TK7501, Arent you a little short to be Stormtrooper?!

As some of you are already aware, I am a huge Star Wars fan, and still remember loading up the VCR back in the very early 80’s and watching Star Wars ‘A New Hope’ for the very first time.. and just sitting in awe throughout cheering on the brave and noble efforts of Luke, Leia, Han & Chewie (even our Dog is named Chewie) and thinking how great the starships and stormtroopers looked. Back then, I always wanted to be either a Jedi, or have a suit of Stormtrooper armour..

Fast forward from those times of an amazed 6 year old Lee Mahon, to the present day, where a much older Lee Mahon is loading a large black trunk into his Friends van, with three others doing the same, huge grins on all of our faces…..why, well, in under an hours time, Lee Mahon will have disappeared for the day, and TK7501 will be reporting for duty at the Stars of time Comic-con at Weston-Super-Mare… who is TK7501 you ask, its my personal Stormtrooper designation, within my Trooping Garrison TEAM SWG..   (who Synchro ERP generously sponsor)

 

Yes, within that big black trunk, is my lovingly handbuilt Stormtrooper armour. Complete with Voice amp, sound effects and everything needed to take the wearer and those they meet to a galaxy far far away…. And the best bit, all the Troops we undertake, are to help raise money for worthy charities, such as MIND for example.

Now…putting on a suit of Stormtrooper armour is no easy feat, and takes two people to put on, with a full body under suit being put on first, then bit by bit, the armour goes on… torso pieces first, with webbing & strapping holding everything together… then, a neck seal is put in place, then finally the helmet goes on. I can confirm, that Luke was quite correct… visibility is very VERY restricted in a Stormtrooper helmet… its no wonder they always miss…. You can barely see…add to this the heat inside the suit is immense, and then comes every troopers worst nightmare…STAIRS!.... lets just say mobility for lifting your legs isn’t the best, and you soon get to know how Daleks must feel every time the Doctor runs up a flight of stairs to escape.

 

So, its uncomfy, its hot, you can barely see, and moving around can be an issue, so why do it I hear you ask.. Well… for the first 5 minutes of wearing your armour, you feel a bit daft, after all, heres a grown man messing about dressed up as a star wars character, but then…..THEN, a Star Wars fan, be they Child or Adult, spots you, and you see (just about) the smile spread across their face… then the next, and the next and then its ‘Can I have my picture taken with you please’ for the entire day.. so many happy smiling people and you have had a part in making them that way, with all your fellow troopers standing by your side, be they Scout trooper, Jedi, A Darth Vader or a droid…. Everyone from all walks of life give up their time to bring a little magic to people’s lives, whilst the generous charity donations, go on to make others’ lives that bit better.  Its an amazing day, and when its over, and your hot, covered in bruises from the armour, and really needing a drink.. all you can think about is when the next Troop is..

 

…and the last great bit about being a trooper…. My kids can say in all honesty… “MY DADS A STORMTROOPER AND HE KNOWS DARTH VADER!”

 

TK-7501 signing off…..

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