Carolina Garrison

Hey everyone!
I recently discovered the existance of the 501st Legion, Carolina Garrison. I live in Charlotte, NC, and have been a huge fan of all things Star Wars since I stood in line to see A New Hope back in 77 as a 9 year old.
I would love to become a member, but have NO idea on where to start with a uniform/costume. I am not very artistic, and don't have the knowledge to build something from scratch, so wondering if there is a site I can get a good costume, then build on it to bring it up to the high standards of the 501st so I can join and participate in events.
Any and all help is GREATLY appreciated!!!!!

Hello Drew and welcome aboard. The first step if choosing a character. You can head over to the Costume Reference Library where you can see a list of all the characters. http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:CRL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Once you settle on a character we can better direct you to you detachment where you will find a wealth of info. One Tip is DO NOT purchase costume pieces from EBay, most aren't spprovable and you will waste your money. Good luck and Let me know if you have questions.

Welcome to the forums Drew. I believe some of us met you at the Charlotte Symphony event this past week? (Please, correct me if I'm wrong)

For deciding what costume you'd like to make, our library of all approvable 501st costumes is a great place to start. http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:CRL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Once you decide what costume you'd like to do, let us know and some of the Charlotte locals might be able to help you out with ideas of where to begin in sourcing materials, etc.

Thank you for the help and quick response!
Yes, I was at the Symphony....you guys were awesome!!
I was thinking something like a legacy stormtrooper or perhaps a First Order stormtrooper...something along those lines...maybe Boba Fett...any suggestions on something there is not a lot of in this area. I am not very tall, just 5-7, so anything that should be tall such as Vader, etc, would probably not work very well (LOL).

werdboync wrote:Thank you for the help and quick response!
Yes, I was at the Symphony....you guys were awesome!!
I was thinking something like a legacy stormtrooper or perhaps a First Order stormtrooper...something along those lines...maybe Boba Fett...any suggestions on something there is not a lot of in this area. I am not very tall, just 5-7, so anything that should be tall such as Vader, etc, would probably not work very well (LOL).

Don't let height stop you! I'm 5'5 and I was the Kylo Ren you saw at the symphony... and I'm a girl. The best costume to do is the one you know you will enjoy wearing the most, but I believe we always have a need for more white armor (aka Stormtroopers). We did four nights at the symphony and we didn't have any stormtroopers the first night and it felt very ... odd to say the least. Everyone loves to have their photos taken with stormtroopers, whereas some kids are too scared to get photos done with Kylo or Vader. I don't believe we have too many First Order stormtroopers in our area. I've only seen one. Since I'm working on a Captain Phasma, the more First Order TKs, the better! Boba can be a very expensive costume to produce, but I know we do have some out towards the Raleigh area who frequent the boards who might be able to give you some direction on where to start if that's what you choose to do. Take your time and do some research on the different detachment websites to see what it takes to build each costume you're interested in, and perhaps that will help give you an idea of the time, cost, etc. associated with each. http://www.whitearmor.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is where you want to go for all things stormtrooper, and http://thebhg.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is where you will find information on Fett builds.

Thank you for all the info! I think I am going with a Stormtrooper. Any ideas on the most economical place to get a kit from? I have seen a few sites, but want to make sure they have a good reputation, and don't want to wait for 6 months. Thank you again!

Hi Drew. Hope you are finding everything you need.

A good place to check out is Walt's Trooper Factory on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/waltstrooperfactory/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He does a variety of approvable costumes and kits. I think (not completely sure) that his TK kit is $650-$750 which is low-end. ATA armour is $511 or so but the waiting list is very long (year to year and a half).

Do you know anything about Mike Gordon TK1336?

werdboync wrote:Do you know anything about Mike Gordon TK1336?

I can't remember exactly but I think he told me his TK kits were $830+. His stuff is very good and he is held in high regard, I'd say his stuff is fairly mid-range in terms of price. Occasionally an ATA kit or another approvable suit will be sold on Ebay, but you have to be very careful as the vast majority of listings are complete garbage, either recasts or fakes.

Another question....about how many possible events in the NC/SC area are there usually during the course of a year? Also, do you have anyone that helps with promotions, photos, etc?

During the busy season there can be up to two events a week, during the lull there could be two to three events during a month. We do have a number of volunteers that help with photos, etc. but many of us photographers have to make the crucial choice of "do I troop?" or "do I take photos?" and many of us make the choice to troop to add more to the experience for whatever event we are at. Garrison leadership do have a staff that handle event coordination and PR, but some of the best PR comes from getting out there and trooping events. We don't have a lot of photographers here in the Charlotte area working with us. I've been trying to organize a shoot for awhile out here, but I usually get asked to wear my costume since I'm a "face character". Let's just say photographer Kylo isn't an approved CRL for trooping just yet lol.

Awesome! Well I am happy to help any way I can. I am going to commission my Kit this week, so hopefully will be able to apply for membership pretty soon and hopefully attend some events and get to know everyone. Thank you!

Welcome to the CG. Keep asking lots of questions, we are here to help!

Drew, welcome, and please let us know if you need any guidance. Private message or email is best.

Hill66.jh@gmail.com

OK, I have just ordered my kit! Questions will be coming, get ready! (LOL)