Metal screen-accurate Terminator arm

S

SwampDonkey

Well-Known Member
Im in the process of building one of these using exact specs taken from the Sideshow version. The intent is to make an aluminum master, take moulds and produce castings of individual precision parts.
Ive noticed clues in the Sideshow version that indicate how the hand was mechanized for the "arm peel" scene, so the finished kit will be animatronics capable.

Once finished and chromed, the hand will be absolutely and completely identical to the hand in T2. It will also be functional/ posable.

Oh and during my research I discovered a pretty big screw-up Sideshow made when sourcing the original from which their 1:1 arm was cast. Theres a difference between it and what we saw on screen. Can anyone guess what it is? First person to figure it out gets $20 off! lol

My version will not include this glaring inaccuracy.

The price is uncertain at this stage but expect it to hover around $1000

And its great to be here! I cant wait to check out all your cool stuff and show off mine. Cheers bros!
 
Measuring a Sidsshow arm might not be the best idea.

Aren't they mass produced in China? Bound to be some shrinkage, then some dimensional change from plating.

And isn't reverse engineering from a current licensed collectable considered a form "recasting"?
 
Reverse engineering the hand is the only way I can make one. There are no blueprints or schematics to follow. The Sideshow version is easily as large as a big guys hand, its hard for me to imagine it shrank during casting. The plating thickness can be compensated for, its worth experimenting with. The parts will be finley sanded and polished prior to casting. Minute shrinkage that occures during MY casting will likely offset the plating issue though.


And no, this is not recasting. Recasting is simply making a mould of something and selling off the casts. A recast of the Sideshow arm would be those crappy resin kits you can buy on ebay for $70.
The sideshow arm itself is a recast of a studio arm. But its the best reference ive seen and holds a ton of details.
 
i think it was here on RPF that someone posted High res photos of the real mechanized endo arm. I "think" i saved them but don't know where on my comp....and i have some vague memory that the picture on rpf was delete because they were not allowed to post them by the owner.
 
contec said:
i think it was here on RPF that someone posted High res photos of the real mechanized endo arm. I "think" i saved them but don't know where on my comp....and i have some vague memory that the picture on rpf was delete because they were not allowed to post them by the owner.
Click to expand...

If that were the case...hypothetically speaking, of course. Then I would be able to replicate the mechanism. I have a good idea of how it works (I think), but yeah you should PM me for sure. I would be hella grateful for any hints or tips.
 
contec said:
Did you check out the Forum ?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it said it had no forums lol. They had an older site that had some really good stuff. There were actually 2 that merged years back and all the awesome content vanished somehow. I was a member of the first one and helped explain the mechanics (how I think they work) to the guys on the forum. I even drew up schematics and posted them. I would still LOVE to see how SWS made the hero arm and how it worked. I can "make" it work but its really the one thing im wanting to find so I can get things just right.
 
SwampDonkey said:
Yeah, it said it had no forums lol. They had an older site that had some really good stuff. There were actually 2 that merged years back and all the awesome content vanished somehow. I was a member of the first one and helped explain the mechanics (how I think they work) to the guys on the forum. I even drew up schematics and posted them. I would still LOVE to see how SWS made the hero arm and how it worked. I can "make" it work but its really the one thing im wanting to find so I can get things just right.
Click to expand...
I think it's hidden and that you need to apply for a membership and then when you login you will see everything.
 
You should do the T1 endoarm instead:
T1-Arm2.jpg
 
Too Much Garlic said:
You should do the T1 endoarm instead:
T1-Arm2.jpg
Click to expand...
You wont believe this but I almost owned THAT arm back in 03-04. It was on ebay and being sold by someone in the UK. I was a poor college student and bid $200....it sold for just over $400 if I remember correctly. It recently sold at auction for $20,000......I wanna cry right now lol. You can still find the pics from the original ebay listing in google images, the shoulder blade is unattached but its the same real working prop from the first movie. I would make one but this is a welded steel hand with NO circulating replicas. And I suck at welding. The design is brilliant though, with one cable causing all three joints of the finger to close. Low budget stuff but awesome!
 
contec said:
I think it's hidden and that you need to apply for a membership and then when you login you will see everything.
Click to expand...
I joined but apparently all applications have to be "approved" by a moderator...background checks?? lol seems odd. I should have access soon though. If you find those pics I would love to get a look at them.
 
SwampDonkey said:
Oh and during my research I discovered a pretty big screw-up Sideshow made when sourcing the original from which their 1:1 arm was cast. Theres a difference between it and what we saw on screen. Can anyone guess what it is? First person to figure it out gets $20 off! lol

My version will not include this glaring inaccuracy.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you mean by "what we saw on screen". There was the "Vault" version, as well as the "Exposure" version.

Sideshow is basically the onld Icons version (then Timeless :rolleyes) redux. These versions were ostensibly based off the "Vault" version (glass tube, remains of the elbow joint, etcetera).

It is my understanding - going all the way back to Icons - that the arm is idealized. It is taller, and "sleeker", at least compared to appearances on screen. The prop seen in the film sits notably more "squat" on its base. And I believe the version in the scene was rubber or possibly resin

Finally, if my recollection serves, the broken elbow remnant is reversed - a modification that was dicsused "back in the day", and quite possibly the error you refer to.
 
SwampDonkey said:
You wont believe this but I almost owned THAT arm back in 03-04. It was on ebay and being sold by someone in the UK. I was a poor college student and bid $200....it sold for just over $400 if I remember correctly. It recently sold at auction for $20,000......I wanna cry right now lol. You can still find the pics from the original ebay listing in google images, the shoulder blade is unattached but its the same real working prop from the first movie. I would make one but this is a welded steel hand with NO circulating replicas. And I suck at welding. The design is brilliant though, with one cable causing all three joints of the finger to close. Low budget stuff but awesome!
Click to expand...

On the topic of missed opportunites (that related directly to this thread), I was watching this sharply, debating the cost versus my budget versus longevity of a latex or urethane prop.

It sold on eBay - not cheap, but in my range; $900-ish I think...

metal-screen-accurate-terminator-arm-t2-arm-001.jpg-31067d1280929408
 
micdavis said:
Measuring a Sidsshow arm might not be the best idea.

Aren't they mass produced in China? Bound to be some shrinkage, then some dimensional change from plating.

And isn't reverse engineering from a current licensed collectable considered a form "recasting"?
Click to expand...

The Supreme Court addressed [...] reverse engineering as "a fair and honest means of starting with the known product and working backwards to divine the process which aided in its development or manufacture."

Link: Is reverse engineering legal?

It's not the same as recasting, but it does tread muddy ethical waters.
 
PHArchivist said:
It is taller, and "sleeker", at least compared to appearances on screen. The prop seen in the film sits notably more "squat" on its base.
Click to expand...

Here is a good image of the original "Vault" version (Thomas, hope you don't mind):

endo-arm-real01.jpg


Compared to a seemingly taller replica:

TC80111LG.JPG
 
Last edited:
PHArchivist said:
Here is a good inmage of the original "Vault" version (Thomas, hope you don't mind):

endo-arm-real01.jpg


Compared to a seemingly taller replica:

TC80111LG.JPG
Click to expand...
That is odd, but I have it under good authority that the SS arm was cast from moulds taken from Stan Winston's terminator. The moulds were purchased from Lucas Francis Studios (who own an entire studio endoskeleton) and....recast. There WAS a resin kit on ebay that was fully posable and articulated, awesome. It sold for around a grand if I remember correctly.
Ive taken calipers to the screen grabs during the "vault" scene and everything seems to be in order as far as the size relationship between the parts are concerned.
The Sideshow hand is indeed a recast from an original, but nothing seen onscreen. They slightly altered the finished hands used in the vault and the arm-peel scene. Notice the fingers? The screen grabs show a design thats less "blocky" than the Sideshow hand.
 
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