It’s hard to decide what’s most impressive about the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club: their insanely accurate Star Wars outfits or their charity mission.
“Almost everything we make is more or less made from scratch. There is a little bit of a learning curve. You have to handle some power tools you’re not quite used to, figure out how to make these flat objects shape and fit to your body,” said Nick White, Member 2324 of the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club. “Every piece of armor is molded differently and created differently.”
White first fell in love with the mythological stories because of his uncle, who wanted to pass along his passion. “Star Wars is a generational story, and at this point it’s its own culture.”
That culture is evident among the Mandalorian Mercs. They create costumes with such detail, they often rival the movies. In fact, White says people have asked him to be in movies wearing his Boba Fett costume.
“There’s not a lot of mobility, there’s not a lot of peripheral vision. But people love to ask, ‘I’d love to shoot a movie with you.’ That’s cool, but can you put me in a scene where I don’t run, jump, talk or hear?”
Getting every detail of the costumes just right is an art in and of itself, and it takes a group effort. White says when the costume club first started, there were not other people to share tips with, so he had to figure out more on his own. He’s learned how a good support system can expand knowledge and resources, ensuring that the final product is as accurate as possible.
Mandalorian Mercs has a mission greater than just creating the best Star Wars costumes. Their main focus is to raise money for local and international charities. For White, it’s a charity organization called Little Warrior International.
“We raise funds mostly for sick or orphaned children. Around the holidays, we buy a lot of Star Wars toys, stuff like that.”
The group doesn’t stop with just raising money. They also do hospital visits in their costumes, bringing smiles to kids’ faces when they need it the most. “Being able to walk into a room and see the kids absolutely light up when 10 or 15 Star Wars characters walk into a room and they’re there to see them. It’s super, super rewarding just to be able to make a kid’s day better for one day.”
By the way, White says he naturally gravitated towards Boba Fett because, “there’s this sort of Western mythos to him that is deeply ingrained in Star Wars. I become a different person when I put this armor on.”
Thank you, Mandalorian Mercs, for the work you do to brighten days in our communities!
White’s story is part of our Lucie Series, where we shine a light on all of the good and interesting stories in our community. We are giving away one positive story every month and we are accepting nominations. If you know of a great story that deserves to be heard, fill out the form here: https://luciecontent.com/contact
