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Information about the Imperial Scottish Garrison and the 501st Legion.
Since 1997, the costuming organization known as the 501st Legion has spread the magic of the Star Wars genre worldwide through its authentic-looking costumes, and has become the leading force in fan-based charity events. The 501st, also known as "Vaders Fist", is truly dedicated to brightening the lives of those less-fortunate.
The Imperial Scottish Garrison, as with all other 501st Legion Garrisons and Outposts around the world, is entirely made up from volunteers and is a wholly not-for-profit organisation. If it is a non-commercial event that will benefit a charity, school, hospital, or those in need in some way, then we do not ask for a donation. We will just turn up on the day and help to bring smiles to the faces of children and adults alike.
Yes, anybody can join the 501st Legion. The only requirements are you own an approved Star Wars “bad guy/gal” costume and that you’re 18 years or older.
All of our members costumes are “fan-made”. If your goal is to join the 501st Legion we STRONGLY advise potential new members NOT to purchase costumes from any retail stores or online before checking with us first. More often than not costumes purchased online or in retail stores do not meet 501st Legion requirements and will need drastic modifications in order to pass our standards. Typically it will cost you more time and money to modify one of these costumes rather then building it from scratch to begin with. Please visit our forum where we can point you in the right direction of how to start building your own costume.
Yes, the 501st Legion has minimum standards for all of our costumes. Once your costume is completed our Garrison Membership Liaison (GML) will review your application photos to make sure you’ve met all the requirements, or let you know what parts need a bit more work or fixing.
Please fill out the Request An Appearance form. Once that has been completed your event will be passed along to one of the event coordinators who will contact you directly. Typically we ask for 2-3 months advance notice for an event. All of our members are volunteers, so in order to coordinate our troopers and best fulfill your request, the more lead time you can provide us with the better.
The Imperial Scottish Garrison covers all of Scottish mainland and her islands. While the majority of our members are located in the West Coast and Glasgow area, we have troopers throughout the country. Chances are there’s probably a 501st Legion member in your area already!
Like the planet Tatooine in summertime!
Our members have a wealth of knowledge and are more than willing to help out if you’re confused about something or are not sure which piece to glue. Feel free to post a question on our forum and somebody will either have the answer for you, or at the very least point you in the right direction of where to go to find the information you need. We’re a friendly group and we were all new, who had never put together a costume at some point in our lives too!
There are variety of ways you can help. You can contribute to some of the charities and community groups we support, via fundraising etc. If you’d like to join our online community, please register on our forum, introduce yourself, and see what upcoming events are happening in your area. We are a costuming group and to fully participate a costume is required.