While Andrew’s son Nicholas was in his fight with cancer, Andrew encountered a group of guys who came into the hospital Nicholas was being treated in dressed up in Star Wars costumes. They went around and cheered up all the kids in the hospital. This was the first encounter Andrew would have with the 501st Legion, a Star Wars costuming group that is also one of the largest all volunteer charity organizations in the world. The 501st Legions members raise more money for charities than any other volunteer organization.
Shortly after this encounter, Andrew and Nicholas decided to build and life size R2D2 droid together so that Nicholas could learn robotics since he was unable to attend high school. They began the project together but shortly after starting Nicholas became too weak to continue due to the chemo and radiation. Andrew continued on with the project in the evenings when he would return from the hospital with his son. It was his therapy. The project was completed and R2 began wondering the halls of Joe Dimmagio Children’s Hospital and guarding Nicholas door.
The 501st was asked by The Make-A-Wish Foundation to participate in a wish for a young boy who had just finished treatment for leukemia. They needed and R2D2 for the event and had heard about Andrew’s droid and got in contact with him. Andrew and his wife Claudia took R2 to downtown West Palm Beach where they met up with the entire 501st Legion Everglades Squad to make this boys wish to battle Darth Vader a reality.
After this event, Andrew knew he wanted to join the organization. Rogue One trailers had just come out featuring the menacing Death Troopers and Andrew was determined that he was going to join the group as one of these new troopers. No one had made this costume yet so Andrew joined a group on Facebook called The Death Trooper Builders group. This small group of guys from all over the world began researching the costume and posting photos and details about the costume, weapons, and helmets that these characters wore. With the help of this group Andrew produced one of the first costumes using 3D printer technology of this armor and was the 12th Death Trooper in the world to be approved with this costume.
Andrew’s first appearance as a Death Trooper with the 501st Legion
Because of the success of his build, other would be troopers began contacting him and asking him to build them blasters, helmets, and armor. Since Andrew was unable to produce television because of his chaotic schedule taking care of his son, he began making helmets, blasters, and armor in the evening after coming home from the hospital. He soon took up the name The Plastic Arms Dealer.
As his son Nichols approached the end of his treatment and was getting stronger, Nicholas and avid cosplayer himself, joined his dad and they opened a small shop making props. Unfortunately shortly after opening this shop Nicholas began showing signs of GVHD, a complication of the bone marrow transplant he had endured, and passed away.
After Nicholas’s passing, Andrew would call upon the members of the 501st to help him launch the Caring Like Nicholas Foundation, to help promote awareness for the need for bone marrow donors.
Some of the armor, helmet, blasters, and other Star Wars replicas Andrew has crafted.Mud Trooper Costumes
© 2017 Jason Koerner Photography 
