[43] TK-61596 (Mayo)'s Troop Log

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Hi everyone!

I very recently completed my first TK build and got my first opportunity to troop! @gmrhodes13 suggested I start a thread in this forum to document all the Star Wars-y goodness to come. 

Troop #1: February 8th, 2019—London Children's Hospital Radiothon, London, Ontario

I'm still awaiting approval and a TKID from my local GML, but the cosplay group I have been with for some time was also invited to this event. Several of its members also cross over with our local garrison, and they invited me to stand with them even though I'm not yet approved. Awesome folks!! The event was a blast and reportedly, by the end of the day, raised over $174k for the Children's Health Foundation. My personal highlight: it was my first time standing next to a 501st Vader. The costume, the breath, the voicebox—AH. Chilling.

 

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by MakeNoiseMan

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Congratulations on your first troop and thanks for the share. If you are officially approved you should post here for a forum access upgrade  

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #2: February 18th, 2019—Family Day Public Breakfast, Carling Heights Community Centre, London, Ontario

My first troop after having been assigned my TKID (literally that same morning—talk about timing)! Small, but super fun. Fairly decent turnout of families and small children, especially given the snowy weather that morning. Got to make some kids smile. And smell pancakes all morning. Good times!

 

[Pyrates[TK]]

Great field reports Trooper and many congratulations on your achievement - welcome to the ranks!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

35 minutes ago, Pyrates said:

Great field reports Trooper and many congratulations on your achievement - welcome to the ranks!

:-D Thanks so much!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #3: March 15th and 16th, 2019—Toronto Comicon, MTCC

My first big con as a 501st member! What a blast. So cool to meet folks from the Canadian Garrison to whom I had previously only spoken over the Internet. Lots of people, lots of photos, lots of happy kids—and LOTS of cool Star Wars costumes!!

 

I'm the one right behind Old Ben.

 

I'm the one on the far left.

 

My girlfriend Jess, who tolerates all of my nerdy endeavours. Also a future TIE pilot!

[Pyrates[TK]]

Congratulations on your first epic troop! I’m looking forward to following your field exercises Trooper!!!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

On 4/7/2019 at 10:59 AM, Pyrates said:

Congratulations on your first epic troop! I’m looking forward to following your field exercises Trooper!!!

Thanks, Aaron!! I'm having a blast. :-D

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #4: April 27th, 2019—CK Expo, John D Bradley Centre, Chatham, Ontario

My second convention. Met new faces and had a fantastic time! It has been great getting to know my squadmates. I also got to do two shifts of Blast-A-Trooper, which is probably my new favourite thing in the world. 

 

I'm the one on the right. My first time seeing a Royal Guard, which was kickass. 

 

Still on the right. Also present is R2-BOO from the R2 Builders' Club.

 

A Chewie that came to visit—not a Rebel Legion member, but impressive work nonetheless! And TALL.

 

A photo with a representative from Big Brothers Big Sisters, the charity we were raising money for at this event. I'm on the far left this time. Great bunch of people right there! 

Edited May 1, 2019 by MakeNoiseMan

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #5: May 26th, 2019—Family Fun Day, Carling Heights Community Centre, London, Ontario

A fun afternoon at the community centre for kids and their families to come and spend the day. There was face-painting, a bouncy castle and of course some Star Wars folks to take photos with!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #6: June 2nd, 2019—Autism Speaks Canada Walk, H. B. Beal Secondary School, London, Ontario

 

No pictures for this troop, sadly. A great cause and a great afternoon, though! The weather was perfect for the teams to walk around the school track.


Troop #7: June 19th, 2019—Teddy Bear Picnic, London Children's Hospital, Ontario

Another good visit to the London Children's Hospital.


I'm the one on the right.




On the left this time.


Aaaand some Imperial fun with a photo booth!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #8: June 23rd, 2019—Toronto Pride Parade 2019, Toronto, Ontario

HOLY COW this was a fun troop. It was my first time attending a Pride event, and I can't wait to go back next year. We were guests of FanExpo, who also had the Rebel Legion, Ghostbusters group and other Ontario cosplayers represented in our section. The weather was sunny and dry but hot. We were waiting outdoors and in-suit for upwards of two hours before our section of the parade started moving, but it was well worth it. The handlers were incredible, keeping us hydrated and getting us from place to place (which was no easy task—it was PACKED). Once we stepped into the parade route, though, it was 50 minutes of pure excitement and enjoyment. The crowds were so pumped to see Star Wars characters in the parade. Water guns were rampant (and appreciated by sweaty troopers). 10/10 experience. I'm so glad to have gotten to participate.

 

Here is the FanExpo entourage from the front.




These two are of me, I'm the one with the lei and the flag. SUCH a good time!

 

 

 

Some great shots of the rest of the garrison!

Now more than ever, I feel really lucky to be a part of this Legion. When I started my build last summer, I never thought I'd get to participate in events like this. This is all seriously a dream come true. And it just keeps coming—next month, I get to go onstage with Weird Al. Pinch me! 

Rock on, troopers!!

 

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #9: July 1st, 2019—Canada Day Parade, Windsor, ON

Happy Canada Day!

Parades are so much fun. We got the go-ahead to decorate ourselves for the occasion, so here's my take on the Canadian TK.
 

I love this photo. High-fives are half the reason we do this, right? :-)

 

And some great shots of the parade and of my fellow troopers!















And lastly, here's us all squished into an elevator after leaving our change room. Imperial ... efficiency!

Edited July 2, 2019 by MakeNoiseMan

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #10: July 8th, 2019—Weird Al "Strings Attached" Tour, Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON

I'm a little late posting this, but here goes! Holy cow, guys. I don't even know where to begin. I'll try not to get too sappy, but this one requires a bit of backstory. 

I am a HUGE fan of Weird Al. My dad loves him, so my brother and I grew up with his parodies. Naturally, "The Saga Begins" has always been a personal favourite. This is a photo of me with some friends, wearing costumes, performing the song in a talent show when I was about 10 years old. I'm the one in the robes.



Since joining the 501st in February, I have had more opportunities to live out childhood daydreams than in my whole life beforehand. My first con, hospital visits, Pride in Toronto—all amazing. This one, though, was extra special for me. Here's a stage-side photo from the concert. I'm the trooper here on the right-most side, next to Chewie.



This experience was INCREDIBLE. I arrived in Toronto at about 4:30pm, and we weren't onstage until nearly 10:00pm. We had about 15 minutes with the tour manager to go over the (mercifully simple) dance routine and to find our spots to stand on-stage. After that, we were left to practice on our own. At about 9:30pm, we were moved backstage. Had some fun photos with the crew working there (plus a few for ourselves).




I'm the one in the very middle.


I'm on the far left.

Then, it was showtime! I have never seen so many people. The cheering was overwhelming. Al was awesome, of course. It was a serious challenge to stay still and forward-looking while he was RIGHT there on stage, three feet from me. At the slow part near the end of the song, the crowd all pulled out cell phones and shone their flashlights. They looked like stars, tinted green through my lenses. It was unreal.



Afterwards, we did get a brief chance to say hi to Al and get a photo with him.

 

Right after the concert, VIP-ticket buyers could go to an outdoor lounge area to meet Al. Any 501st characters that could stick around were welcome to troop. Vader, another TK and I went down in costume to take photos with people as they waited in line for autographs.


I'm the one on the right.

Once everyone had gotten a turn, I hopped in line myself and got to speak to Al once more, a little longer this time, and thank him for the opportunity. I also got his autograph inside my chestplate. Since my armour was my ticket into this incredible opportunity, it seemed only fitting that it be the item I get him to sign. I coated it with clear nail polish so that the marker won't smudge.



Bit of a lengthy post here, but I just had so much to say about it! If you ever get the chance to sign up for a Weird Al show, do it. It's a lot of waiting around—hours—for about 5 minutes on-stage, but it was worth every minute. Utterly unforgettable. I am so so grateful to be a part of this Legion of memory-makers. 

Rock on, troopers!!

Edited August 6, 2019 by MakeNoiseMan

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #11: July 28th, 2019—Pride London Festival Parade, London, ON

My second time in a Pride Parade! Just as fun as the first. Different, though—the giant Toronto parade felt like a party all the way along. The London parade was much more oriented towards families and kids. Both parades were fantastic, but it was a serious joy to see so many young children wearing colourful shirts and yelling "Happy Pride!!" as we walked past. The turnout was super, too. It was awesome to see so much support from all ages.







I'm the rainbow-y TK. Here are some other great shots of our squad!







Happy Pride, troopers!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Thanks for sharing, Brendan!  I did my first Pride parade in Tampa the day before I moved to SC and it was a blast!  I don't think I have ever seen more rainbows in my life. lol.

 

I've done the Weird Al troop before as well.  Being the geeky sort of guy I am it was incredible to meet him, but as you mentioned the wait time was crazy!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #12: August 23rd, 24th and 25th, 2019—FanExpo Canada, Toronto, ON

This is the biggest one of the year for our garrison! TONS of fun. 


Standing with so many other Star Wars characters never gets old. I am the TK right behind/between Gree and Cody.


Forming up for our TK march—which was a BLAST. I'm the fifth one back in this photo. We marched the perimeter of the convention centre, stopping at three points for photos with the public. What was even cooler was riding the freight lift up to the street level. It was dimly-lit with concrete walls, a little wobbly and straight out of a Star Wars movie.


"Someone start messing with the lightswitch."






I'm the second from the left in the back row in these photos. We were all feeling a little short to be stormtroopers here. 


I'm the one on the right. 

And some other great-looking members of our garrison!
















This is Al, and he's an honorary member of our garrison cosplaying George Lucas himself. He gets stopped all the time. 

Can't wait til next year!

Edited September 24, 2019 by MakeNoiseMan

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #13: August 17th, 2019—Aviation Fun Day, Breslau, ON

I missed logging this one! Retro-actively adding it. This was an awesome event at the Waterloo airport. People came to look at a bunch of cool jets and hang out with some Star Wars characters. I don't have a ton of photos—there were about 15 characters present—but here are some of me with Han and Chewie. Tons of fun!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #14: September 22nd, 2019—Windsor ComicCon, Windsor, ON

I was only able to attend the second day of this, but what a great convention! Awesome turnout of con-goers and costumers, and some folks from the Michigan garrison even came up to join us. Good times!


I'm the one on the far right.



Some photos from my Blast-a-Trooper shift. Still my favourite thing ever, though I have had to treat a few armour cracks by this point ...







"Maybe we can come up with a diplomatic solution?"


"Nope, she prefers aggressive negotiations!"




And some awesome photos of the rest of the Canadian and Michigan garrisons.
 

 

 

 

 

 

I am particularly fond of George's Punisher TK here. SO cool!


 

Edited October 7, 2019 by MakeNoiseMan

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #15: October 5th and 6th, 2019—London ComicCon, London, ON

 

The convention closest to my hometown of St. Thomas, ON! This was the first time the 501st and sister groups attended this con, and it was awesome to have such a successful showing! 



Doing Blast-a-Trooper with my bestest-TK-buddy, Pat. Good times, brother!


But I'm still gonna stand behind you. Sucker.


He paid me back for that when he was out of costume.


I also got to test-run my two new costumes for Rebel Legion. Make no mistake, though—UNQUESTIONED LOYALTY! TK first and forever.  

The first is Plo Koon, seen here on the far right:




And the second is a generic Jedi outfit for times that require good visibility, like range-handling and keeping an eye on this (SPECTACULAR!!) Galactic Academy trooper, Nate. I'm on the far left.


"You will forget Order 66."


So THIS is what it feels like to be on the other end of the blaster


And some other great photos of the garrison, including the Michigan troops and mandos who came up to joins again. Look at these two snowtroopers!!

[Grimm]

On 10/7/2019 at 11:50 AM, MakeNoiseMan said:

Troop #13: August 17th, 2019—Aviation Fun Day, Breslau, ON

I missed logging this one! Retro-actively adding it. This was an awesome event at the Waterloo airport. People came to look at a bunch of cool jets and hang out with some Star Wars characters. I don't have a ton of photos—there were about 15 characters present—but here are some of me with Han and Chewie. Tons of fun!

Glad you got some good pics of us (I'm in the Wookiee :D) got some AP armor on the way, looking to join the shineys! Look forward to trooping with ya again!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Glad you got some good pics of us (I'm in the Wookiee ) got some AP armor on the way, looking to join the shineys! Look forward to trooping with ya again!

Hahaa fantastic!! I looove those hand-on-the-head shots. Classic Chewie. Definitely looking forward to next time!

And congrats on the armour!! If you need a hand, let me know. AP is a great choice. Though it may get hot in there with all the fur ...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troops #16 and #17: October 27th, 2019—Hallowe'en Family Fun Day + Halloween Spooktacular, Windsor, ON

Jinkies, I have neglected this log! Time to catch up. 

Two troops back-to-back on October 27th, both in Windsor. I love Halloween. Tons of kids in costumes. Great times! Here is the group shot from Family Fun Day—aaand I missed it, in true stormtrooper-aim fashion. The second photo is proof of my attendance. 

 

Imperial family photo. I am the one on the far right. 

We left Family Fun Day and headed straight over to Malden Park for Windsor's 4th Annual Halloween Spooktacular. We even met up with some superheroes at this one!

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #18: November 9th, 2019—London Santa Claus Parade, London, ON

A chilly but (thankfully) dry evening to walk through downtown London! We were behind a float with pumping tunes so dancing was abundant. Also, it was a ton of fun to Christmas-ify our costumes.


That's me in the back with the Santa hat.

Edited December 10, 2019 by MakeNoiseMan

[MakeNoiseMan[TK]]

Troop #19: November 30th, 2019—Windsor Santa Claus Parade, Windsor, ON

 

One more parade before the year wraps up! This time in Windsor. Great times!

 

 

Only two more events left this year. Both of them are Rise of Skywalker premieres—I can't believe how quickly that arrived! Happy holidays, all!