Requirements to Join the 501st Legion

Look here information on how to join, what we do, requesting events, where to buy pieces and help building costumes.
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Reela
BAG CO
Posts: 3733
Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2014 7:07 pm
Legion id#: 10008
Name: Jeffrey Corbello
location: Lafayette, La
Location: Lafayette, La

Requirements to Join the 501st Legion

Post by Reela »

There are three requirements to join the 501st Legion.

You must be 18 years old.
You must participate in one official troop per year.
You must have an approved, screen accurate costume.

Allow us to explain further….


1. You must be 18 years old.

This is most obvious to understand. If you are not 18 years old, we have two options for you.
You can still make costumes that meet the 501st standards. Then, when you turn 18 you can join.
You could join the Galactic Academy. ( http://www.galactic-academy.net/ ) This group is similar to the 501st Legion with the main differences being it is exclusive to minor and does not have the strict standards for costumes.

Here is an explanation directly from their website:

“The Galactic Academy seeks to promote and nurture the craft of costuming within the STAR WARS™ Universe by providing assistance, opportunity and outlet for worldwide children within a safe and encouraging community. The Galactic Academy is designed as the first online costuming club to celebrate young STAR WARS™ fans. The Galactic Academy is a free online repository developed for children ages zero through seventeen years as a safe place to show passion for STAR WARS™ and to display pictures of STAR WARS™ costumes with adult permission. The Galactic Academy encourages costumers from both the Empire and the Republic Allegiances.”



2. You must participate in one official troop per year.

An official troop is “a sanctioned event posted to the 501st.com forums or any garrison (or outpost) forums.” To be clear this is NOT a Disney event. This is simply an event that the Legion, garrison, or outpost has posted for members to sign up for. This can be as grandiose as a Dragon Con or the Krewe of Tuck Mardi Gras parade, or it can also be as low key as a Boy Scout camp, a 5K run, or a local fundraiser.

Upon approval of your account to our forums, you will have access to view all our upcoming events. If you do not have an approved costume, you are still welcome to sign up to be a wrangler.

Wranglers are some of the most important people in the garrison. Wranglers help us get into costume, take photos, talk to the people, help us navigate, hand out materials, collect donations and numerous other essential activities. Wrangling is a great way to meet the members of the garrison and see what trooping is all about.



3. You must have an approved, screen accurate costume.

Your first step is to decide which costume you would like to wear. http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:CRL has the entire list of approvable costumes for the 501st Legion. When deciding you should consider the cost, the comfort and your ability and/or willingness to build a costume.

Costumes can range in price from $250 to over $5000. Some costumes are airy and easy to wear, while are others can be cumbersome and restricting. Some costumes require just the ability to sew; others while need a skilled builder.

Once you have decided on your preferred costume, you should visit your detachment website. These sites are essential to learning about the costume you want. You will find out where to buy pieces, how to build them, sellers to avoid, cost of costumes, etc. It is a wealth of information.

To find your detachment website, use the above link and open the visual guides for your detachment. To the right of the detachment logo is a second link leading you to their site.

At this point it is time to start your costume. Some people will buy most, if not all, of their costume premade and there is nothing wrong with that. Many people will buy kits and partially build their costumes. While others prefer to build the whole thing from scratch. It’s up to you.

You can also commission people to do parts for you. You may be able to sew very well but know nothing about bonding plastic armor. That is fine. We have people who are willing to trade labor.

If you are unsure about your costume or build, please ask. The garrison and the detachments are here to help. We also usually have “armor parties” where we get together to help and teach each other. If there isn’t one in your area, you are welcome to host one.
Jeffrey Corbello - DZ-10008
The Scourge of Tattooine - 350 Troops as a Sand Person....and counting
User avatar
Reela
BAG CO
Posts: 3733
Joined: Thu Feb 27, 2014 7:07 pm
Legion id#: 10008
Name: Jeffrey Corbello
location: Lafayette, La
Location: Lafayette, La

Re: Requirements to Join the 501st Legion

Post by Reela »

Once you have met all of these requirements, you should fill out these following application.

http://www.501st.com/members/join_form.php

When your application is approved, you will receive confirmation via e-mail. Your Legion ID will be assigned and your record marked as "ACTIVE" in the 501st Legion member database. Please note that the 501st is an all-volunteer organization and the application may take several weeks to review.
If for some reason you are not validated for membership, your local GML will work with you and provide recommendations and resources that can assist you in modifying your costume to meet Legion requirements.
Jeffrey Corbello - DZ-10008
The Scourge of Tattooine - 350 Troops as a Sand Person....and counting
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