Punisha

Hello my Dirty Trooper Brothers and Sisters, This is a momentous and exciting day for all of us. Overwhelmingly, I expect that at this point in time, you truly have no idea as to why it is such an exciting day. Allow me to explain. It is inevitable that we will face change in nearly all areas of our lives eventually. Our costuming hobby is no different. Whether it is new movies, TV shows, or video games which present us with new opportunities, or a bold new idea for an exciting piece of merchandise that excites us, change brings with it a variety of emotions and energy. It is in this spirit of change, excitement, and energy, that this day breaks with new direction for us all. Inspired by the examples presented in the world today, by Disney, LFL, and the 501st Legion as global entities committed to effecting positive change in our world, and in the spirit of unity, camaraderie, and togetherness that we announce a major change in operations for us as members of the Mos Eisley Police Detachment. As we all know – or maybe we don’t, but I will explain – the first scenes ever shot for anything Star Wars were some of those on the desert planet of Tatooine. It was there that the first world of Star Wars came to life for us. As a way to honor the history of the saga that shaped so many of our lives, it has been decided that, effective immediately, the 1st Imperial Stormtrooper Detachment, its CRLs, staff functions, websites, Facebook groups, members, etc are absorbed into the Mos Eisley Police Department. We look forward to serving proudly alongside our shiny comrades in armor and having the opportunity to order new (to us) racing shirts, coins, and patches! With unquestioned loyalty, dirt don’t hurt!

Hello again my fellow MEPD troopers, I am writing to fill the position of Chief PR officer. This person will be in charge of the social media posted for the detachment. This member would be on a rotation to assist in creating posts and announcements on our various social media platforms. This position will require some time commitments to do the duty justice. I ask that anyone interested consider this when offering to help.

Hello MEPD brothers and sisters, Thank you all trusting me with another year. As always, I am in this role to be of service to you and the greatest detachment in the legion! Please reach out to me if you have any thoughts, ideas, or concerns to share. There will be a couple of changes to the staff. John and Vincent are stepping down in the roles as XO and PRO. Airborne Trooper (Jason) has agreed to step in as my new XO. We had a real struggle last year with merch and Anthony has stepped in at the 11th hour and done an amazing job turning that around and dealing with MANY Legion merch struggles to finally get our 20th anniversary merch on track. Coins are up for order now and more is to follow this year. Executive Officer (XO): Jason Yap ( Airborne Trooper) TD-82573 Merchandise Officer (MBO): Anthony Paladino ( Redforce) TD-10666 Deployment Officer (DO): Thomas Herodek(bigwam) TD-30571 Deployment Officer( DO): Urs Tischhauser(Hausi) TD-21027 Deployment Officer (DO): Michael Ramirez(Scribbler) TD-6985 Deployment Officer (DO): Justus Parinussa(Dutchy) TD-1560 Financial Officer( FO): Jay Parsons(trooper1) TD-3936 Sergeant at Arms (SAA): Michael Ramirez(Scribbler) TD-6985 MEPD Liasion (ML) and Intelligence Officer: MEPD Liaison (ML) and Intelligence Officer: Kirk Folsom (Lovemonkey)TD-18542 Chief Media Officer(PRO): Quinn Brown (SandEEQuiNN) TD-91197 Public Relations Officer(PRO): Peter Telep (4Runner) TD- 33348 Systems Admin (SA): Damon Degner (Happytrooperdotcom) TD-10900 I look forward to another amazing year for the MEPD. Thank you all again. Tim (Punisha) TD-10930

We FINALLY won the discussion. Our late coins are up now. Now that the issue is resolved, more Merch is coming

I totally agree. This has been an "interesting" year with the Legion Merch folks. That being said, I will forward these pictures to try and make our case again.

At this point, the Legion is not letting us produce 20th Anniversary Merchandise until 2022. We are trying to shift gears and go with another plan at this point for Merch.

I am writing this to ask if anyone has any proof of the MEPD being the first detachment and that we began as a detachment in 2000? The 501st records have us as starting in 2002 behind the JRS. This information on record has held up our "1st detachment" and 20th anniversary merchandise projects. I've only been around since 2014, so I'm asking for some help from any long-time members. If we have any proof to take forward to the legion, we can possibly get this corrected. Thanks, Tim

The MEPD Command Staff is pleased to announce that we have a new Merchandise Officer (MBO). Anthony Paladino ( Redforce) TD-10666 comes to us with a lot of merchandise experience. Welcome to the team Trooper!

We have a Merch officer candidate with a lot of experience. I will be making a follow-up announcement this week

Hello my fellow MEPD troopers, I am writing today to discuss some opportunities to help out in the MEPD. This has certainly been a crazy year. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there. We are currently working on getting some 20thanniversary merch out as soon as we can. We have hit a few obstacles this year which have slowed down this process, but we will get something out ASAP. I would like to fill a couple of command staff positions and am asking if there are volunteers who who like to assist and fill these roles for the MEPD? The first position is for another junior PR person to help with the social media posted for the detachment. This member would be on a rotation to assist in creating posts and announcements on our various social media platforms. The second open position would be for a new Merchandising Officer. This person would be responsible for creating and maintaining all of the MEPD merchandise. For this position, I would highly recommend already having some legion merch run experience. These are both positions which require some time commitments to do these duties justice. I ask that anyone interested consider this when offering to help. I look forward to working with some new folks soon!

Welcome brother! You are as busy as I am this year!

Hello Fellow Troopers, Welcome to our annual election-time issue. In this issue we will have a few words from our current CO, hear from a member of the command staff, and look at some CRL updates and changes. It has been an honor to serve as staff for this newsletter. After this issue, I will be passing the reigns to the Desert Foxes' own, SandEEQuiNN. As always, stay dirty! Word from DL Command Staff Member Interview MEPD CRL Changes Hello all troopers of the MEPD! It has been quite a while since we have send out a newsletter. Various circumstances have caused this but I as your Detachment Leader take full responsibility for not keeping you all up to date with all developments within our ranks and the 501stas a whole. My apologies. Having this said it’s time to enjoy the newsletter as it’s presented to you all. Several interesting topics have been added so that each and every one of you will be up to date again. I also would like to use this opportunity to bring the upcoming election under your attention. This is going to be an exciting one as I have decided not to run for Detachment Leader again this time. I think it is time for someone new at the helm and behind that dusty desk. Someone that will lead the MEPD further on the new road we’ve chosen to walk, together. I am convinced that whoever will take over my position will keep our values high and make sure that the MEPD will always be the best detachment within the 501stLegion. Furthermore I would like to thank each and every one of you for having given me the opportunity to lead the MEPD to new horizons. My special thanks go out to my dedicated staff that has always has been there for me and for you all! With deep respect, love and pain in my heart I salute you all!! Godspeed my brothers and sisters of the MEPD! -dutchy TD-1560/ Justus Urs Tischhauser Deployment Officer Born in 1978 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, I spent the following eight years of my life in Lagos, Nigeria. After leaving Africa, I lived in Switzerland. I actually have both citizenships, Swiss and German. I now live with my wife in Constance at the lake of Constance in the very south of Germany and I work as a teacher at a Highschool, teaching English and German. The first time I saw Star Wars was in 90 when my uncle from Germany recorded it when it was on TV and had sent the VHS to me as we didn´t have cable at that time in Switzerland. When I saw that some crazy people dress up as characters from the movies, I always thought that I wanted to have my own armor but it was expensive and … well …crazy. I then took that step in 2016 and joined the 501st as a Tie Pilot, even before joining, I had met some really nice people at an event, among them my fellow Deployment Officer Thomas, his son Martin and Chris Knopek who has recently joined the ranks of the POs as well and we have become close friends. The Sandtrooper was my second costume and still is my favourite just as the MEPD is my favourite detachment and I am glad to be a part of this great bunch of dirty dudes. Besides Star Wars, I´m into Skateboarding. Cheers mates. -Urs Tischhauser - Hausi Hello, my Sandy brothers and sisters. You may have noticed some recent changes to the CRL photos for a few of the classic Sandtroopers. These pictures have been updated to reflect new costuming breakthroughs and sizing corrections with the backpack radio. Along with these photo changes, come the updates to the costume standards for Police Officer and SWAT levels. Below is a breakdown of the changes. Be sure to check out the CRL’s and see the new pictures in place. MEPD REQUIREMENTS: A sandtrooper must meet all the following to be deployed as an MEPD Police Officer ALL REQUIRED ITEMS FROM THE 501ST REQUIRED LIST INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING… Is made out of fiberglass, ABS, or HIPS. It is white, with appropriate weathering and does not contain excessive stylization. It must match proportionally to what was seen on screen. No FX Helmets.All visible screws have to be off he correct countersunk flathead type with a diameter of 7mm and no washers are to be used. Flat green helmet lenses, made from lighting gel material, green welder’s mask face shield, acetate, or similar product. Desert Backpack, styled after the ANH sandtrooper packs. They are comprised of two main boxes (aka Seed Trays), that are the approximate width of the backplate, correct bend on frame. Vacu-formed radio faceplates are not allowed. Strict screen accuracy is required! While not every Sandtrooper in the film had a backpack, we feel that this level of commitment and overall design of the character should be attained. This also means taking no personal liberties such as LED lights, etc. For the color of the backpack parts a greyish-blue color is strongly encouraged to meet the requirements of screen accuracy. For deployment pictures, please add one picture without backpack. Pauldron has no decals or patches and matches the the overally dimensions and look as seen on screen (not too thin). Shoulder bells have no decals or patches. • No ribbed shoulder straps. Shoulder straps white elastic waist band material 4,5 cm wide. (Sandtrooper chest and back are attached from within via soft straps, and do not have the plastic ribbed straps like stormtroopers). A sew-on snap sewn to the bottom side of the elastic to attach the black elastic shoulder bell strapping must be present. • Original Strapping System External Details Must Be Visible but does not have to be functional. This refers to the 6 countersunk flathead screws with a diameter of about 57 mm. • No FX Armor. Three or four “teeth” cut out on either side of helmet “frown” may be cut out. This detail is often referred to as a “Stunt” helmet variation, in addition to the flat green lenses.Frown must be painted gray and must not leave the teeth area. A mesh behind the frown is not allowed. Hand plates are trapezoid shaped and made of latex or other flexible material. The gloves have to be black rubber chemical gloves. Tube stripes are correct blue, and not the darker navy seen on many older helmets. Helmet details such as the tear-drops and traps. Helmet details must be hand painted. Decals, including decals that emulate hand painting are not allowed. Also paint the ears gray, with a black outline. One ear dimple has to be painted black. Correct Hovi-Mix mic tips. Canvas or cargo strap material belt, approximately 3″ wide.No drop boxes, O2 canister, or holster. Plastic plates covering the three rivets to attach the the canvas belt are perfectly square. • Armor side gaps are closed or nearly closed. • • No more than 1/2 inch (12.7 mm) gap on either side. • This is done by adding a shim (or shims) of a similar type and color of material as the Abdomen and Back Armor. • Shims fit flush and may have seams, though ideally they will be seamless to the Abdomen and/or Back Armor, resulting in a single seam between the two rather than extra seams where the shims are joined. • Rivets on the left side of the Abdomen / Kidney Armor: • A total of (6) brass splitrivets with three on the abdomen and three on the kidney. The rivets have a diameter of 8mm and have to be painted white. • Rivets are equally spaced out along the depth of the armor and about 10mm from the edge. • One snap on the top right hand side of the Abdomen Armor: • Back of male side of snap shows on outside of Abdomen Armor. • Mandatory AB Rivet detail for P.O. and S.W.A.T. Officers • Visible fasteners under lower Codpiece center area include one split rivet or brad in the front. • Fasteners need not be functional. Specific ammo pouches. Reproduction or original MP-40 ammo pouches are generally considered canon, made in either canvas or leather. Other acceptable names/designs include Stolla Wien, and the once common “Norwegian” green MP-40 pouches (shown – only acceptable for the shoulder pouch), made in leather. If using a green pouch for the shoulder they should be dyed or painted black or dark green. No canvas pouches for the hips. Also the more commonly available leather large Spanish pouch is not allowed, only Stolla Wien pouches or replicas. • Visible fasteners under lower Codpiece center area includes two male snaps in the back. • Fasteners need not be functional. Legs: The knee ammobelt has to be attached via two split rivets, pop rivets aren´t allowed. The ends of the knee ammobelt have to be of an angular shape at the top and rounded at the bottom. Please add reference pic. MEPD WEAPON MODIFICATION DETAILS: A sandtrooper’s weapon must meet the following to be deployed as an MEPD Police or SWAT Officer Only one weapon is required for deployment. The chosen weapon must meet the following… Blastech E-11, aka Sterling SMG. Six t-tracks on the barrel, sight rail and scope. Hengsler Counter is optional, as it was not seen. If a Tunisian Bapty E-11 is the weapon of choice for PO already, no D-ring is required. No ESB or ROTJ greeblies are allowed. For SWAT the blaster must replicate a BAPTY E-11. A standard ANH or ESB E-11 is not allowed. T-21 light repeating blaster, aka Lewis Gun. Ribbed barrel and either a canvas, leather or nylon sling matching color of screen used. White is not acceptable. There is no sight present on top where ribbing meets base but a bit of curled black cable. The blaster has to match the overall look of the WW I Lewis gun. For SWAT the T-21 blaster also needs to have the gas plug, greeblies on the barrel, a cleaning brush in stock and a 2 tone sling. DLT-19, aka MG-34. T-tracks on the barrel which are wrapped by a wire on both ends, ammo box cover, and conical disk affixed to left side of thumb grip area. A Bapty version is encouraged and exists out a wooden stock and feeder section. This version is approvable for all levels. MG-15. Too date, this weapon has not been cast and resold in any great quantity, nor are the exact scopes readily available. Generally speaking, ones seen are either completely fan-built from scratch or are real demilitarized weapons. S.W.A.T. REQUIREMENTS: A sandtrooper must meet all the following to be deployed as an MEPD S.W.A.T. Officer ALL REQUIRED ITEMS FROM THE 501ST REQUIRED LIST AS WELL AS THE MEPD POLICE OFFICER LIST INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING… Member must currently be deployed as an MEPD Police Officer to be considered. Weathering should be easily identifiable as the chosen trooper by comparison. Too little or too much weathering will not be allowed. Pack, pauldron, and weapon combinations must match a specific trooper a seen on screen. • CAPTAIN – Orange Pauldron TD breakdown • NO RANK – Pauldronless TD breakdown • PRIVATE – Black Pauldron TD breakdown • SERGEANT – White Pauldron TD breakdown Note: “pack-less” troopers such as the “stop that ship” trooper are allowed; however, packs are still required for Police Officer deployment. Pauldrons must be of the accurate “puffy” variety. Older style/flat and brightly/off color pauldrons are not allowed. Packs must have the appropriate details for the specific trooper which is being referenced. • CAPTAIN – Orange Pauldron TD breakdown • NO RANK – Pauldronless TD breakdown • PRIVATE – Black Pauldron TD breakdown • SERGEANT – White Pauldron TD breakdown Pouches must be of the correct construction, color, and materials as reference trooper. Rubber gloves. Latex or silicone (i.e., “soft”) hand plates.Note: “cheese grater” hand plates are allowed if used on the correct pack/pauldron/weapon configuration. The backpack frame must match on screen visible details and may be made from PVC or aluminum.Only Karrimoror frames without visible joints matching the look of the original Karrimor are allowed. Furthermore no Tupperware ice cream cups are allowed as the caps of the battleship grey bottles, the shape has to be that of the originally used plunger rubber bottom part. One snap on the top right hand side of the ab plate: back of male side of snap should show on outside of ab plate. Visible fasteners under crotch area. Two (or 3) male snaps in the back and one split rivet or brad in the front. (not required to be functional) Boots must be screen accurate in color and make; they cannot have a seam on the front. FX armor and helmets, MRCE and/or ANHv2 helmets are not allowed. Blasters: Hasbro blasters are not allowed, even conversions. Only The Tunsian Bapty variant of the E-11 and DLT-19 are allowed.

I have adjusted the original list to correct a mistake and to add Dutchy as an additional DO. He will be helping the current DO staff as well as assisting in the completion of the CRL's he worked on this past 2 years.

Hello MEPD brothers and sisters, I'd thank to first thank you all for putting your trust in me this year. I am here to be of service to you and the greatest detachment in the legion! Feel free to message me with any thoughts, questions, or concerns this year. We will all miss Dutchy, but he will still be helping the team with the new CRL's. I feel that the command staff has been a strong team for the past few years. So with that said, there will be very few changes to the staff. The only changes are me as CO and someone to fill my Chief Media Officer position. For that position, I have decided to add what I believe is the first Desert Fox to the command staff. Executive Officer (XO): John Henselmeier( Henselmonster) TD-11878 Merchandise Officer (MBO): Anthony Paladino ( Redforce) TD-10666 Deployment Officer (DO): Thomas Herodek(bigwam) TD-30571 Deployment Officer( DO): Urs Tischhauser(Hausi) TD-21027 Deployment Officer (DO): Michael Ramirez(Scribbler) TD-6985 Deployment Officer (DO): Justus Parinussa(Dutchy) TD-1560 Financial Officer( FO): Jay Parsons(trooper1) TD-3936 Sergeant at Arms (SAA): Michael Ramirez(Scribbler) TD-6985 MEPD Liasion (ML) and Intelligence Officer: Jason Yap ( Airborne Trooper) TD-82573 MEPD Liaison (ML) and Intelligence Officer: Kirk Folsom(Lovemonkey)TD-18542 Chief Media Officer(PRO): Quinn Brown (SandEEQuiNN) TD-91197 Public Relations Officer(PRO): Vincent(m4vrick) TD-17778 Systems Admin (SA): Damon Degner ( Happytrooperdotcom) TD-10900 I look forward to another amazing year for the MEPD. Thank you all again. Tim (Punisha) TD-10930

Congrats Boss!

Hello Troopers, Welcome to our election-time issue. In this issue we will have a few words from our current CO, hear from a veteran MEPD member, check out the roughneck stats, and meet our new PO and SWAT officers. As always, stay dirty! Word from DL Veteran Trooper Interview Emperor’s Roughnecks Swat and PO First of all I would like to wish all of the troopers of the MEPD a happy new year! Another amazing year has passed us by, a year where we have added yet another great trooper to our ranks, the Mimban Trooper! We’ve seen a lot of requests for PO and SWAT too and most of them have been granted respectively the title of Police Officer or SWAT Officer. Well deserved and a great example for troopers that have the ambition for taking it to the next level. Now we only have to wait for the first Mimban, Jedha or Magmatrooper to request deployment. One other program that I’m really proud of is the Roughnecks program. It’s so good to see that we already have several troops who are the proud owners of a Roughnecks certificate and I’m going to do my best to create an extra item that can be handed out with each certificate as an incentive. Even though it’s still a couple of months away, I would like to point out that at Celebration Chicago will be the opportunity of 2019 to portray the MEPD spirit as the detachment with the most accurate troops within the 501st and not to forget the brother-and sisterhood that we all are so proud of. Use this event to get together, meet other troopers of the MEPD in the flesh and have an interstellar good time! Don’t have too much of the blue milk though Our design team has created an awesome patch for this occasion too so if you don’t have it yet, please get yours asap if that is still possible when this newsletter is released. As the elections are just around the corner as well this will be my last piece for our newsletter as your DL, as we all don’t know who will be at the helm for the oncoming year. It’s as always all up to you troopers of the MEPD. Make sure that you all are eligible to vote, if not make the necessary adjustments in your 501st profile before the end of this month so I can make the needed changes. Therefor I would like to thank the amazing bunch of people I’ve had the honor to work with this year in my Command Staff for their knowledge, feedback, creativity, dedication and not to forget their friendship. Not to forget all of the troops of the MEPD that have believed in me and supported me in 2018. I take my helmet off and salute you all!! Thank you my brothers and sisters! Who knows, maybe untill the next newsletter and in the meantime stay safe and stay dirty. Move along…. -dutchy Hello again Dirty Troopers, In this time of new CRL’s and ever-growing numbers, we thought it would be fun to take a step back and focus on one of our early members. I recently caught up with one of the longest-serving TD’s in the MEPD, Rolf Henriksen TD-252 1. Do you remember the first time you trooped? Can you tell us about it? Hi there. My name is Rolf Henriksen. I got my first stormtrooper suit in 1999. After I saw a few from my garrison troop at an event for the movie Phantom Menace coming out. I quickly got myself a suit. And back then it was a fan made FX suit. We did a lot of trooping back then and we had a lot of great Star Wars events in the city Copenhagen in Denmark where I live. I think my first event in my FX stormtrooper, now turned into a Sandtrooper armor, was an event with a few actors from the movies, with Warwick Davis and Kenny Baker singing pictures, and stands selling Star Wars merchandise etc. Great event back then. 2. What has changed about trooping over the years? I guess it has just grown bigger and bigger and more serious and professional like most other things in this world. It’s still the same fun and games to me, and for most, I guess. Just bigger and more people involved making the events stand out. 3. Is there are particular moment or memory that stands out for you? I met Anthony Forrest around 6 years ago. It was a great time meeting the man himself, Mr. Move-a-long. I was there early. He had nothing to do. So, we had a few hours talking about this and that, but mostly normal things in life. Great person for sure. It was a great moment and memory for me to meet the man behind the mask of the suit I have made replicas of over the years. 4. Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of? I have assembled around 18 full suits. Around 12 Sandtrooper suits and 6 Stormtrooper suits. FX. GF. AP. TE2. TM. RS. Most of them were meant to be keepers, but upgrades and more accurate suits came up through the years and I followed up as well. Now all are sold, and I only have a Stormtrooper RS and a Sandtrooper RS. The Sandtrooper suit I have and kept is the most accurate I have done in every way. As I have trimmed and assembled and painted and made up the same dirt spots and patterns as the screen used move-a-long suit. The special achievement I’m most proud of will be, I guess, when I was a MEPD staff member for the first time many years ago coming from small Denmark. I was also the first MEPD member getting the Swat title in here. And not too long ago, summer 2018, I was used on the 501st CRL for the Sandtroopers. 5. Why? This is a hobby. It’s creativity. It takes time to make a top screen accurate suit. Living a normal adult life with a day job and having a kid, girlfriend, etc. As well too, it’s always nice to get a shoulder clap for all the time and work put in a suit. I guess like other art products out there, getting a positive reply on the work from the public. 6. When did you first hear about the 501st? The first time I heard about the 501st was I 1999 at the event I spoke about above, where I first met the ones in armor. 7. What attracted you to this cause? I have been a Star Wars fan of the movies since my childhood. My dad was a big cartoon magazine collector and loved movies as well. Especially, space adventure movies. He took me in and showed me The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and it blew me away as a 7-year old kid. I was hooked. And got all the Kenner action figures toys. Plus, I was trying to make my own Stormtrooper suit back then. In 1983, I was still all in and have been ever since. I later saw Star Wars A New Hope on television between 1980-1983. My dad took me also in and showed me a display event of a Danish television series called Crash around 1980. Crash as about a kid going to space with a story like Star Wars A New Hope. On the show, there were full size armor robots looking a bit like ANH stormtroopers. I remember back then I made myself a promise that if I ever could get myself a Star Wars Stormtrooper suit. I would do it no matter what. Ha ha and I guess I did. 8. What inspires you to still be involved? My childhood love for the old saga and suits from there. My Sandtrooper suit stands on a mannequin in my living room for me to look at it every day even when I’m busy with normal adult life with work and having a kid and a girlfriend and seeing her two kids. I still find the time to put on the suit and have a good time with my garrison at events here and there. 9. How do you continue to support the Legion or your Garrison? Yeah, I’m still an active 501st member, being a part of the legion for around 20 years now. I show up at events here and there and try to assemble all the Sandtrooper members for making fan movies and photo shoots in sand grave locations, etc for a good time. 10. What was the biggest challenge you face trooping? To me it’s easy, as I have a helmet on. So, no need to be shy. But around 2002 at a big Attack of the Clones event, the Danish television came up to us and want only three of us on their direct life television show. The plan was with helmets on. A few minutes up to the show going live on air on television screen, they changed it to be without helmets on. I did it, but I did not like that kind of challenge. Ha ha. 11. How did you come to choose the Sandtrooper costume? I got the cartoon magazine of Star Wars A New Hope in my childhood, around the late 70’s. On the first pages, there were some black and white photos of Sandtroopers. I could see they were like Stormtroopers, but their armor was more bada** looking. So, the Sandy’s quickly became my favorite ones and still are today. To me, the Sandtroopers are a higher-level trooper over the regular Stormtrooper. With the personal back packs, pouches, magazines, weapons, pauldrons, and weathered look. They have got personality and a history and are not just the look-a-like Stormtroopers. 12. What would you say to someone considering joining the 501st today? Go for it. Lots a great people in the hobby and lots of fun. It can be a traveling-around-the- world-sport as well, meeting people. Many wonderful people have said to me, “Come visit me. You can stay in my house.” Sadly, I have not the time to do so back then, as I was living alone with my son, and still do. But I hope the time for that will still come for me to do so someday. 13. What do you think other people should know about this organization? There can be many rules but take them as you like and have fun with it. If you are a rookie to this hobby, there are so many good-hearted people out there ready to help you out when you’re getting into this hobby and helping you get your suit done so you can get approved. 14. How has this changed you? I’m a social person. I like to have fun here and there. Plus, I love to be among others who have the same passion for Star Wars as I do. I guess it’s deep in me and from my love of the old saga moves from my childhood. It’s a great feeling, not leaving my passion from back then. Plus, I like putting a smile or a “wowwww” on children’s and adult’s faces and that’s still a “keep going” feeling for me. 15. Is there anything else you would like to share with me? I have done 8000 posts on the MEPD over the years. I’m not as active as I once was, but I’m still around as you can see. But to me, I reached my goal with my first generation cast of a screen used Star Wars A New Hope Sandtrooper’s suit, a RS suit. Back then we only had FX, GF, AP, TE, etc. We were more hooked finding the holy grail, aka a screen used suit. We were posting finding small trails and some in the us, like Gino and Brakes Buddy, got to go the archives and study screen used helmets and suits. Now you can buy as a rookie, a fully-assembled RS Sandtrooper looking good. Back in the days we had to study and search for answers. Now they are here. To me, the suit hunts are not the same, but I guess I’m also just a bit older ha ha. But something I love to see old members, like myself, still around posting on this dusty and dirty forum... I guess once a Sandy... all ways a Sandy! I’d like to start this by congratulating those troopers who have earned awards since the last newsletter: 25 Troops MarinaMC, TD-23587, 09/24/2018 Lt. Dan, TD-26129, 10/01/2018 coldwarSalty, TD-21141, 11/12/2018 colin1138, TD-6049, 11/28/2018 As most have you have seen, this award is completely for you. I know that for me personally, I like to have a goal to work towards. Not only has this helped me get out and troop more (like we all need another reason to get out and troop), it gives me something to work towards and are some of the proudest things I’ve done as a 501st member. Looking back over your troops, I hope you have feel a sense of pride and accomplishment for not only reaching these goals, but for all the people and charities that you’ve helped along the way. The power we have as a group to make the world a brighter place isn’t just mere words because I know I’ve experienced it. For those of you who haven’t yet earned your awards or are currently working towards your next one, keep up the good work. We won’t find those missing droids any other way. I look forward to seeing more and more of you earn your awards during this next year. To read more about the program: http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?/topic/15808-emperors-roughnecks-program-overview/ To request your hard earned reward: http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?/topic/15796-emperors-roughnecks-requests/ With unquestioned loyalty, LoveMonkey, TD-18542 New Police Officers: Andi85 - October 3 2018 wook1138 - October 9 2018 wowwookie1 - October 28 2018 DT_FETT_TROOPER - October 28 2018 Hoda - November 2 2018 Hoth - November 26 2018 knopi - December 2 2018 Curoth - December 4 2018 RLH2515 - December 17 2018 Chopper48104 - January 14 2019 Vieillecaque - January 20 2018 New SWAT Officers: Andi85 - 13th January 2019

Hello MEPD brothers and sisters. Welcome to our slightly belated current issue of the MEPD Newsletter. We have some light reading for you today. First, check out a few words from our fearless leader. There’s also an awesome spotlight on a troop of the month. We have some new SWAT and PO officers to congratulate. We also have an update from some hard working troopers in the Roughnecks section. And we revisit our latest CRL in progress, the Mimban trooper. -Punisha In This Issue: - Word from the DL - Mamba Trooper Info - New Roughneck Awards -New POs -Troop of the Month From the dusty desk of your Commanding Officer It has been a while since our last newsletter but we all had a well deserved summer recess, at least on my side of the planet everybody had it, so now that we all have recharged our battery we can pick up where we left in high gear! I wish I could say that the CRL for the Mimban trooper is live but sadly it isn’t due to some rule changes that all new CRL’s need to comply with. But hey, I promise you..this will go live!! As all of you have noticed, we have changed from the old server to a new one but we are experiencing some minor setbacks. I wish it wasn’t so but our IT team is working hard to get it all fixed so we can enjoy a fully operational webpage and forum! Let’s talk merchandise here! We are working hard on getting new interesting items up for sale but sadly on that part we are also depending on Legion Command. Which doesn’t mean that you need to keep an eye out for new MEPD swag! One success though is the fact that we recently have done a run of the shield patches that was being hosted by a third party. As this worked out great we are thinking about other patches or items that can be done by them. If you have any suggestions please shoot me a pm! What makes me really proud is the simple fact that new members keep finding their way to our forum and that we have a steady flow of new Police Officers and SWAT Officers. Each and every one of you all is what makes the MEPD a success! Never forget that we all are ambassadors for the MEPD! Furthermore, if you have any questions or suggestions…step into my office or send a pm Keep up the good work troops and move along for now! -dutchy Hello again MEPD. As predicted in the last issue, the Mimban Stormtrooper from Solo landed at the MEPD. Just as a reminder, this trooper gets its name because they are deployed on a planet named Mimban, in the Expansion Region of the Star Wars universe. This trooper is dirty (well super dirty) and some even have a backpack. The Command staff is hard at work developing a CRL as we speak. That’s right, the MEPD roster continues to grow! They hope to have this one done and approved this year. To aid in this endeavor, the-ever-hardworking Jimmiroquai has completed his armor and his own version of the Mimban trooper already. Be sure to check out his pictures on the CRL development thread. I hope to see some approved Mimban brothers in our ranks in the near future. -Punisha As was announced last newsletter, the Emperor's Roughnecks Program is off to a great start, with many of our troopers earning various awards. This program is all for you, to get you out and trooping in your amazing costumes and to reward you for your hard work. Not only can you earn a certificate for your hard work (and a spotlight on the Facebook page), other merch items may come in the future to celebrate your hard work. For those overachievers, we’ve added one more level you can earn: 250 troops! So for those on their way or who have already achieved 100, get moving on 250. I’d like to congratulate the following troopers who have earned awards since the last newsletter: 25 Troops macnolo, TD-18814, 06/10/2018 German, TD-23676, 06/10/2018 Darth Mout, TD-9841, 06/11/2018 hitoman, TD-11366, 06/11/2018 DarthStevius, TD-18969, 06/11/2018 LoveMonkey, TD-18542, 06/11/2018 bigwam, TD-30571, 06/12/2018 Prozent, TD-26001, 06/14/2018 vf2112, TD-21112, 06/19/2018 BadBatch, TD-17105, 06/19/2018 Slick, TD-11250, 07/14/2018 50 Troops macnolo, TD-18814, 06/10/2018 Darth Mout, TD-9841, 06/11/2018 hitoman, TD-11366, 06/11/2018 LoveMonkey, TD-18542, 06/11/2018 BadBatch, TD-17105, 06/19/2018 100 Troops hitoman, TD-11366, 06/11/2018 To read more about the program: http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?/topic/15808-emperors-roughnecks-program-overview/ To request you’re hard earned reward: http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?/topic/15796-emperors-roughnecks-requests/ For those working towards your next award, good luck and good hunting! With unquestioned loyalty, LoveMonkey, TD-18542 Congrats to our newest PO officers form the last few months! Buncs , June21th. Der Gummo, June 21st Volksjager, July15th Sandy Soldier, July 21st Battle Lion, July 26th TheSwede, August 15th MrFlavaFlave, September 4th Here in the northern hemisphere (sorry Aussies!) it’s warm and time to sweat it out on these outdoor troops. There’s one event that many of us get to do and that’s Star Wars night with the local minor league or professional baseball team. In this edition, we recognize TD-1705 aka BadBatch’s troop for the Beloit Snappers’ Star Wars Night in Beloit, Wisconsin! Remember troopers, if you want to get featured on Troop Spotlight, fill out your troop logs with photos and as much info on the event as possible. We all like to see some context on your events. It’s fun knowing what other Sandtrooper are up to! - Airborne Trooper • TD-82573

Hello MEPD. Welcome to our May/ June newsletter. We have a wealth of exciting MEPD related items for this busy month of Star Wars and a moment of sadness. Check out Dutchy's updates for our current CRL's and the possible new CRL's coming from Solo. There is also the exciting new trooping incentive program announcement! Make sure you sign up and track those troops. Congrats to the new PO and SWAT members and the Troop Spotlight. Finally, we have a sad farewell to our fallen brother, MEPD Police Officer TD-83314 Art Liu. Word From DL Fallen Trooper Memorial Main Topic: Muddy Brothers from Solo SWAT and PO New Trooping incentive: Emperor's Roughnecks Troop Spotlight Happy May the fourth be with you or the fifth or the 17th ..hahaha, having said this it’s time to zoom in on what has was noteworthy the last period. Well I don’t have a lot to talk about but one issue struck me and that is the case of the merchandising officer of the FISD. Lots of things were discussed about this case and I would like to refer you all to the 501st forum where you can read all about it. In a nutshell, we as the 501st aren’t allowed to make a profit on merchandise runs. But exciting times again for the MEPD for sure as a lot of us are looking forward to the new Solo movie and the characters that can be seen in it. My money is on the Mimban Trooper as a potential candidate of armors that can be added to our ranks. Let’s hope that we can announce some good news soon, for now hold on tight! As I am writing this I immediately have to think about our current CRL’s and than specifically the one for the TD. I’m currently looking into making some changes to make it clear what is accepted for each level as there are still some grey areas or items that can/ could be free for interpretation. To make these changes I have been talking with our Deployment Officers to find out what they would like to see changed for the better of the CRL . This all so we can keep demonstrating excellence. On the IT side we are making good progress as well, Damon even got Tapatalk up and running again! There is also an interesting new program in the making of which we are now dotting the I’s and crossing theT’s. Later in this issue it will be explained what it exactly is, but I am excited to have such a program within the MEPD as it will boost morale for sure! One other thing that I would really like to ask special attention for is the piece in this edition that zooms in on a very special trooper that showed personal perseverance and courage!! Your Detachment Leader, Dutchy/ Justus Troops, It is with deep sorrow that we announce that one of our brothers, MEPD Police Officer TD-83314 Art Liu, from the Taiwan Garrison passed away. Art was a pilot with Mandarin Airlines and accordingly to news report, became very ill just as his flight was about to depart. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3392861 Art joined the 501st Legion in Auguest 2016 with TD as his primary costume. Other than being a Sandie, he is also a TI, IC, ID and SL (Darth Revan) . He was deployed as a Police Officer on Oct 17, 2016. His thread can be found here. Art is a good friend and we trooped together on 2 occasions last year, the first ever Star Wars Run in Asia held in Singapore and Star Wars Day at Legoland in Malaysia, both took place in May 2017. He also attended Star Wars Celebration in Orlando the month before as well. Art is an outgoing person who is a joy to be with. He brighten up the party whenever he is around. He will be dearly missed. Buckets off. - Gordonator Hello again dirty troopers. As this year flies on by, we find ourselves with another exciting Star Wars film premiere. This time, it’s the prequel tale of the Rebel Scum who just barely slipped away from us at Docking Bay 94, Han Solo. That’s right, Solo: A Star Wars Story is coming in just 3 weeks. The anticipation is high. The trailers look beautiful. The fans are all ready for premiere night. And here at the MEPD….. We see some potential new CRL’s to add to our growing list of troopers. New Dirty troopers! The first new trooper in our sights is the Mimban Stormtrooper. According to the information we have so far, the Mimban Stormtrooper gets its name because they are deployed on a planet named Mimban, in the Expansion Region of the Star Wars universe. While we have only gotten quick glimpses of these troopers, the action figures are showing up and offering a better look. Both Hasbro and Bandai have shown versions of this new trooper in their respective toy releases for this year. White armor and a cape. Correction….dirty white armor and a cape! What’s not to love? There are even some rumors of Mimban troopers with backpacks. That’s even better. The next trooper who looks like a possible candidate for the MEPD is the Mudtrooper. What’s dirtier than mud? It seems like a natural fit…mud and sand. Based on the footage and toys released, the Mudtrooper has visual elements of troopers from other detachments. From what we have found out prior to the film release, the Mudtrooper is also deployed on the planet Mimban, but they work in the swamps specifically. These guys might land here, but they may also land in a different detachment. Time will tell. Of course there are plenty of other reasons to be excited about this next Star Wars chapter, and regardless of where these trooper CRL’s end up, we are pleased to see these latest editions to the Emperor’s ranks. - Punisha As we embark on our journey to 500 deployed members (we’re currently at 324), there are bound to be headaches, frustrations, and other problems along the way. In past newsletters, I’ve shared common questions new members or recruits might have as they begin their builds. These questions and answers are designed to help each of you make it to Police Officer and SWAT right from the get go. You can find the Q&A here - In order to further help those of you with your submissions, this newsletter I’m asking for help from each of you. I’d like to put together a list of what you struggled with and how you solved the problem. These list items could include weathering, armor fitting, obtaining pack parts, and/or whatever slowed you down or is slowing you down from obtaining your level 2 or 3. My hope in creating this list is to show what our current PO and SWAT officers have struggled with and how they fixed those problems so those of you currently working on your submissions can get ideas on areas you’re struggling with. I also hope that if you are currently working on a submission, please submit questions that you need help with so we can find how to help you achieve your next level. Submit questions, answers, pictures, and any feedback you have to me either via PM here or you can email me at kfolsom08@gmail.com. Thanks in advance to everyone for helping us on our road to 500. Let us send our congratulations to our newest Deployed Police officers! - Revolver Ocelot - March 20th - High Speed - March 21st - Roadblock - April 1st - Plainsrunner - April 17th - Olympus - May 10th - wozza8470 - May 14th Let us send our congratulations to our newest Activated SWAT Officer!! - talizman - May 10th Congrats and keep it up! With unquestioned loyalty, LoveMonkey, TD-18542 Troopers, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Emperor's Roughnecks program. This program is similar to other detachments, such as the Ace program at JRS. We want to reward those troopers who get out, troop in costume, and spread the MEPD. What do you need to do? Head to the Tour of Duty forum and begin a new thread. Make the subject look like this: TD-##### Tour of Duty, (### arrests). Then reply to the topic anytime you attend an event in costume and post a picture from the event. Also include the troop event name and a small description of what the event was about. That way you can also be featured in the Troop Spotlight section here in the newsletter. What qualifies for this award? The event needs to be an official Legion event, where you appear in an MEPD costume. - Pictures are required...not just to prove the event happened but to entertain your fellow troopers around the precinct water cooler. - 25 events from the beginning of 2005 onward will be credited toward this award. Once you have 25 events in an MEPD costume, you will earn the Emperor's Roughnecks 25 award. You can also work towards the Emperor's Roughnecks 50 and Emperor's Roughnecks 100 awards. Why should I? Not only will you spread your love of the MEPD, but you’ll also be eligible to earn a certificate for your hard work. Command is also looking at doing merch runs later this year specifically for those troopers who have earned this award. You’ll also get the chance to have your awesome troop pictures featured here in the newsletter or on our social media pages. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. With unquestioned loyalty LoveMonkey, TD-18542 Troop Spotlight On April 29th, members of the Star, Mexican, Rancor Hunters, Mayan, and Skull Garrison gathered for the 2nd annual Training Day Monterrey. They conducted a 501st Legion parade which celebrated Star Wars and the friendship of 5 garrisons which totalled nearly 100 members walking through Calzada del Valle in San Pedro Garza Garcia, NL, Mexico. For the first time in Troop Spotlight history, a trooper has nominiated another trooper. Darth Mout/TD-9841 has nominated fellow Jundland Wastes Wolves Patrol member, Roberto Vilchis/TD-5516. Roberto has ALS and completed his first parade ever in full armor. This troop displayed a great amount of perseverance and personal courage. Well done and congratulations, TD 5516! - Airborne Trooper • TD-82573

Skipwith Elementary Family Fun Night 4/27 ASK Walk at The Diamond, RVA 4/28 CASA Run RVA 5/5 Free Comic Book Day RIchmond Comix 5/5

Cub Scouts Blue and Gold West End Henrico County. 3/24/18

77. ShatterdomeCon day 1 11/7/14 78. SHatterdomeCon day 2 11/8/14

Only Sandy. I know a have more, I just can't find info on them. I have 175 total troops. I did 53 troops in 2017.

I'm going to try and recreate most of my troops here. Pics will follow as I locate them. 57. 2/12/17 Cancer Patient B-Day 58. 3/25/17 Beckett's Funeral 59. 3/3/17 VA Historical Society (Pics in an earlier thread) 60. 3/4/17 VA Victory Games 61. 4/14/17 Celebration in Orlando 501st Room Troop 62. 4/15/17 Celebration Bash Troop 63. 5/4/17 Big Brothers/Sisters Bowling troop (pics in earlier thread) 64. 5/6/17 Free Comic Book Day RVA 65. 6/10/17 NF Charity Walk 66. 6/24/17 Henrico Library Comic Con 67. 6/10/17 Richmond Comix Mini-Con 68. 6/4/17 Super Hero Heart Run 69. 7/29/17 Community Cosplay Celebration 70. 7/21/17 SW Movie in the Park 71. 7/8/17 VA Comic Con-VCU 72. 8/31/17 Salem Church Elementary Back to School Night 73. 8/19/17 Children's Museum SW Day 74. 9/30/17 Omega Con 75. 9/23/17 Glen Allen Day 2017 76. 10/7/16 BrickFest 2017

I'm going to try and recreate most of my troops here. Pics will follow as I locate them. 36. 2/20/16 B and N C'ville Reading Day 37. 2/20/16 Pinewood Derby 38. 2/6/16 Va Comic Con 39. 3/19/16 Ring of Fire Con 40. 3/20/16 Ring of Fire Con Day 2 41. 4/22/16 St. Bridget's School Family Night 42. 4/9/16 Griffincon 43. 5/21/16 Goochland Relay for Life 44. 5/7/16 Bon Air Day 45. 5/14/16 Relay for Life King William 46. 6/25/16 VA Comic Con 47. 7/10/16 LynLee's Celebration of Life 48. 8/27/16 OmegaCon 49. 8/28/16 OmegaCon Day 2 50. 9/10/16 Wizard World Richmond 51. 9/11/16 Wizard World Richmond Day 2 52. 9/18/16 Lego BrickFest 53. 10/22/16 Air and Scare 54. 10/29 VA Comic Con 55. 12/13/16 Cub Scout Xmas 56. 12/16/16 Rogue One Premiere

I'm going to try and recreate most of my troops here. Pics will follow as I locate them. 9. 3/21/15 Chesterfield ComicCon 10. 3/20/15 Futrell Wedding 11. Hayfield Comic Con 4/11/15 12. 4/25/15 Raven Con 13. 4/26/15 Raven Con day 2 14. 5/30/15 AwesomeCon 15. 5/31/15 AwesomeCon Day 2 16. 5/15/15 Relay for Life James River 17. 5/15/15 Fort lee Family Day 18. 5/15/15 Chalkley Elementary 5K 19. 5/4/15 May the 4th Augusta Library 20. 5/3/15 Mechanicsville Festival 21. 6/27/15 Fishersville Comic Con 22. 6/13/15 Summer Reading Kick-off RVA 23. 6/6/15 Summer Reading Kick-off Charlottesville 24. 7/11/15 VCU Children's Hospital 25. 8/1/15 Wizard World Richmond 26. 9/19/15 Glen Allen Day 27. 10/31/15 RVA Comic Fest 28. 10/10/15 Reads Day B and N Charlottesville 29. 10/10/15 Reads Day Clover Hill Library 30. 10/10/15 Reads Day CHarlottesville Library 31. 11/29/15 Toys for Tots SHort Pump TRU 32. 12/17/15 Charlottesville TFA Premiere 33. 12/18/15 Richmond Animal League Charity 34. 12/12/15 Literary Awareness B and N 35. 12/5/15 Richmond Xmas Parade 2015