Stranger Things - D&D Miniatures & Other Props

[UnusualWizardry]

Another fun group of props. These are all scattered throughout my display, but I was thrilled to finally be able to fully recreate this screenshot from Season 1 with all of them together (Yes, that also appears to be the correct game board).

"I need all of your compasses... right now!"

We've already figured out the ID's of Dustin's and Lucas's Silva System Compasses, plus the large generic ones with the green tipped needle.
I was though finally able to track down the ones with the red tipped "arrow" needle as well as the super tiny compass in the upper right.

The red tipped arrow one is also a generic, but I was only finding it used by organizations as a branded trinket with their logo on the back. After some conversations, I tracked down the distributor and was able to order some blank ones for myself. Took forever, as they're located in Hong Kong, but it's them! Again, I've been out of the game for awhile now so I don't recall what links I'm allowed to share, but I can come back and edit this with a link if I'm allowed to.

The very small miniature compass is a variant of vintage compass that was included in Cracker Jacks and gumball machines. Took some time to track down one that was correct and in good shape. It's very similar to a compass that came with some Action Man toys as well.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

Got something new in today!

I don't think I have seen this one identified yet either, even in the Jim Hopper costume thread.
Hopper's Season 1 Flashlight! Which of course prompted a bit of an in-depth look at some of the Flashlights in Season 1.
(If you've seen any of my posts in the other Stranger Things thread about the Season 4 flashlights, then you know I get way too deep on the flashlights in this show. LOL.)

I see most Hopper costumes using the Ray-O-Vac Sportsman flashlight, which isn't inaccurate - he uses it quite a bit in Season 2:
From 202:


In Season 1 though, the Sportsman seems exclusive to Mike, as seen in this promotional photo (and backed up by the show itself in 101):


In Season 1 though, Hopper is using a vintage long Tiger Head flashlight:
From 105:

I was able to further confirm this by noticing that two different flashlights were used depending on the situation.
When the flashlight was up close and not the primary light source of the scene, the actual vintage one was used - noted by the single, more yellow, bulb:

During dark scenes when the light needed to be more of a light source, they swapped it for an LED based light.
Check out the flower shaped pattern, home to 7 total LEDs:

When doing my research, I actually came across what appears to be the very same LED light, that they likely rented from a prop house, check out the matching LED pattern:

It also matches the vintage one very nicely!
The vintage one itself is pretty hard to come by it seems - I was only able to find one from someone in the Netherlands.
The LED one I haven't seen anywhere else, so it was likely modded by the prop house themselves.

That's not the only interesting flashlight story in Season 1 (another post incoming)

Edit: Added some extra info.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

Also regarding not really talked about Season 1 flashlights is Dustin's, which is barely seen in the show.

It's most visible in this promo image (like the one I attached above of Mike's gear):

After some research, I came across this vintage Tiger Head flashlight with a leather grip and wide flared lens and scooped it up:

After taking a closer look though, I noticed subtle differences:

Mainly, the ridges right before the leather grip are straight, not diagonal.
Plus, the diamond-esque pattern around the edge of the lens on the vintage Tiger Head, is not present on Dustin's.
This likely pointed to another modern recreation as otherwise it is so incredibly similar.

The show confirms this when you take a look at the lens of his flashlight at the end of 101.
Similar to Hopper's LED flashlight - it's not circular, but instead is made of three intersecting circles housing an LED:

After some deeper digging, I finally tracked down some photos of the actual light used, thanks to the BudgetLightForum:

It's an Eddie Bauer "Classic Flashlight". Note the matching lens pattern, flat edge around the lens, and the straight ridges right before the grip.

Clearly it's made to reference the actual vintage Tiger Head I ended up getting, just a fair amount shorter.
Unfortunately, I can't find one of these things anywhere. The vintage one was actually easier to find, so I'm glad I got something very close until one hopefully pops up somewhere. Maybe someday I'll get ahold of it.

EDIT: Actually - just noticed this vintage 333 Pegasus Flashlight. Much closer to the Eddie Bauer, just no leather grip. It's probably more likely the Eddie Bauer was based on this one:

 

[UnusualWizardry]

I have an incredible new prop I just finished a few moments ago and I'm just so eager to share it.

I mentioned that I needed some more for Eleven and finally have a great piece to bolster her presence in my display.
It's Eleven's "Mind Sensors" (as they're referred to at the display for Stranger Things The Experience)!

And some reference shots:

The exact pathways of the wires varies from scene to scene so it's not 100% accurate in that respect, but these are the exact same parts used and I tried to get the proportions and measurements as close as I could.
I'm incredibly pleased with it!

The brown rubber base is a cheap EEG cap made by Contec from China.
The white electrode cables are four sets of generic 4-in-1 Electrode Lead Wires, going from four 2mm TENS Pin Tips, into a junction box (with holes that look like a little shocked face on them), and finishing in a single 2.5mm plug.
The red ends are just 1/2" Red Electrical tape - you can even see the seam in the tape occasionally if you look closely enough.
Finally, the wires are taped together in the back with 1/2" White Electrical Tape. I got a pack of multicolored tape to just get both in one.
Only 15 out of the total 16 available Leads were used. I didn't want to chop mine off, so I tucked it into the long taped section of wire after the junction boxes.

For my display, I just left the 2.5mm plugs exposed after taping a significant length of the cable, taking inspiration from the version they had on display at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017:

Finally, there's actually a couple versions present throughout the show.

For instance, the "water tank" version, where the cables are chopped off a short length after the junction boxes and sent into a plastic plug of sorts - I haven't quite narrowed down exactly what plug component it is from the angle:

In wider shots and later seasons, the taped section of cable (which uses a different tape here) transitions into a flat white cable, that goes into what appears to be a 1/4" plug (with more red electrical tape to accent it) - this one was on display at Stranger Things The Experience:

Thanks to this display, you can see the more accurate color of the red tape, which is always more subdued in the show due to the color timing. The chin strap picture here I don't believe is ever used in the show, but it does come with the brown rubber EEG cap.

Very thrilled to have finally tracked down the main components for this build and get a version of it completed!

 

[benhs1898]

Finally got all of Eddie’s rings! All on Etsy. I remember when the left-hand rings were impossible to buy online.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

Finally got all of Eddie’s rings! All on Etsy. I remember when the left-hand rings were impossible to buy online.

Sweet! That's so cool. I was considering those at some point.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

Got this in today! I'll be doing a breakdown of everything in the coming days. I'm finally on vacation so I can catch up on all the posts I'm behind on!

 

[OasisSupernova]

Got this in today! I'll be doing a breakdown of everything in the coming days. I'm finally on vacation so I can catch up on all the posts I'm behind on!

Nice

 

[UnusualWizardry]

I'll be doing a breakdown of everything in the coming days.

Welp. Better late than never. Ended up having a very sick-filled break unfortunately. Lol.
But here we are! Let's talk about Doctor Collector's Stranger Things Hawkins Memories Box: Vecna's Curse Edition (what a name. lol.)

So first, my overall thoughts.
This thing is pretty cool! It's apparent that a lot of thought and effort went into this box.
The design and themes of each folder/bag of props are well done.
The selection of props is cool - there's some more obscure ones in here that I never thought we'd see more of.
The props themselves are well printed using all types of different paper and some items having multiple finishes (glossy for photos that are on otherwise matte paper). I really can't appreciate this enough for existing.

Of course, it is a licensed box of paper props, so of course there's a dreaded licensing message all over "STRANGER THINGS™ ©Netflix".
Can't fault Doctor Collector as I'm sure it was mandated by Netflix, but I do wish that some of the watermarks could've been placed on the back or be made more inconspicuous. The other issue is a more minor one, but the paper sizes do not match American sizes. For example, what would be Letter sized pages in actuality might appear as A4 in this box. Plus, there's some inaccuracies, but it's clear that Doctor Collector had access to some great material to produce this.

In every envelope, there's what I would call as "canon" props vs "non-canon" props.
Canon Props are props that actually appear in the show and Non-Canon props seem to be exclusively created for the box to add to the world-building.

Here's the full list of items:

Hawkins High School 1983 (Season 1)

• Will Byers Missing Poster
• Will Byers D&D Drawing
• The Indiana AV Club Pamphlet
• Science Fair Photo
• Mike Wheeler D&D Character Sheet
• Dr. Martin Brenner Hawkins Lab ID
• Benny's Burgers Coaster
• Photo of Eleven
• Steve Harrington Hawkins High School ID
• Hawkins Town Center Map

Hawkins National Laboratory 1984 (Season 2)

• Will Byers Mind Flayer Drawing
• Will Byers 'Zombie Boy' Newspaper Clipping
• Murray Bauman Business Card
• Jim Hopper 'Don't Be Stupid' Rules
• Snow Ball '84 Flyer
• Photo of Bob and Joyce
• Mews Missing Cat Flyer
• Hawkins Lab Blueprint
• Arcade Button

Starcourt Mall 1985 (Season 3)

• Starcourt Mall Blueprint
• Jim Hopper 'Heart to Heart' Letter
• Robin Buckley Scoops Ahoy Name Badge
• Scoops Ahoy Menu
• Scoops Ahoy Order Form with Russian Code
• Eleven and Max Mayfield Starcourt Mall Photos
• Camp Know Where Postcard
• Mayor Kline's Fun Fair Ticket
• Mayor Kline Campaign Button
• Karen Wheeler Hawkins Community Pool Card

Surfer Boy Pizza (Season 4)

• Eddie Munson Wanted Flyer
• Hop Is Alive Ransom Note
• Weekly Watcher Creel Pages
• Eleven's Letter to Mike
• Nancy's 'Ruth' Pennhurst Mental Hospital Nametag
• Hawkins High School Pennant
• Rink-O-Mania Ticket

Hellfire Club (Season 4)

• Corroded Coffin Band Flyer
• Corroded Coffin Guitar Pick
• Hellfire Club Players Wanted Flyer
• Hellfire Club Bookmark
• Hellfire Club Member Button
• Hellfire Club 'Lady Applejack' D&D Character Sheet

Top-Secret Russian Envelope (Season 4)

• "The Key" Blueprint Map
• Jim Hopper Detention Report
• Yuri Pilot License
• Demogorgon Necropsy Papers

Extras (Season 4)

• Welcome to Hawkins (Hell) Sign
• Creel House Mini Stained Glass Window
• Creel Locket
• "Dustin's Diary"

So, next post we'll start with the first envelope: Hawkins High School 1983

 

[UnusualWizardry]

**IMAGE HEAVY**
Hawkins High School 1983

I have to say, that most of criticism here is in the name of screen-accuracy.
It truly is a very well-done box and it's a great addition to any Stranger Things collection, especially if you do not have other means to create your own props from the show.

Let's start with the Canon Props...

Will Byers Missing Poster

Spoiler

Clearly this is based on a more aged / weathered / faded version of the Missing Poster.
It's well-printed, good quality, but I'm personally not a fan of the fake winkled texture.
It's also A4 paper, vs Letter-sized paper that it should be printed on, not to mention it had to be folded to fit in the box.
The photos also seem to be in slightly different positions than the flyer on the show.

Here's the comparison with my own custom replica, which was produced prior to the release of the box with different sources:

And here's a shot of the most well-known version from the show:

Will Byers D&D Drawing

Spoiler

This one is good, even if the colors might be a bit less vibrant than I'd expect.
Same issue as the other props in that the paper size is too large, but it is also accentuated by the too-small holes.
They also appear to have overly cleaned the drawing with some details missing, especially near the edges.
The one in the show also accidentally leaves the original artists name in the bottom corner - Doctor Collector has removed that here.

Here's a comparison with my own custom replica, which was made by printing the original uncolored source drawing on real notebook paper (with matching photoshopping to mirror the show's changes). Then, coloring with colored pencils and crayons to match the one on screen:

And here's some stills from the show:

The Indiana AV Club Pamphlet

Spoiler

This is easily one of my favorites. I think there's still a paper texture added on top of everything, but that's a nitpick.
We barely get to see this in the show, and presented here is the full inside and outside of this thing. So cool!

Besides the licensing statement, which is well-placed at the very bottom of the back panel - it looks great!
I'll likely utilize this to create my own replica as I've already begun to ID the stock images used.

Now - there is one inaccuracy, which is understandable given the context.
The NASA Logo at the top of the "Nasa Facts" panel on the original prop has been replaced here with a retro space graphic.

Shots from the show:

Science Fair Photo

Spoiler

This is a pretty good one! It's got some textured roughening, but I'm more okay with it here.
The licensing statement is in a terrible spot on this one though. Right on the front and more obvious than I'd like it to be.

All that being said - this actually is not the exact photo used in Season 1!
This is a slightly different take that ultimately ended up getting used in Season 3.
Pay close attention to the facial expressions of Mike, Will, and Dustin.

Take a look at the difference between the Season 1 and Season 3 versions:

My assumption is that they opted for the version of the photo that had bigger smiles and was already licensed for merch use (it previously appeared on the cover of Will Byers Secret Files)

Dr Martin Brenner's Hawkins Lab ID

Spoiler

This one is good, it's on hard plastic, very sharp printing.
We don't see this in great detail in Season 1, and in most scenes Dr. Brenner doesn't even seem to be wearing one (other lab employees wear their own versions of this badge though).

We do, however, see it in better detail (and worn by Brenner) in Season 4 as shown in this promo image:

The signature is spot on, but it looks like the design is a bit different, the typewriter font is different, the photo of Brenner is different as well.
It's a bit confusing what everything is, but it looks more like the plastic white card is actually his access card, while his ID is actually a laminated piece of paper.

Very nitpicky, but it is very close.

The rest of the items appear to be Non-Canon Props.

Mike Wheeler's D&D Character Sheet

Spoiler

This is fun. Lots of little handwritten detail, but after scouring the show... it does not seem to appear.
Again, A4 sized paper and tiny binder holes.

Hawkins Town Center Map

Spoiler

This is super cool and very well-made. The art is great and it does feel nicely in universe.
However, I don't see it in any of the episodes.

Photo of Eleven, Benny's Burger Coaster, Steve's Hawkins High ID

Spoiler

Again, pretty well-produced and fun, but none of these are in the show.

That's it for today! I'll be back for Hawkins National Laboratory 1984, Season 2

 

[benhs1898]

Got mine a while back. I am really happy with it. There are some canon props in there that I had forgotten about or never noticed before!

I folded my Hopper's letter as accurately as I could.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

Got mine a while back. I am really happy with it. There are some canon props in there that I had forgotten about or never noticed before!

I folded my Hopper's letter as accurately as I could.

Nice! I’m likely going to utilize all of these as reference to create new and more accurate prints. I’m kind of wondering if I can track down some actual small notebook paper that matches and do a new print of his letter on true notebook paper. We’ll see. I’ve been doing that with a ton of Will’s drawings since the source files are available

 

[benhs1898]

Nice! I’m likely going to utilize all of these as reference to create new and more accurate prints. I’m kind of wondering if I can track down some actual small notebook paper that matches and do a new print of his letter on true notebook paper. We’ll see. I’ve been doing that with a ton of Will’s drawings since the source files are available

Many of the props seem accurately sized to me. I’d be interested to see your results though!

I also feel like they did a decent job at making the legalese somewhat subtle. It’s still a bummer, but for some of the most important props for me, there is no copyrighting.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

Many of the props seem accurately sized to me. I’d be interested to see your results though!

I also feel like they did a decent job at making the legalese somewhat subtle. It’s still a bummer, but for some of the most important props for me, there is no copyrighting.

Of course. Most of them are very close. They are an international company so international sizes were used. Most commonly A4 instead of Letter, which is a bit bigger - though anything with holes has them far too small. The paper types and material used are very well selected and very well-done, I just like to take things too far LOL.

The smaller ones it does become much harder to tell if the sizes are off (Like Hopper’s Letter). I just personally strive for as much accuracy as I can manage.

There are others that are clearly off that we’ll get to - the Mind Flayer drawing is far too big (no one would logically hold it in one hand like the characters do) and the Starcourt Blueprint is a fair bit too small.

At the end of the day, like I made sure to specify, these things are ultimately somewhat nitpicky and don’t make the box remotely “unbuyable” or anything. It’s a phenomenal product that will fulfill anyone’s Stranger Things collection while also giving people like me, who overly crave accuracy, much better reference materials. It’s quite frankly a miracle that they released a box of paper props at all!

 

[benhs1898]

It’s quite frankly a miracle that they released a box of paper props at all!

Truly. I love paper props, but I feel like accuracy is super difficult and I am always a bit skeptical of fan-made.

 

[drusselmeyer]

White LEDs didn't exist in the 1980s. Not even blue ones existed.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

White LEDs didn't exist in the 1980s. Not even blue ones existed.

Are you responding to the flashlight post?

Yeah. They actually used a couple modern items in the earlier seasons to sub in for vintage ones when needed.
I assume the show simply did not have the budget for literally every piece to be authentically vintage.

 

[UnusualWizardry]

Truly. I love paper props, but I feel like accuracy is super difficult and I am always a bit skeptical of fan-made.

Yeah I understand. Honestly it takes me a long time to get to a point where I'm happy with my own replicas. I have a decently high standard for detail so I eventually get it to a point that I'm happy with, but I've been working on certain paper props for months now - very eager to finish some of these things up lol.

 

[HPB]

**IMAGE HEAVY**
Hawkins High School 1983

View attachment 1776015

I have to say, that most of criticism here is in the name of screen-accuracy.
It truly is a very well-done box and it's a great addition to any Stranger Things collection, especially if you do not have other means to create your own props from the show.

Let's start with the Canon Props...

Will Byers Missing Poster

Spoiler

View attachment 1776016
Clearly this is based on a more aged / weathered / faded version of the Missing Poster.
It's well-printed, good quality, but I'm personally not a fan of the fake winkled texture.
It's also A4 paper, vs Letter-sized paper that it should be printed on, not to mention it had to be folded to fit in the box.
The photos also seem to be in slightly different positions than the flyer on the show.

Here's the comparison with my own custom replica, which was produced prior to the release of the box with different sources:
View attachment 1776017

And here's a shot of the most well-known version from the show:
View attachment 1776021

Will Byers D&D Drawing

Spoiler

View attachment 1776028
This one is good, even if the colors might be a bit less vibrant than I'd expect.
Same issue as the other props in that the paper size is too large, but it is also accentuated by the too-small holes.
They also appear to have overly cleaned the drawing with some details missing, especially near the edges.
The one in the show also accidentally leaves the original artists name in the bottom corner - Doctor Collector has removed that here.

Here's a comparison with my own custom replica, which was made by printing the original uncolored source drawing on real notebook paper (with matching photoshopping to mirror the show's changes). Then, coloring with colored pencils and crayons to match the one on screen:
View attachment 1776039

And here's some stills from the show:
View attachment 1776041
View attachment 1776042

The Indiana AV Club Pamphlet

Spoiler

View attachment 1776043
This is easily one of my favorites. I think there's still a paper texture added on top of everything, but that's a nitpick.
We barely get to see this in the show, and presented here is the full inside and outside of this thing. So cool!

View attachment 1776046View attachment 1776045
Besides the licensing statement, which is well-placed at the very bottom of the back panel - it looks great!
I'll likely utilize this to create my own replica as I've already begun to ID the stock images used.

Now - there is one inaccuracy, which is understandable given the context.
The NASA Logo at the top of the "Nasa Facts" panel on the original prop has been replaced here with a retro space graphic.

Shots from the show:
View attachment 1776049View attachment 1776051
View attachment 1776050View attachment 1776052

Science Fair Photo

Spoiler

View attachment 1776055
This is a pretty good one! It's got some textured roughening, but I'm more okay with it here.
The licensing statement is in a terrible spot on this one though. Right on the front and more obvious than I'd like it to be.

All that being said - this actually is not the exact photo used in Season 1!
This is a slightly different take that ultimately ended up getting used in Season 3.
Pay close attention to the facial expressions of Mike, Will, and Dustin.

Take a look at the difference between the Season 1 and Season 3 versions:
View attachment 1776056View attachment 1776057

My assumption is that they opted for the version of the photo that had bigger smiles and was already licensed for merch use (it previously appeared on the cover of Will Byers Secret Files)

Dr Martin Brenner's Hawkins Lab ID

Spoiler

View attachment 1776058
This one is good, it's on hard plastic, very sharp printing.
We don't see this in great detail in Season 1, and in most scenes Dr. Brenner doesn't even seem to be wearing one (other lab employees wear their own versions of this badge though).

We do, however, see it in better detail (and worn by Brenner) in Season 4 as shown in this promo image:
View attachment 1776059View attachment 1776060

The signature is spot on, but it looks like the design is a bit different, the typewriter font is different, the photo of Brenner is different as well.
It's a bit confusing what everything is, but it looks more like the plastic white card is actually his access card, while his ID is actually a laminated piece of paper.

Very nitpicky, but it is very close.

The rest of the items appear to be Non-Canon Props.

Mike Wheeler's D&D Character Sheet

Spoiler

View attachment 1776063View attachment 1776064
This is fun. Lots of little handwritten detail, but after scouring the show... it does not seem to appear.
Again, A4 sized paper and tiny binder holes.

Hawkins Town Center Map

Spoiler

View attachment 1776065View attachment 1776066
View attachment 1776067View attachment 1776068
This is super cool and very well-made. The art is great and it does feel nicely in universe.
However, I don't see it in any of the episodes.

Photo of Eleven, Benny's Burger Coaster, Steve's Hawkins High ID

Spoiler

View attachment 1776069View attachment 1776070View attachment 1776071

Again, pretty well-produced and fun, but none of these are in the show.

That's it for today! I'll be back for Hawkins National Laboratory 1984, Season 2

 

[UnusualWizardry]

HPB Hi. I don't see any reply, just my post quoted.

Were you reminding me to come post Season 2? I'm working on it. Been extremely busy and working weekends the last few weeks. Hopefully I will have more time for Stranger Things props later this week or the week after.