Regal Robot is back at SDCC again this year in the LucasFilm Pavilion. The Regal Robot crew is known for their high end themed furniture. This year they are offering specials to attendees of SDCC but also specials on their website, follow their social media for details.
What are your expectations for SDCC this year?
I’m really excited about the show. We found out pretty late that a space had opened in the Lucasfilm Pavilion and that Regal Robot would be getting that booth. We’ll be at booth 2913-E and I’m looking forward to showcasing some of our latest creations and meeting fans there. To be honest, I’m not sure what to expect! We’re just catching our breath after Star Wars Celebration here at the shop, so it’s going to be interesting for sure.
What makes SDCC so special?
Last year, we had an outstanding Comic-Con, when we were there with another company, Tom Spina Designs, supporting Magic Wheelchair. They’ve just announced they’ll be exhibiting this year and I’m so happy for them. Stuff like that REALLY makes the show special.
What’s your typical SDCC day like?
When exhibiting, it’s pretty straightforward – get to the booth a half hour or so before the convention opens, get set up for the day and then go, go go. For me, I tend to have a lot of folks that I want to chat with so I can be a bit of a pinball, bouncing from conversation to conversation. If I’m lucky, I’ll stop by some friends’ booths and check them out on the way to grab lunch. Then, suddenly, you realize it’s closing time. It’s almost like you blink and the day’s over.
Are you doing any panels this year?
I’ll be one of the presenters on the Lucasfilm Collectibles Update Panel on Friday at 12pm, room 7AB. I’ll be giving folks a photo sneak peek at what’s in the works at Regal Robot alongside some of the other great companies out there. There are usually awesome random giveaways at the panel too, so I hope folks will be sure to stop by!
What exclusives are you bringing this year?
For 2019 we’ve created a little sculpted magnet based on the gargoyles from Jabba the Hutt’s dais. It’s such a neat sculptural element from the film set and that’s the sort of stuff I just love. We cast and hand paint each piece in our NY studio and we’ll have 250 of them at the show.
For fans who can’t make the show, we’re offering the exclusive online, but only during the days of the convention from July 17th-21st. Folks can visit HERE for the latest info and we’ll post there announcing when they are available to order on the 17th.
Your latest creation is the Vader Meditation Chamber Desk… how did this come about? The Vader helmet lamp is brilliant
Thanks! The lamp was one of those things that just came out of function. Our client was Brandi Harkness-Bruce, who’s a tattoo artist and huge Star Wars fan. She loved Vader and we went through a few different concepts for chairs for her. One was inspired by the meditation chamber seat, and we thought it’d be fun to sketch a little docking station, sort of like a desk, that could go with it. That sketch caught her eye and we developed it into the piece you see now HERE.
You’ve also added some dinosaur furniture to your collection and a giant cassette tape, any other unique items we can expect?
Richard Riley and I are always brainstorming stuff like that. We have a lot of ideas in the works, though at the moment, we’re working very heavily on new Star Wars pieces. Only so many hours in a day sometimes!
What’s the worst of SDCC?
I think with any convention, it goes by too quickly. There are so many people and events that you want to see but time just flies. There’s nothing worse that realizing at the end of the convention that you missed out on connecting with a friend you wouldn’t normally get to see.
What’s your favorite SDCC memory?
2018’s Magic Wheelchair Star Wars project was not just a favorite memory, but really life-changing for a lot of people. Tom Spina Designs was one of the FX studios asked to create themed wheelchair “costumes” for seven very special kids. We came up with a huge, hand carved Rancor head and hand for little Liam, a really wonderful little guy. You can learn more about what the various build teams created, and see some videos showing you just how special it was on the Tom Spina Designs website
Where can we find you after SDCC?
We don’t have other conventions on the calendar for 2019. We’ll be at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in August of 2020 and in the meantime, working very hard at our NY studio on a lot of new creations. Folks can find us as @tomspinadesigns and @regalrobot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. I hope folks will give us a follow and see what we’re up to 🙂
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