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501st Troop: 44 FISD Troop: 14 Event: Walk With Us to Cure Lupis- Intrepid Museum Location: Intrepid Museum Pier, Manhattan NY Date: 10/19/24

[25] 26.10.2024 - Birthday party for a young Star Wars fan / Wolfsburg This was my official 25th troop for the 501st. Actually, I'm not a big fan of children's birthday parties because you spend longer changing clothes than you're actually in the costume. But here it was something different. The children were very happy with us. When the children had eaten, we of course took the opportunity to test out the playground. Remember, Tie pilots don't let you get off the seesaw.

[23] 23.09.2024 - Science Fiction Meeting / Speyer The science fiction meeting in Speyer is an annual event that is a must for me. There were over 22,000 visitors there. Unfortunately I don't have many Stormtrooper photos from the science fiction meeting, these are the best ones I have. TK group photo from Saturday managed by TK-71384 This is our German Garrison group photo. [24] 23.09.2024 - Science Fiction Meeting / Speyer It was only when the Emperor wasn't there that I noticed how comfortable the throne was. Hopefully he won't see the photo TK-66744 took a few pictures of me. Thanks again for that I hope I can go there again next year.

Hi everyone! My names Adam and I'm an absolute newbie at this I bought my trooper armour some years ago from *cough* TKUK but unfortunately I had quite a bad accident in 2020 so I've only just got back to having it in me to get started on this armour kit again. Only down side, I'm now chubbier than what I'd like to be but, I can't have this sat here collecting dust any longer so... let's get started on it again! I'll post some pics up of my progress so far but, I think I'm already stuck as I believe I need a XL ab/cod piece to go with my XL kidney plate. I'm also in need of some cover strips for the legs as the ones I've got a really slim. I'll try and post pictures as soon as possible.

Hi I have been looking at doing some storm trooper armor for my first if I don’t do a death trooper (I’ve heard it’s a bit complex) and am primarily looking at either RS props or Denuo Novo. I’m wondering what the Denuo set falls under. They just have it listed as “classic” without any ANH or ESB classification. I’d like to eventually aim for centurion level cause I’m a perfectionist so I just want to get as much info as I can before I get a kit. Thanks all, looking forward to getting something built

Wow! I'm always jealous of those that can get so many stormtroopers together in the same place at the same time. Best I've got is just three of us! Bart

[XX] 16.10.2024 - Hospital troop / Göttingen We were at the UMG (the largest hospital in Göttingen) to make the children in the children's wards happy. Many children were happy that we were there. Unfortunately I only have a few good pictures that I can post here. It was a United Force Squad troop again The Java found a droid trash can. But they weren't the ones we were looking for...

[20] 15.09.2024 - Time Warp Retro-Convention / Brunswick The Time Warp has taken place for the first time. It's a mix of a comic con and a small retro con. There were a few actors and voice-actors there. TK-66744 has (exceptionally) the high ground This is what happens when you lose the keys to the handcuffs... [21] 15.09.2024 - Time Warp Retro-Convention / Brunswick On the second day we met Hans-Georg Panczak (the German voice of Luke Skywalker and Quagmire from Family Guy). Pure fangirl moment TK-71384 suggested that we register for the pencil cassette spool championship. Of course only with the TK number so that it doesn't get too easy. There were “real professionals” there. Nevertheless, we managed to take the first three places. Congratulations to TD-55024 for first place and TI-30813 for third place. I became vice world champion. That was the Retro Time Warp Convention. I'd love to come back next year

Phew this has been a busy month! Final event for the month was space con and it was a big one! Had some big actors come including Hayden Christen and Ewan McGregor unfortunately I couldn’t afford any of their pictures or autographs so I mostly just hanged out at the 501st booth while everyone else was waiting in line. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Getting a few extra pieces you can quite easily do multiple TK variants, something to bare in mind.

Troop 23: Gas City Expo in Medicine Hat Alberta 26Oct24 I was lucky to be able to arrange myself to get to this one. October is a busy month for me and the original date for this with the 5th. The 26th was a tough one to fit in. It is my second time at this event. We had a few more troopers this time which made it much nicer. The organizers treat us well with private and secure changing areas as well as food and drinks. This is much like a meet and greet although the organizers do have different organizations they support with the entry fee. A highlight from this one was a little boy that was sort of following us two stormtroopers around at a distance. I asked him if he wanted to troop with us and help look for rebels which is was eager to do so he made the rounds between us for a good amount of time. I thought he would get bored and disappear, but nope, he hung on to the end. Sadly none of our people were around to get a photo of it. Photos from various members in attendance. They all got jumbled together. This one was almost like us. At least in terms of the colours... The Klingons were across the aisle from us so did a few things with them. Star Trek has always been my favorite Sci-fi. I have a broken sight guard... hmmm, don't know when that happened but looking back at some photos it was after the July troop. Should be fixed before the next one. This Klingon thought he was being funny... These guys wanted to get into a battle. We had to decline the beating. This Fallout guy usually has the best booth layout at this little expo. The gang's all here. Probably the only bad part of this troop was the cement floor and standing on it all day. We were all pretty tired. It wasn't held in the regular location which had carpet. I don't normally pay much attention to the vendor badges, but it was brought to my attention that TK55810 and myself were on this one. The organizers took the photo last year. If the weather holds I'll be back up in Saskatoon for November 16 for a meet and greet and to hash over some "business". Our local GEC is going to step back from the role at the end of the year and we'd like to ensure we have at least one in the province so the group has to come up with a plan. Or we will have to strong arm him into staying on longer! Bart

Congrats on your 100th troop today, Tarkan! I'm super bummed that I was unable to be there in attendance. I would have been honored to have assisted you in kitting up for the occasion. I'm here in the Fort Lauderdale area this same week every year, so perhaps I can make it happen in the future. Big props on the big 100, brother! Keep up the amazing work!

Howdy! The time has come that I figured I should make a WIP thread. I've been working on this build for a few months now, just never got around to posting anything up about it. I am very short, so I didn't think there was any way I would ever be fitting a full sized kit onto myself. I've seen some other smaller people have success, but I just didn't believe it was for me. I have a FO tie pilot, and while it does fit me relatively well when all is said and done, the chest is still too big and I had to print myself scaled down forearms and shoulders. Considering how similar that armor is to the FOTK, I was and still am doubtful that I could get an ABS kit to work for me. Not that I need to justify why I'm printing a kit, I just like to overexplain. I started off using these files at the suggestion of one of my GMLs: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1089257123/first-order-stormtrooper-3d-print-file?ref=yr_purchases I did realize quickly that the shape of the belt boxes is off. They're weirdly rounded, so I instead opted to use these, which are more accurate and also a sturdier model: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1218969215/fotk-belt-boxes-3d-model-stormtrooper?ref=yr_purchases Everything is printed at around 88%, making me into a 22/25 scale figure! Prints were done by me, fuzzma, and another costuming friend. I just jumped into printing and sanding, so here's a bunch of photos with captions. There's not much to be seen other than lots of sanding and painting. I started this project at the start of August, so these are from the past few months! I bought some gloves off a garrison mate, so here's a sizing test with the handplates Some printed bits before I got the one piece ab printed off Yay, one piece ab! Got my boots, from Keep Trooping Sanded and primed Test fit! The first version of the shins were too small to fit around the boot. I kept the height at 88% and increased the x/y to 91% Sanding work, also the first time I used an electric sander. I'm not sure if I like it Primed and awaiting final paint Test fit! Gasket test. More on making the gaskets later Bunch of glossy stuff Backplate/yoke sizing test Comparison with my tie chest. It's not a huge difference, but every bit helps! More test fits Using poly filler on the seams White paint comparison to ABS. It's the Behr gloss white 2k session! Painted some stuff while making TIE repairs Yet another test fit Everything printed 😮 Most recent test fit, as of today!

For my FOTK I used automotive acrylic paint, there has been some cracks on areas which flex as well as some chips from armor pieces hitting. Have a search through the Rogue One and FOTK build groups many of both would have been painted

Awesome! I love seeing the German Garrison TKs on patrol...there's so many.

I have a Garrison mate who is trying some sketchy stuff! Has has hyrdogen peroxide 12% and a UV lamp to try and get some white back! He wraps the part in paper towel and sprays on the HP12% on it, and then leaves it inside the contraption with the UV lamp on! Still waiting to hear back from him on the results!

[22] 20.09.2024 - Intercultural Week / Hann. Münden Buckle up and shut down the hyperspace drive, now comes the troop report from the Intercultural Week The event is a small event in Hann. Münden. There were numerous exhibitors and clubs from the area there. I was there last year for another festival, but this time I was there with CC-75367 and TB-61231. Of course we had to test the playground every now and then

I give permission for FISD to repost my photos on social media in an appropriate fashion. Troops: 9/12/21 - Happy Birthday Janson (Virtual) 10/29/21 - Salah Foundation Children's Hospital (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 10/30/21 - Relay for Life Fall Festival (Parkland, FL) 11/4-11/6 - Caroline and Alan's Wedding (Virtual) 11/27/21 - Celebrating for ICU Baby (Miami, FL) 12/15 - Coral Springs Holiday Parade (Coral Springs, FL) 1/14/22 - Nerd Night (West Palm Beach, FL) 1/19/22 - Miami Heat Star Wars Night (Miami, FL) 1/30/22 - 2/28/22 - For Jesse (Virtual) 3/3/22 - Florida Panthers Star Wars Night (Sunrise, FL) 3/19/22 - Art Lit Festival (Pompano Beach, FL) 3/28/22 - Zach's 13th Birthday Video (Virtual) 3/31/22 - For Olivia (Mail) 4/20/22 - Make a Wish for Joshua (Mail) 4/22/22 - Surf Skate Science End of Year Event (Coral Springs, FL) 4/22/22 - Salah Foundation Children's Hospital (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 5/6/22- Gator Run Star Wars Day (Weston, FL) 5/6/22 - City of Coral Springs: May the 6th Be With You (Coral Springs, FL) 6/22/22 - Nate's 8th Birthday Party (Facebook/Virtual) 7/8/22 - 7/10/22 - Florida Super Con 2022, Miami (5x shifts of costumed trooping) Florida Super Con 2022 Florida Super Con 2022 Florida Super Con 2022 Florida Super Con 2022 7/20/22 - Star Wars Day! (Miami, FL) 7/24/22 - Happy 5th Birthday Linc (Virtual) 8/13/22 - Sunrise Comic Con 2022 (Sunrise, FL) - Shift 1 8/13/22 - Sunrise Comic Con 2022 (Sunrise, FL) - Shift 2 8/27/22 - UltraCon 2022 (West Palm Beach, FL) - Shift 1 8/27/22 - UltraCon 2022 (West Palm Beach, FL) - Shift 2 8/29/22 - Greetings to the Korfer Family (Virtual) 10/16/22 - Get well soon Dominik (Virtual) 10/28/22 - Salah FoundationChildren's Hospital Halloween Event (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 11/6/22 - Town of Miami Lakes -43rd Annual Veterans Day Parade (Miami Lakes, FL) 12/2/22 - 2022 BSO Gold RibbonParade (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 12/16/22 - Zoo Lights Miami(Miami, FL) 12/20/22 - Well Wishes for Mushu (Virtual) 12/20/22 - Keep Up the Fight Kathy (Virtual) 12/21/22 - Positive Messages for Mira (Virtual) 1/25/23 - For Skylin 3/4/23 - Visit LauderdaleScience Festival (Fort Lauderdale. FL) 4/30/23 - Rainbow 5k (FortLauderdale) 5/4/23 - Salah Foundation Children'sHospital Visit (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 5/4/23 - May the Fourth Be With You:Movie Concert (Miami, FL) 5/6/23 - Scott Wedding (Parkland, FL) 4/23/23 - In Honor Of Koda The FoundlingAnd His Family (Virtual) 6/10/23 - #SHE_BUILDSThe Future Festival (Miami, FL) 6/28/23 - Florida Supercon 2023(Miami Beach, FL) - Shift 1 6/28/23 - Florida Supercon 2023(Miami Beach, FL) - Shift 2 9/2/23 - South Florida Hydrocephalus Celebration (Plantation, FL) 10/7/23 - Step Up 4 Down Syndrome Walk 2023 (Sunrise, FL) 10/25/23 - Nicklaus Children'sHospital Visit (Miami, FL) 10/31/23 - Broward Health CoralSprings (Coral Springs, FL) 12/18/23 - Joe DiMaggio Children'sHospital (Hollywood, FL) 1/14/24 - MLK Day Parade (Deerfield Beach, FL) 2/9/24 - Night to Shine (Sunrise, FL) 2/12/24 - Holtz Children's HospitalVisit (Miami, FL) 4/2/24 - Autism Awareness DayCelebration (Coral Springs, FL) 4/5/24 - Salah Foundation Children'sHospital (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 4/5/24 - Mphasis Gala Dinner (Miami, FL) 4/7/24 - Epilepsy Alliance Florida:Walk the Talk (Hollywood, FL) 4/20/24 - Walk To Cure ArthritisSouth Florida (Davie, FL) 5/3/24 - City of Coral Springs Bites 'nSips (Coral Springs, FL) 5/4/24 - Broward Health Coral Springs (Coral Springs, FL) 6/29/24 - Teddy Bear Clinic (FortLauderdale, FL) 7/12/24 - Supercon 2024 (Miami Beach, FL) 8/2/24 - Salah Foundation Children's Hospital (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 10/2/24 - Salah Foundation Children's Hospital (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Photos: 9/12/21 - Happy Birthday Janson (Virtual) 10/29/21 - Salah Foundation Children's Hospital (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 10/30/21 - Relay for Life Fall Festival (Parkland, FL) 11/27/21 - Celebrating for ICU Baby (Miami, FL) 12/15 - Coral Springs Holiday Parade (Coral Springs, FL) 1/14/22 - Nerd Night (West Palm Beach, FL) 1/19/22 - Miami Heat Star Wars Night (Miami, FL) 3/3/22 - Florida Panthers Star Wars Night (Sunrise, FL) 3/19/22 - Art Lit Festival (Pompano Beach, FL) 4/22/22 - Surf Skate Science End of Year Event (Coral Springs, FL) 4/22/22 - Salah Foundation Children's Hospital (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 5/6/22- Gator Run Star Wars Day (Weston, FL) 5/6/22 - City of Coral Springs: May the 6th Be With You (Coral Springs, FL) 6/22/22 - Nate's 8th Birthday Party (Facebook/Virtual) 7/8/22 - 7/10/22 - Florida Super Con 2022, Miami (5x shifts of costumed trooping) 7/20/22 - Star Wars Day! (Miami, FL) 8/13/22 - Sunrise Comic Con 2022 (Sunrise, FL) 8/27/22 - UltraCon 2022 (West Palm Beach, FL) 10/28/22 - Salah FoundationChildren's Hospital Halloween Event (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 11/6/22 - Town of Miami Lakes -43rd Annual Veterans Day Parade (Miami Lakes, FL) 12/2/22 - 2022 BSO Gold Ribbon Parade (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 12/16/22 - Zoo Lights Miami (Miami, FL) 5/4/23 - Salah Foundation Children'sHospital Visit (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 5/4/23 - May the Fourth Be With You:Movie Concert (Miami, FL) 6/10/23 - #SHE_BUILDSThe Future Festival (Miami, FL) 9/2/23 - South Florida Hydrocephalus Celebration (Plantation, FL) 10/7/23 - Step Up 4 Down Syndrome Walk 2023 (Sunrise, FL) 12/18/23 - Joe DiMaggio Children'sHospital (Hollywood, FL) 1/14/24 - MLK Day Parade (Deerfield Beach, FL) 4/2/24 - Autism Awareness Day Celebration (Coral Springs, FL) 4/5/24 - Salah Foundation Children'sHospital (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 4/5/24 - Mphasis Gala Dinner (Miami, FL) 4/7/24 - Epilepsy Alliance Florida: Walk the Talk (Hollywood, FL) 4/20/24 - Walk To Cure Arthritis South Florida (Davie, FL) 6/29/24 - Teddy Bear Clinic (FortLauderdale, FL) For the Empire!

You've come to the right place. Back in April I knew nothing about a TK but I went from a box of plastic to centurion in a few months so it definitely can be done. That All In One guide posted above was my go to. Once all the armor was organized I just researched part by part and referenced some builds to figure out what to do. If you end up going with the pre built RS I can say that they are a good kit. I liked building my own both for the knowledge and also I could fit it to my body perfectly. Also i went with ANH Stunt purely because that's how I envision a TK when I think of one. The ESB is great too i'm just partial to the grey frown over black but that's just me

No problem, that's what we're here for! They have good videos for sure! I think, with those videos as a guide - and with the help of the forum, you'd be in good hands and be able to do it! For me, I wish that I had the option to go for a kit when I ordered my ANH-S and ANH-H, but they didn't have that available at the time (April of 2022)! For Centurion I had to scrape of my sniper knee with a knife and reposition it, and that was a really scary operation making sure it didn't break apart I weighed a little bit more as well at the time of my order - resulting in my armor having shims extended from the kidney plate - and since there is no seam allowed for Centurion, I had to get some "epoxy sculpt" and get to work on sanding it down and covering the seam by color matching the armor! If I had built the armor myself, I could have made ABS paste that would have matched the armor in color (since ABS paste is made from off cuts of ABS), see the thread below: There are pros and cons with both (commission/self build) but one thing that would be worth mentioning, is that I was just hoping that RS had put my split rivets (left side of the armor as you wear it) in the correct positions for Centurion (there is never a guarantee, since they make so many kits) - but if you build it yourself, you can measure, take pictures, post on the forum, get feedback on their position, drill it, and you should have nailed it by then! The comfort of being in control of how you build your armor would for me weigh heavier than the nervousness of building it myself!

501st Troop: 43 FISD Troop: 13 Event: New York Comic Con 2024 (Day 2) Location: Javits Center, Manhattan NY Date: 10/18/24 Shiny but not chrome

Congrats! I hope you enjoy the journey to EIB/Centurion. I certainly did. Can't wait to see your next steps forward

Looking forward to your build post. There is a wealth of knowledge here on how to help. The good news with all the SDS modifications is that you'll become very knowledgeable about the look of a TK after all the adjustments are made

Welcome to FISD Adam! As you can see, we have loads of members eager and ready to assist you in as many ways as possible.

Thanks so much - new pics with replacement hovi tips and bifurcated rivet on thigh ammo belt have been added.

Thank you! [74] 07.09.2024 -- Annotopia Rotenburg an der Fulda, Saturday Two months without trooping?! Good to be back in white plastic after that break! Exactly three years after my approval as a 501st Stormtrooper I got to troop an event that's, well, it's basically my first ever troop, but at a different location. Crazy coincidence! With the help of CC-75367 and TK-19525 this was made possible, so thank you both! The weekend turned into a very hot experience, so we weren't out and about too much, rather seeking out our cooled changing room and water bottles. After I'd already gotten a sunstroke only a few weeks earlier I still hadn't recovered fully and a relapse wouldn't be welcomed. Although StarWars isn't a main focus of the event in any way, shape or form, the visitors loved interacting with both us, as well as the local clubs that were there. Especially whilst escorting Han Solo around the premises we gained a lot of attention -- and even had some escape attempts when his fellow Rebels spotted our prisoner. [75] 08.09.2024 -- Annotopia Rotenburg an der Fulda, Sunday Starting the day off strong, we immediately headed to the playground after the parade to have some fun fooling around, taking pictures and videos. For someone who'd claimed on Saturday morning that it was impossible for him to sit in his armor, TK-19525 adapted quickly and joined us in all sorts of shenanigans -- everything from the swings to a sand ceremony with our Tusken got explored and enjoyed. With better temperatures on Sunday we walked around a lot more, found a second playground and explored other costuming groups and their booths. The Annotopia is great in that it had just about everything: post-apocalyptic role play, zombies, orcs, trolls, superheroes... whatever you could think of that is fun, interactive and in character, it is there and it fits there. I became a zombie myself during our exploration, but luckily there were experts there who could help out. A bit of a random part of the event was where they'd organized a Wolverine/Hugh Jackman double to perform various songs on stage. But as confused as we'd originally been, the double was really, really close to what I've seen of Hugh Jackman so far and I very much regret not getting a better picture of him than the vastly zoomed in one I took of him on the stage. All in all a pretty fun weekend with some fantastic company! And given that it was my first weekend since finishing exams, I couldn't help but really really enjoy every minute of it. Note to self: two months is too long a time to go without trooping. [76] 14.09.2024 -- TimeWarp Braunschweig, Day 1 Why have one trooping weekend, if you could have two? Welcome to the day that I mostly spent behind the camera! The TimeWarp retro convention was held for the first time ever with a handful of vendors, a few star guests and a small, but steady stream of visitors gracing it's halls. We started off by touring around the area and spending a bit of money (I got a 1960's Batman comic!) on various merchandise. Having seen everything and with it being CX-37202's first troop in his Tech, we decided to show off this masterpiece. He'd spent two years bringing that armor to a seldom seen perfection, including working gadgets and lots and lots of electronics. With there being lots of space in our changing area it was the perfect opportunity to take different types of pictures -- everything from the Clone Bar on Coruscant to action scenes in Imperial facilities to dramatic chip removals from other Clones. I probably should've switched my phone to a professional camera and my armor into clothes with actual mobility at some point of this spontaneous photoshooting, but neither did any of us have a camera with us, nor did I think of changing. Oh well, we still got some incredible pictures out of it! And after the troop (and, yes, some more public appearances outside of the changing room as well) (and an armor switch, because I actually really love wearing Clone armor) we'd all gone for a nice joined meal, beat, but ready for Day 2. [77] 15.09.2024 -- TimeWarp Braunschweig, Day 2 Day 2 started off better than day 1, with us fooling around with the crew and with Deadpool and all the other cosplayers, instead of sticking mostly to our own as we'd done the previous day. There still wasn't too much foottraffic -- and they'd have deserved lots more visitors, cause it's a really cool convention -- but the people who were there enjoyed our shenanigans as much as we did ourselves. As a joke TK-71384 suggested that we should join the world championship happening at the convention (it was about cassette tape, so it would've been a pretty harmless joke, if a televised one). What started as a joke ended with our Sandtrooper as the new world champion, our pilot in third place and TK-19525 in second place! Congratulations! Now, that deserves FISD kudos! It's not every day that one of our own wins a world championship, and in full armor no less. What started as a fantastic day suddenly turned into one of my most depressing moments in armor in a matter of seconds. I'd been posing on this horse as a kid started up the mechanism, making me loose my hold and get an irreparable crack in my codpiece. My armor is pretty old and has been through a lot over these past few years, so I'm going to have to get myself new armor soon. Lucky for me, with some emergency repairs and lots of helpful advice from my fellow troopers, the armor should hold up for a couple more troops, I'll just have to be more careful. Maybe I should leave the horseriding to Deadpool in the future, he seems to be more of a natural in it. That heartbreak aside it was a really cool troop and I very much hope that they'll do another one of these next year! TK-66744 signing off

10th Troop! First milestone reached. Got to troop with St Alban's Church in Long Island. We helped outreach free healthcare for local residents in the areas. Had a little fun too 501st Troop: 40 FISD Troop: 10 Event: Bronx Anime and Comic Expo Location: 1315 Olmstead Ave Bronx N.Y 10462 Date: 8/17/24 https://i.imgur.com/H99ATDi.mp4

501st Troop: 39 FISD Troop: 9 Event: Bronx Anime and Comic Expo Location: 1315 Olmstead Ave Bronx N.Y 10462 Date: 8/03/24

501st Troop: 37 FISD Troop: 7 Event: Cold Springs Harbor Library Location: 95 Harbor Road, Cold Springs Harbor, NY Date: 7/13/24 Didn’t realize my chest piece popped inside my ab piece a bit. Got that tightened up

The page that started my obsession with Stormtroopers all those years ago! Some awesome troops so far man great work!

501st Troop: 35 FISD Troop: 5 Event: Summer Reading Kick Off Event- Valley Stream, NY Location: Henry Waldinger Memorial Library Date: 6/29/24

501st Troop: 34 FISD Troop: 4 Event: NYC Minecraft Battle of the Boroughs Location: Brooklyn Public Library Date: 6/9/24

Troop 12 : Collectimania in Regina December 3, 2023. Supporting, along with the Grinch, the Carmichael community outreach. This is another "bonus" troop for 2023 thanks to the unusually mild fall we have been experiencing making driving to these much easier. This one was just two hours away and just a one day, afternoon event. Unfortunately neither we, nor the grinch, was put in a traffic area so we didn't see many people at our booth. We also were low in numbers and no handlers so we took turns in both rolls that afternoon. With not much traffic we spent a lot of the time wandering the vendor floor, the lobby and the concession to see what fun we could make for ourselves. Probably the best interaction this time was when a mando and myself attempted to score some free food at the concession from a young guy who was working there. No, we weren't seriously looking for free food, but that's how we attempted to shake him down. His co-workers loved it because this poor guy had no idea what a shakedown even was which made it even better as we tried to imply to him what it was going to take to get us to go away and it just was not clicking. Come to the collecting show and stay for the mania: I don't look very festive with the tree. I can't even wrap my bucket around the idea that Christmas is just three weeks away. I tried to check my armor at the coat check: You can put your hands down. I'm not here to rob you: This dude was trying to steal Christmas so we took action: Hey, that's me! I'm not sure if there will be any more bonus troops for a while now. While there is a Christmas one scheduled in a couple weeks it's the one that is three hours from me and even if there is not much snow now that can change in an instant this time of year. I also anticipate that by February next year I may be in line for the cataract surgery that I need as a result of the retina surgery complications back in January and I think with the timing of that, with both eyes now needing to be done now, plus needing new eye-glasses when it is all over I will be grounded for a month or more unable to even drive. Time will tell. Bart

Troop 10: Medicine Hat Gas City Entertainment Expo October 21, 2023 I can't believe I was in armor 10 times since this past January! I thought if I had five opportunities to troop I'd be lucky. It just gets better and better with each one. I usually can go 3.5 hours in the armor if I can move around between standing in place for a photo. Possibly could go even more if I have more to drink and eat beforehand. I feel my pre-retirement job prepared me for this as I had to spend a lot of time with no time to eat or drink for extended periods. This can be sort of the same at times. Once I'm in the armor I'm pretty comfortable but once I take it off I don't want to get back in it for the rest of the day! This is a little expo that maybe had an attendance of 500-1000 people throughout the day. But it probably has to be one of the most fun events I've been to so far. It has been an annual event for the garrison for a number of years. What made it so much fun was the interaction ability. With things not so crowded it was easy to walk around and have fun with the attendees and harass a few that looked to be trouble. Some memorable encounters with this one as I've come to expect with all of them. One young man with some challenges talked up two of us in the photobooth for a good 10 minutes. We managed to stay in character and had some fun with him while also adding some humor to the encounter. His dad seemed very happy that we spent the time with him. We were also asked to take part in a ring toss game. I was sweating extra bullets in this one because of the four characters were had at this event I was the last two throw and the first three all landed their shot. The pressure was on. Thankfully I landed my shot too which was very disappointing to the crowd that were expecting a grand failure of aim! Joke was on them. I can see pretty well out of the helmet even with my bad eye and corresponding depth perception problem! Treated like royalty by the organizers. We had about 2000 sq feet (yeah they skimped out on that...) of change area for four of us and we could share in the volunteer snacks and pizza all day! Two TKs at this one. The second lives in the same city as I do but she (TK55810) will be moving sometime next spring. As such right now we end up carpooling a lot to these troops to save on some costs. Found the droid I was looking for. Much shorter than I thought it would be... I don't think this armor is going to pass inspection. Too many departures from the CRL for approval. I really liked this costume and thought the red and white contrast would be cool. I asked for this photo to be taken. I'm sure she wondered when one of our guys went up to her and said, "Our stormtroopers would like a photo with you." what was going on. Isn't it normally the other way around? I didn't think it was worth any Imperial credits to have this primitive weapon from this out of the way planet we were on. On the other hand I probably couldn't miss with this one even if it was a bit awkward to carry around and load. This little Jedi was probably my highlight of the day. When they first walked in his eyes were on us and when his dad brought him closer I said, "I need to see your identification." and his dad helped him with what to say and do to get the line, "I don't need to see your identification" which made his day. More cuddly than a blaster... But when he misses his nap he's just violent. For some fun one of the members (the Mando above) made this little reel. It does a very nice job of showing our time away from the photobooth area. https://www.facebook.com/100011473691801/videos/3996173270703791/ Any troop between now and next spring will be a bonus troop. The weather is starting to change which usually means bad travel weather and 9 out of 10 troops for me involve a minimum two hour drive. In nasty conditions it's just not practical. If it works out I'll get to do a Christmas troop mid-December in a mall so that should be wild with shoppers! The rest of the time I'll live vicariously through those trooping in warmer locals! Bart

Troop 8 and 9 : Regina Entertainment Expo, September 23 and 24, 2023 - supporting Joe's Place Youth Centre I've reordered the numbers to be in line with others in the garrison and others on FISD. This two day event is just over two hours away for me so not bad to get to. Joe's Place had 90% of the display set up with their own props and backdrops that the kids at the centre made or purchased. We just had to put up a few banners and arrange the photobooth area just a bit. It was a tight space and we shared the change room (which was about 8x30 feet) with some of the superheroes from Joe's Place so at times it did bet a bit tight. I was in the armor quite a bit. The first day was rough. Lots of people in the booth so not a lot of time to just step out and move around a bit or stretch. I was ready to be done after 2 hours of standing, but then when I did finish my shift I went and wondered around the con in the armor so I guess it wasn't that bad. Lot's of people wanting selfies and a few wanting "just the stormtroopers" in the photobooth so we were always happy to kick out the other characters for that! I'm 99% sure people only asked that for the stormtroopers not the other costumes! Day two was not as busy so the two hour shift in the booth wasn't bad at all with time to move around and stretch every few minutes. I started the second day in the armor early as I "marched" Princess Leia around the convention floor. Most of us liked a Mustang that someone had decaled up a bit in a Star Wars theme so we made regular tours over to it. I finished with the armor after we did a march with all available SW characters from our area. That was my first and it was quite fun with lots of opportunities to tell onlookers, "Move along" and "Stand aside." First pic from the booth. Tons of costumes went through there. A newly approved Jedi to the right of me. This was his first time in the booth. He was wiping his brow of aweat by the halfway mark and commenting it was getting warm. Ah, yeah. We forgot to turn on the fan to the other side to cool us off. Most TKs in one place that I currently have attended. We have more coming up, but they aren't ready just yet. We could have had a fourth but he opted for doing his Snowy instead this weekend. I finally found them! And nice to have this guy on ice too! I liked me the Mustang, No love for the stick figure family! It was indeed a sad day that day: What can I say? She was speeding. I'm betting she tore it up later and won't appear. The Mustang owner was pumped every time we stopped for a visit. I talked to him before I left at the end of the con and told him I wasn't sure why he hadn't joined the 501st yet with all that love he had for us. He said he really would like to be a TIE pilot. WTF?? Well gave him our contact information anyway. Just join up! Some fun with the Joe's Place Superheroes. I thought I had it tough getting into my armor but after watching the guy get into Groot I think I've got it good. Joe's Place supplied the booth and just about everything else. They also have a TIE fighter at 88% scale but no room this time for it. Kids can go up in the turret and operate it to turn it and shoot targets a few feet away. They loved that. We found out at the end of day one the kids could also look right down in the change area when they were up there so we really have no idea what else they saw those two days but noted for the future that the turret has to be relocated! Finished off my day in a march. I wish we could have music! A fan put up this video though and added some: And I found myself on YouTube ever so briefly at the 9:50 mark. I could have some fun with this guy because he's from the same city as me. He didn't know he had contacted a friend of mine so I was able to use some of those details when reminding him we're monitoring everything! Any troop now until late spring are always tentative as we'll be into weather soon that may make for lots of bad travel. I'm hoping for number 10 to finish off a great first year will happen in late October. Bart

Troop 7 part 2. The day after the Market Square troop we went out to a local area called The Great Sandhills which feature a number of sand dunes in the middle of the prairie. It's a rather interesting nature spot and it can make from some very good photos. We were there early enough to have wind swept sand with no other footprints. I didn't want to take my still new armor out into the sand so while I did pose for one silly shot I just helped get the others in and out of the area. I felt maybe you all would like to see some of the finished shots. Bart If there was any doubt that Tatooine is really in Canada you just have to look at what I'm drinking. Bart

Troop 7 : Market Square/The Center in Swift Current, July 22, 2023 This is an annual troop that has been going on for years but I never had the nerve to approach them and now I'm in with that. Weird how that works. It's an open air market and we were lending support to a youth center in the city. There is a donation made to the organization on behalf of us and the city. We were lucky and had a photographer (my sister-in-law) follow us around the entire time so we could do our thing with no distraction while she did hers. I wish we could have that all the time. It made for much better pictures as a lot of candid shots were captured that we normally would never have got. A couple more firsts for me. First time feeling more the part and less like a guy with a pail on his head, first local troop so a five minute drive, first parking lot kit up which was interesting, first under a heat advisory for the day. I didn't think we would make 2 hours in the heat, but we did about 3 with one short water break and spending some of the time under tents. I think my previous job prepared me for extended periods with little water as that was a regular occurrence in my job. Next year this troop is mine to plan I'm told so I'm hoping I can get some system in place for changing and a private rest area to get the bucket off our heads without an audience. I encountered a lot of people that I knew since it was local and had fun with them until they could guess who I was. This one photo/encounter ended up being extra special but I didn't find out why until later. This gentleman was non-verbal but I'm told after the photo he whispered, "Thank you." which I couldn't hear, but the photographer and his aid heard. The aid was surprised and very happy for him. My sister-in-law, who did double duty for photos and being our handler, thrust one of my trading cards into my hand to give the man which put an even bigger smile on his face. People were encouraged to dress up but really only a few kids did. The little TK was excited for a photo and not shy in the least to run up to us for one: There will be payback for this one... At least I can take comfort in the fact that if I was hot in mine he was melting in his! Once again, ran across this guy. This time he was trying to get past customs. I don't remember how this ended.... Yup, I stopped. We took a side tour to the nearby fire station, but they didn't turn the hoses on us like we hoped. I don't even drink it, but if I did it would have to be dark roast. They are called potatoes on this planet. I know I won't like them. This is the first time I have met/trooped with the pilot, but the others are quickly becoming my trooping gang as I've done the most troops with them in my short time with the 501st (4 of my 5) All of us go with the motto that no troop is too small to attend if it is making people happy. We have a fun time every time. There will be a 6 week dry spell now to troop number 9 and 10 which will be a fan expo a couple hours away. After that most for the rest of this year becomes tentative for me due to potential weather and road conditions in October and onwards but I'm hoping to get to them especially since 2 of them are little events which allow for a lot more interaction. Bart

Troop 6 : Dominic Strong/Children's Hospital support Medicine Hat June 24, 2023 This was my first outdoor troop and my first out of province troop within my garrison. The weather was perfect. We had shade and a nice cool breeze blowing through the area for the two hours the event took place. Four of us, all 501st members this time, with no rebels in sight, attended a baseball game to lend support and draw attention to the Dominic Strong/Children's Hospital fund raising. Not many photos as we had no dedicated handler this time. I'm hoping the organizers can get some photos from the team photographer who spent quite a bit of time around us and share them with us. No wildly interesting stories from this one. We did get a request for photos with "just" the TKs so we felt special for a bit. I took part in a staring contest with a kid who was trying to stare down the shadow trooper. I took the kid's side. It went on a very long time and I'm told many more kids were lined up behind me taking part too. The shadow trooper did win after the kid's friends got bored and dragged him away. I spotted some photo-op stations so we had a go looking like baseball players: The organizers also wanted us to play some crokinole which I played a lot of as a kid, but it was much more difficult this time. The shadow trooper didn't do any better: Here is a FB video as well: Facebook They have been doing this fund raiser for a few years now and have had the 501st for all of them. I would do it again for sure. They even had a BBQ for us before it started so we went in with a full stomach. We TKs sort of blend into the team! A good month to troop number 7 which is local to me so I only need to travel 5 minutes to it! Bart

Troop 5 : Regina Collectimania June 11, 2023 / raised funds for the Regina Cat Rescue Initially this was to be more of a recruitment drive as we have no members in the province's capital city and we would love to remedy that. Because we ended up with a few more on the volunteer list and the addition of some rebels we were able to do more for their charity with a photo booth. It was not a huge show and it lasted less than six hours., but lots of people in that time. The venue, however, was very warm and that was a bit of a test for me going for three hours straight. I need to remember to be better hydrated in that heat! All was fine though, still some learning curve for me. I'm still contemplating the armor adjustments which seem to focus most on the bucket. I need it a bit higher but not too much. Most everything else seems to be fitting and riding well. I can safely say that I am totally past the whole anxiety thing over getting into costume and out on the floor around the people. I'm finding I really like to interact with people especially when I am away from the photo area. My favorite this troop was once again playing a statue and scaring a group of 16 year old boys when they suddenly realized I was real. I encountered them again later and gave them the whole fingers/eyes/watching you motion and they seemed to really get a kick out of that. Then where was the little kids most of which were excited to fist bump me (well one wanted to every time she saw me, but chickened out each time despite my best attempts to win her over). And a few of the adult kids who were just blown away standing with a stormtrooper. Hopefully at least a couple who signed the interest list follow through when we contact them. One guy wanted to be a TK so pulling for him! Join today. Yes, we mean you! Sort of my statue stand. Takes only minutes to catch someone. This was before it was 2000 degrees and the blaster was 12 feet long and 50 pounds. This one was excited. And with this one there was a combo of fist bumps and high fives instigated by him. To keep myself from seizing up I wandered and checked out the merchandise. Alas, no credits on me. Troop number 6 is already less than two weeks away and is all outdoors so the real heat test will be on! Bart

Troop 4: Luseland reading at the library. Small town Saskatchewan. 27May23 I was much more relaxed for this one. This is the size of troop I thought my first troop would have been. I was generally comfortable in the armor but still taking note of a couple things to tweak. I still haven't got the bucket fitting just right yet with the glasses, but it is workable with just a bit of discomfort. The best solution, if I can ever do it without glasses, will be the hardhat suspension in there. This was a journey. Seven hours of driving in total and three hours of trooping. It made for a long day. The town has never had any kind of event like this before and despite a number of conflicting events in their area they were happy with the turn out they did get even if it did come up shy from their projections. They have ideas for next year to get more focus and participation perhaps teaming up with the local school as well. We had time to play around and the librarian wanted to get some fun shots to use locally and we were all happy to play along. I am not the selfie king but this was their theme. Two of the rebels travelled in from Saskatoon to team up with me and TK-55810 for this. That dude in the middle was cheating. The dice never rolled my way. I'm jealous of TK-55810 who has somewhat mastered sitting. I was standing for three hours but am getting more used to it. I wasn't in agony by the end and the boots were feeling good. I'm in trouble. Wrong book section. This one was better... I guess. The kids were all pretty quiet. Their parents were more excited at times. They got to play a game and get entered for a draw the library was doing. She told us she took her kids to Star Wars in 1977 when they were teenagers and if they weren't in the fields seeding they would have been at this. This guy was the highlight of my day. The four of us were talking with the librarian when no one was in the building when the door opened behind us. He walked in the doorway to see four Star Wars characters all turn and look at him. His jaw dropped to the floor and pretty much stayed there. He brought along all his Lego that he and his dad built so, of course, we had to get this photo with his TIE fighter. He's grinning from ear to ear. So am I. When we were ready to leave they asked if we would mind also walking to the pool which was just a block away. So, yes, of course we will go watch the caged in younglings. Then they wanted us on the pool deck for more photos with the lifeguards and kids. Small town fun. We might not have signed on for a pool shift, but that water did look tempting after the day. Bart

First troop of the new year at BGCP in Dundee today. Awesome turn out with the public, and nonstop photo ops.

Some pictures from Glasgow event.

Had my 3rd troop today at BGCP comic con at East Kilbride shopping mall. Such an amazing time meeting and greeting everyone who attended. Keep on trooping...