Not so long ago in a living room not too far away, an uncanny replica of K-2SO stands at seven-feet tall in front of Ermer Twano’s television set. The droid — a beloved character the Star Wars film “Rogue One” and series “Andor” — took a weekend and seven 3D printers to make.
Twano doesn’t sweat it.
“I used to have 12 printers,” he said. “I started from one, then I grew and grew. Then the new (3D) technology came out, which is three times faster, so I reduced everything. Now I’m down to seven, but I might reduce even more just because it’s just so fast.”
Twano turned what began as a pandemic hobby into an entire company, TD Outpost, selling life-sized props, make-your-own-droid kits and custom costume pieces that are all printed and assembled in his Paradise Hills home. Although his designs have yet to be utilized by Lucasfilm, he said he has had his 3D-printed work featured at Disney World and on Disney Cruises, as well as in several museums through the Theresa Sondra Jacobs Foundation. In collaboration with some friends in the 3D printing world, a few of his droids have even incorporated robotic mechanics.
Next weekend, he will appear on a Comic-Con panel dedicated to 3D printing in the Star Wars universe (3 p.m. Friday, Room 7AB). He will share his secrets for creating custom lightsabers, armor, masks and droids. Several of his life-sized static droids will be showcased at the convention, including at booth #3249 in the main exhibit hall.
Twano has been attending the convention for years as a cosplayer, but it is only his second year as a featured panelist. A pastor at the International Christian Center Assembly of God, he’s not too nervous about it.
“I preach on Sundays, so I’m used to it,” he said.
Twano was born in the Philippines, and his family moved to the United States before he turned 2 years old. After a few years in the Bay Area, they landed in Paradise Hills in San Diego, where Twano still lives with his family of six today. He and his wife, Michelle, are both members of the 501st Legion, a global Star Wars costuming organization that prides itself on movie-accurate cosplay.
He has planned four different Star Wars costumes for San Diego Comic-Con this year, though his garage is filled with plenty more. His first costume: a TIE fighter pilot.
“Bad guys just have the best costumes,” he said. “They never win. But they have the coolest costumes.”
Before stepping into costume, Twano checks the details — every button, magnet and strap. For any 501st Legion member, cosplay is more than dress-up; it’s precise engineering.
The Legion only accepts cosplayers whose costumes meet strict, movie-grade standards. There’s cosplaying for leisure, and there’s cosplaying for accuracy; while still a fun hobby, Twano emphasized how serious the latter can get.
“Say, if these buttons were both painted white, instead of how they are now — one white, one red — the person who moderates the (501st) applications wouldn’t accept it,” said Twano, pointing at the breastplate of his TIE fighter pilot costume.
The TIE fighter pilot has been approved, but he is still waiting on approval for two other costumes leading up to Comic-Con.
“You have to commit to it, because everything is your own investment. It costs money. It costs time,” he said.
Twano’s experience with cosplay started small, when he purchased a helmet at Comic-Con in 2017 and showed it off to a particularly well-dressed Stormtrooper.
“I’m like, ‘Hey! I want to become like you guys one day’ and he told me, ‘You can’t. Not with that helmet,’” said Twano. “He used the word ‘canon.’ It wasn’t canon. I didn’t understand what that meant.”
The Star Wars canon, as it turns out, is highly specific. The 501st Legion maintains a deep digital library of costume requirements that follow the exact — or close to exact — specs of on-screen costumes in the franchise.
Precision is crucial for the 501st Legion, not merely for appearances; the organization frequently participates in charity events, fundraisers and various community entertainment activities where they strive to bring the Star Wars universe to life as best they can. During fully-costumed events, members of the legion aim to stay in character. They work closely with organizations like Make-a-Wish, Toys for Tots and the American Cancer Society. Most recently in June, the Imperial Sands Garrison — San Diego’s local 501st chapter — helped sort and package food for the San Diego Food Bank.
“Our main motto is ‘bad guys doing good,’” said Twano.
In particular, Twano recalled a time where Make-a-Wish flew a young boy and his family out to San Diego for a larger-than-life Star Wars battle recreated in Balboa Park, where the 501st (naturally) played the bad guys. The following morning, Twano received a call from the boy’s parents, who told him that for the first time in a long time, their son had spent the whole night without pain because he was too busy talking about the thrilling battle.
“It’s Star Wars, so it’s fun, and it’s also bringing hope back to families,” said Twano.
In addition to charity, some 501st members have had the opportunity to participate as extras in Star Wars television and entertainment projects such as the miniseries “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Though the organization is
not affiliated
with Lucasfilm, the
studio is aware of the legion
.
Despite the attention to detail that is needed to join the Legion, Twano emphasized that cosplay is more than that. For him, it’s a community affair as much as it is a personal passion. Whether he’s attending “armor parties” with the other members of his garrison to learn how to make the best costumes, participating in a charity event or just dressing up with his kids, it’s the people under the armor who make cosplay fun.
“Most of us work nine to five, right?” he said. Twano is a respiratory practitioner for Spiras Health, a career entirely removed from his Star Wars life. “The opportunity to bring a little joy to someone’s life, that’s a big thing. You could say it’s like, a de-stressor. You work hard the whole week, so why not do something fun to de-stress?”
Even more, Twano stressed that the core of cosplay is imagination: the ability for anyone to be any character at any time.
“What I love about cosplay is that, no matter what ethnicity, what race, what size or shape you are, everyone is loved,” he said. “There is no judgment. You can be whatever you want… Your costume may not be accurate, but it doesn’t matter. You’re doing it because you love fun and you love the fandom.”
Beyond appearing at the Comic-Con panel, Twano will be volunteering in-costume for all four days of the convention. San Diegans can keep up with his cosplay, 3D printing and charity work on his Instagram,
@tdoutpost
.
