Red Dwarf/ Falcon connection?

[switchblade_slinger]

I was watching my old BBC Red Dwarf Videotapes the other day, and noticed that the navvy seats in the falcon and the seats in the starbug looked Aaawefully similar. Near identical in fact, with extra greeblies. I've cruised the net for images, and these are what I've come up with. If anyone has better photos, or knows for sure if these are the same... I think that its nice to think that somewhere in London there is a prophouse with the Falcon's chairs waiting for the next Science Fiction epic to appear in...

Anyone? Am I on to something?

 

[JOATRASH FX]

Certainly quite possible, though maybe they're not the exact same model of chair. British prop builders (as we all know) love to use old scrap for their props (which is why so much stuff built there is so cool) and aircraft chairs already look the part and can be had at a budget price.

 

[Laser Brain]

When I was working at Shepperton over the Summer I met this guy at lunch (forgot his bloody name). He was retiring from the prop scene, but has been responsible for sourcing all the aircraft parts for virtually every film made in the UK that required them...ever since his first job (The Guns of Navarone) in the very early 60s.

He sourced the landing gear for the Aliens Dropship and traded it for a guided tour of the sets for a friend's daughter.

I think this might be him:
http://www.kellysearch.co.uk/gb-company-32746431.html

He sells to aircraft collectors now instead of the studios.

I'd bet he'd know...he probably sourced set dressing for ANH and Red Drawf.

Neil

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joatrash @ Feb 28 2007, 07:49 AM) [snapback]1428455[/snapback]</div>

Certainly quite possible, though maybe they're not the exact same model of chair. British prop builders (as we all know) love to use old scrap for their props (which is why so much stuff built there is so cool) and aircraft chairs already look the part and can be had at a budget price.
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[switchblade_slinger]

Great story, Vos. Thanks alot. The more I watch the show, the more I'm convinced that it's either the same seat, or something incredibly close.

 

[mfxreplicas]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Vos @ Feb 28 2007, 09:48 PM) [snapback]1428795[/snapback]</div>

When I was working at Shepperton over the Summer I met this guy at lunch (forgot his bloody name). He was retiring from the prop scene, but has been responsible for sourcing all the aircraft parts for virtually every film made in the UK that required them...ever since his first job (The Guns of Navarone) in the very early 60s.

He sourced the landing gear for the Aliens Dropship and traded it for a guided tour of the sets for a friend's daughter.

I think this might be him:
http://www.kellysearch.co.uk/gb-company-32746431.html

He sells to aircraft collectors now instead of the studios.

I'd bet he'd know...he probably sourced set dressing for ANH and Red Drawf.

Neil

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joatrash @ Feb 28 2007, 07:49 AM) [snapback]1428455[/snapback]

Certainly quite possible, though maybe they're not the exact same model of chair. British prop builders (as we all know) love to use old scrap for their props (which is why so much stuff built there is so cool) and aircraft chairs already look the part and can be had at a budget price.
[/b]

[/b][/quote]

The guy you're reffering to is Mike Shaw.

I worked on Red Dwarf many moons ago and those seats were sourced from Mike who used to have a business breaking old aircraft for scrap as well as disposing of army surplus equipment. Those seats are de-comissioned ejector seats made by a company in Denham, Bucks called, if memory serves, MARTIN BAKERS.

Most of the props for Red Dwarf as well as a lot of the set dressing was done by Bill Pearson who may be more familiar to people on this board as a model maker who used to work with Martin Bower and created the miniatures for Alien, Outland and Flash Gordon amongst many others. Bill and Mike Shaw are very good friends and Mike always hung on to the best looking bits of techy looking aircraft components for Bill to use.

I do know for sure that those aren't the seats used in the Falcon but they may well be the same type of seat.

Neill

 

[Shelsley]

Hi Neill

This thread just proves how mind-bogglingly fantastic the internet is.

Even though you posted it in 2007, I've only just been googling Red Dwarf effects to find out who made some of the props that I have.

Unbelievably I have the very seats from Starbug that you are talking about. Yes they are Martin Baker aircraft ejectors seats, and I have both of them in my lounge. In fact i'm sitting on one of them right now.

Many thanks for posting the info about Mike Shaw and Bill Pearson, I think someone told me about Bill before, but I had lost his surname and would have been impossible to trace him otherwise.

Many thanks. Richard.