How to join
Learning what you need to do to join the 501st Legion can be daunting at first, however, our friendly costuming community is available to provide guidance along the way.
Join the forums
When you sign up to the forums, we recommend that you:
1. Introduce yourself
Visit our Recruitment Office and let us know who you are, where you're from, what kind of costume you're after and some other fun facts about yourself.
2. Read the forum rules
We also ask that you take some time to read over our Forum Rules. These make our boards and our trooping enjoyable for all!
Research your costume
Start researching your costume in the Costumes & Props section of the forums. There you'll find information about:
- build threads - valuable progress diaries of member's costume projects
- the basics of the different costumes
- a place to ask questions about the various costumes and where to source them.
Costume Reference Libraries
Commonly referred to as the CRL, the Costume Reference Library details the specific requirements needed for each costume to be approved by the 501st Legion.
Detachments
Detachments provide specialised support information, reference material and guidance on specific types of costumes.
Each detachment has its own forum which that provides access to people with in-depth knowledge about particular costumes where you can get advice and direction.
Refer to our detachments table for Costume Reference Library links and relevant forums.
Once you get your armour and begin your building your costume, start a build thread on the Southern Cross Garrison forum as well as the detachment forum your costume belongs to. This will ensure that you can get comments and tips from experienced members which will help you in your project.
Build your costume
Starting construction on your costume can be intimidating, especially if it's your first. Becoming active with your local 501st community provides access to a wealth of experience and knowledge from fellow costume builders.
Start a build thread
Create a build thread on the forums as soon as the various parts of your costume arrive. This will become your central local to ask for advice and tips centred around your build.
Once you've started a build thread, your forum access will be upgraded to cadet, providing you with access to additional information on the forums.
Armour parties
Attending armour parties, informal get-togethers where members and cadets work on costumes, are a great opportunity to meet your local 501st members in person and get hands-on advice about your build and what it's like to be part of the organisation.
These can be great opportunities to learn how to assemble various parts of your armour and learn the best tools and techniques for construction.
Not sure what tools you might need to build a costume? We've created a list of essential gear for your costuming toolbox as a guide for some items you might need.
Costume approval
Once your costume is complete, submit your application form with the 501st Legion. Submissions will also need to be accompanied by pictures of your costume, emailed to gml@501scg.org.
You can email full size/hi-res photos of your costume or provide a link to an online photo sharing account such as Imgur, Photobucket or Flickr. Approval photos must meet the image requirements when submitting your images for approval.
You must be 18 years or older to join the 501st Legion.