Dargas

Hi! thanks for visiting my "about me page".

Born in 1973 I can honestly say I grew up with starwars. My dad took me to see it in 1979 when I was six and I was hooked for life with Darth Vader and the Imperial Army. Thanks to dad I started collecting starwars action figures but mainly I kept asking for more Stormtroopers and ANYTHING that was imperial themed.

at the same time I grew up as an artist and have been mixing both things in a hobby-like manner, keeping most of it a personal thing.

during the 90s my affection for SW started a gradual decline but during the year of 1999 it peaked again with the phantom menace and then, again in a single blow it almost died with the attack of the clones. If not for the quick intervention of the animated Clone Wars series I would've thrown my collection out of the window. Thanks to that series my affection to all things military in the Imperial and pre-imperial starwars universe stayed strong and with the introduction of the cool clone storylines and the development of the clone wars in both tv, big screen and literary formats my love for the 501st and the Imperial army became cemented stronger than ever.

I do plan to start painting SW themed pieces always focusing on the Imperial Army and of course The Fighting 501st Legion.

About the F.I.S.D. and me:

I'm an easy going type of person, but have very strong ideals and opinions about some things. when I first joined the FISD i had an ideal of what I expected to see and amazingly enough I found the detachment to be exactly AND MORE what I expected it to be.

I found amazing people here all waiting to help anyone that needed help with anything. that feeling of brotherhood was imprinted in my heart in a single shot of awe when I came, all happiness in my new FX armor kit, through the door of the Anaheim Convention Center during celebration 4 and came face to face with a hall full of Stormtroopers and Imperial Officers all shaking my hand, welcoming me and treating me like they've known me their entire lives. I knew then, as I still know now, that I was and forever would be a Stormtrooper for the fighting 501st legion.

I also have a Darth Vader suit I've owned for 5 years that has seen a LOT of evolution and I trooped in it HARD for 4 years until the beginning of 2011. People kind of decided I was Darth Vader and kept asking more and more for me to appear in the Dark Lord Suit.

at the same time there was a bit of a bad mojo time for me in the FISD tho, as during 2008 (or so) the ideal of banning the FX (at least the helmet) started taking a hard tone. I fought some of the guys implementing this ideal (and I'm truly and honestly sorry I did so as I now see what you meant about it and how you did it is the most awesome way you could make it) and at the same time the recasting and jealousness issues between armor makers and their followers was reaching it's peak.

There was a lot of drama and a lot of backstabbing (that I can remember) and I decided it was time (since I was broke and had an armor that was deemed ugly by what I deemed "the elite" in those days) to let go of my make believe world and came back to reality.

I sold my TK FX kit. and boy... how sorry I was after I did so.

About half a year passed and I could take it no longer and I decided to come back trooping, this time in my Vader suit. Being the Only Vader in my country I was asked to be in every single troop and that really damaged my suit to a point where it was a shame to show and i got really tired of trooping in such a tiresome and heat inducing costume but most of all... every time I came to the troops I kept longing for my TK armor.

So I decided to get back to the infantry ranks. This time with a Snowtrooper.

I thought that LESS armor would make it more accessible... boy how WRONG I was!!

500 bucks for a set of armor that is a third of the quantity of covering plates than a TK!? wow

I still wanted to get back in the ranks and for some odd reason I didn't decided on a TK so I contacted Dan Laws during september 2010 in Imperial Armor for a nice kit. The deal with Dan didn't came trough as expected because Dan is a very busy man and couldn't deliver the kit at the time it was needed to be delivered (I live in costa rica and the tax for a kit is 100 bucks AND the INT. Shipping would be about another 100 bucks so the armor would cost 700 bucks! that was insane! so I took the opportunity of a travel to new jersey in december to pick it up and get it back with me and thus not paying INT. shipping and taxes fees) and so since he was missing and there was no armor to pick up I had a bolt of lightning of an idea and contacted Terrell at ATA Works and ordered my TK armor.

When Dan didn't responded my emails for 2 months I had a fit and called Dan Names in the central forum and got the angry eye of Ricky Torres and most of all of Targ (the RJS CO)who gave me the phone number to contact Dan and at the same time had a bit of a fight with me in private, he was right to be pissed and I understood i didn't used the best tools to contact Dan. I recognized my stupid mistake, erased everything, tried to make peace with Targ (don't think it worked and I'm sorry for it all) and called Dan. I had a long talk with him and both of us recognized out fault in the entire mess. Dan is a cool as they come type of guy and I'm truly sorry i attacked him openly. that is one scar I take and wish I could take away but hell, we all make mistakes and the important part of it all is learning and come out better than before of it all.

Dan, Ricky and Targ, again, I'm sorry I was that dumb and blew steam the way I did. It will never happen again from my side. you have my word. I'm here to make friends and brothers. Not enemies and i'm sorry something like that happened.

Anyways, I got the Kit in time, took it back with me and by february 26, 2011 I was in full armor once again. It FELT GREAT! I was back once again and 100 times more ready to be a part of this than ever.

I've been trooping hard ever since, getting the feeling back in my outpost and allowing buddies and public like that I'm no longer Darth Vader (my CO Crazas took that role for me) but a regular stormtrooper but still my outpost brothers keep addressing me as Commander as a form of recognition for my years as The Dark Lord and my 3 years as XO (and co founder of my outpost).

roll over a few more months and here I am. Back at it again. I have a badge for helping any new trooper (or anyone for that matter) that needed help and I'm VERY proud of that bit. I hope to stay on that track and keep helping anyone I find in need of helpng or orientation.

In matter of pride I can now say I've been recognized as a EIB status holder. I'm am very proud of it and will try to reach as high as Centurion. I plan on keep helping as much as I can and keep myself away as far as I'm able from the drama and politics that just aren't my arena (i'm very passionate on my ideals and that can get me into discussions) and so maintain myself away from trouble.

I'm here to have fun, I'm here to promote, I'm here to help and do something good about all this make believe world we live in. I love charity and i'm proud to be able to make it though this group. I'm damned proud to be a part of the 501st Legion an calling you, reader, my brother.

If you read through all of this, thank you. That means all I wrote in here means something (at least a tiny bit of something) and that you have the interest in knowing who I am and what i'm all about. Thank you!

But in a nutshell: I'm all about Helping and having fun! that's it!

if you ever need anything from me just let me know and I'll do all I can in my power to do so.

Thanks for the reading time and thanks for not falling asleep!

Troop On!!!

-Rick "Dargas" Vargas Andre

TK-1845 ANH ST EIB

Costa Rica Outpost (Co-founder)