Holnave (evan_loh)

I'm loving this thread. Great work Mike!

OMGGGGG Woooooowwwww

In Memoriam From the DL From the XO From the PRO Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper Kylo Ren and the First Order Stormtrooper Darth Maul Makeup Memoirs Notable Troops Just for Fun Advanced Tactics Awards and Sith Spotlight Swag Alert Follow FISD Star Garrison member Zac Sotman (TD-6753) passed away Thursday night (10-29-15). Some of you may remember him when he trooped in Austin, TX at Panera Bread where he managed the store, or from other troops in the area. Some may remember him from when he lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and trooped since at least 2006. Remember when you troop with the 501st, you never march alone. Rest In Peace brother. Zac Sotman served the MEPD with honor and integrity. He will be greatly missed. Please keep his family in your prayers. Buckets off troopers. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Clint TK-16311 "cm325i" FISD Imperial Propaganda Department Aloha kakou, In case you have not heard, there is a new Star Wars movie coming up in about two weeks. The rumors are true. Will you go see it? I am on the fence about it. And by on the fence I mean seeing it twice the first night in two different locations. For me it does not seem real. Even with the 30-inch First Order Stormtrooper in my foyer greeting me with blaster drawn I might be in denial. It is part Episode I PTSD and part being exhausted from excitement and anticipation. I know I am no alone in this convoluted emotional muddle. This newsletter is special to me because I have a foot in both camps. I spend time in both detachment forums with an approved Return of the Jedi Vader as well as my A New Hope Stunt TK. Both forums have radically different cultures and forum tone from another. Regardless of how both detachments go about helping people the intent is the same. The Sith Lord Detachment (SLD) and the 1st Imperial Stormtroooper Detachment (FISD) both care passionately about making sure members look their best. No one on either forum wants to see someone unnecessarily spend money on something they will end up regretting. We both preach research research research to buy once. It would be easy to use this space to dwell on the subjects of our recent spate of forum melodrama here on the FISD and on the Legion level. I am doing my best to take the high road in these situation. I encourage everyone to do the same. We effortlessly to let our strong opinions fly out of our fingertips until our own blind hyperbole incites more unnecessarily strong opinions. This behavior is counterproductive to FISD’s mission, which is to help people buy and build the best Stormtrooper armor they can. If you find yourself with a strong opinion about a hot button topic, please take a moment and ask yourself if it is helpful to others. Reflect on why you are posting it. If it is for the sole purpose of reading your own opinions on the forum or if it is to state some overly politicized stance, then do not post it. If you cannot stop yourself from posting please know that I prefer to see over used Fry memes, cats dressed as Vader, and other attempts to make people smile. More fluffy bunnies, puppies, and imperial rainbows please. Maybe everyone can post a knock knock joke instead? Knock Knock Who's there? Little Yoda lady. Little Yoda Lady who? I didn't know you could yodel! With that out of the way have you seen Clint (camprandall) and Q’s (gmrhodes13) recent creations?! I am typing this with a bandaid on my thumb after a utility knife went through my thumb trimming shin armor. That is what happens when I try to do simple tasks with ABS. These two nutballs have created two TFA weapons out of household items and thin air. You can see Clint’s Heavy Gunner Canon build photos below. Once the movie is released I intend to push to get this TK’s CRL approved in the Legion. Also check out Q’s Riot Trooper Baton with lightsaber sounds. Pretty darn clever no? His thread also includes a little video of it in action. TKSonic is making the shield to go along with the the baton. I would post a photo of it but I am waiting for one of a completed shield. There is another topic that has been overlooked in this newsletter that pertains to both of our detachments. That is Costume Reference Library (CRL) creation. If our current LMO has his way all new costumes to the Legion will have a CRL before they are approved. Recent changes to the Legion operating protocol puts the CRL on us on the detachment removing a lot of randomly wielded power to the Legion Membership Officer (LMO). The next step for changing the ops protocol is to really put the screws to the detachments and force us do the CRL heavy lifting before a costume is approved. If this actually happens we should see the end of new empty white boxes in our CRL lists. Both SLD and FISD have been on the forefront of this new detachment centric movement. The Kylo Ren CRL and the new TFA TK CRL were both written by their detachment’s communities with transparency and openness. A mockup of the Ralph MacQuarrie concept Vader CRL is underway on SLD, mostly for fun. If I could look into my Sithy crystal ball for 2016 I would put money on a Rebels Vader happening within the next year. On FISD we will soon see the development of Captain Phasma, Battlefront Shock Trooper, and Clint’s Heavy Gunner. My hope is that this new methodology will be come the paradigm across the legion sooner than later. We will not have another newsletter until after the premier of the Force Awakens. Until then please be safe and enjoy yourselves during the week where the Legion’s world stops for a few days. Happy TFA my fellow Siths and Troopers. With Aloha and Unquestioned Loyalty, Eric Brager TK-9674 "Darth Aloha" FISD Detachment Leader So I was thinking about it the other day, and I’ve decided I don’t really want to carry my blaster any more. I thought I would share my reasons, since we’re all pretty similar. Perhaps you can benefit from my thinking. Firstly, I find the blaster, when holstered, really breaks up my otherwise rather svelte form. I know it’s all kinds of vain, but let’s be honest, they make us look pretty hippy. Secondly, it’s heavy. Who needs it, amiright? Have you seen those noisy crickets the scouts carry? That little pee shooter fits in their ankle holster. Seems to me it’ll kill someone just as dead, at a fraction the weight. I say we do a “work-to-rule” kinda thing until the size of the E11 comes down. It’s 2015, I just bought a cell phone so thin, I cut myself shaving with it. What do we want? Smaller blasters! When do we want them? A long time ago! On another note, and I don’t wanna be that guy, but when Vader asks us to miss all the time, then sends us out with these heavy-an impolite person blasters, I kinda feel like he’s taking the piss. “Here you go trooper *kuuuu kaaaaaah giggle*. Feel the weight of that Imperial issue *kuuuu kaaaah snicker*. Now aim it in the air and shoot at the ceiling and stuff *tee hee kuuuuu kaaaaah*.” It’s not that I’ll disobey orders. I’ll still let the rebel scum go, but instead of embarrassingly shooting in the air, I’ll be all like, “Oops, looks like I forgot my blaster. Perhaps you should move along.” I don’t know about you guys, but I'm going to try it for a bit and see. It’ll likely make little difference, one way or the other, but may as well try it for a change. Happy holidays to you all, and enjoy The Force Awakens!!! With Unquestioned Loyalty, Danny TK-66668 "MechaPumpkin" FISD Executive Officer Calling all Imperial Citizens who like to take part in the Imperial Propaganda Machine (IPM)! One of the IPM's duties is to inform the masses of our latest news and to remind that the Emperor's will is supreme. This is done by releasing our newsletters. We are looking for loyal citizens who would be willing to contribute to our future newsletters both column writers and graphic artists! Please send any of the staff members a PM if you're interested! Greetings fellow Stormtroopers, Sith Lords, Cadets, and Imperial Citizens. Just a quick word to kick of this newsletter: As you have read this is a Special Edition Newsletter! And this time it's a cross over newsletter with the Sith Lord Detachment (SLD). The IPM (or Imperial Propaganda Machine) has collaborated with the PRO of the SLD, Matt, to bring this to you. Matt is also a member here at FISD and we are proud to be working with him. We will be introducing the A New Hope TK armor to our Sith Lords and in return we will be introduced to the different parts of Darth Vader's armor. And in parallel we will be showcasing what members of the FISD and SLD have worked on for The Force Awakens Stormtrooper and Kylo Ren. We have much more to show you and we hope you will enjoy this Sith Edition Newsletter! With Unquestioned Loyalty, Evan Loh TK-24127 "evan_loh" FISD Public Relations Officer FISD Achievement Award Troopers Helping Troopers. How many times per day do we see those words here at FISD? There are countless singular examples of it here daily. They come in many forms, encouraging others to keep on building when it gets overwhelming, congratulating individuals on achieving EIB and or Centurion, or even supplying advice to new forum members when it comes to considerations to look at before choosing armor. As previously mentioned, examples abound. Still, it is rare that any one member does something that has a legitimately tremendous impact on the TK community at large – but it happens. Recently, one member did something that can be described in exactly that way. With a new movie imminent, there are bound to be many new costumes and props that enter our universe. Naturally our world is a-flutter with detail debates, and photo analysis while everyone attempts to learn what is right and accurate so that the costumes and props can be accurately reproduced. At the height of these discussions Germain Graziano, TK-14492 of the French Garrison (FISD’s own “The5thHorseman”), taught himself to use 3D rendering and print software in order to complete a personal project to bring a very accurate printable representation of the F-11D, complete with some functioning parts, and ready for electronics installation with very little modification. As if being able to have a near-screen accurate blaster months before the movie even premiered was not enough, Germain made the files available for everyone to have and print - for free. This undertaking that he poured himself into is the epitome of Troopers Helping Troopers, and it is these actions that have earned Germain the FISD Achievement Award. You can see this announcement and the other award winners here, in the Achievement Award thread. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Tim TK-51878 "Dark CMF" FISD Amabassador When I think Star Wars I think of space and lasers, good vs. evil, tyranny and freedom, spaceships, heroes, lightsabers, Darth Vader and Stormtroopers. Not necessarily in that order. But we can’t deny the icons that Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper have become today. Even people who have not seen Star Wars recognize the all too familiar imposing figure clad in black and a swishing cape surrounded by loyal unquestioning soldiers in white, shining armor. Sure we have seen them before but have we seen what’s under the hood? How all the pieces of the costume fit together to make such icons? In this article we will get to see how the costume is put on. This is a newsletter for costumers after all. Darth Vader First parts on: leather undersuit, boots, shins, and cod. Next on: Inner cape and belt. Next to last: Face mask and chest armor (over mask) Finally the cape and dome. Stormtrooper The undersuit and neck seal goes on first of course! After that the thighs are attached to the belt and put on first and then followed by the shoes and shins. The chest and abdomen plates along with the back pieces (called the back and kidney plate) are then put on and hung loosely on the shoulders. There are different ways the armor can be strapped but we won't go into that detail for now. The belt then goes on tightening and holding the top half of the armor together. After that the shoulder bells are attached to the shoulder straps of the armor. Bicep and forearm pieces go next followed by the gloves and helmet. And finally the thermal detonator/canister is hooked onto the back of the belt. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Matt and Evan SL-8596 SLD PRO and TK-24127 FISD PRO For my next section the Kylo research by asking our 2 Kylo experts on the SLD how they got started: From Dawn Bright SL-13377 My name is Dawn Bright (SL-13377) I am proud member of the 501st Southern California Garrison. I am a seamstress by hobby and I love putting together Legion 1st ( 1st in the Legion) costumes and assisting my fellow costumers with their creations. I am proud to say that I have five completed Legion 1sts between the 501 and Rebel Legion. When I saw Kylo Rens "leaked" image November of 2014. I knew that was going to be a costume I would be making. When I arrived at C7 (Celebration Anaheim) I had one thing in mind. Get up the stairs and see that costume in person (On display at the Force Awakens Costume Room). I stood in line for almost and hour and was able to take hundreds of photos Thursday at Celebration Anaheim. Click on the link below for more detailed photos: Kylo Ren Costume The costume in person was in shambles from being incorrectly placed on the dummy. They even had the back of the door to the costume unlocked. This is where I got shots of the boots, midcoat and both sides of the pleated tunic peeking from inside the armpit. Seeing the costume in person allowed me to analyze the threads and fibers of each piece and match them with the plaque which was on display. Initially after getting home on the 21st of April I did a quick write up on the Sithlord forums (you'll need to sign up to be a member to view the thread: http://forum.501stsi...pic=9148&page=1) and headed to the fabric district. April 21st in the rain on my sons birthday I trenched the Los Angeles fabric district. After searching for hours, showing hundreds of fabric vendors close ups I found a bolt of fabric with a 2x2 weave that would be accurate enough for my liking on the surcoat. It still wasn't perfect but it was the closest thing I'd ever seen. I took it (and the rest of my fabric home and begin my intense research and break down of Kylos costume. One of the best ways we originally stated gathering information on parts for Kylo Ren was a board on the Sithlord forums "Kylo Ren research and Development". I started there in the early days of the build and we helped each other pick apart the sections. I began sewing quickly, hoping I would be able to finish and have a quality costume worthy of Legion approval. It felt like every time I "finished" the costume something new would pop up. The vanity fair video and article showed us many in-depth details we had originally missed. That's when I met Luke Daley (BH 21313) from the UK Garrison and his research on the basket weave surcoat (as well as a number of the other fabrics). He had found a custom material maker in the UK to begin producing the surcoat material in bulk. Fortunately by the time he was ready to start taking orders, we knew how much material would be needed. I had already completed tutorials and write up and was able to assist with how much material would be needed per coat and cape. Yet again I started my costume over with the surcoat when I received my batch of Luke's perfect 2x2 basket weave material. But I still had a problem, how do I coat it? I took dozens of scraps before I found a suitable coating. Something that shines that doesn't crinkle when dry and is still flexible. The costume has been a labor of love for me as it has for many others, from the pleated sleeves right down to the pleated boots. I have never felt such a strong connection to a character I know nothing about.... I proudly sweat through all five layers of my waxed and resined Kylo Ren costume. There has been an awakening.. From Luke Daley BH-21313 I started my Kylo Ren journey similarly to many others by knowing nothing, and then there was that first trailer within 88 seconds my mind was blown and who the hell was that guy with the weird lightsaber.. I tuned in along with millions of others to the constant stream of videos and photos from Anaheim when I first caught a glimpse of the Kylo Ren Costume at this point I knew it was going to be a costume I wanted to have. First things first I got some super high res shots from the constant stream of content online and designed the Kylo Ren Buckle, everyone asked me how I stumbled upon the dimensions I started the way i always do with a photo by scaling the photo of the costume to Adam Driver’s height the belt measurement came out to just over 5 inches I standardised that down to 5 inches for simplicity and A-typically most leather workers are cutting in whole inches and it lined up by the time you accounted for the boot heels and helmet It didn’t take me too long but I wanted it to be an open job so I took comments from members of the RPF and refined my design within a few days I had the final design nailed I printed it and tested the Scale out i was very happy with the part so I had a master printed at shapeways and began to cast buckles for myself and the community I even gave the files away because we’re all in this together and if it feels good to share! I’ll be honest after i finished that part I turned my gaze to other parts on the costume, the belt, the fabric the helmet what more could I learn from these pictures My next project was to begin the Saber Clip project that is still on going from the side shot we had i created a 3d model just to help people try and track down the real part but after no result I made it a finished functioning clip i discovered it’s a fantastic design and as we see in trailer one it is used to great dramatic effect since he can just slam down on the sabre and withdraw it vs the almost cumbersome covertec clip method, with every new photo i get i revise the design I've now reached my 5th revision and it’s looking better than ever i’m even having it made at a machine shop each clip consists of no less than 34 parts including mounting hardware.. Somewhere among this I kept hearing the crazy notion on how hard this fabric was to find and I mean hard like you aren’t going to find it in a year of searching, within the space of 2 months I learnt more about fabric construction and weaves than I did in my entire life until that point, I began to consider what if I got this custom made.. That consideration evolved into a now staggering 800 meter order of fabric for various Kylo’s globally it involved about 3 draft revisions with a mill I worked with and various diagrams and specifications on the fabric to get it just right, the coating is another topic still being looked into by many but we now have a solid fabric to work on! Aside from all of this I’ve had my hand in specing leather and designs to make seamless closures as well as even discovering a flaw on the Anaheim display (the buckle is upside down) i had this confirmed by a Lucas Film representative when i asked which felt like a great detail to find. I also made the huge dive into designing helmets i’ve never made 3d item’s so large so it was a challenge i enjoyed for sure after some 105 hours of design i had it done (at least for version 1.0) i also decided to give this away for free too because i just want people to have access to stuff that might not get. I've also been constantly scrubbing information on the costume having late night skype conversations to help people and discuss costume points as and when it came in and running a group on facebook that now exceeds 1000 members of absolute kylo fanatics, I have to give those guys credit also for supporting my work and keeping up the spirit of openness and exchange within the community, they have been the BEST people to work among. On FISD’s side we have had brilliant individuals who worked on the First Order Stormtrooper (FOTK for short). In the previous newsletter we featured Germain’s 3D files for the FOTK blaster (F-11 blaster). You can access his 3D files here and they are free to use. Germain has generously allowed these files to be 3D printed for yourself and friends. They can also be recasted for 501st Garrison members only. However please note that these should never be recasted for sale. Greg’s Hand Sculpted Helmet We start with Greg who started his helmet from a Pepakura file. Using bondo the shape of the Stormtrooper helmet was sculpted. Making the mold… Helmet! Jim’s Old School Sculpting of Stormtrooper Helmet and Armor We also have Jim who scratch built the First Order Stormtrooper helmet and armor. Jim’s templates were based on photos taken at Celebration Anaheim. He then based his sculpt on the size and dimensions of an Original Trilogy Stormtrooper helmet. XPS foam was used in the initial sculpt. Clay was then sculpted over the foam master. The same foam and clay process was done for the armor (the original stormtrooper helmet looks pretty good on the new armor as well!). Flexible fiberglass is used to make the armor kit. Clint’s Heavy Gunner Canon Build Finally we’d like to feature some pictures from Clint’s Heavy Gunner build. This bad BFG was scratch built using a harmony of everyday materials (pipes, primer, bondo, and wood) with 3D printing. Wood was used to make the overall frame of the gun. 3D printing was used on some parts. Pipes and bondo for the scope then painted over. Here's the completed canon! First Order Heavy Gunner! Each build had tons more pictures and details but we can't fit all of them into this Newsletter! If any of you are aspiring prop makers or just in awe of what these three talented individuals have done click on the links below to see the full build process: Greg’s Hand Sculpted Helmet Jim’s Old School Sculpting of Stormtrooper Helmet and Armor Clint’s Heavy Gunner Canon Build With Unquestioned Loyalty, Matt and Evan SL-8596 SLD PRO and TK-24127 FISD PRO The SLD's How to: Applying Darth Maul Make-up by SL-6097(also TK-6097) Pre makeup: shave head and face, trim eye brows. Take shower and wash head, neck, and face thoroughly to remove oils. Applying horns: using pros-aid, or whatever high quality prosthetic adhesive you choose, (this tutorial is specific to pros-aid) apply to horns and let dry clear. Then once it is dry clear, apply a second coat. Once that coat is dried clear then wipe the surface of your skin where the horn will go with rubbing alcohol and apply horn. Hold the horn in place for 10 seconds and then it is good to go. (I would love to be specific on where to apply the horns but it is slightly different from person to person, use a screen accurate picture as reference) Contacts: I usually do this right after applying horns because you have a high chance of messing up your makeup if you do it after. Applying makeup: now this is the tricky part, everyone does this a little different, but having good Ray Park reference pictures is key for everyone. Also paint varies, but most guys I know use either Reel Creations (which is what I use) or Ben Nye paint key is to use something alcohol activated so you will sweat through it and always use the same brand for everything so the colors match up. This is how I do it; first of all I use an air brush and air brush specific paint from reel creations, first for the large red area on the face and then the large black area on the head and neck. I use a big baby bottle cap to cover my horns while spraying around them. Then on to the detail. I use the reel creations color pots and hand paint all the detail. There is a specific formula to how I do it so that my fave looks more like Ray Parks, but everyone's face is different so you just have to practice and get to know your face, and better yet, get to know Rays face. Once you are done with the fine detail, spray on sealer if you wish, this holds the paint on better and it won't rub off when your suit rubs it. Teeth: using coffee stain or light brown and black tooth enamel, apply the brown color first to all teeth that show when you scowl. Completely cover the teeth. Once the brown is dry then go through with the black and only put it in between your teeth and put a couple dots here and there at the end of the teeth to make them look rotting. Once you are done with that, make sure you stick in your screen accurate ear stud and start revealing yourself to the Jedi You are done. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Matt SL-8596 "thechosenhitman" SLD Public Relations Officer This edition of Memoirs comes from three Stormtroopers and is centered on a Troop that took place just about a month ago – 7 November, 2015. Daniel Nickeson (TK-7586, ZacMuleer) the Garrison Events Coordinator for Star Garrison, and Andrew Repasky (TK-24218, Fuumantroop) and Bob Martin (TK-82954, BobMerge) of the South Texas Squad, Star Garrison. Each of these troopers were involved in a recent Star Wars centered, globally significant event. #ForceForDaniel recently was a very highly circulated hashtag, being heavily campaigned for by no less than John Boyega and Mark Hamill. The Story of Daniel Fleetwood was one that we are all likely familiar with, and were all very likely touched and moved by in a very personal way. If you’re not familiar with the story, then I invite you to read the following accounts of the troop for Daniel, and then do a quick internet search to become familiar with his story. Nearly every time we put on our shiny white armor, we have an impact on people’s lives – many times, we will never know this. Once in a while, a person or a troop have an impact on our lives, and these moments are the stuff memoirs are made of. Daniel Nickeson: As we all know, being members of the 501st, our facebook feeds tend to catch Star Wars stories early in their cycle. I was immediately drawn to the story of Daniel Fleetwood, and his call to Disney and JJ Abrams to see The Force Awakens early - the exact plot of Fanboys, a movie very close to my heart about a group of friends' love of Star Wars and each other. In addition to the early stories about the Fleetwoods, we received a message from Joshua Rhoads, a friend of the Fleetwood family and 501st member with more information about the severity of Daniel's diagnosis and how he was working to do what he could to help the family - and more importantly - that the Fleetwoods resided near Houston, TX. We began discussions almost immediately amongst the Star Garrison leadership to coordinate a troop, while we attempted contact with Ashley Fleetwood. With the story gaining traction and news and blog sites all over the world starting to reach out to her, I was frankly amazed and relieved when I was able to reach her. She was so incredibly kind and thoughtful and generous with her time. We expressed interest in visiting Daniel as soon as he and the family would be willing: after all, we didn't want to take too much time away from his family. Ashley was so excited for Daniel to meet our troopers; something she knew would give him a huge boost of joy. She wanted to make sure he knew of the troop to give him something to look forward to. While I asked if we should limit the number of troopers (knowing we were trooping in the residence and not wanting to overcrowd the family or Daniel), she initially said that maybe 8 troopers should attend. A moment later, she came back and said, "Scratch that. Daniel is so excited to see you that he wants as many as can make it." Within days, we had a dozen troopers from all over Texas willing to stand by Daniel, hoping to bring a smile to his face and more attention to the #ForceForDaniel campaign. Little did we know that Disney, Lucasfilm, and the Bad Robot company were granting Daniel's wish, showing him The Force Awakens at his home. There was no objection among the leadership to grant Daniel immediate Honorary Membership into Star Garrison. We were able to contact Damien Metz and get plaques and name tags made and shipped, and put out the call for our members to send in donations for the traditional "swag bags" that go out to honorary members. Except more than the usual swag came in - including a full metal DL-44 blaster - showing again how the Fleetwoods story had touched the lives of 501st members around the world. When the news story came down the wire that Daniel's wish had been granted, we also heard that his condition had taken a turn for the worse. We limited the number of troopers and time out of respect for the Fleetwood family, but were encouraged by Ashley - Daniel definitely was looking forward to our visit. He wanted to meet the troopers of the 501st. Sometimes, as troopers, we forget that there are fans out there that love Star Wars as much as we do, but just don't get into costuming or prop replicas. So when they see us, they aren't just seeing other fans, but the entities they love. The day of the troop came, and you could see the love and awe that Daniel felt in the photos and videos of the visit. Any troopers who could not make it to the troop personally posted videos to the Fleetwood's facebook walls to welcome him to the garrison and congratulate him on his honorary garrison membership. Ashley was so grateful afterward. She noted that Daniel gets tired easily, especially when excited, and after the troop he slept most of the next day. Which she was grateful for, because when he was sleeping, he wasn't in pain. She thanked us for giving him that. We heard he passed a few days after the troop. Compared to screening an unreleased movie, coordinating the troop in a short amount of time is a piece of cake. Everyone in Star Garrison wanted to help the #ForceForDaniel campaign in some way, and many altered their schedule in order to be a part of it. He brought us all together in a way few have, and we were honored to be a part of it. We are honored to have Daniel as an honorary member of Star Garrison. Once a trooper, always a trooper. Now, a collaborative Memoir from Andrew and Bob: Only days before our arrival to boost everyone's spirits, Daniel Fleetwood and his wife, Ashley, were given the chance to see "The Force Awakens" before the release date in December. This gift, directly from J.J. Abrams, Disney, and Lucasfilm, was granted to Daniel due to a simple hashtag that took the internet by storm, #ForceForDaniel. This seemingly acute movement, started by his wife Ashley, began on social media and was implemented, with force, due to Daniels ongoing battle with spindle cell sarcoma. This rare form of cancer, which effects connective tissue, began to worsen, and would ultimately claim his life, but not before the power of the internet made its presence felt. The day started off as any other day before a troop. Some people I knew were scheduled to be there, and some were there I hadn’t met before. We all had our directions to Daniel’s house with the loose plans that we would be changing in the street or in our cars for our surprise appearance. His story had globally inspired tens of thousands with his (and wife Ashley’s) fight with cancer and his unparalleled love of Star Wars. As we all began to arrive, we were greeted with warm faces by excited family and friends. Since it was raining, they had us all pile into a front room so we could get suited up. They tried to cover doorways with blankets to hide us until we were all ready. Our secret was kept until Daniel caught a glimpse of a Tusken Raider through the doorway (way to go DZ-24241!). We then, one by one, marched into the living room where Daniel and his wife were. Though it was difficult, Daniel stood up almost instantly as we entered the room. His face was full of excitement; he couldn’t decide who to look at first. Daniel shook hands with a Sith Lord (Darth Nihilus), got photos with a Shadow Stormtrooper, and Ashely was handed a bag full of goodies like t-shirts and stickers. A fellow member donated an all metal DL-44 blaster and Brandon Crismon(TK-32917) presented it to him. Daniel was bursting with excitement, he must have said “Wow” about 5 times and then turned to his wife Ashley to say, “but I don’t have anything to give them!” We all felt that genuine appreciation and we, in the South Texas Squad, were absolutely honored to be there. Marshall Conover(TK-7932) stepped up to present him with his Star Garrison Honorary Member Certificate, his official name tag, and an engraved Plexiglas plaque commemorating his membership. As Marshall tried to read the certificate out loud, he choked up a bit, as I am sure any of us would have. I think everyone with buckets were glad to have them on. We all got to thank Daniel for sharing his inspiring story with the world, and it was so rewarding to see the smile on his face, even if it was only for a couple of moments. This is what trooping is all about. After we had all removed armor and uniforms, we headed outside to load up vehicles. Marshall stayed behind and was talking with Daniel’s father in the doorway. Daniel’s father was attempting to pay us for our visit with Daniel, and just would not take no for an answer. Marshall wanted no part of it, but eventually agreed to take it with the excuse that we would use it for lunch. Once we were all out of earshot, the easy decision was made to donate the money right back to the Go Fund Me account that Ashley had set up to help cover the medical expenses for Daniel. It was only three days after our visit that Daniel passed away. It was amazing how little time we spent with both Daniel and Ashley and how connected we all felt afterwards. The love of a movie franchise, along with something as small as a simple hashtag, touched the hearts of tens of thousands across the globe. Forever in our memories, until we meet again Daniel, thank you for sharing your time with us in the 501st Legion. Buckets off. On Wednesday, November 4th Daniel received a phone call from JJ Abrams, informing him that representatives would be at his house the next day to allow him to see an unedited version of The Force Awakens. The Troopers of Star Garrison (and members of the RL’s Kessel Base) visited with Daniel on Saturday, November 7th. It was early in the morning on Tuesday, November 10th that Ashley announced to the world that Daniel had passed via a Facebook post that read: "Daniel put up an amazing fight to the very end," she wrote. "He is now one with God and with the force. He passed in his sleep and in peace. He will always be my idol and my hero...Rest in peace my love. This was the last selfie we ever took together.‪#‎forcefordaniel" Daniel Fleetwood was 32 years old. Thank you, Daniel and Ashley, for sharing your story with the world, and thanks to Dan, Andrew, and Bob for sharing their Memoir. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Tim TK-51878 "Dark CMF" FISD Amabassador http://whitearmor.net/images/newsletter2015/notabletroops.png On October 17, members of the Wisconsin & Midwest Garrisons, along with The Knights of the Howling Moon from Nar Shaddaa Base of the Rebel Legion, came together at Discovery World Sci Fi Day to raise money for Make-a-Wish by performing 4 saber demonstrations. Admission for each show cost $2 & each show had a full house with the final show having people stand on the steps & sitting on the floor in front of the first row of seats. Following each performance was a short introduction of us, info on both legions followed by a Q & A. At the end of the day over $2000 was raised for Make-a-Wish which includes a custom made saber that was constructed by the bases sabersmith. Pictured Above: Jason Stoxen, John Hartley, Dan Christy (TK-10408), Melanie Thompson, Matt Frysztak (SL-8596) & Nick Klein. Video of the show can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dhCsPMrZb0 The Empire Has Taken Over Changi Airport! I went to Changi Airport, Singapore in November and found myself jaw-dropped in front of a life-sized X-Wing Starfighter. I’ve never seen one that size before and just to see it there made Star Wars suddenly all so real to me. The Star Wars themed All Nippon Airways (Japan) jet landed in Singapore that same day and the passengers were greeted by a reception of Stormtroopers and Rebel Pilots. Probably the only day I get to see the Empire and Rebellion working together. The passengers were then brought to the X-Wing where they awaited for Changi Airport to officially launch their Star Wars celebration. Other bystanders in the airport were drawn in by the event as well as it was out in the open. The MC made his introductions and greeted all the guests and soon after that the Rebel fanfare was played out loud and we saw a squad of Rebel Pilots flocking in the X-Wing waving at the crowd and then proceeding to do some check-ups on the X-Wing. And then suddenly March on the Jedi Temple song was played and 10 Imperial Stormtroopers came marching in from the floor above and stormed (forgive that pun) the landing bay and a battle between the Pilots and Stormtroopers ensued. Another 10 Stormtroopers came by later to barricade the landing bay. Probably releasing all that pent up tension when they were “working together” earlier that morning. The battle ended (probably because the crows was begging for photos) and they soon had to work together again and pose for photos. After a while the music stopped and Duel of the Fates was queued in. No Darth Maul wasn’t there but two Imperial Pilots showed up and all the Stormtroopers fell in line. 20 Stormtroopers led by the Imperial Pilot duo started to march to another part of the airport. A little kid dressed as Darth Vader rushed to the front to lead the way. I bet it was one of the best days of his life. Along the way they had to cross a big glass bridge which swayed and shook a little (due to a larger than expected turnout of the public) causing the airport security to temporarily cordon off the area to allow the Empire to finish crossing the bridge. I’m sure the Empire wanted to take credit for it. #ImperialMight after all. After marching farther the Empire reached its destination. The largest TIE Fighter I’ve ever seen (outside the movie of course). They posed in Imperial fashion around the TIE Fighter for the public and press to get as many photos as they liked. The MC then announced the event has ended and that the public was free to take photos with the Stormtroopers and Pilots. It was all in all a surreal and amazing day for me. One that I won’t forget anytime soon. I am so much more excited to watch the movie (500 times!) in the coming weeks. *Photos belong to various individuals and were collected and used with permission. Blue Milk Special is a non-profit and donation-based web-comic strip series by Rod and Leanne that parodies Star Wars starting from A New Hope. They are now halfway through ROTJ. They are also honourary members of the Legion and are very familiar with it; even immortalizing a few of the Legion members in their web-comics as characters. We will be posting more Blue Milk Special over the coming newsletters so here's a taste! *All Blue Milk Special strips are posted with permission. You can visit their website here: http://www.bluemilkspecial.com/ With Unquestioned Loyalty, Evan Loh TK-24127 "evan_loh" FISD Public Relations Officer Sith Spotlight: Congratulations goes out to Ronald Lares (Darth Benz) SL-5928 of Empire City Garrison for being the FIRST Darth Vader to complete 200 troops in the Sith Lord Detachments Great Jedi Purge program. His 200th troop was at FARE Walk @ Eisenhower Park, NY on 10/24/2015! His very first entry in the Jedi Purge was way back on 2/16/2011 at I-Con 30 at Stony Brook NY. Event: 200 Event Name: FARE Walk Location: Eisenhower Park, NY Date:10/24/2015 The Jedi Purge Program awards 1 "kill" for each troop in your approved Sith Lord costume. Each member must have their own thread and provide 1 photo of them in character for it to count in the program. Currently patches/sticker for each of the 10 levels is in development. This month the First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment would like to congratulate: Expert Infantry Badge Award: Stein Ryther "Ryth_" TK-78346 Kris Yalung "VenicioKristylz" TK-70714 Richard Smits "VulpX" TK-19979 Stuart McLean "Disco" TK-90373 Justin Havins "Mordsith" TK-99421 Brandon Miller "Khazid" TK-19725 José María López Caballero "Chemalakita" TK-25377 Steve Davie "stvd201" TK-42200 Brian Hall "Bulldog44" TK-42114 James Suerdieck "JDTrooper" TK-11075 Chris Ward "CWard" TK-81477 Centurion Award: Dan Nickeson "ZacMuleer" TK-7586 Mark Templeton "sylverbard" TK-69323 Richard Smits "VulpX" TK-19979 Stein Ryther "Ryth_" TK-78346 Justin Havins "Mordsith" TK-99421 Stuart McLean "Disco" TK-90373 Bradley Davies "68Brick" TK-21814 Shane Anglin "TK-61214" TK-61214 Lucho Quiroz Saravia "luchoimperial" TK-10953 José María López Caballero "Chemalakita" TK-TK-25377 Brian Hall "Bulldog44" TK-42114 Stand tall and be proud of what you have achieved troopers. You will now be deployed into the First Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment Advanced Tactics Roster. Make us proud troopers! The FISD is always looking for new applicants for our Advanced Tactics program so please do not hesitate to apply if you meet the standards! Our Deployment Officer and armorers are here to help and guide you through to success! Feel like your armor is up to standards and worth of recognition? Apply for the Expert Infantry Badge Program now! Want to go the extra mile, raise the standards of Stormtrooper armor, and be the envy of your peers? Apply for the Centurion Program now! Note: Applicants need to be EIB approved before applying for Centurion. With Unquestioned Loyalty, Evan Loh TK-24127 "evan_loh" FISD Public Relations Officer Coin Giveaway! Open to non 501st members only. Keep your eye on the forums some time this weekend (12/5 and 12/6) because we will be giving away one of our new First Order FISD challenge coins. One entry per person when it happens. Stay tuned! Many thanks to Wyatt (TK4205) our Merch officer for coming up with this fun idea. http://whitearmor.net/images/newsletter2015/followfisd.png If you would like to find out more about the Sith Lord Detachment: http://www.501stsithlords.com/ Don't forget we're on Facebook and Twitter! Facebook: www.facebook.com/whitearmor If you're on FB, stop by and say hi, ask questions, and share stories! Twitter: www.twitter.com/FISD501st or @FISD501st follow FISD on Twitter! Instagram: www.instagram.com/501stfisd With Unquestioned Loyalty, Evan Loh TK-24127 "evan_loh" FISD Public Relations Officer On behalf of the 1st Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment Command Staff and the Imperial Propaganda Department, <End Transmission>

I'll get right to it.

Ok. Pumpkin will you be adding to this? I just have the advanced tactics session left to do.

Does that mean I take it off the NL as well?

Awww he got to dress Mark Hammil! How nice! Probalby had a good chat and all as well. I thought Bender looked familiar as well. So anybody on the boards saw this trooper that day and didn't know it was him until this video was released? Hugh, to tag a video use [ media ]<link>[ /media ] without spaces

Clint, would you be able to get a SLD edition banner by this week? If not I can just use the standard banner.

Matt, I believe you have everything posted that is needed for the NL. The rest is for me to fill up.

Thanks Tim!

Team, what's the status of your columns? If everyone has been too busy I understand as I too been really busy at work and barely had time over the week ends with so many upcoming troops and all. I've been slowly updating the first post and the image gallery with pictures that we will us. I plan to have a shortened version for the bulk email. I also plan to do a recruitment drive in the "From the PRO". While we have a great and solid team, I feel that we are yet understaffed. I am hoping to get fresh and eager candidates to help with more of the existing columns we have (or to think up of new ones).

Thanks Matt!

Do we have a posed pic of Luke Daley? I feel bad for putting all the pictures of Dawn but not a single one on Luke. I can't find Luke's thread for his Kylo pictures. Edit: I have also added in Maul's photos and tutorial with the amazing photos into my first post.

No worries Matt, I've grabbed some photos from the forum on her build and plan to use them.

very nice! if we have any video specials, may we have permission to use this?

can't seem to see any photos. Try the steps to post photos from photobucket in this link: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/tutorials/article/48-posting-images-in-threads-2015/

.060" or 1.5mm is a nice thickness

WOW. Just wow. I have to admit that I haven't seen this. I still learn new things from a movie I have watched far too many times! This is what the FISD is about! *alongside trooping, building armour and helping others of course)

Eric, just a suggestion you might have already thought of: use the opportunity to alleviate fears about Anovos armour and regarding belts and TDs and people bashing on it. Just like how you've mentioned in so many posts that we should worry less and focus on trooping and helping troopers build armour. At least you'll get more people reading your statement instead of your post being covered by other spiel. That is unless you want to avoid mentioning anything Anovos related all together. Personally I'd like not to publicise armour makers in the NLs. Maybe use "Pink white fluffy bunnies/unicorns dancing on rainbows" instead of Anovos..

End of month. So it's like a Nov-Dec NL. We will be taking a break in Dec but I might plan a light NL for that month.

Special Edition Banner - Clint, WIP In Memoriam - Done, thanks Clint! From the PRO - WIP From the DL - Eric, will you have any updates for this month? From the XO - Pumpkin, do you have any topics to share this month? Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper - Awaiting Vader pics (just post them here and I will save them and post them in the main post) Kylo Ren and the First Order Stormtrooper - Matt and Evan (photos: same as above) Darth Maul Makeup - Matt (Photos same as above) Memoirs - Tim, WIP Notable Troops - Glen, Matt's one, and Singapore Changi troop Just for Fun - (Blue Milk Special Strip)Evan Advanced Tactics Awards and Sith Spotlight - Sith Spotlight Completed, awaiting Advanced Tactics Follow FISD

Understood. Which made me wonder whether it should go inside Notable Troops or Just for Fun section. Either way I won't mention 501st. Althoguh the emcee at the event did mention the 501st I heard...

Very nice updates guys, I have some photos from the international troop for the Singapore Changi troop. I'll post them here.

Which calls to the type/thickness of plastic used. Thin plastics can give very sharp details, so will the armour hold up well to trooping and general wear and tear? That or they have excellent vac-forming. Hope to see a build of the full amour soon.

They got the middle line off centre which is pretty cool. I wonder what the thickness of plastic is. The details look very sharp