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While I was in the UK, one of the highlights of the trip was meeting with *the* Rob of RS Props. We sat down and chatted for almost 90 minutes, from which they posted this 30-ish minute video on YouTube at the link below. I someone seriously joke that there a betting pool with the FISD staff on if I could leave his shop without ordering a set of kit. While I hadn't intended on doing so (as I have a nice TK already), I was so impressed by Rob and his commitment to quality that I'm now trying to get my name added to the queue. If you ever have a chance to go to Manchester or meet with Rob, I encourage you to do so. He and his crew are true craftsmen and also some of the nicest people you'd ever meet. Can't say enough good things about them. Many thanks to everyone at RS for creating a truly memorable experience and sharing your passion and expertise for Star Wars costuming. You guys rock!

Lest I forget, a big shout out to @cl6rkee for a great job as videographer & editor on this interview. He did a superb job, didn't he? :)

it was a pleasure to have you with us Paul, and an honour to troop with you the following day .

Attached the front top section to the back plate and done a quick mock up with tape in the place of velcro/magnets. It aint perfect but proof of concept is there and I can actually put it on which is a bonus.

How have I not added up that @Rob .T . is that Rob before. Looking forward to watching this.

Here you go @Spadille, enjoy your new banner!

Congratulations

Way to go, Ben! No matter how many troops you attend, you never forget your first. Looking forward to seeing you around the boards!

Here are my thoughts on ab trimming. In addition to the top, I noticed I left quite a bit of material at the lower kidney so I'll probably trim it. I noticed in other builds that there is some space between the bottom of the kidney and the top of the posterior, whereas mine currently overlap. The bottom pic was taken in 2019 and the top pic was taken last night - you can see how much the ab yellowed by me letting it sit out in my garage (which has windows.) Some additional random progress: Here is one shoulder tab and the shoulder strapping snap installed: I forgot I haven't yet sanded the outside of the yoke (the way I printed it, that was the part on top of supports) so that will be slightly unfun to finish: I also used my trusty heat gun to reshape the posterior. I'll probably do a bit more. I was originally going to use an 850 posterior piece since it's smaller but the plastic is paper thin so I decided against it. Here's a comparison of both pieces prior to reshaping:

Hi Ben, it was truly an honor for me to be allowed to participate in your branding and getting to meet you. Your kit looked great, and you looked smashing in it. :) The UKG holds a very high standard for TKs in particular, so you should rightly feel proud of your accomplishment. I highly encourage you to submit your Expert Infantry submission photos soon, as I'm sure @jsilvius would love to get rid of the ones he has in stock. ;) I wish you all the success in your next troops with the UKG.

Great news all…I got approved by my NEG GML team! I want to thank everyone here especially @gmrhodes13 for the detailed guidance along the way. I plan to go for EI next. Here a few shots of my first 4 troops, with the very first being a performer with Weird Al! I am still pinching myself! Yup, that’s me!