First, you need to decide which character/costume you want to build.

The Finnish Garrison has a forum for our activities. Start by registering on the forums. There you will be able to discuss with the Finnish Garrison members and get your journey started, so feel free to look around! When you’ve decided on your costume, do your research on it and it’s build process. You can obtain valuable info from the Detachment forums, which your costume belongs to.

Find the Detachment forum, which is associated with your desired costume, sign up and login on the forums and start asking any specific costume related questions! In many cases, you can also find useful costume build groups on Facebook for various characters so make sure to check those out, if possible.

Depending on the choice of costume, you might find yourself sewing a jumpsuit or cutting plastic for your Stormtrooper armor. Many also opt to commission each part from different vendors. Make sure to follow the CRL (Costume Reference Library) guidelines for the costume, which you’ve decided to build.

You can also ask for feedback regarding your progress from other members on the forums or different build groups, like mentioned previously. Your future fellow Finnish Garrison members are always happy to help as well, as we have a wide variety of different approved costumes.

The last step for obtaining your official membership is to get your costume approved. Your costume must be approved by the Garrison Member Liaison (GML). To do this properly, you should take several clear photos of yourself, wearing your completed costume. This means front, back, and each side (with your hands up). If your costume includes a helmet, take one photo without it on. Note that if your costume has a lot of details, it is preferred to take some close-up photos as well. It is always better to have everything covered, when it comes to the approval photos, so the GML is able to inspect everything in detail and compare them with the costume guidelines. Use good lighting and make sure there is a plain background behind you (white walls or similar are usually optimal). Once you have your approval pictures ready, you can send them to the GML.

Make sure to fill out an application as well.

You will need to provide five (5) possible five-digit numbers to be your Legion ID (TKID). A list of available IDs is available here:

After you’ve sent your approval photos, the GML will contact you directly. The GML will inform you if your costume is approved or not. If for any reason it isn’t, they will let you know why and inform you about the changes, which need to be made, in order for the costume to be approved. Once it’s approved by the GML, the GML will congratulate you on your approval. The GML will provide you with all the information required to upgrading your access on the Finnish Garrison forums and how to join the 501st Legion Forums.

Once you have received your TKID from the Legion Membership Officer, you will need to sign up on the 501st Legion website.