Indiana Jones Dial of Destiny - Hero Prop

tigersharktoo

Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Here is my Dial of Destiny Antikythera prop. Completely 3D modeled and hand painted by me based off of as many accurate reference photos and screen grabs as I could find.

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The Beginning..

I started working on this project way back in March/April 2023 when the first movie trailer with an image of it came out. I initially kept it under wraps since I was the first prop maker “actually doing something about it” to come out with a preliminary version based on the first movie trailer and because others were trying to use images and screenshots used without permission of mine taken from a private collector group as reference images to make theirs. This early version I made was far from accurate but not bad considering I had the one somewhat blurry screen shot of it to work off of.

Screenshot from the first movie trailer and my first prototype version back in April 2023
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The dial that started it all, the first actual fan-made dial prop replica
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The Second Version:

After new images surfaced of the one on display at the Den of Destiny came out, and even more detailed images of the one at the Hollywood Premier, I went back to the drawing board and redesigned it to be more accurate to the new reference images. I also hand-traced all of the runes and glyphs by hand and transferred them onto my 3D model of the dial, including specific weathering found on the screen used one.

My first versions of this had a flat disc for the internal gearbox which I had taken artistic liberties to create not knowing the depth of it due to limited information from the Hollywood Premier photos, which several other dial prop makers subsequently copied my interpretation of it which was very obvious in them updating their versions soon after I had posted photos of mine on social media. I also designed that version with a flat gear-box for ease of production at the time, knowing at some point down the road that I’d probably have to redesign it to be true to the screen used one once the movie came out. (I just found it very amusing some other dial makers relied so heavily on my artistic interpretations of it rather than pulling details off screenshots or photos of the actual prop.)

My second version with the gearbox situated on a thick flat disc (before the movie was out in theaters) This version was a lot more detailed than the prototype I had made and I feel was still fairly accurate considering the limited reference material at the time.
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Making the Final Version

Once the movie came out I was able to get much better screen grabs to use to make the dial prop what it is today with an accurate depth gearbox that had space for the inner mother of pearl glyph disc to slot into. This was easily one of the most time-invested Indiana Jones props I’ve ever made out of all the other Indy props I make, having spent upwards of 140 hours 3D modeling the dial prop over the past year until I felt it was the most accurate one out there, and I can confidently say it is. This also involved making dozens of prototypes and a few separate versions as better reference material came out until I came out with the final version you see here in all of its weathered and detailed glory.

The Final version, with accurate internal gearbox and much more detail and weathering
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The Details..

The two halves open up to reveal the internal gearbox (which I “lean on my artistic skills to give dimensionality” ..lmao. I say that jokingly since a critic with no art skills made that remark in an impotent attempt to belittle and put down mine) and I use real mother of pearl veneer that I laser engrave for the inner glyph disc. The dial prop is completely made from resin, and has a rotating center gear (attached by magnets on a washer which was an idea I came up with for this dial and others copied) and functional pop-out compass/necklace when the pin is pulled from the spring-loaded compass that I engineered and test fit, that I made specifically to only fit my version. Any other compasses made by others will not fit my dial, I specifically designed it that way to only fit mine.

Although I could make the Antikythera prop with all its moving gears, I felt having many moving parts or individual moving gears and cogs were ultimately pointless due to most people only having it as a display piece in their collections, as well as the long production time that already went into making each one, so every gear is fixed in place for ease of production and less parts to worry about breaking. The dial does not sacrifice screen-accuracy for strength in any way, as I’ve designed it to be screen accurate and have never had any issues with any damaged in shipping, unlike other dial makers in their reviews who did. I’ve meticulously tested every tolerance between pieces to make sure all parts fit together smoothly and there are no parts that rub paint off when the halves are put together or pulled apart. With the finish, I use a special combination of a few gold paints to give it a matching look to the actual prop and I weather the dial with several dark washes to get the right look of the screen used prop.

This one I made is also featured in five different film museums and Indiana jones exhibitions around the world, and the actor who plays Jürgen Voller even held it in his hands at an event and said it was worthy of his villain character, after someone I had made it for had brought it to show him.

One of my earlier designs of the dial prop on display in a museum in Switzerland:
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On display on an Indiana Jones exhibition in Spain:
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And an earlier version I made back in April 2023 on display in a museum:
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A Look Back..


I make most of the other Indiana jones props from the other films, but out of all of the other ones, this was also one of the most controversial and troublesome props that I’ve ever made, not because of the amount of time and work I’ve invested into it to be the most accurate, but because of the sheer demand of several hundred people messaging me on Facebook prop collector groups wanting one over the past year after word spread that I made the best one, dealing with insane super-fans obsessed with having it (some people were obsessed with owning this prop to the point of madness it seemed and it was very strange to see), dozens of demanding and entitled people who were angry and tried to smear my name on social media because they couldn’t be added to my full waitlist which took me almost a year to work through making over several dozen of them for others, people who asked me details about mine and said they’d buy it only to disappear and turn around and have a professional 3D modeler make it for them to sell on this forum, and issues caused by other dial prop makers (mainly centered around one individual who felt the need to belittle my work to elevate his. Which is funny considering the amount of people I had reach out to me expressing buyers remorse after buying his prop and then asking me to make them one) I won’t go into the whole story because the individual and the whole situation are honestly not worth my time or the headaches it’s caused and it’s been a subject of never-ending controversy and drama that I feel there’s no positive resolution for and nothing good will ever come from discussing it further. It just saddens me that these individuals are part of the Indy community. Ultimately my time is better spent elsewhere making Indiana Jones props for people to enjoy and for those who support and admire my work.

While I’ve often felt this was a cursed prop with all of the headaches and issues it’s caused me, I’m just glad I’m finally finished with designing it to what it is now, and that the “dial gold rush” is seemingly over now and the demand for them has died down, and I can finally put the matter to rest with this very extremely accurate version that I’m happy with.

Despite the good and the bad experiences making it, this prop replica was a true labor of love, and it’s been an absolute joy to see the many many people I’ve made these for enjoying them in their Indy collections, or in film museums, and I will continue to make these for others as long as people enjoy them. Cheers!
 

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This is the BEST replica of this prop I ever seen!
It almost feels reductive to call it just a replica, both for the quality of the work and the countless small details you managed to include! Well done!
 
Glad you've shared this on here; it deserves to be highlighted with these huge improvements. I'm a sucker for screen accuracy and detail; and these photos make my picky-ass happy and I've officially got 'no notes'.

I've got one of your OG Dials and I love it. It's built with absolutely rock solid build quality, and the crispness of the detail of the sculpt is second to none. So much detail - but it's all brought out by a paint job that nobody else has matched.

Your OG Dial makes me super happy - but this new version looks like the Rolls Royce of Archimedes Dial props, IMO. Everything you did right in my OG is still there, but now you've got an even higher level of accuracy with the modeling and a somehow even better paint-job.

Grateful to own one of your earlier versions, and I cannot wait (well I can - I'm just excited lol) for the new one. The mother-of-pearl elevates this to another level that nobody else has hit.

I don't need any thin-plastic-but-it-works replicas of things, that leaves you with a thin/fragile prop. Give me one of these that has the look, the detail, an unmatched paint-job that is actually durable - any day.

Cool photos, and nice to read the process.

Nice job, TST!
 
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Hello,

I have a question about your details, what source pictures did you use, I see you made engraving under compass, I was sure about those details in movie prop, because it's slightly visible in screenshots, but I didn't find any better source material, would it be possible to get informations.
I am working on a bronze compass, to halp a member here, and I would be happy to increase the level of detail, also maybe make it compatible with existing 3D printed dials.
 
Hello,

I have a question about your details, what source pictures did you use, I see you made engraving under compass, I was sure about those details in movie prop, because it's slightly visible in screenshots, but I didn't find any better source material, would it be possible to get informations.
I am working on a bronze compass, to halp a member here, and I would be happy to increase the level of detail, also maybe make it compatible with existing 3D printed dials.

I won’t share that info, this post was to only showcase the dial prop I made and the work that went into making it, not for others to copy details from my work which people have done quite a bit with this prop and other Indy props I’ve made.

I know of the other member you’re speaking of and I have no interest in helping you or them since they are collaborating with some other dial makers who have caused headaches for me in the past like I mentioned. Again I’m not going to go into it, I’m tired of the fighting and arguments and want nothing to do with those involved.

I can also tell you that their brass compass isn’t compatible with mine and won’t fit, I purposely made mine that way to only fit the compass I make for mine and will not ever be modifying mine to fit theirs.

Please don’t copy the details on mine thank you
 
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Glad you've shared this on here; it deserves to be highlighted with these huge improvements. I'm a sucker for screen accuracy and detail; and these photos make my picky-ass happy and I've officially got 'no notes'.

I've got one of your OG Dials and I love it. It's built with absolutely rock solid build quality, and the crispness of the detail of the sculpt is second to none. So much detail - but it's all brought out by a paint job that nobody else has matched.

Your OG Dial makes me super happy - but this new version looks like the Rolls Royce of Archimedes Dial props, IMO. Everything you did right in my OG is still there, but now you've got an even higher level of accuracy with the modeling and a somehow even better paint-job.

Grateful to own one of your earlier versions, and I cannot wait (well I can - I'm just excited lol) for the new one. The mother-of-pearl elevates this to another level that nobody else has hit.

I don't need any thin-plastic-but-it-works replicas of things, that leaves you with a thin/fragile prop. Give me one of these that has the look, the detail, an unmatched paint-job that is actually durable - any day.

Cool photos, and nice to read the process.

Nice job, TST!
Thank you! I’m very glad to have made one for you and the newer one I’m making for you as well.
 
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Fantastic! The passion, hard-work, countless hours, and the obsession, has lead to great attention to detail and a final product that has actually ends up in a museum. Top notch prop replication is the main reason I love the RPF. Thank you for sharing all of these photos and updates on this.
 
Fantastic! The passion, hard-work, countless hours, and the obsession, has lead to great attention to detail and a final product that has actually ends up in a museum. Top notch prop replication is the main reason I love the RPF. Thank you for sharing all of these photos and updates on this.
Thanks for the compliment! And glad to share
 
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