PlasticArmsDealer

In 2016 my son was diagnosed with an rare and aggressive form of cancer. He had to leave high school his junior year for intense chemo and radiation. Since he was leaving school, he and I decided to build a full size R2D2 as a project to learn robotics. Unfortunately the chemo made him too sick and weak to help, but it became my therapy at night when I got home from the hospital. After it was done I was asked to join by Make-A-Wish to help out with an event with the 501st Legion. This was my first time meeting the guys in the 501st. I had heard of them and they even visited my son when he was in the hospital, but I hadn't met any of them. After doing so I decided I needed to join. I saw the power they had to make kids smile, especially those in hospitals or needing a boost. It was as this time that I put my building skills to work and build my own Death Trooper kit by using 3D printing. My work got noticed by a number of people and I started making blasters for people in the evening to help make ends meet since I couldn't work full time. The quality of my work was noticeable and people began calling on me to make more.

At the end of 2017 my son was out of the hospitals and after a very rough battle was cancer free and recovering. Seeing a need for more durable armor and weapons for guys who liked to actually troop I started making better blasters and fiber glass gel coated armor for people. My son worked with me for a while but in November 2018 he passed away from complications.

When not making props I try to do as much as I can as a volunteer both with and without the 501st Legion in the local children's hospitals paying forward all the generosity and help other gave us.