Re-introductions - come and say “hey”

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Hi everyone,

 

There’s been quite a bit of action on the forum of late, some of which has been of a more serious nature (elections etc.). So, with that in mind, I wanted to start a light-hearted thread where we can all say “hi”, share something about ourselves and share some pics if we want, allow new members to see what long standing members are about, and generally just get some good vibes going.

 

With May just around the corner, a busy month in the Star Wars universe, there’s no better time to remember why we all dress up as white plastic spacemen.

 

So, if you want to say “hi” and share a picture of yourself, (perhaps your favourite pic or moment as a TK), feel free to speak up. :-)

 

 

I’ll start there ball rolling in post #2

 

 

Best wishes,

Dan

 

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Hi again, folks.

 

I’m Dan. Proud member of the 501st UK Garrison. Thoroughly looking forward to May for the London Comic Con event. This’ll be my biggest event to date.

 

Love the FISD, 501st and UKG community due to the many lovely people I’ve encountered so far.

 

Here’s a coupe of my favourite pics of me in my RWA kit.

 

 

 

 

Best wishes,

 

Dan

 

[TK32945 Waynocerous[501st]]

Good idea Dan! I’ll play!

I’m Wayne, TK32945, from Leeds UK.

I wear RWA armour and was cleared at the beginning of this week. I’m looking forward to getting out trooping and meeting other members and STILL can’t believe I’m actually a Stormtrooper!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wook1138[TK]]

Ooo. Me too.
I’m Greg. I’m a fairly new member of the Badlands Garrison in Canada. I have my first big troop in a couple of weeks (and it is on my bday!).
I’ve been a member of FISD since last summer and have loved every minute of it. I’m working on a sandtrooper build right now but here are some of my fav pics of my TK armour from AP.






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheSwede[TK]]

Hey everyone  

I´m Daniel and I started my journey to the 501st on a slightly darker path (as a Shadowtrooper) but since then I have built two more suits, a Hero and a Stunt with armor from Troopermaster (greeaaat armor). Curently building a Sandtrooper to meet SWAT level with an RS kit (L3 on MEPD). And....waiting on some FOTK armor and as a fellow trooper called it: I have lost it! Totally bitten by the armorbuilding bug - and most imortantly - the "bad guys doing good" part, I have only done 3 troops thus far but seeing the joy in childrens eyes (and adults) when they see you is awesome and my very first troop raised 2400US to Childrens cancer fund.

 

Some pics of me in armor:

Stunt:

 

Hero: on the right

 

Shadow:

 

Just for fun

 

Edited April 13, 2018 by TheSwede

[Frank75139[501st]]

Hello again!

I’m Frank, I’m located right outside Philadelphia Pa in the US and am a Garrison Carida member. With 1 troop in I’m having a blast. I proudly wear my AM TK and love the bright white. Currently I have made the purchase of a used Biker Scout so soon enough I’ll be a TB, from there I’m not sure what’s I’ll do for my third. FISD has been a huge help to me and hopefully I can continue to pay it forward with what knowledge I’ve gained. I will say I’m a member in multiple detachments and this is by far the best. Everyone is active and like an internet family, I’ve already made a friend through here. Don’t have any pics of me trooping yet but here is my recent trading card.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Hi I'm Chris, from just North of London in the UK.  

 

I first met the UKG back in 2005 at a work function but it wasn't until 2015 that I did much about it.  A combination of timing and luck after seeing the TESTED videos previewing the Anovos kits.  

 

I ended up being the first Anovos kit cleared into the UKG, and was cleared all the way to Centurion.  I also was one of the more popular photos on their instagram feed.

 

 

Have dabbled with several other SW builds, I have "half" a TIE and "half" a Shoretrooper (including a cast from screen used part) in a box somewhere!  Most of my recent time has been invested in a screen accurate Lucius Malfoy OOTP Death Eater costume for the non Star Wars wing of the UKG: Reel Icons.

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Well done, chaps. :-)

6 troopers so far, just 5310 to go. ;-)

[mikedwelle94[TK]]

Hey FISD! This is Mike, from the New England Garrison. I am a bigger fan of the more infrequent Stormtrooper armors seen in Star Wars lore, so you'll probably never see me in the clean (however iconic) white armor. 

 

I've been lurking around on the forums since 2013, and finally got my zombie Death Trooper approved on January 2016. It's not the ideal primary trooping costume, so I have added a Spec Ops Magma Trooper which cleared in February 2017. I am currently finishing up a Shadow Stormtrooper from The Force Unleashed video game which should be done by this May 4th! 

 

 

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

I gotta' say that being a Stormtrooper has given me experiences that will last a lifetime.... being on stage with "Weird" Al Yancovic, trooping at Disney on many occasions, meeting Brian Muir (the guy who designed the original OT armor) and meeting hundreds of Troopers at Celebration Orlando last year.  I started this whole thing a bit late in life, but I'm definitely making up for lost time, lol.

 

  

 

  

 

                  That's me standing behind the banner (center) along with a few friends.

[starsaber25[Admin]]

I wanna play.  I'm Steve and I am from the Empire City Garrison.  I've been a member of the 501st since 2014.  I have always wanted to be a stormtrooper since I was a kid.  Finally I started to get serious around 2011 and found the FISD.  I did some research and realized how expensive this hobby was so I decided to step away after a few months.  I finally made my way back in 2013 and decided it was time.  Like many of you it was a very exciting time but also very stressful.  I was always wondering if I had what it takes to build a set of armor.  I powered through it and haven't looked back.  I now have 5 costumes built and am currently working on an ESB vader.  Here are a few of my favorite pictures from my time as a member:

 

 

1ST TROOP:

 

 

 

 

 

 

CELEBRATION ORLAND ECG:

 

 

CELEBRATION FISD STAFF PHOTO:

 

 

I'll also leave this link here.  This is a little "about me" story that is posted on the ECG blog:

https://501ecg.wordpress.com/2017/06/14/why-we-troop-tk-10466/

 

Steve Sheades

TK-10466

 

[Harbinger[IPM]]

Hello fellow troopers, I'm Brien from Northern Nevada (we don't have our own Squad/Garrison... yet!). My 501st journey started back in 2014 when one of my coworkers (TB-10620) joined and started suggesting I look into it. I did, and liked what I saw - a bunch of 'bad guys doing good'. I found the FISD and started looking into various armor kits... and then TFA came out and I fell in love with the FO TK's. I decided to hold out, and when Anovos finally announced the production FO TK kit I pre-ordered one as soon as I could. I then started working on procuring the rest of the soft goods and printing out my own blaster with Germain's excellent files.

 

After several months of waiting, another one of my friends decided to off-load an Anovos ANH TK kit he'd picked up and never assembled. After two years of sitting in the box he decided he wasn't ever going to get around to building it, so I bought it off him in October 2017 and gave myself the goal of building it in time for the Battlefront II troop - which I did. I was approved on Thanksgiving Day, and since I planned on building for L3 out of the box, EIB and Centurion approvals came quickly after. I've loved every second of my time as an "official" member - I have handled off and on since 2015 - and the entire experience. Wearing a costume I built with my own two hands (I am not a cosplayer, this is all new to me), trooping with my fellow brothers, and hanging out and helping here on the forums.

 

 

 

 

...I'm still waiting on my Anovos FOTK.

[Alay[TK]]

Hello again!  I'm Sarah Bailey, TK-20466.  I'm the attache for Connecticut and also the commanding officer of the Connecticut Garrison!

 

I started in the legion with an Imperial Stormtrooper (ANH Stunt) build a year and a half ago.  Ever since then I've been hooked on building costumes!  I was terrified on my first go around, but if a novice like me can learn all this stuff anyone can!

I eventually talked my husband into joining (He's TK-66402!) and we both made Heavy Weapon Stormtrooper variants too!  Later that year I also made an ESB-Style stormtrooper, which I swear I'll get to Centurion one day with

 

I do more than just Stormtroopers though... Over the last year I've completed an Imperial Line Officer costume, and my first face-character Admiral Daala (my signature picture).  I'm working on some non-CRL variants for her from other depictions.  I've also started two Bounty Hunter Builds, my Dengar Build (which is nearing completion) and a Jodo Kast build (about a year out from completion).

 

Along the way I picked up many new skills and learned a love of molding.  Now instead of buying and assembling props, I make my own props too. (some people even buy them!!)

 

If I haven't gotten a chance to say hi to you yet feel free to drop me a PM.  If you're ever in Connecticut and need help or just want to say hi, feel free to drop me a line  Or stop into one of our Armour Parties!

 

~20466

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

TK85421, been around for 6 years now, always wanted to be a Stormtrooper since 1977 when my farther had snuck me out of the house without my younger brother knowing, to see ANH at the drive in movies.

 

I researched a costume about 15 years ago and at that time the price was way too much.

 

Went through a marriage breakdown and a friend convinced me to go to a local convention to get me out of my hovel, of course there where Stormtroopers, once I asked a few questions especially about pricing I was hooked, signed up on the forums the next day and ordered armor a few days after that.

 

NOW there's no turning back, you could say I was bitten by the building bug, so 21 approved costumes later, 6 of those centurion, a Lancer and 34 L2 officer variations yer you could say I'm addicted.

 

Now with some medical issues this is what keeps me going, if it wasn't for Star Wars, my dear friend Liz and this community I don't think I would still be around.

 

"Thank the maker"

 

 

My first Supa Nova Convention, two of my favourite girls

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

On ‎12‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 11:16 PM, CableGuy said:

There’s been quite a bit of action on the forum of late, some of which has been of a more serious nature (elections etc.). So, with that in mind, I wanted to start a light-hearted thread where we can all say “hi”, share something about ourselves and share some pics if we want, allow new members to see what long standing members are about, and generally just get some good vibes going.

 

With May just around the corner, a busy month in the Star Wars universe, there’s no better time to remember why we all dress up as white plastic spacemen.

 

So, if you want to say “hi” and share a picture of yourself, (perhaps your favourite pic or moment as a TK), feel free to speak up. :-)

Great idea Dan and if you don't mind I'll be adding this to next months newsletter

[CableGuy[Admin]]

26 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Great idea Dan and if you don't mind I'll be adding this to next months newsletter

Thank you, sir. I’d be honoured. :-)

[TheSwede[TK]]

I think it’s time to revisit this thread started by Dan @CableGuy  It’s a nice way the get to know a little about the avatars you see on screen. Perhaps we can get some more players this time around as well as see if something has changed with the first participants. 
Now....I would get the ball rolling but I feel it’s only right that Dan takes the lead ones again (but only if you want too) 

[Sly11[Admin]]

9 hours ago, TheSwede said:

I think it’s time to revisit this thread started by Dan @CableGuy  It’s a nice way the get to know a little about the avatars you see on screen. Perhaps we can get some more players this time around as well as see if something has changed with the first participants. 
Now....I would get the ball rolling but I feel it’s only right that Dan takes the lead ones again (but only if you want too) 

Good call Daniel, Dan the ball is in your court sir.

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Hey guys.

What were you thinking? Whole new thread, or just boosting this one a little?

[TheSwede[TK]]

My thinking was just to keep this one going, so sort of a re-introduction to the re-introduction  

[Hesikaya[TK]]

Howdy!

I’m Scott from the Dune Sea Garrison / Jundland Wastes Squad.  Getting into all this has been a journey that I wish I would’ve started so much sooner.  I always liked the stormtroopers and then I saw a video on YouTube showing a never ending parade of them going down an escalator at a convention. I was dumbfounded. If there’s that many of them in one place surely, I can find a kit myself I thought.  Many years later, when my employer made a “whoops” that resulted in owing me a handsome amount of backpay I ordered a kit from Anovos and joined FISD.

 

 Having been bitten by the bug I started working on some foam armor for the younglings in hopes we three could march around the neighborhood together come October. 

 

My first troop was in 2019.  My favorite so far has been going into hospitals and cheering up the little ones there.  Seeing a kid in a hospital bed have their expression change from despair to utter excitement and joy has been amazing!   

 

My boys have outgrown their foam TK’s and now join me at every event they’re allowed to rocking a Gonk droid and Jawa costume as Galactic Academy cadets.   

Edited December 3, 2020 by Hesikaya
spelling and added pics

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Great to get some more entries here from our trooper brothers and sisters.

To catch you all up on my own story, since starting this thread back in 2018, I’ve switched jobs, had another child, built a LOT more helmets and another set of armor, started an ever growing stormtrooper based Facebook group, seen my YouTube channel grow in popularity, started building my C-3PO costume and plenty more besides.

One of my highlights was being one of 16 UKG troopers on the blue carpet at The Rise of Skywalker European Premiere in London almost a year to the day. That was wonderful.


Anyway, still checking the boards daily and helping where I can. Also now an “armourer” for the uk garrison, helping more troopers prepare for 501st clearance.

Hope to see lots more posts added below.

Come on, troopers - yelp is a little about you and spread the love.


Best wishes
Dan :-)

Premiere





C-3PO

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Love this idea and it's awesome to hear more about you guys! I guess I'll give it a go as well:

Justin "TheRascalKing" R., reporting in! I've been a member of the 501st since October of 2017, after the Orange County Squad of the Southern California Garrison began regularly visiting my work - the Children's Hospital of Orange County, where I was in Hospitality Management for many years. I distinctly remember being in our clinic, waiting for the elevator, when the doors slid open to reveal Lord Vader standing there, flanked by a stormtrooper and officer - it was like something straight out of a movie scene. I was blown away - I've been a Star Wars fan since childhood, but had never seen costumes like that in real life. After their visit, and seeing countless kids and staff members absolutely light up when interacting with them, I spoke to the wranglers about joining, knowing I had to get involved. I saw Episode One at a young age and was hooked, eventually reading my way through the Expanded Universe novels (which I credit with helping me learn to read well), but never really went to a convention or knew there was a 501st unit near me.

My new friends suggested an Imperial Officer costume to get me started, and a few months later, I had submitted and was approved as ID-61490 (6/14/90 being my birthday!). I have since taken that costume and gone all the way to the IOC's Level 3 approval "Imperator" status, and added some cool accessories, like one of  @gmrhodes13/Q's MS-P5's, and a Rogue One style poncho, which I LOVE.



I almost immediately started looking into an Original Trilogy Stormtrooper, and ended up purchasing an Anovos kit from a Garrison mate not long after. I completed the kit (with a LOT of help from @ukswrath/Tony's guide) in December of that year and was approved!

 

I have had some truly amazing opportunities as part of the 501st, including trooping several times at CHOC Children's Hospital, in a 100+ member parade down Main Street USA at Disneyland, on Fox Sports in the announcer's booth at an Angels baseball game, in the Hollywood Christmas Parade (including marching the 3 miles last year with full blown cancer), on stage with Weird Al, and in a little project called "Huckleberry" to name a few...  




If you would have told me as a kid (or even a year or two ago) that I would get to be IN STAR WARS and to actually BE A REAL STORMTROOPER, I never would have believed it. This club made it happen and I am forever grateful for the incredible opportunities I have had.



Some things have changed since then - I took that same set of armor up to Level 3 "Centurion", not once, but 4 times now - as a ANH-Stunt, Hero, ESB, and HWT Stormtrooper, before finally retiring it recently after 50+ events. I was diagnosed last year with stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma after finding a lump in my neck, and underwent several surgeries and months of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and am waiting for another scan in the new year that will hopefully show me cancer free. I got engaged to the amazing DZ-71490 (her birthday wouldn't fit, but 714 is our area code and she was born in '90 as well, so her TKID is one number off of mine) who deserves full credit for all of my Centurion photos and tolerating my living room almost constantly being full of white armor projects. I also left CHOC and now work in the biotech sphere, specifically with connecting patients to clinical trials, to help improve their lives and help get new treatments to patients faster. We've been working on a LOT of COVID-19 studies and I've been pretty busy lately, even working safely from home, so armor has taken a bit of a back seat.

 

(My fiance and I at The Mandalorian Season One red carpet premier)

I am in the home stretch on my Rogue One armor, and will be starting a First Order TK overhaul in the new year as well.

The only thing I love more than trooping myself, is being able to mentor new members and share that passion with others, so I have been pretty active with my Garrison both in person at armor parties and such (before treatment and the pandemic), and online answering questions - more recently as an Imperial Attaché here on the boards. 



Outside of Star Wars, I enjoy surfing, skateboarding (downhill longboard racing specifically), beer and homebrewing, working on cars and autocross racing, watching movies, playing bass guitar, and playing with our two cats, Jack and Zero. 

Well, there's my whole life story, thanks for reading! haha

(big thanks to @MaskedVengeance for showing how to make the photos smaller and a little more manageable... sorrynotsorry for the huge photo dump! )

Edited December 5, 2020 by TheRascalKing

[TheSwede[TK]]

Thanks for sharing Justin and not to worry - we love photos, the more the merrier I’d say 

Fingers crossed for you getting the all-clear come next year! 

[mikidymac[TK]]

Love this idea and it's awesome to hear more about you guys! I guess I'll give it a go as well:

Justin "TheRascalKing" R., reporting in! I've been a member of the 501st since October of 2018, after the Orange County Squad of the Southern California Garrison began regularly visiting my work - the Children's Hospital of Orange County, where I was in Hospitality Management for many years. I distinctly remember being in our clinic, waiting for the elevator, when the doors slid open to reveal Lord Vader standing there, flanked by a stormtrooper and officer - it was like something straight out of a movie scene. I was blown away - I've been a Star Wars fan since childhood, but had never seen costumes like that in real life. After their visit, and seeing countless kids and staff members absolutely light up when interacting with them, I spoke to the wranglers about joining, knowing I had to get involved. I saw Episode One at a young age and was hooked, eventually reading my way through the Expanded Universe novels (which I credit with helping me learn to read well), but never really went to a convention or knew there was a 501st unit near me.

My new friends suggested an Imperial Officer costume to get me started, and a few months later, I had submitted and was approved as ID-61490 (6/14/90 being my birthday!). I have since taken that costume and gone all the way to the IOC's Level 3 approval "Imperator" status, and added some cool accessories, like one of  [mention=16782]gmrhodes13[/mention]/Q's MS-P5's, and a Rogue One style poncho, which I LOVE.



I almost immediately started looking into an Original Trilogy Stormtrooper, and ended up purchasing an Anovos kit from a Garrison mate not long after. I completed the kit (with a LOT of help from [mention=21566]ukswrath[/mention]/Tony's guide) in December of that year and was approved!


 
I have had some truly amazing opportunities as part of the 501st, including trooping several times at CHOC Children's Hospital, in a 100+ member parade down Main Street USA at Disneyland, on Fox Sports in the announcer's booth at an Angels baseball game, in the Hollywood Christmas Parade (including marching the 3 miles last year with full blown cancer), on stage with Weird Al, and in a little project called "Huckleberry" to name a few...  




If you would have told me as a kid (or even a year or two ago) that I would get to be IN STAR WARS and to actually BE A REAL STORMTROOPER, I never would have believed it. This club made it happen and I am forever grateful for the incredible opportunities I have had.



Some things have changed since then - I took that same set of armor up to Level 3 "Centurion", not once, but 4 times now - as a ANH-Stunt, Hero, ESB, and HWT Stormtrooper, before finally retiring it recently after 50+ events. I was diagnosed last year with stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma after finding a lump in my neck, and underwent several surgeries and months of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and am waiting for another scan in the new year that will hopefully show me cancer free. I got engaged to the amazing DZ-71490 (her birthday wouldn't fit, but 714 is our area code and she was born in '90 as well, so her TKID is one number off of mine) who deserves full credit for all of my Centurion photos and tolerating my living room almost constantly being full of white armor projects. I also left CHOC and now work in the biotech sphere, specifically with connecting patients to clinical trials, to help improve their lives and help get new treatments to patients faster. We've been working on a LOT of COVID-19 studies and I've been pretty busy lately, even working safely from home, so armor has taken a bit of a back seat.
 

(My fiance and I at The Mandalorian Season One red carpet premier)

I am in the home stretch on my Rogue One armor, and will be starting a First Order TK overhaul in the new year as well.

The only thing I love more than trooping myself, is being able to mentor new members and share that passion with others, so I have been pretty active with my Garrison both in person at armor parties and such (before treatment and the pandemic), and online answering questions - more recently as an Imperial Attaché here on the boards. 



Outside of Star Wars, I enjoy surfing, skateboarding (downhill longboard racing specifically), beer and homebrewing, working on cars and autocross racing, watching movies, playing bass guitar, and playing with our two cats, Jack and Zero. 

Well, there's my whole life story, thanks for reading! haha

(big thanks to [mention=36573]MaskedVengeance[/mention] for showing how to make the photos smaller and a little more manageable... sorrynotsorry for the huge photo dump! )

I don’t know, sounds like a jerk, LOL.