Ice Ice Baby!... Its Polar Plunge time!

Seems I forgot to mention my first fund raiser of the year. Im taking to the icy waters again this year for the Nebraska Special Olympics. Be sure to check out and donate to My Polar Plunge page!  I am half way to my goal of $500.  Please consider a donation no matter how small.  Every Little bit helps.

Saturday, 2-16-13, Comes see me and other Star Wars Characters take the plunge into the icy waters of Cunningham Lake, located at 8660 lake Cunningham Road in Omaha! Individual Plunges will start at 11 am and we will be taking photos from 9:30 to 10:30.  Hope to see you there!

Here are some photos from last years plunge.

The R2-D2 build has begun.

R2-TD has been fun and gets a lot of looks at events but few things gets attention more than R2-D2.  There use to be 2 R2-D2's is town, but one moved away so to fill the void at events I've decided to start building another one.  Shortly before Star Wars Celebration CVI,  The group at Midwest Robots decided to do a frame run of R2's.  Clay offered up the use of his CNC machine so I jumped at the chance to be included.  The CNC made precise cuts and was much easier to work with than when I did Td's frame by hand.  After we finished cutting and started assembling, We found in the first few there was an error in some measurements. Turnes out the plans we off in a few spots and some adjustments needed to be made. Being off just a tad in a few spots would require a little sanding  and a few simple tweaks.  Last week gathered all the parts to dry fit my frame. Last night we finished making the final adjustments and cuts.  Next week I will start gluing it all together.  Here are some photos from the build so far.

Clay trims the main frame support.

 The CNC machine continues to cut in the background. 

 Things are fitting together well

 We mark the pieces so we can find the exact center to have have a well balanced droid.

 Everything is lining up and centered nicely.

Next week we should be able to start gluing. 

Flashback Friday - ACME Comics Mini Star Wars Con 6-2010

Since we are 22 days away from ACME Comic and Collectibles Star Wars Mini Con where RICHARD LePARMENTIER will be on hand. I thought I'd flash back a few years to the last Star Wars Mini Con I attended also at ACME with DANIEL LOGAN.

TD Stands Guard waiting for the doors to open.

Meeting up With Daniel Logan - Young Boba Fett

Lord Vader was on hand

Kids got to get their face painted

Games, prizes and demonstration filled the parking lot all day.

He Moves!

R2-TD moves again! Last Saturday, the guys and gals at Midwest Robots spent much of the day going through Touchdowns wiring to find why literally everything quit working.  What we found was the main motor controller had 3 breaks in a wire and it caused the entire system to shut down.  All wires were pulled, inspected and than re-directed and organized to prevent any further problems.We also replaced the dome motor controller which had quit working months ago, added a spring to give the dome wheel more tension and made it so everything works on 1 battery instead of 2.  It literally was a complete over haul on the system.  At the end of the day, we made a new wiring diagram so we can make it easier to trouble shoot if anther problem does creep up.

The before photos








Here are the after photos

Flashback Friday - CATCH UP TIME from the last few events

Seems I have been a bit lazy with my blog posts lately. April 26th was the last one and that was when I reported on Huey Lewis and the News of the concert.... (See what I did there... LOL! I crack myself up). I also haven't done a Flashback Friday in forever. This is not as far back as I normally go but still fitting.

Its been a busy few weeks. So busy, I haven't blogged. Meant to a few times but just didnt happen. Lets see... we had Star Wars night with Omaha Royals err Storm Chasers, Free Comic Book Day, The Avengers, and a tiny little bit of R2 work.


May the 4th Be with You - Star Wars Day with the Omaha Storm Chasers. I brushed off the RFT costume and headed out to the Ball Park. After all, How often do you get to go on the field before a baseball game and help Darth Vader throw out the first pitch? I wasn't missing it this year. The troop was fun and relaxed. We got there, threw out the first pitch and than posed for pictures. Pretty relaxed night and always lots of fun. Unfortunately, R2-TD didnt make the trip. He's still down and out getting his system over haul, but more of that in a bit.

Most of the Group who made it out

The Force is strong with this one

Vader always draws the biggest crowd

Luke and Vader play a friendly game of Catch

Free Comic Book Day. I hit 2 of the shops in town and joined in the fun. First I swung by Legend Comics and Coffee to grab my free comic books, check out the sale and to see how the fund raiser for Make-A-Wish Nebraska is going. The store raffled off a issue of Amazing Fantasy 15 which was the very first issue to have Spider Man in it. They also had a dunk tank set up where the you could dunk one of the owners of the store as well as various other happens around the store.

The store was buzzing with excitement of the day

People loading up on the Free Comics

Looks like Dave is about to get wet!

The Lucky winner of the Grand prize for the Nebraska Make a Wish Raffle

I meet up with Beau and Hannah at Legends than we headed out for Lunch after we snagged our free comics.

Lunch with Beau and Hannah

After Lunch it was time to check out Krypton. Adam Baldwin came to town and it was my chance to meet him. I also hung around at the 501st / Rebel legion table for a bit. It was fun to hang out and chat with a few folks I hadn't seen in about a year.

By far the largest crowd I have seen come out to Free Comic Book Day.  The line on the Right is for Free Comics, The line of the left is to Meet Adam Baldwin.

Thumbs up from Adam Baldwin

Finally meeting another of my Big Damn Heroes!  

Local artist Christina Musgrave works on a sketch 

I got to sneak in THE AVENGERS movie. Without giving anything thing away, I'll say it was AWESOME! I've seen it 3 times in 2 weeks. I felt it had everythign a movie needed. It had the right amount of story to action with a bit of comedy to keep things fresh. Can't wait to see what more they do with the story.

Last little thing in there was a build day / armor party with the local 501st. I'm not currently working on any costumes so I worked a little bit on R2. First we trouble shot the Think Geek T-short sound system. Still working on getting that going again. Than I started making R2's feet.

Im trying something different here. Normally a lot of the guys use styrene but it seems to break easy since thats a high impact area when you run into something. Keeping that in mind, I looked for something a little cheaper and less damaging. I decided to give foam board a try. This was a first attempt, Now I know I can get it fairly close to looking the way it should, I can start with a more accurate and detailed foot. More to come on that as I get it done.

Now I have issues....

So I have to confess something. I have never bought a comic book for myself until today. Sure, I've bought a book here and there but it was always because either because I could turn it for a profit quickly or I was meeting one of the creators and I could have it signed to again, turn it for a profit quickly. I don't recall ever buying one to read. The only ones I had read, were the ones I picked up at Free Comic Book day over the last several years.

Anyways, a few weeks ago, I was given a gift card to Legend Comics and Coffee. I've been to the shop several times since it had opened but usually it was for business purposes. So on a whim, after getting their e-mail stating Avengers vs X-men 0 was on sale today half off, I thought maybe I'd check it out. They have recently moved into a freshly remodeled store and I had yet to visit and check it out. Also, I'd seen the buzz around the release off issue #1 next week all over. Several stores are having release parties and huge sales just for this issue coming out. I was to guess it's a big deal... So I jumped on the bandwagon. While in the neighborhood of the comic shop today, I swung by and picked up my copy of issue 0. It been a fun read so far. I can see myself getting into comics very easily but had fought the urge for a long time.

So what took long? Why get in now? It just feels right. See, I grew up a small Nebraska town. When I say small, I mean really small. Worms NE... population 19 was my home. You can guess we didnt have a comic store. The only public places in town was the local church and the local bar. The town I went to high school in, Palmer NE, wasn't much better at 500 people. The closest place to get a comic was in Grand Island NE but you had to get lucky and find them at a grocery store or gas station. I'm not aware of a comic shop in town even today. You'd have to drive to Kearney NE to find a decent shop in the area.

Anywho, when I went to college in Wayne NE, again... not comic shop. needless to say I wasn't into sci-fi much than either. That did change somewhere around my junior year. The original Star Wars Trilogy was re-released and the local Pizza Hut was given out coupons for micro machines at Toys-R-US. Sure, we had to drive to Sioux City to use them them, but it sparked an interest in sci-fi for me again which I hadn't had since my child hood. Between that and a Fraternity brother giving me Timothy Zahn's 'Thrawn Trilogy' (thanks Frater Jamison!) to read one day when I was bored, I was starting to get back into the Galaxy far far away I had known so fondly as a child.

After college, I moved to Lincoln NE where I read every Star Wars book I could get my hands on minus the comics. I started collecting the toys and soon autographs as the prequels started to come out. Comics still never crossed my mind. I couldn't even tell you if Lincoln has a comic book store. In fact, anything outside of Star Wars didn't cross my mind. It wasn't until I moved to Omaha, and even at that, many years after I moved to Omaha, did I begin to expand my sci-fi world. Still, rarely even a visit to a comic shop. I only knew one shop and their prices were so marked up past normal retail on the stuff I would buy, I refused to shop there regularly. I know the guys who buy the toys for the shop as I would see them in the toy isles. We all jockeyed to get the new hottest toys and that may of even pushed me farther from comics. Who knows. It just didn't interest me.

You would think as I talk about going to Free Comic book Day and one of the larger comic book convention in the area, Planet Comicon... Comics would of been a natural fit for me. But, I didn't go to those things for the comics. I went for autographs, costuming and to see friends I've met over the years. Sometimes, thats the only time I get to see some of those friends. Comics were far from my mind. Still, something clicked recently and made wonder what I'm missing. Could comics fill a void? We'll see. Either way.... it should be fun getting into them. At least I hope it will be... :)

MS Walk Omaha, 4-14-12

Next Charity event is off and running... err walking! I'm team captain of "Rebels with a cause" and we are raising money to the MS Society. Members of the Rebel Legion, the 501st Legion and R2-TD will be joining us on April 14, 2012 at the CenturyLink Center Lot D1 at 8:30 a.m. Check-in to pose for pictures before the event. At 9:30 a.m. the Walk Begins.

If you would like to donate to this event or would like to sign up to join these Star Wars fans in fundraising and the walk, information can be found at my page HERE! Thanks!

Planet Comicon 3-24/3-25 2012 Overland Park Kansas

Its March and that means another trip to Overland Park Kansas for Plant Comicon! This is the 5th year I'll have made the trip down and in my opionion, this show gets better and better every year! This year, I expect nothing less. I'm guessing if all goes well, this convention will have out grown its space as the crowds get larger and larger each year also. Of course when you bring in media guests like Billy Dee Williams, Edward James Olmos, a reunion of Buck Rodgers cast and more comicbook creators you can shake your stick at.... that usually happens. Add the guests on top of the gaming, shows, panels and costumes... theres no doubt there will be something for every geek to enjoy. Check back here at the end of the month for photos and my spoils... until than, here are a few of my favorite photos with some of the cool people I've met at Planet Comicons past...

Clone Wars voice actors Tom Kane, Ashley Eckstein, Matt Woods,. Steve, R2-JB, Myself and R2-TD

No-one messes with my touchdown!

Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) with R2-TD and myself

Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Me

Sarah Douglas of Superman fame with me

8th Annual Walk & Roll for Disabilities sponsored by the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities

Being associated with the Star Wars groups, Sometimes I get asked if I would be interested in various charity events and walks. One of those events popped up on Sunday. I was asked if I woud bring R2-TD out to the Westroads Mall for the 8th Annual Walk & Roll for Disabilities sponsored by the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities and troop along side the 501st. The event was a great time and raises funds to support recreational therapy programs for teens and adults with developmental disabilities in the greater Omaha area. This event also helps raise awareness and support for inclusion for people with disabilities. Everything went well and everyone had a great time. Here are some photos from the event.

Members of the Central Garrison of the 501st legion and R2-TD

This little guy was our biggest fan!  He wouldn't change his shirt to the event shirt because he had on Star Wars shirt.  He than had the honor of leading the Star Wars characters around the mall during the walk.  

One of the larger fund raising groups for the day asekd us to come pose with them

Smiles were all the way around

Over all it was a thumbs up type of day