The term "Replica" . It's true meaning and how it's used.

To me a replica is anything that represents the original no matter how well or poorly made it is. We have some very talented builders on this site that can make replica's of most any prop made in exactly the same style as the originals, original parts Obi Saber comes to mind, but they are still replicas. There are also others who can't afford builds like this and make them out of paper, cardboard and plastic piping but again these are still replicas.
 
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The term "Replica" . It's true meaning and how it's used.

I couldn't agree with you more, AJK001.

A replica is a reproduction made to the best possible standard for that particular builder using whatever is convenient. Trying to tell people that their builds aren't real replicas just because they used different tools, materials or got one slight detail wrong isn't what this forum is about.

If we're going to be pedantic and say that something can only be called a replica of it is made with the exact same tools, materials, methods, budgets and measurements as the original prop, then 99.9% of the membership will be frauds.

Pretty much everyone on this forum will make something that is as close to the original as they are capable of, using whatever budget/materials suits the builder, and we still call it a replica.

Otherwise, we'd have to rename this site to "The Close-Enough-Reproduction-but-not-quite-a-replica-because-I-used-different-materials Forum", which doesn't quite have the same ring to it. ;)
 
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I guess the bottom line is that the term "replica" can mean something different to whom ever is using it and to the product they are describing, so it really has no definitive meaning. Very subjective.
It is as good a word as any to describe props these days.

I may have even used the word very loosely to describe some of my work in the past as well....
Like saying "just Xerox it" or maybe a new word Clo-prox (close approximation). :)

More of a "Prop Resemblance" then an actual replica.
I could never sell them as replicas....but of course it's all about personal preference anyway.

Below are Clo-prox props I made sometime ago as an example:

All made completely from scratch. No 3D prints, with some found items.

Ghostbusters 3 prop real and rep.jpg

Lamp parts with a fabricated top and electrical box at the bottom.
cloprox.jpg

Made from scratch - some found items.
bug 4.jpg

Highly modified Silver Bullet Paintball Marker
serenity.jpg

Completely made from scratch - styrene and brass
bluehand_prop3.gif

Highly modified toy with motorized switching head.
QMX Phaser and Mine small.jpg







Found Item - Alien Scanner - Stud Finder.


.
 
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Yes, it's a tough question for me personally. I do mainly 3D modeling and 3D printed pieces. For instance, I'm making a Yoda / Luke Dagobah lamp, but it's 3D printed in plastic and will be painted to look like metal. But after seeing matt black's machined metal Dagobah lamp, I know that my own project is not as comparable to a metal lamp. For this prop, metal is just more desirable. Does that mean I consider my own lamp invalid ? Nope. And I hope you don't think I'm saying that.

Metal, for this prop, is just more accurate and desirable, and my prop is not metal. Less accurate is not the same as invalid. Sure, I could print in metal from Shapeways, but like The14thDr, I have to work on a budget, so I printed it in plastic. I can not say that the material my object is made of does not matter. If money were not important, I would print it in metal. And I would, indeed, like my object better if it was metal.
 
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I guess a "Prop Replica" can be described with various degrees of authenticness.

If a found item was used to create the original or various parts were used as details.
Cast from resin using the same mold and painted with the same paint or build with
the same dimensions and materials, printed or with similar internal electronics it's a replica.
Even if it remotely resembles the original, it is a replica.
The term "Replica" is very subjective and has a different meaning to each person.
It's a bit of a judgment call I guess. :)
 
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KhalDrogo said:
To me, all the word replica means is that its not the original. Its a copy. The build materials and process used to create the replica don't affect my understanding that the piece in question is not the original.
Click to expand...

Bingo.

This thread comes off more like an attempted slight against 3D printing (which i'm honestly sick of, it's here, it's the emperors new groove, get over it people) rather than an examination of the etymology behind the word "replica."
 
Grey said:
This thread comes off more like an attempted slight against 3D printing (which i'm honestly sick of, it's here, it's the emperors new groove, get over it people) rather than an examination of the etymology behind the word "replica."
Click to expand...
Exactly.

I don't see everyone's problem with 3D printing - to me it's just another tool that makes replicating small, complicated pieces much easier. I personally have used 3D printing to create props that I wouldn't have had a hope in hell of making by hand. I've seen many 3D prints that look just like original props, and you'd never know they were printed!

To me, this thread just comes across as a dig at anyone who doesn't have access to the skills, materials or budget to create an exact copy of the original props. This place is a community for like-minded people who enjoy building things, not somewhere to argue back and forth about whether a build can be classed as accurate just because it was 3D printed. Many of our members find working with their hands (i.e. Woodworking, etc etc) difficult but excel at using software to create models of props. Why should they not be allowed to use whatever skills they have?

Just sit back and enjoy the wealth of talent on display here, not seek to diminish just because they used a different material.
 
Flayrith said:
In the attractions and museum community a 'reproduction' is an item of the same size/scale, materials, and preferably construction methods of the original. A replica is something that may resemble the original, but could vary in any number of ways (material, size, etc). But in general use, the terms seem to be interchangeable.
Click to expand...

This is my opinion word for word. Glad I read everything before posting. To me to call an item a "replica" refers to the look. It LOOKS like the item it was created to imitate. A "reproduction" is something that was "reproduced" exactly the same way as the original.
 
Thank you guys. SimplyTim and The14thDr.

I agree, if it looks like the original, then it's a replica and it doesn't matter what it's made of.

After much soul searching, I've finally realised what I'm trying to get across as to what it is made of.
Getting away from 3D printing for this example, lets say you make a fake rock out of paper mache and one out of concrete.
If you put both outside, only one is going to survive. What is made of does affect functionality. Even if both rocks look Totally identical and
Both are perfect replicas, they are not equal. Melting in the rain is definitely a down side.

If the material you make it of doesn't affect functionality, then there's no down side. A replica is a replica.

But let's go back to my Dagobah lamp for a moment. It is 3D printed, painted, plastic and I would consider this to be equal to painted resin. No down side.

But painted anything is going to deteriorate over the very long term in a way that metal would not deteriorate. Being metal instead of plastic does affect your functionality over the very long term. But, most people would not consider 20 years down line to be an issue. Some ACTUAL props from the 80's were made of foam latex, and they are disintegrating. Whether it is an actual prop or a replica, it can make a difference to functionality based on what it's made of, but only over the very long term.
 
userd1402 said:
Proplica ?
Click to expand...

3D Printlica? :wacko

Grey said:
Bingo.

This thread comes off more like an attempted slight against 3D printing (which i'm honestly sick of, it's here, it's the emperors new groove, get over it people) rather than an examination of the etymology behind the word "replica."
Click to expand...

It is not that I am against 3D printing, because I am not. It is a useful process you can get some amazing results. What I fear is that (in time) 3D printing will kill off the artistic creative skills of actually making something.

As far as building replica props, in the end, it really comes down to what materials and processes you are comfortable working with. Some people work foam and paper because they like that. Me, myself, I actually like sculpting parts from hard plastics like Perspex and recently, rediscovered a love of working MDF.

Once I have a master that I like, I can make a silicone mold and replicate that as many times as I like or need.
 
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cavx said:
What I fear is that (in time) 3D printing will kill off the artistic creative skills of actually making something.
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No offense but this is pretty insulting to anyone working in 3D design, prop models don't appear out of thin air they take a lot of time and effort to make.
 
Grey said:
No offense but this is pretty insulting to anyone working in 3D design, prop models don't appear out of thin air they take a lot of time and effort to make.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to offend anyone. I admire the skills of anyone who can draw in 3D CAD and create a model that can be printed. I can only use Sketch Up (which tends to have gaps and polygons) and am clueless with AutoDesk 123-Make and similar programs. So I am grateful when artists share their models on sites like Thingy-Verse.

Where I am going with this is, there are more than a few people that admit they can't make something from scratch and they have now turned to 3D printing. These people also rely on the graces of others to share their models because they can't create in 3D space either. And it seems this process is easier than the trial and error it takes to actually make some thing. We all have to learn and start somewhere.

My fear is that 3D printing and model sharing may take away the desire for some people to learn these skills altogether. It would be sad if creative hand skills were lost over time to a mouse click.
 
I see where you're coming from now. People looking for an easy out tend to follow the path of least resistance, and some people just don't have the time to devote to learning an entire set of trade skills to be able to make their own props from scratch. 3D printing is a viable alternative that allows people who may be good at putting together a costume but can't necessairly fabricate complex parts from scratch on their own, for example, to still create what they need themselves. I don't believe it's correct to assume that if 3D printing weren't around their first choice would be to learn all of the skills necessary to fabricate props out of traditional materials, I think it's more accurate to say that they'd probably just do without, or find someone selling the stuff they need.

I think 3D printing is an amazing resource that I can only see as a good thing, and the majority of files floating around out there are shared with the explicit purpose of allowing people to do exactly that.

People who prefer making things entirely by hand are going to continue doing what they're doing, traditional woodworking is alive and well despite long standing modern innovations to the craft.
 
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cavx said:
Where I am going with this is, there are more than a few people that admit they can't make something from scratch and they have now turned to 3D printing. These people also rely on the graces of others to share their models because they can't create in 3D space either. And it seems this process is easier than the trial and error it takes to actually make some thing. We all have to learn and start somewhere.

My fear is that 3D printing and model sharing may take away the desire for some people to learn these skills altogether. It would be sad if creative hand skills were lost over time to a mouse click.
Click to expand...

I'm fairly new to the board so don't want to offend anyone, but as the discussion has now progressed it's really apples and oranges. I've worked in 3D for years and recently begun printing. It takes a specific skill set that anyone can learn with work. Like anything, some people will ultimately be more skilled/talented than others. But 3D modeling is largely a different skill set than scratch building (which I've done since I was a kid). The main advantage to 3D is anything can be created (although not everything can be printed); easily modified; and reproduced without much additional work. Anything hand fabricated is a one-off, even if constructed with forms and jigs and the same materials, each item will be slightly unique. And anything can be made by hand. 3D can print one-offs or be a small scale production line where every item is virtually the same (until you have a problem with your file or printer or something else goes wrong). Behind every 'perfectly printed' 3d model are piles of plastic that somehow didn't come out right.
 
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