Midwest Garrison Booth Build

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Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

A recent thread on the Legion Forums got me thinking... while we've been satisfied with our standard convention table displays in the past, I think the general standard around the Legion has taken a big leap forward in recent years. To see some examples of what the Midwest Garrison is missing, check out this thread: http://www.501st.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... sc&start=0

Now, we have a TON of talented people in the MWG, so I'd like to start off a conversation about what we might be able to put together and come up with to bring something new to the table, so to speak. I have a few ideas, both big and small, but I want to hear from you guys first!

Take a look at that thread and think about photos you've seen from other units' conventions. Or maybe you've run into really cool stuff during your travels... Let's brainstorm here and then hone in on something that we can build together! Convention season has pretty much wrapped up for 2014 (with the exception of ChiTAG in November). C2E2 isn't until April, so we've got a few months' downtime. Let's put our heads together and then get to work!
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by SL9965 »

Maybe a troop transport? Like the vintage Kenner toy. I think I saw something like it on a Rebels preview.
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Chicagovader1975 »

Fully dressed mannequins are always eye catching and maybe some printed backdrops to be used when taking photos with people at the both? I will be honest that I am not sure we will have room for either, we had pretty limited space at C2E2 from what I remember and the same at Chitag last year. The impressive displays in the thread on the main legion forum were all pretty darn big.
Image

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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by tk1397 »

I have allways liked the garbage masher set, I also thought a Tantive hall would be cool and I am sure we could build it, we have tons of talent but if you build it someone has to store it and often times that is the real issue. there are lots of impressive things we could build but we would need room to display them and a place to store them, speeder bikes, Mauls speeder, the Imperial heavy blaster used on Hoth, ect. On a smaller scale having a selection of buckets and weapons on display looks nice, just need a good looking rack and for people to bring in extra gear. the action figure card backdrop is also a smaller setup and would be pretty popular i think.
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by iam8114 »

OK, I'm going to be debbie downer a little here, but what these other garrisons are doing and what we can do are going to be very different because our cons aren't going to give us that kind of space, and what space we do get is getting smaller each year. Wizard World used to, but since they can't even bother to invite us any longer... C2E2 is highly unlikely. The only place we can really go hog wild is Joliet, which honestly I think is even more important for us to in all guns blazing than any convention.
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

Space at "conventions" is certainly dwindling, Jim. I will give you that.
But a place like ChiTAG would likely give us all of the space we might ask for. CHIFi would almost certainly give us all of the room that they could spare. You mentioned JPL, and that's another place where we could showcase anything we wanted. Given the vast space in the Fan Group room of C2E2, I think that they would probably allow space for something we wanted to set up if we came to them with a plan. Heck, Legoland might even welcome something like that as a cost-free-to-them addition to their SW Days.
But there are other opportunities for an improved booth/table presence beyond "conventions." The DuPage County Fairground Flea markets might work, (assuming that we could set whatever it is outside the barn and the weather cooperates). That could really be said for any place that we might set up one of our backdrops. A Death Star wall, for example, is really just a fancier, more realistic (and impressive) backdrop. I also think that any place that we do a Blast-a-Trooper would benefit from having a "movie-real" backdrop for the game.

During the Wampa Room chat last night, a number of big and small ideas came up...

- Death Star wall, possibly with a Blast Door opening that we could use our hallway backdrop behind to create depth of field
- E-Web Tri-pod Laser Cannon
- Scanning Crew crate(s)
- Speeder Bike
- Speeder Bike (from SW:Rebels)
- AT-AT foot
- Trash Compactor set
- Detention Block AA-23 'hall'
- Death Star Control room consoles
- Battle Droid
- IG-88
- Chopper
- Stand-inside 501st Legion logo photo-frame
- TIE Fighter rooster
- Moisture Vaporator
- Action Figure backdrop/bubble or a "Black" Series action figure box.

Other things that could enhance our table might be some of those easy-up vertical signs. They're very affordable, yet look really professional.

What about a Bespin Gantry that people could stand on? We could set it up in front of a green screen, hand them a green mitten and then Photoshop in the proper background so that they can have their hand cut off by Darth Vader! :lol:
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by beans »

brain dump:

I love 501st action figure packaging– any character works with it.

Build something around the death star hallway backdrop we already have:
Image

Having a propped up Han in Carbonite is iconic and would be really cool
• Body kits and full kits are for sale online, maybe someone makes them in-legion
• lighting kits on dented helmet http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f31/new- ... ndex2.html

A few other ideas, just trying to think of something that hasn’t been done before by other garrisons that I know of:
- Star Destroyer Control Deck/bridge – (a panel or multiple panels looking out to space, at a planet, or at the death star) It would work with a Vader standing by, bounty hunters present to receive their assignment, or imperial crew members and officers (which we have a lot of). If we design it to be pretty flat, it could be our booth backdrop. Could add computer stations for our imperial crew members to do lots of empire stuff.
Image
Image
Image
- Tie fighter rooster, since we have lots of jolly roger squadron members
Image
- Scaled down Throne room window (and chair if we’re motivated)
- Since we have so many tuskens… what could we do that would be a good accompaniment for a tusken? A bantha is probably out of the question ;)

Storage
- I don’t know how much more space there is at Joliet Library or how willing they’d be to hang on to more, but that is one option worth asking about. I’m sure given the possibility of another really cool prop they would be open. Even with this space we still end up with stuff scattered at lots of different locations.
- Another idea would be to bite the bullet and get a garrison storage unit. Assuming on the HIGH end $100 a month, and if everyone contributed, that would equate to about a $10 per member per year contribution. I know some people wouldn’t be able to swing that but others could potentially give a bit more to cover for them. I think it’s doable. This could house all of our convention supplies, prizes, racks, banners, and then we would no longer have to face the dreaded “does anyone know who has that??” question.

I'll keep thinking. I'm really excited about this, it will be great to have a show stopper prop at some of these events.

Also, from looking at the other garrison set ups, I think we have some room to clean up our general convention booth appearance. We end up with 20 different cards in individual holders clustered in one section of the table, loose stacks of papers and workbooks, binders, newspapers with us on the cover, it sometimes looks a bit sloppy especially after a few hours of hands combing through them. I'd like to look into coming up with a cleaner, sleeker way to have this stuff displayed that looks more professional. Containers/trays/etc, something we can keep imperial/501st branded. Going to brainstorm on this as well.

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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by beans »

just learned the forum changes the word c. o. c. k. p. i. t. to rooster... in case anyone was wondering what a tie fighter rooster was ;)

Also, Brian sorry for any redundancy with your post, I must have been typing mine when you posted your list!!

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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

beans wrote:just learned the forum changes the word c. o. c. k. p. i. t. to rooster... in case anyone was wondering what a tie fighter rooster was ;)

Also, Brian sorry for any redundancy with your post, I must have been typing mine when you posted your list!!
Haha! No worries, Bean! Lots of good stuff there, and no need to apologize. :)
And hey, congratulations on your 1000th post in the MWG Forums!
:thewave:
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by beans »

Wow, good eye, thank you!! Looks like I just missed your 5,000th post!!! :cheers:

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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

:cheers:
But who's counting, really?
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Mr Fett »

If you have space for big impressive props, bring them. That’s the kind of stuff that catches the public eye and brings them over to your booth. If they want to go take a picture of some big prop they see from a distance across the convention hall, then they may linger around longer to talk to the people manning the booth about the costume club and all that.

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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

Mr Fett wrote:If you have space for big impressive props, bring them. That’s the kind of stuff that catches the public eye and brings them over to your booth. If they want to go take a picture of some big prop they see from a distance across the convention hall, then they may linger around longer to talk to the people manning the booth about the costume club and all that.
Exactly!

Let's keep this conversation going, guys...

I think realistically, a good start would be the stand-in 501st logo photo frame. It's interactive, would not take up too much space, and if built with casters on one end, ought to be pretty simple to move just about anywhere.
An e-web could also come together fairly simply... And be built to break down for storage and transport.

A modular Death Star wall that we might expand out to include a blast door would probably be a close third for me.
Or the Star Destroyer bridge windows. I've never seen anyone do that set, Beans. Good idea!
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Sakic Jade »

I would like to do something we haven't seen other garrisons do. The Star Destroyer idea is great. If we are going to do a speeder bike, I'd suggest the one from Rebels.
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

But none of us have Rebels costumes that would match it...

I think something like the Logo frame would be fine. Even if other units have something like that or an eWeb or a speeder bike, it's still something that many, many people in Illinois have never seen.
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Sakic Jade »

So you want a speeder bike that YOU can match. I see how it is. ;) I like the logo frame idea too, as a starting off project. Id like to see is go bigger eventually.
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by fettswatcop »

Pending the event location, I'm open to bringing my HIC
Image BH3620

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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

Sakic Jade wrote:So you want a speeder bike that YOU can match. I see how it is. ;)
Curses! He's on to me...
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Re: Midwest Garrison Booth Build

Post by Fleetfang »

Image
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