Congratulations to everyone who was able to enjoy Halloween with fun, good costuming, and good company. While Halloween has become a time to enjoy ourselves, in November in the US falls the holiday of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a holiday where we not only take time to count our blessings, but also share our good fortune with others, especially those in need. Truly a time for helping others, it's a perfect time also to remind ourselves of the primary mission of this detachment so concisely summed up in our unofficial motto: Troopers Helping Troopers.
This month then I'd like to encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on this and look for an opportunity to help out a fellow trooper in need. Perhaps it's helping get their armor squared away, answer new people's questions, or taking the time to create or update a tutorial or even just some well found tips in trooping or armor building. Whether here on FISD or locally at your garrison level, big or small, with many or helping even one person, the spirit of giving your time freely to help another is always worth acknowledging.
Come share your stories on FISD this month at http://forum.whitear...showtopic=17418 - together we can truly make a difference.
With unquestioned loyalty,
Paul C. Hoeffer
TK-8020 "Daetrin"
Detachment Founder
By Brian Robinson (tkrestonva)
On Saturday, October 29th Garrison Tyranus played host to our Old Line Garrison brothers and our comrades-in-fandom from the Rebel Legion (Freedom Base) and R2 Builders Club (Washington, D.C. area) at Air & Scare, the annual Halloween event at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the U.S. National Air & Space Museum, near Washington Dulles International Airport.
As Halloween celebrations go in the National Capitol Region, this is the premier event and draws fans from all over the region. It is an indoor, safe, family-friendly event that's free to the public and largely staffed by volunteers from a number of different organizations. This year we had over sixty Star Wars-themed costumed participants, and that number doesn’t include the lesser-known Star Wars costume groups and non-Star Wars costume fan groups who were also in attendance.
Although the numbers aren’t in yet, last year drew approximately 30,000 fans for this one-day event, an attendee number larger than many multi-day conventions and a museum visitor count second only to the museum’s Opening Day. If the massive and extremely enthusiastic crowds (many of the museum visitors of all ages were dressed in their own Star Wars costumes) are any indication, this year we expect an even bigger final count. If you love Halloween, Star Wars, or aviation and spaceflight history and are in the Greater Washington D.C. area around the end of October, this definitely is a must-do event – your children (including your inner child) will thank you for it!
On a personal note, this was my fourth "Air & Scare" and being able to participate is part of what caused me to seek out the 501st Legion to begin with. Every year I look forward to it with the same level of anticipation as Dragon*Con or a SW Celebration, and this year was no exception. I’m already looking forward to next year. 
Check out photos from the event here: http://forum.whitear...=0
Or head to Flickr for the full set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zhunter/sets/72157628040265768/with/6307171133/
With Unquestioned Loyalty
Brian Robinson (tkrestonva)
TK-2918
By Jesse J. McClear "TK-4702"
Hi Guys!
Today I'll be sharing my secret to getting a nice even trim-line around a thermal detonator end-cap.
Here's what you'll need to get started:
- A flat (sturdy) surface
- X-acto knife (or utility knife)
- 1" (or 3/4") roll of masking tape.
The screen used end caps were 3/4", but some people prefer the look of a 1" end cap. Today we will be making them at 1".
First, place the roll of tape on a flat surface, and put your end cap inside (opening facing up). Next, place the tip of the knife about 1/16" (or so) past the inside edge of your tape roll. Then, place your index finger on top of the blade to hold it in place (please use caution when handling the knife). Now, lightly hold and rotate the end cap against the blade until it comes full circle. Note: You don't need to press very hard, just enough to score the surface. Also be sure to keep the end-cap flat on the surface for an even cut.
For the rest of this tutorial... Please visit the link below.
With unquestioned loyalty,
Jesse
TK-4702
Imperial Propaganda Machine
by Matt "Shooter" MacNeil
Return of the Jedi goes down as one of my absolute favourites in the Saga. It was actually the first Star Wars movie I saw in theatres which my Dad took me to when I was 3 and I remember forcing him to take me to find an ROTJ Luke figure immediately after.
Despite so many pluses of the movie such as the Battle over the Sarlacc pit and Speeder Bike chases, it was not a good showing for us TK's. Not only did we get a royal thrashing by a group of primitive Teddy Bears, but our suits seemed to have a weird look with our lips painted black and window trim around the armor, a far cry from our shiny whites on the first Deathstar in ANH.
By the time we got to ROTJ it had been six years and two movies since our introduction and by then while some suits were made new, a lot were recycled ANH and ESB. Repairs had to be made, sets were mismatched and ultimately thrown together, and shooting was done in a backwoods forest. Ultimately, we were not pretty.
However, that got me thinking - were they suppposed to be pretty? I mean, after all, they were stationed on a FOREST planet. A lot of talk goes to the specialization of Sandtroopers, but no credit is given to the specialized force that was sent down on some intergalactic camping trip. They weren't even given any special equipment to deal with their environment and who knows how long the deployment was.
One thing that struck me about the Endor Trooper was the size, they looked big and mean. Now, this could be relative to the fact they were throwing around Ewoks, but for the first time, TK's looked like a Brute force. With their big shoulders and black teeth, they looked menacing. I remember when Luke is being escorted to Vader and they towered over him, they for once looked like the Imperial Badass they were meant to be.
Even their voices sounded meaner, in the scene where they have Han and Leia "trapped" at the Power Generator, the voice on that Trooper means business. In retrospect, the image painted of the Endor Trooper was one of a rough, hardened Trooper, I mean you would have to be, to be able to deal with small furry like creatures with such coldness and tenacity.
Still, the popularity of the ROTJ Trooper in the Legion is clear in it's handful of numbers. There are more Expanded Universe Troopers in the Legion than ROTJ, that says something.
However, the tide is changing and the uprise of this overlooked Trooper is commencing.
One of the main issues which made it difficult for ROTJ Trooper fans was there was a clear lack of supply, reference and research. Most armorers focus on ANH or even ESB, but until recently, there hasn't been much focus on ROTJ at all. Also, the ROTJ Armor is very different from the ANH and ESB and not interchangeable as the first two were.
Introduce "Cast From Original" (CFO) - CFO is the first armorer to offer ROTJ kits exclusively, and not only that, they look great. The introduction of an "ROTJ Only" armorer answered some serious questions about this Trooper and no longer were new ROTJ builds a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. CFO kits are designed for the exact purpose of being all that encompasses ROTJ.
With that came along the first replication of the "Endor Trooper" one that many of us (myself included) never gave much thought of. Here at the FISD we mainly focus on "clean TK's" and leave the "getting dirty" part to the MEPD. Now, we have a Trooper, from the original movies, that we can get uniquely dirty and have as our own. Not sand blasts from the desert, but the dirt and grime of a harsh woodland forestation, Cool!
Here's what I'm talking about:
CFO Founder Mark "sskunky's" Endor Trooper
And Rich's "Rick330" Endor Trooper
And here's a video on Rich's weathering technique:
I also strongly urge you to check-out Rich's complete build thread found here http://forum.whitear...opic=16442&st=0 it is Amazing!
So, things are changing in the Trooping World and the ROTJ Trooper is back in full force! Who knows, maybe next year they may have their own detachment, just like our brothers and sisters at the MEPD, I for one hope so!
With unquestioned loyalty,
Matt MacNeil
TK-4887 "Shooter"
Public Relations Officer
The FISD would like to send their Condolescences to the friends and family of Fallen Trooper Allen Poole. Our hearts and thoughts are with you during this tough time.
Hi everyone - three items you should all be aware of this month:
1. FISD patches will be on sale this week. There is limited stock on most items, but we will have lots of tabs. It will be the last run of the year, so do get your orders in.
2. Large 5th Annivesary patches will also go on sale this month. We've got our vendor issues sorted and found an even lower price, so look for the interest thread also this week.
3. MEPD/FISD is considering doing a joint ops coin or patch this year to celebrate their 10th and our 5th anniversaries together, and to celebrate that these two detachments and costumes work so well together. So - come to FISD and post your thoughts!
Don't Forget We're on Facebook and Twitter!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/whitearmor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@FISD501st
With unquestioned loyalty,
Matt MacNeil
TK-4887 "Shooter"
Public Relations Officer
On behalf of the First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment Command Staff.
End Transmission.
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