At Star Wars Celebration last Friday, I was waiting in line for the exclusive Star Wars Stormtrooper ornament at the Hallmark booth (partially because I adore Star Wars ornaments, partially because they drive my lovely wife insane… there’s no better way to ring in the holiday season than with Han yelling from the back of his Tauntaun that he’ll “see you in Hell!”). As we wound our way around in line, an odd couch caught my eye–the color scheme was very reminiscent of Tatooine and it had chromed cup holders built into the arms. Oh, and it was completely encircled by a Dewback.
I’d just discovered Regal Robot.
Regal Robot is a custom furniture and decor shop that creates officially licensed pieces of sculpture and turns them into desks, tables, seating, and wall hangings. As I walked over to their booth, I overheard the founder, Tom Spina, standing next to a desk that housed a perfect recreation of Han Solo in his carbonite slab, recalling how they went and measured the original prop from Empire Strikes Back to ensure that their replica was exact, down to the angles of the fingers.
Walking around the booth, a coffee table caught my eye. Anyone who’s spent time watching Empire would recognize the scene immediately–the Millenium Falcon squeezing between two asteroids just before their impact. The piece is dynamic and looks like it could be a still shot from the movie. Having spent a lot of time messing around with replicas of the Falcon, it’s readily apparent that Regal Robot’s version is perfect. As well it should be, as Regal Robot was provided digital assets directly from Lucasfilm. The Falcon was printed from the digital model while the asteroids were sculpted by hand to match the film. The entire scene was then hand painted so expertly, I half expect there to be TIE Fighters exploding on the other side of the coffee table as they met their doom.
Lining the walls were skulls based on the symbol of everyone’s favorite bounty hunter (except for me, who always preferred Bossk), rendered in a realistic fashion. Next to that was a fun coffee table emblazoned with vintage art from the first Star Wars movie. To an old school fan like myself, it looked like a vintage Kenner action figure carrying case. That’s when one of the Regal Robot staff hinged the top of the table open and I saw that’s exactly what it was! The interior of the table has twelve compartments that are the perfect size to store a dozen Black Series action figures. It was all I could do not to hand over my credit card right then and there.
Then we finally got to the main attraction, that lovely Dewback couch. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world to sit on, but I really didn’t care. If I had a Star Wars-themed office, this would be the perfect centerpiece. It’s a gorgeous custom piece that lovingly recreates my favorite Star Wars mount. The bulbous lizard head balefully glared at me as I try to find a spot to rest my elbow. Again, this is a properly licensed piece, based on assets provided directly from Lucasfilm. You can go to Regal Robot with any custom idea and they’ll go through the proper channels to see if they can create it.
I wonder if they’d make me a couch based on the derpy-looking vintage Kenner Dewback? Hmmm.
All of this properly licensed goodness comes at a cost, though–while you can grab a mini Mandalorian Skull for $35, that’s the only product Regal Robot has in their Star Wars line under $100. The collector’s case-inspired coffee table is $999, while the Falcon table jumps to $6,499. That Han in carbonite? You can get him as a coffee table for $7,499 or as part of a desk for $9,999. I didn’t even ask how much the Dewback couch would cost.
However, if those numbers don’t make you pause, and you need official Star Wars furniture to adorn your Cantina, these are the guys you want to talk to. You can find them online at www.regalrobot.com.
