Disney Studios Backlot Tour Help & Questions

OneHotHemi

Does anyone here have access to the backlot tour at Disney (formerly MGM Studios) Florida? or have pictures from the prop room at the end of the tour? I am looking for specific pictures of certain props there. If you are a florida native I could really use your help! PM me for more info or email me at onehothemi@aol.com

tubachris85x

Do you mean that AFI thing at the end? I remember there being POTC stuff and an Alien's suit. The star wars stuff looked reproduced though

loosetoon

We took a bunch of pics there on our last trip in September. What specifically are you looking for?

EvilRocketeer

did you take any pictures of the rocketeer packs or lucky lindy?

OneHotHemi

I am looking for pictures of the starship troopers rocket launchers and nukes there.

There were rocket launchers (you can see a picture of one here http://www.theonehothemicollection.com ) hanging on or from possibly a wooden pole, or attached by wires or on a shelf at the end of the tour right before you enter the train / tram on the last torner on the right bt the maximillian robot from black hole my email is onehothemi@aol.com any pictures in full size you have and are willing to share, if you aren't familiar with what I am talking about I will be able to spot it right away! THANKS FOR THE HELP!

It's possible I have the location wrong so any pictures you can share of the prop room would be greatly appreciated as I might be able to identify it even if you may not notice it is there.

WinstonWolf359

I took pics of the Rocketeer stuff, but I don't recall seeing the Starship Troopers items, so I don't have any pics of those. Sorry!

OneHotHemi

Great pics!!! Back back to the topic on hand

tubachris85x

I've always seen the rocketeer gear there since I was little. Can anyone confirm wether those are plain replicas or have some lineage to the originals?

EvilRocketeer

winston you are amazing!!!!! Those are the best photos I have seen. Thank you!

Tubachris. I doubt the rocketpacks are screen-used. I heard from another source that disney took the molds to make packs and helmets for promotion..So those can actually be promotional packs or production packs.

However, I believe Lucky lindy is screen-used.

OneHotHemi

Does anyone have the pictures I was looking for?

dualedge

There were actually a LOT of screen-used pieces sent to Disney in Orlando around the time the film came out. They had a huge display of props from the movie - stuff that would blow your mind if you're a Rocketeer fan. I've seen home video footage from the display and can vouch for the fact they had a TON of screen-used stuff - not replicas. Full hero costumes, props, full size plane mockups - everything. I suspect most of it stayed in Orlando too at least until the Disney ebay Rocketeer auctions about ten years ago.

The full size black and white Gee Bee 5 mockup and the Howard Hughes autogiro mockup from the film sat on the backlot tour until they wasted away to virtually nothing. They had the large-scale blimp model from the movie as well as full-size cockpit mockup from the damaged yellow and black Gee Bee 4.

I believe they had both of the original two prototype rocketpacks plus several other rocketpacks ranging from stunt pack to hero packs and at least 5 different helmets plus a bunch of stunt helmets, a couple of which you can see in Matt's photos in various states of disrepair.

I'd guess most of it is from the production of the movie judging by what I've seen but I couldn't rule out that some of the rocketpacks could be Disney promotional copies.

Stunt helmets are unique and were only made for the production. The promotional helmets made by Disney weren't made quite the same way as production made hero helmets.

I have it straight from the propmasters' mouth (I met him in person) that Disney took the helmet and rocketpack moulds from Design Setters and made copies for their own uses. Those were not used in the production - just for promotions or whatever. It's my belief that many of those promotion helmets are where quite a few "cast from an original" helmets descend from. I can't prove it but it explains why there's a helmet for auction every other week claiming to be "cast from an original" or an "unused production copy" most of which are just straight up false.

The full scale Lucky Lindy is the one seen in the film as far as I'm aware. I doubt anybody made a replica of it and, besides I know they had the original there when the film came out. Those Disney folks aren't known for giving a flip about the Rocketeer so I can't imagine them going to the expense of replicating it.

Hope that helps!

Hotshot

Gee Bee and teh Auto Gyro were still there last I saw . . .but they looked BAD. I'll be headed down there at teh end of march, I'll keep a weather eye out for your SST props!!!

OneHotHemi

thanks hot

tubachris85x

Now that I think of it, I don't ever recall seeing any starship troopers props. I was just there over christmas. IIRC, the last corner just before you get onto the trams (your last left turn, facing at an angle to the exit to the trams) I remember there being on the left, a series of scaled cars, most of which I think were used for "Who Framed Rodger Rabbit," and on the right is the front section of a subway car (forgot what movie thats from).

Then again, they do have alot of stuff randomly pilled up in there, mixed around. I'm wanting to hit up Disney before I leave for Basic in early March, but if I do, I'll get some pics

-TC

OneHotHemi

Gansta, yeah i'm guess its by the subway car, my friend is international so perhaps it translated differently when he was describing it. so not tram or train, he meant subway. if anyone has pictures of that area that'd be great to see.

Basic huh? where and what branch?

tubachris85x

Ft. Jackson, going Army Intel

proplica

You must be referring to their other building where Maximilian was displayed.
This stage shell was part of the 101 Dalmations (movie) experience some years back. As far as I know very few props remain in that building.

I met with Disney archives a few years back to get access to Max, which was still hanging from the ceiling. A lot of pieces were removed. From my recollection, Disney archives had a loan contract with Sony, they had a Johnny 5 from Short Circuit there too that went back to Sony, so the Starship Troopers stuff probably went back too.

When I worked at Planet Hollywood, we had some of those things, I remember the Rocket Launcher, it was on a shelf a few feet from my office.

I'll check and see if have any images.

B

Hotshot

Was this the large room that they did the bluescreen demo with the large bee from Honey I Shrunk the Kids 2?

Rik1138

Was that the gold one?

Hotshot

Yes it was! That makes me have a very vivid memory!! I got to be one of the kids on the bee, but when my eyes met up with Tik Tok up on a shelf above, I nearly fell off the bee. I came back through on a behind the scenes tour, and made a b-line for Johnny. I had no idea that thing was so huge!!!!

OneHotHemi

HOLY CRAP! The gold one was on another tour at the studio many years ago, they would introduce different robots and he would roll out and say hi and roll back! am i correct? does anyone remember that or was i dreaming! does anyone have any pictures of him? total icon of my childhood! i think it was on a tour where they showed you how they film submarine scenes and a wave tank and other stuff right?

I know the regular one sold for $125,000.00 recently I wonder if they'll ever sell the gold one... or even if it still exists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qgmJLovplo but i wish there was more on him!

Firefoxm31

ok now your are in my old home!....I worked there in 1995, my first role as a new castmember, I was a tour guide for the Inside the Magic and Special Effects Production tour. Here's what I remember being in the Special Effects workshop as you enter the first part of the tour. A few months later I worked as an Emcee here so took an inventory of what was in there.. so here's what I recall


1. Tik Tok, and various other characters from RTO
2. various matt paintings from Peter Ellenshaw
3. Hyperion Airship
4. silver painted tri motor about 5 foot
5. Golden Arrow nitrate ship from 20,000 Leagues under the Sea
6. Johnny5
7. Maximillian 18" or so maquette
8. Maximillion 1:1 scale
8. Captain EO
9. Large scale train from Dick Tracy and various appliances and masks from DT as well
10. here's a big find i didnt recognize of the bat but later figured it out and about blew a cap! a master pattern of the Tie Fighter command sphere, ready to mold..it was a half sphere so i guess they ran it twice and assembled the halves then added all the nurnies....
11.the dinosaur animatronic from the movie about the little baby dinosaur
12. Various Rocketeer helmets and packs and a smallish model of the Bull Dog Cafe'.


As I remember more items I'll add it....these though, I remember vividly

Hot shot, don't forget to look me up!

Will

Hotshot

Lookin' forward to it!!!

OneHotHemi

MORE INPUT! Any one have pics of J5?

BlueHarvest

I believe I have three pics of SST items from the tour. I will see if i can dig them up