Peregrinus

Because Gino and Matt (and their camps) disagree on that very history. Unless and until their dispute is settled to everyone's (except maybe theirs) satisfaction, the history of this particular lineage goes something like "there may or may not have been a complete or nearly-complete ROTJ suit that someone cast moulds from that ended up somewhere and may or may not have had something done to them and may or may not have ended up in someone else's hands and may or may not have been modified into something else..." You get the idea. There are two rough family trees forming out of this thread, mutually-incompatible, depending on who one wants to believe, and in the absence of proof. The truth is probably somewhere in between, but exactly where is probably impossible to determine without aforementioned proof. --Jonah

By all means, let us know the paint mix you come up with. Have you looked at Testors' range of military colors? Some of their WWII German blues look like they might be close... I fully plan to cut a frisket template and airbrush the buggers. --Jonah

Okay... I am down to the fine details. The gold spiky thing in the picture below: I know this is a found item, but I don't know for sure what it is. The twist to the rows of spikes implies certain things, but I don't know exactly what. I've had suggestions for everything from a large-bore thread tap to a rock drill bit. If anyone on here recognizes this piece, or knows someone who might and would be nice enough to show them, I would appreciate it tremendously. Cross-post on other boards to get more brains involved. Whatever. Trying to solve a twenty-four-year-old mystery, and I'm all thunk out. I'm posting this everywhere I'm registered where prop-building geeks hang out. Thanks in advance for any illumination anyone can provide. --Jonah

Thirded. I should roll in a keg for the rest of us onlookers. Gonna go make some cinnamon toast right now. *heh* --Jonah

Yeah, in case that got lost in my general curmudgeonliness, I do think you're doing a bang-up job. (Of course, since I have to put a veiled grumble in anything I post, I object on the grounds of uniformity. I know not all the two-metre Troopers can do a Vader, but maybe a Darktrooper? ) --Jonah

Exactly. I also like to say that fitting and assembling your armour yourself means you don't have anyone else to blame if you screw it up. --Jonah

First thing I had to come to terms with is that this is an expensive hobby. "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen." *heh* There are no short cuts to any place worth going. That's why it's taken me five years to even get CLOSE to buying my Stormtrooper armour. --Jonah

Yes and no... On the one hand, researching something to get it as accurate as you can when nothing better is out there is indeed tremendously satisfying when you've finally got the durn thing finished (Crimson Empire, Storm Commando, Imperial Knight, etc.), but when you can look around and see top-notch stuff being made by others, it strikes me personally as silly not to avail oneself of it (certain Stormtrooper, Scout Trooper, and Clonetrooper items out there) for the sake of uniformity. That said, when the existing stuff is too small for you... *chuckle* --Jonah

I'm of many minds about this larger issue. I'll try to mush it all together into one (somewhat) cogent response... Because of the necessities of making a film or TV series, the props are often not able to stand up to close scrutiny. Go to the Star Trek Experience in Vegas, and look at the props and costume pieces they have on display there. About the biggest exception I've ever seen is the work WETA did on Lord of the Rings and Narnia. Sweet Jesus, those are guys after my own heart. I take what the wardrobe and prop people did (usually) as a decent starting place to get things "more accurate than the filmed version". *heh* By which I mean, accurate to the fictional universe it's supposed to represent. I even have a long-term project to try and make a working gyrojet firearm out of Deckard's gun from Blade Runner. How this applies to Star Wars and the issue here? I never liked the F/X armour, as it was obvious even to a newbie that it wasn't film-accurate. The T*E armour was my first exposure to someone doing a recast of a film prop, and to me that was the almost-holy grail. If I got that I would have not been satisfied until I'd "fixed" those production errors that are such a hallmark of the costume -- bumpy casting, warped plastic, the divot in the one lens frame, etc., and gotten the thing trued and balanced and symmetrical (except for the things that aren't supposed to be), and can call it perfect. *heh* So I guess what I'm saying is that I don't consider recast props to be the end-all of this hobby, but the best reference one can have to "get it right". My personal feeling on the matter is one of civic duty. If, for example, I come up with an original prop, figure out how to spiff it up to look good up close and personal, it's pretty much be my responsibility to make it available to others who might be looking for the same thing. And that I'd only want to be compensated for materials used, time spent, and any expertise involved in making the bloody thing. Not saying all of this justifies the name-calling, but I have felt the impulse to climb through the monitor and throttle someone, myself. It's tough to stay filial when you feel your integrity is being challenged, rightly or wrongly. --Jonah

I know it's a bit late in the program for me to chime in. Heck, Wyatt, I didn't even see your bucket until it was finished (and damaged) at Celebration. But this is the product mentioned in response to your Rhino Liner. Can be sprayed or brushed, and comes in other colours besides black. Several layers of white or clear on the inside of the rest of your armour does a great job of reducing the "Tupperware party in a windstorm" effect of plastic hitting plastic. I know it won't help reinforce the helmet, but in most cases I'm not too worried about that. My buckets are all going to be HIPS and/or polycarbonate. --Jonah

Recommended material? What sort of rivets? Snaps? Other advice? --Jonah

It shall be as you say. I'll carry my SE-14R in a shoulder rig attached to my extra -- non-canon -- Trooper breastplate. I wanted clarification, and I got it. Thanks. --Jonah

I know about those standards. I understand the need to limit things. I was mainly asking after how far canon extends in this sense. LFL production/promo art, publicity photos, cut scenes... Those I think should be included if they are commonly recognized by the general public. I mean, the SE-14R is used for one of the Stormtrooper standees, fer cryin' out loud. *heh* --Jonah

Okay, for ANH I know the MG-34 is an option. Is the SE-14R from the ESB promo shots (and its holster) accepted?Would this be in addition to an E-11 holster on the right, or replacing the E-11 entirely? I also remember Lucasfilm artwork of a running Stormtrooper with what is identified as a heavy blaster rifle carried in both hands that looks like neither an E-11 with the stock unfolded or an MG-34. I remember it having a DL- number but can't remember what that number was. And no, I'm not thinking of the DLT-19. My scanner isn't hooked up right now or I'd post it. --Jonah