Welcome to the Dark Side

This article just came in from Tulsa World:

Welcome to the Darth side

by: MIKE AVERILL World Scene Writer
7/31/2008 12:00 AM

Why would Sam Bell choose the Dark Side? “Ask anybody who the best villain is. Even people who don’t know ‘Star Wars’ know who Darth Vader is,” Bell said.

Sam Bell always loved the Storm Troopers in the “Star Wars” films. Growing up, he watched the movies and played with the toys. “Now,” he said, “I’m my own action figure.”

Bell is the head of the Oklahoma Fire Team of the Star Garrison, part of the 501st Legion, or Vader’s Fist — an organization whose members dress in costume as members of the Empire. Bell and other members of the 501st Legion will be decked out this weekend at DefCon 7.

“The conventions are for fun,” he said. “If I can make one kid smile, I don’t care how much I spend on armor. That’s all I care about.”

Members of the 501st Legion will check for admission badges at the entrance to the convention and will also have an information booth.

“And we want to make sure that no rebels are acting up,” he joked.

Bell purchased most of his outfit on eBay and assembled it with hot glue, foam and Velcro. His blaster is hand-made through resin casting. He said his outfit cost about $600, but some people spend up to $1,200.

“I saved up my money and bought everything piece by piece,” he said.

The 30-piece uniform is lightweight plastic.

“The disco boots are the heaviest part of the outfit,” Bell said.

He declared that the 501st Legion is George Lucas’ preferred group.

“We pride ourselves in being as close to the movies as possible. We’re not extremely strict, but we are portraying people’s childhoods and hopes.”

So why does Bell align himself with the Dark Side instead of siding with the Rebel Alliance as a member of the Rebel Legion?

“First, it’s simply cooler,” he said. “Second, I’ve always been attracted to the shiny armor.”

And there’s the fact that the Storm Troopers are led by one of the best villains, Darth Vader.

“Ask anybody who the best villain is. Even people who don’t know ‘Star Wars’ know who Darth Vader is,” Bell said.

Bell’s been a “Star Wars” fan since his father took him to see “Return of the Jedi” at a drive-in theater.

” ‘Jedi’ was the first movie I’d seen. I remember loving seeing things that I never could imagine were possible. The biker scouts zipping through the forest hooked me.”

He also enjoys the Star Wars films because they have a story that other movies try to live up to.

“It shows humanity at its best,” he said. “There’s turmoil and overcoming that turmoil and delving back into it. And I’m simply just a geek.”

About the 501st Legion

The Oklahoma Fire Team has nine members, one short of being a squad, and the Star Garrison — which encompasses Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma — has 170.

The goals of the 501st Legion are to celebrate the “Star Wars” movies through the wearing of costumes, to promote the quality and improvement of costumes and props, and to contribute to the local community through charity and volunteer work, its Web site says.

The 501st Legion has more than 4,000 members around the world, even in Antarctica.

For more information on the Star Garrison and how to join, go online to tulsaworld.com/stargarrison or e-mail info@stargarrison.com

Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/lifestyle/article.aspx?articleID=20080731_17_D1_hAbout389210

FAMILY: ‘Star Wars’ convention at The Summit

This article just came online:

FAMILY: ‘Star Wars’ convention at The Summit

July 31, 2008 09:48 am

— By Anthony Custode Jr.

Light … saber, action!
The National Star Wars Convention rolls into town this weekend at Omega Sports in The Summit mall. Brenden Bronson, owner of the sports memorabilia store, expects a huge turnout.
As of Monday, there were 120 tickets remaining of the 3,500 made available. The convention is unique compared to the autograph sessions he normally holds at the store, Bronson said.
“We have a ‘Star Wars’ DJ and a band. We also have a laser light show and smoke machine inside and an epic battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader,” Bronson said.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a “Star Wars” convention without stars from the movie. According to Bronson, David Prowse, Jeremy Bulloch and Felix Silla, who played Darth Vader, Boba Fett and the hang-gliding Ewok from “Return of the Jedi,” respectively, will be on hand to sign autographs and mingle with fans.
Bronson also says he expects a “massive amount of celebrities,” including World Wrestling Entertainment diva Tammy “Sunny” Sytch. There are other celebrities tentatively scheduled to appear, as well.
Sytch says she looks forward to the convention, even though it isn’t wrestling-related.
“I’ve been booked for signings at other (”Star Wars” conventions) and it’s actually a lot of fun,” Sytch said. “Everybody expects to have a great time and meet their favorite characters. It’s a fun, friendly atmosphere, and we’re just trying to give them a good time.”
Bronson said the attendance of the 501st Legion, a fan organization whose members often dress up in Stormtrooper armor, will be a huge hit.
“The 501st Legion will be here all dressed up, and it’s great because they actually look better then the characters in the movie because they spend so much more time on their costumes,” Bronson said. “They look amazing. I’m actually more excited about getting my picture taken with the legion because I’m such a big fan of the movie.”
Although hosting a convention with such a popular theme may be new to the Niagara Falls area, Bronson said he holds one annually, but the location changes each year.
“Last year was in Las Vegas, this year is in Niagara Falls and next year will be in Tampa, Fla.,” he said.
Sytch believes making appearances at these conventions will help enlarge her already popular fan base.
“Wrestling fans and ‘Star Wars’ fans are usually one in the same, but if I meet some people who aren’t wrestling fans, maybe I can turn them on to it and hopefully turn them into a fan of mine,” Sytch said. “I do love meeting new people. The more people I meet, the broader my fan base gets.”
There will also be movie passes given away to the upcoming theatrical release “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” at the convention, Bronson said.
General admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets are $100. Both tickets will allow access to the convention on each day, but the VIP ticket grants access to autographs from all celebrities in attendance.
Autograph signings will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, but a complete list of stars appearing has not been released. According to Bronson, that’s done by design.
“We like to have a few surprises that people don’t know about so they think, ‘Wow, this is a great deal,’ ” he said.

IF YOU GO
* WHAT: National Star Wars Convention
* WHEN: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
* WHERE: Omega Sports in The Summit mall, 6929 Williams Road, Wheatfield
* MORE INFORMATION: Call 605-0985 or visit summitniagara.com
http://www.niagara-gazette.com/nightandday/local_story_213094925.html

Interviewed for Online Gaming Radio

This is from a really long time ago:

Design & Conquer 101st Storm Trooper
Mon, 08, May 2008

Download this episode (15:56)
Interview done during Northeast Wars. Interviewed Andrew from the 101st Storm Trooper.

This was back during Northeast Wars, one of the first troops back in Vermont earlier this year. I’ve since sent them an e-mail to get them to correct the title to 501st.

Their website: http://www.onlinegamingradio.com

More NEG Oddities

This video, taken during the Midnight Toy Release, features one of our TKs:

..

Imperial Commando Novels

Looks like Karen Traviss isn’t done with the Republic Commando novels after Order 66. In a recent interview with Randomhouse, she mentioned that she will be writing a couple Imperial Commando novels, and a Boba Fett novel:

Q: What other projects are you working on, both Star Wars—related and in your own fictional universe?

KT: I’m concentrating wholly on military and political fiction for the foreseeable future. I’m having a wonderful time working on Gears of War, which is a profoundly intelligent and well-created universe about a squad of soldiers in a post-apocalyptic world — yes, there are chainsaw rifles, but it’s also very smart stuff – and I’m continuing the Republic Commando series in Imperial Commando books. There are a few other SW books in the pipeline too, including a Boba Fett one. In my creator-owned work, I’m writing a political thriller series about mercenaries, set in the very near future . I’ll also be doing some comics work, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. So, no vacation for a few years….or sleep….!

Looks like she won’t be able to put her armor together any time soon…

Extended Clone Wars Clip!

Yahoo movies has posted an exclusive clip from the Clone Wars movie. The 3:49 minute clip details an early battle sequence in the movie, and contains some minor spoilers. Keep an eye out for the 501st Clones with jetpacks.

Take a look here:

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809991325/video/8977211

Man, that looks awesome.

The Force is with them

This fantastic article came in from the Star Tribune, out of Minnesota:

The Force is with them

By Randy Salas, Star Tribune

Adam Brown, 6, left, and Sam Liang, 6, both of St. Paul, were surprised to find a real person — Steve Carter, 56, of Woodbury — behind what they thought was a static stormtrooper outfit during a visit to the Science Museum of Minnesota. “It freaked us both out,” Adam said.

July 29, 2008
It’s not every day that you’re riding an elevator and the doors open to admit an ominous “Star Wars” villain. But that’s exactly what happened on a recent visit to the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul.

Enter Boba Fett, the lethal bounty hunter whom Darth Vader dispatched to track down Han Solo in “The Empire Strikes Back.” As the imposing armored figure silently strode into the crowded elevator, trapped families and others quickly parted to the perimeter. One small boy ducked behind his father’s legs, peering out in wide-eyed awe.

Later, in a secluded room at the huge museum, the faceless Fett removed the helmet to reveal not a ruthless male warrior, but a bright-eyed St. Francis woman named Stacie Hanson, who was all smiles.

“I just love it!” she said about impersonating one of the coolest, baddest dudes from the popular sci-fi films. “Seeing the kids’ reactions is great — even the parents’.”

Hanson is one of a few dozen Twin Cities fans who appear regularly as “Star Wars” characters in authentic costumes that they often put together themselves. You can catch them Saturday and four other dates in August at the museum’s special exhibit “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination,” but you’re just as likely to see them in a community parade, at a store opening or even at a charity event.

And they do it all as volunteers.

They belong to local chapters of the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion, companion costuming clubs that have the blessing of “Star Wars” creator George Lucas as long as they adhere to rules that include:

• The costumes must look authentic.

• The general public can’t see any members partly costumed — not wearing a helmet, for instance.

• Members can’t be paid for their costumed appearances. (The nonprofit Science Museum has given them volunteer benefits, such as free admission and Omnitheater passes, said Joe Imholte, project leader for special exhibits.)

It’s all about authenticity

Members of the 501st and Rebel Legion look as if they just walked off a “Star Wars” set. They compare constructing their costumes to building a scale model. Even if they don’t make the parts — usually ordered from specialty replica companies or other fans — they paint, trim and do other things to customize the components to fit their bodies.

Hanson, 28, who works at a finance company, estimates that she has spent “well over $2,000″ on her getup for Boba Fett, a character she takes turns playing with two other Twin Cities fans, who have their own costumes. She’s continually upgrading, too, with plans to add working lights and a cooling fan for the sweltering helmet, for example. And Fett is just one of four “Star Wars” characters she portrays.

“This is my main hobby,” she said.

Then there’s Mike Hansen, 39, of Woodbury. He has built a full-sized, working replica of R2-D2, the cute dome-shaped droid and plucky sidekick of the golden C-3PO.

Hansen’s R2 unit beeps and whistles. It also rolls around, rotates its dome and lights up — all controlled remotely by Hansen, whose day job is at an insurance company.

He wouldn’t say how much he has spent on the little fella other than “it was a lot.” What’s more, he added, his R2 might never be done. Planned upgrades include opening doors and a periscope.

“He looks so good that if I’m not where people can see me, they think he’s right from the movie and totally running on his own,” he said.

Dealing with the skeptics

Now, the reaction from nonfans of “Star Wars” might be, “What is with these people?”

Steve Carter, executive officer of the 501st’s Central Garrison, has heard it before. The 56-year-old Woodbury resident, a technology company executive, says skeptics often experience what he calls “scoff and awe.”

“Initially, they scoff at the idea of a grown man wearing a costume in public,” said Carter, who plays Darth Vader and a stormtrooper. “But then when they see me in it, the scoff is quickly followed by awe. Once I am in costume, I rarely have anyone make fun of me.”

Ed Cook, 28, commanding officer of the Rebel Legion’s Central Base, doesn’t let derisive comments get to him.

“Obviously, we can’t take ourselves too seriously,” said Cook, a Minneapolis resident who works for a mortgage company. “We’re grown adults who go out and play dress-up, basically. But when you do a charity event or have a kid come up to you and see the smile on their face, it’s just so totally worth it.”

Chad VanVorst, 35, of Maple Grove, knows all about it. Another 501st member who plays Darth Vader, he’s swarmed by young fans at events.

“It’s cool to interact with the little people at that level,” said VanVorst, who works at an insurance brokerage firm. “They look past the darkness — the armor, the immediate visual ugliness that Darth Vader is. When you see those wagon-wheel eyes and the big mouths just agape, it’s fulfilling.”

As VanVorst stood in the Science Museum recently in full Vader gear — all 70 pounds of it — a tiny girl slowly but bravely approached the Dark Lord of the Sith. She whispered something indiscernible. VanVorst bent down and asked her in Vader’s deep, amplified voice to repeat the words.

“High five?” she said a little louder.

He gently patted his gloved hand against her open palm. She hurried back to her waiting family, grinning all the way.

Source

There are some more pictures on the website.

The NEG being Wacky

My home garrison being weird:

..

Hasbro Mentions 501st Legion

This is a really neat mention, a disclaimer really. With the release of a special 501st toy, there is a special membership card for the 501st Legion. Not our 501st Legion, but the other one – the one from the films. Scott Will, our merchandising person, noted this to Hasbro, and they put up the following disclaimer:

*This figure does not confer membership in the 501st costuming club. If you are interested in learning more about the costuming club and the great philanthropic work they do, please visit www.501st.com.

It’s a nice bit of recognition, especially with the work that we do, and with a company that’s so big and well known.

Source

Review: The Clone Wars

[This review contains spoilers for The Clone Wars]

Earlier this year, the Star Wars Lit community was abuzz with the news of a couple of things – that there was an untitled Karen Traviss novel coming, and that there was a Clone Wars movie coming out. A couple of months ago, fans learned that they were both connected, as Karen turned out to have been writing the novelization.
The release of The Clone Wars brings about the first book released in the time frame since Traviss’s last Republic Commando novel, True Colors, which was released last year, and once again shows that Traviss is one of the better writers for the Clone Wars.

This novelization isn’t the best work that Karen has released. The book is a very short one, and plotwise, has a bit to be desired. In a nutshell, the Seperatists have kidnapped the son of Jabba the Hutt, hoping to anger the Hutts enough to ensure that the Republic can’t utilize their space lanes.

The book is rife with action, which is Karen’s strong point, especially when it comes to Clones. the main characters are introduced with a battle, where Karen puts her expertise gained from the Republic Commando books. What I really enjoyed was seeing an author put a level of military realism to this – the Clones talk and act like soldiers.

Karen leaves a lot of nods to the 501st, helping to further explain the role of Vader’s fist, the battalion seen in Revenge of the Sith, named for the 501st Legion. One of the more interesting characters in the book is Captain Rex, whom a number of Legion members are building in anticipation of the film’s release. Karen pushed these guys to a particular prominence in the book, which is a great nod to the group, of which, she’s an honorary member. There weren’t any mentions of Republic Commandos, which surprised me a little.

The plot of the book leaves more to be desired beyond the military sections. There are some interesting political ideas here, but the idea that the Republic would send two of their most highly regarded Jedi after a Huttling is somewhat ridiculous. While this is addressed somewhat at points, I found it hard to believe.

More so, I found the notion that the Hutts, or more particularly, Jabba, would completely base foreign policy on a kidnapped child a ridiculous notion. Granted, this is a novelization based off of an animated movie, so expecting something on the level of Karen’s other books or other Clone Wars novels such as Shatterpoint is somewhat expected.

Unfortunately, the book is short, clocking in at around 250 pages, taking me a total of five or so hours to read. Fortunately, Del Rey seems to have realized this, and as a result, I only paid $12 for the book (yay for a 40% discount at Borders).

Overall, this is a decent enough read, despite the fact that it is short and not as good as her other books. However, with four more books to go in the series, there’s plenty of room for more improvement and Clone action.

7/10