Lenses (A Disclaimer)

Thanks to everyone who has tried (and fallen in love with) my single-piece flat lens mod. I make the lenses from welder's faceshield replacements and they have some small imprinted writing (a warning for welders) in one corner. It should be noted that this corner of the lens strip isn't visible through a helmet's eye holes when installed properly. So, please don't panic if you order a kit from me and it has the warning...some will have it, some won't. Here's a quick testimonial (from someone who had the writing):

I received the lenses the other day and they are great!! Really easy to install and limited, super limited fogging if any at all. I don't have any fans installed in my bucket yet, but for right now it is not needed. Thanks again bud.
-Struan R.

P.S. Sorry about the poor quality image. I'm testing out my new camera phone.

Rubber Glove Upgrade

After years of reliable wear from my Nomex Hatch Flight Gloves (wow, the price has really gone up on these in the past 5 years!), I finally came across a pair of black rubber neoprene gloves this weekend in a size medium. At $6.99 US, I think they were a bit expensive for rubber gloves, but they are really nice with a 12-inch gauntlet (that tucks nicely beneath the forearm armor) and 100% cotton flock lining. I have noticed that the Hatch Flight Gloves, while comfortable and more breathable, tend to make manual tasks a little tricky. For example, it's difficult to pick up or separate trading cards from a stack because the cotton and leather are slippery. These new rubber gloves have a non-slip tire tread grip for improved dexterity. They also lack the obvious seams in the stitching of the Hatch gloves, therefore improving screen-accuracy. The exact gloves I purchased are Wells Lamont Men's Professional Neoprene SureGard gloves. Make sure you don't get the glossy "coated" ones or ones that are too long. Note: The flash from the camera washed out the color, but these are indeed a flat black.

TRIVIA: The trooper gloves worn in Episode IV: A New Hope were black rubber chemical gloves while the handback armor was stitched onto cloth gloves in Episodes V and VI.

501st Legion Podcast Demo

Something I've been wanting to do for a long time is produce a podcast for the 501st Legion. I really enjoy The ForceCast among other podcasts, and they are a great way to pass the time as I drive to and from work every weekday. I finally got myself a decent headset microphone and put out the call for a fellow 501st member who was willing to work on the project with me. Varza (DZ-8772) answered the call and after working out a few technical issues, we churned out the first demo podcast. Click the player below to give it a listen!

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!

Dragon*Con Virgin

Although Dragon*Con is often regarded as the annual "homecoming" for the 501st Legion (having been the site of the 501st's first official group gathering in 1998), this year will mark my first foray into this established sci-fi/fantasy/comics/costuming convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Dragon*Con is perhaps best described as an urban Mardi Gras of sorts, where fans and friends congregate in their best (and worst) costumes over Labor Day weekend, and where days and nights are said to blur together. Believe it or not, it was my wife's idea to go to D*C after experiencing Star Wars Celebration IV in Los Angeles, and we look forward to some time to ourselves thanks to my parents who are visiting (and babysitting). Presently, we are working hard to finish up a female Tusken Raider costume for Dionne...it would be done if we weren't obsessing over details!

We Love R2-KT

501st Legion Founder Albin Johnson started something incredible 10 years ago when he decided to show up at a local movie theater in full Stormtrooper armor just for fun. Although he would never admit it, Albin has an amazing sense of vision and his passion drives him to succeed. I would like to state now, for the record, that I think he's doing it again. The formula is similar to that which fuels the ever-growing 501st Legion, but replace the fans in costume with an army of good-willed robots.

The result is the story of R2-KT, the "Pink Imperial Droid with a Heart of Gold."

When Albin's daughter, Katie, was diagnosed with brain cancer, the network of friends that Albin had built over the years rallied around the brave little girl. The fan community showed a tremendous outpour of support including the construction of a scale remote control droid to watch over Katie while she slept (her sister Allie's idea). The droid was dubbed "R2-KT" (as in "Artoo-Katie"), and despite the loss of Katie, the pink robot now serves to educate, entertain, and bring awareness to pediatric cancer. She's even inspired Hasbro and Lucasfilm to donate $100,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

My prediction: R2-KT's robot friends (namely the R2 Builders Group) will join the cause. Awareness will spread amongst children's hospitals and charitable organizations across the world. More fans (perhaps parents of sick children) will be inspired to build replica droids for the same purpose. A new Legion will be born. In fact, with a trading card, embroidered patch, and Hasbro action figure already on the market, the future looks bright pink for R2-KT.

For more information about R2-KT, please visit r2kt.com.

Rose Parade Audition Flashback

It's been one year since troopers around the globe were asked by Lucasfilm to submit videos of themselves marching in military-style formation. During the grueling summer practice sessions, troopers were asked to state their name, 501st Legion ID number, and unit affiliation. At the time, nobody knew just why Lucasfilm wanted the footage...was it an audition for the Star Wars live-action TV series? Was this an underhanded way of gathering names for a large-scale cease-and-desist order to all owners of bootleg Stormtrooper armor? Speculations ran rampant, but it was finally announced at San Diego Comic-Con that George Lucas himself wanted to recognize and reward the 501st Legion for their volunteer service as goodwill ambassadors of the Star Wars franchise by inviting 200 troopers to the Star Wars Spectacular in the 2007 Rose Parade. Many of the training videos can be seen on this YouTube playlist. The training I participated in on July 8, 2006, in Greensboro, North Carolina, happened to be one of the only times I've been captured on video skateboarding in my armor.