In 2016, our team was confronting a fundamental challenge: how could we create the ambitious, highly detailed vehicles and environments fans had long requested—including dream projects like Jabba’s Sail Barge—when their scale, complexity, and price made them difficult to support through traditional retail? The answer was HasLab, an unconventional approach in the mainstream toy industry that invited fans to help bring exceptional concepts into production through crowdfunding. Once the right cross-functional partners were aligned and the concept received approval, we set out to prove that a direct partnership with the collecting community could make the seemingly impossible possible.

That conviction came to life at New York Toy Fair in 2018. We presented to a room of fan ambassadors and social media content creators—an audience accustomed to anticipating what was coming next—yet the reveal caught everyone by surprise. My colleague and I entered the room dressed as Han Solo and Chewbacca to present the promotional film introducing the HasLab concept. The room audibly gasped when Jabba’s Sail Barge appeared on screen. We surprised the crowd even further with a physical, four-foot-long 3D print completed just in time for the presentation. Its scale, authenticity, and previously unseen interior spaces—designed by Mark Boudreaux—immediately communicated the ambition of the project. Afterward, a fan embraced me and said it was the best day of his toy-collecting life. That response remains one of the clearest reminders that great product design can create a deep personal connection.

The campaign itself was a genuine learning experience. Early backing surged, momentum settled in the middle, and support accelerated rapidly as the deadline approached. Throughout the process, we joined live sessions and fan interviews, walked collectors through the model, and watched the community create its own fan art and grassroots campaigns. It felt less like presenting a finished product to an audience and more like building something together.