DarthValkyria

Mask looks good! Only thing I can recommend is smoothing out the surfaces a bit more as paint tends to bring out every single dent and divet in sculptures (the bane of my existence with my updates).

Excited!

The hardest part of our CRLs is that many of them only have a few people who don't respond or don't want to help update CRLs. Some of them we have partial CRL, "filling" for that is sitting in a drive awaiting the final pieces. All CRL items are handled detachment-side, and we have a forum here for the process with directions on how to propose updates. https://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/forums/index.php?/forum/195-crl-proposals-and-updates/

Welcome to everyone here looking to start costumes! I just wanted to point out that with the new video game, there is a specific section for unapproved video game Work In Progresses (WIPs) here! https://www.theflagshipeclipse.com/forums/index.php?/forum/234-miscellaneous-video-game-characters/ This is where you will want to start posting your build updates (especially for you Second Sisters!).

Sometimes I feel like us Legends characters are like SW Barbies with all the combinations that seem to be out there for accessories.

Wow! These look great! Serious kudos on your lekku headpiece transition blend. Nothing is sticking out to me as off, though I 100% understand having to remake some parts for weight issues. Great job!

Yes indeedy! We are training a new person for the run, and she is currently getting quotes from companies for the softer shirts (not like the ones from the previous runs).

I recommend putting velcro in the bracer and on the cuff of the shirt. I pull the shirt sleeve up to just under where it normally sits, then put the bracer over, press down on the velcro, and the sleeve stays in place.

Given the 3D nature of the arm, I don't think it would effectively convey the correct look.

No. The 501st only accepts Darth Revan, not Revan. As Darth Revan, he always had the mask on.

Only the Shadow of Revan variant that is seen in the expansion would be eligible for 501st approval as the others do not meet the correct requirements of the 501st Legion.

Honestly, with the 360 here and the shots from KOTOR, I would support it so long as they coincide and do not contradict one another.

The KOTOR II hilt is incredibly simple. The game files aren't very detailed for it, but it is not the same as COTF hilt.

That photo is also of KOTOR II Nihilus, and therefore, wouldn't apply.

Welcome!

Comm-Tower Spotlights: September 2019 We’re pleased to introduce you to The Flagship Eclipse member DS-25079; otherwise known as Squid! Squid is from Redback Garrison, and is our TFE Member in the spotlight for this month’s Newsletter! She took some time to have a chat with Paul / Strength, our TFE Design Officer. Strength: When did you join the Legion and what costume was your first? Squid: Howdy Paul! I joined back in 2014 as just a Wrangler (or support crew) and took forever to figure out what I wanted to do when it was mentioned that I would make a fantastic Mara Jade! I was approved on 2016 with her! Strength: Nice! Handler, or wranglers as we all know the feeling, are REALLY important. So after you looked into Mara Jade what was it about the character that inspire you become her? Squid: To be completely honest, I had no idea who she was! I had only watched the movies and knew little of the novels until that point. I looked in to who she was, and what she did and I knew I had to become her. I loved that fact that she kicked arse and took names! She gets an arsenal of weapons which I found to be awesome, she has a really incredible work ethic (even if it is just Palps). I also like that she shows that you can change your feelings, her hatred to Luke turned to love overtime when working together. Strength: She IS a bad ass. Have you had the pleasure of meeting Timothy Zahn, her creator? Squid: I met him last year, and he was the nicest person! He seeked me out at our stand to get a photo with me, which made me so thrilled! Strength: And since you ARE Mara Jade now, what's your dream costume? What other character(s) would you want to be? Squid: I've got a male Tusken and the solo transport security officer (first in Australia with that!) that I rotate through depending on the event. If money wasn't an option, it would have to be Ashoka! If my big big hair wasn't an issue, Assaji Ventress and if my 5'4 height wasn't the problem, VADER!!!!! Strength: You bring up an interesting point on costumes, Bader is tall and your hair with Ventress. What are a few characters you think you cannot do? Then what are sone you think you could pull off that others couldn't. Squid: I'm a firm believing in making it look like the movies. For me, I wouldn't be able to pull off Vader, a Storm trooper or any of the larger characters because it wouldn't look right. I get my hair up into my wig currently but it takes a lot of coaxing. Anything involving a full bald cap (Ventress, maul, Savage) would be ruled out. However, I'd make a great Jawa due to my build, along with an ewok, Leia, or Rey. Smaller more athletic characters. Strength: Hahahaahhaa, we actually have a 6+ ft. Jawa in Star Garrison. I believe Yoda said, "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not." Many of us in the legion joined to help give back to our communities. What's one memorable moment that you have with your Mara Jade? Squid: I find the taller the Jawa, the more huggable. But the smaller ones seem to be more mischievous and sneaky which always makes for a good laugh. My favourite moments are at events where kids are too scared to come near us, until they see me. Even though I'm a 'bad guy' they can see my face and realise I'm just a kid in dress up. They'll shyly make their way over, hold my hand and get a picture, not knowing the other scary ones are in the background too. Although my favourite moment hands down was at our star Wars weekend two years ago, during the parade when this big burly dude yelled out "holy shit, that's Mara Jade" and then turns to his teenage daughter to tell her that that's where she got her namesake was amazing! He came to see me after gushing about the moment Strength: THAT'S an amazing moment. One of my co-workers actually named his daughter Mara Jade as well. There aren't very many characters in the Star Wars universe that children are named after. Anything you would like to add about Flagship Eclipse or Mara Jade? Squid: That's amazing! It's such a cute name I love being a part of my Garrison, the multiple detachments and the legion. I've made friends worldwide that I wouldn't have beforehand. My Garrison is incredibly supportive and inclusive with everyone (I wear hearing aids, and it's not been a problem with any of my costumes or troops) I love the sense of belonging. Becoming Mara Jade on weekends shows that it doesn't matter what job you have, or your personality, you can be this incredible fiesty girl!! Stand strong Strength: An amazing message from an amazing individual. Thank you so much for your time on this interview, Squid. And May the force be with you! Squid: And you to! Thank you!!!

Welcome to the joyful and wonderful world of deciphering video game files that were old and used to create CRLs before the time of CRL standards! It's a constant battle to try and get old CRLs up to snuff these days because unlike today, the CRLs were made in a time when you didn't need 360° detail references, or even similar references! Take CotF Nihilus. Homeboy uses 2 references that don't even agree with one another, which makes writing said CRL a pain in the ass. Now, with KOTOR II Nihilus, I would say either version is acceptable for the mask because both of the masks fall under the title of KOTOR II. That, and I had to search far and wide just to find a Nihilus who wasn't using a CotF mask instead of the one that should have been used. This honestly all comes down to the fact that MWA was selling the wrong mask with the wrong costume to make things easier, when it just made things hell for us on a costume level. With the face part, it would be possible to do a CRL version update where it calls specifically for mask A and face A and then mask B with face B as the two separate versions. BUT this would require that we have photos of mask A face A and mask B face B to do. Not impossible, just a pain in the ass to find. Honestly, if you're planning on doing the in game proportions, it would be a possibility. Now with that, I've been trying to get the CRL finished for 3 years, but either people didn't have the correct costume version, or they didn't send the photos. So, if you do plan on seeing it through to get the in game proportions version approved, we can totally revisit this for options regarding CRL updates.

We all lurked at one point! I just want to help others understand how the process works so it is clearer and better understood from the getgo.

Here's the thing: these are animated characters. There isn't just one right answer because these are like art; the reference can support a handful of interpretations. The armor color is mottled, and is not just one color. I'll give an example of my favorite boots. These are black underneath, and the wax polish on top marked them look anything from grey to dark brown, but I know for a fact that the leather is black because I'm the one who put the polish on. It is the weathering that dictates how people interpret it, but these are what they looked like when I bought them: This is a real world translation of what the armor looks like in the cartoon. Now to the CRL. It is an animated cartoon, and just like 99% of the rest of our CRLs in TFE, the colors change as much as the number of times the character is seen. There is an accepted level of colors on a gradient that could be argued for the character's armor, but that does not make the CRL wrong. We only make CRLs for, "variants" that are approved, otherwise we'd have a 48 page long CRL for Aphra, alone, with all the Barbie dress up versions she has in the comics. So the correct statement isn't, "how can we make it not inaccurate?", but, "do I have the references to validate my interpretation for approval, which can then be ADDED to the existing CRL that already has done so?". The answer to that lies with the Detachment Leader, LMO, and your GML on how well you replicate the references to the real world.

The tabard looks good, I was just worried about the texture more than anything. That fabric will get dirty quick, just a heads up, both shouldn't affect the actual piece. The mask is looking great! With regards to the chest armor, if you are wanting to but armor, I don't know of any other accurate armor outside of 3D printed that someone had in their thread (VK3Design, or something like that) that will fit female forms with big chests well. I've tried on other's armor and they are flat and bulge out against boobs. For fit, it depends on how you adjust the straps. Mine sat right at my gigantic hips when I was using his stuff.

SLD stopped offering merch to TFE members, so it was reciprocated.

Comm-Tower Spotlights: August 2019 We’re pleased to introduce you to The Flagship Eclipse member DZ-31201; otherwise known as Strength! Strength is from Star Garrison (North Texas Squad), and is our TFE Member in the spotlight for this month’s Newsletter! He took some time to have a chat with Nina / DarthValkyria, our TFE DL. DV: Thanks for your time, Paul! I know you're busy being a teacher with the start of the school year again. So, when did you join the Legion and what was your first costume? Strength: I was approved in July of 2016. my first costume was a TK, I finished it in a month. Netflix and trim, all the time. DV: Sounds like an efficient use of time! When did you decide to make your A'Sharad and why? Strength: I've always found it really interesting that there are far more Jedi in the Star Wars Universe than most of the general public and fan base know of. So when I found out there was a Tusken Jedi, it actually intrigued as to how they looked and how that worked. After finding out his whole story about his father, Order 66, his fight with Obi-Wan, I was truly blown away by this individual., and it was solidified when I found out that later he killed a bunch of Sith as Darth Krayt. I really found his story interesting with its ups and downs and different turns. He's a pretty dynamic and in-depth character when you really see where he came from, the paths and choices he took, and where he ended up. Also, I can just wear his helmet and not have to shave my beard. I hate having to shave my beard. DV: The least amount of actual physical alterations the better! Is he your dream costume, or is there another that has your attention? Strength: Hhhhhmmmmmm, while I'm currently building my C2-B5 droid... for a character on the Imperial, or bad person, side I think it would be Darth Krayt. What has that costume, I think it's super interesting the transition from a Jedi to a Bounty Hunter to a Sith Lord, but it would be really interesting to have A'Sharad and then Krayt in my costume closet. For Rebel characters I would definitely love to do Mythos Obi-Wan Kenobi. I wouldn't have to shave my beard for it either! DV: It would be interesting to have both given their history! Strength: Heck yeah! DV: So as TFE's Graphics Officer, what have been the hardest and most rewarding moments to date? Strength: That’s an interesting question to ask, I never think about these things. I want to say the hardest moments are when your OCD kicks in and drives us all insane. HAHAHhahahahahaa, but that's not really an issue. You and I get along GREAT and work really well together. The hardest moments are mostly time related. You and I game-plan the merch that we want to put out. We have SO MANY great ideas, but we are also merch junkies and know not to overwhelm the members. I WISH we had the time to make all the merch we have come up with. Also, I’m a teacher. My school kids come first, and you have been amazingly fantastic at understanding that. We usually spend the summer months knocking out merch…and ideas like Darth Nihil-hiss. I still remember the conversation of adding a bell to his collar so the other force users will hear him coming. As for rewarding, that’s weird to me. I’m proud of what I make, I’ll never put something out I’m not proud of, or wouldn’t want my name on. It is always great when you and the TFE staff dig my designs, but I enjoy seeing the members get excited about something we put together for them. DV: Yeah, my OCD can definitely be a pain in the ass, and I appreciate how well you've worked with me on it! Also we definitely have fun on projects! Darth Nihil-Hiss is also probably one of my favorite moments given my love of puns, Sith Lords, and cats. So, what has been your favorite design(s) you've done? Strength: That would normally be a hard question to answer, but I DO have one…or two. It’s a tie. The 2nd racing shirt was the first one that I couldn’t believe became a reality. I was so stoked to make other detachments jealous, and it worked. The images of Korriban we used were just so beautiful I had to have them showcased on the shirt. The 13th anniversary is my other. It was a team build with you but all I could see was the lightsabers making the roman numeral 13. It ended up being FAR better than I imagined. DV: I'm glad that idea was able to come to fruition on both the shirt and patch! The publishing company was nice enough to let us use the images for the shirt. So, do you have any advice for other members? Strength: Hhmmmm, always follow your dr...no. Always look on the bright side of lif....nnaaahhhh. Be cool, wrap your to, no no no. In all honesty, I live by the quote from my favorite book series; "Don't panic." Having trouble finding a piece of a costume? Don't Panic. Run into a snag, literally or figuratively, with your build? Don’t Panic. Someone ate the last taco without checking to see if you wanted it? Don’t punch them, but don’t panic either. Keep a calm head and the solutions will be easier to see. DV: Hahaha! I can't guarantee the taco part, but a great motto to live by. Lastly, anything you'd like to add about TFE or A'Sharad? Strength: I'm elated at the liveliness and activity since joining the Detachment. I'm talking to more TFE members about the Detachment, costumes, etc. With Regards to A'Sharad, HE'D BETTER BE IN THE F****** OBI-WAN SERIES! BECOME CANON! DV: Rofl, I guess we will see! Thanks again for doing this interview! Strength: Sure thing!

This file here pretty much matches exactly to the tee of the game design's mask. I would highly recommend going with this one. It isn't so much the metallic as the lightness of the metallic. The mask is a gunmetal grey meaning there is a metallic aspect of it, but the silver is too light. It is a combination of at least two reds for the contrast of what I will call the nose stripe and the cheek patches. One is a darker red that you see for the nose stripe, and lighter red for the cheek patches and such. The model you currently printed looks more akin to the Jedi comics featuring Revan's beginning roots vs Darth Revan in the KOTOR I/II games. Storywise, yes, they are technically the same person, but we have to match reference to reference and keep them congruent. So, 501st can only accept Dark Side Revan versions. Currently, KOTOR model is the only Dark Side model that has been submitted and approved. SWTOR: Shadow of Revan model (the shredded robes version with gashed armor), the Revan statue, or the Revan Black Series 6" are also candidates for New to the Legion costumes/versions of Revan, but nobody has submitted them. So, it is far less a case of, "not possible, don't think about it" as it is, "with the versions that COULD be submitted as New to the Legion costumes, nobody has, so KOTOR Revan is all we have to go off of for what can and can't be approved". That means all Revan details SHOULD match the KOTOR model from the game, and that's it. Other versions can't translate into it, even if they are the same character, and are not interchangeable. P.s. I really hope people eventually submit the other candidates as it would be neat to have more than one Revan version approvable, but even then, parts would still not be able to be interchanged (though the thought of a Barbie outfit-type Revan makes me laugh).

No problem! Overall, that file set really does look good as a base. Glad to see more people offering more true to reference options outside of the normal vendors and in contrast to the blatantly inaccurate ones!

The color scheme and internal construction does not match the KOTOR style that is approved with the 501st. The silver does not exist on the model, and the two side nose sections, along with the undereye, "V" section are missing. The center red strip that goes up from the bottom of the mask to the V is also missing.