Props from Spaaaaaaaaaace

[BigDumbWookiee]

Playing around with Microsoft Live Maps, ran across this:

[image]http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/7532/mgmta0.th.jpg[/image]

It's a satellite image of the MGM studios backlot. You can clearly see the Snowspeeder and Skiff, amongst many other props.

You can also see pretty good views of Star Tours (not in this particular image, but with MLMaps). Fun times.

 

[dualedge]

Here's a few more I can identify for you...

[attachmentid=12059]

 

[BigDumbWookiee]

Is that a Delorean next to the GeeBee?

And the white and black car, the cop car from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

 

[Ghadrack]

Might be a Pink Caddy in there too.

 

[Blackbirdcd]

They used to have one of the Blade Runner Spinners there too.

 

[Treadwell]

Reportedly the spinner deteriorated beyond hope and was trashed.
That's not a deloreon, BDW.
I think the truck to the left of the Flight of the Navigator ship is a Last Crusade vehicle, one from the "Republic of Hatay".

 

[SithLord]

Amazing job identifying those props...fun stuff....someone should check out Fox Studios in Australia

 

[dualedge]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SithLord @ Jan 12 2007, 03:10 PM) [snapback]1396010[/snapback]</div>

Amazing job identifying those props...fun stuff....someone should check out Fox Studios in Australia
[/b]

I've been trolling for pics of the MGM tour for quite some time looking for images of the GeeBee and Autogiro so that's how I knew what some of those were. Blue Thunder is in such bad shape, you'd HAVE to know what it is in order to recognize it in that photo.

I'll try to dig a few pics up and post 'em. One thing you can do is search for MGM on flickr.com and you'll find a bunch where the pieces are more recognizable. Definitely not the Delorean... I'm honestly not sure about the cars. I've seen a few folks debate what they're from but don't know if anybody ever figured it out for sure.

Here you can see the GeeBee and the Autogiro. They are both in horrible shape as are most of the items on that "tour". If you search for pics on flickr.com, you'll find some pics of the red shuttle, the mini-sub and the Star Wars stuff. Blue Thunder... well... there ain't much left to recognize these days. Just the cockpit.

 

[greatwazoo42]

"It's only a model."
"Shhhh."

 

[Java]

Man, that backlot tour at MGM really degraded into something completely useless. I was just there in 2005, and I was shocked by how short it got, and how bad those full sized props had become.

When the park first opened the tour was actually long, you got to walk through different parts of the backlot. There were two "shows", the Honey I Shunk the kids SFX thing, and the Bette Midler Lottery ticket thing. Sure those shows would be dated now, but they were still fun.

The Bladerunner spinner and Deckard's car were there, right by the waiting line to get in so you actually got to spend some time checking it out. (I wish I could find the pics..) I think the Flight of the Navigator ship was still shiny too.

 

[Treadwell]

Just the cockpit.[/b]

I think that's all that particular piece ever was. For shots of actors in the cockpit, not shots of the entire copter.

 

[LZeitgeist]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Treadwell @ Jan 12 2007, 05:10 PM) [snapback]1396080[/snapback]</div>

Just the cockpit.[/b]

I think that's all that particular piece ever was. For shots of actors in the cockpit, not shots of the entire copter.
[/b]

Years ago, it actually had everything (tailboom, etc.) but the overhead rotors...

Ye Gods, I wish somebody could have saved those...Blue Thunder, the Hughes Autogyro, and the white GeeBee... *sigh*

Way back when the filming of The Rocketeer finished up, I was subscribed to the Trade-A-Plane, a yellow newspaper that was a worldwide want-ads for aircraft of all sorts... Dad was a pilot for all my years of growing up, so I was always interested in aircraft and private planes. I remember seeing an auction for the yellow GeeBee that was used in filming the flying scenes in the film. I actually called in a bid at that time even though I was barely employed and living by myself in a small apartment, but I couldn't let that go by without participating in it in some small way. I remember the ad STRONGLY suggested that the winning bidder remove the wings and truck the plane to its final destination, being that it is an exact replica of the original Granville Brothers GeeBee Z, and those things are designed to fly fast, or darn-near not at all... I remember seeing the red and white GeeBee R-1 at a few airshows over the years, usually up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

 

[SurferGeek]

As much as people have enjoyed the tour over the years I'm very surprised that they've done nothing to preserve the "attractions" better. A few more years in the weather and most will only be piles of rust.

 

[RKW]

I wish an aviation museum like the one which recently commissioned the Airwolf replica would buy what's left of Blue Thunder and restore it to its full glory. I mean all the important bits that make Blue Thunder what it is are still there on the lot. All you would need is an old Gazelle helicopter for the donor parts and to build a new gun pod replica.

I wonder how much MGM would sell it for considering they only think of it as scrap??

 

[LZeitgeist]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RKW @ Jan 12 2007, 06:08 PM) [snapback]1396121[/snapback]</div>

I wonder how much MGM would sell it for considering they only think of it as scrap??
[/b]

Oh, it's only 'scrap' 'cuz nobody wants to buy it. As soon as somebody asks about buying it, it'll be worth the sun and the moon... :rolleyes

 

[RKW]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LZeitgeist @ Jan 12 2007, 11:38 PM) [snapback]1396144[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RKW @ Jan 12 2007, 06:08 PM) [snapback]1396121[/snapback]

I wonder how much MGM would sell it for considering they only think of it as scrap??
[/b]

Oh, it's only 'scrap' 'cuz nobody wants to buy it. As soon as somebody asks about buying it, it'll be worth the sun and the moon... :rolleyes
[/b][/quote]

You old cynic

The way I see it is that they've placed no real monetary value on it which is why they've allowed it to rott up to now. The accountants probably figured it will cost more to dispose of than to just let it sit there and deteriorate. Now I'm guessing that they've not been inundated with offers so if they did ask a stupid price for it they would still be left with scrap that would cost them in the long run. They could perhaps gain some monetary value from a restored Blue Thunder rather than a pile of rusty rivets.

 

[kell]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dualedge @ Jan 12 2007, 03:15 PM) [snapback]1396047[/snapback]</div>

[/b]

You might be a Red Neck Prop Collector if..... :confused

 

[burningman]

god the state of blue thunder makes me sad.
That is my favorite helicopter

 

[CGClone]

Its shame, that any restoration efforts of what we see here would cost an arm and a leg when it shouldnt, they are just letting them rot.

Much better pics than what you get on Google Earth as well, nice find.