More often than not, how you say something is at least as important as what you say, at least that's what my wife tells me.
Gino is a wealth of knowledge and one of the pioneers in this hobby, however he comes across as a completely insufferable a very impolite person. Even a prophet would be tarred and feathered if he/she arrived with the "I'm here to educate you ignorant, unworthy masses. Maybe if you take EVERYTHING I say as the Living Gospel, you might one day be worthy of the crumbs that fall off my dinner table." True, Gino is no longer here to defend himself, but his condescending attitude is completely indefensible.
One of the comments you consistently hear from newcomers to the FISD is how friendly and helpful the members here, not at all like so many other forums out there. What VaderDave and TK9135 did at the beginning of the year only adds emphasis to the feeling of community that I love about the FISD and 501st Legion. Gino (and TE for that matter), despite their wealth of knowledge and experience, tended to trash that very sense of community. For what, their own amusement? They could both do so much good, yet instead of using their knowledge as an open hand, they use it like a closed fist. The fact that Gino has the balls to mock what we do in the 501st, ON A 501ST FORUM NO LESS, absolutely makes my blood boil. He certainly would not put up with that kind of bulls*** on his forum. If someone decided to come into my home, watch my TV, and eat at my dinner table, all the while bitching about how bad my food is, how the decor sucks, how I'm an honorless scumbag, I'd escort him out at gunpoint.
If I want to take advantage of Gino's knowledge, I'll go to his website or join his prop forum. He has some fantastic props and displays, best out there IMHO. But as far as his presence here and his "Ha, Ha, my toys are better than your toys" attitude, I say good riddance.