Wanting to do some good while looking good

[Deymien]

I want to give back to my community and wear the bad guys gear. Any help would be appreciated. I'm unable to buy gear at the moment or able to build any. Suggestions?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome, you could reach out to your local garrison, some help as handler/wrangler/support staff, you can find a list of garrison's here https://www.501st.com/members/displayUnits.php

 

Handler/Wrangler/Support Staff

The handler or Imperial Support Staff is a vital part of any successful troop. You are the eyes and ears of your fellow troopers. It is your job to keep everyone safe, on time and damage free. You will likely be asked questions about the Legion and be asked to take photos of people with the troopers.

• Be the eyes and ears of the armored troopers: 
• Watch out for children that get underfoot easily, so they don’t get stepped on or whacked with a blaster or backpack. Children are a big part of any event, since they love stormtroopers, and are usually a little too overjoyed to see them. (Some adults act the same way too)
• Stop the troopers when someone wants a picture and you have time, if not try to play ambassador and let them know you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. 
• If the event has specific times and places for things “herd” the troopers to where they need to be when.
• Be the time keeper, keep the troop on schedule. Often troopers will need to be somewhere specific at an event. If the troops need to be somewhere keep an eye on the time, at a reasonable time before they need to be there, politely inform the people around the troops that they need to go and escort the troopers to their new destination. You might want to add some extra time because invariably they will get stopped along the way for “just one more picture”
• Remind the troops of breaks and make sure they take them. From time to time, about every half hour or so, check in with your helmeted characters to make sure they are doing ok, this can be a simple as a look and a “thumbs up sign” or discreetly stepping up and asking how they’re doing. If the troops need a break politely let the public know that your trooper needs to go for a few minutes and escort them back to the pre-event staging area / dressing area.
• Act as a buffer / body guard for the troop. (Someone always wants to push Vader’s Buttons or try to “steal” a nice E-11 Blaster, hijack a thermal detonator, or stick stickers on the armor.)

This is when a handler is really needed. They should step in between the costumer and the child and the costumer should then turn their back and walk away. You don’t want to touch the child if you can avoid it, but you want to become a barrier between them and the costumer.

First Aid Note

Stay calm. Check whether your surroundings are safe. Don’t put yourself or the injured person at risk. If you are certified to perform first aid / are a medical professional, proceed as your training dictates. If not, stay with the injured person, provide much needed reassurance, and call for assistance.

• Street Sweeper / Pack Mule:
  • Pick up various random pieces of armor that may fall off during the troop.
  • Carry look after, wallets, watches, cell phones etc.
  • Purveyor of Water (giver of life)
• Act as “official” garrison photographer:
  • Take lots of trooping shots.
  • Offer to help take shots for the public. “hey would you like to get in the picture too?”
• Dresser:
  • Help people armor/de-armor if needed.
  • Carry a fix-it kit.
• Garrison Ambassador
• Answer questions on the Garrison / Legion, why we are there, etc so the people in costume can act that character...
• Hand out PR stuff like stickers, temporary tattoos, business cards, flyers, etc.

One part of being a handler, beyond all of the standard helping out here and there, is to be mindful of where you are at. When we make an appearance, those in costumes should be up front and center. You want to make sure when your a handler your not “in the shot” when people take photos of video. Group shots for us are different obviously. However, when walking in parades or mingling at events, you want to stay behind those in costumes so you’re not blocking someone’s shot or having someone try and figure out why that trooper is hanging out with someone in civilian attire.

Edited November 3, 2022 by gmrhodes13
Updated text

[Sly11[Admin]]

Welcome Deymien, the suggestion above is an awesome way to start getting involved, and is in fact how many start their journey to becoming a full 501st member.

You can learn a lot form others who are used to handling members in armour specially those with poor visibitiy like many stormtroopers.

When Luke states "I cant see a thing in this helmet" he wasn't far from wrong lol.

Some costumes are even worse for mobility and of course vision, so we do rely on a good handler, or wrangler as they are also know in some parts.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Deymian,
Welcome aboard! All I can do is double down on what Glen and Andrew said. When I first got started, I linked up with my local garrison and went to a couple events where I got to assist as a handler, take pictures, and just lend a helping hand. This also gave me the opportunity to speak to others and formulate a game plan for how I wanted to proceed with my costumes.
Though some kits can get rather expensive, you don't have to drop a ton of money to get a quality costume. Keep your eyes and ears open and you may be surprised at what you find.

For the time being, you've come to the right place. There's tons of people here willing to help.