We're Home, Chewie...

[JF1138]

Hello from Parkersburg, WV.

I have long followed the comings and goings of the WV 501st events, taking my daughter to interact with them. In all honesty, it was always as much for myself as for her.

After meeting several of the members, there was a ripple in the force that brought two people into my life. Tim Higgs and I spent nearly two hours talking about all things Star Wars and he told me all about the 501st. A few days later, Amy Higgs strolled up to me and offered the Blue Milk. I drank heartily and happily volunteered to assist as a handler at the upcoming Classic Plastics event in Parkersburg.

Fast forward to today, and it was incredible fun. Being surrounded by men, women, and some kidlets that all loved the lore and life that is Star Wars was amazing. I was incredibly honored to stand and assist any who needed it. Being instantly welcomed and accepted was refreshing. Watching this extended family interact, share, and care for one another throughout the day was inspiring.

Thus, here I am, registering and happily accepting the chance to become a new recruit/Cadet. I doubt that I will have an outfit prepared before the March 16th Herd-Con, but I will be there nonetheless, ready to assist as I am able.

As far as that first kit/costume? I am going to shoot for the classic Stormtrooper. Will it be the only, not a chance. But all great things have a beginning.

Thanks for the welcome, and I look forward to many more events and Cons to come. I look even more forward to my first official Troop!

[TeaJay]

Welcome!! A great choice to go with an original trilogy stormtrooper. Now the question of which one? Believe it or not, in each original trilogy movie, stormtroopers slightly varied from movie to movie. Most commonly you will see "A New Hope" stormtroopers. That's the TK (stormtrooper) that I did. Which I eventually transformed into a sandtrooper, which is much more than simply getting it dirty.

As a cadet, you will be assigned a costume advisor to help you with questions, etc. as you start down the path of building a costume. There are also others who will be able to assist along the way as well. That's where having a build thread on the garrison's forum will come in handy. Your costume advisor or one of the GMLs will get that started for you once you're assigned an advisor.

There are a few folks who have a TK or have built them before and a couple of centurion (level 3, highest certified tier of approval through the detachment) who are very familiar with the build process. So do not feel alone in the process there are people who are here to help! Ask questions and someone will get you an answer.

Again, welcome! I'm glad you and your daughter had a great time at today's event!

[JF1138]

Thanks for the welcome!

Great points, and I was thinking the TK - Stormtrooper: ANH Hero build. However, I may go instead for a SL - Darth Maul build first. I have looked through many of the CRLs on the 501st site, and I believe that may be a slightly faster/easier build to be able to troop while the TK is being pieced together. <shrug> Plus, who doesn't love a Darth Maul lurking about?
But, yeah... decisions, decisions... I doubt that I would have anything ready before the next gathering. But the one after? I want that. lol.

I will look forward to any and all assistance, and I can't wait. I have a ton to learn, but I'll get it.

[Darth Boyer]

Glad you were able to squire with us today and I look forward to trooping alongside you in the near future.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TeaJay]

The best thing to do is take your time and never rush. Research is a huge part of the build process. All cadets get super excited to get their first costume built and start trooping, but rushing to complete something often leads to more issues.

A TK does take some time to build, and when ordering a kit from a trustworthy vendor, it may take a few weeks to a few months to arrive depending on who you go with.

Darth Maul is a very cool character and we currently do not have one in our garrison.

The bubble lenses on the hero build of a TK can be a bit more challenging to see out of than the stunt version, because of the distortion, but dont let that hold you back. It's already hard enough to see out of stunts anyway.

[Adexi]

Welcome to the Garrison!

It would be awesome to have a Darth Maul face character.
Good luck on your build!

[wilson5710]

It was great meeting you at Classic Plastics Joe. You did a fantastic job helping out and offering assistance as a Handler. Thank you so much for being there and welcome to the family!

[mattcamaro]

I have moved your thread and assigned Wendy as your advisor. Will be great to see your progress.