Star Wars fans who were kids during the classic trilogy years of the '70s and '80s probably remember receiving at least one Star Wars toy back in the day -- an action figure that sort of resembled the actor, or a playset tricked out with hokey action features that may or may not have been featured in the film.
Toy collector Nick Macarty remembers those days all too well, and has made a mission out of preserving the classic line's legacy through custom creations inspired by Star Wars toys made famous by Kenner between 1978-1985. Nick likes to create the Star Wars toys that never were but should have been, complete with retro-style packaging that's near and dear to the hearts of old-school collectors.
We asked Nick a few questions about his custom creations, and why he's stuck on the vintage Star Wars style:
What first got you interested in creating Star Wars custom toys, and why vintage?
I got interested in customizing to simply add more characters to what was out at the time. I started just swapping heads and arms, etc., then pushed myself to add detail with molding putty. I've always made models, and been creative with ideas. What I love about vintage is its subtle detail and simplicity. And the nostalgia that goes with it, of course.
Are you trying to recreate what might have been but never was?
That's exactly it. I've seen a lot of concept pictures, of things Kenner had on the drawing board but never went into production. I also think of things that Kenner might have considered but didn't make. For example, I knew for some time I could get the Power Droid to walk, so it was just a matter of time to find the wind-up mechanism from another toy. It was a bit tricky to line everything up, but it walked perfectly.
What specifically inspires you to produce a custom? For example, I assume the White Witch from the Droids cartoon of the mid-80s was inspired by Kenner file photography of the actual prototype. But where did the idea for Leia's pistol come from?
Yeah, the White Witch always blew me away with the way it looked as a toy, so I knew I had to make it. Plus I hear a lot of people saying, "if only they made a...," which again gets my ideas flowing. The Leia pistol was something I had in my head for awhile. It cost next to nothing to make, and the box was printed on my home printer. Again, it was something that didn't exist, so I had to make it. With the guns Kenner made, this made a great addition to the line.
You sculpt the figures by hand -- is this self-taught or did you learn this professionally?
I used to sculpt in modeling putty, but after pushing myself to do better each time, I needed to work up to something more versatile. I obtained the recipe for a wax almost identical to what Kenner and Hasbro used, and another used by McFarlane Toys. I got myself a wax sculpting pen, and away I went. I pretty much taught myself, but picked up techniques from other sculptors. I also joined forums on the subject and shared tips with other people.
In addition to the toys, you go all out with vintage-style packaging. Explain how you go about designing/creating these.
I looked at the way the original playsets were designed and simply copied the same theme, doing it how I think Kenner would have. I try and add some play wear if possible, as it looks more like a toy from that time.
Explain one of your favorite works, from inspiration to research to execution.
My favorite has to be the Droids White Witch vehicle. I had to reverse engineer the vehicle using pictures, and figure out how I was going to put this thing together. I knew I had to vacu-form it, so I built a vacu-former that worked with my kitchen oven. I've never vacu-formed anything before, so it was a learning curve from the beginning.
I had to figure out how the nose cone blew apart, and how R2-D2 rose up when the vehicle was put down [features included on the original unproduced prototype]. After building the vacu-former, which was basically a wooden box, I had to build a wooden mold of the vehicle itself for the the plastic sheets to form over. It took about three weeks, from forming the plastic to completion. Lots of late nights but it was worth it. The seats where kit-bashed from [an Empire Strikes Back] Twin-Pod Cloud Car, which again allowed me to keep the Kenner look of the whole thing.
What's next?
Well, I would like to do a Rebel Trooper laser pistol, and another playset. Lots of ideas, but finding the time is hard! Stay tuned...
Be sure to click the slideshow above to check out more of Nick's fantastic Star Wars customs.
