Trying to identify this prevalent... tape recorder? I think?

[Galifreyscall]

One of my projects in queue is Marvin from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the device on his chest was a found object:

And with the recent prop store auction and the Nostromo door control panel for sale, my intuition was proven right:

So with that being said, does anyone have any leads on what this artifact actually is? The shape and buttons scream tape recorder to me, but I could of course be wrong, the only solution is a good 'ol RPF think tank! I hope some others have researched this, as I'm sure there are way more examples of this in TV and movies. As always, any help or info is appreciated big or small. Thank you!

-Galifreyscall

 

[ukwookie]

One of my projects in queue is Marvin from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the device on his chest was a found object:
View attachment 1591818
And with the recent prop store auction and the Nostromo door control panel for sale, my intuition was proven right:
View attachment 1591819
So with that being said, does anyone have any leads on what this artifact actually is? The shape and buttons scream tape recorder to me, but I could of course be wrong, the only solution is a good 'ol RPF think tank! I hope some others have researched this, as I'm sure there are way more examples of this in TV and movies. As always, any help or info is appreciated big or small. Thank you!

-Galifreyscall

Apologies, late to the party!
The Nostromo door control panels were custom made for Alien - the basic shape was vacuum-formed over a wooden master in thick plastic (styrene or ABS). Probably by the infamous Andrew Ainsworth who was based at Shepperton Studios at that time.
The various console panels in the Infirmary were formed in the same way and the master patterns shared very similar angled edges.
The technical details include a set of buttons which appear to be taken from a vintage calculator, although on the Marvin prop they appear to have been plated over. Also note that on Marvin the panel is fitted upside down.
See the old thread on propsummit.com Propsummit.com a Blade Runner Prop Community Forum BladeRunnerProps.comView topic - Nostromo Med Lab door switch