He doesn’t make the list of artists I’ve done business with because we couldn’t get that far. I had heard some shaky opinions about him prior to contacting him, with most people a bit hesitant to offer feedback and doing so with a subtle hint of caution. With this in mind, I contacted him to inquire about getting a Myers conversion done. Skipping a few personal details, Mike quickly became a total jerkoff and I could instantly see why the conversion trade has passed him by and rendered him mostly forgotten. He’s a childish asshat who is all too eager to assert his bitterness onto anyone who comes calling. Seriously, I’ve gotta be one of the nicest, most professional people to deal with. I pride myself in doing so. Couple that with me approaching this guy cautiously in knowing his adolescent tendencies, and still, I walked away with a permanent impression of him being a silly jerknut. Sad. What’s ironic (and a bit funny) is I own arguably his best conversion ever in the NAG/AHG 75K #2, and I happily secured it second-hand.
Stay away from this one.
Connor Deless
Current transaction still in progress. Full report coming soon, but initial impression; not an easy guy to get ahold of, and I can only assume hope it’s because he’s that good. Took two months (and two messages sent to him by a mutual friend) to get his attention, only to get me placed on a waiting list. I’m guessing the two months I waited for the initial response aren’t being counted. But, we’ll see. More as it develops.
UPDATE 8.17.2016 — More than two more months have passed since I was told I’d be placed on a waiting list for the Killing Mask. I contacted Connor a couple days ago to inquire about current status. Message was read within hours, but no response. Closing in on half a year since I first reached out to him, and well over four months since a mutual friend we share confirmed to him I’m a serious buyer and still, I have no idea where things stand. Don’t know when I’ll be able to order a mask, if at all. Not looking good here.
UPDATE 6.22.2017 — It’s now been well over a year since Connor told me he’d put me on a waiting list for his Leatherface Killing Mask. No further correspondence at all since the 8.17.2016 update. He never responded to the message I talked about above and the status of our potential transaction has been in limbo since day one. Needless to say, my business has been permanently withdrawn and I can now confidently recommend NOT wasting your time with this guy.