Even though Planet Comicon was the first convention the Heart of the Alliance FanForce participated in as group, things went remarkably well. At the very least, things could have gone much worse. We didn't recoup nearly as much money as we would have like so those of us that pitched in for expenses took some decent losses. But at the same time the experience was well worth it. We met some really cool people during the course of the two day event and we are now currently planning for out next appearance at a convention.

     The winners of the raffle drawing are Sharon Smith and Mark Smith. Congratulations to both of you and thanks go out to everyone who participated.

     The next month or so is going to be a busy and exciting time for all Heart of the Alliance members, as well as Star Wars fans as a whole. HOTA has two meetings and two major events planned. Most notably we will be lining up starting May 18 for the midnight showing of Episode III. Details for this event are still being worked out at this time so please check back at http://www.HeartOfTheAlliance.com frequently as well as Alderaansas Base for the most current information. We will be holding our Bantha BBQ 2005 on June 11 at Swope Park, Shelter Ten. A food and drink list will be made a few weeks prior to this event.

     In this issue we have some valuable information about Celebration III, an essay from a Star Wars fan about Star Wars, and Part 4 of the journal of a costumer. Until next time. MTFBWY.

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        It has been quite some time since I last related my stories of costuming to those who would listen. Not much has happened since then, yet at the same times many things have changed with my costume. First off my lightsaber is finally complete. Well, almost. It has an Ice-blue E.L. blade. As I mentioned before it is made out of a Heiland HK flashgun which is what was used for Darth Vader's saber for A New Hope. The emitter is also similar to the one used on the ANH prop, but instead of being black I painted mine silver. Since it is not chromed it has a sort of battle weary look. I must say that it turned out just as I had hoped. For the grips I sanded and painted some Teflon pipe washers and painted them black with spray paint specially designed for painting plastic. Alternating with the black washers I used unpainted washers. It gives the hilt a nice contrast of black and clear/white. The grip also alternates between rough (the black washers) and smooth (the unpainted washers)

But like I said, the saber is not yet 100% complete. The flashgun that I purchased did not come with the clamp that is normally used to attach it to a camera. So instead I had to purchase one. However, $35, several emails, phone calls, and almost two years later I still don't have my MPP clamp. Needless to say I gave up doing business with that gentleman, and thankfully everyone else in the costuming community has as well. I have found a reputable dealer for this part but it is going to cost $50. Unfortunately, that is money I don't have right now. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the particulars of this part it is somewhat of a c-clamp that fit's around the flashtube. Where the clamp would normally attach to the camera a bubble display from an old calculator or a circuit board is attached instead. In the Star Wars prop world this part of the lightsaber is called the activation switch. Obviously the one I want will not produce a glowing blade when it is touched like it did in the movies. But, underneath the calculator bubble is where the on/off switch will be located for my E.L. blade. So in some ways it will be exactly like the movie props, but just a wee bit different.

The other item that is keeping me from considering my lightsaber complete is a speaker. Most people wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a speaker that has a diameter less than 1.5 inches until they try. Even most speakers for headphones are either too big or they are oblong shaped which created the problem of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. See the reason I want this speaker is so that I can have realistic lightsaber sounds for a relatively cheap price. Lightec Industries, one of many prop saber companies on the internet, sells a neat device that plays digitally re-mastered lightsaber sound effects from the Star Wars films. But there are two problems with this device. First, it adds a couple of inches to the end of your saber which has a cable that hooks into a glove that you must wear on your hand. This glove can either be used to wirelessly transmit sound to an externally speaker or you can use the speaker that is built in to the glove. While Luke did wear a glove in the movies, so it would not be considered a non-cannon addition to a Jedi costume, I don't feel a glove has a place in my wardrobe for my particular costume. The second issue, if you haven't already guessed it, is the price. Depending on what set-up you purchase this addition to a lightsaber can run between $75 and $150. Ouch!

The changes I have made to my costume have been mainly a comfort factor rather than aesthetics. Let me rephrase that: The changes have been made as a result of my costume not fitting. Most notably my belt does not fit as well as I would like it to. I know what you're thinking, "Then lay off the potato chips man." That's what caused the problem. I have lost 65 pounds since I first purchased this costume. To fix the belt problem I added some Velcro and it fits reasonably well. Even with it being too big it actually fits better now than when I was heavier. And of course if my belt doesn't fit that probably means my pants don't either. Well the solution to that problem was pretty simple as well. I just used a safety pin to tghten the elastic in the wasteband.

I think that about wraps things up until next time. I will tell you more about my costume mods, uses for jedi pouches, and maybe even an update on the saber. MTFBWY.

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     On April 21 through April 24, thousands of Star Wars fans from around the globe will converge upon Indianapolis, Indiana for the granddaddy of Star Wars events: Star Wars Celebration III. Scattered among that small army will be some of your own fellow Heart of the Alliance members. Bart (gandalfbmg) and Sarah (GsWookie) will be there, keeping their own photo-journal of their adventures, and reporting back daily (or more often if time allows, but how likely is that to happen ;) )

     In addition, we're looking for other Kansas City area folks who will be attending. If you want to try and coordinate, please feel free to send us an email or PM to exchange contact info. Also, we're staying at the Embassy Suites attached to the convention center, so if you're staying there too, maybe we can look each other up for breakfast of happy hour. To maybe help with that, here's a rundown of some of the events we'll be attending:

     There will be a General FanForce table (http://boards.theforce.net/FanForce_Celebration_III/b10611/18582098/?68) (not to be confused with the regional tables some regions will have), at which we'll be volunteering. We'll be there from 3-4 PM on Friday (4/22). Stop by then if you want to meet us.

     Thursday night we'll be at the informal gathering at a local establishment, Jillian's. For more info, see the thread on TheForce.net's board: http://boards.theforce.net/FanForce_Celebration_III/b10611/18277500/?168

     Friday night we'll be attending the 501st/Rebel Legion/FanForce party. For more information, see the thread: http://boards.theforce.net/FanForce_Celebration_III/b10611/17757636/?0

     Saturday night there's an official 'Celebration at Celebration 3', but it looks like we may be too late for that one. (http://boards.theforce.net/FanForce_Celebration_III/b10611/18679208/?107). If anyone has OTHER Saturday night plans, let us know.

     OK, so now on to the REALLY important stuff: STUFF!

     As you may have seen, the exclusive action figure available to attendees of C3 is a VERY cool Darth Vader figure ((http://www.starwarscelebration.com/displayswc.aspx?file=swc-action-figure). Now, each person is entitled one figure for each day attending, as supplies hold. So, since we are entitled to up to 8, we'll open up to getting them for others and bringing them home. So, subtracting our two, that leaves 6 slots:

1. Luke
2. Djinn
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?

     So, if you want one, drop us a message and we'll add you to the list. If they won't let us have them all at once (and I think they may make you stagger your purchases over the different days), we'll buy them until they run out. We'll give them to the folks in the order of the list. If you want more than one, let us know as well, but you'll only get duplicated if nobody else takes all the spots before we leave. They're $15 each, and we'll make payment arrangements with you in private.

     Also, if there's anything else (within reason) you'd like us to look for, please let me know. Granted, space will be limited in the luggage, but we'll consider any and all requests.

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A Star Wars Fan

by Sarah P (GsWookie)

     I think, up until about a year ago, I could count the number of things I knew about Star Wars on one hand. If you had asked me I could have numbered them off. Number One: Never underestimate the power of the Dark Side. Number Two: Never trust men in dark helmets. Number Three: Before you kill someone, make sure they are not your father. Number Four: Cute, cuddly teddy bears will eat you alive, unless you can prove you are a god. Finally, Number Five: You can not escape your destiny. I had no concept of hyperspace or death stars, or imperials. What is a wookie anyways? I thought that Carrie Fisher was Jake Blues girlfriend in Blues Brothers and Harrison Ford was the “cool cowboy” in American Graffiti and of course, Indiana Jones. And who had ever heard of Mark Hamill?

     I vaguely remember the Pizza Hut glasses and the Darth Vader Halloween costumes. I remember playing with my cousins light saber and being afraid of Yoda. I feel that now would be the appropriate time to mention that I was born in 1980 and I am no longer afraid of Yoda! So how did I evolve into a member of a Star Wars fanforce? It was really pretty simple. I sat down and watched the original trilogy and the two prequel episodes with a true, dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars fan. It only took that, and about twenty years of maturing before I could really appreciate the complete saga in and of itself. I watched all of them. Then I watched them again, and again. Every time I watched them, I picked up on something else, a piece of the politics, something funny or another piece of the puzzle that sheds light on the entire storyline. There were some things that I already knew though, for instance, the fact that scoundrels kiss better than the nice guys.

     Now I pick up Star Wars references all over the place! I have joined a fanforce group in my area and now I am completely surrounded by people that get all the jokes and references! It seems unreal to me that I have been missing out on this for all these years. I now have tons of new friends to share new experiences with. It has opened up a whole new world for me and I can not wait to meet others out there just like me at Celebration III and other upcoming events.

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Ideas or suggestions for next issue?

   Do you have ideas, suggestions, questions, or want to submit to the newsletter? Let me know by sending us an email to the link at the bottom of this page.

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