This might be a bit of a deep cut prop, but I've always loved the nuclear launch authentication cards/holders that are snapped open in both Crimson Tide and WarGames (in the cold opening of the latter). The satisfying crack and the bright red cards with the authentication codes have a perfect cold war era feel. I've tried to see if these were something "off the shelf", but I've never found anything - so I made my own.
** I know the cards are used for the authentication of emergency action messages, not the actual "launch code"
These are made from three laser cut acrylic parts layered together to form the case. The pieces are scored across the middle to provide a clean break when they are opened. The cards are fully sealed in so they are a "one and done" item - while you could try to re-weld the acrylic at the break point, they are intended to be opened only once.
The paper for the cards was surprisingly challenging to find. I wanted a glossy red card stock and only found a single option in my search, but it works well. Each case has two identical printed cards inside containing the whatever authentication code one might want. The above is one of the codes used in Crimson Tide.
Since similar authentication cards are used in both WarGames and Crimson Tide, I made a cabinet to hold the cards that is a bit of a hybrid between both films. The outside is more WarGames, while the inside is Crimson Tide inspired.
As you can imagine, these are very fun to crack open. I'm thinking about using them for something like a rarely needed two-factor authentication - like a password locker. Who knows, maybe they'd be perfect for a Submariner family gender reveal party.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know!
** I know the cards are used for the authentication of emergency action messages, not the actual "launch code"
These are made from three laser cut acrylic parts layered together to form the case. The pieces are scored across the middle to provide a clean break when they are opened. The cards are fully sealed in so they are a "one and done" item - while you could try to re-weld the acrylic at the break point, they are intended to be opened only once.
The paper for the cards was surprisingly challenging to find. I wanted a glossy red card stock and only found a single option in my search, but it works well. Each case has two identical printed cards inside containing the whatever authentication code one might want. The above is one of the codes used in Crimson Tide.
Since similar authentication cards are used in both WarGames and Crimson Tide, I made a cabinet to hold the cards that is a bit of a hybrid between both films. The outside is more WarGames, while the inside is Crimson Tide inspired.
As you can imagine, these are very fun to crack open. I'm thinking about using them for something like a rarely needed two-factor authentication - like a password locker. Who knows, maybe they'd be perfect for a Submariner family gender reveal party.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know!
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