It's my great pleasure to welcome my friend Keith Armour to tMark Custom!station.  

 

Keith and I met on Edinburgh Radio Station, CastleFM's Film Club for a Star Wars Special hosted by Conway and co-hosted with Falgun Thaker.  We were discussing all things Star Wars, from trailers through figure collecting, literature and costume building.  A great experience and we all had a good time.  

 

Conway has completed the necessary technical and licencing requirements for transmitting podcasts, so hopefully we'll be online with that in the near future and I'll keep you posted.

 

Keith is a high ranking member of the Rebel Legion UK and one of the UK's foremost movie authentic Star Wars costume builders.  

 

Star Wars has gone into orbit with exciting news of several movies, comics, books and amplified during the recent Comic-Con, Keith has been extremely busy, however he was happy to spare some precious, well earned down time for an interview.

 

I hope you enjoy Keith's interview, so, let's begin,

 

 

Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far, far away.......

 

 

Hi Keith, thanks for joining me on tMark Custom!station.  It’s been a while since we shared the studio for Film Club's Star Wars Special at CastleFM, 98.8FM.  How are you, and what have you been up to? 

 

Well, I have been pretty busy, I have attended a few Star Wars related events and various conventions over the UK and two in particular that are my favourite event's I attend yearly.

 

Firstly is Star Wars weekend at Legoland Windsor, which always has massive crowds each year and wearing my Wookiee there for the first time, I was kept busy along with Chewie for photographs.

 

Secondly, was Star Wars Fan Fun day in Burnley, this event is always busy and it hosts a good range of Star Wars guest signers. This year they had Dave Prowse, Andy Secombe, Dickey Beer and Kamay Lau to name a few. It is a very long and tiring weekend as I travel from Edinburgh on the Friday down to Windsor for Legoland then head to Burnley on the Sunday night to then travel back to Edinburgh on the Monday night.  Not bad when your doing it for non-profit.

 

Oh, and I am also organising my own Sci-fi convention too which is another non-profit event for myself, as I will be donating the proceeds to CHAS.  It is being held on the 27th and 28th of February 2016 at Meadowbank Sports Centre. I have Movie Guests attending, Movie Cars, Comic Artists/Writers, Trade Tables, Panel Talks and a meal with the Stars on the Saturday night and much much more.

 

You can follow us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and follow announcements and news on our Website www.capitalscificon.co.uk

 

Your Rebel Legion UK membership name is Arkme Jaedi, what does this name mean?

 

It is my username and to go in to the background of it..... well it's not really that exciting!  I used a name translator on the net, added my full name and hey presto!

 

Light or Dark side?

 

Duh?????  I'm with the Rebel Legion..... Lightside all the way baby!

 

You are a member of the Rebel Legion UK.  What is the Rebel Legion UK and what events have they been involved with lately?

 

The Rebel Legion is a worldwide non-profit Star Wars costuming group with various bases dotted all over the globe.

 

In the UK our base is called Elstree Base and any fan will know where that name comes from, that is where most of Star Wars was filmed at Elstree Studios.

 

We attend local events right up to Lucasfilm events, so one week we could be collecting for a charity like Marie Curie, Make a Wish, Smile for Life or attending a School Fete and the next week we could be at a Movie Premiere or a Star Wars Celebration.

 

Do the Rebel Legion UK have any further events planned for this year?

 

Yes, we have a lot of events organised, we are attending all the Collectormania events UK wide, Preston Comic-Con, Woodhorn Comic-Con, Marie Curie events, CHAS events, various summer fettes, Carnivals, Book signings and oh a little film release at the end of the year but the name escapes me?

 

Do the Rebel Legion UK have any links to the 501st?

 

Yes, the 501st Is our Sister Group and we work together sharing each others events.  Rebel Legion are "Good Guy's Doing Good" and 501st are "Bad Guy's Doing Good".  In the UK especially, we work very well together in the costuming community, infact we are planning together our hall space for Celebration Europe next year.

 

How did you feel about our Radio Studio quiz, it was tough with extra pressure of your Rebel Legion UK friends tuned in?

 

OMG!!!!  I was bad and I knew I would be. I attended the Annual Rebel party just after that and took some stick.  All in good fun though.

 

At the time of our Radio Session you were working on your Wookie costume.  Youv’e since completed the Wookie, Arridry the Elder and he looks amazing.  What was it like working on this project?

 

You have to have a lot of time and patience, It took me over 1600 hours to build my Wookiee as you have to make a mesh body suit and then use hair extensions and latch 10-15 hairs at a time in to it ,which is very time consuming.

 

In costume I stand at approx 7ft 9inches and that is with the help of custom made stilts which also took a bit of getting used to walking in them.  The head is made from a fibreglass underskull which has a moveable mouth and it fits to my head using a skateboard helmet, I know, not very Star Wars but you use what you can!

 

I also made a full padded body suit to bulk it up and created a sound system to bring loud roars and snarls to life through an amplifier mounted in the chest.

 

What’s Arridry’s backstory?

 

I haven't really focused on a backstory for Arridry, It may be something I work on in the future.

 

Arridry, to me, looks movie quality, any Wookie extras work in the pipeline?

 

Alas, he is movie accurate as all Costumes with the Rebel Legion need to be, but no I've no walk on parts, although a friend of mine I know through costuming, Lee Towersey has been in the new The Force Awakens Film as Lucasfilm/Disney have used his R2-D2 and he's been working building droids.

 

Has your friend Peter Mayhew seen Arridry?

 

Yes, Peter and his wife Angie have seen Arridry on the Internet and I got the Wookiee seal of approval, I will however, be wearing my Wookiee at Celebration Europe in London next year and I will be going over for a photo with them.

 

Arridry the Elder has the classic Wookie anatomy, as such you employ special walking stilts, how do you find this mobility?

 

Mobility is actually alright now, I have been out in costume, at first it was tricky getting used to walking in the stilts, especially the height and with the size of the feet you need to be careful of tripping as it's a long way down.

 

If kids come too close and I don't see them coming in for a hug they tend to get a Wookiee kick!

 

How uncomfortable is wearing Arridry at busy events?

 

It's not really uncomfortable but the heat is immense, the full kit weighs 168 pounds and most Wookiees can only stay out for 30 mins at a time before they are ready to pass out!  I managed about 2.5 hours but I was taking in special ions fluids every 10 minutes.

 

Sometimes people complain when you need to leave an event floor for a break but I'd love to see some of them give it a go!

 

I know one aspect of your Wookie creation was transportation to events.  How do you pack a Wookie? Or do you have an Arridry passport?

 

My Wookie is packed into a massive Stanley Tool case on wheels which protects everything but can be problematic when trying to transport in a car.

 

Last I read, you were learning Wookeese, well, looking for a voice box.  Have you managed to incorporate one into Arridry and how do you operate it?

 

I have a voicebox which I created, there is a chip board encased in the back which has 10 noises uploaded in to it and from there I have cables which run down the arm and buttons in the fingers, so when I press them a sound is projected from an amplifier in the chest.

 

The placement of the Amp is crucial because when I move the Jaw it actually sounds like it's coming from Arridry's mouth.

 

What was your most challenging costume build?

 

 The Wookie by far has been my most challenging build, just because of what goes in to the making and the timescale of it.

 

You’ve also built many other Star Wars costumes, living up to your clan name, most notably Commander Cody and Commander Gree.  With Arridry’s addition to your CV, do you have a favourite?

 

I actually have my two Clone's but have built three, I have my Wookiee, a Rebel Fleet Trooper, X-wing pilot and Jedi.

 

My favourite is Arridry hands down as he is a Rockstar at events, I even got golf carted everywhere at a certain event and had my lunches and drinks brought to me!

 

Are you planning any further costume projects?

 

No....If I build anything else I will be Divorced! But as it's just us, I'm going to build my 9 month old baby an Ewok....Shhhhhhh!

 

What costumes have you helped people build?

 

Being with the Rebel Legion UK for 5 years now, I have helped build many costumes, one of the roles I hold is Legion Costume Judge, where I look at Clone Costumes and decide whether they are screen accurate or not by looking at references from the movies.  When things need to be changed I inform the member and advise them on how to do the changes, so In theory I have helped build costumes all over the world.

 

Do you have any tips for anyone thinking of starting costume building?

 

Research, Join a costuming group as there are a lot of dodgy people out there who will sell you tatt for big bucks.

 

I actually help guide people through builds at the Rebel Legion and while I type this I have someone asking me how to build a Wookiee and where to get a skull kit from.

 

You are a fan of the 1/6 figures and the Black series, what’s your recent and next addition to your collection?

 

My latest purchase was the 6-inch Series Biker Scout with Speeder Bike in the large display box.

 

The next figure on my to get list is Bossk from the same Series and also I plan on getting the Han and Taun Taun, oh and also the Luke and Wampa but trying to find them in the UK is a nightmare.

 

Which is your favourite figure in your collection?

 

I can't answer to be honest as I really don't know what I have as my figures are all kept in boxes upon boxes in the attic space.

 

I have a soft spot for Ewoks so maybe my original Return of the Jedi Logray?

 

Jar Jar Binks reputation within the Star Wars fanbase is infamous for the wrong reasons, however you break with this trend, you are not a fan of Ki-Adi-Mundi.  What is it about the Cerean Jedi Master that elevates him to your least favourite?

 

He is dire!  Did you see his death in the film? Jedi Master???? Your joking right?  Feable with a Saber, no screen time and at least Jar Jar was in more battle scenes and survived!!!!

 

Who is your favourite character in Star Wars?

 

I love Boba Fett but I also Love Commander Cody, So can I have a joint first?

 

What do you think of Disney’s Star Wars stewardship so far?

 

I think Disney have handled themselves pretty well so far and they have got a great team.

 

They have the money to do everything that fan's want and more. Exciting times are ahead!

 

Marvels Star Wars comic has introduced a former Wife of Han Solo, do you think this is good or bad for his character?

 

I think it's a bad move as we all know Han to be a bit of a scoundrel and it sort of softens him up a bit!

 

But again what has Disney got in store for us with this turn in Han's story?

 

Do you have any thoughts about Kylo Ren’s crossguarded light saber?

 

Yeah I like it, I mean how many people have lost hands with lightsabers so far? seems like Kylo has his head screwed on, or will he be another to lose his head too?

 

Any of The Force Awakens characters excite you?

 

All of them, I can't wait to find out their stories and why they are there in the film.

 

What did you think of Teaser Trailer #2?

 

Just the same as Trailer #1, I loved seeing new and iconic characters and ships but still not giving too much away which I'm liking as I don't want to know too much before sitting down in front of the big silver screen with my hotdog and drink!

 

Any plans for December 18th?

 

Yes, I will be sharing it with my Rebel buddies at Fountain Park in Edinburgh where we will be in costume and then going in together to watch the film. See you there?  Yes Please!

 

Keith, thank's for featuring on tMark Custom!station.  You've a busy summer, I hope you enjoy your events and raise lots of funds for charity.   Yourself and the Rebel Legion UK, through a shared love of Star Wars, have worked selfisly, bringing happiness and raising funds to enrich others lives.  You should all be very proud of your achievements and yourselves.

 

Hopefully we'll catch up again soon, perhaps some podcasts and possibly the most exciting thing this December, not Christmas.