I feel like some people are grossly unaware of the price modded V2s were going for if $600 for a pair of shoes is some astronomical price.
There's a reason why our little group that was so unified before is now fractured and seems more combative. It's a little thing I think I'll call the Completion-Divergence Paradox, and it's something that happens with ALL props eventually.
The CDP is essentially this: when there are no good replicas on the market, then whatever is out there will do because we're all suffering together. So because of that, we deal with "good enough."
Then, either more details are discovered or a newer, more accurate replica comes out, which gets us used to the idea of choice. We become more aware of the differences between versions of the prop and its replicas, and for the first time we are not all suffering together. "Close enough" is no longer good enough, and people attempt to get even closer.
As luck would have it there is usually another round of improvements or discoveries which again fractures the group. Now you have three different tribes, and a replica approaching 100% accuracy, but by this point, everyone has dug into the details, has a favorite version of the prop, has a favorite replica, so if a final replica is 95% accurate, moving 1% closer to someone else's ideal moves the percentage 1% AWAY from your ideal.
The same people who said "I'd gladly pay $500 for a 90% accurate shoe" are now saying that this 95% accurate shoe should be $250 before they buy it.
The same people who were happy with the original V1 K-Mags, now won't be happy until some feature seen in a frame or two of the movie appears on these.
The same people who wished they would make a non-electronic version are now bemoaning that the electronics are inherently fragile.
We didn't realize it, but we were lucky that our little community went for so long without any Mag replicas. Before Mark Poon's run, we were all merely unified in our love of a prop. Now look at us...
Just a little food for thought.
-Nick