LadyInWhite

Woo, awesome! Keep 'em coming and I'll be picking a few to highlight in the NL. I am very inspired by those making multiple costumes and those wishing to lose weight (and here we can hold ourselves accountable!), and getting loved ones involved. Troop more, troop safe, troop hydrated, troop happy!!! I'll share my real goals (group 1): 1. My son's Little Anakin "padawan" (end of Ep 1) 2. Finish & get approved Navy Trooper + Navy NCO 3. My husband in an approved 501st costume & first troop 4. A Twisted Cinderella in time for Dragon*Con (Jeff Thomas works for me, I so luff him so much) 5. Lose 20lbs., remove my TK side shims and tighten stupid thighs even further, and learn to walk more like a guy 6. Finish son's Republic Trooper armor, paint And the hopefuls (group 2): 1. A Darth Malgus by Dec. 31, 2013, mostly entirely hand-made by me 2. Acquire & assemble movie Shock Trooper armor, paint 3. Full Sith Acolyte, paint mask, acquire armor, build robes 4. The Mandalorian Family (three semi-matching costumes) 5. Generic Jedi costume 6. Almost forgot: ME "Miranda" costume for Dragon*Con All this with no money LOL... hence the priorities - I already have what I need for group 1. AND WHEN WALT GETS DONE WITH HIS KIDS' CLONE TK: WOOHOOO!!! Bump that to group 1 # 2!!! Yes I have a HUGE PLATE but we can prioritize... I'm glad I wrote all this down because now I have my reference list.

The Mayan Apocalypse didn't seem to happen, at least not in any way we're aware of... So that means another NEW YEAR is on the way! I'm looking for a few good volunteers who are making some serious costuming resolutions for this year. If you volunteer, you will be "tracked" for follow-up throughout the year until you achieve success. Your resolution can be anything - from upgrading that yellow FX suit to a shiny new one and taking it to Centurion standards - or turning that old FX suit into a world-class Death Trooper or something truly funky like the Brony TK... - or building one of every approved type of TK - OR it could be non-TK related, but 501st-related, like hand-crafting the best Darth Malgus suit on the planet... (wait, that's my goal... pwahaha) - or making a whole new costume or three from scratch. It could be taking sewing lessons and challenging yourself to design a new costume and make it, or building a vacuum form machine and crafting new parts for E-11s and other costumes. OR, it could be building an AT-AT bunk bed (safely) for your kid or an Ewok tree house... OR genetically engeineering a live Rancor - or starting or raising money for a charity, or orchestrating a huge charity event of your dreams ... okay we are getting away from costuming but you get the idea. I'm looking for a few volunteers who already plan to take on a challenge, preferably something that truly is a challenge... the crazier the better, but of interest to the community here at FISD. Ideally it is something done in stages, that you can take a photo of now and then, so we can show your progress in Newsletters and what-not. Post here or PM me if interested. No idea is too crazy. My goal is to get my husband in an approved costume and to one troop by the end of the year. (GOOD LUCK TO ME!) I'm not sure how to photograph that but it's a good example, costume related, and a big challenge! With unquestioned but occasionally questionable loyalty, LadyInWhite

Well, Lou, I'm on Roosevelt Island... with no plans to go where it's FREAKING COLDER than it is here! I might visit Toronto in the Spring, when it's gloomy but warm.

The last time I fell on my TD, lots of people died. Good thing I had my armor on.

My Centurion boots are so lightly scuffed as to appear pristine to the untrained eye. Any "light" scuffing comes from normal wear. Otherwise, they match the pristine uber shiny ultra glowing white fresh off the factory floor OCD polished look I like to have.

I struggle with it! The problem is (it seems to me) that the shape we are trying to fit it to is not perfectly round... it's lumpy where the cheek tubes and mic bulges are... I had tried dabs of e6000 to no avail, AND it totally yellowed those spots.

I love how we seem to have lost all the Empire garrison members out the airlock. I think all the T'rananites have been the ones pushing the airlock buttons! That said, if my hubby wanted to take a train or car to Toronto I doubt he could hold me back. Meanwhile we are visiting his parents and enjoying the slush and cold. His dad is from Etobicoke and we are all Maple Leafs fans, so gawd only knows why we let ourselves be stuck here!

Fun project...

I'll be freezing my non-plastic butt off in NYC from Dec 16 - 31 if anyone would like to huddle in the subways or coffee shops with me.

I tested SW:TOR and loved it, saw it improve over time... enjoyed it mostly for the first few months, then realized it has ZERO capacity for social fun other than partying which is not truly social, and now raiding, which never appealed to me. I may or may not reactivate my account. Honestly I have 500 other things I'd rather be doing with my time. Previously I played Galaxies... dabbled in WoW but didn't really ever get into it. Let's see... crap I can barely remember anything I'm getting so old. I played beta for a lot of MMOs like that LOTR suck. Back in the day, when time mattered not and nobody had a job right out of college anyway... I played ImagiNation Network - Shadows of Yserbius and ... and Red Baron Flying Aces or wtf it was called. There were some other games, and a lot of MOOs and MUDS, but now I barely remember anything. Not the first time in the past three days that I've mentioned: My INN guild is STILL AROUND and vying for a Guinness record.

Wow, congrats - from squad to full garrison! That's awesome!

So I walked into a Sr VP's office today as he was apologizing for running late for our meeting. I said, "I have several thousands stormtroopers around the world waiting with bated breath for my every tweet, so no worries." He and his assistant laughed. Yep, no closet any more. In fact, with the acquisition of Star Wars by Disney, it is the biggest badge of honor one can wear around my office. My husband often has meetings in which someone brings up issues of nerd-dom, and I win even when I'm not there. For example, we saw a screening of The Hobbit a weeks early (yes I'm bragging, thank you) and some people were jealous and said "you can't take your wife! she won't appreciate it!" and my husband said, "you haven't met my wife, have you?" The guild I started in INN 20 years ago is still running in every MMO. Granted I'm not in it any more, but I'm wicked proud of it! (New OutRiders, in case you're wondering.) Matt and I will soon be besties, as we clearly have similar stories. I have never, ever been what I now refer to as "mainstream." My mother is very mainstream and never really "got" me - why wouldn't I wear dresses or play with Barbies like other girls? Why did I want a D&D knight costume instead of a witch or princess for Halloween? What is this spaceship crap I'm reading? But for a long, long time I tried to be mainstream. I tried to "grow up" and I tried to pretend to be "normal." It's okay, I got her to put my TK lid on one day and she is coming around. It's okay not to be mainstream now. Geek is cool. Nerd is cool. Sir Richard Branson is cool. My eclectic obscure Star Wars t-shirt collection is cool (and I wear a SW tee almost every day to work!). And this is my home, and you are all my peeps. All hail!

There are some attache's but we can always use more!

I'm not an expert when it comes to identifying armor, but that looks like one heap of crap to me.

Even if it's legit - it certainly is a better listing than the usual bullcaka - you can get a better price for newer, more accurate armor. You just have to have patience. It's quite probable it won't fit you and you'll end up having to take it apart and trim it to fit you better, so it's not like you save on effort either. However, definitely a good idea to find out the guy's 501st ID and do a member search to verify he's legit and not one of the bogus sellers. If you do buy it, just be sure to stay here on FISD and let us help you make it work! Having helped two FX second-hand suits in person recently, I can tell you it's more than you bargain for - and one of them is going EIB with his but has already jumped onto the ATA wait list for a new set because it'll be better.

I spy someone going for Centurion! :D

And the October 2012 Legion Trooper of the Month is... by Fleetfang on Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:22 pm Brian Anderson (CC-7602), of New England Garrison! Brian and his wife Jodi took on a secret project to help Frani Esquenazi, mother of "Princess Leah," so that she could finally become the Commander Fox she has been wanting to be for years now. Jodi donated her Cody armor and Brian did the work of re-purposing the suit. The 501st often takes care of others, but this was a case of two troopers stepping up to help one of our own. Well done, Andersons! Congratulations also go to our other October nominees: Ricky "Redboy" Torres (CX-3384) of Florida Garrison, for his enduring dedication to the 501st, helping new members, and fostering solid relationships with event hosts; and to James McEwan (TK-3483) of Terror Australis Garrison, for traveling 352 miles to attend four events in one day! Great job, troopers! http://www.501st.com/blog/?permalink=74003

I'm no expert but it looks good. I had to cut that notch out of my own holster... good to just put it in.

When I was young, my father introduced me to great shows on TV that we would watch as a family: BSG, Buck Rogers, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, Six Million Dollar Man, the whole nine yards. I'm sure I'm forgetting something in here. Guess who took me to see that weird new space adventure movie at the local theater... My parents divorced and I only lived with him in the summers after that. He handed over the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and many other classics. By the sixth grade I was the most well-read nerd in existence - well, at least among girls. Later in life I discovered Trek, Who, comics, etc. I never really liked Stargate or Babylon 5. I loved SF games like Wing Commander and Fallout. I didn't much get into Mass Effect but I like some of the characters. I have an obsession with science, physics, and biological weapons (that make zombies), the apocalypse and post-apocalypse societies, and all that jazz. About a decade ago, I stopped trying to hide my inner nerd. I came out of the nerd closet. Ironically, this surprised my dad. He, who created this monster! I don't actually like my father and have a lot of baggage, but the intro to SF/Fantasy is the one good, positive thing I have always felt; it may be our only bond.

Hi, Alex, welcome to FISD! First of all, it all depends on what you want to do with the armor. If you plan to join the 501st Legion, you definitely need to buy from an approved armorer. If you buy a kit off ebay or other unapproved sources, it takes far, far more work than you will want to put into it to make it approvable for the 501st Legion, even the ones that claim to be "501st Approved" etc. That is the #1 reason we discourage the ebay route. If you just want a costume to hang out with your friends, for parties or Halloween, or whatever, then you are free to do anything you like! Second of all, you CAN find a kit for around or just under 750 CAD from our armorers. Accessories, such as boots and neck seal, proper belt, strapping and snaps, holster, etc. will cost extra. I have told people on very tight budgets not to be above fundraising, bake sales, and so on The hardest part is the wait... demand is high and supply is low... this is a hobby of patience! Best thing to do is contact all the armorers to ask about their pricing and availability/wait times, and then make a decision from there. Third, for 501st Legion approval, you'll want the kit to be fit to you. Some of are armorers are easier to adapt to bigger or smaller body sizes. You will need to trim it, fit it to YOUR body, and so on. You can't really just buy a used suit or generic suit without having to put some work into it to make it fit you, since it would have been built to fit someone else. Another reason we discourage the ebay route, especially for people who believe themselves to have no time. Even the ebay suits and the ones you can buy commercially that don't look right have to be built once you get them. What you CAN do, if you are willing to wait longer than the normal wait times for anything in this hobby, you can pay more to have your suit built for you; usually you provide measurements and the person who builds it for you does their best to get it to fit you - but even then you may still need to do some tweaking. Lastly, and this will either totally discourage you or maybe, hopefully inspire you, building a suit isn't like a snap kit. It takes some people several months, an hour here or a half hour there, and others who have more free time and skill can do it in a week. From my observation of new people signing up every day, I would say the majority of us came in with no real crafting or hardware-like skills, and yet we all achieved our goals. I took 3 months and I was a full time employee (50+hrs a week) and also raising a kid in the off-hours, and a part time graduate student. I hope that gives you some perspective so that you can make all the right decisions for yourself! Meanwhile, feel free to ask questions and have some fun in the community. Cheers! PS What part of Canada are you in?

If an email isn't listed, use the private message system on this board.

I was trooping at a news event for a great cause this morning... when air-time was preempted by this horrible tragedy in Connecticut. I cried in my bucket and am still crying and sick to my stomach. My heart goes out to all the families and victims. As the mother of a young child, and a child at heart, I carry so much empathy and sympathy. We have brothers and sisters in that region whose lives will no doubt be touched directly or indirectly, and healing will be slow and challenging for entire communities. I expect there will be a lot of scrutiny and politicking about gun control, even if the real issue here is something else, like early detection in mental health and social services. I suspect this may affect laws and policies in the entire nation. This may affect how or when we carry our prop-weapons as well. I will not be surprised if people become hyper-conscious of weapons particularly in the vicinity of children. This is very important considering how many of the charities the 501st Legion supports that are dedicated to children's needs and welfare. As many garrisons already enforce, always remember to be conscious of how you carry, point, or use your weapons in public or private events. Never point a weapon at a child and don't be afraid to be vocal about not feeling comfortable doing it if a parent or even another costumer "insists." As children's heads are often level with our firearms, think about pointing upward or at the ground, or simply keeping it holstered. Instead of across your gut, try diagonally toward your shoulder. I really hope we do not have to worry too much about this issue, because we are all responsible adults. But just in case, be aware of the sensitivities of people around you, and the policies of your locality and the event itself. This is me speaking as a human being, not as staff or in any official capacity. It just seems common sense. May the Force be with us. Ingrid

Big WHO fan here...

the big one in front and 5 little tabs (maybe 4 if you're building armor for a smallish person, so it doesn't come down too far in front)

Hi, Chris! That guy does not look weathered but like he stood too long in the exhaust port of an imperial shuttle.