MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted October 24, 2023 Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 Well folks, I'm finally upgrading my Kitting-Up Not-A-Troop Log, replacing it with this Field Training Exercise log. Did it really take me nine months after approval to get to my first event? Yup. Had I tried to attend troops during that time? You bet. In each instance—the St. Paddy's Day parade, a minor league hockey game, a Rogue One screening, and Dragon Con—travel arrangements were foiled due to family needs or just pure dumb luck. But that's in the past, so let's do this! This first post will serve as a Table of Contents linking to actual trooping entries, with unofficial troops noted by not counted. 1. 21 October 2023 Chattanooga Comic Con Midsouth Garrison, Mos Nooga Squad ANH-S DLT-19 1.5 29 October 2023 FBC Trunk Or Treat Unofficial event ANH-S Holstered E-11 2. 11 February 2024 Atlanta Brick Con Georgia Garrison ANH-S (LEGO) Loudhailer LEGO blaster 3. 12 April 2024 Walker Games Georgia Garrison ANH-S Macro-binocs, orange pauldron 3.5 4 May 2024 Walker Co. Farmer's Market Unofficial event ANH-S (cookies) Holstered E-11 4. 4 May 2024 Movie in the Square: SW ANH Georgia Garrison ANH-S DLT-19, holstered E-11 5. 13 July 2024 BrickFanExpo Nashville Midsouth Garrison, Music City Squad ANH-S (LEGO) Loudhailer LEGO blaster Total Official Count: 5 Total Unofficial Count: 2 Pauldrons Worn : 1 Variant Breakdown ANH-S: 5 Special Themes LEGO: 2 Cookies: 1 Years 2023: 1 2024: 4 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted October 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 #1. Event: Chattanooga Comic Con Date: Saturday, 21 October, 2023 Host unit: Midsouth Garrison, Mos Nooga Squad Kit: ANH-Stunt The day started out with my daughter's soccer game followed by our small town's Fall Festival, and due to the presence of bouncy-house inflatables, it looked like I might not event make it to the convention. We made a last-minute decision to bring the entire family so we rushed home, dressed up my 4YO, then made the 30-minute drive into the city. Not only was this my first ever troop, but it was also my first ever convention to attend in general, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. After picking up our badges we found our way to the Legions area, where I met the city's local unit, the Mos Nooga Squad of the Midsouth Garrison (TN), for the first time. Note that I live across the state line in GA and am a member of the Venator Squad of its Garrison. So yes, this first official troop wasn't even with my own Garrison. Making our way to the changing room, my wife helped me kit up (only the third time she'd ever seen me as a TK), and at one point the spitting image (face, hair, glasses, etc.) of Iron Man waddled through the dressing area. Catching sight of my daughter, he exclaimed "Earth is closed," to a young Vader. We should have nabbed a picture with him. After 30-45 minutes of dressing due to disassembled armor for transport, I headed out onto the con floor for Blast-A-Trooper. Apparently there had been a TK there earlier in the day (his FX kit made it onto the news lol), but the squad was short on hard armor, so they were eager to have me. I heckled the nerf shooters with galactic jargon, and probably used "move along" far too many times. Unfortunately, no photos were taken, but since the nerf rounds had rounded tips rather than suction tips, none of them stuck to me anyway. Some kids had a blast. After a bit I decided to walk the con floor to drum up some additional Blast-A-Trooper attention, but was quickly and continually stopped by children and adults alike wanting photos. Apparently my area is short on TKs, with the local squad only have 10 squad members to begin with. The convention hall next door was hosting an IFBB body building competition, and while I was in the corridor one of the contestants exclaimed that getting a photo with me was really why he was there. While roaming around I ran into Scout @Pugs501, from my actual Squad, in her Jawa, and it was a cool moment of meeting for the first time after interacting online for 2+ years. Needless to say I felt extremely short. Scout also introduced me to Ashe of Bad Ashe Design, and we educated her on the green lenses of TK buckets after I explained that I couldn't tell the color of any of her pins and stickers for sale. I also spotted Jorge's @zv288bot meilooruns, but unfortunately he wasn't going to make the con until the next day, and with his Chopper too! Bummed I missed them. On our way back to the Legion area I called out "Hello there!" to James Arnold Taylor, who immediately ran out from behind his table to engage my daughter. I wonder how often he's heard a "Hello there" from a TK in full kit with voice amp. Haha. Though she's never seen any Star Wars on screen other than Young Jedi Adventures, she held her own in the conversation, and JAT was quite gracious. We ended with me telling him "You can go about your business" to which he responded "Move along, move along." I was giddy. Ironically, we did also find the droid I was looking for, and had to snag a photo. Pic or it didn't happen right? The pesky goldie still seems to be illusive... Back at the Legion corner I had to get some photos with the hover tank that had previously made an appearance at ICCC Nashville. Apparently the Mercs bought it off the builder, and if I'd have had more time I would have climbed up onto it, and maybe even poked out of the hatch. Next time. Finally, before heading home I made one last patrol down the celebrity row and saw that Emily Swallow had nobody in line so I approached and greeted her. Really I just wanted to welcome her to town and thank her, but I was a bit star struck and bumbled through my words. Haha. I even forgot to tell her "This is the way" when ending our conversation. Do I even Star Wars?!?! So in review: First official troop Blast-A-Trooper Escorted mini Vader daughter Finally met Scout "Hello there" with Obi-Wan (JAT) Met Emily Swallow All in all I had a pretty good time. The clubs booth with a bit disorganized, and most members were in racing shirts rather than kits, but perhaps 3:00pm was too late in the day. I'm not sure if I'll go to the next cons in January and February, but I definitely want to get in on some charity action, and some troops with my own Georgia Garrison! But I have one in the books, and I can now fill out my census! 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsilvius[Staff] Posted October 24, 2023 Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 Congratulations! Sent from my SM-N981U1 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZINGA[TK] Posted October 24, 2023 Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 Number one! Right on! Congrats! My first was a con too so sort of got thrown into the deep end! Sounds like you had an awesome time and I love reading the story to go along with the photos! Bart 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revlimiter[Staff] Posted October 24, 2023 Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 Dank farrik that's quite a first troop!!! Could any possible other first event even begin to compare? I seriously doubt it. Congrats on breaking in that armor at long last! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zv288bot[TK] Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Stay away from my meilooruns!! Sorry I missed you brother! Next time!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nairy[Staff] Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Congratulations Caleb! Wow that was a great first troop! And saying hello to people that was very recently in our beloved galaxy far far away must have been so good! Did you meet the arch enemy of troopers: the STAIRS? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted October 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 7 minutes ago, Nairy said: Congratulations Caleb! Wow that was a great first troop! And saying hello to people that was very recently in our beloved galaxy far far away must have been so good! Did you meet the arch enemy of troopers: the STAIRS? The con actually hosted quite a few Star Wars voice actors (Anna Graves and Vanessa Marshall in addition to James Arnold Taylor), which was surprising for a city the size as mine, and a convention that's not even the largest of the year. But I totally bumbled it with Emily Swallow. Haha. And no, no stairs that day, but I had already navigated some earlier in the week and did quite fine. I think my height is beneficial in such cases. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly11[Admin] Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 Congratulations Caleb, you will never forget your first troop. Here's to many, many more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgi[Staff] Posted October 25, 2023 Report Share Posted October 25, 2023 You did it!! Congratulations on your first troop, Caleb! That one looks fantastic I really hope I'll get to troop with you soon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted February 29 Author Report Share Posted February 29 #2. Event: Atlanta Brick Con Date: Sunday, 11 February, 2024 Host unit: Georgia Garrison Kit: ANH-Stunt (LEGO) Members: Devin TK-47501, Scott SL-22431, others I recently doubled my official troop count at a LEGO convention in Atlanta, and I'm finally recording it here on the last day of the month (thank you leap year for the bonus day). This was an exciting event for me not only because it was a crossover of two hobbies, but it also represented my first official troop with my own garrison. I live a couple hours away from the heart of our trooping action, so I began the morning with a two hour solo drive down to Atlanta. I had convinced my closest squad member (an hour from me) to join me on the troop and we met there. After months of anticipation, and assembly as I'll later explain, I was super excited to finally troop with my garrison and show off the AMAZING blaster that @revlimiter had printed. Needless to say I think it was quite a crowd-pleaser, though twice I got asked "Does that make your aim better?" Based on the comments, kids only recognized the blaster from recent Star Wars LEGO video games, not the original 20-year-old sets, but I'm sure the many adults present felt the nostalgia. It turns out that this troop was more of a photo op for us Legion members there, rather than a traditional con with a table and personal fan interactions. We were situated in a corner of the con floor dedicated to Star Wars MOCs (My Own Creation), and essentially had a line non-stop for the two hours I was there. When I first arrived we had a Vader and Jedi, but then us Devin and I took over with TK duty. Check us out! TK-47501 & TK-73692 | Photo by James Clarke @thereallucasmccoy Also, lefty grip. While at our post we came across two princesses, but unfortunately they were not the one we were looking for. Seems they were from a different star system. TK-73692 & TK-47501 with @thepartypalacealabama | Photo by @bricksnaps / @thebeautifulbrick If you hadn't already noticed, in addition to the LEGO style blaster I carried, I had made some modifications to my actual armor loadout. After all, when in LEGO Rome, you play the part! What started off as originally just constructing a LEGO thermal detonator morphed into a larger belt project. I was extremely happy with the final result, with a nearly 1:1 scale LEGO replica of the normal plastic belt parts! In fact, I daresay did such a good job at the reproduction that NOT A SINGLE PERSON mentioned the LEGO parts I was wearing for the entirety of the troop (other than my garrison mates who knew my plans in advance). They were booty blinded by the blaster I guess, and didn't even notice the RS style creamy white LEGO plastic against my cooler white ATA armor. Haha. In the future I'll post a separate thread to document the full extend of this LEGO belt build, but for now here is a peak. The TD has 20mm "end caps" (yay CRL) and proper dimensions over all, other than the fact that is the smaller 2" North American variant rather than the more screen accurate 68mm version. Don't worry, a larger version is in the works. At the conclusion of the photo session, I made a quick round on the con floor in civilian cloths (actually my HKG Star Destroyer racing shirt!), and snapped a few photos. This Death Star hanger was particularly impressive, and I'm bummed I didn't immediately notice all the intricate scenes shown on the outside due to my rush to get home. Otherwise I would have taken additional close-up images. My favorite is what appears to be a unit of TKs taking instructions with modeling of ANH TKs on the TV. Of course, there were many MANY other MOCs, and I recorded a few Disney ones to show my daughters. Star Wars > other IPs. Overall I think it was a successful troop, and I learned a lessons and have a few kit adjustments to make. I experienced some feedback with my voice system which I hadn't in the past, so I need to better dial in the volume, and perhaps add some insulation in my chest piece above my speaker (that I wear with a GoPro chest harness). I also had a shoulder bell-bicep snap failure, which is one of the only two places I have single snaps on my kit. Seems I'll be implementing at least some version of Adam's shoulder snaps solution. He goes hard with them! All-in-all, a fun troop, and one that I will plan to attend annually despite being posted at a photo booth the entire time. I'll likely modify my belt to have some exposed studs to make the LEGO fun more obvious, and perhaps even add some lettering. L E G O T K the cartridges? Who knows, perhaps I'll continue to add LEGO armor parts to my armor and become a true LEGO TK. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revlimiter[Staff] Posted February 29 Report Share Posted February 29 But now you have that glorious belt forever and can swap out bricks as needed. Exposed studs next time maybe? Followed by minifigs in a full on (vertical) battle! Maybe a nice vintage Lego Town scene with the old pine trees and rainbow colored bricks. The possibilities are endless. Congrats on troop 2!!! That Lego blaster really went to its best home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAZINGA[TK] Posted February 29 Report Share Posted February 29 I live a three hours away from my main garrison group as well so I know the feeling of having to travel for everything. There is one local event in my city and the rest are a minimum two hour drive. This past year I could carpool with the only other TK in my city but she is moving away this year so it's just going to be me here. Bart 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dblcross[TK] Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 On 10/24/2023 at 4:33 PM, MaskedVengeance said: 11 February 2024 | Atlanta Brick Con | Georgia Garrison | ANH-S (LEGO) And I was in Atlanta working then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 1 Author Report Share Posted August 1 #3. Event: Walker Games Date: Friday, 12 April, 2024 Host unit: Georgia Garrison Kit: ANH-Stunt Members: self (POC) This troop was a fun one through which I was able to give back to my local community, and in particular the county school system that I myself attended during my elementary through high school years. It was the annual Special Olympics "field day" type of event for special needs students in the public schools, and this year's theme was "May The Fun Be With You." Being on a Friday during the school day, and thus normal working hours, I was the only club member able to attend. Normally my Garrison would decline troops with only a single member attendee, and especially a helmeted one at that, but I think special consideration was given due to my relationship with the school system and the fact that I would have a school-provided handler shadowing me the entire time. I made arrangements as my own POC, but arrived still not completely certain what my role would be at the event, especially as a soloist. The young lad designated to serve as my handler was a senior student set to graduate the following month, and though he didn't overly give away his excitement in his role, it was obvious to me that was excited. I told him he may be one of the few high school students to ever serve as a primary handler/dresser for a stormtrooper in the 501st, and he had lots of questions about armor production and assembly. I had him show me around the American football / Soccer stadium to get a lay of the land and then kitted up. Since the setting was a school, no weapons were allowed, so I instead elected to accessorize with some binocs and comlink from Joseph, as well as an appropriate-colored pauldron that matched the school's primary color. You're welcome Luca. I also donned my pouch from Darman for the first time and added a foam riser in the bottom to make my trading cards more easily accessible. I figured the children attending the event would love the cards, so I also made them available with the event staff at the check-in table. About 5 minutes before the start of the program I was informed that I'd be one of the grand marshals leading the parade of participants into the stadium. It was a bit nerve-wracking as I was not advised on the desired pace, and I had no visibility to see how close behind me the three banner bearers were following. But teachers and families still cheered, and I'm sure the student participants felt the love. The County school Superintendent was apparently dressed appropriately with Star Wars socks, and he had to grab a photo. After the processional I mingled around at the various competitive disciplines of the event, met hordes of students, and took a multitude of photos. The JROTC asked if I could strike a pose with them and I was happy to oblige. As some of the stations began to thin out I thought I'd try my hand at some PKs. It had been 18 years since I was last on this soccer field, and back then I would have been the visiting team in white and black jerseys/kits. I placed a few balls in the lower corners of the goal, but my limited visibility also caused me to send a few shots wide due to my rusty step setup and inability to see the ball when planting my foot and contacting the ball. Either way, it was more goals than I ever scored as a defender in my younger years. At the end of the day I gave my student handler a personal poker chip and an FISD pin as a thank-you. He did a great job keeping me safe and assisting in engaging his peers whenever they approached. It was a fun event for me, seeing all the smiling faces of students of all ages with a range of special needs, and the teachers were truly appreciative. Perhaps I'll get called back for other SW themed events in the future, and I'll certainly not complain about a 15-minute drive and supporting my local community. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 1 Author Report Share Posted August 1 #3.5 UNOFFICIAL EVENT Event: LaFayette Farmer's Market Date: Saturday, 4 May, 2024 Host unit: n/a Kit: ANH-Stunt (cookie sign) Members: self (POC) The season opener of a local farmer's market happened to be on May 4th, so I had a thought why not attend as a stormtrooper? We reached out to the market host, and asked if would be appropriate for me to don full TK armor, and they loved the idea. In fact, they decided to semi-theme the market that week around Star Wars, and I was invited to mingle around the market space and greet attendees. The weather turned out to be a bit wet, with on and off light rain showers, but that didn't deter me. The cloud cover kept the temperature down, and I felt like a true soldier pacing in the rain. Kids, adults, and local police officers loved it, and many photos were taken with vendors. And of course my Darth Daughter joined in on the action like she did at my very first troop. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 1 Author Report Share Posted August 1 #4. Event: Movie in the Square | A New Hope screening Date: Saturday, 4 May, 2024 Host unit: Georgia Garrison Kit: ANH-Stunt Members: self (POC), Devin TK-47501 (my regular trooping buddy) Several hours after closing out the aforementioned farmer's market, I headed over to the downtown area of my little town for a screening of A New Hope! During the summer months they shut down the main square once a month to show a family movie on a large trailer screen. The assignment for me and my buddy Devin was to engage attendees for an hour or two as they arrived early to stake our their viewing seats. We did the usual, walking around in an intimidating fashion, cracked jokes with people, posed for photos, and even did a quick radio interview (that was aired) about the 501st Legion and the specific kits we were in for the troop. Kinda neat. There was even initially a plan to have the local sheriff's office deputize us as an intro to the film, but that fell through. Maybe next time. Once it got dark outside and movie started, our assignment ended, and we were able to enjoy the film. I stayed through the first several minutes then headed home to assist with kiddo bedtime. If the City or County ever puts on another Star Wars related event, I'm sure we'll get the invite. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted August 1 Author Report Share Posted August 1 #5. Event: BrickFanExpo Nashville Date: Saturday, 13 July, 2024 Host unit: Midsouth Garrison, Music City Squad Kit: ANH-Stunt (LEGO) Members: self, DS-28824, ID-67201, DZ-49516, DS-81132 This LEGO convention was another stop on the same tour that I trooped at back in February ( Atlanta Brick Con ), so it featured a similar con layout, celebrity/influencer guests, and a photobooth for us 501st members. The convention hall was smaller than Atlanta, and once again was a new venue to me. Upon arriving after the 2.5 hour drive I walked a quick lap around the floor and was pleased to see that the LEGO Masters participants were in the booth right next to us. Easy access! I then kitted up in a space behind some pipe and drape that was barely wide enough to fit my rolling husky bin. It was my first time trooping in Nashville with the Music City Squad, and I was the last to arrive since it was an drop-in open-shift troop with no particular muster time. Mara Jade was accustomed to assisting TKs, and helped me with a shoulder snap, belt closure, and LEGO TD attachment. Check out our gang! It was my first time meeting a jawa that was shorter than me. Like my previous LEGO con in Atlanta, we served as a photo op for con attendees, but luckily there wasn't a continuous line like Atlanta, which made this far more enjoyable. The organizers even let us wander away on the main floor, which made for some fun interactions and I'm sure amusing moments for guests. I wonder if anybody captured photos of me investigating a block formation of LEGO TK minifigures in one of the vendor sales booths. Previously in Atlanta I wore a custom TK belt (and TD!) constructed of LEGO and it blended in so well with my armor that not one person commented on it back in February. Thus I added a little spice this time, recreating a diorama of the Tantive IV boarding. After it, it is one of the most glorious moments for TKs. This time both the blaster (3D printed by @revlimiter) and the belt garnered comments, alongside the normal "why can't you guys aim" and "you need shooting training" statements. How is it that even children provide such commentary?! I also stepped up my game with the blaster and installed a holding mechanism for actual LEGO brick blasters/loudhailers that I gave away to kids. That doesn't count as arms distribution, does it? I had two reload cartridges ready at our gear table, and ended up giving away approximately 80 of them. The kids LOVED them, and some even ran around having blaster battles afterwards. One of the highlights of this troop for me, and really one of the big reasons I wanted to attend at all was because Christopher and Robert, the winners of the fourth season of LEGO Masters would be in attendance. In Atlanta I had arrived too late on the second day to meet them, so this time I reported during the first hour of the opening day. They were very friendly and Christopher was very enthused (as you'd expect) about the mini LEGO blasters hidden in the stock of the lifesize blaster. He even filmed it on his phone! I snagged a couple of their trading cards and had them sign my LM trophy and one of the ammo cartridges for my LEGO belt. Very cool. I also got to meet Mark and Stephen Erickson from season #2, Tim from season #4, and several LEGO Influencers, as the con repeatedly referred to them as. (Is it just me, or is it weird to market the attendance of influencers, specifically identifying them as such? Obviously we might refer to the special segment of lifestyle marketers as influencers, and we could even refer to a particular individual as an influencer, but saying "influencers will be present" just seems odd). Anyway, there were also great builds on display, and I couldn't help for capture some of the SW related ones. I met an influencer. I call this one "Adam's Ride." I call this one @Pugs501's Ride A few of my IG stories and my swag haul: These LEGO cons have really grown on me, so I'm sure I'll continue to attend them in the future. I'm fairly certain there will be one in Huntsville, AL late this fall, and then likely my own city next May, both in addition to Atlanta Brick Con scheduled for February. Who knows what fun MOCs (my own creations) I might build into my LEGO TK belt for those! Perhaps a Death Star setting will be next. Next Planned Troop: Chattanooga Comic Con, Oct 26-27, 2024 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgi[Staff] Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 Wow, lots of troops added this time and they look fantastic! Love the Lego belt! Not too sure about the pauldron however... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nairy[Staff] Posted August 1 Report Share Posted August 1 The lego TD is just awesome, really need to build one myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sithping[TK] Posted August 2 Report Share Posted August 2 The Lego belt diorama is just incredible, I love it! Thanks for sharing the awesome pics at the amazing events you've attended. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revlimiter[Staff] Posted August 5 Report Share Posted August 5 On 7/31/2024 at 9:57 PM, MaskedVengeance said: I call this one "Adam's Ride." Also, what a lego troop!!!!! Wow. I'm jealous. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.