First time going to a convention...(pictures, pg. 2)

[goddessofpeep]

1) Have a bottle of water on you at all times.  Getting dehydrated in a hot room filled with a crush of people is not a good idea.  If you start to feel bad, take a drink.  Getting something you can use as a fan can help with the heat/crowd/BO smell of the con too.

2) Do not underestimate the time needed to actually get into a panel.  If the panel is a 12, there's probably going to be a line for it before the con even opens.  If it's a really popular panel, the line can start the night before.  When you're going over your schedule, don't cut stuff close.  If a panel ends at 3, and there's another one that starts at 3:30, you're probably not going to be able to nip over there and get in.  The bigger the con, the longer the lines.  Small cons do sometimes have small panels you can just pop into, but anything major is going to have a significant wait time.  My general rule for a convention is one major panel per day, unless you've got a situation where there's like a 10am panel, and you want to try to get into a 2pm or later panel.  The smaller the con, the more panels you can fit in a day.  Something like the Doctor Who convention I go to(3,400 people), I can hit more than one large panel in a day, and often I can do everything I want.  When I go to SDCC(140,000+ people), it's one panel per day maximum.  There are people who get in line for the BIG panels at SDCC days before.  I've seen lines start on Wednesday for Saturday panels for the big ones.

3) Bring a bag with handles or a book bag(or both).  Things like these are a godsend:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LFX18OI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=DG7E13FQP1EN&coliid=IM7Q8OCGJ5N9I
I like to keep one of these for shopping.  You can hook it over your shoulder like a purse, and it's much nicer than whatever bags they give you.  Some cons pass out backpack like bags, but they always kind of suck.

4) If you do want to buy some food at the con, try checking out the local hotels for the hotel stores.  They often have snack foods, sandwiches, drinks, pastries, and other light food.  People go for the restaurants and the food trucks, and forget about the hotel stores.  The lines are A LOT shorter and faster.  The hotel stores are usually on the same floor as the main lobby, and often very close to the check-in desks.  The prices are always inflated, but they don't make them even more expensive because of the con.

5) I *generally* like to do one sweep around the floor before I make any major purchases.  There are times when I'll see something and I'll just grab it, however there have been even more times when I've seen something, wanted to buy it, but then saw something else even better 3 rows over.   I've also  had the situation where I saw something for one price, then found it again somewhere else for $20 cheaper.   One of a kind artist original items and incredible bargains - those you should probably snap up when you see them.  Artist items that come in multiples(prints, massed produced figures, etc), and anything that is a commercial item that more than one person may have - those are the things you might want to wait on until you've done a full sweep. 

[clonecommander]

I have some less than good news. I was trying to get the kama-antiblast made for my costume, and the sewing machine keeps unthreading itself! I have never had this happen, and I also have no clue if the spray sealant is safe for use on the helmet that I painted. The sealant contains acetone, I know it does bad things to Star Wars figures, but I have no idea if it will damage the plastic that the helmet is made of.

[lunar_scythe]

I have some less than good news. I was trying to get the kama-antiblast made for my costume, and the sewing machine keeps unthreading itself! I have never had this happen, and I also have no clue if the spray sealant is safe for use on the helmet that I painted. The sealant contains acetone, I know it does bad things to Star Wars figures, but I have no idea if it will damage the plastic that the helmet is made of.

  check the tension on your thread, and check the bobbin; if the bobbin is tangling up that could be it?

If you have to use something else to attach the fabric, regular old white glue might work, as long as it wont be getting wet? It may be stiff though.  I've used staples , hot glue (only if the material wont melt!)and colored duct tape before, too.

[Diamond]

Take your mother's credit card!

Ah yeah NO!  LOL, she has her own money, she is a working girl.

Well it was awesome, we did not look for any panels, not sure if they had em and where not interested in any paid photo ops.  I shall let the imp share the photos tomorrow, but needless to say she was invited to join the 501st as well as two other Star Wars cosplay groups!  Sadly I did not get my Jedi outfit totally done, but had enough you knew what I was.   

Funny story though, we did not buy our tickets ahead of time, so when we got to the counter, the imp had her helmet on.  She is small, only maybe an inch taller then me and I do not make 5'2".  Plus she is slight.  So I asked for two tickets.  They told me how much I paid, they stamped her ticket since she had gloves on as part of her cosplay and stamped my hand.  It was not till I got home that I realized they had given me a child ticket for her.  That is what they get for assuming. 

[kaoskat]

Have fun!

[clonecommander]

I had a great time and was called a stormtrooper, Darth Vader....and an astronaut. Okay, I got slightly offended when called Darth Vader, but I kept it to myself. But that's beside the point. The 501st  Legion asked me if I wanted to join, I was stunned at first, but I am starting to think about doing so. Anyway, I promised pics, and here they are!

These are the droids you're looking for-

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


I walked over to Boba Fett and the first thing he says is "Hey brother" (If this goes over your head, I'll explain later)-

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Me in all my armored glory-

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


And for laughs...Clone on a carousel-

visitors can't see pics , please register or login

[Diamond]

You looked so good imp!  Sadly the breastplate shall have to wait till after Breyerfest to be replaced.  We have other costumes to get done for that....

[sailorstitch]

I LOVE that last picture!!!!! And whoever called you "Darth Vader" needs a smack in the head. I've never seen a single Star Wars movie and I know what Darth Vader looks like!

sailorstitch

[clonecommander]

I LOVE that last picture!!!!! And whoever called you "Darth Vader" needs a smack in the head. I've never seen a single Star Wars movie and I know what Darth Vader looks like!

sailorstitch

Thanks! I think I got some funny looks from other people on the carousel, but I didn't care. I have to agree that whomever called me Darth Vader needs their head examined...big time.

[Aflame]

 glad you had a good time love the last pic !!

[pinkkittywinks]

You look amazing!!!

Love pkw xxx

[ringwraith10]

That carousel picture is the best! Love it! I'm so glad you had a good time, and DO join the 501st! It's a huge honor to be invited to join their ranks! I'm jealous!

[Majesty]

Sorry I thought you were still asking for advice I didn't read the updates I guess.  I had well thought out advice but I guess that's no longer needed.  I'm glad you had fun though.

[HelloGoodbye]

Wow!  Your costume looks amazing!  I can definitely see why the 501st asked you to join!  I really like the carousel photo. 

[clonecommander]

That carousel picture is the best! Love it! I'm so glad you had a good time, and DO join the 501st! It's a huge honor to be invited to join their ranks! I'm jealous!

Thanks! I registered with the Empire City Garrison, now the real fun begins. Getting some proper armor... Oh and figuring out what clone to be. Maybe a pilot, though a Republic Commando is another really cool option. I'm rambling aren't I?