Star Wars Celebration VI!

So my friends, in case you've been living in the stomach of an asteroid space slug this past week, Star Wars Celebration VI has officially been announced! The Empire shall be invading Orlando, Florida on this world called Earth August 23-26 2012 at the Orlando Convention Center! Make sure you're there and help me fend off rebel scum and ewoks alike!

Here are a few photos from Star Wars Celebration V that should help you in your decision to not miss out on CVI!!!

Ewoks...

Ewoks... they are the most deadly creatures known to the Galactic Empire. I have heard many a taunt, many a jeer or laugh directed towards me and my brethren for "being beaten by teddy bears". I caution you all to never judge a book by its cover. In this case, never judge a creature by its cute and cuddly exterior. Ewoks are savage, dangerous and deadly.

Recently I thought I ahd become friends with one of the furry companions of the Sanctuary Moon of Endor. I cared for her, took her outside to enjoy the air, rocked her to sleep, and worst... let my guard down. These creatures are not to be trusted. I let my guard down... and before I knew it... BAM!!! rock to the back of the head. BAM BAM!!! sticks to the back of my knee caps. BAM BAM BAM!!! Clubs to the chest and stomach. And then it all went black.



Take my words and do not let my caution fall on deaf ears. Ewoks... Are... Not... Teddy Bears! They are ravenous little killing machines that can tear even the most experience of soldiers to pieces!

That Stormtrooper Guy is Back!

After almost a year on hiatus, That Stormtrooper Guy is back! Let me be the first to say from experience, the Rebel Alliance DOES in fact keep prisoners of war. Granted the foods and lodging were far more comfortable than standard imperial barracks… but I am glad to be back on base and serving the Empire with an armored fist!

I felt it was a fitting day for my release, the 34th anniversary of the destruction of our first Death Star…. Or as some of you may simply refer to it as… 34 years since Star Wars was released in theaters. All the same, it’s a Star Wars Day and let’s party like it’s 1977!!!! *Enter Disco Star Wars Music*

Anywho!!!

Look for new content and a revamped site in the very near future! It’ll be exciting! Tell all your imperial loving friends about thatstormtrooperguy.blogspot.com and a few of your rebel friends too ;).

These aren't the droids we're looking for

After stopping an old man in a robe for a droid inspection I suddenly forgot a segment of time. It's almost as if something came over me, and then next thing I knew... they were gone. :)

I haven't fallen into a chasm of the Death Star or anything. Just wanted to let everyone know That Stormtrooper Guy is still unharmed! Check in soon for some updates from the past few weeks that have gotten backlogged.

Happy Mother's Day from the Empire!

Well today is Mother's Day and what a more perfect topic for today than Mothers! Everything we do, everything we care about is because of our Mothers. There's a rumor going around that one of the events that started our Dark Lord of the Sith down on his path of the Dark Side was because people messed with his Mother.

It holds true on Earth and throughout the entire Galaxy. We love our Mothers. I'd like to take a moment to wish EVERY Mother a Happy Mother's Day and a very special Happy Mother's Day to my own Mother (pictured above in my loving embrace). So next time you Rebels want to try to shoot at a poor Stormtrooper like me, think of this picture and think "awwww but he loves his Mother, how can I fight him?".

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

8702 out

Troublesome Tuesday - Handling the Heat

As I mentioned in yesterday's post... The heat can be the worst enemy of a Stormtrooper or any soldier of the Empire. On today's Troublesome Tuesday, I discuss the hardships handling the heat as well as the methods of surviving.

Worlds most frequent questions a stormtrooper gets asked: "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" and "Isn't it hot in that?". The answer to the second is almost always YES! On rare occasions when a stormtrooper might be out in 14 degree cold, they will be comfortable. Anything hotter or more humid and you're looking at a yes answer.

The primary cause of this is the helmet. Ever go out in the summer and wear a hat and just feel so hot from the hat itself because you can't feel a breeze on the top of your head and the heat cant escape well through your scalp? Ok, now consider that the hat is completely covering your head with little gap available at the neck. Now you've created a pocket of heat that'll just beat you down.

Secondly is obviously the full encasement in armor. Heck anything short of shorts (pun intended) is too much material to wear. A stormtrooper before ever putting armor on is encased neck to toe in solid black... can anyone say "sun absorbing"? Add the armor ontop of that to block out the breeze over 90% of you and then the helmet to prevent heat from escaping and you've created the perfect (though awesome looking) attire for a heat stroke.

Hydration is very important to prevent this and you will often see stormtroopers disappear for 15 minutes every so often. This is most of the time us going into a private area like our changing room, taking our helmet off to gasp at fresh air and let heat escape and drink down some water, cold or not.

Another important step to help with heat are helmet fans. Often using small CPU (computer) fans mounted in the helmet, a Stormtrooper can atleast simulate a breeze over his or her face to make the heat more bearable. This is nothing like the fans you'll have on in your house. Being so enclosed in the helmet doesn't really allow much but warm air to be circulated, but compared to not having the fans, it's a life saver.

Personally, I don't have the fans in my helmets at the moment... But with the summer heat fast approaching, and my exhaustion from this past weekend... they will be reinstalled very very soon.

Heat truly is the worst enemy of a stormtrooper, more so than an entire fleet of Jedi scum. Independant of the toll it takes on the trooper itself is the havoc it will deliver on the armor itself. Thin enough plastic can warp, glues can melt, velcro can un-stick... the list goes on. If you want to make a stormtrooper your best friend in the whole wide world... offer him/her shade or a bottle of water and you will be eternally joined at the hip.

Signing off I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Star Wars Day and May the Fourth be with you!!

A Weekend of Heat

The Heat and Humidity has a knack for draining a Stormtrooper of all the energy he could possibly have. But that didn't stop me from making this apst weekend an awesome weekend. Saturday was Free Comic Book Day around the globe. You may have stopped by your local comic shop to pick up some free comics and get good deals on others. But the occasional comic shop probably had a squad of the always fan favorite Star Wars characters on hand to celebrate the fun.

Yours truly appeared alongside 7 other troops at Comix Connection on the Carlisle Pike in mechanicsburg on saturday. Pictured above on the far left in my Shadow Trooper, you can see me absorbing the sun like there is no tomorrow. But the fans loved it as you can clearly see from the awesome people we drug out of their work like moths to a light to dare the dangers of crossing traffic to visit the awesome Galactic Empire ;).

Sunday was Friendship Day at the Philadelphia Zoo. I decided to take the day off for once and actually be the one taking pictures, though didnt plan my wardrobe appropriately and still ended up all in black. It was a hot one for sure but a fun weekend all the same! Tune in tomorrow for Troublesome Tuesday where I think a perfect topic to cover will be Handling the Heat :D.

Photo Coverage - Counting by Empire

On This weeks photo coverage we visit a recent photo taken during the Lehigh Valley Autism Walk in April 2010.

The photo was taken from the ground looking up at 10 of us with numbered signs assisting with the 10 - 1 countdown to start the walk. It's a Where's Waldo of where I am, the answer will be at the end of the post :).

Obviously Chewbacca had to kick things off with 10 also being the tallest we put him down in the incline so the number 10 wouldn't be several feet higher in the air then all the rest. Though it sort of ended up that way has some of the middle numbers got a bit shy and didn't hold theirs up over their helmets.

It was a fun way to help kick off the autism walk and a good photo capture of the Empire doing its best to present the numbers of the day to you like Sesame Street.

For those playing at home, That Stormtrooper Guy is Lucky Number #3! ;) thanks for playing :)

Troublesome Tuesday - Range of Motion

Today on Troublesome Tuesday, yours truly will cover Range of Motion. Stormtroopers have never been known to be the most agile of the galaxy's workforce. The protective armor of a Stormtrooper can be very restricting. It's no wonder a scared Han Solo can easily outrun a battalion of us standing in the Death Star.

To give you an idea of the restriction of the armor, I challenge you to stand up right now and see how far back you can bend your leg at the knee. Can you get your foot the whole way back so your heel is touching the small of your back? Well even if you can't I guarantee you've far surpassed the range of a Stormtrooper. At best, most Stormtroopers can barely bend their leg back 45 degrees before the shin armor and the thigh armor touch behind the knee thus preventing further movement.

By the above restrictions, I pose a question to you... What is a Stormtrooper's worst enemy? If you said Jedi, Ewok, Rebel, or the Boss' Force Choke... you'd be very wrong. The correct answer is STAIRS!!! Requiring usually more range of motion than our legs in armor will allow, it takes full body movement sometimes to take down stairs. Often shifting weight and repositioning the back to get a foot up one step. Now this is not the same for everyone, some stormtroopers have an easier time than most. I personally can annihalate stairs like a stairmaster. But it took practice and technique that could have better been put towards increasing my "precise aim".

The same range of motion is restrictive in the arms and torso. The wait the ab armor restricts a greater range of spine movement, bending over to pick an object off the ground is practically impossible (but has been done). Shoulder and Chest Armor often prevents the arms from reaching too high up or too far to one side. Asking a stormtrooper to itch his left shoulder with his right hand is like asking a Gungan to be less annoying.

In closing, the restricted movements of a Stormtrooper is definitely due to the armor. Someone moving very slowly in armor could be an Olympic gold medalist in track. Every trooper has their different speeds, but none are any where near as agile or fast as they are in normal civilian clothes.

Hope you've enjoyed this installment of Troublesome Tuesday. Plenty more to come because as Stormtroopers... we definitely have our fair share of Troublesome quirks to deal with.

Photo Coverage - Earth Day

On this week's Photo Coverage, we go Earth-friendly in honor of Earth Day today! This photo was taken at the Erie Zoo in Erie, PA back in May 2009. We found a lovely little photo op on a bridge overlooking some excellent natural scenery in the zoo.

As a Galactic Soldier from planets far away, I am quite impressed by the beautiful habitat of this planet you live on known as Earth. Seeing such wastelands as Tattooine and Geonosis... This planet is quite rich with life. So on this holiday of Earth Day, a Public Service Announcement from That Stormtrooper Guy. Keep your planet clean, healthy and green!!!

OR ELSE... I'll be back with a Death Star ;)

Troublesome Tuesday - TK-Kiss

I know it's a day late but I was unable to get to my blog yesterday so on today's (yesterday's)edition of Troublesome Tuesday... We talk about the TK-Kiss!

I know what you're thinking... no TK-Kiss isn't a KISS themed Stormtrooper (though I have seen 1 or 2 of those running around)... The TK-Kiss is a term used to describe an armor pinch. Most commonly, the TK-Kiss will surface around the primary joints such as elbows and knees. It happens when someone bends their appendages too much in armor causing the upper and lower halves of armor to touch, sometimes catching skin in the middle.

Often a Stormtrooper doesn't even feel the constant pinching and rather than 1 sharp pain pinch, it'll develop over hours of trooping and irritation. Not everyone gets them, Yours truly happens to be slim enough that usually my skin is not in the way of pinches but nonetheless, it can happen all the same. What results is a very red and painful mark almost like a hickie or rash.

Next time you see a stormtrooper out there for hours, think about how the poor fellow or lady might be getting pinched everytime he/she takes a step.

Autism Double Header Weekend

This past weekend was a Double Header of Autism Awareness events in support of April as Autism Awareness Month. Yours Truly, alongside brothers and sisters of Garrison Carida of the 501st Legion, made appearances at both the Lehigh Valley, PA Walk Now for Autism Speaks event on Saturday 4/17 and the Philadelphia Zoo Autism Awareness Day Festival in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday 4/18.

The weather held out for both events and brought a little taste of Spring back out in support of these great events. Both events were phenominal and received amazing support from the community.

Saturday's Lehigh Valley Walk Now for Autism raised over $300,000 towards the fight to help wage war on the Galactic War on Autism. Several thousand people in attendance, great festivities to make the atmosphere enjoyable and fun for all ages and of course... Star Wars!

The walk was great and we were so well received by the public it was truly amazing once again. Many heart-warming scenes were witnessed that showed that the Galactic Empire truly does have a heart of gold.

Sunday's Autism Awareness Day at the Philadelphia Zoo wasn't as much a fundraiser as it was just a fun day for Families with an autistic member to come out and enjoy a fun festival of shows, games and of course... the zoo itself. We were once again a hit for all ages and had even more heart-warming scenes with some members of the autistic community. One of my particular examples was a young boy with Autism (I'm guessing around 10 years old) basically latched on to me and didn't want to go. He wanted me to follow him into the one pavillion to watch him get a temporary tattoo and his parents were doing the whole "it's ok buddy he's got to stay out here to say hello to all the other kids too". I could sense the smiles on their faces as I took their sons hand and said I'd love to accompany him and spent the next 15 or so minutes with him.

As mentioned before, Autism Awareness is a very near and dear cause to me so this weekend was definitely well worth it to me personally. Take a moment to find a local Autism event to you and go out in support of it if you can. The Empire will graciously appreciate your support in our war on Autism.

8702 out

Autism Awareness

As mentioned before, the Empire does have a heart of gold. We are not the bad guys as you may be led to believe. I wanted to take this moment to recognize something very near and dear to me, Autism.

April is Autism Awareness Month and I will be doing my part to help spread Awareness of Autism this month and challenge everyone out there to do the same. You can come visit That Stormtrooper Guy and all his Stormtrooper and Sith Lord friends this weekend for a Double header of Autism Awareness appearances.

Saturday April 17th: Walk Now for Autism - Lehigh Valley, PA (Near Allentown)
http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/lehighvalley

Sunday April 18th: Autism Speaks - Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Zoo)
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/zoo/Visit-The-Zoo/Calendar-of-Events/Autism-Awareness-Day.htm

I will be wearing my Scout Trooper armor both days. Hope to see you there in support with me! Reports from both appearances to come in the next few days.

Photo Coverage - A Magic Trick

This weeks Photo Coverage comes from the Great Allentown Comic Con 2 weeks ago on April 3rd, 2010.

I was just minding my own business when this two bit wack job in a purple coat and makeup started in on his craziness. I decided to stand toe to toe with him. I pulled out my E-11 Blaster Rifle and he pulled out a Pencil. I chuckled and asked what he planned to do with that. He asked if I wanted to see a Magic trick. The rest as they say is history.

Lesson to everyone to be learned out there? Be careful who you ask to do a magic trick.

Troublesome Tuesday - Armor Transportation

It's not all wine and roses when it comes to toting stormtrooper armor around. This week's edition of Troublesome Tuesday is Armor Transportation!

Often overlooked or never even thought of is how that Stormtrooper you see showed up where he is. As this isn't Star Trek he most certainly didn't "beam" there. You might have seen him arrive and never thought twice. Looking just like an ordinary guide except for one crucial difference. the sound of plastic wheels rolling around on the floor.

What you might refer to as the "Home Storage" section of your local department store is a Stormtrooper's Armor Storage and Transportation Paradise! Those big "tupperware totes" often found in someone's attic or storage unit are ideal for armor storage. Many have wheels on the bottom so they can easily be drug behind you and roll along with your steps. 4 or 5 people walking together all dragging home storage totes behind them is a sure sign of a Stormtrooper Squad about to get ready.

Consider the size of the totes, car pooling also becomes a careful game of jenga... how many troopers and their armor can be fit into each vehicle. Sometimes a trooper goes through nightmares to get themselves and their armor to an appearance. There are even horror stories of troopers flying and having the airlines lose their armor for days or weeks.

So if you expected a stormtrooper to just drive up in his car, lock the doors and march into a convention or event.... you are 99.5% mistaken (some can). Almost all Stormtroopers will have to tote their armor behind them and change on-site to entertain you and the public. That's this week's Troublesome Tuesday... got a request for a future Troublesome Tuesday? don't forget to email me at thatstormtrooperguy@gmail.com

Why the Empire is better...

Top 10 Reasons why the Empire is better than the Rebel Alliance:
(a Top 10 List by That Stormtrooper Guy)

10) Star Destroyers are Aerodynamic - true this doesn't really give the ship any better maneuverability in space.... but it just looks cool!!! Like a giant gray slice of yummy pie floating around blowing stuff up!

9) Health Benefits - The Empire truly does have an amazing Health Benefit plan. Granted most Imperial never get injured... only killed. Now that I think about it, it would be better if we had an amazing Life Insurance plan. But the Rebel's sure don't have a good Health plan!

8) The Bosses have Red Lightsabers - Yeah you know you're jealous... there really is no cooler color for a lightsaber than Red.

7) Comfort on base - I mean other than that whole Death Star fiasco... Imperials don't need to keep looking over their shoulders in their own base. Rebels?... you have to hide on the most unfit for life planets known to man, bith, and hutt.

6) Ease of Language - It's allll Galactic Basic for us my friends. With the Empire's strict No Alien policy... you don't have to worry about learning all different alien languages just to go about your day to day work. Take that Horse Head Rebel Pilot Guy!!

5) AT-ATs - I mean come on... Who doesn't love giant robot camels that rebel lasers can't shoot through (except at the neck... hmmm we should look into that)

4) Climbing the Corporate Ladder - How long do you sit at your desk hoping for a promotion some day. In the Empire... your boss could get strangled any day and you could be instantly promoted. The Empire has the highest # of promotions in the entire galaxy! Also the highest on the job casualty rate but that's just details.

3) The DEATH STAR!!! - I mean... come on... that's no moon... that's a moon that will blow you up! What's that? the Death Star. What does it do? It does DEATH!!!

2) Galactic Domination - Rebel Alliance may be a group of freedom fighters rallying support for their geurilla tactics... but the Empire has control of the Galaxy! We are stationed everywhere keeping the peace. We are THE POWER!

AND FINALLY...

1) The Armor baby Yeah!!! - After all, what did you expect me to put down for number 1? I'm That Stormtrooper Guy... of course it's the sleek, shiny, sexy and awesome STORMTROOPER ARMOR! Take that Rebel Scum with your camo or flightsuits!

Fangirls

The General Public loves seeing Stormtroopers out and about. But what does the Stormtrooper have to look forward to? You though I was going to shout FANGIRLS! didn't you? Well I won't shout it because we also look forward to bringing smiles to children, entertaining the public, and doing good work for the community. However, you still can't help but smile at Fangirls.

We are all fans of a collective geekdom, Star Wars. But nothing is cooler than some of the fans having fans of their own. So to all the fangirls of Star Wars, we salute you! Continue turning our stormtrooper frowns upside-down!

Photo Coverage - Ewok Attack

I've been given the suggestion to do a weekly photo coverage of a past photo of my experiences in life of being a Stormtrooper. Every Thursday, I'll cover a random photo of yours truly out an about on the town.

This week takes us to Star Wars Celebration IV in lovely Los Angeles, California, May 24th through May 28th, 2007. What we have here is the result of me in my Biker Scout armor letting my guard down for a friendly pose with a cute little ewok. Never trust these things... as you can see while I'm happily facing the camera for the picture, he's ready to gnaw on the side of my helmet like a little zombie.

Needless to mention, an infantile Ewok managed to latch onto my back while I was diverted by his partner. Ewoks may be small but take it from this trooper... They are NOT to be underestimated. They will use their cute kindness as a diversion for their evil anti-imperial thoughts.

Content Suggestions

Greetings all! I'm looking for some content suggestions. Is there something you'd like to see on the "That Stormtrooper Guy" blog? Maybe another Weekly feature? a Poll? More Pictures? Make your voices heard! You can email your suggestions to thatstormtrooperguy@gmail.com and I'll happily take a look at your ideas!

8702 out

Troublesome Tuesday - Vision

I'd like to start a new segment here on the That Stormtrooper Guy blog... Troublesome Tuesday. Every Tuesday, check in to see a specific topic covered about the troubles of walking about in Stormtrooper armor. It's not as easy and worry-free as you might think.

Today's Troublesome Tuesday Topic (wow 4 Ts!!) is Vision! Luke Skywalker wasn't kidding when he said "I can't see a thing in this helmet"

Every suit of armor is different, some provide more visibility, some provide less visibility. The Stormtrooper is pretty middle of the field. With it's menacing slanted eyes it creates a lovely blind spot at the least practical location... right infront of you and down where you're walking. The slanted eyes of the stormtrooper allow for good vision towards the sides. Next time you're talking to a stormtrooper and it looks like he's looking off to the side a bit ignoring you, he is probably actually looking at you from the side through the wider part of the lens.

Many stormtroopers have the holes of their frown cut out with screening put into them as they were done in the movies. This allows just enough of an opening that you can look down the bridge of your nose in armor and see if something is right infront of you before you start to walk.

So next time you are trying to get a stormtrooper's attention, keep in mind where his range of vision is. Some, like the Biker Scout have to look straight forward because they have blinders on the sides of their helmets, others like the stormtrooper have to look a bit to the sides or look down to see straight.

That's it for this Troublesome Tuesday! Stay tuned for more posts and more Troublesome Tuesday's every... you guessed it... Tuesday!