A lot has happened to the world in the three years since the last group event back in mid October 2019. For starters, the UK R2 Builders rebranded to become the more cybernetically inclusive Droid Builders UK, and while the event returned to the impressive campus of Harper Adams University near Newport, Shropshire, it was housed in a larger, more suitable room with car parking nearby and accommodation in the Leverhulme Halls of Residence just a couple of minutes walk away.
Saturday saw Paul Naylor of Fantha Tracks Radio podcast Start Your Engines join me at the show, snapping away at the incredible work on display. The two rooms served numerous functions, with the larger room hosting the ever-enjoyable 39.1% race which sees small astromechs zip around a short course, while a larger Krypton Factor style course was set up for droid operators to roll around their astromechs as fast as possible. Near the entrance was the merch table, with a selection of fantastic Droid Builder patches and pins for sale, while the charity bucket filled with the proceeds of the stickers on sale and the tombola raised well over £500 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, a sterling effort which saw all tickets sold out on day one.
At 10.00am I had the great pleasure of taking the stage alongside Lee Towersey to interview Brian Herring, who delved into his career and the methods by which he imbues mechanical characters like BB-8 with personality and that special spark which sets droids like him apart from the rank and file of the galaxy’s droids. Brian has crafted an enviable career with credits extending far beyond his work in the galaxy far, far away and as any convention goer who’s had the good fortune to meet him knows, he can tell a story.
We’ve been fortunate enough to have spoken with Brian on a number of occasions on Making Tracks, and while we were asked not to record the onstage interviews this weekend, you can hear a prior chat with Brian by clicking here.
Following hot on the heels of my chat with Brian came Henrik Svensson, the creature paint finish designer for all three sequel trilogy episodes and the two Star Wars Story films. His story is fascinating. Having worked on films from Harry Potter to Batman Begins, it was his work on Ridley Scott’s Prometheus that caught the attention of Neal Scanlan, who was so impressed with the work he’d seen he hugged Henrik at their very first time of meeting and made it very clear how much he wanted to work with him. A staple of the Creature Effects Department, Henrik has been a part of all UK Star Wars productions since, working on Andor season 1 and even travelling to Hawaii to enjoy a set visit to Jurassic World.
Stay tuned to Making Tracks for a future chat with Henrik about his incredible career.
Later in the day in the main lecture theatre saw US droid builders Mike Senna and Mike McMaster regale the audience with stories of droid construction from half a world away, a great way to round off the days formal events.
The evening saw the room shifted around to allow for the quiz, hosted by quizmaster Brian Herring and assisted by Lee Towersey and myself as adjudicator. Very special guests asked questions via video – including one which had the whole room gasping – and the final tally saw a final winning score of 82.5 edge out second place with 82 points. With the Welly Inn right next door, a few beers and some good conversation was the perfect way to round off day one.
Sunday saw Matt Booker travel up from Corsham to join me at the event, and as always he scouted the room for content and conversation for our social media channels, highlighting the inventiveness of builders nationwide including this loud – very loud – astromech which could get the party started in any starport across the galaxy (advance apologies for the Dad dancing)
With Celebration Europe only a matter of months away and Droid Builders UK almost at an end, thoughts turned to what will undoubtedly be the premier global Star Wars event of 2023, and as we continued to photograph this metallic menagerie of incredible collaborative skill and patience it only made us hungrier than ever to get to the ExCeL next April and see just what the group and others like them are going to bring us.
Tune in to our special episode of Making Tracks at Droid Builders 2022 as Mark and Matt chat with with Giles Redpath, Lee Towersey and Oliver Steeples, stay tuned for video coming to Fantha Tracks TV and to everyone who gave us their time for a chat, a photo or an interview, huge thanks. We greatly appreciate the invitation and look forward to Droid Builders UK 2024.
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