

So here it goes for the newb.
My names Jeremy and I'm from Springfield, IL.
Where to start.... Obviously I'm a fairly large Star Wars fan, have been since I was kid. As a result, I have a small obsession with all things Star Wars. I was far too young (I'm 30) to get in on the initial rush of Star Wars in the late 70s and early 80s. Things really kicked off for me with the prequel trilogies...waiting in line for tickets, midnight showings, buying toys and collectibles, having "obewon" on my license plates, etc etc. Also played SWG for 5 years before finally getting tired of it (in fact my screen name is from the game).
The last couple years I've gotten into the expanded universe and started to read the adult novels. I've read most of the clone wars era stuff, Zahn's stuff, and some early rebellion era stuff (still haven't made it to the Legacy or NJO era). Karen Traviss' RC books are some of my favorites (hence why I think I've decided to go Clone instead of Stormy).
Lest you think, I don't do anything else... I'm a computer programmer who enjoys movies, books, muscle cars, computer games, and music (trying to learn guitar). I'm married and have a 18 month old son who is a blast. So between all those interests and my family, I'm a pretty busy guy.
I've always toyed with the idea of doing some sort of high end costume for star wars and being involved in the charity support the 501st provides. I just never got serious about it for a number of reasons. The last couple weeks I've done a bit research at Clonetroopers.net (which I have joined), the Midwest garrison , the storm troopers detachment website, and the 501st.
As a result I've decided this is something that I would like to do. I'm not sure its something I'm going to start to tackle in the next couple weeks or anything, but I at least figured getting on here would give a push in the right direction (first I have to convince my wife that spending a not small sum of cash for a hobby is something worth while for me).
My understanding is that most start out with FX stormy armor because its inexpensive and comes with decent instructions for a first time builder. I unfortunately don't have the means or the patience from my wife to probably do more than 1 suit, so I decided I should start with the one I really want. I figure if I have patience and do enough research and ask for help that starting with clone trooper armor should still be feasible.
Due to my like of the RC novels (and the idea of sort of being on the republics side), I think I'm leaning towards doing a null ARC outfit. Also from what I've read, clone trooper armor will fit me better than some (I know some will fit) stormy armor because I'm 6'3" and 190lbs. I know this will likely take a couple hundred hours and some investment ($). One of my first steps is likely to get a rough budget for this kind of project and see if I have the means even, or if I should re-think my goals and go for something with less investment.
This is very long term project for me and I'm not in a huge rush to start, so I hope you don't mind if I hang around, ask a few questions, and get to know some of you.
Thanks for reading this really long post.