Thanks for your input guys.
 
Cheers

How did you go with it Arty, Have got it running yet?

Not yet, but its getting there!!  Will update my thread when it comes alive!
 
Cheers

Although I have never tried it myself, I've heard some people even fill the filter with oil before fitting it after an oil change, or with a new motor. 
 
You would have to take your time filling it thru the middle hole until the whole filter was full the other side of the filter element, but because on sdubs the filter is mounted upside down, some would run out before you could get it on.
But if you don't mind a bit of a mess maybe it would cut the time for the pressure to come online.

^sounds way too pedantic for my liking :P

I actually used to fill the oil filter on my old subarus when changing the oil, it was vertically mounted upside down so no mess at all with changing the filter or filling it (why aren't all engines designed like this??).  I didn't fill the oil through the middle hole, just filed it up all over until it was full, took less than a minute so no big drama.
 
I wouldn't do the filter fill trick on a gen 2, it was bad enough spilling the oil from the filter removing it, what a poor design.  The gen3 filter is upside down but on a slight slant, much improved design.
 
Cheers