Hey Outrider, nice work man and welcome aboard to JediDefender.com...  it's nice to see you post over here.

I like your Rise of the Empire series...  While I don't necesarilly agree with the "style" being true to my impressions of the films, I think they're still outstanding customs.  Good parts mixing, great painting, excellent accessory improvising...  You really excel at a variety of aspects of customizing, not just one or two...  That's some serious talent going.  Even the ability to hollow out hats/helmets and things seems to be a skill you've mastered.

One of the ones I find most interesting is the Detention Officer you made using Capt. Antilles' head.  That is a great paintjob, very realistic, and it completely obscured the head for me...  I had absolutely no clue and thought it was a GI Joe head actually.

What's your method for making web gear and Y-harnesses and such for your troops?  What's the material?  Is it removable on all of them like the belt/holster on a few figures, or are some of them glued down?  I like that a lot and it's something I always consider improvising into my figures...  It's very "in-scale" and realistic too, not bulky or oversized, so you really have a unique look with those accessories there.

The painting to de-age characters like Ozzel is really nicely done.  Simple, but effective...  Also the camo's are really detailed.  I see modern camo patterns mixed in with WW2 German Pea-dot and things...  I see a sort of base in military history on your customs.  Is that what you go for?  Like Ozzel's mustard pants, black top, and of course the striking armband...  Definitely Nazi undertones in that uniform's paint design.

Very nice work man...  Looks really cool, and I'm glad you're here at JD.  Feel free to branch out into the rest of the forums and look around man, join in.

Hemble, you're a good guy man I hope you're safe and well during your time serving.  Hopefully you'll not be sent anywhere dangerous for your own safety and that of your family.  Take care though, wherever you wind up man.

Great update to your work Dave...  I'm liking the "ultimates" of Anakin and Vader...

If you wanted, a 2nd "Sith Eyes" head for Anakin wouldn't be a bad idea for Jedi butt whippings.  Maybe a thought if you have an extra one?  I dunno.  These were hard sets to find for me.  The only one I ever saw at retail was overpriced at Suncoast till they went under and I got it on clearance...

I like the fabric robed body myself, my complaint with it though is that, between the two bodies, the ROTS Anakin's is bulkier and more Vader-ish looking while the AOTC one is a bit thinner build.

That said, I like them both, and the poseability of the AOTC body with the fabric is great to me, but that's just my opinion...  I like the poseability it gives you, not that the ROTS one is limited really.

The parts swapping on these is pretty seamless Dave, so I think you did a good job overall for what it is.  Robe isn't a bad idea...  Maybe a little work to make the hood lay down JUST right if you go that route...  Otherwise, not much suggestion from my end.  Nice work man, and good to see you still in the game.

I noticed Luke is gone at all my stores locally too...  Even before the Scout, Luke seems to go.  My theory is it's people thinking that the form makes him worth more...  Holding him for scalper ransom basically.

The Scout I've seen one time.  There's locals picking him out routinely, which is to be expected, but I think it's maybe becoming overkill for some people's tastes.

I have seen the other 3 in the wave once, but then again Target is the only store stocking them routinely and with dedicated space for the VTSC, so the others could be getting them in sporatically or not at all.  Hell my WM just put figures out this week for the first time since about mid-April or so...  They'd be back to bare pegs for a few weeks at least.

2 figures everyone has...  And I think the pod isn't a big attractor for kids.  $20 for a set of Clones is just rough to stomach for a lot of people, especially when that figure saw basic retail more or less.

I'm glad though.  It affords me the chance to pick up 2 or 3 extras, and since collectors do want hte pods I've found I can trade them for like 2 figures I want...  It's nice.

At least someone told him he's an ass without getting banned for it...  He doesn't seem to take well to it when it's meant with a serious tone after he just belittled someone's POV or criticism.

Not that I know Dustin of course...  But the way he administrates the forums at RS is comical at best.  Not so much even in the responses but the inaction in general, or the overreaction at times.  I'm not even talking about mass bannings without the slightest hint of what the facts are and things.  There are so many problems it's impossible to even know where to start the criticism...  Hey, whatever it takes to make you feel special in the hobby though, far be it from me to deny that...

And like he said, remember to have fun!    Because anyone who goes there has been reminded daily of how FUN this **** is...  How FUN that fan club presidency is...  FUN *******, FUN!   

The BARC Troopers on Kashyyyk were probably my favorites...  The Scout's armor has always been a design I liked, and seeing it used on some kind of specialist group in camo is kind of neat.

I thought the Clone designs in ROTS were nice though...  A different time and all that.  Clones being given individuality by their Jedi leaders...  It tied in with the notion of "emotional attachment is forbidden" among Jedi really well I feel, and it's one of those little things that just got glossed over.  The Jedi grew a bond with their Clones, as we see with Obi and Cody, only to have that trust and closeness be betrayed wwithout them having the foresight to see it coming.

It's really no different than Obi-Wan being blind to Anakin's thoughts and emotions...  His "love" for Anakin never lets him see what Anakin is truly able to do.

So the different colors, to me, really represent that different time of individuality among even those who have none. 

Come time of the classic trilogy I'm of the breed that feel they're no longer Clones...  Individuality is now supressed by the uniform, though it's there underneath.  The irony of that really sits well with me.  That Clones strove for individuality, and expressed it with names and unique looks, but yet in the Empire's army the military is only individual under the armor...  On the outside they now appear the mindless drones their Clone predecessors supposedly were.  That's deep to me.