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| In this Issue: Upcoming Events |
Issue #7 October 2005 |
| Heart of the Alliance contacts: President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: P.R. Officer: |
Upcoming Events (HotA Calendar) Revenge of the Sith/Battlefront II Release - Monday, October 31 - Best Buy, 169 Hwy and Barry Rd., Kansas City North Movie Night II - Saturday, November 5 - 4 PM Halloween
Night: Episode III and Battlefront II midnight Release The Episode III: Revenge of the Sith DVD and Battlefront II video game are being released in less than a week. The Best Buy on Barry Road in Kansas City, Missouri will be opening from midnight until 2am for the release event. It's going to be a great time for all who are able to make it. I'm sure I'll be there in my Heart of the Alliance apparel. We're we're working hard to put together possible events such as raffles to support our favorite charities, costume contests, photo opportunities and of course, lightsaber fights! It will be THE place to be on Halloween, so after taking the kids trick-or-treating, swing buy Best Buy in your costume and pick up your copy of Episode III and Battlefront. We want to see all of you in your best costume! The littlest padawan to the biggest, baddest Darth Vader or maybe even just your favorite Super Hero all are welcome! Don't forget to bring the kids because unlike Barbie and Transformers, you're never too young or too old to enjoy Star Wars. Please keep watching the announcement linked to from the Upcoming Events section above for more information as it becomes available! [top] Star
Wars Strike Force Bowling League The Star Wars strike force has come to Kansas City, and HotA members are racking up the strikes and spares. HotA members have joined leagues at two local AMF bowling alleys, College Lanes in Overland Park and Pro Bowl in North Kansas City. These leagues are made for star wars fans, with the bowlers playing for collectables, especially the 7 Star Wars bowling ball designs. There are 7 teams in the league at each location, with 3 teams at each made up entirely or mostly of HotA members. The league has turned into a weekly social night for HotA, with even members that aren’t bowling regularly showing up, as well as an opportunity to meet other Star Wars fans. The teams are about half way through the 16 week season, and despite sore arms and fingers and occasional gutter balls, are steadily improving their averages. And not only are we having fun, but at both bowling centers HotA has set up food collection bins for Harvesters for the duration of our leagues. So if you’d like to meet some of your fellow Star Wars fans, stop by AMF Pro Bowl at 7:30 PM or AMF College Lanes at 6:00 PM any Sunday night through the middle of December. [top] TP
Night II For the second time, members of HotA gathered at Angie’s place for a fun night of Trivial Pursuit on September 24. Since TP Night is an “unofficial” event, members often get to know each other even better than they would at official events. When you take 12 Star Wars geeks, stuff them in a small house then add Trivial Pursuit and alcohol, you never know what you’re going to end up with. Though the Trivial Pursuit game was a lot of fun, some of the best times occurred before and after the game. While waiting for everyone to arrive, we watched Spaceballs. Later, we sort of watched Office Space, though not many of us were focused on the movie. The conversation was just too interesting! And, leave it to certain members of HotA (certainly not me) to spend time on the boards even though most of us were present at the party! Fortunately, none of the neighbors have complained about the lightsaber duels going on in the front yard. Of course, what happens at TP night stays at TP night. Just trust me when I say that we have lots of fun and discover very interesting things about each other. So, if you’re eligible for “unofficial” events, consider attending TP Night III, which will certainly happen sometime in the next few months. [top] The
Rage About EL Lightsabers The first time I saw someone’s Master Replicas blade with a dark spot in it I began thinking. I thought “there has got to be a way to build a blade that doesn’t get spots in it if you duel with it”. I started out in the normal spots and a Google search landed me at Parks Sabers. They made an awesome looking non-licensed saber that was durable but then the price tag hit me. Being a man of limited finances I quickly ruled out ordering a pre-made light saber. The next stop on Google search was to go about building one. After looking at lots and lots of websites I began finding that many people were making “generic” lightsaber blades out of electro-luminescent wire (EL). This was very similar to the Parks saber (they use EL tape) and people were making them moderately cheap. I found one of the online tutorials and really shocked my wife when a six foot tall box of stuff came via UPS a couple of weeks later. There are lots of advantages and disadvantages to EL Sabers let me try to narrow some down. We will start with the advantages: Durability: The EL wire encased in a polycarbonate shell makes it very hard to break. Adaptability: You can alter the length of the blade during construction very easily. Building a custom hilt gives you the ability to create a saber all your own. The hilts can be as creative and as artistic as you are. Inner Glow: Because the wire is inside its polycarbonate shell it looks like it is glowing from the inside (these blades look their best in pitch darkness and glow terrifically). Cost: You can build a very nice EL lightsaber for less than a Master Replicas saber. Detachable Blades: Yes, you can detach the blade from the hilt. This allows you to switch colors or just detach the blade and wear the hilt as a fashionable prop. Just purchase cover-tec clip and fasten it to your belt and you’re off. Ok, now for disadvantages: Brightness: Most EL blades aren’t quite as bright as their Master Replicas counterparts (although most are much brighter than the “flashlight” models). Using two 9V batteries a good inverter and four passes of EL wire in the blade will get you a very similar brightness level to an MR blade). Sound: While it is possible to destroy a toy saber and add its sound chip to the saber, most builders don’t because of power issues. Vibration: Vibration motors are easily integrated into the saber but most builders don’t because of power issues. Non-licensed: As with many costumes and props not being licensed may keep you from having “canon” costumes for the characters. Power on and off sequence EL wire (and tape) is either on or off so you can’t make the blade light up in stages like their LED counterparts. So why build an EL saber? Well the answer is for dueling. Whether it’s for a fan film, exhibition, or just hitting the blades around with your friends, EL blades provide a way to do it without destroying your priceless collectibles. Much more information is available on the construction of the EL blades. Please see the Costuming and Props forums on the board for more information and lists of resources for building EL lightsabers. [top] HotA Member
Profiled By Company Newsletter Recently, HotA member Rob Tindle (RobVader) was featured in a profile article in his company newsletter: Rapid Solutions Group's "The Profile" (July 2005 Volume 2). It was written by Charles Stiles and we are reprinting it here with his permission. In a production area not so far, far away, there is a black-clad collector of all things Vader -- Rob Tindle, Press Operator, Kansas City. Rob's passion for the Dark Side was reported, and pictured in a recent edition of the Kansas City Star to coincide with the opening of Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith. "In The Spotlight" caught up with Rob for a quick Q&A. He was cleaning rollers on the Heidelberg and, as always, he was dressed in black. Q: How did you get in the paper? Tindle: A blurb in the FYI section of the newspaper was asking for anyone who had a costume to give them a call. I called and this guy came out to interview me. Q: Yes, the article mentioned you have a "Me Room" filled with Darth Vader action figures... Darth Vader body wash... a CD of Darth Vader breathing sounds... a Darth Vader Sprinkler? Tindle: My "Me Room" has a lot more in it than just my Darth Vader memorabilia. I'm diversified. I'm a Beatles enthusiast... soccer enthusiast... Darth Vader enthusiast. In fact, orginally I used an old pair of goalkeeper pants for "The Suit." Q: The article mentioned a homemade Vader costume you wear on Halloween -- A store-bought mask and helmet, a breastplate made of an old metal printing plate, blackened boots and a floor-length cape your wife, Kathy, sewed for you. How long have you had it? Tindle: I figure we've had the costume 25 years... since the mask first came out. I dressed up in the costume for my kids' school parties when they were younger. But mostly I just wear it on Halloween. In fact, one Halloween, I was Darth, my oldest son was Luke, my daughter dressed as Leia, and my youngest came as Yoda. Q: Have you seen the latest Star Wars movie? Did you wear The Suit and go to the Wednesday midnight showing? Tindle: I didn't make the midnight showing. I'm too old for that. I've got a granddaughter; I have to act my age. And I have to be here at 3:00 a.m. for my shift. I have seen the newest one... just twice. The original three are still better, but I'd put it at number four. Q: Have you ever worn The Suit to see a Star Wars movie? Tindle: No, because I've worn it on Halloween and to the kids' school parties, I have been recognized when I wasn't wearing it. When the original trilogy was re-released, we went back to the Glenwood Theater and a woman came up and said, "Now this is a weird question, but did you used to dress up like Darth Vader?" Not only did used to dress like Vader... every October 31st he wears The Suit again. When not wearing The Suit, Rob wears black to work... from head to toe. He'll tell you it's not that he has a fixation for the Dark Side. He'll tell you it's because the printer and ink will stain but wont show up on black. He'll tell you it's not a Darth thing. Then, you learn that at his oldest daughter's wedding last June, the DJ played the "Imperial March" as he walked up to the stage for the father-daughter dance. And you think it may be a Darth thing after all -- Darth Tindle, that is. [top] |
| New Members (Since Sept. 11, 2005) Skywalker64089 |