New Static Box Bursts onto the Scene

It's been a while since an affordable static box was readily available (anyone remember the $35 Galaxy Trading Static Box from 2003?). The existing offerings do their job well, but they could also end up being the most expensive part of your bucket. The Trooper Com Interface is the latest low-cost alternative. At this point I should tell you that I haven't seen or heard it in action. The creator (TB-1352) wanted to give me a demo at Dragon*Con, but we ran out of time. Admittedly, this unit does not offer multiple sound effects or pre-recorded audio files like the Hyperdyne or ROM FX, but at a fraction of the cost ($85 US or $95 Int'l including shipping) it looks like a fair alternative for troopers who want the added realism of a static burst to punctuate their dialog when interacting with the public. If you get one, let me know what you think.

Mrs. TK-899 Joins the 501st

After Celebration IV in Los Angeles, my wife began to entertain the idea of joining the 501st Legion. Like most people, she was intrigued by the camaraderie and philanthropy shared between like-minded Star Wars fans from around the world. After spending a week away from home for CIV, I was surprised that it was Dionne, not I, who was pushing for us to attend a long weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, for Dragon*Con. Of course, you can't attend Dragon*Con without a costume, and you can't join the 501st without a Star Wars costume...what a wonderful coincidence! We managed to get Dionne's female Tusken costume together the night before D*C and it debuted at the convention without any casualties. We submitted her application for membership in early September and just got confirmation of her official Legion ID number (4009) today! The significance of the number? She joined the Legion in the 9th month of her 40th year...shhhhhhh...don't let her know I posted that! Check out her 501st profile here.

Don't Get Cocky

There's just nothing cooler than an obscure Star Wars t-shirt. In fact, that's one of the ways the hit ABC TV show LOST got its start. Due to large unsolicited requests for these, you can now pre-order the "Don't Get Cocky" design until October 6, 2007. Just click here to go to the order page. Reprints of the other designs in the "Targeting Shirt Trilogy" ("Stay On Target" and "I Have You Now") will be available later this year.

Dragon*Con 2007 Recap

A picture is worth a thousand words, and never more so than with an event like Dragon*Con in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. With a rumored 60,000+ attendees from around the world, D*C has become an annual homecoming event for costumers and revellers from all walks of life. The overall vibe was non-judgmental, and with the exception of staff and security being a bit too high-strung, I found little to complain about. For every outstanding costume we encountered, there were 10 more we never saw in passing. It was interesting to see active hotel lobbies filled with outlandish characters from every genre even at 3am, and mid-day naps were mandatory. We finished my wife's female Tusken Raider just in time and it was the only one we saw there. I only brought my stock Stormtrooper armor (that's me, 2nd from the left in the above photo), but it's a safe bet we will be attending next year...with more costumes to debut. Enjoy the photos!