$500,000 win and he wants to be a Stormtrooper

ROBERT KITCHIN/Dominion Post

IF THE SUIT FITS: Not so long ago, in a galaxy not that far away, an unassuming Porirua man won $500,000 in Lotto - and drew up a strange shopping list, including a full Star Wars Imperial Stormtrooper costume.

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Not so long ago, in a galaxy not that far away, an unassuming Porirua man won $500,000 in Lotto - and drew up a strange shopping list.

With his wife he ticked off the obvious - pay off the mortgage, buy a new car, travel overseas, give to charity - but with The Force clearly with him, he decided to treat himself.

Now, he is set to become a Star Wars Imperial Stormtrooper, a member of the Galactic Empire.

He just has to log on to eBay and find a suit that fits.

"There are always things you think would be nice to have if you had the money," the winner told The Dominion Post.

"It's a bit of fun. I just thought it would be kind of cool to have one of those. Why not? You've got to enjoy life."

While his wife doesn't know just yet, he plans to spend about $2400 on a suit with all the bells and whistles, and "all the stickers in place".

The couple discovered they were in the money at the weekend when the man checked his Lucky Dip ticket for the September 8 draw online.

He checked, re-checked, "did a little dance up and down the stairs" and then telephoned his wife, who was out of town.

He does not know yet how often he will transform himself into a Stormtrooper, but can already picture himself wearing the suit in everyday situations for fun.

"It would be quite funny to wear it down the mall."

He admitted he was a keen sci-fi fan, but nothing over-the-top.

"I've got one or two collectibles, but I don't have Klingon on my CV. It's not about geekiness or anything like that, it's just fun."

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