Airport security and armor/buckets

[Thanos]

As I continue to obtain all the accessories and parts of my TK armor, and I am planning to travel to Florida in June for Star Wars Weekends, I am left wondering what to do about my armor and bucket when I get to the airport. I have read several posts on here about people checking their armor (no problem there), but I imagine I would get a raised eyebrow, at the least, when my bucket goes through the x-ray machine and the circuitry shows up (I am planning to have fans, a Trik Toys sound board, a microphone, speakers and an amp installed in my bucket by then). What do you guys do about that? Am I worried for nothing?

 

Sorry if I end up worried about nothing, but this will be my first time flying with armor and I would rather figure out what will come up before I get to the airport!

[Del Fargazer]

I'm curious about what responses you get to this one. I was thinking about just this issue the other day and wondering the same thing.

[TK-4935]

when i came over to the states for C4 i declared at the check in desk in England that my luggage contained plastic armour and a toy gun and i asked if i could walk it through to the fragile luggage loading area.

As i had declared there was a replica weapon the airport security put it through the x-ray machine (in a more private room) to check it and from there they were going to put it on the plane as fragile luggage.

They told me that they only look for things like firing mechanisims and evidence of live rounds or munitions or any kind of suspicious mechanics and/or wiring. As it was plastic they had no problem with it.

My helmet i carried on as hand luggage (my helmet bag was small enough to be allowed on and i filled the helmet with the things i would have had in a hand luggage bag such as phone, wallet, passport etc)

As we went through the security area i declared what was in the bag and nobody batted an eyelid.

At the other end i simply declared the same thing at every stage. ( i have to say i was a little concerned about the Stateside security as they are a little more business like ) The security at LAX did want to see in the helmet bag and once opened proceeded to show all the security staff my helmet.

They also have some sort of testing swab they used to wipe down the helmet and electronics to check for evidence of explosives. so given the all clear i headed off unscathed.

All in all it was a very smooth journey. no problems whatsoever. People were more curious about the armour and the helmet to be worried about the weapon.

i wasnt going to push my luck on the way back mind you so as much as i wanted to buy half of Lewis and John sci-fire's armoury that they had stashed in the closet at the hotel i refrained. i think i would have had a hard time trying to smuggle an mg-34 and dc-15 long through customs at either end.

Bottom line is, tell them everything. declare at every stage and be happy and smiley.

good luck.

[TK4999[TK]]

I agree with Simon: be honest about answering every question. I used the term "movie props" when talking about my armor and blaster. I flew to both C-IV in LA and CE in London with my TK armor, and the security folks were all very professional. Most of them don't really want a hassle, so being pleasant and honest seems to work best. The only surprise I got in London was only being able to carry ONE bag on board my return flight, so I had to chose between my bucket and my laptop...

[kiyotei[TK]]

I carried my bucket on a flight over xmas and they never even looked at the bag it was in. I checked the armor and blaster (Hasbro)

[Thanos]

Guys, I wanted to say thank you very much for the information and for sharing your traveling experiences with me. I feel alot better now about traveling with my armor and bucket !

[Luke S]

Guys, I wanted to say thank you very much for the information and for sharing your traveling experiences with me. I feel alot better now about traveling with my armor and bucket !

 

 

Well guys I am a professional pilot in the US. I live out of a suitcase 180 days a year so here you go.

 

In the US any weapon even if is it a replica for costuming is off limits. If anyone has gotten through with their pvc E-11 you were lucky and I have to say I am not surprised that you got through. I have seen lots of stuff get missed. Anyway the bucket should not be an issue but be prepared to take it out and show them what it is and how it works.

 

I built a Luke ESB graflex lightsaber with a 5w luxeon led and soundboard. Made it through every time. Of course 50% of the time they made me pull it out because they thought it was cool and wanted to see it work. But a lightsaber is not a real weapon so I was safe on that one. The E-11 is based on a British Sterling submachine gun and lets face it, it just looks like a real gun.

 

My best advice is to get to the airport early and as much as I hate to check my bags for fear of loss or breakage, check them. When you check them declare them also. I would never check my E-11 out of a vintage British Sterling for fear one of the handlers may steal it. Yes that happens very often. Also don't forget to pack them well as the gorillas that throw the bags can easily damage pvc or resin blasters.

 

Basically the TSA has the right to ban anything they want to so yes they can ban the bucket, armor or anything else even if it is not named on the list. BUT the E-11 is def on the list of prohibited items. All TSA agents and all airports although have the same rules also kind of have their own quirks and HOT items. Basically just because you get past one screener and one checkpoint doesn't mean you will get past the next. I travel out of many airports and Boston is one of the worst with the pickiest screeners. Many times have I been in uniform and gotten the full pat down. But of course Boston was where it all started on 9/11.

 

You can also go to the TSA website for the full list but trust me all the SW blasters would be covered.

 

Hope this helps. "You're gonna need it." -Han Solo

[Thanos]

One of my co-workers suggested an alternate plan...which I had been considering if I ran into a situation where TSA refused to allow me to either check or carry-on my E-11. She suggested mailing the E-11 ahead of me to the hotel that I would be staying at, or else just overnighting it to my destination in Florida.

 

Although it would be an extra cost, this WOULD guarantee that I would have my blaster for the Star Wars Weekends parades. *ponders*

 

Any opinions on this? *curious*

[Luke S]

One of my co-workers suggested an alternate plan...which I had been considering if I ran into a situation where TSA refused to allow me to either check or carry-on my E-11. She suggested mailing the E-11 ahead of me to the hotel that I would be staying at, or else just overnighting it to my destination in Florida.

 

Although it would be an extra cost, this WOULD guarantee that I would have my blaster for the Star Wars Weekends parades. *ponders*

 

Any opinions on this? *curious*

 

 

It would cost you more and require a bit of planning on shipping destination etc but it would be the safest way to go. I don't mean to scare anyone from checking their blasters but just to alert you all to the potential issues that can pop up. Better to know all the options and go in prepared vs being caught with you cod piece down.

 

I think that most people could check their bags without issue but I like to always play it safe. If you are going to a Con or Disney weekends it would stink to have your armor or blaster get lost in transit.

[TKEastBay]

Last year at the Atlanta International Airport, I explained to the TSA agents at the xray line that my bucket was Star Wars costume armor. The TSA agents told me in the future to remove 9- volt batteries and disconnect any wires to voice boxes, amps etc. As far as the E-11 blaster, a few of my 501st buddies suggested having it shipped to my destination to save on any hassle with security agents. Just remember that most airlines are now charging for checking in a 2nd bag

 

 

Michelle

TKEastbay

[Peregrinus]

Hm... I may have to pack everything carefully and check it through special-handling luggage. I know how to transport firarms -- real or replica -- but all the power cells and wiring in my bucket are going to be built in and not easily removable. *sigh*

 

--Jonah

[TD2802[501st]]

Hm... I may have to pack everything carefully and check it through special-handling luggage. I know how to transport firarms -- real or replica -- but all the power cells and wiring in my bucket are going to be built in and not easily removable. *sigh*

 

--Jonah

 

Why not transport/ship them via third party courier to the final destination then? Some guys at TORP did just that to avoid security hassles. Possible drawback is the cost but if you've invested time and labor into something, it may be worth it. A lot of hotels too are more than willing to accept parcels on behalf of their guests.

[President Amidala]

Hello, Have any of you guys tried to walk through security with your full armor on so that you don’t have to pack it up?

[revlimiter[Staff]]

My bucket flew in the cabin with me, along with all batteries (they can no longer be in checked bags and have to be WITH you... so strange). I checked my armor. No damage to anything. I added Tile and Airtag trackers to the bin so I could keep an eye on it and have help finding it regardless of platform.

 

Very very few TKs can sit comfortably long enough to do a whole flight in armor. I'm one of them. I didn't want to put my armor through that, or any of my fellow passengers. I'm a small guy but those seats are even smaller. Just check your armor bin.