KramStaar
Sr Member
The Grail Diary is arguably one of the most replicated Indy props around and these can range from downright shocking through to some of the most terrific handmade books ever seen. The diary was always something I either, wanted to make myself or acquire and since I don't have any time free to make one at present, I set off on my own private quest to track down what - for me - represented the most desirable diary replica…
In the upper echelons, there are some serious prop guru's in the mix and all of them should be thanked - by us - for their tireless work in sorting out details, finishes and inserts. In all honesty, I'm sometimes at a loss to figure out how they are able to look at a pixellated low-res screen grab and determine that there is actually a gnat hair lodged in the upper fold of the prophet's robe, but, ultimately it seems they are right and I can only sit back, shake my head and marvel.
Those of you who know my occupation and my preference in props will know I don't have many but those I do possess are for me not necessarily screen accurate (because I've often seen the real thing and for me the SA issue can be an endless cycle of arguments and mutterings which ultimately take away the fun), but they represent what I consider to be the best and at times different, representation of the item in question…
I looked and inspected carefully and in the end I settled on two that I thought fit the bill and these were demiguel.m's new diary - http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=64720&highlight=grail+diary and Sarednab's gorgeous masterpiece - http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=60009&highlight=grail+diary and after a short session of string meditation and walking on hot coals, I chose demiguel.m's prop.
For some reason, the journey from demiguel.m's library to my shack took forever (no doubt because of Walter Donovan's inconsiderate interference again) but in the end and nearly 4 weeks later, it arrived at my studio in a small unobtrusive brown box.
As has become the tradition, the diary was wrapped in the plain brown paper wrapping and addressed to Indiana Jones
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When I opened the wrapping the first thing that struck me was that the book is simply bursting with pages, inserts and custom items and this, combined with the dark leather cover and flawless binding convinced me that I had been correct in selecting this particular diary replica.
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The thing that impressed me most when I opened the book, is the level of detail included on each page. The writing has been painstakingly compiled by hand and it looks like it because it varies from page to page and from sentence to sentence. demiguel.m's dedication to this is in my opinion simply top drawer because absolutely everything has been meticulously handcrafted to the highest level.
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RPF members who are also members of COW who've followed the diary section, will know how much work has been done by the guru's there in getting each detail nailed down as accurately as possible and every one of the inserts bears testimony to the dedication of this gifted team. While some items might not strictly be accurate (the gray letter for example), there is no question that each item is a treasure and demiguel.m's skill and patience are to be commended highly.
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As you would have gathered by now, its hard for me not to be thoroughly impressed by this prop. Besides all of the above, I was sceptical that the ageing would be that good because after all, I own one of Mars and Taz' BOS masterpieces and the hours and hours of work Mars did in ageing the pages and thick leather cover is of the highest order. Its fair to say that the talented demiguel.m has equalled Mars' achievements because this book is for me the real deal and the final kicker is that this book even smells old!
---------------------------------->
So, the question therefore is: "Is this prop perfect?" and the answer would certainly be "no" but that is not to take away from demiguel.m's monumental achievement because for me, its one of the most desirable props I own. The few niggles I have with it are really because of my own preferences for example, the cover was not as distressed as the one's I has seen posted on line but in the end I know that the cover I was given allowed me the opportunity to modify it to my satisfaction. Likewise some of the printing and paper used was a little to shiny for my liking (the Camel pack for example), and as I've done with the Silver Dollar, I have my own inserts that ultimately will replace the few I'm not entirely satisfied with.
In closing, I cannot recommend this prop highly enough and for those looking, I strongly suggest you consider this one for your collection. My only regret is knowing that after all this tireless work the proper $$ remuneration for this little piece of art will probably never be achieved by the artist who made it - in reality I think that the work involved here is worth far more than the price that was asked.
Congratulations demiguel.m mate and thanks
Regards
MARK
In the upper echelons, there are some serious prop guru's in the mix and all of them should be thanked - by us - for their tireless work in sorting out details, finishes and inserts. In all honesty, I'm sometimes at a loss to figure out how they are able to look at a pixellated low-res screen grab and determine that there is actually a gnat hair lodged in the upper fold of the prophet's robe, but, ultimately it seems they are right and I can only sit back, shake my head and marvel.
Those of you who know my occupation and my preference in props will know I don't have many but those I do possess are for me not necessarily screen accurate (because I've often seen the real thing and for me the SA issue can be an endless cycle of arguments and mutterings which ultimately take away the fun), but they represent what I consider to be the best and at times different, representation of the item in question…
I looked and inspected carefully and in the end I settled on two that I thought fit the bill and these were demiguel.m's new diary - http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=64720&highlight=grail+diary and Sarednab's gorgeous masterpiece - http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=60009&highlight=grail+diary and after a short session of string meditation and walking on hot coals, I chose demiguel.m's prop.
For some reason, the journey from demiguel.m's library to my shack took forever (no doubt because of Walter Donovan's inconsiderate interference again) but in the end and nearly 4 weeks later, it arrived at my studio in a small unobtrusive brown box.
As has become the tradition, the diary was wrapped in the plain brown paper wrapping and addressed to Indiana Jones
---------------------------------->
When I opened the wrapping the first thing that struck me was that the book is simply bursting with pages, inserts and custom items and this, combined with the dark leather cover and flawless binding convinced me that I had been correct in selecting this particular diary replica.
---------------------------------->
The thing that impressed me most when I opened the book, is the level of detail included on each page. The writing has been painstakingly compiled by hand and it looks like it because it varies from page to page and from sentence to sentence. demiguel.m's dedication to this is in my opinion simply top drawer because absolutely everything has been meticulously handcrafted to the highest level.
---------------------------------->
RPF members who are also members of COW who've followed the diary section, will know how much work has been done by the guru's there in getting each detail nailed down as accurately as possible and every one of the inserts bears testimony to the dedication of this gifted team. While some items might not strictly be accurate (the gray letter for example), there is no question that each item is a treasure and demiguel.m's skill and patience are to be commended highly.
---------------------------------->
As you would have gathered by now, its hard for me not to be thoroughly impressed by this prop. Besides all of the above, I was sceptical that the ageing would be that good because after all, I own one of Mars and Taz' BOS masterpieces and the hours and hours of work Mars did in ageing the pages and thick leather cover is of the highest order. Its fair to say that the talented demiguel.m has equalled Mars' achievements because this book is for me the real deal and the final kicker is that this book even smells old!
---------------------------------->
So, the question therefore is: "Is this prop perfect?" and the answer would certainly be "no" but that is not to take away from demiguel.m's monumental achievement because for me, its one of the most desirable props I own. The few niggles I have with it are really because of my own preferences for example, the cover was not as distressed as the one's I has seen posted on line but in the end I know that the cover I was given allowed me the opportunity to modify it to my satisfaction. Likewise some of the printing and paper used was a little to shiny for my liking (the Camel pack for example), and as I've done with the Silver Dollar, I have my own inserts that ultimately will replace the few I'm not entirely satisfied with.
In closing, I cannot recommend this prop highly enough and for those looking, I strongly suggest you consider this one for your collection. My only regret is knowing that after all this tireless work the proper $$ remuneration for this little piece of art will probably never be achieved by the artist who made it - in reality I think that the work involved here is worth far more than the price that was asked.
Congratulations demiguel.m mate and thanks
Regards
MARK
