Peregrinus

I agree with Paul. Vader had his own theme in Star Wars (that I wish had been carried over into the latter two in some form*). When I saw Empire at six years old, the Imperial March felt like an anthem of the might of the Empire itself -- embodied by the Stormtroopers. That was reinforced in Return of the Jedi. The best way I can think of to describe the Emperor's Arrival scene and theme is that he's the emboiment of the Empire, and the military was the extension of his will. That's why the embellished Imperial March shifts into the Emperor's Theme in the hangar bay. That's all hindsight analysis of the visceral impact on me at the time. I've since spent far more time than is probably healthy thinking about the music from the films -- what was, what should have been, etc. --Jonah * To elaborate on this, I thought it had potential, and find it a shame Williams didn't explore it in Empire and Jedi -- especially if it were combined with the original cue for Binary Sunset.

Add my voice to those widhing you a quick settling of order from chaos. I know how turbulent times can interfere with the things you'd rather be doing -- but what needs taking care of needs taking care of. --Jonah

Been playing since 1990. --Jonah

Let me add that I have tremendous respect and admiration for the people who can and do make dead-on screen-accurate reproductions of anything from film or TV. It takes dedication, an eye for detail, and a lot of skill. I'm only saying that I personally don't have any interest in owning original or reproduction props. Any weapons I have on my wall, or armour or uniforms I have in my closet, I want to look every bit as well-designed and well-made as my terrestrial/contemporary(ish) items. --Jonah

I've gotten mixed responses from my stated intention to use the film costumes as a starting point for something symmetrical and idealized. To the purists, I point out that I'm not making prop replicas, I'm making costumes. And I want my costumes to -- in this case -- look like something machine-designed and machine-made by an impersonal Empire. No room for quirks or personality there. I want to build Stormtroopers that actually look like they evolved from the Clonetroopers. Master Replicas cobbled together a symmetcial helmet from cues on both sides of an ANH hero (IIRC). I'm using one of those and a few TE2s to work with. The MR CE for helping with symmetry on the TE2s, the TE2s to correct sizing and shape issues on the MR CE. Modding them all toward a happy (for me) medium. My costuming philosophy has always been "more accurate than the film/TV version". I'm well aware of the limitations of the medium, and how wardrobers often (but not always) get something just to the point that it will look okay blurring past on screen for a few seconds, but since those won't stand up to the close scrutiny of a face-to-face meeting at a con or parade, I demand something better of my work. I want to look not like I just stepped out of the screen, but like I just stepped out of that universe. --Jonah

I'd like to see that, too -- albeit not as Imperial Commandos. We already have the slightly altered Republic Commando design from the new book (and rumoured game), and later the Storm Commandos (if any one says black Biker Scouts, I swear I'm gonna crawl through the Internet and smack 'em). We also have the "Imperial Navy Commandos" from the PS2 port of The Force Unleashed. There are just too many commandos! --Jonah

I use Plasti-Dip. It's available as either brush-on or spray-on, and comes in black, white, red, yellow, and a couple other colours. Just about any hardware store should carry it or be able to special order it. I use black and white spray-on for just about everything. --Jonah

One of my old Navy friends (a Tomcat driver) commented that the two biggest mistakes in Top Gun were "1) We don't sweat in a dogfight, and 2) It doesn't take us a week to get laid". --Jonah

Oh, you can do it, Spoox. As for the Clone bucket, the sound system is dismountable, but only by completely dismantlilng the bucket, including breaking some glue bonds. Once you're down to the wires running through th ehole in the noseguard, you have to either cut it or them. You have to decide whether you want to keep it intact. Just to let you know, though, modding it is fun. Looking forward to your finished Hall Of Heads™. And mine, for that matter. Seven helmets underway currently -- nine if you count raw sculpts that I have to way to cast or pull at the moment. Twelve, once you add in buckets I'm doing for others. *lol* --Jonah

What are your intentions with the MRCE and the Hasbro Clone buckets? Display, or mod to wear? --Jonah

Also, Spoox, I want to emphasize that the butt should be cut at the bottom edge of where you'll wear the belt, but if you cut the cod, the cut should be hidden behind the belt, as the ANH ab/cod weren't cut, so no cut shoudl show. It works well to cut out a one-inch swath in there to give more "scrunch" room between the pieces. Just make sure the cut is fully hidden and the pieces all line up right. --Jonah

It has the neck trim, but not accurate. The brow trim is the full-coverage kind, and glued in place -- and also not accurate... --Jonah

Enough people have asked that ThinkGeek is now going to try and get licenseing from LFL to do this. Go back and clicky the link to be added to the e-mail alert list. --Jonah

I can't remember which is which, but one forearm on the original suit had one more inset square detail than the other. Brian Muir has acknowledged this, and admits he miscounted in his haste to get the sculpts done in time. --Jonah

All the Stormtroopers in ANH had static bursts, if I'm remembering right. I don't think we heard any 'Troopers besides the AT-AT Driver talk in ESB. And none of the Scouts or Stormtroopers in ROTJ had static bursts. It's not enumerated in the CRL, but my personal take would be that base standard can have it or not, ANH Elite should have it and ROTJ Elite shouldn't. --Jonah

Ironically, these girls probably wouldn't mind too much... >_> --Jonah

Actually, thanks, Joe. I've been looking at the cap'n'backs of my TE2 WIPs again this morning. I had been remembering the areas that need to be filled in, that look like mould damage, and forgotten all the little irregular raised bumps. I see/know exactly what you're talking about now. --Jonah

Tony's tops. I would never dream of stealing his awesomeness thunder, so I'll just toss my name in as an option. I've served as a US-based clearing house for things purchased off eBay for friends in Canada, and this isn't much different. Plus, you've done a good turn for me with the neckseal. --Jonah

Actually, Billy, TDH might be the best bet. I hadn't even thought of looking there for some reason. *headdesk* Pursuing that angle, thanks. --Jonah

What is it that makes a Smoothie different from a Bumpy? Just filling in the artefacts from the damage to the mould over so many repeated pulls? --Jonah

I have been hunting for over a year for the "adult novelty female breastplates" that get cut down into Femmetrooper breastplates, and I am having absolutely no success. A store, a web site, a link, anything...? --Jonah

There was a gaming convention in New York City back in '95 or so that had a Star Wars starfighter miniature battle -- Rebels vs. Empire. The centrepiece was a homemade six-foot long Star Destroyer that looked dead-on. I found myself wishing for a SSD to scale. --Jonah

Probably have to ask the LMO. It's easy -- though tedious -- to parse how many numbers are claimed. It wold take longer to determine who is actually still a living active member in good standing. --Jonah

'Preciate the advice on the clone 5 bucket. I'm happy modding the Hasbro buckets. $30 (probably about £15 with the current painful exchange rate) is very do-able, and I'm not averse to a little elbow grease. I do want to get a JM for myself, and I've got the funds building for that. I'm going to do one as a Phase I Clone Commander (stock with the yellow stripe kind) with swappable earpiece to make it an ARC; and the other as one of the custom Phase I Clones, like Fox or Thire or one of those. The other will just be a plain white Clonetrooper for Jen. I may be a helmet nut, but I intend to wear all of them. I don't collect makers. *chuckle* I have little enough room as it is, I can't spare any more for purely-display pieces. And the steel Mando is easy if you know how to weld. Print out WOF's templates, stick 'em down to 18ga steel, cut out, test fit, adjust as needed, weld, finish. Out of those, the Sandtrooper is for my friend Matt; one ANH Stormtrooper, the Scout and Shadow Scout, Phase I and II Clone, and one Mando are all for Jen -- and she might get one or more of those as she is able to, unless I beat her to it. The rest are mine, and most are for a single persona at different points along his personal timeline or in different circumstances. --Jonah

*chuckle* I now have my MR CE, which I'm going to use for reference as I tweak my TE2s and then mod into my Royal Guard Stormtrooper armour (what is still called the Magmatrooper by the 501st). So I'm now digging back into all the MR CE modding threads for tips, now that I actually have the dang thing. And seeing the rest of how this thread has gone... Well, here's my Hall of Heads list. Have (in various stages of completion): 2½ TE2s (2 ANH TK -- one for me), 1 TD), MRCE to mod, MLC v3 (that needs to get shipped off to Jen for her Scout), bad fibreglass Rubie's Scout recast that I'm seeing if I can turn into an origianl Storm Commando, 2 Hasbro Clone helmets to mod, modded DP Royal Guard. Scratch-Making: 2-4 steel Mando helmets, correctly-scaled Royal Guard sculpt, Clonetrooper concept sculpt, Royal Guard flight helmet. Still need to get: 1-2 more MLC v3.1 Scouts, at least 1-2 JM Phase I Clones, Neyo, SF Phase II Clone. --Jonah