TK:TK

The Taun Taun sleeping bag is a brilliant idea. Does the zipper have a small plastic lightsaber for the zipper's pull-tab? (or perhaps this would be overkill)....

I suggest Pablo's application for Expert Infantry be denied. Make him reapply. and then reapply again. and again and again and again. That way we can ensure a continuing stream of entertaining posts and photos. Amazing work, Pablo! Really great!

I used to watch (original) Star Trek reruns in syndication when I was a kid. I thought they were great, but after seeing ANH, Star Trek's appeal slipped. But I could never understand the Next Generation stuff. I didn't see the Next Gen stuff as better or worse than Star Wars. It just seemed stupid all on its own.

Got the cog decal in the mail today. Many thanks, Mike! It's awesome. 2010 is off to a great start!

I think the stormtroopers are left handed in a sort of Dan Brown (author of Da Vinci Code, etc.) way. In a bit heavy-handed cultural symbolism, left is bad - even evil - and George Lucas tapped into that. The devil is considered to be left-handed and in some faiths the left is considered "unclean".

"The High Court rejected Lucasfilm's copyright claim, saying that the helmets were not artistic works...." Not works of art??!! Heathens!

Wow! I think the lawyers representing Lucasfilm just lost their Christmas bonuses....

You all read my mind: Pandatrooper is a great choice.

Thanks to our veterans, our hobby (dressing up as foot soldiers of the evil empire) exists only in the realm of imagination, not reality. Three cheers to our veterans!

Great screen grab. If you look carefully one can see the prop guys cringing in the background as they watch the chest plates and ab plates folding, crimping, and cracking under the weight. I wonder how many people it took to get those two stunt men back on their feet after the shot.

Thanks, guys! What a great idea for a modification. I've tweaked just about every other part of the suit - just never occurred to me that I could tweak the a$$ plate. I'll give it a try. I like the armour as snug as possible. It's counter intuitive, but the more snug the armour, the less cumbersome it feels.

Great photos. Armour looks great. I wonder if the architect who designed the building and bridge is flattered or insulted that you think it looks like the Death Star.

Julie, you look great! Awesome job.

Kids. Dog. Truck. and house. That's a lot. I don't want to jinx anything, but your plate can't get much fuller. Sort of a when-it-rains-it-pours sort of thing. Very sorry about the dog. That's a shame. I infer from your post that your kids' world has been pretty unsettled. So good for you for taking the steps to provide them a stable home and becoming a full-time parent. Your priorities seem spot-on. The lenses, t-track, and gloves can wait. But I'm sure they'll miss seeing you at the Post Office. Take good care of the kiddos, and keep posting on FISD. Your comments are always interesting to read....

Ha! That's great.

Congratulations! Well done and well deserved.

My favorite collection of six is called a six-pack.

I have the SDS armour. It's pretty nice. Looks great. However, I think the left thigh piece runs small (go figure), and it really is built for someone no taller than 6 feet tall.

I've found that if I put the shin pieces on too tight they can ratchet up my leg as I walk along. Perhaps it's the flexing of my calf muscles that does this,... I dunno. But if I fit the shin pieces as loose as they'll go, they'll naturally "fall" downward as I walk. That keeps them from riding up.

(bump) I like Dmian's version. Great effect.

Congratulations! Looks great! The blaster looks extra-great. Just be very, very careful around Ewoks...

That's great. Very funny!

I would join the 501st in a minute, except that my Uncle Owen keeps me here on his ridiculous desert farm. Maybe next year, after the harvest, I'll transmit my application. I just hope these new droids work out....

The maroon goes with the Emperor's "winter" complexion. OK, maybe not. Nothing would.... The maroon is a bit arbitrary, but there are several important rationalizations. 1. In order to be an award of distinction, it should visually break away from the usual suspects of blue, white, and gold. 2. The medal/ribbon should not resemble an actual, existing medal. Given the wide array of colors and pairing used in actual military medals, this was kind of a tough needle to thread. 3. Back to the Emperor, his Imperial Royal guards are all decked out in red. It's plausible to think that if there were a scale of color/loyalty, red/maroon would be pretty high up. That's my $0.02.

It has my vote... Aaron, can you create a ribbon version?