Hey All,
I just have to chime in here.
I did some business with Tom many years ago. He had some very nice props. I never saw any costumes or armor in his inventory, just props. He was hard to deal with usually and a little over-priced.
I have also done some business with Peter Lawless. Everything I have ordered arrived in a reasonable amount of time (less than 2 months). Considering that his products are custom made and shipped half way around the world, that isn't bad. I do have a problem with some of his products. His gloves tend to be pretty bad.
Now as to Thomas being Peter. I say it isn't really possible. Look at the pictures. The picture of Tom was taken in 1995-1996. Peter's passport was issued in 1997. Tom is NOT Australian. He didn't flee the country until 2000.
According to the Australian Citizenship website:
"2 - Have you been present in Australia as a permanent resident for two years in the previous five years, including for twelve months in the past two years?"
So, there is no way for him to get Australian citizenship in less than a year let alone 3 years before he left. Also, unless he had major plastic surgery (he would deserve a refund if he had), I don't see how his features could change that much in 1 (or at most 2) years.
"3 - Are you of good character?"
I do believe that a background check on the Australian Government's part would have turned up the charges against him.
Now I suppose it is possible that Peter and Tom work together. But, I can't believe that after seeing all of the information on the web that anyone would continue to associate with that kind of person.
Until someone proves without a doubt that Peter and Thomas are the same person, or even work together, I feel that it is safe to order from PropPalace. I know that a lot of people will disagree, but that is my opinion and I still say "prove it". There are a lot of accusations, without any concrete proof, that could be construed as defamation of character.
DarkTrooper