This is my 1st time attending a SW Celebration and I am super excited about it. Especially to help be a part of it, and go as a member of the 501st. I am sooooo giddy I can't stand it. (I am also very worried that when the rush of SW Celebration and SWW comes to an end it will be such a downer! I know we have alot of 501st events planned this year, so I hope it will help.)
I have to tell you a tale... (I will not be offended if you feel it's TLDR, but for those that are interested...)
The summer of 2003, I was attending GENCON in Indianapolis, I alpha and beta tested a lot of computer games back then as well as play a lot of card games, particularly one called Magic The Gathering. In any event, as a person that worked a lot of the tables at GENCON I was always dressed up in some type of get up, this day it was a renaissance gown.
It was time to take a break and I stepped outside of the Indianapolis Convention Center to find myself standing in the midst of a sea of white plastic spacemen, and when I say sea it was like 30 plus people, all dressed as Stormtroopers. I was astounded. I had never seen such a beautiful sight in all my life. I nearly cried right there. I had never heard of the 501st, nor knew that there were people out there that got together in such beautiful quality SW costumes such as these. I really thought it was some stunt for publicity or something. There were a few who took off their helmets and smiled at my reaction.
They Moved Along... and soon I composed myself and went to get something to eat.
It wasn't till later (after telling people what I saw at GENCON) I would learn that SWC II had been held in Indianapolis the year prior and that these people were members of the 501st, a newly formed group in 1998. They had come out to troop for fun at the gaming convention.
I looked into some of the costumes for years, learning the high cost, AND TIME they took to make... during this time frame I was also in the process of raising three sons, the blessing that they are, would not afford me the luxury of such extravagance (both time and money).
It wasn't until the encouragement of a few Dissers/501st members both on the boards and in person when meeting them at Disney SWW in 2013 that I got the courage, and had the finances and time (my youngest was now 21 and on his own) to try to join these people I had admired for a decade from afar.
Being a member of the 501st is like a dream, the people are super awesome, super talented, and like the people on this thread super helpful!
I do not have my storm trooper completed, yet, I joined the 501st as Mara Jade (call numbers DS-10145) so I could start slow still be a member and learn how to make these awesome costumes.
I do however have two buckets (aka helmets) in pieces in my garage, waiting for me to finish them. One for a normal "Stunt Stormtrooper" that's what the call the bad guys in Stormtrooper armor (the good guys they call "Hero Stormtroopers") the second is for a Joker Squad Stormtrooper (more form fitting uniforms that both guys and girls can wear BUT the cosplay/501st community that does is all female so it gets dubbed Fem Troopers). I also have all the armor (unfinished) for the Joker Squad Trooper and I am desperately awaiting the arrival of the pieces Stunt Stormtrooper armor so can start assembly.
One day I hope to astonish people as the white plastic spacemen astonished me...
But for now I will settle for this...
and this...
THE END
(or should I say the end of the beginning)
I tell you this to explain my excitement. So if I am over the top... you might get why
And if you are ever in the disney parks and see people sporting 501st shirts or badges (we are not allowed to wear our costumes except for the parades) say HI... 501st people love to talk, and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met, AND THEY
STAR WARS... how cool is that?
This really makes we wonder when they are going to announce SW stuff for DHS. I mean it looks like they are clearing the way!
Hopefully as part of SWW they shed some light to us.
