Collectors and fans alike have a chance to own one-of-a-kind Star Wars art pieces while giving to a good cause with The Empire Muggs Back. Lucasfilm asked artists, comic book creators, toy designers, and celebrity fans to get out their markers, paint brushes and glue guns and transform blank Mighty Muggs (donated by Hasbro) into custom Star Wars art which will be auctioned by The Make-A-Wish Foundation.
StarWars.com chats with Fanboys director Kyle Newman and actress Jaime King about their process for turning a blank Hasbro Mighty Muggs figure into a special tribute to Han Solo in Carbonite.
What did you choose to do for your Mighty Muggs art piece?
Kyle: We chose "Mugg Solo in Carbonite" our version of the classic Han Solo. I wanted to do something less traditional in shape. I toyed with the idea of Dexter Jettster. He would have been really cool with those four arms.
Jaime: I was going to make a Dave Filoni in a Speedo, but I couldn't get the hat right. Ha ha. He was even going to have a "Plo Kool" tattoo on his chest too. I think I am going to save that one for next year. Maybe he will have a swimming cap instead.
Kyle: I also really wanted to do an alien and sketched out Ponda Boba (Walrus Man to some). But in the end we settled on Han encased in Carbonite because it was so iconic and important part of Star Wars mythology. As a kid I was so fascinated by Carbonite. You would probably have some pretty crazy dreams if you fell asleep in that stuff.
What was your step-by-step process? What materials did you use?
Kyle: We started out by constructing a wooden box. We had to enlist the help of our good friend and Fanboys production designer Cory Lorenzen since he has all the cool art gear. We then had to chop our Muggs up to gather the pieces we needed. We glued the pieces into the box, trying to recapture that famous pose.
Jaime: Our Mugg is much taller than the average Muggs! But still true to the exaggerated Mugg form.
Kyle: Next we filled the box with a resin. It had to set for a few days. But we noticed it started contracting so it was good we waited or else the paint would have really chipped.
Jaime: It took several layers of paint too. It was a special super-expensive paint that Cory had with tiny glass particles used to paint projector screens on walls.
Kyle: That paint helped give the piece a great "carbonite" feel. A darker version was used for outer casing. I sketched out a Mugg version of Han Solo in his frozen pose and then created a vinyl stencil of it. Finally, the surface details were airbrushed on. We really wanted it be authentic, right down to that saliva coming out Han's mouth!
Jaime: I wish we had more time to add more layers to the paint detail. And to add some color buttons as well, but we are very pleased with how it came out.
Kyle: Kudos again to Cory for his help!
Why did you want to participate in The Empire Muggs Back art project?
Kyle: Because it was for a great cause. The Make-A-Wish Foundation does tremendous work and we want to support them in any way possible. And all things Star Wars are awesome!
Jaime: It was an absolute honor to be asked and sounded like a ton of fun.
Why do you think Star Wars fans will love The Empire Muggs Back project?
Kyle: Fans will love The Empire Muggs Back project because all of the pieces are fun twists on memorable characters and moments from the Star Wars universe. Some of them are just spectacular. I kind of want to own them all!
Jaime: And you can tell they are all made with love by true fans for a wonderful cause!
The Mighty Muggs art pieces are now up for auction and can be seen at The Empire Muggs Back on Starwars.com. The auction ends August 14, 2009.
Stay tuned to StarWars.com for in-depth coverage on The Empire Muggs Back.
