Honey I Shrunk The Kids SHRINK RAY
- Thread starter SPENGLER87
- Start date
Wow! Screen used? Bowers is in Santa Ana, right?
BigBob
New Member
Yes, I’m pretty sure the museum’s in Santa Ana. I’d totally kill to go there! I do believe it’s screen used as it reportedly came directly from Disney, though it may be from honey I blew up the kid. I say this because the white, braided cable that wraps around the coils of the machine runs off outward towards the front of the machine, which is one of the small changes made to the machine in the film. Who knows though. Still pretty cool to see it on display and not scrapped like it thought
Oh they're doing a whole Disney exhibit, I'm definitely gonna check it out in the next couple of months. I'll take pics.
That'd be amazing, if you could manage to take shots of all of the mecanism, and maybe spot brands on the rotary motor, would be good haha
Is this the same one that used to be in the "prop warehouse" before the backlot tour at Hollywood Studios?
Sure. Might have to wait a month before things settle down with all this COVID-19 stuff (or when I run out of toilet paper).
Let's make that 2 months (at least).
Have you guys seen the trailer for the Disney+ series. The ray gun pops up a few times.
BigBob
New Member
Holy moly! Not just the machine but the mechanical skeleton for “Antie” and the stop motion scorpion!
WayneSzalinski
New Member
I took some screenshots of the shrinking machine. Enjoy! 
Bowers is finally reopening. I’m planning to go next weekend.
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RagnarokandRoll
Active Member
Hey all!! It's been ages, but I've been biding my time in the shadows, watching and waiting for the right opportunity to bring my endeavors on this back...and lo and behold, this old post is suddenly active again!!
My eyes similarly popped out of their sockets when I saw The Machine among the various episodes of "Prop Culture". I was amazed to find out about the Bowers exhibit, considering it was 20 minutes away from where I live these days...and could have been accessed for months before this crazy pandemic struck!
I will also be in attendance this weekend! I know it's probably a bad idea but I can't wait to check out the restoration, even in spite of the minor inaccuracies and lingering problems the machine carries from years of neglect / the third film...very excited for this upcoming weekend!
Attached is a screenshot of my WIP illustration, which will hopefully turn into something more tangible and ready for academic perusal in the near future. I am also the proud owner now of a sony viewfinder, handicam, and dictaphone mic (boy o boy was that thing filthy...).
My eyes similarly popped out of their sockets when I saw The Machine among the various episodes of "Prop Culture". I was amazed to find out about the Bowers exhibit, considering it was 20 minutes away from where I live these days...and could have been accessed for months before this crazy pandemic struck!
I will also be in attendance this weekend! I know it's probably a bad idea but I can't wait to check out the restoration, even in spite of the minor inaccuracies and lingering problems the machine carries from years of neglect / the third film...very excited for this upcoming weekend!
Attached is a screenshot of my WIP illustration, which will hopefully turn into something more tangible and ready for academic perusal in the near future. I am also the proud owner now of a sony viewfinder, handicam, and dictaphone mic (boy o boy was that thing filthy...).
Attachments
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RagnarokandRoll
Active Member
Might as well get your collective eyes on the latest puzzle in a long line of them I've been working on.
The restoration was a great thing to happen to the prop for the sake of fandom in general, but one of the weak points compared to what I've been able to observe in the film is the re-creation of what I call the "AV mounting bracket", the U-shaped steel piece that the Handicam and Viewfinder attach to. It's very hard to say exactly how accurate or inaccurate it is because so few detailed photographs exist from the Machine in its original configuration (ie HISK '89) of the back and left sides of the prop, but as we can see in the following picture, there are some notable differences in height (as well as the tripod grip which now juts out of the back), as demonstrated by the dashed lines I've added. Note how on the original, the top of the Handicam lines up pretty evenly with the top of the viewfinder, but the 2020 version is sitting much higher:
In re-examining the precious few angles we get of how exactly the camera is attached to the "av mounting bracket", I noticed that we actually are afforded one very clear view of the tripod mount and related hardware. Please forgive the Charlie-Day-like appearance of the following images:
Outlined in red is the "av mounting bracket". In blue is the camera mount. On the upper left side of the image, you can clearly see a green logo on the tripod mount that I personally can't make out or recognize. Vimac? Vimoc? Notice also that it is mounted over the center of the "barrel" of the machine, but the tripod mount head itself is slightly off-center, to the left (facing the machine).
The only other time we get a close up of this piece is towards the end of the movie, when Wayne and Diane are fixing the machine:
Same color coding applies. (bonus: the rarely-seen rear metal box is outlined in yellow. Very shiny and reflective, so it's very hard to see the edge unless you know what you're looking for. This piece is currently not replicated or represented in the 2020 restoration)
Notice that the green logo from before is not visible and has seemingly been covered, likely with gaffe tape...so the logo wasn't supposed to be visible to us. Whoops! Their mistake is our gain, though.
...if we can somehow source that component, which looks like it's sitting on some kind of slide-bracket with ridges (above)
more to come!
The restoration was a great thing to happen to the prop for the sake of fandom in general, but one of the weak points compared to what I've been able to observe in the film is the re-creation of what I call the "AV mounting bracket", the U-shaped steel piece that the Handicam and Viewfinder attach to. It's very hard to say exactly how accurate or inaccurate it is because so few detailed photographs exist from the Machine in its original configuration (ie HISK '89) of the back and left sides of the prop, but as we can see in the following picture, there are some notable differences in height (as well as the tripod grip which now juts out of the back), as demonstrated by the dashed lines I've added. Note how on the original, the top of the Handicam lines up pretty evenly with the top of the viewfinder, but the 2020 version is sitting much higher:
In re-examining the precious few angles we get of how exactly the camera is attached to the "av mounting bracket", I noticed that we actually are afforded one very clear view of the tripod mount and related hardware. Please forgive the Charlie-Day-like appearance of the following images:
Outlined in red is the "av mounting bracket". In blue is the camera mount. On the upper left side of the image, you can clearly see a green logo on the tripod mount that I personally can't make out or recognize. Vimac? Vimoc? Notice also that it is mounted over the center of the "barrel" of the machine, but the tripod mount head itself is slightly off-center, to the left (facing the machine).
The only other time we get a close up of this piece is towards the end of the movie, when Wayne and Diane are fixing the machine:
Same color coding applies. (bonus: the rarely-seen rear metal box is outlined in yellow. Very shiny and reflective, so it's very hard to see the edge unless you know what you're looking for. This piece is currently not replicated or represented in the 2020 restoration)
Notice that the green logo from before is not visible and has seemingly been covered, likely with gaffe tape...so the logo wasn't supposed to be visible to us. Whoops! Their mistake is our gain, though.
...if we can somehow source that component, which looks like it's sitting on some kind of slide-bracket with ridges (above)
more to come!
Attachments
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protonpack
Active Member
Well, RagnarokandRoll, your timing could not have been better. I've spent the last 2 or so weeks back on the shrink machine, and more specifically on that part. I got the Sony BVF-50 monitor several years ago, and I finally decided to buy one of the Handicams. The grey one (the CCD-V30) is nowhere to be found on eBay, but the black one (the CCD-V3) is pretty easily available. The grey one is most visible in the film, but the black one makes a couple brief appearances (and is more visible in the second film).
After I bought that, I realized I would need the mount, so I spent a couple days just searching for that one part. And I found it!
It's a Vintec micro focus adjuster from Japan, used to incrementally move a camera. I even found one new in box!
Incidentally, the slider (or tripod head for that matter) doesn't appear at all in the second film. It looks like the camera was just bolted to the now-extended metal plate (all cameras have a 1/4-20 thread on the bottom to mount to things).
Following that revelation (my first part ID!), I realized I would have to hook the camera and the monitor together. I tracked down a service manual for the BVF-50 and saw that it need a nominal 12V power supply to work, but no mention of the amperage (it does mention the power consumption in watts, but I didn't trust my math that much). I used my variable power supply set at 12V and slowly brought up the amps. When it got to 800mA, the screen turned on (my math was right!). This came with the realization that this may have been the first time these two models had been used in conjunction with each other since they filmed the second movie, which is pretty cool.
(I know it's not gorgeous, but it works.)
Next, I was staring at the shots where you could see the mounting bracket, and I noticed the piece of hardware for mounting the monitor looked familiar. I found some NRC MCFs on eBay and, there you have it. They used one (upside-down) to hold the monitor!
Now all I have to do is get the mount bracket itself made, and there are a few more mysteries (like how it mounts to the machine itself) that I need to solve first.
After I bought that, I realized I would need the mount, so I spent a couple days just searching for that one part. And I found it!
It's a Vintec micro focus adjuster from Japan, used to incrementally move a camera. I even found one new in box!
Incidentally, the slider (or tripod head for that matter) doesn't appear at all in the second film. It looks like the camera was just bolted to the now-extended metal plate (all cameras have a 1/4-20 thread on the bottom to mount to things).
Following that revelation (my first part ID!), I realized I would have to hook the camera and the monitor together. I tracked down a service manual for the BVF-50 and saw that it need a nominal 12V power supply to work, but no mention of the amperage (it does mention the power consumption in watts, but I didn't trust my math that much). I used my variable power supply set at 12V and slowly brought up the amps. When it got to 800mA, the screen turned on (my math was right!). This came with the realization that this may have been the first time these two models had been used in conjunction with each other since they filmed the second movie, which is pretty cool.
(I know it's not gorgeous, but it works.)
Next, I was staring at the shots where you could see the mounting bracket, and I noticed the piece of hardware for mounting the monitor looked familiar. I found some NRC MCFs on eBay and, there you have it. They used one (upside-down) to hold the monitor!
Now all I have to do is get the mount bracket itself made, and there are a few more mysteries (like how it mounts to the machine itself) that I need to solve first.
RagnarokandRoll
Active Member
Wowzers, that was fast! Nice find protonpack! Got mine on the way!!
Couple of things about the mystery you mentioned:
- The original "AV mounting bracket" as I like to call it was offset from the 'rear flange' (square piece that holds the tubes, rear of machine) by a few inches. This is visible in several shots in the original film; I don't know if the restoration features this, as it looked like theirs was attached directly to the rear flange? I'll know that bit for sure soon enough.
- I'm convinced (judging mostly to photographic evidence and the way the bracket itself bobs and moves when in the van in HIBUK) that the bracket was a simple U-shaped piece (turned sideways) made out of steel and welded together, and connected on the directly to the 'Large Heat Sink' with bolts. The 2 mounts for the viewfinder and camera were then attached to it.
- This would give it the stability and support needed to hoist the 'viewfinder' which did in fact work and is not light.
-----------------
More thoughts:
1. The Large Heat Sink is not going to be easy to source. They likely went to Apex or a place like it and pulled it off of an HVAC system or possibly a plane. It's also possibly a custom extrusion and could in fact be one of a kind. Also, if you live anywhere near LA / soCal I definitely recommend a visit to Apex...I just hope it's not permanently shuttered now!
2. The reason I mention the Large Heat Sink is because I have reason to believe it is in fact a key structural component and not simply ornamental - especially in regard to the "tilt" mechanism. I can and will elucidate about this when my illustration is better.
3. Furthermore, the Large Heat Sink is almost 100% definitely one big piece, and not two smaller ones put together as the "blueprint" from Prop Culture suggests; I've seen the machine enough times with my own eyes and have oodles of pictures that supports this to be about 95% sure.
4. Just because it came up, I also have reason to believe the Machine at Bowers, the Machine from the third film, the van-mounted machine, and the original, are all one and the same. Joe Johnston himself confirmed this on "Prop Culture" - there was only ever one of these and it's been mostly at the Disney/MGM studios theme park for the portion of its life that was not on set.
More fun stuff coming soon! Also, I have a terminology list I'd like to share with you guys for the sake of easing communication...let me know if that's cool or too much. It's easier to jam on this stuff when we're all using the same phrases.
Couple of things about the mystery you mentioned:
- The original "AV mounting bracket" as I like to call it was offset from the 'rear flange' (square piece that holds the tubes, rear of machine) by a few inches. This is visible in several shots in the original film; I don't know if the restoration features this, as it looked like theirs was attached directly to the rear flange? I'll know that bit for sure soon enough.
- I'm convinced (judging mostly to photographic evidence and the way the bracket itself bobs and moves when in the van in HIBUK) that the bracket was a simple U-shaped piece (turned sideways) made out of steel and welded together, and connected on the directly to the 'Large Heat Sink' with bolts. The 2 mounts for the viewfinder and camera were then attached to it.
- This would give it the stability and support needed to hoist the 'viewfinder' which did in fact work and is not light.
-----------------
More thoughts:
1. The Large Heat Sink is not going to be easy to source. They likely went to Apex or a place like it and pulled it off of an HVAC system or possibly a plane. It's also possibly a custom extrusion and could in fact be one of a kind. Also, if you live anywhere near LA / soCal I definitely recommend a visit to Apex...I just hope it's not permanently shuttered now!
2. The reason I mention the Large Heat Sink is because I have reason to believe it is in fact a key structural component and not simply ornamental - especially in regard to the "tilt" mechanism. I can and will elucidate about this when my illustration is better.
3. Furthermore, the Large Heat Sink is almost 100% definitely one big piece, and not two smaller ones put together as the "blueprint" from Prop Culture suggests; I've seen the machine enough times with my own eyes and have oodles of pictures that supports this to be about 95% sure.
4. Just because it came up, I also have reason to believe the Machine at Bowers, the Machine from the third film, the van-mounted machine, and the original, are all one and the same. Joe Johnston himself confirmed this on "Prop Culture" - there was only ever one of these and it's been mostly at the Disney/MGM studios theme park for the portion of its life that was not on set.
More fun stuff coming soon! Also, I have a terminology list I'd like to share with you guys for the sake of easing communication...let me know if that's cool or too much. It's easier to jam on this stuff when we're all using the same phrases.
Enjoying this a lot!
Gen0
Active Member
Same here, nostalgia overflow.
RagnarokandRoll
Active Member
Hey all!
So in re-reading the entirety of the thread, I noticed that the blueprint featured for a split second in "prop culture" is the same one from deviant art that was posted here awhile ago (Honey, I... Chapter 1 W.I.P 1 by Mr-MegaTronic on DeviantArt)...while its an amazing piece of artwork, I would warn anyone aiming for accuracy to take it with a grain of salt (the heat sink is split into two, incorrect spacing / placement of flanges, heat sink too low, etc)
As I count down the days to this Saturday, I wanted to mention something else I've observed of late: sadly, I doubt very much that the machine is capable of the range of motion it once possessed.
My conviction is based on the following things:
1. The Machine is evidently bolted to the metal pegboard it's mounted to in such a way as to keep it from rotating:
2. I have doubts that the motor above is functional as there are no wires leading to nor from it; it is also quite different from the original, as seen here from the first film:
There was also a separate L-bracket supporting the motor from the HISK / HIBUK days that can be seen above. Here's the closest view we have:
In the intervening years, that original motor (along with many other small odds and ends) was stripped from the machine for some other use, a common practice:
Note the main drive chain just sitting there not attached to anything and the missing motor and bracket (...not to mention the prodigious amount of rust on the outer transference gears and elsewhere). Also, note the wheels underneath that allowed it to rotate.
The same from prop culture:
3. The new sprocket that's attached to the new motor looks a bit dodgy.
As seen in the '89 HISK pictures above, the original sprocket attached to the motor drive shaft was pretty small, almost the size of the shaft itself.
Here's how the restoration looks today:
That does not look like a functional sprocket!
Side by side, 1989 / 2020. What age does to a prop.
-------------------------------------
Still working on that term list. Here's what I've got so far. I'd love to hear from others as I'm sure others have their own internal-monolog-y names for these things.
So in re-reading the entirety of the thread, I noticed that the blueprint featured for a split second in "prop culture" is the same one from deviant art that was posted here awhile ago (Honey, I... Chapter 1 W.I.P 1 by Mr-MegaTronic on DeviantArt)...while its an amazing piece of artwork, I would warn anyone aiming for accuracy to take it with a grain of salt (the heat sink is split into two, incorrect spacing / placement of flanges, heat sink too low, etc)
As I count down the days to this Saturday, I wanted to mention something else I've observed of late: sadly, I doubt very much that the machine is capable of the range of motion it once possessed.
My conviction is based on the following things:
1. The Machine is evidently bolted to the metal pegboard it's mounted to in such a way as to keep it from rotating:
2. I have doubts that the motor above is functional as there are no wires leading to nor from it; it is also quite different from the original, as seen here from the first film:
There was also a separate L-bracket supporting the motor from the HISK / HIBUK days that can be seen above. Here's the closest view we have:
In the intervening years, that original motor (along with many other small odds and ends) was stripped from the machine for some other use, a common practice:
Note the main drive chain just sitting there not attached to anything and the missing motor and bracket (...not to mention the prodigious amount of rust on the outer transference gears and elsewhere). Also, note the wheels underneath that allowed it to rotate.
The same from prop culture:
3. The new sprocket that's attached to the new motor looks a bit dodgy.
As seen in the '89 HISK pictures above, the original sprocket attached to the motor drive shaft was pretty small, almost the size of the shaft itself.
Here's how the restoration looks today:
That does not look like a functional sprocket!
Side by side, 1989 / 2020. What age does to a prop.
-------------------------------------
Still working on that term list. Here's what I've got so far. I'd love to hear from others as I'm sure others have their own internal-monolog-y names for these things.
- HISK – Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
- HIBUK – Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1991)
- HWSO – Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997)
- The Machine – the Shrinking Machine in its original configuration, 1989-circa 1990. The goal is to recreate this as closely as possible.
- Machine II – the Shrinking Machine in its HIBUK configuration with side boxes, a different camcorder, and other changes 1990 – circa 1996
- Machine III – the Shrinking Machine in its HWSO configuration, with a lot of extraneous protrusions and miscellaneous changes. Sat in the queue for the Backlot Tour for a decade in this condition with many parts missing, in generally poor condition. 1996 – 2019
- Machine IV – the Shrinking Machine in its current configuration back in the possession of the Disney Archives, post restoration. Many details have been re-created or replaced, but inconsistencies and differences suggest a 4th variant.
- Barrel – the 8 copper / brass / aluminum tubes that comprise the “barrel” of the machine
- Emitter – the entire assembly on the end of the Barrel out of which shrinky beams may accidentally erupt.
- Nozzle – the metallic cylindrical piece within the emitter which make-small lightning comes out of. Likely a custom machined piece, as it had a lot of closeups in the original film.
- Flanges – 2 square pieces that hold up the barrel tubes.
- Armature – the zigzaggy bit underneath that looks vaguely like a boat. Attaches to the heat sink and holds up / supports the Flanges. Is the connection point between the superstructure and the scissor lift. Originally made out of aluminum or possibly steel square tubing welded together.
- Stabilizing Tube / Pips – the ~3/4” gray metal tube on top of the machine that sticks through two small metal squares (Pips), which in turn are attached to the Flanges
- Superstructure – the entirety of The Machine, heat sink, barrel, armature, etc that sits on top of the Scissor Lift
- Scissor Lift – The entirety of the equipment that isn't the superstructure. Makes / made the machine go up/down and rotate.
- Large Heat Sink – the enormous and likely-impossible-to-find ~13” x 19” x 1” heat sink. Likely came off of an airplane, or quite possibly an alien space craft. Can be either machined or a custom extrusion ordered online that would match close enough for lunch.
- Video Mounting Bracket – U-shaped metal bracket that holds the Viewfinder and Camcorder above the machine. Its U-shape is evident from the way the machine bounces and otherwise shimmies in the van in the second film. I dropped "AV" because no audio that I know of, unless you count the dictaphone mic.
- Gray Box – The mysterious rear gray box seen only briefly in the first two films. Originally located behind / attached to the rear flange. More on this subject next time!
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Just back from the Bowers exhibit. Wow, what an amazing collection. I took a ton more pics, but here’s just the shrink ray.
