FencingCorvetteTrooper

#16 10/14/23 - Quinn and Olivia's Birthday (Pompano Beach, FL) Still can't believe it was 6 months ago that I wore the white, but brought it out for a special occasion as my niece wanted to surprise her kids with some live action Star Wars characters at their birthday party. Managed to recruit a fellow squad mate in his Inferno Squad and his son (Galactic Academy) in his Darth Maul to join me. Now if it just hadn't been so hot at the beach - it certainly wasn't cool and breezy like on Scarif!

#15 4/15/23 - Miami Maker Faire (Coral Gables, FL) Had so much fun the last time, I decided to don the HWT again, but this time bringing my big ol' Lewis blaster with me. Let's just say it was quite the physical workout compared to carrying the much lighter DLT for a parade! Standing guard over a prized trophy.... An amazing droid, but definitely not the one we were looking for.... This other droid came by just to annoy and I had to direct him away.... Concentrating all our firepower to take out the enemy!

#14 11/6/22 - Miami Lakes Veteran's Day Parade (Miami Lakes, FL) So a short while ago, I needed a little project to just satisfy my urge to create something. Rather than a completely new costume, I decided to enhance an existing one - so a Heavy Weapons Trooper was born! And what better way to break in wearing all the new gear than with a parade! I'll obviously need a few comfort tweaks to the backpack, but overall it was a success and fun to get the TK back out to a troop. Crazy to think it was 21 months to the day when I last wore my TK, but between events slowly coming back last year and cycling through wearing over 25 costumes, it's not easy. With this fun upgrade though, I think there will be more TK in the near future!

POST 68 Photo taken in Miramar, FL on 11/24/20 Something a little different from a troop photo. After a long day and suiting up to take his Centurion submission photos, my son Alex started to take off his armor and I caught him with this candid shot and just had to do something with it. With some editing magic, he became that TK that just barely made it out of battle and is ready to head back to the comfort of his barracks, while at the same time contemplating if he was really cut out for the front lines..... Subject - Alex Cardenas (TK-55105) Photographer - Gary Cardenas (TK-72313) Composite/Edit - Gary Cardenas (GEC Digital Imagery - https://garyecardenas.myportfolio.com) Non-watermarked version with all rights can be provided Florida Garrison / Everglades Squad / Fire Team Alpha 1.

Lucky #13 2/6/21 - Wedding Send Off (Homestead, FL) While mostly due to the pandemic, this time around, it had been over a year since I donned the white armor! And I actually had a bit of a reverse problem in that my thighs were much roomier than last time, so looks like the pandemic workouts at home have been working and I might need to make some minor adjustments. All in all, it was a great night and the young couple couldn't have been happier!

Way to go kiddo!! Congrats!!

Woo-hoo!! Congrats son! Told you all that detail work would pay off.

#12 11/30/19 - Preparing for the Rise of Skywalker at the Museum of Science (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Couldn't believe I hadn't trooped in my TK in almost 6 months and I suffered a bit as it turns out my body had changed a wee bit after three months of weightlifting and of course all that food over Thanksgiving! LOL But I managed and it's nothing that a couple pounds here and a few adjustments there can't fix The Boss looks so much taller on the screen.... Just be quiet and stand still. Maybe he won't notice and he'll think we're dolls as well.... ...or maybe he'll just join in with his own doll!

Welcome aboard son!

11 for me; if I could request my 10 badge. Thanks!!

#11 6/6/19 - Weird Al Yankovic Concert (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) I've always heard one of the highlights of being a TK is getting a chance to perform on stage with the great Weird Al Yankovic, and this year, I got my chance! It was an overall amazing experience, which I hope I get to do again. Learning the routine to be performed during "The Saga Begins" (I'm on the far left) I was the first one on the stage leading the squad out (no pressure at all as I just kept praying not to trip on anything).... Dancing in TK armor is quite the experience - fortunately nothing popped or snapped! Weird Al was a gracious host and after the show met with us to take pictures and sign autographs...

Like so many, I said - "I'll be fine with just one build. No need for another costume. This was a lot of work." 17 months and 9 additional costumes later... Oh, and did I mention two more in the works? Why did this hobby have to be so much fun?? LOL TK - Stormtrooper: ANH Stunt (Centurion) BH - Greedo DZ - Tusken Raider: ANH (male) IC - Imperial Crew: Mechanical Crew IS - AT-ST Driver IC - Imperial Crew: Scanning Crew DZ - Bith Musician TS - Snowtrooper IC - Imperial Crew: Bridge Crew TI - TIE Pilot: Reserve Pilot

#10 12/8/18 - North Lauderdale Holiday Parade (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) Hard to believe this was only my 10th troop as a TK, but I guess it's one of the downsides to having so many costumes (35 troops in total so far). In any case, it was interesting donning the full armor for the first time for a parade (for the St. Patrick's Day parade, I was kilted and only wearing half of the gear). Adding an extra 10 pounds to my frame also made it fun as I suffered a few armor bites where I would get none before, and I unfortunately suffered my first crack in the armor. Nothing a little ABS paste and/or glue won't fix though. All in all an awesome experience with my squad mates and we were definitely the highlight of the parade. It was great just seeing everyone's faces light up as we marched down the parade route. Elf Troopers ready to march (I'm on the far right, first row) And probably the most adventurous part of the event - getting in, riding and getting off the school buses that took us from the parking area to the parade staging area!

Hi Lily! For the gloves, we actually followed the instructions from another build thread (Alay's ANH Stunt build (AP, first build)). She was a great reference for us since it was an AP kit as well. She has a picture of the glue in her thread and the instructions - it's Loctite Plastic Bonding Glue with the Activation Pen. Just click the link above and you'll be good to go!

Mark has great armor; we love it! I just sent you a PM with some info on the speakers.

Congratulations! Great job sticking through the build and welcome to the ranks!!

#9 7/14/18 - Florida Supercon (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) This was a big troop as I worked 3 of the 4 days and cycled through 7 costumes, which included a new one approved by our GML onsite (Bith)! While I proudly sported my FISD Racing Shirt as I handled and worked the booth, it wasn't until the end of my last day that I suited up in the white plastic. But this wouldn't be any ordinary troop. - I, along with my son, my brother and a fellow squad mate, got to participate in the pro wrestling show at the Con! The promotion (which showcases pro wresting but with every wrestler in a cosplay character), wanted something to liven up the match between Kylo Ren and Rey, so they asked us to help them out. It was a great experience, especially being backstage and mingling with many of the wrestlers we had been seeing for years on the local indie circuits. At times, they were more starstruck with us than we were with them! LOL We walked through the match and what they needed us to do, and it all went off without a hitch. I even got to carry Kylo's light saber (the "foreign object") to the ring and hand it to him during the match. Definitely a memorable experience and hope to be able to participate again next year! After coming out behind Kylo and protecting the ring entrance, Kylo proceeds to antagonize the audience. Doing our best to be as menacing as possible (from L to R - my brother, me, my son and one of our squad mates) Rey was starting to get the upper hand, so we started to slowly move forward, until Kylo called us off and told us to leave as he would have the situation under control. Walking the light saber up and handing it to Kylo... Finally, a couple of great backstage shots after the match...

#8 4/28/18 - Salah Foundation Children's Hospital (Ft. Lauderdale) While my second hospital troop, this was my first doing it as a TK. As always, it was a rewarding experience bringing smiles to those who needed them! Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we were handler-less for this troop, so everyone pitched in to help each other out. Besides, when Vader calls for help with his cape, obedient TK's rush in to assist! My son trooped with us as well, but in his Scan Crew costume in order to help with handling, pictures, etc. Somehow, he looks to have had another growth spurt, so me thinks it's time to check his TK armor and make sure we don't need some adjustments! The staff are always excited to see us as well! One of the many patients we helped to have a brighter day! And of course, it wouldn't be a troop without some shenanigans. Here, much like my Rodian alter ego Greedo a couple of months ago (see last picture), TK-72313 didn't heed the warnings about the wet floor signs around the hospital. Even with Vader pointing out the sign and a fellow TK yelling at him, it just wasn't enough to avoid the inevitable. Now to see if this picture makes it all the way to the Legion social media pages like Greedo did . TK-72313 signing out until the next troop!

Awesome!!

You gotta have frozen Han ready so we can push him down the parade route. I'll definitely break out Greedo to be part of that!

Lucky #7 3/10/18 - St. Patrick's Day Parade (Ft. Lauderdale) This is a popular parade event for our squad and we had a great turnout of TK's. It was my first parade, so I was psyched! While the temptation to wear my Greedo was there given he's green, I had to do my first parade as a TK. But of course, we were in slightly more appropriate attire... I must admit, I could get used to wearing my TK this way A quick DLT selfie of a few of us before heading down to the staging area (and yes, we had Empire playing on the TV in one of the changing areas)... Trying to herd all of the TK's together for a group picture in the staging area is tough when spectators and other parade participants are constantly coming up for photo ops (Kylo was doing his best to round us up). One of these TK's is not like the others... In the meantime, Boba managed to snag a couple of Rebels... Darth leading the way... We had so much fun breaking ranks to go high five and fist bump kids and adults and then race back into formation. Hearing the cheers of the crowds was really awesome. I even had one woman grab me after she motioned me over, and instead of a selfie, she planted a huge kiss on the side of my helmet!! Definitely an unexpected moment. Missing about a third of the group, but we managed to sneak in as many as we could for a group shot after we finished the parade route.

Thanks!!

I’m still showing pending. TK 72313

Thanks and agreed! At the con, my brother was swarmed by a group of 6-7 girls and their parents that were excited to get their picture taken with a stormtrooper. They didn't see my son and I come around the corner until we were standing behind them. One of them turned around and suddenly screamed - "Oh my gosh, there's three of them now!!!". The wow factor suddenly increased three-fold for those fans! All I could do was smile and laugh uncontrollably under my bucket.

#6 1/13/18 - Paradise City Comic Con (Miami) While not as big as the July Supercon or MegaCon in Orlando, this was a nice introduction to trooping a con. We had a complete blast! In the morning shift, we donned our TK's and made a strong presence at the booth. For the late afternoon, my son took on my Greedo persona (and did the character proud!) while I debuted my Tusken Raider (that was a whole 'nother level of fun, especially with the sound glove). The amazing thing though was that suddenly we were the celebrities - as many of the TV/Movie starts in attendance wanted to take their pictures with us! Here are a few shots from the day. Ready for a full day of trooping and costume changes! Prepping our booths Ready to serve the empire with my son and brother! My son and I posing with Wyatt Oleff from Stephen King's IT and Guardians of the Galaxy With Michael Nathanson from Netflix's The Punisher. He came by the booth on the second day and hung out with us (really big Star Wars fan and great guy!) My son as Greedo with comedienne Lisa Corrao Jeremy Ray Taylor from Stephen King's IT posing with me in my Tusken. He ran up to me with such excitement and eagerness to take a picture! Shenanigans by the entrance towards the end of the day.... Finally, a few pictures of my brother and a couple of squad mates that I took on Sunday when I was working the booth. These came out too nice not to share.