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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lmgill" data-source="post: 5274027" data-attributes="member: 1788">Using the actors hand as reference is likely not the most reliable. Actors are often much smaller than they seem on screen. (We did some costume pieces for the old series Charmed, and I could almost use the bracelets as a thumb ring)I would scale it around the commercially made items you have to buy /use, this is what the original builder would do. The acrylic rod which you have scaled to 1/2" is a good start. I see three things in the photos that are most likely commercial products, the rod, the screws and the rocker switch. There may be some components on the circuit board you can identify. Or a common dimension of the metal bands.When I scale pieces, I compare as many of the "off the shelf" items as I can, to see if they share a common scale to the reference photo. Keep in mind also, when people fabricate things, they most often make things to even or common units of measure, unless they have to fit preexisting restraints. So if the prop was built in the US, then I would trust 1/8" increments over random ones. If Europe, then maybe 5mm increments.  I'll then scale the photo and write a factor number on it. Keep in mind anything that is closer to the camera or farther away, will be a different scale (factor) So try to pick things that are on the same plane in relation to where the camera was.You need to go back and forth with comparing these off the shelf or common measured things in the picture with each other, until you find the most likely scale. Its easy to settle on something, only to find partway through your build that you now find evidence the scale is different than what you decided. (Which I think is what you are asking here)Look at the switch. Regardless of what size the actual prop is, if you build a replica, the proportions of the pieces you can get, will be more important when the replica is finished. If this was made in the US. (particularly LA.) then there is a good chance the rocker switch came from McMaster-Carr and they have a rocker switch that looks promising. Here is their page of <a href="https://www.mcmaster.com/switches/rocker-switches/" target="_blank">rocker switches</a>. About halfway down is a switch and below that is the rocker (sold separately) McMaster-Carr has by far the best online catalog I have seen. If you click on the part, it will bring you to a page of that part, and in many cases, a drop down menu of drawing assets, 2d  and 3d.The factor is the number you have to multiply by to translate the measurement on the photo, to the size of the finished prop. If you photo is "actual size" 1:1 then the factor is "1". If the photo is 6 times bigger than your prop, the factor is 0.16666. Now anytime you need a measurement of something in the photo, measure the photo and multiply by the factor for that photo. You of course need to do this for each photo.To find the factor, find the items that are most likely off the shelf items and divide the size of the actual item by the size from the photo. The biggest item you can do this with will result in the more accurate factor number. Hope this helps some</blockquote>

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