Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL
August 4-5, 2005
Story by Wayne Roberts (Reconsgt)

Okay Troopers, that's "situation report" for all you rookies.

DAY 1 REPORT
The Dewback was very anxious to hit the road and hit the road we did arriving in the Chi-town area with hours to spare. After fueling up the stomach for some serious recon work we hit the convention center. Dustrho and I were hours early to ensure we had all bases covered with plenty of time left. I won't go into details as Dustrho already reported on.

Once the path was clear we hit the floor. At first glance it seemed like a slightly different atmosphere to me. No real draw to anything SW related other than dealers clouded the sky. GG showed up with a few pieces on display. The preview of the Fett was promising, full-scale Yoda was a sweet piece, but was it $800.00 sweet? Maybe, since it is very well done and dead on.

Once the exhibitor booths were scouted it was time to hit the sales area. The sales area was one of the bright spots on Thursday night, snooping through all the goodies with the fellow troopers was great. Great deals offset the sometimes insane prices some dealers insisted upon for their always "rare and HTF item," never mind the guy around the corner had the same stuff at half the cost. Patience was the key as well as holding firm to he price you yourself was willing to dish out. Finding a vintage AT-AT for $15.00 offset my shock at seeing one dealer with a clone gunship for $150.00. That AT-AT was probably my best SW score to date.

All in all Friday ended up to be a very good night spent with Chris, Pat and Nick. With that ending I was looking forward to Friday morning.

DAY 2 REPORT
The Rhoads motel emptied out at 7am sharp. Arriving at the Rosemont, securing a primo docking bay, and finding Pat and his crew, we had a nice chat and found a "staff" member from WW to inquire about entry times. We were told 8am, no problem that was just minutes away. Then that went, another "staff member" advised us it was 9am that we could get in.  Okay, time for breakfast. After getting a recommendation from a local policeman we headed off walking a few blocks to the restaurant. Closed. Okay, back to the hall we go.  It's 8:45 and we're getting ready once again to go into the show. STOP. Once again we were turned away.

To make a long story short, there should be better communication between the employees especially regarding the different badges and when they are allowed access, the should know this. Anyhow you get the idea. All I will say further is that I am not a fan of the Wizard World organization staff at all. If I were grading them a big old F is the marks. Sorry WW but it was truly an event that was clearly not prepared for. From the top to bottom, save for one, the WW presentation was sub par at best.

Well, now its 10:15 and we are allowed the great pleasure of being able to enter WW. After meeting up with a few of our sponsors we hit the grounds searching for stories, deals, interviews and more. We were excited because we knew our very own commander was just finishing up a very nice breakfast with Steve Sansweet.

Fast forward a few hours and Spice again joined the crew in the trenches, After getting him geared up, enter Sandtrooper Spice, in a very good looking set of gleaming armor. Upon hitting the floor the picture requests started flowing. Personally I have to add that Spice was a great example of what a Trooper should be. He honored all requests with perfect grace and made many a youngster smile from having their pics taken with a real Stormtrooper. Great job Spice, you performed the part perfectly.

After a few laps around the sales floor it was time to head into the speaking hall to sit down to hear the one hour talk with Steve Sansweet. Playing crowd control for Spice and other members from various 501st units we arrived to listen to the talk.

As always, the talk was a treat of what's still to come. SW is far from over folks. From previews of the new Battlefront 2 to extras included with the DVD release set for November 1st. It was made clear that the future of SW is still bright. For those looking forward to the second DVD release of the Clone Wars DVD, we were told to expect that in time for the holiday season. Previews of the new work areas in San Francisco were amazing. It is a very well done and great looking place to work.

With the talk over and the day winding down, the Troopers split up for a last time pass through the floor area and for last minute buys. Chris and I were on our last row on our way out when we met up with Mr. Sansweet once again. After a very good 15-20 minute conversation with him I was left thinking that that was one of the most gracious and genuine people I have meet that are in his position. He is a class act all the way around, even good enough to just shoot the breeze with us like we were long lost friends. That was truly one of the highlights of the show.

With that we left the show on a high note and headed home. With not much left to see we decided that WW for us had come to a close. With some very interesting stories and some good memories we called it done.

I would like to add a note thanking the Rhoads household for once again letting this old Trooper bunk out there. Pat and crew, it was a pleasure meeting you in person. That's one thing about our ST site, it seems when members meet up its like finding a lost friend whom you've know for a while. It never feels like your meeting a stranger. Spice, great job once again, great interview and trooping.

Until next year...
Sarge out