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 …

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 […]

Events

Porsche Taycan Event Shanghai

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 […]

Design

Events

whaaa?

-IB- New Shanghai Studio

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 […]

Events

Old Rex Out

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 […]

Build

Mando-Low

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 […]

Build

Veers – At-At Commander

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 […]

Build

Shore Trooper Armor PT01

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 […]

Build

Shadow Guard ?

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 […]

Build

Red Guard Helmet

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 […]

Build

SHOCK TROOPER CLONE

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 […]

Build

Resistance Helmet

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.

whaaa?

Wookiee Build 5

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 […]

Events

Old Rex Trooped !

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, […]

Build

whaaa?

Rebel Backpack

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!

Build

MSE- mouse droid

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 […]

Events

May the 4th at Lucasfilm

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 […]

Events

whaaa?

ZOMBIE @ CELEBRATION

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 […]

Events

CELEBRATION 2019 vol.4

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 […]

Events

CELEBRATION 2019 vol.3

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.

Events

CELEBRATION 2019 vol.2

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 […]

Events

CELEBRATION 2019 vol.1

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 […]

Build

whaaa?

Happy Accident

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 […]

Events

Wookiee Field Day

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 […]

Build

MUDTROOPER

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 […]

Build

Show me your Wookiee

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 […]

whaaa?

Infographic- 501st

it’s the time again to update the yearly inforgraphic about the 501st ( well it was 4 month ago when I actually did it)

Build

Weathering : Blue Squadron

working on completing the blue squadron costume. This time is all about weathering and distressing the jumpsuit.

Build

whaaa?

Training Day: 1 hour Challenge

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 !

Build

Red Devil Helmet

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”

whaaa?

Stan Lee Comic Universe Shanghai

Jules the Zombie Trooper roaming the floor of the first Stan Lee Comic Universe Convention Shanghai Scare count: 78 Screamer: 49

Events

On The Road: Sydney Comic Con

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 […]

Build

A-wing Part02

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 !

Build

Y-Wing 02

Got my hands on a new Y-wing helmet and decided to make an all-blue theme paint job . Turned out pretty nice.

Events

M-A-W Shanghai

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 […]

Build

The Trooping Dead- Season 02

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 […]

Build

The Trooping Dead- Season 01

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 […]

whaaa?

First Order …

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.

Events

Happy 50th Alex

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 !

Touche pas a mon pote !

whaaa?

Jedi Challenge troop…

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 […]

Build

REX…just older

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 […]

I’m published…kinda

I 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 […]

Events

Columbia …

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.

Screening

The Last Jedi in my opinion.

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 […]

whaaa?

IMAX in China should be ashamed !

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.

Events

Screening

TLJ China Premiere

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 […]

Build

Shadow Trooper

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 […]

whaaa?

Wookiee Business At SHCC2017

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.

Shanghai Comic Con 2017 – XenoFun

KiKi Ze Alienne on the show floor during SHCC 2017 making new friends.

Build

whaaa?

Xenomorph…because break time !

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 […]

Build

New satchel for my Wookiee

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 […]

Build

Some leatherworks fun

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.

whaaa?

Epic Madness – the return of the hair

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 […]

Ground Crew- R1

Rogue 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 […]

The Shore Helmet

Another 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

whaaa?

Tanker Helmet V2.0

Working on the new helmet shows a significant difference with the 3d printed version. It does need to be weathered though

whaaa?

Design Evolution Part 01

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 […]

whaaa?

Oh Glorious crap…

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 […]

whaaa?

Propel … OMG

yes 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 […]

Design

Sticky Business

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 […]

You don’t know the power of the Dark Side….

Actually I do , 10000mAh

Build

whaaa?

Lego Break … is it?!!

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.

Build

Tanker V2…

Build

Imperial Tanker V2

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.

more WTFake troopers in China and it’s getting annoying

Hey 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 […]

421 Limited

I 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

Screening

Rogue One Red Carpet Beijing

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 […]

Build

Hover Tank Trooper

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.

whaaa?

3D printing: Hover Tank Trooper

This one is a beauty and one of my favourite helmet ! And these are the results once printed, glued, sanded, and painted. !

Events

TheRedShirtTrooper @ Shanghai Comic Con

whaaa?

Redemption Team : first live meet-up

“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 […]

Build

whaaa?

Rebel Helmets

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 …

Screening

whaaa?

“Redemption” fan film…

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 […]

Design

T-shirts…

The nice thing about mixing passion with skills is that you can create things for you. IN my cases a lot of design for T-shirt ( or polo in my case) . Here is a retrospective of what I have done so far . ..

Making a Pilot Part.02

After 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 !

what is the 501st?

This is the question I get so often when I say “I’m a trooper in the Legion 501”. Of course being a member it is easy to forget that many people just do not know us, we are yet to be a name brand ( although we are on the right path). We are 10000 […]

whaaa?

X-wing helmet RAE

I was commissioned to do another two X-wing helmet; another “Red Five” Luke Skywalker and Raeh… the scavenged helmet Rey plays with on Jakku in The Force Awakens ( side note RAEH / REY ) Quite happy with the final result, although I think it probably needs to be put under the sun for a few […]

Build

Y-wing Rebel fighter Pilot helmet

I am an imperial at heart because their costumes really talk to the designer in me, the repetition, use of negative space, uniformity… all that is linked to who I am and what I do in life. That being said I must admit that building the Red five X-wing helmet talked to my inner artist; […]

Build

Stormtrooper costume …

Following the post on Bad Star Wars in China and how costume are very loosely put together for commercial events, I decided to show new troopers what could not possibly work and how details are important using a picture of yet another ( albeit already “better”) stormtrooper wrongly put together

whaaa?

What’s in a Jedi costume?

I’ve been asked that question many times and really it depends on the character. Some are more complex than others and if you talk about Luke Skywalker in ROTJ, well it really is different from Old Ben. That being said there are “standard” components that one can use a a strong reference to create what […]

whaaa?

Thanks Michelle

The downside of making so many costumes is that you get to a point where you need the make room for more. Actually in my case I simply like to press the reset button once in a while. Couple of months ago I decided it was time to let go of some of my costumes […]

Events

Beijing ComicCon: Chewbacca

Great two days, several sessions with the walking carpet. Unfortunately wearing Chewiee is not as easy as say a spiderman, batman, deadpool … it’s hot …damn hot inside , I literally sweat a small bucket wearing this! And of course the shoe lifts do not make it nearly as mobile as I would love it to be… […]

whaaa?

Star Wars in China … the ugly !

When fans around the world gathered in the 70’ies to celebrate Star Wars by making their own props and costume that was “beautiful” not because of the quality of craftsmanship ( in cases far from it) but because you could see a unification of people in something “greater”, there was emotion, there was a true […]