TK:TK

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?

Looks great!.... I like the second one - the diagonal is really interesting. It could work as a ribbon too... And you've polished up the cog real nice!

Could we please keep this thread on-topic. Obviously, we're talking about the assets....

I've maxed out on my limit for image uploads (512k). Is there a way to trash some images in order to buy myself some more space? Where are the images saved, and where's the delete button? Thanks!

Great comments and suggestions. Thank you! Joey (TK-2126 MD): interesting questioning about the Expert Infantry designation. My first thought is that they are not ribbons because they have text and an image, and don't quite work as the visual shorthand of a military ribbon. But asking the question begets another question.... should "Expert Infantry" be codified as a medal? Paul????..... Martin (tatooine): I see the similarity, but the National Defense Service Medal has two thin blue stripes. Is the distinction too fine? Let me tool around with some extra elements and create something more unique. Richard (Dargas): Interesting idea. It would help tie in with other FISD elements, but it seems that overwhelmingly military medals are all stripes and patterns. Paul (Daetrin): I'm digging the idea of oak leaves. I'll generate some.... Manny (TK 6918): Hmmmmmmm..... that could be kind of cool. Let me create a grey/black version. Since we'll use oak leaves to denote multiple awards, I'll try the cog as a titanium-grey-black thing. Pablo (TKDUENO): Congratulations. The blaster is great! Give me a few days to generate some revisions....

To scratch a creative itch, I used Photoshop to create a possible digital FISD Service Medal. Perhaps, if reduced down enough (about the size of an infant's fingernail), it could be displayed under the bearer's name. But if there's going to be a medal, today's militaries want a ribbon version too. So with a little more Photoshop magic, I created a ribbon. (I see the militaries' point: a ribbon is a whole lot more space-efficient than an actual medal, and it doesn't flop around and get in the way either.) My extensive internet research of military medals (about 15 minutes), yielded a lot of different color combinations. However, I didn't see any that were maroon and gold, so a bit by default, that's what I came up with. Paul (Daetrin) suggested that I run this by everyone to get input to see if: 1) this medal looks too much like an existing one 2) if there's any color combination that might have special meaning to TKs and the Empire. So, let me know what you think. Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated...

The armour must have cracked when the TKs were viciously and ruthlessly attacked by the rebels when lured into the M. Falcon.

Congratulations... Looks great, fits great! Well done!

Wow. Looks great. So, how is work? Any more bad days, or do those really not matter so much any more?.... Enjoy working on the armour.

That's a good point and an important distinction. I guess I'd frame it as "screen accurate" vs. "set accurate". I figure that with all the paint (chips) gaffer's tape, and bubble gum what wardrobe was trying to achieve during shooting was to create a flawless look. Given the blinding amount of light used on sets, the lenses, and the speed of the action they figured they had plenty of latitude. As a TK enthusiast, I appreciate the details of the set-accurate suit, but people see and remember pretty much what the film makers wanted them to see - which is a screen-accurate suit. My sense is that we honor what the crews were trying to create in 1976, and work to maintain the illusion. Because our armour is seen up close and in person, we can't use the tricks the prop dept. could. So here and there we have to go the extra mile to achieve the same screen-accurate look.

That stinks. You have my sympathy, Smitty. I hope thing settle out soon. Take good care of yourself.

Specifics? Certainly. Smitty's E11 project raised the bar for fan-made blasters. The operational folding stock really kicked the ball up the field. Of the series of blasters he created, he offered to donate a blaster to FISD. Smitty's lenses filled a need of troopers. I am aware of several times when he has donated lenses. Smitty's beret. It's a good idea that was offered as a way help improve the visual cohesiveness of FISD. The beret thread may be the longest single thread in FISD history.

Great idea! Could the medals awarded be listed or displayed below (or above) the usual listing of name, rank, and number of posts? I don't know if your accepting names yet, but I'd nominate Smitty.

Well, at the memorial service I attended for our deceased brethren (which I might add was poorly attended), people were saying that the blaster shots were fired by the TKs, and that Obi Wan came from behind them and did the killing. Hence the spotless armour... But yes, the bodies were stuffed in the same smuggling holds that the rebels were hiding in. With all the merriment around blowing up the Death Star (yet another memorial service), the corpses where completely forgotten about. Elstree Studios must have smelled horrible....

Wow. That's pretty interesting. This could be a lot of fun. Before the promo even ended I figured at least one application I'd like to see: inserting my face when Darth Vader's helmet and mask are removed.

FISD is only three years old? Amazing! I joined FISD in January '07. I had no idea it was just a toddler of a forum... But FISD is a bit more than its chronological age. If we were to add up everyone's (except mine) experience and knowledge, I figure FISD would about 900 years years old.

We're not an Empire if we're not everywhere!.... Good work and congratulations!

Great news! Congratulations, Mark! Half of the FISD staff is UK? Wow. There's a joke in there somewhere.... Hmmmmmm.... British Empire.... Galactic Empire.... Somewhere Robert Clive is smiling.

Congratulations! Now you have a really nice bucket to put your much more expensive brain into! Well done.

I was the first person I ever saw in armour. It was weird. In front of a full length mirror wearing black legging and UA shirt, I put on the white boots and felt (and looked) like a complete idiot. Thoughts of "Oh, God, what have I done?" raced through my mind. I put on the calf pieces, and still no improvement. The thigh pieces didn't help my buyer's remorse either. Then I put on the ab clamshell - and there was a pause in my panic. The breast plate made a huge difference. The shoulder bells sealed the deal. I was practically giddy putting on the belt, bicep, forearm pieces, and gloves. Then I put on the helmet and disappeared. Cool....

I have Caboots and gotta admit that I'm curiously disappointed by them. They're too white. They look too much like shoes, not boots. The whole "Fear me because I'm a terrible stormtrooper" thing doesn't quite survive when people see the Caboots. Caboots just don't cut it as the plausible footwear of choice for while storming through the Tantive Raid. Plus they smell.

So, what happened? Did the things get resolved on Friday? Did you have to hole up in a hotel over the weekend?.... Did your armour have to sit in its box all Sat & Sun? So many questions.....