If This Be True, This Be _Sick_

[MadMax]

For the 2016 season, All-Star supplied one of its marquee sponsored catchers, Jonathan Lucroy, with a FM4000 mask. In the past, Lucroy had utilized the latest titanium models All-Star offered, typically the venerable FM25. This particular FM4000 looked a bit strange, though, appearing to have tin-foil clad ear struts and some of the cleanest welds I'd ever seen.

  

That last photo, from the side, those bars look kinda... bloated... for being hollow steel. Turns out, it might not be a hollow-steel FM4000 after all... 

Lucroy was equipped with the ultra-brand-new Magnesium FM4000MAG:
http://www.baseballmonkey.com/all-star-fm4000mag-magnesium-catchers-mask.html

All-Star hasn't even listed it on their site yet; but then again, they didn't publish the 2015 FM25Ti either, leaving it to forum and discussion sites to show details about it.

[JaxRolo]

I don't like that solid piece on each side. Looks weird.

[Thunderheads]

You all know I love an AllStar mask, but ....the MAG is actually ugly as described by Jax

[midtnump]

I absolutely LOVE my 4000 steel, but $339 for a Mag seriously All Star???  As JAx said the solid mass on the ears is, well, ugly. It needs to go along with the middle vertical bar down to the throat guard that requires you to split the center velcroe attachment. i don't see where that bar is structurally needed.

[Aging_Arbiter]

C'mon @JaxRolo...........That's just so you can personalize it.  To assist, I have provided some useful possibilities below.............

Right ear                     Left ear

JAX                              ROLO

                      or

STRIKE                        THREE

                      or

YOU'RE                        OUT

[BT_Blue]

It looks like it was excess material from the mold that some one forgot to grind or cut down.

[JaxRolo]

3 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

C'mon @JaxRolo...........That's just so you can personalize it.  To assist, I have provided some useful possibilities below.............

Right ear                     Left ear

JAX                              ROLO

                      or

STRIKE                        THREE

                      or

YOU'RE                        OUT

I like it!

 

[JaxRolo]

1 hour ago, BT_Blue said:

It looks like it was excess material from the mold that some one forgot to grind or cut down.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[BT_Blue]

"Damn it... someone didn't finish the mold!"

"Oh well... we will just pretend it was on purpose."

[MadMax]

Being that it's injected magnesium, it's entirely possible those two spots are the injection points of the mold. You wouldn't want any inconsistencies anywhere else on the frame, otherwise there'd be a weakness or a vision-distracting imperfection. Out on the ear-guards is less crucial, so... 

[BT_Blue]

1 hour ago, MadMax said:

Being that it's injected magnesium, it's entirely possible those two spots are the injection points of the mold. You wouldn't want any inconsistencies anywhere else on the frame, otherwise there'd be a weakness or a vision-distracting imperfection. Out on the ear-guards is less crucial, so... 

Look... stop it with your reason and logic. We don't need that kind of making sense around here.

[acpar72]

This mask was being used last season as well.

[BT_Blue]

13 minutes ago, acpar72 said:

This mask was being used last season as well.

Thought he was.

[Replacematt]

22 hours ago, MadMax said:

Being that it's injected magnesium, it's entirely possible those two spots are the injection points of the mold. You wouldn't want any inconsistencies anywhere else on the frame, otherwise there'd be a weakness or a vision-distracting imperfection. Out on the ear-guards is less crucial, so... 

The polish marks on those areas would lend credence to your hypothesis. I'm guessing they went for molding instead of forging because of how tricky magnesium is...but a forged version would be so much better.