Steve Otis Gunn sits down with Luke and Paul from Orbital FX, the North-East–based practical-effects and prop-building team whose work spans Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney theme parks. They talk about how two guys from the region ended up building screen-accurate props that have been purchased by Disney itself for actual productions, restoring the original Boba Fett blaster for Adam Savage, and constructing a full-size Millennium Falcon event piece — the kind of project that starts as a fan passion and ends up on a convention floor, leaving people speechless. Along the way, there's plenty on the craft itself — CNC machines, carbon fibre Vader helmets, 3D printing, and the strange legal grey area of replica prop making — plus the bigger picture of why practical effects are quietly staging a comeback, and what the future looks like when AI and streaming are reshaping the industry that made all this possible.
Originally released under the podcast's former name: Television Times.
🎭 About Orbital FX
Orbital FX is a North-East UK practical-effects and prop fabrication studio specialising in everything from 3D printing and carbon-fibre builds to full costume fabrication. Their work has appeared at global fan conventions, in Disney's Avengers: Quantum Encounter, and in film-adjacent productions worldwide. High-end craft, genuine fan passion.
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Host: Steve Otis Gunn
Guests: Luke & Paul from Orbital FX
Duration: 58 minutes
Release Date: December 11, 2025
Season: 4, Episode 30
All music written by Steve Otis Gunn
My book 'You Shot My Dog and I Love You' is available in bookstores & online
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