STAR WARS TROUPER.(Capitaland Quarterly)

- Who: Tim Harris

- Age: 42

- Real job: Laborer with the Clifton Park Highway Department

- Passion outside work: Member of the 501st Legion, a group of about 35 men and women in upstate, central and western New York who dress up as characters from the Star Wars movies to help raise money for charity.

Tim Harris doesn't consider himself a bad guy, but he plays one on weekends when he dresses in his $3,000, hand-crafted Boba Fett costume to help raise money for charities such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or the Humane Society.

Members of his group don their "bad guys" from Star Wars getups and pose for pictures at fund-raising events. Money charged for those snapshots goes to the designated charity.

Even though they're bad guys, they need to play nice when in character. That means no smoking, swearing or drinking in costume. And, for heaven's sake, no taking off the helmet until in the changing area -- that could ruin the mystique for a kid quicker than you can say "light saber."

Harris has been big into Star Wars for all his adult life, but started collecting -- and creating -- costumes about a year and a half ago. He now has two complete outfits, as well as an entire room in his two-bedroom Schenectady home dedicated to Star Wars.

Over the past year he's become well versed in glue, adhesive and elastic and says his best friends are fabric, hardware and craft stores.

Purchasing is like "a secret society," he says, where hobbyists share links to the best parts dealers through hard-to-find message boards on the Internet.

They have to track down pieces, then prove they're buying to build authentic costumes, says Harris. If you're project is legitimate, the seller will be able to tell by the inquiry. True 501st Legion members turn up their noses at knock-offs just as Sarah Jessica Parker's stylist would a fake Louis Vuitton.

The Web is also where genuine Star Wars fans find tips and tricks for building and wearing the costumes. The most-searched: how to use the bathroom while suited up at a day-long charity event. The obvious is to skip morning coffee, says Harris, but other than that, it's all about carefully removing certain portions of the costume or hoping he can dress up as a Jedi (such as Luke Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi) for the day, since those suits are glorified robes.

- Quote: "When kids see us their eyes bug out and their jaws drop open -- kind of like when you're 5 and go to Disney. You stop thinking (characters are) a human in a suit and just think, "That's Mickey Mouse." With us it's, 'That's Darth Vader' or 'That's a storm trooper.' Those are the best reactions."

-- Kristi L. Gustafson

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Luanne M. Ferris/Times Union