Show Your Mask

[Oykib 0]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Mask was done by Tony Jarrett http://www.maskedexpressions.com/

[samson35 0]

^^^^ great looking mask!

[cyclone89 0]

I play out, but there is a goalie over here with a class mask

sorry couldnt get anything closer

[telgip33 0]

Well the mail man came on Monday and dropped off 2 boxes for me from Ron at CovetedMask / Acme Art Co. (one box was my new mask, the other was my re-foamed Olie)

Now I don't play hockey again until September, so the first part of this review will be on the paint and my "out of the box" thoughts on the new mask. I will add to the review after I've had some hours on the ice with the new mask on.

This process began a few months back when Ron posted pics of his new creation the "Coveted Z Combo".......it was love at first sight! My old mask is an Olie 7000, and at the time I bought it I had really wanted to get a Mage, but was not able to justify the almost $300 in extra cash to get one here in the Wild West. I've never had any problems with my Olie, so I didn't really have any reason to upgrade......but who REALLY needs a reason to buy goalie gear. I started emailing Ron about getting me a Z Combo made up for me in early March. At that time I had about 3 games left in my season and new I didn't need the mask until September, so I let Ron know that there was no rush at all. Once I decided I was going to do it I sent Ron some money to start the process, and got to work coming up with a paint job........it just seemed silly to buy a mask from an AWESOME painter, and not have him paint it at the same time!

The Mask:

After emailing back and forth with Ron a few times I settled on the “Z” model to be the base of my combo mask. I got the base model, which is Fibreglass reinforced with Kevlar in the high impact areas (I believe that means the forehead and chin areas). I was thinking about going with the Full Kevlar with reinforcing, but when Ron told me that he uses the Fibreglass model with no problems I figure it would be more than enough for my Beer league. Ron even sent me some pics of the shell as he was in the process of putting it all together before we had the paint figured out.

The Mods:

• I got the 2 extra vent holes on the top of the mask

• Different sized vent holes, so the rear vent holes are over sized compared to the front ones (got this idea from Ron’s personal combo)

• ½” of length taken off the chin compared to the standard “Z” mask (I believe this is now the standard for all Ron’s combo’s)

• Clean back plate design so more of the art work is visible, and not hidden under the harness.

• Clean chin cup design. This means the chin cup is fastened much the same as the harness so there is no large clip to snap on the front of the mask like the standard version.

The Fit:

First off I would like to say that as of right now this is only an “out of the box” review on the fit, I will revisit this review later in the fall after some ice time with this mask. The first thing I noticed right away when putting this mask on is there truly is a difference when a mask is fitted for your head, and not the masses. Just to be clear up front, as I know this sometimes causes confusion, my mask was CUSTOM FITTED not custom moulded. Basically this means the mask was cut down as per my spec from a stock shell, them the foam inside the mask was install to fit my head measurement. To get this custom fit, I sent Ron my head measurement (circumference) from just above my eyebrows (I believe a hat size if you had that would also work). In addition to the measurement I sent Ron several picture from different angles of my wearing my Olie mask so he could see the fit (this was also to help him re-foam my Olie which he was doing at the same time as he made my new mask). The sight lines in this mask are WAY better than the Olie. The shorter chin is also nice, works well with my short neck (reminds me of my old Rhino mask in that regard). The foam itself is different than any foam I’ve had in a mask before, in a good way. It seems to be made up of 2 parts, a base layer of white “memory type” foam that is soft to the touch yet firm. This is covered by a thin layer of a second foam that is coloured (mine is baby blue, my new Olie foam is black, and I’ve seen it in red too) and seems to have a bit of a textured feel to it that is much nicer next to the skin than the standard old hard foam I’m use to.

The Paint:

When I was thinking about getting a new mask, I started to think of what I would get painted on it. After surfing the web, and looking at tons of paint jobs I found I was drawn to the simple ones. So I told Ron what I wanted and sent him a few pics as examples (Fuhr’s full face Oiler mask, Leighton’s new Flyers mask) with the idea that I was looking for a simple paint job that would look good from far away, and close up. After a few more back and forth emails with Ron and I put the ideas together on a mock-up using my team colours and sent it to Ron to begin the paint work. After about a week to 10 days Ron sent me some pics of the process on the paint (was all done, just needed to put on the last few coats of clear) When I saw the pics of the paint everything looked great, the ghosted happy faces turned out awesome! Just like the last mask Ron painted for me the attention to detail is simply the best. Like carrying the paint design into the vent holes, painting the inside of the mask, and a smooth and clear finish to the clear coat. Ron also added a few of his own touches to the design, like putting 33 ghosted happy faces in the design, as 33 is my number. He also added the white stripe into the design to tie it in with the white cage (stainless steel not an option yet) and the white logos on my new Viper gear that’s on its way. So basically the paint job tuned out awesome, as expected………Ron’s got a customer for life!

Now the fun stuff, the pictures

The Left Side

The Front

The Right Side

Close up of the ghosted happy faces

Ron's signature

The back of the mask, showing the clean back plate

Close-up of the back plate......love it!

[kovalchuk71 212]

Mudbug, is that the Disney castle on your helmet? If so, any reason for it?

[Gummer12 134]

He works(ed) for Disney. I think he's posted that either on GSBB or somewhere else here before.

[WBGMike 2]

I do work for Disney and wanted something related on my mask, I left it up to the painter and that is what he chose

[MushyBushy 1]

Can anyone help identify the model of this?

Impulse buy form ebay, got it for a steal. I think <_<

[MushyBushy 1]

Bah. Posted it twice

[vision 0]

Yes, it's one of the infamous Itech widowmaker models. Either an 1100 or 2100, hard to tell for sure from the picture.

::m

[camhockey16 5]

why were they called widowmakers? was the cage on them bad or just a crappy overall design?

[samson35 0]

THe helmet construction is very poor on the widowmakers. They just aren't as protective as the higher end stuff.

[MushyBushy 1]

Will be fine for a bit of roller hockey though surely?

Would like to know the design name if possible so I can do a bit of research. Looks like either a dragon or a snake??

[Law Goalie 147]

Will be fine for a bit of roller hockey though surely?

Unfortunately not. You'd get better protection from a player helmet and cage -- or a salad bowl.

The lowest-end masks are called widowmakers partly because of a bad batch of Itech cages that had to be recalled, but more generally because they transmit so much of the impact force through to the head -- and because the ones that rely on EPP for shell stiffness and impact diffusion get dramatically weaker at the point of impact every time they're hit. This is one case where HECC and CSA drop the ball: their tests do not adequately establish a minimum standard of protection for goalies.

If you want a quality budget mask, Hackva in a plain colour is still the best option, IME. The resin isn't first-class, but it's a good lay-up with full layers of aramid and carbon, good quality fibreglass, and a wide variety of retail fits.

BTW, gorgeous masks Piggy and Mud - love seeing that kind of work.

[MushyBushy 1]

That bad then? Jesus!

It thought these things had to pass tests! Took a few to the noodle in my itech lid when I played ice hockey years ago & never had any issues

[vision 0]

They do have to pass tests but those tests are poorly thought out, at best. A mask can be submitted any number of times with corrections made to the weaknesses in order to pass the test. Once passed, as long as the manufacturer doesn't make any changes, the mask will continue to carry the certification. Off the top of my head, I only know of one mask that required a single pass thru the HECC procedures in order to receive certification.

The subsequent cage failures didn't contribute, much, to the widowmaker label, as far as I can recall. It was the overall lack of protection that they provided at any level. I wouldn't wear that mask to watch a hockey game on TV never mind stepping out on any sheet of ice or roller floor and face any level of shooter.

::m

[MushyBushy 1]

It's an 1100

So it's been nice knowing you all

[telgip33 0]

BTW, gorgeous masks Piggy and Mud - love seeing that kind of work.

Thanks Law,

Ron does great work, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.......I think the "simple" design is the new black ;)

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

[Law Goalie 147]

^^ Image doesn't work.

I can't believe your brother sold his Cubberly! It's one of the images in the new rotating MSH header for god's sake! :)

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

^^ Image doesn't work.

I can't believe your brother sold his Cubberly! It's one of the images in the new rotating MSH header for god's sake! :)

Should work now...Remind me to tell you via PM about the Cubberly :p

[RonLopez 0]

Should work now...Remind me to tell you via PM about the Cubberly :p

So, does this mean we'll see you in full gear at the clinics now, haha.

Sick job on the lid.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

So, does this mean we'll see you in full gear at the clinics now, haha.

Sick job on the lid.

I still need a few more pieces of equipment then I'll be set :D

[sabby47 2]

This is my bf's mask he just had painted. Haven't got it back from the guy to see it in person but it looks pretty cool thus far. I think it would've turned out better if the eyes and mouth on top were lower so when he looks down to cover the puck it will have a better effect, but still looks good nonetheless:

[Law Goalie 147]

Nice Warwick... very nice.