Who'd Buy Scratch Build Replica's And Why ?

[stefanchik]

Just got to thinking.

While all my Stargate props are original screen used props or production used paperwork,
And I'm in process of churning out replica's of the props items for the SG community.

I just wondered what motivates people to want to spend their dollars on buying scratch built imitations that are indeed sometimes just estimate size replica's from screenshots out of episodes or from conventions

And are there other people like me who'd rather go without something if it wasn't at the very least a direct cast of a screen used item

Stefan

 

[TheNickFox]

For me, it's all about holding a piece of your obsession in your hands. In that regard, it doesn't matter if it's an original piece or a replica, both will get you to that end.

That said, a replica has the added benefit of allowing you to appreciate the craftsmanship and ingenuity of another person who spent time trying to replicate and duplicate something that the original prop maker probably spent no time thinking about. Seriously, I doubt most studio prop makers really care about differences of inches or centimeters, they just make it until it looks right, but in a replica, scale is very important. It's incredible to look at a piece and actually be able to see someone's process.

A great example of this is the Maltese Falcon, a piece that -- chances are -- no one here will ever own an original of or even anything with any lineage to the screen used pieces, but that hasn't stopped many people from giving it a go. Haunted, Oz, Adam Savage, they've all taken a run at it, and they've ALL made something that is clearly the original prop, but is also clearly their work. No one would ever confuse one for any of the others, and that is an incredible added story that only replicas have. Another great prop to see this with is the Raiders' fertility idol. So many have been made, and each of them slightly different, but they are all so unique to people "in the know" that rather than searching out the "100% screen accurate copy" many people have made multiple versions part of their collection, so you can appreciate the subtle nuanced differences between each.

Interestingly, these two props on screen represent this very idea: something perfect and hard to obtain, that people go out of their way to get their hands on. In the end, it turns out the stories are BOTH more about the journey than the destination, and the same is true for replica props.

Originals and pieces with lineage to screen used pieces will ALWAYS be the litmus test by which replicas are judged, but they're not in everyone's price range, nor are they necessary to make you feel like you are holding a piece of your obsession.

...and isn't that what we're mostly trying to do? Capture and manifest the wonder and magic of our obsession in physical form? How you get their is up to every individual.

-Nick

 

[Trooper_trent]

desire, cost, and availability?

it wasn't too long ago that scratch built replicas was all you could get.

 

[division 6]

Nick put it quite well.

If I'm making the prop myself then the journey is in the research, gathering of parts and the making of it, after that is just sits on the self since the journey is now over.
Sounds, sights and smells will bring back memories of that journey or even the excitement of seeing the prop for the first time.

My Uncharted 2 journal took over a month of research even with several others work that went ahead of me since I looked up every location and deciphered much of the blurred and hidden text.

I have the MK and OZ Birds and even have a foam basic shape cut for sculpting my own.
I also have the bank and Blue Five Idols.

 

[Sean]

Craft your fandom....

 

[Contec]

Craft your fandom....

:thumbsup

 

[MrPinski]

Craft your fandom....

Well put sir!

 

[holtt]

Well there are those that make things from games, not movies - where no physical original exists to make the casting from.

Also there's a whole realm of props that just aren't castable. A cast Farnsworth? No thanks!

So there are plenty of props that will always be manufactured and not cast - and some that just will end up being hand made as you're not going to find a way to do it otherwise. That Supernatural scanner someone's made comes to mind.

 

[DRBJR]

For me, the main reason is cost. Also, there are many screen used props that are in horrible shape. I'd rather have an idealized replica that really reminds me of the movie than looking at something with faded paint and/or broken bits. A great example is the Gangs of New York replica Nexus6 made, as shown here. http://www.therpf.com/f9/latest-off-bench-gangs-new-york-related-34097/

 

[jessec]

Craft your fandom....

thumbsup


Creating your favorite things with your own bare hands, some tools, little or more skill is the way to do it, sweating in a garage, drinking your favorite drink while your favorite tunes play in the background is THE best time of my day!. I love building and the only person that can understand this is one who has the same bug!

Its not about owing the real thing or a replica, in the end its about having that one thing that you really want what it is or how it comes about matters 2nd. If you can make it yourself more power to you i say!

 

[BAK55]

Craft your fandom, ineed! I'm an old timer that only could rely on photographs in fandom magazines to replicate the props the best I could at the time. There wasn't any source that sold the items I wanted, except for the rare occational toy manufactured that most of the time was no where near to what had been on screen.

Then garage kits started to come out, but unaffordable to the likes of me back then. I had some woodworking skills, and started to make my own replica props. This lead to the challenge to hone my skills and seek other possible materials to make the best replica I could. I guess it's still the challenge that keeps me in this hobby. To push myself and figuring out how to make things I had believed to be beyond my capabilities. That is the jouney others had mentioned, and it's also more than half of the fun of being creative in one's thinking. The other fun blast is the WOW factor when others see the result of your work.

 

[sciroccojunky]

I've picked up a few scratch built replicas and have been really nice. Got a tesla coming that's just as good as a qmx and is as good a quality as even the screen used prop. Picked up russrep farnsworth brass faces and those too are identical to the screen used props. So, there are scratch built props that are as good or better than the actual props from the show. The Tesla that is being built as we speak is as good or better quality than the screen used tesla's. Fit and finish is amazing. Plus the price is incredible. There are some true artists out there. Don't get me wrong, I dig casts or copies of screen used stuff but there is room for scratch built stuff that is as good or better. I don't knock it if I can see it and check out the quality. Look at Brandomac's work. His stuff as far as I know is not screen cast and looks amazing and would be a fine addition to my collection. It's just incredible work.

There is a grip of killer artists on the RPF that do scratch built stuff. Can't even count all the different people that have current projects that I pine for. Supernatural pistol is one. Few scratch built phasers even in this section that are as good as screen used. The grand daddy of all scratch built is the blaster from bladerunner who is made by Richard Coyle. His stuff is beyond incredible. There is plenty of room for both and with the bredth of stuff on here I don't think there is any doubt that screen used and scratch built stuff are as equals. IMHO.

 

[Createaline]

I am much more interested in crafting my own "props". I am here to learn, get inspiration and see how far I can go. I am kicking around building the "Book of the Dead" chest from the Mummy. I do wood working and I think it will be a challenge but much more interesting than buying one that was replicated directly from castings of the original, plus the shipping would probably make it pretty expensive.

This area of interest is large enough for people with deep pockets and for people of little cash, but great creativity. I deal in real objects every day, I need some fantasy on occasion.

 

[Jedifather]

Scratch Built!

[/SIZE]

 

[CVWcreations]

So many props these days are created inside a computer or just lost over time, for example the shredder helmet from ninja turtles, no actual prop exists, so a fan made scratch build is the way to go, not to mention there's a charm to having something someone has worked so hard over.

 

[Gearman]

Just got to thinking.

While all my Stargate props are original screen used props or production used paperwork,
And I'm in process of churning out replica's of the props items for the SG community.

I just wondered what motivates people to want to spend their dollars on buying scratch built imitations that are indeed sometimes just estimate size replica's from screenshots out of episodes or from conventions

And are there other people like me who'd rather go without something if it wasn't at the very least a direct cast of a screen used item

Stefan

For myself, yes I would love a production used prop but I can not get around the cost. Its too high for what I would want for the budget I would have. Certain paper props would be on my short list. I on the other hand do not necessarily want a replica per say. If I am making something for myself there are a few exceptions like the guns from Firefly and Blade Runner or a Wall-E. I would prefer something that is mine but from the universe of the movie or production. There is something about Not having the exact same thing as 50,000 other people but when you look at it, you know its from that world. Now that appeals to me, creating something with the same aesthetics and a similar story behind it as the original concept artist and author has a special appeal to me. I still like replicas and the research that goes into them but not my only cup of tea.

 

[red4]

Sometimes movie props are inaccurate in and of themselves. Take for example the fossilized raptor claw Alan Grant carries in Jurassic Park. Other than the general silhouette, it is anatomically very inaccurate. That's why I scratch built my own claw, and made it far more accurate to what a real deinonychus/velociraptor claw looks like.

Another thing about buying and owning scratch built replicas is that, for me, it's more important to have something that puts you in the world of that movie/tv show, rather than having a precise and original piece of it. Take, for example, all the custom designed lightsabers out there. There are thousands of them, and none of them ever appeared in any Star Wars movies, TV shows, or books. And yet, when you look at it, you know exactly what it is - a lightsaber. And who says a lightsaber couldn't look one way or another? There are thousands of unnamed Sith and Jedi. This transition is very akin to when a cartoon becomes live-action. For example, the TMNT's elbow and knee pads were never brown before the first movie. Their skin never had spots, and the segments on their shells never had concentric patterns. But when you saw it for the first time in live-action, it looked good, it fit the world, and you knew exactly what it was. It didn't deviate from what the TMNT were; it simply gave you a new interpretation of the same thing.

 

[Kevlarr]

My first and yet unfinished prop is an R2D2.
When I first saw the Star Wars movies for about 9 or 10 months back I liked the R2. And after about a month I randomly searched it up on eBay and on Google to find out how much a life size R2 was going for.

The cheapest at that time was about 3 grand, and way to much for myself as a teenager.


So I guess the reason why I started building a prop was because it was a lot cheaper (or less expensive) than buying one. I had no idea what I thew myself into, but sometimes you have to run before you can walk.

You can put a price on how much it cost to build an awesome prop and how many hours and days, weeks or months it take to finish it. But in my opinion you can't put a price on the great feeling of accomplishment and to show off something you made with your bare hands and with your own money to your friends and family. It just feel a lot better to show off something that you have made yourself instead of bought.

For me, building a prop like the R2 is a life-changing event as I'm almost guaranteed the first teenager in my country to do something like this.
And I have always had a habit in my life to start something and to not finish it. But by building the R2 prop I am proving that I can actually finish something, and for me, this is a big thing.

I also see myself a small source of inspiration, and I'm proving that you don't need to be neither skilled, made of money or an adult to make something by yourself.




When you build something that takes a while to complete it becomes a part of your life and an obsession. And in the end, it's also all about the finished result.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

As a lightsaber collector,I mean,replica lightsabers of course,mostly made from scratch or from real vintage parts,here is my idea,growing with time,from easiest to hardest way:

-using real metals,or vintage parts,for a real look,not a cast painted resin look.
-adding electronics,and details with light and sound,blade,for a "working" effect,not a plain cast resin prop.
-creating a complete world and history for their technology and evolution,from 7000 BBY to actual period of the movies…

About harry potter wands,my idea is about same,why to make a resin cast item,when we can carve wood?
Why just make a plain wooden item when we can make it hollow and integrate light,and a magical element inside?

My idea is a kind of ideal prop,between the movie universe,the real world and my imagination.

 

[ttownmaul520]

for me it brings that movie,/ tv series/ book what have you to life, like its actually real, when i was a little kid there were no lightsabers like the efx ones so we had to build our own using plexiglass rods and sink tubes, they were in no way accurate but damn it made me feel like a jedi, and i guess whenever i build something like that, for instance batrangs or a grapple gun, i feel like i'm in that universe if only for a moment. it makes things that aren't real, real. plus its a lot better then doing something destructive with the money, drugs, alcohol etc. had too many friends go down that road, glad i have a "hobby" that others share that could bring that reality to life for me.