You've taken a TIE fighter and a TIE interceptor and made a TIE interceptor and a TIE fighter.

No you haven't. The bulk of the model is still the same ship, only the panels have changed. It would easily survive any sort of 50% original rule if there was one. So no it's not nearly as simple as you claim it is.

I'm arguing the point because the very idea of a "trick conversion" is ludicrous, and thus every time someone suggests it I will rebut them.

But it's not ludicrous. It doesn't even matter if it will work or not, the intention matters as much as anything else. If someone modifies a ship with the intention of trying to fool someone else, then they shouldn't be allowed to use that ship, regardless of how successful they are.

so to suggest that having the wrong model would make the opponent mistake it for another ship is beyond laughable.

Who cares what the pilot is, when the only thing left on the table are 4 Academy Pilots and 1 Avenger Squad pilot? At that point the only thing that matters is what kind of ship it is. Only in this case you can't tell which ship is which, because they all look the same.

Sure you can look at the base, but's completely irrelevant to the rules. You had someone make an illegal modification to the ship with the intent of fooling someone else.

That person needs to get called on it, and the TO needs to step in and deal with it. I just can't see why you find this such a disagreeable idea.

This does not include changing the orientation, a cube is still a cube no matter how you turn it.

Horizontalising B-wings involves cutting the cockpit off and sticking it on at a different angle relative to the ship.

If anything, I question the character of someone who enters a tournament, breaks the rules, and isn't willing to take responsibility for their own actions when they get called on it. A lot of people might disagree with the tournament rule in question, but there are good reasons for its existence, and it's not a difficult rule to follow. Other games might call themselves a hobby first, but X-Wing is a game first, and I know that because I have had success and a ton of fun with the game without ever touching a hobby knife or paint or glue to my minis, and so have a lot of other players.

But if you did see an X-wing with its S-foils closed, a horizontalised B-wing complete with cockpit rotation or an E-wing that's moved/removed the top gun on the other side of the table, would you call over the TO?

The "vitriol" as you put it is a result of the suggestion that a player who does call over the TO in that situation, presumably in the hopes that the opponent lacks a replacement model and will be disqualified, giving them a free win. There's no other reason to in the case of minor edits unless you've very OCD over such things or are trying to waste time. The resultant conflict is between the forummers that believe that this is highly unsportsmanlike behaviour and thus brand such a player as "that guy", and forummers who point out that such behaviour is technically within the rules as ship modifications are by the letter prohibited and at the TO's full discretion and argue that it's not right to brand the player going to the TO over minor ship edits as "that guy."

This discussion was inflamed further when a forummer said they'd even call over a TO in the case of damaged ships (technically alterations to the shape) leading to WAAC accusations.

The other discussion is of the suggestion that someone could modify a model such that it would be confused with another, granting the player with the modified model an advantage. This particular argument isn't very thought through because the identity of a ship is printed on the base and given the wide range of pilots for each ship it's actually impossible to rely solely on the model to identify a ship anyway. Assuming they aren't visually impaired to the point that they couldn't play the game anyway nobody more intelligent than a harvest mouse would ever fall for it.

There isn't a single situation outside of huge ships where you can tell what pilot a ship is just by looking at the model, so to suggest that having the wrong model would make the opponent mistake it for another ship is beyond laughable.

What might seem clear and simple in a vacuum becomes much less so in the heat of a game being played. How difficult is it to remember to put a Stealth token next to your ship after it shoots, or that your ship got a crit last turn that makes all turns red. Arguably these things are obvious to anybody that can tell the difference between a hit and a crit, and yet good players like the guys on Nova Radio and S&V, will tell you stories about making mistakes like these more often than they would like to admit.

Simple tasks of observation become much less simple when they are being done in the midst of a heated a game with a lot of variables being juggled by the players. Introducing inaccurate models to the situation can and does make juggling these variables that much more difficult in actual gameplay. Even if it doesn't actually fool somebody, it makes working out the gamestate and the correct moves that much more difficult by including another mental hurdle that a player has to jump through while playing.

Nobody more intelligent than a harvest mouse would ever fall for it.

So it's ok to attempt it, because there's no chance at all that anyone could ever fall for it?

You do realize you're claiming that there is absolutely no way possible anyone could ever look at the models on the table and make a decision without looking closely at the base plates...

That's a pretty impressive thing to claim, it would require god like levels of foresight to know what everyone in the whole world is going to do in any one given situation, regardless of any sort of environmental impact.

Just to make it clear, the following could never happen to anyone who has a IQ high enough to play this game.

After the 7th game of a tournament, someone short on sleep, hungry and under a time crunch because there's 10 minutes left in the match, and that person has to win to get to the next round, couldn't possibly glance at the table and make decisions on what to do without paying close attention to the base of every ship on the table.

Next I suppose you'll say that 'nobody more intelligent than a harvest mouse' would ever forget to put their cloaking token on a phantom that has ACD...

Who cares what the pilot is, when the only thing left on the table are 4 Academy Pilots and 1 Avenger Squad pilot? At that point the only thing that matters is what kind of ship it is. Only in this case you can't tell which ship is which, because they all look the same.

Sure you can look at the base, but's completely irrelevant to the rules. You had someone make an illegal modification to the ship with the intent of fooling someone else.

That person needs to get called on it, and the TO needs to step in and deal with it. I just can't see why you find this such a disagreeable idea.

You just contradicted yourself. You just said you can't tell which ship is which, and then point out that you can, by looking at the base right in front of you with the ships identity in big coloured letters. This is my point. Nobody will ever fall for it. So nobody would ever try it.

By this point the two players have been playing for a bit and thus both players know which ship is which. One's been chucking three dice and pulling Koiogran 5s all game. And they're still going to be looking at bases.

If someone makes a ship look like another ship you are going to notice.

And then yes, of course you'd ask them to stick their models on the correct bases and call the TO over if they for some reason refuse (because them refusing is somewhat suspicious). But nobody's do that anyway because trying to fool someone by sticking the wrong models on the wrong bases is utterly moronic. It's like trying to rob a museum in broad daylight in front of twelve security guards. It's not going to work.

I'm not disagreeing with you that if a player is actively trying to decieve you to their advantage then you should call them out on it. What I'm disagreeing with is the suggestion that the idea of a player modifying their models to be identical to other ships and then somehow tricking the other player into thinking ships are ships they aren't is anything else than laughable.

What might seem clear and simple in a vacuum becomes much less so in the heat of a game being played. How difficult is it to remember to put a Stealth token next to your ship after it shoots, or that your ship got a crit last turn that makes all turns red. Arguably these things are obvious to anybody that can tell the difference between a hit and a crit, and yet good players like the guys on Nova Radio and S&V, will tell you stories about making mistakes like these more often than they would like to admit.

Players make heat of the moment mistakes, sure, but if I give Wedge a Z-95 mini do you actually believe you could go the entire game from setup to the critical moment without noticing once?

And you only have to notice once. Then you're alert to it and even if you don't point it out immediately you know that ship has the wrong model on it.

So it's ok to attempt it, because there's no chance at all that anyone could ever fall for it?

You do realize you're claiming that there is absolutely no way possible anyone could ever look at the models on the table and make a decision without looking closely at the base plates...

It's not okay to attempt it. I never said you should use inaccurate models.

It's also not sensible to suggest it as a reason that minor conversions could be a problem. You're never going to mix up a closed S-foils X-wing with a Z-95. It's not a plausible scenario.

I'm claiming it's not sensible to suggest someone will go a whole game without looking at the baseplates of his opponent's ships once. Anyone using the wrong models is going to get caught.

This is my point. Nobody will ever fall for it. So nobody would ever try it.

Your opinion of people is apparently a lot higher then mine.

People can fall for it, because people make stupid mistakes all the time. They get in a hurry and make decisions based on incomplete or faulty data.

People will also do anything that they think can give them even a small advantage. They will take any chance to gain an advantage that they can.

It's like trying to rob a museum in broad daylight in front of twelve security guards.

Which in fact does happen, and worse. You seem to really underestimate the stupidity of people, and their willingness to try anything to win.

This does not include changing the orientation, a cube is still a cube no matter how you turn it.

Horizontalising B-wings involves cutting the cockpit off and sticking it on at a different angle relative to the ship.

Assuming you've just spun the cockpit a bit but glued it back on facing the same direction as the rest of the ship, than the shape has not changed, anymore than if you had painted over the cockpit canopy and painted a new cockpit canopy somewhere else. Kind like how cutting the tip off of a cone, rotating it and gluing it back on pointing the same direction doesn't change the shape of the cone. I don't even understand why people change the cockpit, it's space, orientation doesn't matter, I just twisted my B-Wings peg.

But if you did see an X-wing with its S-foils closed, a horizontalised B-wing complete with cockpit rotation or an E-wing that's moved/removed the top gun on the other side of the table, would you call over the TO?

I personally would not, but I would defend another player's right to do so, because it is a right that FFG has given to that player. It's the whole "disagree with what you're saying but defend to the death your right to say it" thing. Murrica.

Damaged ship are damaged, not altered, there's clearly a difference. One is accidental, and one is intentional, you can tell the difference.

As for the notion that someone would call a TO on an altered ship's owner with the intention of getting that player disqualified, you could make that claim about anyone that brings in a TO to settle a rules dispute. If we're playing in the finals of a tournament, and I'm unsure of if the way you used Jake's ability with Push the Limit is correct and I call over a TO to confirm, do you automatically assume I'm trying to get you disqualified? Does that make me a WAAC jerk? Maybe I'm just trying to get the official decision. Something that we drill into players as judges is that in a tournament, as far as the outcome of a game is concerned, your opponent does not have your best interests at heart.

I think we were both editing our responses so a new post here.

And you only have to notice once. Then you're alert to it and even if you don't point it out immediately you're on your guard.

But you only need to forget it once for it to pay off for the other person.

It's also not sensible to suggest it as a reason that minor conversions could be a problem.

I agree. I don't think rotating your B-Wing or removing the top gun on a E-Wing is an issue...

You're never going to mix up a closed S-foils X-wing with a Z-95. It's not a plausible scenario.

You or I may not, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. It also doesn't mean someone won't attempt it.

Anyone using the wrong models is going to get caught.

But they aren't using the wrong models, they're using modified models, that just happen to look like something else.

For the most part I don't disagree with you. I just can see why someone would try it, and I can see why someone, especially someone new to the game or tired after a long day might make a mistake.

Bottom line is there's no upside to letting someone use a model that was modified to look like another ship, and even if there's only a .0001% someone will make a mistake because of it, it's still too high of a chance considering how there is zero improved by allowing such a model in the first place.

As for the notion that someone would call a TO on an altered ship's owner with the intention of getting that player disqualified, you could make that claim about anyone that brings in a TO to settle a rules dispute.

Not true. You bring a TO to a rules dispute to resolve it, with the aim being a ruling in your favour (if you're not interested in a ruling in your favour you'd just accept what the opponent is saying). Here the aim is to maintain fairness.

A B-wing mounted horizontally does not grant that player an advantage.

There are only three possible outcomes to calling over the TO over a model. A, they say it's fine. B, TO says it isn't fine and the model is replaced. C, TO says it isn't fine, player doesn't have a replacement model, player is disqualified.

If you're after A you wouldn't call over the TO in the first place. In the case of a geniunely ambigious or extremely converted model it's reasonable to believe the opponent's after B. But in the case of a horizontal B-wing or an E-wing missing the top gun? Unless the opponent's really OCD (which to be fair they could be)

If we're playing in the finals of a tournament, and I'm unsure of if the way you used Jake's ability with Push the Limit is correct and I call over a TO to confirm, do you automatically assume I'm trying to get you disqualified?

If I resolved PTL wrong and a TO ruled in your favour I wouldn't be disqualified. PTL would be corrected. Making mistakes isn't cheating.

It's not okay to attempt it. I never said you should use inaccurate models.

It's also not sensible to suggest it as a reason that minor conversions could be a problem. You're never going to mix up a closed S-foils X-wing with a Z-95. It's not a plausible scenario.

I'm claiming it's not sensible to suggest someone will go a whole game without looking at the baseplates of his opponent's ships once. Anyone using the wrong models is going to get caught.

I've seen many players notice the critical damage they pulled, read it out loud, and then in the next few turns ignore it and lose the game because they ignored it.

Also, you just pointed out it's not okay to use inaccurate models.

If we're playing in the finals of a tournament, and I'm unsure of if the way you used Jake's ability with Push the Limit is correct and I call over a TO to confirm, do you automatically assume I'm trying to get you disqualified?

If I resolved PTL wrong and a TO ruled in your favour I wouldn't be disqualified. PTL would be corrected. Making mistakes isn't cheating.

You would be disqualified if you refused to change your play to match the TO's ruling, wouldn't you? If you stood there and said "No, I'm going to play it this way because this is the only way it works for me, I can't play this game unless it works my way, and I think this rule is pointless", you'd be told leave?

Seems ridiculous, but it's the same as refusing to bring tournament legal models to a tournament.

If you're after A you wouldn't call over the TO in the first place.

That's not even remotely true. I could see someone who as you say is just CDO (that's OCD in the correct order... ) or just a purest or for a host of other reasons calling the TO over, and the TO would look at it and say "nah it's cool". Just because the TO is going to be ok with it, doesn't mean everyone else will be.

If you're after A you wouldn't call over the TO in the first place.

That's not even remotely true. I could see someone who as you say is just CDO (that's OCD in the correct order... ) or just a purest or for a host of other reasons calling the TO over, and the TO would look at it and say "nah it's cool". Just because the TO is going to be ok with it, doesn't mean everyone else will be.

Then they're after B, the models being changed. If you're cool with the converted models, you're not going to call the TO over.

But you only need to forget it once for it to pay off for the other person.

No, you and every other player have to not notice every single time. As soon as one player notices the baseplates are wrong they'll ask that player to fix them.

But they aren't using the wrong models, they're using modified models, that just happen to look like something else.

If you get to the point where you've taken so many parts from the model you're trying to mimic that it really is indistinguishable then you've pretty much got that model. By that point it is the wrong model.

Besides, using the wrong models is exactly the same principle and it'd actually be a much more effective (read: still wouldn't work because baseplates) way of trying to do this trick conversion thing. If you've converted an FFG interceptor to be identical to an FFG TIE fighter, why not just use an FFG TIE fighter? If people can't tell the difference then they can't tell the difference. If they can tell it's not a TIE fighter then they won't be fooled.

You or I may not, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.

It's not realistic. Look at the closed X-wing and the Z-95 on the other page. It's simply not going to happen, and certaintly not to every player for the whole tournament. And every single one of those players isn't going to not look at the baseplates for the whole tournament.

Bottom line is there's no upside to letting someone use a model that was modified to look like another ship,

And you wouldn't. If the model's geniunely ambigious then by all means ask them to change it. I don't see a problem with that.

What I do have a hard time understanding is when someone has an unambigious minor conversion (such as the E-wing a few pages back) why, as the opponent, short of being really OCD about it, you'd call over the TO unless you were hoping for a disqualification or stalling.

You would be disqualified if you refused to change your play to match the TO's ruling, wouldn't you? If you stood there and said "No, I'm going to play it this way because this is the only way it works for me, I can't play this game unless it works my way, and I think this rule is pointless", you'd be told leave?

Seems ridiculous, but it's the same as refusing to bring tournament legal models to a tournament.

Obviously if you're using modified or customised models you should check it with the TO ahead of time or make sure you've got unmodified backups. That's just common sense. However, if your opponent has completely unambigious models with minor alterations (the E-wing and B-wing examples a few pages back being my main examples), would you call the TO over?

A player might also be new to the game and not understand why someone would mess up their models, want to make sure that a fast one isn't being pulled over them, and call over the TO to get an official opinion on the matter, since the player doesn't have enough experience with the game to decide if it's okay, and knows the TO will for sure know if there's an advantage being gained by the changed models.

Wanting an official opinion on something that you're unsure of is not being a jerk [edited for unintentional use of language].

TIEPilot, you seem to agree that players shouldn't be using the wrong models during tournament play. You also agree that TIE Fighter model that has had it's wing panels removed is no longer an accurate representation of a TIE Fighter, and should be replaced.

The only thing that makes that X-Wing and the Z-95 easy to distinguish is the fact that one is red and one is blue. And of course the fact that the images have been blown up to a 100x larger than an actual mini, which are very small, and look even smaller when you put them on the table next to other minis. If you made them the same color and then shrunk the images down to the size of the minis, about 100x100 pixels, and had to stand 4 feet away from your screen, you know like in an actual game, then I would have a very hard time distinguishing them.

By that point it is the wrong model.

That depends on how you quantify it. I know in 40k there was a 50% rule, 50% of the model had to be the original GW model. You could quite easily argue that a Tie Interceptor with Fighter wings still is 50% original Tie Interceptor, it would then be considered a Interceptor

There is no such rule in X-Wing of course, but can you honestly not see how someone would make this argument? That the ship that looks a lot like a fighter is an interceptor. Sure the argument wouldn't fly with any half reasonable person, but that won't stop someone from making it.

why not just use an FFG TIE fighter?

Because they can honestly claim that it's actually an Interceptor, that just happens to look a lot like a fighter.

What I do have a hard time understanding is when someone has an unambigious minor conversion (such as the E-wing a few pages back) why, as the opponent, short of being really OCD about it, you'd call over the TO unless you were hoping for a disqualification or stalling.

I don't get it either. If someone had such a minor conversion like a rotated B-Wing the only thing I'd do is compliment them on a nice job.

But just because you don't think there's anything wrong with it, doesn't mean everyone will agree. Someone may just disapprove of modifications on general principle. They may very well not be trying to get someone disqualified they just want the other person to use an unmodified ship, and they have every right to do so. That does not of course mean they'll get their way, but they have the right to request the TO's ruling on it.

This thread is proof that people on the internet can (and will) argue about anything indefinitely. Has anyone actually been able to answer the OP with "yes, my ship was not allowed"?

Has anyone actually been able to answer the OP with "yes, my ship was not allowed"?

Shussh! Don't interrupt a perfectly good argument it facts or reason...

I think someone a few pages back did in fact see it once.

I think the most common answer was "no", with the caveat of "do what you want, but understand that the tournament rules will not protect you and be prepared to swap in an unaltered ship at the TO's discretion".

And I guess that anyone that asks a TO about their opponent's altered models has no soul.

TIEPilot, you seem to agree that players shouldn't be using the wrong models during tournament play. You also agree that TIE Fighter model that has had it's wing panels removed is no longer an accurate representation of a TIE Fighter, and should be replaced.

My standpoint, in case it isn't clear, is that if my opponent has minor conversions to his models (examples further back in the thread) such as a horizontal B-wing with appropriately rotated cockpit or an E-wing with the dorsal "blinder" gun moved or removed, if these conversions are unambigious and I have no reason to believe they grant my opponent an advantage, and if I then call over the TO to complain that these are illegal models in the hopes that, should he not have appropriate replacements, he will be disqualified and I will automatically win, then others are not unjustified in calling me "that guy," even though the rules technically back me up.

That's not to say that there's no other reason to call a TO over to models, but if there isn't and you're just going for a DQ then you are being a jerk.

The only thing that makes that X-Wing and the Z-95 easy to distinguish is the fact that one is red and one is blue. And of course the fact that the images have been blown up to a 100x larger than an actual mini, which are very small, and look even smaller when you put them on the table next to other minis. If you made them the same color and then shrunk the images down to the size of the minis, about 100x100 pixels, and had to stand 4 feet away from your screen, you know like in an actual game, then I would have a very hard time distinguishing them.

Let's do it. I'll even stick them into grayscale to make it as extreme as possible, above and beyond what you'd encounter in an actual game.

As you can see, the two minis still have distinct shapes. You could cut the wings off and still tell them apart.

Even if we chop two guns off the X-wing so that it actually does look like a Z-95 you still wouldn't mix it up with the official Z-95 mini. You can tell it's not made from a Z-95 mini.

FFG did a good job of making the Z-95 look like the X-wing's precursor rather than an X-wing with two wings chopped off.

I don't think it's likely at all that a closed foils X-wing would be confused with a Z-95.

I think the most common answer was "no", with the caveat of "do what you want, but understand that the tournament rules will not protect you and be prepared to swap in an unaltered ship at the TO's discretion".

And I guess that anyone that asks a TO about their opponent's altered models has no soul.

Why are you asking about your opponents models? Are they offensive in nature? Or are you looking for an free win?

Anything short of a wide open va***a painted on a ship, or maybe a purple d**do waving around on the front of it, then yes, you have no soul.

Play with your spaceships and let others play with theirs.

Let's be clear. The TO has final say, and if it got to the table chances are he ok'd it. However, if the model mod is offensive then call the TO. Trying to stop people from using models that they have probably put a lot of time and effort into is a d**k move. If you can't get past that then do the rest of us a favor and stay home. You totally have control of the rules there.

In case it wasn't clear I am not calling any one person out, rather a type of person.

Why are you asking about your opponents models? Are they offensive in nature? Or are you looking for an free win?

Just to clarify, the discussion is on conversions rather than repaints. Actual alterations to the models' "shape and size" which are, by the letter of the tournament rules, not allowed with the TO having the final say on what's okay and what isn't.

It's got heated because some people feel people are being called out when they're behaving within the rules and others believe, extenuating circumstances aside, it's unreasonable to call over the TO to complain about minor edits to models such as the E-wing and B-wing further back in the thread. It got really crazy when someone said they'd call over the TO for damaged ships. And that's broken guns and bent wings, not the Derpfender.

Although let's be honest, who wouldn't want to play against three Derpfenders?

People shouldn't be having to call a TO over on their opponents, their opponent should be clearing any conversions with a TO prior to the start of the event. Modified components are not legal without TO approval. It is not as if they are legal until the TO says otherwise.

I think the most common answer was "no", with the caveat of "do what you want, but understand that the tournament rules will not protect you and be prepared to swap in an unaltered ship at the TO's discretion".

And I guess that anyone that asks a TO about their opponent's altered models has no soul.

Why are you asking about your opponents models? Are they offensive in nature? Or are you looking for an free win?

Anything short of a wide open va***a painted on a ship, or maybe a purple d**do waving around on the front of it, then yes, you have no soul.

Play with your spaceships and let others play with theirs.

Let's be clear. The TO has final say, and if it got to the table chances are he ok'd it. However, if the model mod is offensive then call the TO. Trying to stop people from using models that they have probably put a lot of time and effort into is a d**k move. If you can't get past that then do the rest of us a favor and stay home. You totally have control of the rules there.

Kind of funny that you're telling someone to stay home just because they're playing the game with the rules as written.

Personally, I think FFG's models, unaltered, is the most aesthetically pleasing way to play the game, because they're closest to what the ships looked like in the movies. While I personally wouldn't make someone put away whatever cut up amateur hack to the FFG's great professionally designed and painted models they brought, I also would completely understand why someone wouldn't want to have to put up with it. And at the end of the day, the only opinion that matters anyway is the TO's, so go with whatever they rule (which will never be a disqualification for altered models), and move on.

My description of people's modeling efforts might sound harsh, but I'm trying to show people that there are many differing opinions out there to what is acceptable, and FFG has made this rule to accomodate as many of those opinions as possible. You guys keep saying you don't understand why people would have a problem with altered models, but keep ignoring multiple legitimate reasons people might not like them, as well as FFG's official ruling on the matter.

Edit:

Trying to stop people from using models that they have probably put a lot of time and effort into is a d**k move.

Yeah I know, what is wrong with those sick people at FFG right?

Seriously though, X-Wing tournaments aren't about how pretty you can make your ships, FFG already took care of that for us.

I'm a little perplexed by the defence of the "Z wing" using the "people wouldn't make that mistake" line.

Last night I lost a game because I was running a two ship list, and forgot that one of them had a stress token, pulled a white move, didn't clear it, and couldn't action. That wasn't even a game where I was under pressure, time limits, fatigued or distracted by other people in a crowded hall. I only had two ships to worry about, for crying out loud!

You don't need every opponent, every turn, every game to make the mistake. All it takes is a single person, in a single turn, when planning a single dial to make that mistake, and mix up converted Wedge and a Tala. That's enough to swing a game, which changes a result, which can be the difference between 1st place and 6th in a tourney. That's why the rule exists in the first place. Because we all make mistakes. However there is a clear and obvious difference in my mind between a minor cosmetic mod like an Ewing gun fix, and completely altering the wings of a ship to make it look more like another ship. That's why the TO has the responsibility to say which ship falls into which catagory on a case by case basis.

Trying to stop people from using models that they have probably put a lot of time and effort into is a d**k move.

Who made you the thought police? If someone comes to the game and plops down something that looks like a YT-2400 then I have every right to ask the TO about it. If you don't like it, then I suggest you stay home where you don't have to put up with other peoples opinions. You do not get to decide why I may or may not find something acceptable. Offensive is very much in the eye of the beholder.

Do you start calling people names if they ask the TO over to to make a ruling when you've already stated your opinion on how the rule should be interpreted as well?

I mean that has to be one of the single most egotistical things I've seen in some time. Calling someone a name simply because they have a different opinion than you.

Modified components are not legal without TO approval. It is not as if they are legal until the TO says otherwise.

The rules don't actually say the TO has to approve all modifications, only that the TO has the final say.

So while yes, if someone had a modified ship they should be clearing it first, the rules don't actually say you have to do so. If someone were to cut the top gun off a E-Wing for example, I could see them think there's no reason to bother the TO with it, after all who's going to complain about it?