A weekend of costume building
Last weekend, several of our members and cadets attended armour parties across the Garrison, working hard to progress on their various costumes.
Armour parties are planned events where members of the Southern Cross Garrison get together and help each other work on their costume builds. Part working bee, part social gathering, these gatherings are always fun and quite an education.
Constructing costumes, especially your first, can be a challenging endeavour, however, these get-togethers provide an ideal opportunity for cadets to come along and learn more about the 501st Legion, become acquainted with their local members and pick at the brains-trust of experienced armour builders.
Central Coast Cadet, Steve Wenzel, attended an armour party in Newcastle to continue work on his Stormtrooper project.
"I decided to build a Stormtrooper for a few reasons, as a kid watching Star Wars they provided a sense of mystery as the bad guys, a very large scale army who are relentless and anonymous, completely covered in armour, their popularity making them synonymous with all things Star Wars," said Steve.
Photo credit: Christopher Cunningham
Being a key foundation of the 501st Legion, the iconic Stormtrooper is a popular choice within the Legion. The wealth of information and reference material available for this costume and the relative ease of acquiring kits and parts also add to the appeal.
Steve has been working steadily on his costume ever since receiving the armour kit shortly after the May the Fourth celebrations and the subsequent 501st Information night at The Empire Coffee Co cafe. Being a motor mechanic by trade and several years’ experience of building plastic models and radio control cars have helped Steve considerably.
Photo credit: Christopher Cunningham
During the weekend’s build, Steve worked on redoing one of the thigh pieces for an improved fit, the ab-plate button details and the velcro attachment for the rear of the lower legs.
"The hardest part of the kit so far has been the upper leg (or thigh) pieces, due to the very oddly moulded shapes. As well as taking actual fitting into account, it can be a little daunting. This is where armour parties and wrangling have helped immensely. The weird moulding on the stormtroopers is normal due to the original moulds being hand made," Steve explained.
Steve hopes to finish building his Stormtrooper armour before The Last Jedi is released, but as he wants to the best job he can, isn’t placing any undue pressure on himself. Although he says he definitely doesn’t want to miss out on the fun of Supernova 2018.
At a Sydney-based armour party Garrison Executive Officer, Sarah Hillier (known as Sez), started work fitting her Captain Phasma, after spending the last 12 months sanding the resin and fibreglass parts to an ultra-smooth finish with 300 through to 2000 grade sandpaper.
"As soon as I saw Phasma, I loved the character. To realise that the character was a she was even more appealing," explains Sez.
Photo credit: Andy Price
Sarah is humbled by the support she’s received with this costume. First to fellow 501st member Andrew, who generously gifted the armour kit and also to George from Iconic Studio Creations, whose sage wisdom has been imparted not just on Sez, but also the other attendees of the armour party.
"The hardest part of the build so far is the fitting, which has only just commenced. Lots of glueing, snapping, webbing and yes, more sanding. There is no way that one can do this by themselves so luckily for me I have my SCG family to help wherever they could," said Sez.
Photo credit: Sarah Hillier
While Sez is a veteran of the Southern Cross Garrison, with three approved costumes already in active service, she explains that starting the Captain Phasma build was nerve-wracking.
"To say I was nervous about getting started was an understatement. Fortunately, the kit was very comprehensive and just about complete when I received it. I have never worked with armour before so it was extremely daunting to not know your product. Luckily I've been able to research online and the information I've collated has been somewhat beneficial as a place to start. Nothing will make up practical guidance, however, knowing what goes where beforehand was beneficial," Sez volunteered.
Sarah has the debut of Episode 8, The Last Jedi, as the deadline for completion of the Captain Phasma costume.
If you’re interested in joining the likes of Sarah and Steve getting started with a Star Wars costume or to learn more about the 501st Legion, sign up and introduce yourself on the Southern Cross Garrison forums to learn of upcoming armour parties.