GINO

Did you miss me Michael? I don't own EFX, it's not my company. All the aspects relating to the operations side of the business, I have no control or influence over. .

I compared my track side-by-side and in person to multiple screen-used props that have original track on them. They were indistinguishable with caliper dims as well as overall profile and color. No other t-track maker out there has track that matches mine or the screen-used track. Close but not an exact match. Nothing wrong with close but to say that there is no difference is false. The way I see it is if you spend big bucks on an original graflex, kobold clip, original calc strip, refurbished sterling etc.. that you're going to have in your collection forever, and then want to skimp on getting perfectly accurate t-track to save $20 or because you don't like me personally (even though you don't even know me) is mind boggling to me. Any prop that has t-track on it from another maker is always going to be slightly less accurate than the exact same prop but with my t-track. I wouldn't use my track on my props if that weren't true. .

lol! No matter how much you dislike me personally, doesn't change that his are not as accurate. .

Has Roy, been to the archives? no Has Roy ever handled any real screen-used props with screen-used t-track on them? no Did Roy take dimensions off of real screen-used t-track to make his? no Did I do all of those things? yes Is my track more accurate than Roy's because of that? yes Is Roy's a cheaper alternative for those not needing their track to be 100% accurate or not made from original dimensions? yes In my opinion, is it worth it to spend a little more to have 100% accurate t-track on your valued props? absolutely .

There are none more accurate than this. A bit more pricey but worth it. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/36713-100-accurate-t-track-for-your-blasters-and-sabers/ .

The cameron oakley original armor parts were molded from the outside for making fiberglass parts (which is what was given to CFO). They were also molded from the inside for making vac form parts. There was only ever one original set of inside molds taken and I have them. Any other versions of these molds were derivatives or poor recasts that were later cleaned up etc..

The CFO ROTJ suit was created by vac forming over the top of the handful of fiberglass pieces that came from Cameron Oakley, which would seriously deviate from the original forms. The original armor parts that Cameron Oakley had were molded from the outside in silicone molds. CFO was given castings from those silicone molds to vac form over, but much artistic interpretation and alteration had taken place from what the original suit was like vs the final vac form parts made by CFO. The original Cameron Oakley suit was only about 1/3 complete. Everything else was scratch built. The list of original Cameron Oakley armor parts was the chest, abdomen, backplate w/scratch built details, kidney/butt plate, left shoulder, left bicept inner/outer, left forearm inner/outer, left and right thigh inner/outers, and only one shin inner/outer. Every other piece was scratch built. I've handled screen-used ROTJ suits and the ROTJ that CFO makes is in my opinion not very accurate to the screen-used ROTJ suits if you compared them side-by-side. The one and only set of molds that were taken directly from the inside of the Cameron Oakley original armor pieces (which is what you would need to produce truly accurate parts) have been in my possession since the early 2000s. .

Well buckle up there's a lot more to come.

LOL! It's great talking to people at shows. I'll be at wondercon in LA next week. Shame you could not make it.

What Sergiu says is correct.

One of the perks of being the product developer for projects like this is of course I can make my own. I don't have the time to work on projects for myself very much anymore so I like to show off some of my work whenever I get a chance. Even though I work for EFX, I'm still a member of the community and still have a passion for pushing the envelope for accuracy. I could just hide this away along with some of the other cool stuff in my collection that I've never been able to share publicly but I know there are still a lot of people who think it's cool to see.

The hero helmet at the start of this thread is 100% Luke's hero helmet.

This isn't Luke's hero suit. Just another one of the 6 hero's that were made. The diamond plate was not part of this suit, but I had access to a screen-used diamond plate that was from another source. I'm planning on making two trooper displays, a hero and sandy. The 35 year old boots were not in pristine condition as there was some scuffing on the bottom of the soles (showing that they were used at least a little) but other than that their condition is surprisingly good everywhere else. Now I need to ruin their surface by removing the polish and get paint on them!

I think there is some confusion going on between EFX and FX.

I agree!!! Seems like it's been forever since I've made something for myself. Yes the helmet is ABS too.

Here’s a pic of one of my 100% authentic ANH Hero Stormtroopers with all the parts laid out. Every single armor component was molded directly from a screen-used hero helmet and armor, as well as all the fabric components. All the hardware was matched to the vintage specs and the boots are vintage originals. It is as accurate as a trooper costume can actually be without owning an original. I don’t know what could be improved on it at this point. I’ve had this for quite awhile now but just haven’t had the time to work on any personal projects. I’ll also be putting together a sandtrooper alongside this one and will post up pics of the builds as I make progress. There are more pics on my Facebook page. -------- ------- And here's a pic of the original screen-used hero it was molded and patterned from. ---------- .

Either it is correct or it's not, and it's not.

you didn't read post #26

read post #26

This is basically the definition of mudding the water. You are attempting to foster doubt in the minds of potential customers in order to create a false equivalency between your track and my track when there is not. And at the same time, you are saying, hey why should we trust him, which is most definitely an attempt to discredit me. I've said this on the rpf and I'll say it here as well. I would not want anyone who does not trust my credibility to buy from me. People who know me know the extent I go to make sure the stuff in my collection is as accurate as possible. And the t-track that I offer to people is the exact same stuff that I have on my own personal props. For people who know me and my body of work, that's all the reassurance they need. Hey Roy, have you ever handled screen-used props with t-track on them? Did you use them in hand to make your t-track? No wait, that was me. So this whole thing of trying to make it sound like your track even has the remote possibility of being on the same accuracy level of mine is ridiculous and completely misleading to potential buyers. Now I have no problem with anyone who wants to buy Roy's track whether it's because they don't care as much about accuracy or if they just want a cheaper alternative. Not everyone out there is a stickler for accuracy and that's certainly their choice. But lets not get it twisted about which is more accurate to the screen used stuff. At least then people can make an informed decision. .

Well I can't speak for the other t-track sellers, but the price of my track has to remain the same until what I have runs out. Here's the reason: When I first did the run years ago, the cost of having a custom die made and a minimum amount of extrusion by the factory was very expensive. In order to fund it, I made a sign up list and the price of the t-track kits was determined by the number of people who initially signed up. If more people had signed up, the cost per kit would have been cheaper. If less people had signed up, it would have been even more expensive. So I promised all the people who signed up that I would always keep the price the same out of fairness to them. Because they were the ones who made the project possible in the first place and it would not be fair to them to lower the price after the fact. It would be like punishing them for being the ones who got the project off the ground in the first place. So that's why my t-track is priced the way it is, and why it will remain the same price until it's all gone. And my supply is getting low so once it's gone it's gone. At the very least there will be other suppliers out there when my stuff is all out, they just won't be as accurate. Now what I'm about to say is only my own personal opinion and I don't take issue with anyone else who doesn't share the same feeling. For me, I want everything I own to be as accurate as it possibly can. Sometimes that is limited by access, sometimes that is limited by price. So if I'm creating a prop/costume/display, and I've invested a ton of time, money, and energy on making it as nice and accurate as possible why in the world would I skimp on any component when there is a more accurate alternative available? I mean for something that you are going to own (possibly forever) and be proud of, is a $40 savings really THAT big of a deal in the long run? You could say, well no one would notice the difference on a detail such as the t-track. Well I notice. And I make props for myself first, not for what other people think. The public doesn't differentiate between an FX armor or an RS. But at the end of the day, we want the accuracy because we love it and makes us feel good about the piece of art we've created. That's just the way I see it. I know not everyone feels that way. If they did, there wouldn't be any FX troopers still kicking around. I have a dream... ...that one day people won't remember what FX armor looks like. lol .

Exactly.

This is EXACTLY why I feel I need to comment in the first place. There is no debate to be had. Whose is more accurate is not a matter of opinion. For my t-track, intensive measurements were taken directly from screen-used track as well as scan data. I have held mine directly up to the screen-used t-track. It is indistinguishable from the real thing when you see them side-by-side and also by caliper. It is absolutely as close as you can possibly get without scoring some original vintage stock (which I doubt will ever happen). As you can see in the comparison posted by Roy, his track has a slightly different profile. Roy's was made based on interpreting data from photos only. So it is not surprising that his track would not turn out perfect. He did the best he did with what he had available to him. It's close, closer than Marv's but not as accurate as mine. That's what I don't want to become cloudy in the minds of people looking to make a choice for t-track. It would be factually wrong to put Roy's track on the same accuracy level as mine when it is not. Even using the word 'debate' in regards to this topic indicates that there is perhaps some doubt on that topic when there is none. Now that being said... I have no problem with other people who want to sell t-track. I used to (and still do) refer people to marv all the time when they were content to sacrifice some accuracy to save some money. It's the same situation with Roy's track. It is good track for people who don't have to have the most accurate and want something cheaper. There's nothing wrong with that at all. I think having options is a good thing. My ONLY problem is people getting the facts mixed up that they are at the same accuracy level when they are not. That's it. .

I just want to nip this in the bud before the waters start to get muddy. Roy's track is less expensive, but not as accurate as mine. So if you are willing to sacrifice some accuracy and same some money, Roy's is the way to go same as marv. Not everyone is as concerned with accuracy as other people and there is nothing wrong with that. But for the people who HAVE to have the most accurate, and don't mind spending a bit more for your props that you are most likely going to have for a long time (or forever), then I would pony up the extra $ and get mine. .

Well you or anyone else does not have to take my word for it. For those in the know it is no question. And honestly I don't care if people buy yours, marv's or mine. There are multiple sources that serve different needs and budgets. But what I do care about is that the facts are not skewed or blurry here. And the fact is that the track that I have is the ONLY track with the accurate proportions and made in the correct material and color. Mine is not a found item, but it is indistinguishable from the real deal even when side by side. And for me and most other people I know who truly care about having really accurate props, having a found item is worthless if the proportions and color are incorrect. .