Welcome to another exciting issue of the FISD Newsletter! We're almost halfway through the year and well on our way to 300 EI's! This issue is jam-packed, so close the blast-doors, turn the comm-link to "off" and enjoy the ride!
In this issue:
From The DL
Update on Centurion/EIB Programs
Update on Attache Program
Trooper Fit Program
Swag Alert!
Brian Muir Q/A
Trooper of the Month
Field Exercise of the Month
The IPM Needs Volunteers!
Personell Updates
From The DL
Troopers Helping Troopers is our unofficial motto and the heart of FISD. This manifests itself in many ways - whether it be helping new members with their questions or else researching and building a new discovery. The other day someone asked me about what it takes to get an FISD Achievement Medal and I posted my complete thoughts here. In summary though, all it takes is a willing and kind heart to share with others for the betterment of the Stormtrooper costuming community.
I've been tracking costume counts for some time now and the TK is the only costume in the Legion that has lost members. While there is no single reason why this is so, I do believe that if we want the Stormtrooper to stay in the lead as the backbone of the Legion it behooves everyone of us to help out our fellow troopers - and aspiring troopers - when the opportunity presents itself. Otherwise, we may find ourselves taunted by others as the "costume that formerly was the backbone of the Legion". And who of us wants that?
So Troop-on my brothers and sisters - Troop with pride and let's continue with the fine traditions that got us where we are!
With unquestioned loyalty,
Paul Hoeffer
TK-8020 "Daetrin"
Detachment Leader
Update on Centurion/EIB Programs
Badge Update
April/May have been good months for new EIB's and Centurion's. 11 Troopers earned their EI Badge and 7 earned Centurion this month, for a record breaking 18 badges in a month!!! Congrats! and keep up the good work.
For EIB
TK-6466: 501st Unit: Swiss Garrison
TK-7545: 501st Unit: UKG
TK-1845: 501st Unit: 501st Costa Rican Outpost
TK-3062: 501st Unit: Singapore Garrison
TK-3862: 501st Unit: French Garrison
TK-4959: 501st Unit: Badlands Garrison
TK-4550: 501st Unit: Makaze
TK-4074: 501st Unit: Florida Garrison
TK-7802: 501st Unit: Canadian Garrison
TK-3182: 501st Unit: French Garrison
TK-3619: 501st Unit: Golden Gate Garrison
For Centurion
Name:Rob
TK-7545
501st Unit:UKG
Name:Rich
TK-6042
501st Unit:Spanish Garrison
Name:Varg
TK-4418
501st Unit:Nordic Garrison
Name:Tim
TK-3121
501st Unit:Star Garrison
Name:Brian
TK-2918
501st Unit:Garrison Tyranus
Name:John
TK-3619
501st Unit:Golden Gate Garrison
Name:Laurent
TK-3182
501st Unit:French Garrison
Great job troopers!!!
We are currently at 171 approved EIB's! 300 EI this year, can we do it?? YES WE CAN!!
With Unquestioned Loyalty,
Mason Carson
TK-4603 "Dashrazor"
Deployment Officer
Update on Attache Program
Greetings Troopers!
I’m pleased to report that the Attaché program is already yielding valuable insights as to how the FISD is viewed by the local garrisons. It’s good to know that the FISD is universally considered THE place to be to learn the best tips and tricks in building and upgrading a Legion-quality stormtrooper costume.
At the same time, we’ve got some work to do in dispelling some of the notions out there regarding the FISD (for instance, one individual believed you had to be an EI trooper to be an FISD member), and in getting the message out that the FISD is the home of ALL 501st TKs, both current and aspiring, and a welcoming place for anyone who has an interest in the iconic Stormtrooper. But in order to continue to get the message out, we need more Attaches! Internet-based forums are nice for communicating quickly to mass audiences across great distances, but often times a more personal touch is required to get the message across. Old-fashioned face-to-face communications will always have a role to play – hence the importance of the FISD Attaché. If you’re a 501st Stormtrooper and want to make a difference at the grass-roots level, be sure to (1) request full board access here, then (2) sign up to be an attaché here
In other news, there have been no significant disciplinary actions taken during the last month. Obviously, that's a good thing. Still, as a reminder please keep in mind the basic tenet of treating others with courtesy, and communicating with fellow members in the same manner in which you would like to be communicated with. Keep in mind that in typical face-to-face communications, approximately 80% of it happens via non-verbal means. Since we don’t have the benefit of seeing each others’ faces and hearing each others’ voices, what you type takes on added importance, and unfortunately can be easily misinterpreted. Quoting the FISD Guidelines, “Take responsibility for how your posts may be interpreted. If you meant it one way, and multiple people interpreted it another, maybe it's not necessarily their fault for reading it wrong. Maybe it's because of how it's written.†Read and heed.
That’s all for now - carry on Troopers.
With Unquestioned Loyalty,
Brian Robinson
TK-2918 "tkrestonva"
Provost Marshal
Trooper Fit Program
This May, the "Trooper Fit Program" has completed it's inaugural year with great results. If you're unfamiliar with the program, it is simply a thread on the forum where Troopers share health and exercise tips and support each other in reaching their weight loss goals. The main idea being "Troopers helping Troopers" to look like Troopers.
Special thanks to "Bluehickey" and "tigger68" for stepping up and championing such a great program!
For the full thread visit here
Swag Alert!
Patches - the patch run is closed. 80 packages have gone out, and 22 more will go out as soon as I get new Centurion and FISD patches in stock, which should be any day. This was the largest run we've ever done. The run included orders for:
- 223 FISD Patches
- 125 Beret Flashes
- 125 EI Tabs
- 144 Centurion Tabs
Silver 5th Anniversary Coins (CLOSED) - the coin run is closed and the order placed with the vendor. Packages have been labeled and like the patches these should go out very quickly once the items arrive. Over 400 were ordered - like the patches a new record for FISD.
Gold 5th Anniversay Coins (OPEN) - These are open only to EI who have not yet ordered a coin from a previous run. There are 39 left and can be ordered here: http://forum.whitear...c=15729.��These are numbered as well, on a first come first served basis.
Trading cards, t-shirts, decals, mugs - if you're maxed on coins/patches or are looking for something different these items are offered on an ongoing basis and can be ordered anytime.
Guest Editorial: Brian Muir
FISD Intelligence Officer: Pandatrooper / Terry
Greetings troopers! This month we are having a short Q&A session with Brian Muir in regards to the design and creation of sculpting the original form for the Stormtrooper armor!
What was your primary inspiration for the over-all design of both the helmet and suit?
The Stormtroper suit was my 3 dimensional interpretation of Ralph McQuarrie’s concept paintings. It was my task as the sculptor to make his 2D design work as a 3D clay sculpt. (Liz Moore was responsible for sculpting the helmet – again using Ralph McQuarrie’s concept art).
Was the original stormtrooper sculpture created standing up?
Yes. A plaster cast of an average guy, who I have been told recently was Dennis Plenty (now 78 years old), was produced for me to sculpt the Stormtrooper on. I modelled the suit in clay on the standing figure so I could see the form and lines as it would be seen on screen.
Not sure if this has been answered already but how did the thumb print on the bicep come about (obviously made by a thumb! lol) but was it left on intentionally or just not noticed?
The thumb print on the inside of the bicep was not in my sculpt. How it came about I don’t know. My thumb fits Vader’s nose but was not used for anything else ‘Star Wars’ lol
Was a left and right shoulder bell sculpted or just a single one used for both?
Yes I sculpted a left and right shoulder bell to ensure the suit fitted correctly. All the leg and arm pieces were handed (left and right).
How close is the final product to your original vision, and if you had it to do all over again would you do anything differently? (I am asking primarily when you saw the final product on screen, was there anything that was changed from your original design that disappointed you?
The suit seen on screen is as I sculpted it – except of course for the ‘thumb print’ in the bicep. There were also pieces that were added – ammo belt, knee pieces and shoulder straps – I believe the wooden moulds for these were made by the Elstree Studio carpenters.
I wouldn’t have done anything differently as I feel the suit works very well and has stood the test of time – this forum and the interest it generates is proof of it.
Thanks Brian for your contributions so far! Stay tuned for more insight into the creation of the Stormtrooper!
Trooper of the Month
Congrats goes to "Dionaly" for her incredible contributions on the Jes Gistang Research Thread.
It all started simply enough when our Beloved DL (Daetrin) posted a pic of an upcoming Gentle Giant Figure release.
Before long discussions exploded and "Dionaly" took charge and led direction for CRL's. This could be huge for enticing more females to become TK's as it offers a stunning, yet tasteful, yet dangerous look. Thanks for all of your hard work!
The complete thread can be found here:
http://forum.whitear...es gestang&st=0
Field Exercise of the Month
Grand Opening of Star Tours at Disney!
This month's Field Training Exercise features "ajax407" and the Florida Garrison at the Grand Opening of "Star Tours" at Disney World, FLA. Special Guest appearances made by Daniel Logan, Anthony Daniels, Dave Filoni and none other than Uncle George himself!
For link to the whole thread, click here
The IPM Needs Volunteers!
Have a knack for Writing? Handy with Photoshop? Have a love for Photography? Social Networking Addict? If any of the previous describes you then the IPM wants to know!
We are currently looking for creative and driven individuals to fill various roles in our ongoing mission to spread the word of the Empire and inspire the hearts and minds throughout the Galaxy.
Duties Could be but are not limited to:
- Writing articles/editorial for the Monthly Newsletter
- Photo editing pics for EI profiles
- Designing Propoganda material i.e. Newsletter look, trading cards
- Updating Social Networking sites (Facebook and Twitter)
A specific need right now is individuals with good photoediting skills to help process EI photos. Hazordous duty pay is authorized. 
If you are interested, PM "Shooter" or "Daetrin" with a description of the role(s) you are interested in and a brief summary of how you feel you can contribute to the propaganda effort! Don't delay, do your part for the Empire today!
Personell Updates
Congratulations to Rich "Rick330" on being awarded the FISD Achievement Medal!.
Nominated by several staff for his dedication to the spirit of Troopers Helping Troopers. He's done much to aid his fellows both in the Spanish Garrison as well as helping out many others worldwide here on these forums. And, all with a positive and helpful attitude.
Tom (RogueTrooper) has been painstakingly reviewing our CRL's for consistancy, typos, and errors. All the film canon costumes have been reviewed and updated with the EU costumes almost ready. Once these are complete they will be copied to the 510st boards as well. A huge thanks to Tom for this!
That's it for this issue Troops, Coming in July...FISD's 5th Anniversay is July 6th and we'll have a special issue with some bleeding edge Stormtrooper costuming news that will help bring to life:
- Sky Troopers (EU TK)
- SiMan hyper-accurate TK armor
- Legacy Stormtroopers (EU TK)
Don't Forget We're on Facebook and Twitter!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/whitearmor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@FISD501st
Matt MacNeil
TK-4887 "Shooter"
Public Relations Officer
On behalf of the First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment Command Staff.
End Transmission.
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