Bounty Hunter Legion...

Hey all, I've been thinking over the past few months about something, just in the back of my head. There's the 501st, which is a great organization, and there's the rebel legion (can't remember the name), which is great as well. So, I was thinking, 'Why isn't there a Bounty Hunter legion?"

I really think this would be a great idea, since there are so many of us nowadays. Even if we were not a separate entity, I think it could work. Liek maybe a detachment from the 501st or something.

I think the charity/community part of both organizations is great, and would want to keep those, but I feel with the growing number of hunters, maybe there's more room for one more Star Wars costuming group.

I'd love to hear what you guys all think, as well as any suggestions. Thanks again for reading

Fett Forever

http://mercs.firespray.net/forum/index.php

^ Something like that? MandoMercs is a forum for custom Mandalorian costumes. They've also got a membership program and a gallery to showcase the member's costumes. And of course, we post upcoming conventions and charity events that we'll attend. We're not nearly as huge and well-known as the 501st or RL, but we still like to have fun doing the same good things the other groups do.

There's also Phoenix Squadron, which is a detachment for Bounty Hunters, including Boba and Jango.

Why not the Bounty HUnter Guild? It could be more than Mando - any bounty hunter from SW. After all, in the movies, their services go to the highest bidder. I think its a cool idea. Like you say, there is the Rebel Legion, and the 501st. Something with that kind of recognition but for BH.

sounds interesting

Originally Posted by AncientFett

Why not the Bounty HUnter Guild? It could be more than Mando - any bounty hunter from SW. After all, in the movies, their services go to the highest bidder. I think its a cool idea. Like you say, there is the Rebel Legion, and the 501st. Something with that kind of recognition but for BH.

I agree. Weeks back when I first started doing research on this stuff I was shocked to see the bounty hunters and other un-allied type characters stuffed in the mix with the imperials even though I'd put them there way before Rebel Legion...

um...what do you think TDH is? nothing? youve got everyone in here....

There is an off shoot of sorts of the 501st that is solely for canon Bounty Hunters... it's called the Phoenix Squadron.

i personally don't see the need.

what would the group actually serve to accomplish that isn't already covered either here, on the mercs' site, or the 501st detachment?

i am all set with the number of groups i'm part of already... i don't have enough time as it is!

The Phoenix Squadron is only a resource forum, nothing more. There isn't realy any need for a seperate group as the 501st is fine as it is.

why isnt the TDH a 501st detatchment. more info on here than PS.

Mercs is the LucasFilm Ltd. approved group for Mandalorian costumers. We don't accept non-mandos, although we had thought about it at first. We even have some Fetts in the mix, but mainly we are for the non-canon and EU mandos who don't have a home in other organizations.

Honestly, if your doing a mando...then I don't see a reason why you wouldn't want to join up. We have 14 chapters and are growing, but the only way to do that is with the help of mando costumers out there. We've been around over a year now, and are closing the gap on the Jedi Assembly. =)

As far as an organization for just non-canon star wars characters...thats going to be a hard thing to accomplish. What do you classify as a costume "in universe"? At that rate, someone in Halo armor could say they are a bounty hunter and join up. This is something we dealt with in Mercs...because in the end there had to be some basic standards for mando armor to be called "Mandalorian".

Are you talking about a Bounty Hunters union?

Hey just remember, Boba Fett was'nt part of the bounty hunters guild in the first place, was'nt he the one who destroyed them.......

IIRC he joined them for something and in the end what happened was he got someone to do it for him. or somthing like that. Been a while the brain is getting foggy with all the new info on mando stuff Ive been ingesting.

Originally Posted by bh-7603

why isnt the TDH a 501st detatchment. more info on here than PS.

heh... i suspect it's because not being part of the legion keeps tdh out of our politics

Personally, I feel it's better that TDH and the 501st are separate entities.

Things seem to work fine just the way they are. So if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Originally Posted by Jango72

Personally, I feel it's better that TDH and the 501st are separate entities.

Things seem to work fine just the way they are. So if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Best reply ever!

Originally Posted by NovallTalon

Best reply ever!

Agreed.

thanks for all the input everyone. I was hoping I'd get a little discussion going. some good ideas here too.

Now, I wouldn't ever want TDH to be a part of 501st, just for the politics of it. I just really think that we non-rebel, non-imperial guys should have a group of our own. I mean, bounty hunters are neither good nor bad, they work for both sides, so i feel like we are a part of another group.

I mean, if you look at the Star Wars CCG from back in the day, it was rebels, imperials, and aliens (aka everyone else). so, i still feel like we could have our own group, not to show up or take away from anyone else, but to show our non-aligned/bounty hunter pride.

hmm 'the guild of everyone else in star wars'
i think the name needs working on

intresting idea though

Originally Posted by Vable Boba

Now, I wouldn't ever want TDH to be a part of 501st, just for the politics of it. I just really think that we non-rebel, non-imperial guys should have a group of our own. I mean, bounty hunters are neither good nor bad, they work for both sides, so i feel like we are a part of another group.

but what would that group actually *do*? social group? troop at events? tables at conventions?

or said differently, what would the mission statement of such club be?

Hopefully something daring. That othergroups won't attempt. Something different. Maybe even spawn a Con in a different spot ( geographically) for others to get together.
Make no mistake there is a need. The staus quo is not all that good. We could use a few more costume cons/ get togethers ? in different areas. As gas and travel get more expensive i for one will be forced to give up big trips to hang out with star wars enthusiasts That's why I am starting to Attend SpoCon. It's more local.
as for other needs some people like the idea of being admin/ webmaster ect. It lets them feel a little more important in the hobby ( NOT ME, No spare time) . So as long as there are new people and less opportunities for those thing there is a need.

I've actually been thinking about a name for a while. How about: Warriors for Hire or Spaceport Junkies

I'm still thinking of the other stuff. I'm not sure I could actually head this thing, but I would love to be a part of it and help it get going if it came to fruition. I will think about it today and see what I come up with. until then, keep leaving comments. I've been liking reading what you all have to say.

head WHAT thing? there are three or four seperate mando clubs...is there really a NEED for another? what woudl the differances be? woudl woudl this new club offer that the otehrs dont?

Phoenix Squadron is in a huge revamp phase. Its changing its name to Bounty Hunters Guild (which has been in the works for a while , there was a link from here to vote on new names about two or three months ago )

and the new logo is in design stages. the forums have changed and have a place for resources and information on how to make a 501st approved costume, all thats missing is its members to come back and help make it a worth while detachment again.

its also opened its doors to NON-501st members to have forum access.

Originally Posted by bh-7603

head WHAT thing? there are three or four seperate mando clubs...is there really a NEED for another? what woudl the differances be? woudl woudl this new club offer that the otehrs dont?

wow... 7602 and 7603 playing tag

(despite the numbers, we don't actually know each other!)

that's what i'm asking... start a club for what?

• want to do a fett? TDH or phoenix squad?
• want to do a custom mando? mercs
• want to do bossk? phoenix squad
• want to chat online? any of the above
• want to raise money for charity? why does the flag you are raising it under matter?
• want to go to a con in costume? no club required for that

that's what i mean... folks are saying that the bounty hunters need a home. but a home for what? honestly, i don't even really feel the need to get on the legion detachment forums much, since they don't seem to offer anything not already here or on the legion forum.

Originally Posted by Wolfie

Phoenix Squadron is in a huge revamp phase. Its changing its name to Bounty Hunters Guild (which has been in the works for a while , there was a link from here to vote on new names about two or three months ago )

and the new logo is in design stages. the forums have changed and have a place for resources and information on how to make a 501st approved costume, all thats missing is its members to come back and help make it a worth while detachment again.

its also opened its doors to NON-501st members to have forum access.

So is this "re-vamp" the reason they haven't gotten around to fully approving my application there?

I've gotten the initial e-mail from them, but still waiting on the second one that they promised me so that I can actually log in.

Jango,

Sorry about the delay, but we have been really busy over at the Phoenix Squadron (Bounty Hunters guild) purging the website, to unveil our new one. I will have somebody look into your membership ID tonight.

Yes the BHG has some great plans for the future...This site isn't only going to be a place for costume references anymore. We will be rolling out the new website in about 2 weeks.

If you have any further questions about theBHG please contact me at jayyy9@aol.com.

Thanks

Jay Shimko
BH-130
BHG XO

Ian,


I`ll field your question. The reason you have`nt gotten your membership email access is because I could`nt figure out if you were 501st or not. You see, you forgot to fill in that spot on your membership application for the forum.

Simple answer.

Your membership was just approved by myself.

Check your email.

Craig aka Jodo Kast 3
BH 4537
Phoenix Squadron / BHG Detachment Leader

Wow, you guys work fast. :thumbup

Just got my activation e-mail.


Edit: I did fill in that portion... at least, I thought that I did. I clearly recall entering my BH number though.

(despite the numbers, we don't actually know each other!)

actually we HAVE met before. ivbe met everyone in the 7600 to 7610 range. Hell i reqruited 7604! I wanted to make a squad. for no reason.

anyway...

still not sure WHY youd want to do a new one.

TDH services all people 501st or not.

i was a member of PS before i lost my BH designation in 2004. still ahve my initial email statting im a member now too.

anway, Phoenix Squadron is a cool name why change it?????

there is absoluteley no need for a 5th BH group. use TDH. the info you find here, is the bottom line. the same info here is the same info everywhere else.

the mercs are for customs
Phoenix Sq. is for 501st BH's
TDH is for EVERYONE

what else do you need?

I don't know. I was really thinking more about the non-canon or custom or non-501st approvable characters. I know there's a lot of costumes that aren't able to be approved by the 501st, etc. I would never go anywhere but TDH, but also with the growing number of Fetts out there, fewer Fetts can actually troop in official events since there can be only one jango and one boba in a troop, which is also the concern. It's more about events than the forums. That's all I've got.

thats what the mercs site is for...all customs...

anway, Phoenix Squadron is a cool name why change it?????

I think one of the reasons we went for a change is because PS sounds like a squad out of Phoenix Arizonia. It was confusing a lot of people. It didnt really say BOUNTY HUNTER in my eyes.

Originally Posted by Vable Boba

It's more about events than the forums. That's all I've got.

Well, there's a start at least. I'm not so much trying to discourage it, as trying to encourage you to sort out what niche you want to fill.

Originally Posted by Vable Boba

I don't know. I was really thinking more about the non-canon or custom or non-501st approvable characters. I know there's a lot of costumes that aren't able to be approved by the 501st, etc. I would never go anywhere but TDH, but also with the growing number of Fetts out there, fewer Fetts can actually troop in official events since there can be only one jango and one boba in a troop, which is also the concern. It's more about events than the forums. That's all I've got.

Originally Posted by bh-7603

thats what the mercs site is for...all customs...

http://www.flagshipeclipse.com/

Another thing I wanna add to this. If you want to start a successful costume club, and when I mean successful I mean one that will last for years...you need to realize that you will have to do the following:

1. Give up 90% of your free time. You have to be able to promote your own club. That means going to lots of conventions to talk to like minded people, visiting many many forums daily to get the word out and let the community know your out there, put the club on paper and actually decided what you want to accomplish as a group before you create the group.

2. Be prepared to spend quite a bit of $$ early on. I'm not going to go into exact numbers, but it's ran me up in the thousands to be able to do all that was required to get Mercs off the ground and running for the members. Obviously I don't do it for me, cause I kinda like having money. =) It's taken us over a year to finally get to where we are about 2/3 self sustaining on merchandise sales to members and occasional donations. The other 1/3 comes out of my pocket.

3. Be prepared to start the group for more then just your personal playground. It's never about what you can get out of it, it's what the group can accomplish and what you can inspire others to do. You have to be the example before you can lead by example...thats my personal motto. There will be many sacrifices you'll need to make, and if you can't resolve yourself to make them then your better of not starting and letting people's hopes down.

Theres more I could list, but these are the biggies. When I first started Mercs I did my research on the other Star Wars groups out there. I took everything I could find good about these groups and merged them into our Supercommando Codex or Charter for Mercs. So far its worked great for the first year...hopefully it will work just at great 10 years from now. It's a commitment you have to make from the very start, and always remember that you don't just do it for yourself...but every person out there who shares the same dream or desire.

My last point before I hit the reply button is that you also need to commit yourself to your kit (costume). You will always be the main representative of your group, so you need to make sure your kit is worthy of that. That means constant work, constant upgrades, always being innovative, self inspiring. If people aren't proud to call you their leader, then your failing at an epic level.

So keep all this in mind. Starting a group isn't just "hey lets start a group :skips off togther!". It's making a commitment to yourself that you want help create something larger then yourself for the betterment of the community. It's not an ego trip, a place to pat yourself on the back, or a political game.

Well said NT. In regard to TDH becoming a part of the 501st, simply stated, that is unlikely to ever happen. We have offered to create an affiliate program with the 501st several times but they are not interested and that is fine. Something to remember in all of this is that unlike the 501st, TDH is not a costuming club. Many members gain a sense of community over time which is awesome, but at its core, TDH is a resource site. TDH's purpose is to provide anyone who is interested in Boba Fett, Jango Fett, Zam Wesell, or Mandalorian Variants with the tools they need to make the best costume possible.

Will TDH grow and expand? We have before by bringing in the Mandalorian variants, and we will again in the future by adding other characters who we feel we can provide a unique home. Might we step on toes along the way? Possibly. It is not our intention but we believe that TDH has fostered a unique environment over the years that is very conducive to discovery and the dissemination of information and we would like to expand that to other characters in who our members might interested.

In the meantime we wish all the costuming clubs and social clubs the best in their endeavors.

Well, I'm definitely in no financial state to start this, as I'm still a poor college student but I was just wanting to get a feeling of what people thought. Maybe in the future, but at this time, I have no intention of starting a group up. I love TDH and the community it has, which I don't think can ever be replicated...TDH is like a second home It was definitely good to hear all your opinions, even though most of them were against the idea of another costuming group