For Those About to Troop... We Salute You!

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

So now you’re a Stormtrooper! That wasn’t so tough, now was it? Was it?
In this section we’d like to give recently approved troopers the opportunity to reflect on their road to the 501st.

Suggestions for posts include (but should not be limited to) . . .

If Only You Knew:

-        Advice to yourself, back when you first started out.

-        Maybe a top 5 list of things you learned that might not be so obvious to new recruits.

 

Oops!:

-        Some setbacks or challenges you had to overcome.

-        Warnings you were given along the way that maybe saved your shiny white butt. (Never clean your armour with acetone!)

 

A funny thing happened on my way to the Death Star:

-        An anecdote or funny story about your experience.

-        Something that happened along the way that was funny, embarrassing or noteworthy.

-        This could even be a heartwarming tale of brotherhood.  We all love to hear “troopers helping troopers” stories!

 

Shout Outs:

-        Acknowledgments and thanks to anyone who helped you out along the way.

-        This could include fellow FISD members, garrison mates, detachment or command staff, non-Stormtroopery people like significant others or family.  Shout it out!

Thanks to Danny (MechaPumpkin - TK-66668) for writing up this post.  I'm merely the shiny, white, plastic guy that's clicking on "Post New Topic."  

Here's my part:  
Start a new topic in this section, similar to your introduction post, and be sure to include your newly assigned TKID in your subject title!  

When you first arrived, you introduced yourself to the Detachment membership as a hopeful Cadet.  Now you can formally introduce yourself as a Stormtrooper!

Edited March 2, 2016 by Dark CMF
To clarify the use of the section. :D

[mikedwelle94[TK]]

TK-80494 here. I've been around the forums since 2013, but I only recently got approved in January of this year. I learned the hard way that the most important thing you can do while waiting for your kit is RESEARCH. Read, read, read, and when you get tired of reading, read some more anyway.

 

I went into the build feeling overly-confident but relatively ill-informed, and my kit suffered as a result. For example, I trimmed too much off the sides of my plastic belt, and I used a spray chemical on some of my plastic that wound up making it brittle, causing it to crack and crumble in a few places. My armor is one of the rare red ABS Magmas from ATA, but after ruining a few parts and not being able to afford to keep buying replacements, I decided to make the best of a bad situation and become a Death Trooper. The only reason I'm approved now is because of the patience and helpful advice of folks here on FISD, and the Spec Ops detachment.

 

If you manage to eff your kit up beyond repair like I did, the path to the 501st is still open to you thanks to the Death Trooper option. Just keep in mind that trooping opportunities for that kit won't be as frequent, for reasons I shouldn't need to explain. So I'm well on my way to completing my second kit, an Imperial Shock Trooper, which I'll be able to wear at any event. This one is going *much* more smoothly than my first, now that I really know what I'm doing.

 

Just make sure you're doing it right the first time. Death Troopers are cool, but it shouldn't have to come to that when your original intention was a clean TK (or in my case a shiny red TX) 

[Scotty33[TK]]

Great idea for a thread Tim. I've been approved since November 2015 and being a member of the 501st is easily the best thing I've done.<br><br>

If only I knew:<br>

Just how vital wranglers are. Everyone says it, everyone will tell you, but when you are doing it, you might feel like you aren't actually doing anything much. For me, it's not until you get that helmet on, or just can't quite reach that snap to do it up that you realise just how important wranglers are.<br><br>

Oops;<br>

So many! My main build thread over on the Redback Garrison is an ode to how many mistakes can be fixed. Mostly they were the result of me acting like a bull at a gate and not reading enough.<br><br>

A funny thing happened on the way to the Death Star:<br>

I've shared this before, but I think it's pretty funny. My wife and kids were watching me at one of my first troops when a lady came up and put her arm around me for a photo. My 10 year old daughter turned to my wife and said "Mummy, you told us we couldn't get mad when Dad played with other kids, so you can't get mad when he plays with other women.'<br>

Shout outs:<br>

I was incredibly lucky to have Sly there to call on. Every PM I sent him (and there was a lot!), was answered quickly and helped me through a heap of places. Also to Phantom the Redback GML who was very patient with me.<br><br>

Cheers,<br>

Scott

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Everyone, I have locked this particular thread.  Not so that nobody can make any more posts, but in order to allow the thread to function more like the welcome threads.

 

If each new member makes a new topic, it will allow others to reply to it more easily than trying to contain all of this in one thread.  

 

Apologies for not explaining the intent very clearly, early on.