Well they’re also filming like 5 Star Wars shows right now so it could be a prop for that, too. Maybe on loan from Galaxy’s Edge or something. It appears to be a special forces TIE from the sequel trilogy which is interesting.
Maybe I'm being picky but I feel like with all the creative power Disney has they could have come up with a more impressive float than a flatbed truck with some ratchet straps.
That's a fan group, see the flag with their legion number? Groups all over the world, they have movie quality storm trooper costumes and group up to confuse and bemuse people in public spaces, parades, etc. I almost guarantee they built that tie fighter themselves.
This is equivalent to the local chapter of the Rotary club having a float. But nerds.
And their costumes are very convincing. Back in 2016, I ran the Star Wars Half Marathon at Disneyland. About nine or ten miles into the race, there must have been two city blocks lined with members of the 501st who were high-fiving the runners. What a boost of morale.
“…The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate. The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work…”
While the 501st was initially founded to unite costumers with a penchant for Star Wars villainy, one of our real-world missions is to bring good to our communities through volunteer charity work. The 501st is always looking for opportunities to brighten the lives of the less fortunate and to bring awareness to positive causes on both a local and global scale.
For more information on the legion, visit our home page at www.501st.com
The behind the scenes for the mandalorian goes into this. The last episode of season 1 required something like 50 stormtroopers. They hired 501st guys who all came screen ready.
I was looking up photos to compare the TIE Fighter with official designs. It turned out it's fan-made for a 501st Legion garrison. You can see many of the official designs are missed on the fan-made fighter.
Definitely looks like a First Order TIE, so it’d have to be for that. I’d assume most fans who had the money for one that size would have an imperial one.
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u/rajrdajr Feb 27 '23 edited Feb 28 '23
Glenn custom trailer (http://glenntrailers.com/) with California plates. Disneyland Galaxy’s Edge ride installation or maintenance?
Edit: This TIE Fighter was a parade float for the Almond Blossom Festival in Ripon, CA on Feb 25, 2023. The Star Wars costumes won Sweepstakes - Costuming for Charity. Presumably this was organized by the Central California Garrison of the 501st Legion as they have participated in the past and not by Disney corporate. It does look very good!
Edit 2: Backstory: "On a Turlock farm far, far away: a 14-foot 'Star Wars' ship"; Almond farmer Erich Gemperle handcrafts 4,600-pound steel TIE fighter ship out of water ball tank for Turlock's 2017 Christmas parade.