Wagga resident Tim Cubis has been a part of the Galactic Empire for over a decade as part of the 501st Legion. Photo: Supplied.
Wagga residents may know Tim Cubis as the owner of Air Liquide Wagga, the local sleep clinic on Fitzmaurice Street.
What they may not know is Tim is perhaps the biggest Star Wars fan in town and a member of the 501st Legion, an international fan organisation dedicated to creating and wearing screen-accurate stormtrooper armour from the films.
“The 501st came about in 1997 when Alvin Johnson … organised a group to attend the 1997 re-release of Star Wars in handmade stormtrooper outfits,” Mr Cubis said.
“That was nearly 30 years ago and the legion has now grown to over 14,000 members worldwide.”
The 501st Legion has built a reputation for attending pop culture conventions across the world, with a select few even being picked to star as extras in some of the Disney+ shows such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian.
But, perhaps the group’s most notable work is the money it has raised for charity.
“We have 400 guys who are a part of the legion in Australia with 130 or so being a part of the NSW/ACT garrison,” Mr Cubis said.
“Last year the NSW/ACT garrison alone raised around $120,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and this year we will be raising money for the Cancer Council.
“What we do, dressing up and whatnot, clearly incorporated charitable aspects. While we do go to the big conventions like Comic Con, Supernova and all those things, it is the charity work that is the most rewarding.”
One of Tim’s favourite armour sets is the TIE Fighter set from the original trilogy. Photo: Supplied.
Outside of Tim’s charity work with the 501st, he has built quite a collection of Star Wars merchandise and memorabilia, even creating more than 10 handmade sets of Imperial armour.
“I think I’ve got somewhere between 10 or 15 handmade outfits,” Tim said.
“You’ve got the original stormtrooper, the First Order trooper, shoretrooper, TIE fighter pilot; so many I can’t keep track.
“My favourite is probably the shoretooper from the movie Rogue One, the design and colour on that was something that hasn’t really been seen before. I remember seeing that in the movie when it came out a few years ago now and thinking, ‘Man, that looks so cool.'”
Tim has created more than 10 sets of armor including an almost exact copy of the First Order stormtrooper armor. Photo: Supplied.
Tim’s love for Star Wars and dedication to serving the Empire has resulted in him and several other members of his garrison landing tickets to the highly anticipated Star Wars Celebrations event in Japan later this year.
Star Wars Celebrations is the biggest Star Wars convention in the world and often hosts the announcement of new films or TV shows as well as guest appearances from some of the series’ most iconic actors.
“I’ve been to Star Wars Celebrations before when it was in Anaheim and Orlando, but this one in Japan has a special feeling to it,” he said.
“I was over in Japan in October with my family and Star Wars didn’t seem so big over there, at least not as I could see anyway, but I’m sure if they’re hosting this event over there, there is clearly some love for it.
“Celebrations as a whole though is such a great place to catch up with other fans from across the world.
“It can be any person from any country in the world and you are all there with one thing in mind. Star Wars.
“You catch up with guys, all wearing different outfits from different garrisons and it’s all so much fun. You might not have seen the guys in years, but once you catch up it feels like no time at all.
“I think that’s the beauty of Star Wars; no matter what age or where you’re from there’s a movie or character that someone loves or is attached to. It’s a simple story of good vs evil and it transcends time and space for lack of a better word.”
Star Wars Celebrations will be landing in Tokyo from 18 – 20 April. Be sure to follow the 501st Southern Cross Garrison on Instagram @501scg.
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