TK Blues

[zsavk[TK]]

Ive always been a star wars nut since the day I saw Episode 4. Ive watched the movies more times than I can remember and I make a point of watching them all in a row at least once a year. I love them more every time I do. Ive also always wanted to be a Storm Trooper. Always wanted the white armor.

 

I have friends who like Star Wars but not on the level that I do. Im blessed with a loving wife that thankfully might even love SW more than me!

 

The problem Im facing now and one that has really started to become more apparent is that besides my wife and couple very close friends I do not have anyone else to share my Storm trooper hobby with in my home town. I come from a small city where guys hunt, fish, golf, play hockey and watch sports on TV. Anything else isnt acceptable here. When I go to the hardware store and ask for styrene sheets or sandpaper or glue or any of the many many tools and materials needed to work on TK armor the first thing the person working the eisles askes is "What are you using this for?" How do you answer? I pretty much tell the truth. "Im building stormtrooper armor." It is amazing how many deer in the headlight looks you get after that.... I was shocked and dismayed to discover how many poor souls dont even know what a stormtrooper is! So after getting that blank look a few times I started replying with "Have you ever seen Starwars?" And if they say yes I would go into more detail. If they said no I wouldnt even bother continueing asking for their help in finding products.

 

At work (Im a construction worker) we talk about sports, the weather, what we did last night or what we are doing on the weekend. I started trying to tell the truth again. Big mistake. Telling your co-workers your working on your E-11 this weekend gets mixed responses. Some guys who actually like starwars movies are interested and even ask some questions. But mostly the response is negative. My hobby is considered imature and silly to the beer swilling football watching weekend golf heros that most average dudes are. Im getting depressed. For the first time in my life Iam questioning my hometown and why I stay in it when Im so different.

 

Im loving my new hobby. Im turning a rubies set into something to be proud of. Ive got my hands on a fantastic TE RotJ lid. Ive got a complete set almost ready to unveil. I did my own hasbro mod. I want to do more! I will own a TM one day. I want to renovate my garage and make it into a TK workshop. My wife is researching Scout trooper armor and already made her Scout blaster! (It looks sweet) I want to join the 501st and go trooping. I want to be able to wear my armor on more than just halloween.

 

There is no 501st near me. Literally the closest detachement is Winnipeg Manitoba (8 hour drive). Followed by Minneapolis (8 hours) and then Toronto (18 hour drive). In the town I live in Iam probably the only person out of 120000 with Stormtrooper armor. If there is a bright center to the universe im in the city that is farthest from

 

So what do I do? Iam a licensed tradesmen (Sheetmetal worker) I have an international stamp and can work in CAN or USA. I know my wife would love to move to a city where she can return to her old career in book publishing. She moved up to my hometown and left a great job in New York for me.

 

Im sorry to ramble I just want to get my thoughts out. And you guys Im sure share some of the same experiences so there really isnt anyone else to tell that would understand. Im seriously thinking about pulling up roots and moving to a place where we can enjoy our chosen hobby and also find work in the fields we both want.

[R2Dan[TK]]

Do you have any kids, or is it just you and the wife?

If it's just you two, and you don't feel comfortable where you are, I'd say go find a new job somewhere closer to the bright center of the universe With kids this might be a little more problematic, as they probably have a stable social network there that they rely on.

 

Anyway, I can absolutely understand why your situation would be really, really depressing.

I'm blessed to live in a very urban region here in Germany, with millions of people living close by, so I get my fair share of nerd friends here.

I can only imagine how bad it must be being the "freak" living in an otherwise boring, conservative surrounding - if finding a job someplace else isn't an issue, I'd say do it! This hobby gets ten times better once you have people to share it with, and from what you've written it doesn't look like you're going to lose interest anytime soon

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Don't worry, there's others like you in smaller areas that might not have much of a 'sci fi" scene, but that doesn't matter. That's what the internet is for! There's a lot of people here to support you and your hobbies.

 

There's a good number of legion members in Canada. There's the Canadian garrison out east, and Badlands garrison out west. In my neck of the woods, there's the Outer Rim squad which has recently been growing and we plan to have a lot more activity. Calgary and Edmonton are current hotbeds for the Badlands garrison.

 

I'm not sure exactly where you are, but I know there's a few members in Ontario. I'm not sure how far away from you they are but I'm sure they would lend their support.

 

The fact of it is, you don't need your next door neighbor to understand what you enjoy as a hobby. My neighbor is a grumpy old man who doesn't like people parking in front of his house, but that didn't stop me from "marching" past his house to troop!

 

The fact is, you should be proud of your hobbies. Just because someone doesn't understand or like your hobby doesn't give them a right to belittle or make fun of you. I would suggest feel free to speak openly, especially to friends or coworkers that understand for support. Reach out to your nearest Garrison and get on their boards if you haven't already.

 

If it's a real problem for you, move to a place that welcomes you and understands your needs. I know if you moved here to the west coast, I'd be more than happy to see you join our squad.

Edited February 19, 2010 by pandatrooper

[snoopy trooper[TK]]

I'm in a small town to bro. so I know what your saying . Some here think thats its wrong for a full grown man to dress up like a trooper . I just say poop (fill in your own word ) on them . If some don't like it don't invite them over for beer and pizza . Chicks love a guy in armor so their the ones missing out not you . When you go out of the house in it you will find that more like it than you think . The ones that think its wrong or don't like it will see it diff when their kids come running up to you and then say to their dad "Thats way cool dad its a trooper " and inside your bucket you have a big smile saying yep I am cool as a trooper .

Edited February 19, 2010 by snoopy trooper

[TK-2126_MD[TK]]

I understand completly!!!!!!

i have been going at this 3 years ( 2 as OutPost) and i still get deer eyes becuase of this.....

 

what helped out is that i use and throw in the word "Artisanal" (sp??) alot. i also carry event pics and the little swag i have with my around ( Lapel pin and 501st wacth)all the time and that gets ppl asking. for me the many thing was not exploding (trying to explain everthing) when askd waht is that by ppl that dont care or find it silly. but the ppl that are intrested i cover more groud with them.

 

try and think big when u have your first solo troops, talk to hospitals,schools etc etc and really make sure your troops are charity oriented at first to get the word out that we do good and not just nerds. "Nerds that do Good" lol

 

and look around there has to be other ppl like us around just may be its more of a underground thing try comic stores etc etc

Edited February 19, 2010 by TK-2126_MD

[SolderMaster]

Wow, Robert...what a story.

 

First, you will always have a family here on the FISD. I'm sure I can speak for most when I say we're here for you. You and your loving wife. With that said...

 

I understand how you feel about telling people what your new hobby is. I'm a husband of 11 years, father of 3, and work fulltime. I moved to a wonderful neighborhood a year and a half ago. My wife and I wanted to get out for the school district we had our kids in and into one with more...ummm...stability. My sister and her family live out here too which made it a pretty easy choice. The school's are great out here to say the least...sorry rambling...

 

Anywho, I have loved Star Wars since I saw the first movie. ANH, prolly when I was 7 or so. I can remember in 2nd or 3rd grade, my mom went to pick up my Halloween costume for me to wear to school the following day. When I opened the package on the morning of school, I was horrified. She had purchased me a C-3PO suit but the mask was of Admiral Akbar! Needless to say, I wore the costume and paraded through the school when it was time and just took in all the rude comments. But, the love for SW continued...

 

A few years ago, I wanted to be Darth Vader for Halloween. I searched the internet and came across the Rubies. I bought the costume and tried it on. The undersuit was extremely tight and I went online to look for the website I had purchased it from to ask for an exchange. In doing so, I came across the 501st. I don't remember exactly what about the 501st, but I saw some pics of their costumes, and I knew it was WAY better looking than the Rubies I had just tried on. I searched youtube for Darth Vader costumes, and with that, saw loads of Stormtroopers. In watching a few videos, I was hooked. What a great costume! Then, I went back to the 501st website and read about what it was all about. I found the WI Squad and emailed the site. Within a day, the leader emailed me back with info about what they are, what they do, and so on. He explained that armor is not cheap and neither is all the accessories to go with it. I understood but still had the itch. When the following tax refund time came and went, I was discouraged about not being able to afford armor. The idea of being a Stormtrooper and trooping with the 501st faded...Then, last summer, I got a phone call. It was the leader of the WI Squad! He asked if I was still interested and talked to me for about 30 minutes explaining the different types of events they attended that year and how everyone has so much fun. It was really awesome, to me, for him to call and care about if I was still interested and how I was doing. I thought to myself this guy really gives a hoot! I was estatic when I hung up the phone. WOW. I HAVE TO JOIN!

 

Back in January of this year, I knew for certain I could afford a set of armor, it was just a matter of explaining everything to my wife. She's not a fan of SW like I am...watching the movies a few times a year...but she saw how passionate I was about wanting to join, she agreed to give me an "allowance"...

 

Now, let's get back to "How do you tell someone you want to be a Stormtrooper?"

 

The past few weeks I have been ordering parts. A holster here, a neck seal there. I waas telling a friend at work about what I was getting in the mail that day, the TKBoots, He says, "What do you need white boots for?" So, being excited about it, I say "They're my Stormtrooper boots!" The look on his face was like.. WHA!?

WTF do you need those for. I explained and he still had the WHA!? look. My supervisor overheard us and wanted to know "Who bought white boots?" He thought I was nuts. I tried to explain what the 501st is and what they do, but both kinda shrugged me off as "What a freak". Then, try and tell my family about it...I think they think I'm going through a mid-life crisis or something. I know once they see me in my armor and attend a troop or two, they'll understand why I enjoy it so much. Not only is it fun BEING an action figure, but seeing the smiles on the kids' faces is the icing on the cake. I sound like I have trooped before, but I haven't. I have seen the WI Squad in person once. Taking pictures with people, kids included, smiling from ear to ear. I have prolly watched 99% of the trooping videos on youtube and I'm just stoked. (Geez, sorry for rambling again)

 

Even though I DO have people around me that are in the 501st, feeling like an outcast is somewhat familiar to me. You see, on the side, I repair and modify gaming consoles. Electronics and computers come pretty naturally to me. And my friends and family all come to me with problems. My PC is slow, or my Wii won't read games, or can you take a look at this? Am I the only person out of all the people you know that know how to fix this stuff? I mean, I guess it's cool in some ways but I fell like I'm the only one. You, on the other hand, have a passion. The only thing I can tell you is you will be welcomed where ever you decide to go. I have never met a more willing to go out of their way to help bunch of people in my life, even if it has been only internet conversations thus far. The responces and advice I have been given to date is overwhelmingly kind.

 

I invite you to live in my town. I would love to have a trooping buddy a few doors down. Maybe your wife can get my wife into a Biker costume! That would rock.

 

PM me if you need anything, and I mean, ANYTHING!

[bluehickey]

I live in an area with a very active garrison and in fact have other active garrison members just a mile away, and I still got plenty of weird looks from the people at the craft and leather store when I explained what I was making. My neighbors are mixed with how they feel about it, some laugh and think it's silly, others admire me for doing charity work, and yes, the hunting and fishing guy next door pretends to act interested, but I can tell he's not digging it!

 

That being said, I'm guessing your dislike for your present location existed before you got into assembling your armor, this project has just magnified the feelings you already had.

[Murray1134[501st]]

I feel for you. I'm an hour or more from the nearest troopers and close to 4 hours from the majority of the Garrison, and setting up troops in my area is like pulling teeth, it seems local business just don't understand what we do.

 

But, don't fret you always have all of us here online in the FISD and your local Garrison. Ask around, you never know what you might have in your surrounding areas.

Edited February 19, 2010 by Murray1134

[SirDenzington89]

Stay strong man. Its your hobby, Who know, you might find someone who is interested and then they will want to join too. Thats how is all grows. But I know what you mean man. Not many of my 20 year old college age friends understand what the deal is with the costume im building. Building costumes is not what many guys my age do and 90 percent of the time, when I say Im building a stormtrooper costume the look on their face says two things...1. Thats absurd dude and 2. Its most likly a piece of crap. Hell my girlfriend didnt even know what to do about it but as you see, she now has accepted it and wants to take pictures. However when I show most everyone else pictures the only response I get then is wow! thats so legit. The ones that have seen the movies truely love and envy the suit so far and who knows....some of them might join too youre doing such a great job on that rubies suit and your woman is into the hobby too! Thats great! Keep it up bro.

[RogueTrooper[TK]]

Hey Robert, I have felt your anguish, as probably a lot of people on here have, when it comes to people not understanding the Star Wars hobby. When you get that blank stare look from them and you can tell what is clicking off in their brain, "Isn't that a kids movie and how old are you?" At first in the hardware store or anywhere that I am looking for bits and pieces, I first started out giving some line about, I am on a scavenger hunt. Now, when they ask me that stupid question, I tell them I am making an WMD (weapon of mass destruction). That usually breaks the ice and makes them happier to help me find my hobby parts.

 

The one thing that I am hearing that you can count on, is your wife. She bought you the Rubies suit because she loves you. She has helped you prep your suit and mod it throughout this whole adventure. You guys have each other and that's what truly matters. When you do join the 501st, you will find a group of people that have the same outlook, that will strenghten your love of this hobby. Don't forget, you've got us, your FISD family.

 

I can't tell you or give you advice about pulling up roots and moving. That is a decision that is not held lightly. I think that would be something that you and your wife need to discuss at length. You never know what a new start may bring for the both of you. Just make sure that you and her are doing it for all the right reasons. You know the old saying "The grass is always greener"

 

 

Explore the area you live in a little bit more. You might find enough people to start a 501st out post(to do a 501st outpost, it only takes one), if you look hard enough..

 

 

Stay strong, we are always here for you.

 

Tom

[Gypsyboy]

I've been doing this long enough that I no longer tell people what I'm using the stuff for. I might say I'm working with plastic, or with fiberglass, or whatever I'm working with, but that's about it. After the last episode of "whatcha doin' with that?" followed by "eeeeooooookay" I decided it wasn't worth my time to respond to their questions. I'm all for being polite and having a conversation with most people, but when they ask a question about what you are doing and then respond as though you just turned your head around 360 degrees that's their problem, not yours.

 

I know, I'm just adding more rant to your original post. I'm afraid I don't have much else to say really. I also live in a town where many people don't give a pair of fetid dingo's kidneys about SW or the costume/armor hobby. I've known a few people who didn't even recognize Darth Vader, if you can believe that.

 

Meanwhile, 99% of the world seems to be going insane over the Olympics. I really don't understand all the crazy hoopla about sliding down a hill really fast. At least I can honestly say that when people talk to me about the Olympics I try to be polite and show some kind of interest (except with my wife, but she knows how I feel about it - it's kinda like a running joke with us).

[Dearmeat]

Do you enjoy the hobby?

Does it give you peace of mind when you are working on it like a large model airplane?

Enjoy what you do, stand your ground and do not be afraid to be different. Unlike the one sheep that jumps off the cliff and the mindless others follow.

 

As Ole' Obi-Wan Kenobi said, "Who is the more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows?" Words to live by my friend.

 

Just my 2 cents worth of a Galactic Credit.

Edited February 21, 2010 by Dearmeat

[Shooter]

Lots of good advice here Robert, my only addition would be in the meantime turn troops into vacations. There's Fan Expo in Toronto here in the Summer, and Celebration V in Orlando as well. The main thing is don't feel bad about what you do, be proud. Once people see you in armour and how awesome you look, I'm sure they'll opinions will turnaround.

[Laspector[TK]]

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger pal. I live in the US down here in the deeeeeep South. You tell somebody around here about this hobby and they will think you are absolutely, positively, undeniably NUTS!!! I am lucky to have two other members of my garrison here in town but we rarely ever see each other except at troops. Last week I asked off for a couple of days and my boss wormed it out of me that I was going to a science fiction convention. He thought I was out of my mind and could not understand why I would not rather be out in the woods in the freezing rain at 4 am looking for a stupid animal to kill. It may sound wrong but I just always build up the charity part of it.. I mean really build it up!!!! I'm sorry to say that I have, on occasion, lied about how many charity events I've done (I know, horrible thing) but once you put in the charity part these rednecks don't think you are so bad...They still think it is stupid but at least they think you are honorable.

[zsavk[TK]]

Thank you for all the great advice and personal stories guys. It really helps to know that everyone else goes through these same issues

 

We dont have any children yet. So moving would not hurt any little ones. We are going to keep our eyes open for job opportunities elsewhere but not rush anything. If we do move it will be because we can both get good jobs in a nice city. And it wont be without alot of planning and research. My first choice would be London Ontario right now. Mostly because my brother lives there and I went to college there. So its familiar. Its also only 2 hours drive from Toronto. So Id be close to a large 501st base.

The other major bonus to moving to southern ontario would be that my wife could return to her career in publishing. Random house has their canadian office in Missisauga! She is really excited about that possibility as books are her greatest passion. If a good solid job opens up for her it will tip the scale in favor of a move greatly.

 

On another note we are going to make plans to hit Celebration V in Orlando this summer! Something to be really excited for.

 

Again thanks for the great advice and words of wisdom from everyone here.