Jul 30, 2010

Star Wars Celebration V is almost here, and I got my tickets!



Todat I finally got my 4 Day passes to Star Wars Celebration V. There is so much to do in 4 days that we are actally having to pass on stuff we want to do. Since I will be taking my 5yo son with me on Thursday, more than likely I will not be in costume during convention hours. I am also passing on the costume contest. My feeling was if I am going to be part of the entertainment, yeah you heard that right, than I should bow out and leave the costume contest to the fans.

I have volunteered in one of the "Flash Mob" skits and will also be on door guard duty in the 501st room Friday Night. I will be in costume a few other times including the 501st photo, a stop by the Hoth Ice Bar, and an after hours party Thursday Night at Ice Bar Orlando. When I get more info I will post up a schedule of appearances.

Jul 28, 2010

Coming Soon - Behind The Scenes with the LFL Wampas



While spending 6 months building the Wampa suit, I learned so much about the different wampa suits and puppets that were built for the Empire Strikes Back. Did you know there were actually 4 different Wampas? Soon you will...

In this 3 part series I will post about the full size suit. The Puppet and Second Head, and the Special Edition suit. I really want to take my time on these so all the info is correct and this site can be a one stop spot for anyone wanting to learn all about the one creature that Lucasfilm Ltd just couldn't perfect!

Wampa Sighting: Star Wars Artist Katie Cook's Wampa Sketch Card



While in college I was a charicature artist, so understandably I am a sucker for stylized cartoons. So when I stumbled upon Katie Cook's stylization of classic Star Wars characters, I was instantly hooked. She makes the most vile and retched creatures of the galaxy so damn cute and cuddly that you can't help yourself from saying AWWWW! She really hit home with this site when she immortalized the famous cut wampa scene in the drawing above for a Topps Star Wars Galaxy 5 sketch card.

"I'm a huge fan of the creatures of Star Wars and the Wampa is right at the top of my list of favorite SW critters. In a deleted scene from Empire, Han wants to take a shortcut through a room in Empire and Leia tells him 'that's where they keep those creatures'. C-3P0 does something totally out of character and takes the warning sign down, hoping to trick the troopers into going in there. I've ALWAYS wanted to see the scene where the stormtroopers are being attacked by the wampas trapped in this room. I imagine it to be a furry, frantic battle where, of course, the wampas win."

Katie has done work with Marvel, Lord of the Rings, DC, The Muppets and has her own web comic Gronk. Katie also has her "Daddy's Little Girl" Leia and Darth shirt available at the new HerUniverse.com, Ashley Eckstein's (Ahsoka Tano) Star Wars clothing line for girls. She will also have 200 prints of her Acme Star Wars print available at Celebration but if you are unable to make it, she said they will be available on StarWars.com. Katie along with Bonnie Burton also just finished up a panel at San Diego Comic Con to teach kids how to draw Star Wars.

Check out more about Katie Cook @ KatieCanDraw.com

Jul 27, 2010

Wampa Sighting: Wampa'd by Mr. Hipp


Found another great cartoon of the Wampa by Dan Hipp, over at MrHipp. His artwork has appeared in Wildstorm Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Tokyopop, and Del Rey Books.


Jul 26, 2010

Adywans Empire Strikes Back Revisited - (First Two Minutes.)

This is the first 2 minutes including the Wampa Attack in a fan made revision of the Empire Strikes Back. We can only hope this is possibly a sign of things to come with the upcoming BluRay edition. Adywan, who in 2004 revised A New Hope, will be releasing his ESB edition next year including enhanced graphics and color correction it really brings new life and detail into the old films. I hope that Lucasfilm Ltd. has taken notes from these. Check out the full trailer below.

Check out these links to see all the enhanced scenes.
Adywan's Star Wars: A New Hope Revisited

Adywan's Empire Striked Back Revisited

Jul 22, 2010

Amazing new entry for the 501st TK Project


This TK Demon Helmet has been created by Melita Curphy from MissMonster.com

The horns/teeth, etc are hand sculpted from epoxy clay. The helmet was painted with acrylic with several layers of wet/dry applications...no airbrushing. The forehead eye has been painted with flourescent orange and will glow in certain light. The mohawk is made from high quality National Fiber Technology hair that i hand dyed.

Come see this and many more TK helmets at Celebration V where they will be auctioned off to benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Jul 21, 2010

Wampa Sighting - My Little Pony Wampa



Now available on Ebay.. check out the One of a kind My Little Pony Wampa

Hide your tauntauns......
The Wampa is one of a kind fan art*. He was sculpted over a My Little Pony base. He is a mixed media piece. The sculpting compound used was epoxy sculpt which is a rock hard medium. He is balanced on his front claws

Jul 20, 2010

Wampa Sighting: Star Wars in Concert - Hamburg Germany

This could be a sign of things to come, here is a Wampa seen at the Hamburg Star Wars in Concert. I do believe this is one of the members of the German Garrison inside. To think this is only at a concert, I can only imagine what it would be like at the world's biggest Star Wars convention!

Jul 19, 2010

Becoming a Wampa - How to put on the costume.

Here is the first video of the complete suit. We put together the traditional "How to put it on" tutorial. Yeah it does kill the illusion, but it helps show the scale of the costume and the range of motion. See you at Star Wars Celebration V!

Jul 12, 2010

Yoda recording for TomTom GPS - behind the scenes




Sounds like Tom Kane. I love how he has brought back the fun playful Yoda from ESB that was missing in the prequels!

The Wampa is now a proud member of the 501st Legion



I am pleased to say that the Wampa has been accepted into the 501st. For those who do not know who the 501st is, they are the World's Definitive Imperial Costuming Organization. If you have seen a Darth Vader or a Stormtrooper on TV or at an event, more than likely they were a member of the 501st. As much as they are known for representing Star Wars in the public they are equally praised for their charity work. Making appearances at children's hospitals and the fulfilling the requests for Make-A-Wish, the 501st menbers are true heroes in the eyes of many kids.

Here is a thier mission from their charter:


"...The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work..."


To Promote Interest in Star Wars
While a growing number of people are experiencing a reawakening of their Star Wars fandom, new generations are seeking ways to celebrate their passion for George Lucas's modern mythology. The 501st Legion brings these fans together, reinforcing the enduring longevity of the Star Wars saga.

To Facilitate the Use of Costumes
Some fans are content to collect action figures...other fans want to be action figures. Nothing professes your passion quite like building your own detailed costume replica of a classic Star Wars villain, and there's nothing quite like the feeling that comes from bringing the characters of Star Wars into the real world and sharing the magic with others.

To Contribute
While our organization was founded to simply provide a collective identity for costuming fans with similar interests, the 501st is proud to put its resources to good use through fundraising, charity work, and volunteerism.





Jul 10, 2010

The Smoothest Christmas Tree Ornament you will ever see!





Announced for 2010, Hallmark Ornament Premiere Limited Quantity Ornaments will include this Lando Calrissian By Robert Hurlburt to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back. What makes it great is the emphasis on what was Billy Dee's has told us was his favorite part of the costume. "I get to wear a cape." One of these will definitely be on the Wampa's Christmas tree this year.

Jul 8, 2010

Thanks to MyDisguises.com for the great write up about My Wampa



About a month ago I found the website MyDisguises.com and became addicted immediately. They feature many very elaborate costumes and fun news stories when costumes are involved. Today they posted a big story about the building of the wampa including photos and videos! I am very greatful for this and highly reccomend this website for anyone who wants to get get into costuming.

Need to represent the 30th Anniversary ESB at Celebration V?



Go to Orlando in style with the baddest bounty hunter in the galaxy with this Boba Fett T-Shirt from Entertainment Earth!

Jul 6, 2010

Trying the full costume on... for the FIRST TIME!


Here are some complete costume pics with me in it. Yesterday, I put the complete costume on for the first time. Mobility of the body is pretty easy though the arms don't have the full range of motion I had hoped for. They are heavy and even with the weight being distributed through the backpack, you still have to make a dead lift to raise them while hoping to keep your balance.

The head on the body looks better than I thought it would, there was a moment when I thought it looked too small. But being my own worst critic, I still think the arms are too thick. But can't change that now. But there is one big benefit of having the arms this size. As you can see below, I can slip my arms out of the "pits" and be able to adjust the head, or take a drink. My last costume I had to remove the arms all together to do this, now they stay in place and keep the illusion alive. This is also great when i want to take a break from holding them, I can just rest my arms inside.



Here are some more pics of the costume



And testing the range of motion ....


And here is a pic while getting dressed, you can see how it goes together.