Since many requests came my way during Celebration, I’ve decided to open commission work for a zombie trooper. Head to the troopingDead page to find out more …
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Due to my injuries and covid-19 I have stayed away from trooping since last December. Even with things getting much better in China and being able to pretty much resume life – I am still keeping some distances from public events, BUT when M-A_W makes a request for a wookiee I simply cannot refuse…just trooping […]
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What I love about making these props is the challenge that each build bring; sometimes it is new material you need to work with, sometimes new building techniques and sometimes painting. I learned airbrushing for my Lando bust- for this Mandalorian Beskar armor it is working with graphite powder. Print > Sand > Prime > […]
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This character I remember was one of my all time favourite kenner toy. I have always loved it and it was on the top of my list of things I wanted to do in terms of costume. Skip to last Celebration in Chicago and I did get a plaque signed by Billy D Williams in […]
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A partial view of Red2 Studio where most of ImperialBoots works takes place and then some!
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The idea is to print a one piece of 1:1 ratio Chest+backplate complete with the shoulder strapping with crisp details and visual accuracy, to put on a XIBIT display bust with specific clothing and accessories. In this case working on both a Shore and Tank Trooper.
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These days you need to have your home office, so this is where I do my digital work, prototyping, talking to workshops and suppliers, and build stuff. Of course I have some of my stuff on display including my very own Psittacausorus
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3D printing has jumped leaps over the last couple of years, people have it at home and if you are lucky enough to live where I do, you can easily find “affordable” industrial printers willing to take on projects. SLA printer work with UV cured resin instead of filaments. This means the end result is […]
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I have made a few Wookiees over the years soon #9 will start production.The one part of the wookiee that has always been more complicated to do is of course the skull; one part being fibreglass and the silicon skin that goes atop. In my early years as an arbor builder I was intimidated with […]
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you glimpse and you miss it in SOLO but that character has so much going for it I could not resist. There are no official CRL due to the lack of “clear image of the back piece”, However I am fairly confident this is what it looks like ; a mix between the death start […]
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Major update; 3 coat of spray paints , 2 different gold Flame burning part of the paintAirbrushing details Cables and gasket installed.
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the sandspeeder was originally introduced by hasbro as part of toys during the OT release. 35+ years later they were brought back by Lego in an exclusive set and quickly seen in Battelfront 2. There is a visual queue in TFA when Rey plays with a salvaged Xwing helmet which is attributed to a sandspeeder […]
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Last year I started a new project for collectors with the launch of a helmet stand. Then we thought a bust to display and contextualize a helmet could be something visually stunning so we started on that project. Skip a few months of back and forth , changes and a first pre-production batch I was […]
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I have build many tankers (note to self don’t get too cocky about it you screwed up your last one’s legs) – so alongside the tanker I decided to go for the AT-ACT which is really only a helmet and a slightly different paint job on the shoulder bell. So helmet printed and started the […]
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Yes droids are amazing and no I was never the biggest 3P0 fan ; actually my preferred droids are K2-S0 (Rogue 1) and Chopper ( Rebels Animated) these two have amazing personalities. However as a builder/collector I cannot deny that 3p0 is a must have and I decided to focus on a bust. Got the […]
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The Collector Bust is the new product I am launching soon. It is meant to be a new way to display props and contextualize it in their “real” environment. We are working on clothing and accessories to fit the bust to give a “real feel” when people drop their props on it. I though I […]
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My original Death Trooper is still in Japan and with the current state of things around the world, I have cancelled all my travels. ironically although I do not have any events planned in 2020 anymore, I just felt annoyed without my zombie armor here. So I decided to go ahead and make a second […]
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After completing my 6th wookiee I have pretty much settled for the mesh suit design. Straight extra long legs, longer sleeves with hand covers, extra large elastic band at the waist with press button for the suspenders. I have just added the boot covers and a skull hood to make the work easier. The sizes […]
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A new wookiee is almost born. Improved technique means a bit faster, new hair really adds to the general look. I am reasonably happy with this one and it might very well be the one I keep for myself this time around. I guess the best part remains what I call the “wookiee zen zone” […]
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Got an order in for a Tank trooper, received the BSP kit from the trooper and started to build, pretty straight forward work except for the vambrace the owner had already cut way too much …pretty much the last think to be done at this point …every build has its challenges.
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I got myself a Ralph McQuaries Vader concept helmet. It was an opportunity and I thought why not. It arrived in ok conditions but immediately realized the inner gel coat was brittle and separating from the main cast, it became evident with the tip of the brow broke for no reasons. I could fix that […]
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It was a long wait for the conclusion of the Saga, I enjoyed it very much. It was a fitting conclusion, there was a lot to love about it. The local garrison was treated to the Premiere by Disney, had a chance to induct our very first actor as a Honorary member, have a chat […]
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Since I am a member of the Cathar Base Singapore, I decided to leave my Old Rex Armor to a friend there so when I am due for a trooping I do not have to lug my armor. However I do love the character so I decided to make a second set to keep with […]
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December 2019, last travel of the year for Singapore comic con and first troop with the Cathar Rebel Base where I am now officially affiliated with. I took Old Rex and the new Rebel Fleet Trooper on the road for quick changes and bring some variety to the booth. Excellent welcome as usual by the […]
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I flew to Tokyo for the Comic Con and meeting with the local troops. It was supposed to be a week-end of Fun, laugh and good old scaring people. It started that way, but lugging two suitcases full of gears in the Tokyo overcrowded transit system might not have been the greatest idea. I got […]
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I was extremely lucky to be part of the unveiling event for the new Porsche Taycan in Shanghai November 2019. These were two days of rehearsal and dressing up and down ( I got my TK dressing skills to 4.35minutes without help at this point)…. and 2 minutes on stage. Still a great experience; I […]
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They say if you do something you love it will never feel like work… and it is true because although I probably spend 60 hours working on -IB- it does not feel like working. And between design contract, commissioned work and -IB- it is “work” every day of the week and week-end including when I […]
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Old rex is a character strictly for fans; he appeared in the Rebels animated series and I loved it since then. He is the reason I let me bear grow so that I could portray him in a more natural way. Of course while trooping he is not the general crowd show stopper like the […]
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So far I have been building heavily for the 501st and the Rebel Legion. The third club that I wanted to approach was the Mando Mercs. I must admit I do not have any urge to build a Boba Fett, and few other canon mandos have attracted my attention. However the great thing about the […]
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At Celebration Chicago, amongst others Plak(c) I had signed, one was by Julian Glover, the actor who played general veers. I was going to buy the helmet to get it on display…but one thing leading to another, I eventually bought the entire armor. The build was easy enough until I realized that many of the […]
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I have been eyeing this character for a while ; although I liked it I was always drawn to the Tanker more. However after building 5 tankers I felt I needed to “diversify” and the shore was an obvious choice. I decided to go for the captain version of the Shore because the colour coding […]
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The SW EU has this character known as the Shadow Guard, similar to the red guard but looking more “armored”. I was not planning on doing this but then there was this left over Kit floating around that was the same price as just a helmet… but in pink. I decided to buy the whole […]
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The red guard is not necessarily a costume that I felt I really wanted but the helmet has always been highly attractive to me. My theory is that the reminiscent cylon look of it is what sold me off. So I got an ABS kit and started to build. Not an overly complicated build, maybe […]
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Always been a huge fan of the Clone Wars Animated and one of the costume I really wanted to make has been a clone trooper. It pushed that project back for years until now. Seeing that I am working on this 20/20 project and that I needed to complete more costumes, it was a no […]
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At Celebration I had a Plak(c) signed for Snap Wexley. Not really intending to do the whole costume but I grabbed a hasbro black series Poe Dameron Helmet and reworked it to be Snap’s colours.
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With #4 now in Dubai, I started the new Wookiee build; I initially thought I’d take the summer to complete it. Then there was an issue with the mesh suit that needed some extra adjustments. Skip a week later and I am now in the CCG 2019 roster list as Old Rex but since I […]
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I completed the Old Rex costume almost two years ago, never got a chance to take it out; the Wookiee is too popular. No longer ! CCG Shanghai 2019 is the event that I used to get him out for the first time. Not sure if it will become one that often sees trooping sessions, […]
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In continuation with my current fascination for custom paint job inspired by the rebel Xwing helmet I thought it would be fun to make a backpack. I bought a ANOKA hardshell biker bag and proceeded. Love this bag ! definitely protecting my laptop from those airplane-overhead-luggage crushing-pusher!
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Been looking at building a droid for a while but as always space is an issue so I decided to start small with a mouse droid. I build it then decided to make it truly my own but moving away from the traditional all black Imperial look to a rough green rebel look. Next step […]
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What a great opportunity; traveling to Singapore, meet with 501st/RL friends and share two trooping together… one of which at Lucasfilm ! A bit emotional too since the sad news of Peter Mayhew’s passing reached us the morning of that day. I almost did not take the Wookiee with me; so glad I did. This […]
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My new zombie trooper was ready to take the floor at Celebration Chicago. I took it for a spin and a few hundred pictures later I received some awesome shots from people. A few lesson learned:1. People Love the Zombie and the costume2. Time goes fast when you are stop every 2 seconds for a […]
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People, Celebration is all about meeting people and sharing your passion. Some people you will meet for 3 seconds just for a laugh, others you will strike a conversation , others you will eat and drink with… It is a time where you can actually meet people from all over the world which you would […]
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Large Props is the heart of a true Star Wars convention and while this year things felt disconnected from each other there was no shortage of great photo ops to be getting during the event including life size Xwing, Tie Fighter, speedbike and GAV Tank … the best being the Millenium Falcon walk-in.
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The show floor is where all the vendors and exhibitors are and mostly all the costuming actions, large props … Part taking in panels is not something I tend to do for various reasons one of which is I like to troop… this means I am in costume, this also means I do not have […]
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Celebration is THE Star Wars event not to be missed, just as big as SDCC but Star Wars ONLY. Been going there since CE2 in Essen and it is certainly a yearly highlight for what I do and to meet with the community not only I belong to but also “serve”. 2019 event takes Place […]
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One thing I have learned from my design workflow is that I need to experiment to “stumble” upon the right design solution… and I apply that in costume making. I was not happy with the undersuit of my zombie trooper; the latex skin patches were ok but too many miss-match in colors and with the […]
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M-A-W contacted the local 501st/RL to have an event and of course I would take the Wookiee out for this. It is always a pleasure to be out for Charity, even more so when you are in a costume that connects emotionally with the crowd … aside from the zombie trooper, only the Wookiee can […]
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SOLO ( a Star Wars Story) had a great trooper which I found excessively well done with a very deep connection with world war 1 trench battles: The mud trooper. I purchased the armor kit and admittedly it is not the most challenging build I have ever done. But once finished the fun starts with […]
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I have made several Wookiees thus far, and got face mask from all the very talented makers out there. I Love working on a Wookiee as it forces me to take it slow and think … in an odd way I find it therapeutical. So As I work on this new mask I decided it […]
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it’s the time again to update the yearly inforgraphic about the 501st ( well it was 4 month ago when I actually did it)
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working on completing the blue squadron costume. This time is all about weathering and distressing the jumpsuit.
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Last minute change of mind from the daughter about Halloween…now she wants a costume and I only have one hour before trick-or-treating ! All that zombie watching /making came handy !
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Thanks to RS Prop Master I was provided a lovely blank Swing helmet and decided to get inspired by the design of classic helmet while making this one special : Black Yellow Red – my country’s flag (Belgium) and of course give homage to our national soccer team ” The Red Devils”
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Jules the Zombie Trooper roaming the floor of the first Stan Lee Comic Universe Convention Shanghai Scare count: 78 Screamer: 49
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I was lucky enough to be invited by the Southern Cross Garrison to visit them during this year OzComicCon Sydney. It was very special to be welcomed and part of this really fun week-end. I met some really great people and I look forward to my next visit ! I took “Jules the zombie” for […]
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Worked a second A-wing , more personalized with some “improvised” greeblies and a great find from Ikea: cable management tube worked miracle in the back of the helmet !
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It is always a privilege when you have a chance to help bring a smile to kids. Most of the time it is during public events , comic con, … in few occasion we get to go the extra miles for the charity events. It was awesome to be involved in Shanghai Make A Wish […]
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I wanted the helmet to be reasonably scary but not so much that kids would have instant nightmares. I also wanted to show some tech parts of the helmet guts…after all they are supposed to be lined with cables etc… There is a plastic zombie face mask hiding the real face when wearing it, and […]
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The Death Trooper, as it is known, is a stormtrooper zombie from the novel ” Death Trooper” (duh) and since every year I try to make something a bit “different” ( remember Alien last year) I decided to have a go at it. However I wanted to make it realistic enough so that I could […]
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Prime time for me is not 7-9 PM but when it’s dry and sunny ! There was a build I did not expect to do and do not even expect to wear. Just had the opportunity to get an armor kit and thoughtI’d build it just for the sake of it…#noInterestInWearing.
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I’ve always felt much welcome at the Singapore Garrison; some really cool people there. I was really happy and honored with Alex invited me for his 50th Bday bash…a blast !Extra Bonus meeting with some “legends” of the prop making community Luke from JJ industries and Jimmiroquai…. So much fun and so much Porg !
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The weather was nice in Shanghai for the annual Fashion Week and the were out in force ( pun intended) 18 troopers including a Wookiee. First time out with the new bandolier …way more comfy , lighter and much nicer looking that the previous one. Also new “shoes” … the Wook now wears goth boots […]
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Always wanted to make a clone trooper… then when I saw old Rex in Star Wars Rebels I knew that was the one for me. I finally made it and that was a really fun build and paint job to do. This one is definitely a keeper; especially because it is so comfy ( once […]
Read MoreI was flicking through the book “Beyond Stormtrooper” when I came upon a page displaying sample patches… Patches are a trading must in our community and there must be thousands different design floating around, from garrison, to outpost, to events, to personal … and there was one of the the very first ones I have […]
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January was a quick 2 men troop at Columbia to help them promote the Star Wars limited edition gears … fun to troop “privato” and to mentor the new trooper on his very first outing.
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Because of what I do, every day I am being asked what are my thoughts about the movie… it often seem like an ambush; many time I am being straight up told what I should feel about it. The beauty about an opinion is that it is personal, however one can be fiercely protective. There […]
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Every year they keep on doing this kind of cheap stunt in China. They cannot be bothered to actually understand Star Wars or spend a bit of cash to organize something decent… no they have to take these clowns who have no respect for the movie /culture.
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There has been a few moments of being proud to be a wookiee … see kids smile, getting misty eyes from fan meeting me, my daughter telling her friend “dad is a wookiee”… But this was priceless. RianCJonhson in the middle of stage interview at the China Premiere realizing a Wookiee was sitting first row […]
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Since I was approached to build a shadow trooper I decided to take pictures of the whole process. from unboxing the kit to lining up parts, trimming, cutting, snapping, prepping, lining, glueing and fitting. One thing I like to do is to glue the inside of the parts with left over plastic parts I salvages […]
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clocking 4 Wookiee outing during SHCC , each 1 hour long ! Intense but people love to hug the Wookiee so who am I to say no.
Read MoreKiKi Ze Alienne on the show floor during SHCC 2017 making new friends.
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I’m all about Star Wars, this is all about Star Wars…except when it is not and I need to get working with new materials and challenge myself to a complete other kind of build: Introducing the Xenomorph. I was lucky enough to find an amazingly talented prop maker dedicated to the world of Alien and […]
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The first satchel I had is nice but after a few trooping I felt the need to make it even more screen accurate. I wanted the full round effect and the oversize d-ring holder. I wanted to make it look rough and I wanted to make a new bandolier with EVA blocks. The screen accurate […]
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When I first started to work with leather it was very intimidating…I am far from being the best at this out there but I do really enjoy working with leather and making “simple” stuff. This time around two new styles of holsters.
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Wookiees… a great species full of hair A few years back it took me about 10 months to complete my first Wookiee costume. Since then I did at least 3 different leg extension system and then I decided I wanted to make a new one… this is nuts. But eventually I had the new mesh […]
Read MoreRogue One is a treasure throve of new costumes and they all show a lineage a true legacy to what was the OT. The Ground Crew is one of these really beautiful one that can be worn by both Male/Female. A fun build, not too complicated but enough to give you the challenge of putting […]
Read MoreAnother great helmet from Rogue One. I must say the work they did in making these armors is much more appreciated than what they came up with for the new trilogy
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Working on the new helmet shows a significant difference with the 3d printed version. It does need to be weathered though
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After starting the third armour of the GAV Commander of Rogue One, I decided to make a patch. I wanted it to be in the striking and minimalist. So I used the three colours found on the Commander armour. It is reminiscent of the ranger patch in the US with the mention of the 71st […]
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Yes China has copycats, bootlegs, replicas, shanzai… all of different degrees of quality and build. From toys to clothes to now badly designed and worn armors ! I’ve shown many in my previous posts and it does not stop ! I can’t really define the level of annoyance I have when I see that; is […]
Read Moreyes I used OMG and you will do too the day you get a propel Star Wars battle drone. These things are beautiful, fast, full of surprises and you can battle against others ( up to 12 players) for real ! They are extremely well designed, and the ergonomics is spot on. You can also […]
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I developed good skills for building X-wing helmet and making them looked distressed so it was but evident that I needed to work on making the stickers so I could have more options than Red5 when making a helmet. The results many sticker sets for the original pilots. Now that Rogue one is out I […]
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I love lego’s especially the Star Wars collector edition ; these pack major brick power… and waste days to build; not good for any relationships for sure. Between these two there is nearly 6000 pieces assembled.
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I love this guy too much so I got myself another kit , ABS this time, and started building it with a few novelties. Magnetic closure, replaceable EVA foam the side, velcro removable neck collar… maximum flexibility for more compact packing when travelling.
Read MoreHey LFL/Disney I know there is no such thing as bad publicity, that China can be quite uncontrollable, and that Star Wars needs exposure… but this is getting old very quickly. It’s now thing to see acceptable ( not screen accurate but ok) TFA troopers touring clubs and pole dancers wearing trooper helmet but when you […]
Read MoreI was brought on board 1.5 years ago and how far have we come already thanks to the support of the community ! And what better to thank my two partners than having custom lightsaber engraved for each of us… Thank you guys Master + Jabba
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It was cold, damn polluted (as in her to see anything) and our plane was delayed 7 hours leaving from Shanghai… but at the end we were there to support Rogue One launch in China. The movie ( my second screening by then) was even better than when I saw it in HK. And despite […]
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So I decided to get into Rogue One build and that means my all time favourite the Tank Trooper. Forget the Death Trooper, you cannot see Sh%$7 ; the tank trooper is rough, battled, dirty and full of grits and that’s what I love so much about it.
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This one is a beauty and one of my favourite helmet ! And these are the results once printed, glued, sanded, and painted. !
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“Redemption” is a project that took place between Beijing and Shanghai. I was in Shanghai and Troy’s Team in Beijing, we had never met IRL and only communicated through email and WeChat. Comic Con Shanghai actually gave us the opportunity to have our first face-to-face meet which turned out to be quite fun, especially meeting […]
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After my initial red5 x-wing helmet build I realised that I actually enjoyed making these helmets because of their paint job. I found it refreshingly fun to build and paint a helmet that had been “battle damaged”. So Came the Y-wing and the A-wing alongside other xWing …
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Last June at Beijing Comic Con quite a few people came to take pictures with Chewbacca. Then later in a WeChat group about Sci-fi someone posted their picture with Chewie and I mentioned that was me… private conversation ensued then the ever enthusiast Troy started to talk about making a SW fan film… 4 months […]
Read MoreAfter the built, the painting… and I made a few mistakes at first and kinda had to do a reset, as usual one step front 2 steps back…as it happens when you learn something new. That being said, the weathering technique I learned for this project turned out amazing !
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