Looking? found some one you have I would say,
Hmmm....
Upon Leaving Dagobah and traveling 92 parsecs to the Interior.
Came upon an unsuspecting building I did.
Where in side my Destination was (or was it Destiny?), to the
Offices
of Master Replicas...
CLICK TO ENLARGE
The Walls of this Conference Room were Glass
and upon my entering, our
Favorite Trivia Lady came out to greet me. You all know Her as AMY
MRCUSTOMERCARE.
Amy Blanchard who is the Customer Service Collectors Society Manager
has been with MR from the early beginning.
We are definitely Lucky and feel Honored to have Her as our MR
Representative.
Now this was not a typical, tour because I had something to show
them as well as my need to as questions and take pic's of the office etc...
What I had with me was the Yoda prototype that I did from the Anakin
Hilt. (It was updated and improved for the visit to MR by the way)
So there Amy and I were saying Hi when I set my Saber down on the
counter She picked it up and It caught the Attention of two of the
Gentlemen in the conference room...
Keith Bornholtz, Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Travis
Allen the Marketing Manager.
CLICK TO ENLARGE (left to
right,
Travis, Amy, and Keith)
Well needless to say Keith and Travis and Amy
took turn holding the Yoda prototype and fire it up and then
everyone came out of the conference room to see what it was.
Needless to say It's hard not to notice a small hilt with a bright
green blade and the Corbin film showed up well in the low
lighted office. (they needed a break anyway) Needless to say
everyone liked it and even a few were even impressed by it...
So we took a few pictures with Amy, Keith and Travis with the Yoda
prototype I brought. They even took it back and showed it to the
Designer Andrew. who just got back from Hong Kong so I only met Him
for a brief moment, but I hope to talk to Him in the Future more.
Michael Cookson, chairman and CEO was there that day and Came out to
greet me as well. Though busy He was very welcoming, well presented
and was kind enough to take a picture with me shaking His hand.
So I've broken the Ice and everyone approved of and Likes my Yoda
Prototype... but what about theirs?
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Unofficially I was told that as far as New
FX's the next one to have a possibly of hitting production would be
a Yoda force FX. But I was also told it largely depends on the
consumers and the demand for more products.
This is where it turns from a typical press interview into a great
collaboration of New Ideas and suggestions for the FX Line...
I first suggested the need for an Elite FX line with closer to scale
true hilts, saber unique sounds and of course the ever desired
removable/replaceable blade.
The Remove-able blade with and improved and reactive lighting system
is what they were aware of but my suggestion of an Elite Line
sparked some interest and at this point I was asked to come back for
some future focus groups that will concern Lightsabers.
They then Brought out the one Obiwan prototype they had so I could
give you all the good news that It is solid metal and will be great
for adding to the collection!
CLICK TO ENLARGE
The sound was not finalized because it was a prototype, but it
sounded different than an Anakin. Will it be so in production? I
don't know.
The Blade was a deeper slightly darker blue and the construction
reminds me of the new Maul Blade. With every FX that's made MR looks
to improve the technology, but not to differ entirely from the
existing models.
Which lead back to the questions of improvements in the FX Line and
more suggestions of a more limited Elite run that could very well
lead to the ultimate Lightsaber Replica if the market demands it in
the years to come. I've also emailed AMY a list of some more
Technical Questions for Andrew to be able to answer when He has
time. These questions and answers will follow as a Part 2 to this
Article once answered...
In a general response to my asking about the Obiwan and Quigon of
EP1 coming any time soon. With Yoda in the works right now and with
each one taking about 9-12 months to bring to production... there
could be plenty more in our future. BUT, I was again made aware that
the market will need to dictate it.
Okay so aside from Lightsabers I couldn't take any Millennium Falcon
Pictures because It wasn't there. So I thought I'd ask a few
questions about the work place at MR.
When I asked Amy what was the most fun part of working with Master
Replicas? She replied to me: It's the People and the Fans that She
gets to deal with that all enjoy the same Star Wars phenomenon that
Has gripped us all and it allows Her to know Her customers in a way
no other Job ever could.
When I asked Travis the Same Question He told me how much He enjoyed
the Pop culture aspect of it all. Being able to preserve the cutting
edge of Hollywood designs with "Master Replicas"... He then
continued on to say... It's the job you actually like getting up to
go to!
I asked where the Prototypes for FX's and other replicas go when
they don't get used? I was told they are kept safely locked away for
use at Auctions and charity events.
I was curious to know whether or not any of the Actors from Star
Wars had ever been to MR headquarters. Apparently none of them have,
but they ship items to them all the time, as well as meet them at
events for signings of course.
Okay Great! Back to Lightsabers...
So who did invent the Force FX Lightsaber anyway???? Basically
I was told , the concept came from Steve and Andrew developed the
technology that made it work.
So are there any other Lightsabers coming that you can tell me of
besides the Yoda FX???? I was told but only one name... a Quigon
Jinn .45
Anything else will be introduced at the Com-Con in San-Diego, of
which I was invited to attend MR's Party at the Com-Con Friday
Night. I definitely plan to attend and be there for a while on
Saturday during the Show to get more pictures, and any
other information I get will come back to the site! ( Maybe a few
Lightsaber Duels there as well I can imagine) So that's it for right
now... Once Andrew answers our other Questions List I'll Post it for
everyone to see as well in the part 2 conclusion of
the MR tour.
In all it was a great experience, and brings about an even greater
opportunity for FX-SABERS to help continue to promote MR products as
well as be able to give our input on them.
I would Like to Thank Amy, Travis, Keith, Michael and everyone at
Master Replicas for the tour of the facilities and the invitation to
opportunities that may lie ahead. Look forward to join
in the focus groups and meetings to come, to relay the direct
exposure and desires and suggestions of the Fans in regards to
the Master Replica Lightsaber Line of Products.
May the Force be with You...
always
YODA
CLICK TO ENLARGE
CLICK TO ENLARGE (left to
right,
Travis, Amy, and Keith)
Well needless to say Keith and Travis and Amy
took turn holding the Yoda prototype and fire it up and then
everyone came out of the conference room to see what it was.
Needless to say It's hard not to notice a small hilt with a bright
green blade and the Corbin film showed up well in the low
lighted office. (they needed a break anyway) Needless to say
everyone liked it and even a few were even impressed by it...
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Unofficially I was told that as far as New
FX's the next one to have a possibly of hitting production would be
a Yoda force FX. But I was also told it largely depends on the
consumers and the demand for more products.
CLICK TO ENLARGE