custom toys

While the American’s may have Dan Polydoris (Chicago Toy Collector), we have Andrew Owen – Australia’s creative genius! If you don’t believe us, just take a look at Andrew’s custom made creations – amazing stuff! And just think, these are the tip of the iceberg!

We met Andrew at last year’s Computer Games Boot Camp (CGBC) event and got talking about vintage toys and of course, retro gaming. During our discussion about all things nostalgia, Andrew showed us a few of his creative works – to say we were gobsmacked would be a massive understatement. We knew then that we had to bail up Andrew for an interview.

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: Andrew, thank you for making time for this interview. Let’s start – were you creative/artistic from a young age?
Andrew Owen [AO]: Yes, I have always been creative. I would always be making my own play sets to compliment my toys. I made a multi level Death Star out of fridge packaging. It was massive and had LED lights and other electronics. Also train and slot car sets with a mini town (full of lights). I was always expanding my toy experience. This continued into Super 8 movies with models, mini sets and masks. Paintings, drawings and animations included. It was an amazing time for a very young kid. Star Wars in the theatres, Battlestar Galactica on TV and Space Invaders machines at the local shops. I didn’t have a computer to make my own games but that didn’t stop me. Around that period Pop Up books were popular! So I made my own arcade games in Pop Up format. All with pull tabs and levers. All hand drawn and painted. The other kids would play them and I learnt a lot about game play. The Pop Up version of Defender was very popular.

ARG: How did you get into creating custom made items?
AO: When I was kid, I was always looking at how something could look better (to me anyway). Also replacing broken or missing items. Necessity at first and later people would ask me if I could recreate something or add a creative element.

ARG: Where do you get your ideas/inspirations from?
AO: I often wonder what one product would look like in another packaging format. I just go and build it. I do a lot of research first, especially if it will be a replica.

ARG: How long does a ‘typical’ creation take? Do you have a process?
AO: Sometimes I get an idea and 45 minutes later it’s finished. But other projects can take a few days. This time will mostly be made up of research. I like to try and recreate something to the smallest detail. For example, small logos need to be recreated from scratch. Photos online are very low resolution and not print quality. Plus recreating graphics and logos guarantees a clear print. Also I put an imperfection in everything I do, that way people know it’s a custom or replica. Nothing beats an original!

ARG: Do you have a favourite item you have made?
AO: That’s a tough one! The large six million dollar man and C3PO packaging – I was very happy with how they turned out. The Empire Strikes Back Atari reproduction box. The retro history of Epyx cards and box is a stand out, more so than the retro game Lego packages [ARG: We love your Lego creations a lot!]. The card series is still being produced and will be over a 100 cards. It’s like going back in time while you are researching and creating. I would have loved to have seen this in a shop as a kid!

ARG: What creation are you working on right now?
AO: Working on many projects and some will be on going. Multiple retro movie and game card sets. More reproduction stickers, packaging and badges. Also a large series of toys – all based on retro titles. The house is starting to turn into an alternative retro universe. Also food packaging and t-shirts.

ARG: You are also the creative mind behind the Computer Games Boot Camp (CGBC) – could you tell us more about this event?
AO: CGBC started 6 years ago and the event is a 7 day interactive experience for high school students. We cover everything connected to ICT , games and multimedia. It’s part interactive experience, trade show, tournament, careers with hands on workshops, presentations with a pop culture experience. It gives high school kids a real world experience and adds community and social aspects. People travel from all over the world to attend. We have a lot of retro gear at the event too. The event is streamed live and later added to YouTube. It’s proving to be a very popular event.

ARG: Now we will be asking the hard hitting gaming questions. What was your first video gaming system?
AO: Hanimex VC4000 console. German brand Interton Electronic. Played it for hours!

ARG: What is your all-time favourite video game?
AO: Galaga! That’s a tough question. Raid over Moscow , Impossible Mission, Space Invaders. I could be here all day.

ARG: And finally; Atari, Sinclair, Colecovision, Intellivision, Amstrad, Commodore, Nintendo or Sega – which would be your pick and why?
AO: Amstrad! Made my first games on the 128K. Some of the other systems may have had superior graphics (some) but it was a great system. Mini Disks (built in drive). It was well supported with multiple magazines. One magazine had the “Sugarman” cartoon strip! Practical for school assignments and for home movie credit sequences. It had it all! Lord Sugar was a pioneer and had a major influence on home computing!

Well, all good things come to end. As we wipe away our drool in awe of the Lego Galaga (amongst other jaw dropping items), we leave the talented genius to his latest creations. A big thank you to Andrew for participating in this interview. If you don’t already do so, you can follow Andrew on Twitter.

If you haven’t had enough of Andrew’s creations, here are a few more random picks to whet your appetite. Enjoy!