What is the appeal of Replica Prop Collecting?
- Thread starter D3adrock
- Start date
I don't think there is really an appeal, it's just the quest for having things you enjoy looking at and that make you happy. For some folks it helps them relive happier times, such as for me it's collecting video games and 80s memorabilia, and for others it's a link for them to their favorite movies. Humans have always had this built in urge to collect even if it was just shiny stones they found or later on art. For some folks the pure materialism may make them happy as some of the high end items require you to have done very well in life or made a lot of sacrifices to get the item so that alone makes the item a sign of achievement. For some folks it's a challenge such as making a screen accurate saber from original parts. For some there's the addictive part of it, one part that I tend to have personal issues with over the years, where you can't stop collecting no matter what.
There's just as many reasons we collect as there are people I think, every reason is a slight variation on what other reasons folks have.
There's just as many reasons we collect as there are people I think, every reason is a slight variation on what other reasons folks have.
In part I think you end up learning about some of the items that you collect, I've now actually gone and brought 2 Michel turntables so that I can restore one of them. I would never had thought of doing that had the thing not been used to supply parts to the Bowcaster. Some of the old things look really sweet and have a very nice style to them. It would be great to own a complete MPP Camera One day for example and have it sit on a tripod in a conservatory or the likes just as a curio-so - but first need the conservatory 
D3adrock
Well-Known Member
Both are excellent answers! (and ones I might steal for when people ask me) Personally, I don't really know why, but it was the first thing I ever wanted as a kid, just because it was the coolest thing to me that I could think of. Now that i'm older I have an appreciation of the history that each piece represents. I feel like i'm building my own little museum of cultural curious.
division 6
Master Member
For some it tends to be having something Iconic from a movie or game. (Maltese Falcon, Indy Idol, Graflex Lightsaber, JP Cryo Can, etc)
In other cases it's the challenge of finding or making the raw parts into something iconic.
Then there is the journey of the quest and discovery, once you have it the quest is over and you need to start another to keep your focus.
In other cases it's the challenge of finding or making the raw parts into something iconic.
Then there is the journey of the quest and discovery, once you have it the quest is over and you need to start another to keep your focus.
I once saw a vid where Adam Savage tried to explain why he collects/ builds replica props... and if I had to say his final answer... I have no idea. He didn't seem to have one.
So if he couldn't be clear, there's no chance I can...
I just like holding, looking at, building them... don't know why.
So if he couldn't be clear, there's no chance I can...
I just like holding, looking at, building them... don't know why.
D3adrock
Well-Known Member
Was it that TED talk with the maltese falcon?
may be... I do think it was a Ted Talk
I remember sending it to my wife saying "Well he doesn't seem to know why I do it either..."
My fiance and her roommates, all but one of who are in their 20s, don't get my game collecting since you can get all the vintage games online but to me it's keeping history alive in a world that just doesn't care what happened before the current generation was alive. Kids learn way too late that history matters whether it's toys, movies, or even world history so we have to preserve it as long as we can until they get their heads out of their backsides and learn to care.
D3adrock
Well-Known Member
I agree 100% It's one of the reasons I still keep my old Gameboy even though the Gameboy color plays all those games and more.
I got into it because of that "replica" word in there. All my life I'd been buying toys, models, things that were mass produced, but lacked soul and attention to detail.
One day I stumbled on RPF, and found a community of builders who are dedicated to understanding every nuance of a prop, and "getting it right" once and for all. I really admire that.
Once the replica is in my hands, I compare it to the original (in photos, movie clips, whatever I reference I have on it) and marvel at how I am lucky enough to own a thing that is JUST LIKE that thing I really loved seeing in the film.
Some other people don't get that kick from a replica, and they have the resources to go after the ACTUAL items that were used in the films and TV shows they love. More power to them. But prop replica collecting is a way for ME to own a variety of these items that I cherish, which I could never afford the originals of.
Karl
One day I stumbled on RPF, and found a community of builders who are dedicated to understanding every nuance of a prop, and "getting it right" once and for all. I really admire that.
Once the replica is in my hands, I compare it to the original (in photos, movie clips, whatever I reference I have on it) and marvel at how I am lucky enough to own a thing that is JUST LIKE that thing I really loved seeing in the film.
Some other people don't get that kick from a replica, and they have the resources to go after the ACTUAL items that were used in the films and TV shows they love. More power to them. But prop replica collecting is a way for ME to own a variety of these items that I cherish, which I could never afford the originals of.
Karl
Adam posts on here I think, so there's a chance he'll respond directly. But I got the impression that Adam really loves the PROCESS... first the obsessive research, then the building, and then the pride of owning a thing that he himself made happen. I've felt the same way on occasion.
https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_savage_s_obsessions?language=en
Probe Droid
Master Member
Chicks dig it.
Buwahahahahaha!!!!
Buwahahahahaha!!!!
This was the last group that didn't have a restraining order against me...
I like it because I want a replica of the weapon from that universe. I also like building things so it all kind of worked out. :lol
I like it because I want a replica of the weapon from that universe. I also like building things so it all kind of worked out. :lol
I do it mainly for the chase. The other fun part is actually getting to lay hands and eyes on something cool. Its like solving a puzzle that your mind has been working on. Once you have the finished piece in your hand, the mind gets a little smiley pheromone. Then you put it in a case and go to the next quest.
No the tolerate it because otherwise we'd be even more annoying to them lol
idk, i really love "movie magic" i love learning how props worked, martyr bttf2 jacket is one of my favorites, seeing 4 guys off screen controlling it... i like being able to collect and build prop replicas so when people come over and they ask "what the hell is that" and i say its a 1:1 scale, just like in the movie blah blah blah, and i explain how it worked, i enjoy that.
just recently i had my star killer v2 on my work bench, my father came down into my work area the other day saw it on the bench and when he picked it up it fell to pieces... he thought i would have killed him but told him i was going to beat it up anyway, thats when he looked at me weird because it looks so freshly CNC'ed. i showed him pictures of the weather paint job on the real prop, showed him how the prop was put together and how it worked, where the toggle switch use to be... he enjoyed listening and i enjoyed explaining. he asked me how i knew all this and i told him therpf. its a place where guys with all this knowledge come together and share and show off there stuff
he thought it was really cool... so thats probably why i collect, to keep a piece of movie magic and tell stories about them when i have someone over
just recently i had my star killer v2 on my work bench, my father came down into my work area the other day saw it on the bench and when he picked it up it fell to pieces... he thought i would have killed him but told him i was going to beat it up anyway, thats when he looked at me weird because it looks so freshly CNC'ed. i showed him pictures of the weather paint job on the real prop, showed him how the prop was put together and how it worked, where the toggle switch use to be... he enjoyed listening and i enjoyed explaining. he asked me how i knew all this and i told him therpf. its a place where guys with all this knowledge come together and share and show off there stuff
he thought it was really cool... so thats probably why i collect, to keep a piece of movie magic and tell stories about them when i have someone over
That I can imagine for a moment that that fictional place exists.
Darth Lars
Master Member
A lot of it is the collecting bug and the collecting community.
The collecting bug is about the chase, the want to get more and more interesting objects. In the community, people encourage each other in various ways. On the positive side, it feels nice to help others with the same interests. On the negative side (in a way), there are lots of stuff that I would not even have thought of acquiring if it hadn't been for the community driving up the interest.
I also have a collection of computer keyboards: Some vintage, some new, some I have built myself. I find that that community of keyboard nerds has many similarities than differences with the community here on the RPF, even though the objects that we collect/build/modify/customize are completely different. There are group buys of parts, research threads on vintage hardware, nostalgia, identification of objects in photos (...), long discussions about various topics in the larger world around the keyboards etc. And these collectors are certainly bitten by the collecting bug in the same way as here.
Also:
I love creating stuff, doing stuff with my hands, and learning new crafts and techniques.
I'm a nerd at heart, who loves to dwell deep into research about esoteric topics...
The foundation is of course my interest in movies. My interest in Star Wars props has been fed by being part of the larger Star Wars fan community.
I was introduced to movie magic by my dad who was a journalist who wrote mostly about movies, and had even worked in the industry.
The collecting bug is about the chase, the want to get more and more interesting objects. In the community, people encourage each other in various ways. On the positive side, it feels nice to help others with the same interests. On the negative side (in a way), there are lots of stuff that I would not even have thought of acquiring if it hadn't been for the community driving up the interest.
I also have a collection of computer keyboards: Some vintage, some new, some I have built myself. I find that that community of keyboard nerds has many similarities than differences with the community here on the RPF, even though the objects that we collect/build/modify/customize are completely different. There are group buys of parts, research threads on vintage hardware, nostalgia, identification of objects in photos (...), long discussions about various topics in the larger world around the keyboards etc. And these collectors are certainly bitten by the collecting bug in the same way as here.
Also:
I love creating stuff, doing stuff with my hands, and learning new crafts and techniques.
I'm a nerd at heart, who loves to dwell deep into research about esoteric topics...
The foundation is of course my interest in movies. My interest in Star Wars props has been fed by being part of the larger Star Wars fan community.
I was introduced to movie magic by my dad who was a journalist who wrote mostly about movies, and had even worked in the industry.
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