Men in Black alien identifier equipment

[agliarept]

Hi all,

anyone ever attempt to build one of these? I know tiget electronics came out with a good looking toy version of the prop that was some sort of game/organizer. i'd love to make one or modify the toy version but its just a thought. the actual prop piece looks coo!, here are the pics of the toy version i found online.

 

[agliarept]

anyone have pics of the prop? would be cool to replicate.

 

[BlackMarketMagi]

I just finished redoing one of those myself. Basically I sanded of the front MIB and repainted with Alclad. Here are two pics of mine. I have a few reference pics on a disc somewhere as well.

It's fairly accurate, the keypad layout is similar but with some sections moved around. The screen version has a pop up football shaped piece that comes out which is illuminated with blue led light. I was going to duplicate it but didn't have the time. The display of course is not color but it does have some interesting facts in the database.

They are pretty hard to find, I got extremely lucky and won one a brand new one on evilbay for 99 cents plus $6 shipping. Turned out it cost the seller $8 to ship it to me so he actually lost money on the deal. I felt sorry for him, he had to pay a dollar to give it away!

 

[agliarept]

very wicked pics. that's exactly what i had hoped to do to my identifier if i had one. I like that they made it look like the film's version. its a nice nice replica. so glad you shared your photos!

 

[agliarept]

after a while of searching I finally got one of these beauties! i really like the old school look of it, especially with the menus and features! perfect to go with my men in black collection.

 

[TK8541]

Hi all,

This is actually my Alien Identifier in the pictures.

These were never sold in stores and, from my research, only around 20 were ever produced as a small run to test market viability. The powers that be decided against selling them en mass so those 20 prototypes are the only ones around.

P.S. You MiB fans might enjoy this little treasure I made a few years back.

 

[agliarept]

hey that MIB manual is awesome!!! thanks a lot for linking us to that PDF.

I never knew that these Identifiers were that rare. I can't believe only 20 were made thats crazy. im glad i scored one, the electronics in it are amazing.

 

[TK8541]

You're welcome!
We made it for our MiB party a few years back.

Yes, you have a rarity for sure!
It's funny, because no one knows that, so every once in a while you'll find one on eBay... I waited over a year to find one when I got it.

 

[GreenRock]

I just finished redoing one of those myself. Basically I sanded of the front MIB and repainted with Alclad. Here are two pics of mine. I have a few reference pics on a disc somewhere as well.

It's fairly accurate, the keypad layout is similar but with some sections moved around. The screen version has a pop up football shaped piece that comes out which is illuminated with blue led light. I was going to duplicate it but didn't have the time. The display of course is not color but it does have some interesting facts in the database.

They are pretty hard to find, I got extremely lucky and won one a brand new one on evilbay for 99 cents plus $6 shipping. Turned out it cost the seller $8 to ship it to me so he actually lost money on the deal. I felt sorry for him, he had to pay a dollar to give it away!

I just got one and was looking at the differences between this and the movie. I want it to look more like the movie, but if I do some modifications does that take down the value of it (or perhaps the contrary?), or does it not matter? Thanks, and btw yours looks awesome.

 

[BlackMarketMagi]

Greenrock, I'd say it's a personal choice, but technically even taking it out of the package reduces the value as far as that goes. So if a collector wanted one, they would probably prefer it untouched, but if they want it screen accurate then thats totally different. It also depends on how good your skill and craftsmanship are. If you can make it look amazing then you have more leeway, because it's easier to overlook it's not a MIB MIB. (Mint in Box Men in Black)

 

[TK8541]

I say they're so rare and it's yours to do with what you want to do with it want you want. The rarity of it to me means that there aren't people going to collect it for "what it is." People want it for what it should've / could've been.

And was there ever even a box with these things? From my understanding they were simply handed out to some test market.

But yeah... do it if you CAN do it... don't "ruin" it for sure! It's better to have the plastic "toy" looking item in good condition than a junky item that looks "chrome."

 

[BlackMarketMagi]

Well I no they are hard to come by but I 'm not sure they were quite that limited. Mine came in a typical toy clear plastic fitted bubble thingy and had a sticker from kaybee toys on it, so they were definitely sold somewhere.

 

[Funky]

Well I no they are hard to come by but I 'm not sure they were quite that limited. Mine came in a typical toy clear plastic fitted bubble thingy and had a sticker from kaybee toys on it, so they were definitely sold somewhere.

Yup, mine came from KayBee as well...and it was on clearance!:lol

 

[nickytea]

If these things are rare, they aren't worth much. Just won one on ebay for a dollar.