There are those who remember standing in line for that very first Star Wars movie to drop. Those who got the action figures and relived their greatest moments from the movies we all share today. Those that remember that special moment of seeing the credits crawl on the screen have a special place in the MMCC together. The Grey Brigade and the OT Guard gathers all the “oldies but goldies” in one place who share that amazing experience. We sat down with Lomas Thowe, who took over the group as the grayest of the grey. Here is what he had to say:
-Tell us about yourself.
“My name is Lomas Thowe and I’m the Greyest of the Grey. This group has been around for many years but I just took over as the group leader in March of 2019. I’m a family man and got involved with the Mercs thanks to my son. There was a Merc at an event I had taken him to and when he saw how great this guy’s kit was, he asked if I could make him one. Of course I said yes, even though I had no idea how to go about it. I took an MMCC business card, went home, logged in to the MMCC site, followed the CRL’s and made my son and halfway decent kit. Before he even put it on, he asked me to make one for myself so we could go places together. Long story short, both of my kids and I troop together and have a great time doing it. Later, when we formed our own clan, the Merc from that first day became a clanmate and is now a good friend of mine. In the time since, I have been the Ver’alor and now the Alor’ad of my clan, not to mention the leader of this fine social group.”
-Why did you join this Social Society?
“When I first became and Official Member, I decided I needed to learn how to navigate around the website, so I just started exploring, browsing topic after topic. I stumbled across the Social Societies section and found the Grey Brigade and the OT Guard. I had thought that I was in a club full of twenty and thirty-somethings, wow was I wrong. The folks in this group understand me (for the most part) and can relate to things I’ve done and seen. As the tag line states, we all saw the original movies in theaters back in the 70’s and 80’s (we’re a bunch of GenX’ers) so we all grew up around the same time and have done a lot of the same things.”
-What do you love about this Social Society?
“As the name implies, the Social Societies are just that, social. They’re a place for people from all over the world with similar interests to virtually gather and talk, it’s all about the camaraderie. Here in the Grey Brigade there’s a lot of talk about how it was to go see the original films in the theaters and what we were doing around that time. There’s also a lot of talk about the toys, who had what, how they got them, how they lost them. As one of our members named Rlobrecht stated, “Grey brigade gives those of us old enough to remember the OT (Original Trilogy) in the theater a place to connect. It has allowed me to feel included in the Mercs, and to reminisce about our childhoods in the 70s and 80s.” And Jethroskull said, “Essentially, it’s a connection to a memory. While costume clubs in general may keep the interest alive, the Grey Brigade reminds me of that night, that year, when Star Wars was all-encompassing. It was a long time ago and I traveled far far away since then, so it’s good to come back to the beginning.” But I really think that Lorrd Griffon summed it up for all of us when he said, “I think the Old Guard of the Grey Brigade has been fun for me, in the fact that it’s where the first generation of Star Wars fans can have our unique perspective on what this fandom has evolved into. A large portion of the folks in my clan are young enough to be my kids and I’m often referred to as “space dad” or Babuir (Grandpa) , and I take a certain pride in that, and having places where you can go to see the fandom from two and sometimes three generations of fans just adds to the fun.”
What do “I” love about “this” Social Society? The people.”
-What is special to you about Social Societies in general? What do you think they do for the members within the Mercs?
“Oh, that’s an easy one. Social Societies within the MMCC help make every member feel like they really belong. Being a part of a club that has thousands of members is great but being a part of a social group with 100 members who all share one common interest and having a place to congregate and share in that interest is the best. We all love the costume aspect of this club but what are you really passionate about; making helmets, not being afraid to wear orange when it’s not Halloween, picking a side on the “jetpack/no jetpack” topic, are you a military veteran looking for other vets to talk to? The MMCC has a Social Society for you!
“Social societies on MMCC are an additional layer of connecting with people who share common interests and experiences. I have been a member of several social societies on the forum, even before becoming and Official Member.” – Bat Akaan”
-Do you have any advice for anyone looking to join your Social Society?
“Well, firstly, I’d like prospective Social members to be aware that in order to join any of these groups you must be an Official Member, Supporter, Auxiliary, or Retired. After that, the sky’s the limit. And don’t be afraid to join more than one group. I myself am in the Grey Brigade and the OT Guard, Cabur Akaata (Society for Military – Past and Present), and the MMRS (Mandalorian Metalhead and Rocker Society) just to name a few.”
So if you waited eagerly in line to see Star Wars but remember when it was just Star Wars and not Star Wars: A New Hope as well as saving your money to get that super special figure and running around your yard with said figures to relive the world you saw on the big screen then guess what…. you are old! But there is a place for you in the Grey Brigade! You can find the rest of the grey beards here: