MARK TELFER: It’s my great pleasure to welcome Chris Smith, founder and owner of Stan Solo Creations, and his son Stan. Chris, Stan, thanks for joining us at RetroBlasting to talk Stan Solo Creations and Star Wars.
Could you share your earliest Star Wars memories with us?
CHRIS SMITH: My first memory is watching Star Wars when I was around 5-6 year old. My main memory of the film was strangely just Stormtroopers lol.
MT: What’s your favourite Star Wars film?
CS: The Empire Strikes Back, I love the variety of scenes from start to finish.
MT: Favourite character?
CS: Darth Vader hands down! When he comes on screen, like when he walks into Echo Base on Hoth or his Bespin scenes with Han Solo. He has an aura about him, for me, the most iconic character in film history.
MT: Did you collect Star Wars figures when you were growing up?
CS: Yes for sure, I started when I was around 6 years old.
MT: Fondest childhood memory of a vintage figure?
CS: Well, Dave Prowse visited my little town of Saltburn dressed as Darth Vader. He came to the toy shop (Kings) I'm sure it was promoting Return Of The Jedi. I bought my first figure there, a Darth Vader and David was the one serving everyone. Amazing memory!
MT: Did you collect them all?
CS: I collected up to Return Of The Jedi. I missed The Power Of The Force line unfortunately. It seems crazy now but I got into other things, mainly football.
MT: Have you kept hold of your childhood collection?
CS: Nope, I wish I had. Not for financial reasons, just, if I had my original figures, I wouldn't swap them for AFA 90s, they would be priceless to me, no matter how tatty lol. I never kept one unfortunately.
MT: Has Star Wars collecting followed you into adulthood?
CS: No, only in the last 8 years when I got my eldest son Billy into Star Wars.
MT: What are the favourites amongst your collection?
CS: I have a vinyl cape Jawa AFA 85, but I think my favourite is my Han Solo Stormtrooper first shot, that's my first ever figure I created.
MT: Do you still collect Star Wars figures?
CS: I would have to say yes, but its more for Stanley to be honest. I think he's got them all apart for a few from the last 17.
MT: Modern or strictly vintage?
CS: Strictly vintage.
MT: Is there a holy grail on your collection wish list?
CS: Not particularly no. Even though I have a vinyl cape Jawa, I’m not one for holy grails. It was just a spur of the moment purchase, I'm not interested in the value, just enjoyment of the figure.
MT: Did you dabble with action figure customising before Stan Solo Creations?
CS: No, apart from putting my Han Solo Bespin in an ice tray as a child lol.... no.
MT: What inspired you to launch Stan Solo Creations?
CS: I think it was the customs I seen being made, and knowing the contact I had, I knew I could make a lot of fans happy.
MT: What is Stan Solo Creations ethos?
CS: To make as many Star Wars fans happy as possible and fill some gaps in the vintage line. I hear on the grapevine that some elitists / hard-core collectors hate what I’m doing. They say I'm in this to line my own pockets. I hate that term, and it's very far from the truth. If only they knew how much time and money I’ve invested in this, they might think differently.
Due to these haters, and this may sound a little cheesy, but I want to build a legacy and I think that I am. I love fans positive feedback, I love the positive video reviews on YouTube, but basically, I love Star Wars.
MT: Where did the name Stan Solo Creations come from?
CS: Well, my 6 year old son, Stanley. I was buying him a Han Bespin outfit when it actually came to me.
MT: Stan, how do you feel having a toy company named in your honour?
Stan: Good.... no, not good, epic!
MT: What do you think of the toys your father creates?
Stan: I think they're amazing, I’m always asking when a figure will be ready. How many sleeps till Amanaman etc.
MT: Do you help your father decide which new figures to make?
Stan: Yeah, I asked him to make EV-9D9 as I don't have that in vintage and now he is making him. I thought a Boba Fett R2 figure would be fun and he agreed. I’m hoping for Han Carbonite next.
MT: Do you collect Stan Solo Creations figures?
Stan: Yes, I have them all, and I will collect as many as possible. I also give Stan Solo figures to my school friend Henry, he’s now a Star Wars fan.
MT: Do you have any favourite Stan Solo Creation figures?
Stan: Amanaman.
MT: Do you have a favourite Star Wars film?
Stan: The Empire Strikes Back. I love watching the AT-ATs and when Luke in his Snowspeeder harpoons it, just like in the Star Wars game Battlefield.
MT: Have you been watching The Mandalorian?
Stan: I've seen a few, it's ok.
MT: Who’s your favourite Star Wars character?
Stan: Yoda, he's funny and powerful.
MT: Would you like to one day fulfil a destiny of ruling retro Star Wars figures together as father and son?
Stan: Oh yeah, that would be epic. I'd make loads and loads!
MT: One day I hope to begin my own Stan Solo Creations collection, in the meantime however, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching powerfully positive reviews from highly respected collectors Tony Roberts of Analog Toys, Michael French of Retroblasting and Dave of Toy Polloi. Appreciating your dedication to detail, quality and range of figures, these YouTube producers are smitten by your products.
Unlike customised vintage figures, Stan Solo Creations figures are not chopped, glued or painted but manufactured from their moulds up. What challenges have you experienced bringing these figures from concept to reality?
CS: Well it's the cost of these, and with them made from steel moulds they take time. I think the hardest thing, obviously with customs, is getting the look and colours correct. I go through a lot of images and research on the Internet. Then I have to send many, many messages with instructions and images to the factory. Its so important to get them right for the fans.
MT: You have even implemented processes which have long been abandoned by Hasbro, e.g. chrome metalizing. This looks wonderful on R2-D2, C-3PO, O-O-O amongst others, my favourite though, is the ingenuity and effort you have gone to in creating the two tone C-3P0 sporting gold body and lower silver leg. How challenging was the technical process for producing this two-toned chromed figure?
CS: Yes, this was a challenge and a half. When I knew we could do chrome metalizing, that was good, and even though the silver painted leg looked good.... I wanted to push that bit further. I talked to the factory and after seeing the amazing chrome U-3PO, I wanted C-3PO's lower leg this colour so we went over ideas. The only way to do this was in 2 parts but it also needed the join to be perfect, that was not an easy process but we pulled it off for sure. This was another £2,800 just to have this variant, but it was worth it. So while the elitists might say I’m in this for the money, I think this figure alone proves them wrong. I seriously just want to produce the best figures possible.
MT: Your dedication to detail extends beyond the figures and into the packaging. You have endeavoured to produce carded versions celebrating the touch and feel of the original vintage figures and the accompanying nostalgia. What challenges did you experience attaining this level of quality?
CS: Yes, it's challenging. I have a great friend Darren Orme, from Replicator Boxes, who helps me design images. We then send the final image files over to factory and they do the rest.
The unfortunate aspect of cardbacks is that these are mass produced and just like anything else mass produced, there can sometimes be little flaws. Such as the paint on a figure not being perfect, a coin not straight, a scratch on the blister or card which can also happen during shipping. Also due to the additional packaging size and weight, carded figures shipping costs a lot more.
I strive for perfection in my products and service, but there are sometimes things that I might miss or not consider a problem, however other collectors can and do, which results in messages from people wanting discounts. You wouldn't believe how many. Many of these customers claim to have OCD, but this is fine because I also want the best for them. However expectations which exceed the quality Kenner could deliver, as seen with AFA rated carded figures, is expensive. Countering investment and manufacturing costs with discounted returns, as a small business, producing carded figures at an affordable price becomes untenable threatening sustainability and future project development, so sadly, carded figures will come to an end.
MT: You have also recreated loose and carded Power of the Force coins. How challenging was the process designing and creating?
CS: It wasn’t challenging, the thing is, I like to make my reproductions different from originals. That way there's no confusion. Whereas the original POTF coins were formed from a cheaply made aluminium, almost plastic like, we decided to make ours from a zinc base resulting in a satisfying weight and feel.
MT: It’s great to see that you are re-cycling moulds by implementing new colouring, similar to George Lucas populating his Star Wars sandbox, creating depth and variety. With a fantastic range of Astromechs and Protocol droids already in your range, are there plans to produce more in this line?
CS: Yes, like you have mentioned, it's about re-using the mould. The steel mould costs are huge so re-using them is cost effective. I know many collectors are Astromech fans and this option affords them a colourful range of characters to populate their collections.
I particularly like the clear dome R3s, but due to Stan’s Boba Fett idea, that's my favourite.
I think I've covered all the Protocol Droids... there's a couple more Astromechs which I could do, I may venture into a few R4 series in the future.
MT: As well as dipping into the animated Droid series for your droid range, you have been working through many background Astromech and Protocol droids. These figures are sure to be a must have for collectors wanting to own these new figures in the vintage Kenner style and others who may want to include them in displays or even diorama. Do you have any plans to produce more figures from this droid range?
CS: I haven’t really thought about it, if I do, then an R4 might be a possibility.
MT: You have also created some fantastic Astromech accessories, could you tell us about these?
CS: Sure. I’ve designed my Astromech’s to accommodate an optional 3rd leg I produce. I have also created an Astromech serving tray for those infamous Jabba the Hutt soirées.
MT: In producing versions of rare vintage figures such as Blue Snaggletooth and Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper disguise, Stan Solo Creations have provided collectors with the opportunity to own figures which they might otherwise not be able to afford. Not only this, you have also taken this further by producing a Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise, something Kenner never got around to.
MT: How popular have these figures been with collectors?
CS: So, Han Solo is the one that started it all for me. I only discovered the Last 17 around 8 years ago and I couldn't believe they hadn’t produced a Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise. So that was the one I had to do. I honestly believe that if I hadn't chosen to make him, Stan Solo Creations wouldn’t be here today.
It was a very expensive process but it introduced me to the Star Wars community for good or bad.
After I had developed the Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise, it seemed like a natural progress to move onto producing his counterpart, Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper disguise, after all the mould was there and this would only be a head change. Sadly, some elitist collectors didn’t like this. I had no intentions to compete with the original 40 year old vintage figure, I only wanted to produce something new, of good quality and for a reasonably affordable price for fans on a budget giving them an opportunity to own this figure.
So while my priority is to support collectors attain figures they might not otherwise be able to afford, I also want to meet vintage collectors half way. To ensure my figures aren’t mistaken for vintage originals or used to dupe any unwary vintage collectors, where you would normally locate the COO with the simple turn of the leg o an original Kenner figure, on my figures you will find an ‘SLC’ stamp. In the case of carded figures this will also be printed on the cards back. Sadly however, despite trying, you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
MT: Do carded and loose figures enjoy the same popularity?
CS: Nope, the loose figures are much more popular. Another problem with the carded figures is that for any individual figure, I have to reach minimum order levels for the factory which are high. As a result, the up-front financial outlay takes soooo long to break even.
I also think people who don't experience my carded figures won't realise just how good they are due to other custom makers producing poor ones in the past. So sadly my carded figures have never been as popular as the loose figures.
MT: How long does figure production take from concept to store?
CS: Once I’ve submitted my plans and invested in the steel mould, I think on average depending on the figure it averages around 4 months.
MT: Where are the figures made?
CS: The figures are manufactured in China.
MT: How do you decide which figures to create and do collectors have an input?
CS: I listen to fans requests for sure, but thankfully many of the suggestions match my own thoughts. Surprisingly reproductions are much more popular than customs, the last 17 is very popular due to the crazy costs of the originals. Ultimately it all boils down to gut instinct. I need to be mentally invested in a project before it demands financial investment. If a project was to prove unpopular and I’ve spent a lot of money, I’d only have myself to blame, oh and Stan too lol. That said, I think we’ve done ok up until now.
MT: Is the full Stan Solo Creations figure range fully available or limited to periodic runs?
CS: It all hinges on sales. If my sales for a figure is much higher than others, I would probably submit another order. I order between 400 -1,000 loose figures at a time depending on popularity. For example the Yak figure would have been 1,000, whereas the R2-X2 was 400. The factory only accepts orders of 400 upwards for any single figure production run. If sales are slow for a certain figure, unfortunately that figure would be discontinued as I couldn’t risk investing in another 400 to experience a loss which could jeopardize future productions.
MT: Are any Stan Solo Creations figures subject to a limited production run?
CS: Yes, the red Amanaman is a limited figure, others are dependent on individual sales.
MT: You have also created new twists on original figures such as the Imperial Gunner now sporting an Imperial Weapons Technician equivalent. Could you tell us about some of your other crossover creations?
CS: At the beginning, I produced a very limited run of glow in the dark Yak Faces. I’ve also produced a tall Red Snaggletooth. We’ve obviously re-used the R2 mould to produce other figures such as the Boba R2 Astromech. More recently, re-utilising the Amanaman mould, I’ve developed and produced a run of Darth Maul inspired red Amanamans.
MT: Do you think you might re-visit your vintage range to incorporate newer Star Wars canon, e.g. Blue Squadron pilots from Rogue One designed upon on Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot, perhaps moustached Blue Leader Anton Merrick flipping back to a New Hope’s Biggs Darklighter?
CS: To be honest no, these don't interest me.
MT: Do you create any battle packs, e.g. squad builders or squadrons such as Stormtroopers with various coloured shoulder pauldrons?
CS: No, I don't and don't plan to. There's a good site called The Trash Compactor that produce fine examples of these kind of figures. It’s not my intention to compete with fellow custom figure producers plus Mark who runs that enterprise is a great guy.
MT: Do you think you might one day venture into playsets, creatures or even vehicles?
CS: Well, before the transition with The Fans Strike Back and Smith Lord Creations, which sadly didn't go well, I had hoped to make the Bantha creature. An acquaintance reached out to me and asked if he could tackle this project which would help showcase his work. I was impressed with their enthusiasm and said yes. A sample was crafted and sent onto the factory. Not long after this, my partner became ill. I wanted to devote my time and attention to helping them recover, so I handed over ownership of Smith Lord Creations to The Fans Strike Back. There was an understanding that development of my Bantha concept would remain a priority, however that was over 15 months ago and there have been no updates.
After this disappointing experience I determined that my new business, Stan Solo Creations, would remain focussed on producing high quality figures.
MT: How many figures are there within the Stan Solo Creations range?
CS: Having completed a quick recon, including the figures currently on pre-order which will be ready soon, the Stan Solo Creations range proudly sits on 40 individual figures.
MT: What’s the volume of figures Stan Solo Creations have produced?
CS: Hard to say for certain, but when the current pre-orders have been fulfilled I'd estimate around 50,000.
MT: Do you ship figures around the world?
CS: Yes, there's not many places I haven’t shipped to.
MT: Do you have your own collection of Stan Solo Creations figures?
CS: Yes. I use acrylic cases for all my and Stanley’s carded figures and alongside our loose figures, they look great on display.
MT: Where can people find and purchase these wonderful figures from Stan Solo Creations?
CS: Stan Solo Creations on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StanSoloCreations.
MT: Will you keep us updated when releasing any new figure waves into the Stan Solo Creations range?
CS: Yes always. Keep an eye on my Etsy page, that’s always up to date. I used to have a Facebook page but unfortunately this experienced too many negative vibes, so Stan Solo Creations doesn’t use social media any more.
MT: Chris, Stan, many thanks to you both for joining us. We wish you every success with Stan Solo Creations for the future and we look forward to seeing more of your fantastic figures.