A look at the costumes at FanExpo Vancouver

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Thousands of sci-fi and fantasy superfans poured into the Vancouver Convention Centre over the weekend for the second annual FanExpo Vancouver. News1130’s Mike Lloyd was among them, checking out the stars, the collectibles and all the costumes.

Here’s a look at just a handful of the people who put a lot of effort into elaborately dressing up as their favourite movie, book, and comic characters.

“I’m an Imperial officer from Star Wars,” says Kurt, a member of the 501st Legion costume club. “I had the suit tailored; it’s actually my dress suit when I take off all the different Star-Wars-ey bits.”

The 501st is a worldwide Star Wars costume club that raises money for charity through things like photo booths. This year, local members are helping Variety Club.

“I believe there’s around 20 members of the 501st in Vancouver and there’s eight on Vancouver Island — there are thousands worldwide. The majority are TK’s or the standard storm troopers. There are also some desert troopers and a couple of the more unknown costumes. We also have a tie fighter pilot, one Vader here and yesterday we had Boba Fett.”

Other costumed Star Wars fans were not members of the club. Some, like Seth, do it simply for their love of the films.

“When I was in Grade 10, I built this myself and as time went on I upgraded and upgraded,” he tells News1130 from inside an elaborate clone trooper costume.

“Initially it was two months of work for the full body, but as time went on I added some bondo and made it stronger, better, more flexible. I can move a lot and be athletic in this thing. I’m trying to make it as durable as possible.”

“I love the attention; it makes me feel very very powerful, like you can do anything, lift anything. You really feel the character inside, you get into character as soon as you get into the outfit. You feel like a beast!”

Maddie and Danielle were sporting goats legs, horns and pointed ears.

“We’re dressed as fauns or satyrs. I’ve always loved fauns since the Chronicles of Narnia and at ECCC, a comicon down in Seattle, I saw these three fauns and thought they were amazing,” says Maddie, who was at FanExpo to see comic legend Stan Lee, among other stars.

“We love the fact it’s such a huge community of people who share interests the same as ours, the fan artists, everything. It’s just a wonderful place to go,” she adds.

“My name is Stefan and I am here at FanExpo to have a good time!” says a huge man wearing a fur loin cloth, carrying a giant mace and drawling in his best Austrian bodybuilder accent.

“I’m dressed like Conan the Barbarian and I like to party. There’s something beautiful about going to a place where everyone is wearing the costumes and you go to place where no one is wearing the costumes and they’re not having as much fun as in the place where people have the costumes because it’s like a really fun place to be and it’s a good positive vibe and there’s no hatred or judging, we’re just all having a good time,” he continues, in character.

Standing at Conan’s shoulder are two buddies.

“I’m Tyler and I’m a nerd. I’m dressed as Otis from Devil’s rejects,” says one.

“I’m Jeryn. I’m also a nerd and I’m dressed as Ash from Army of Darkness,” adds the other, sporting a chainsaw attached where his left hand should be.

“I love everything here, the whole atmosphere of being around people with similar mindsets who are into the same kinds of things,” Tyler tells News1130.

Over at autograph row, people lined up by the hundreds for a chance to chat with their favourite stars, including Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings), Nichelle Nichols  (Lt. Uhuru from Star Trek) and David Prowse (the man behind Darth Vader’s mask in the original movies).

“It was awesome, so awesome,” says one Vader fan, dressed up as Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett, but on his day off in a bathrobe.

“So great, so inspiring — I’ve had this shirt for many, many, many years and it was great to have it signed by the man itself. It’s pretty awesome,” he says as he holds up a framed, vintage Star Wars T-shirt.

“It was my destiny to meet him. I’m wondering if he’s my father, in fact,” he laughs.

Boba in bathrobe wasn’t the only older fan at the expo — two Starfleet officers stood and chatted in the corner, sporting stately, grey beards

“I love it all,” says Ken, dressed as Commander Riker from Star Trek, The Next Generation. “Any sci-fi, I love it, but I’m primarily a Trekkie.”

When it was pointed out he and his friend may be a decade or so above the average age on the floor of the convention centre he replied with a laugh.

“We’re probably getting up on the higher end but it’s just taken this long for all of us nerds to come out of the closet. I’ve been a nerd since it wasn’t cool, and when I was young it wasn’t cool, but now it’s cool to be a nerd. So now it’s alright,” he chuckles.