Tips for accessing original prop production details?

Im wondering if there are others who have been down this path before who can share some tips that maybe worked for them?

Ive been reaching out to the Prop Masters and others involved, trying to get my hands on any documentation/notes regarding the building of original props. I did have a bried 3 or 4 email string going with the US prop master who noted that the props in question were produced in the UK and to try tracking the UK prop master down (to which I have yet to succeed.

Any helpful tips from some veterans out there?

I have all of the materials I need to reproduce a prop, but tracking these things down wasnt cheap or easy. and as Im working with originals, Id rather not live out the woes of finding out that I could have been more faithful to the original.

FYI, working on recreating the luggable PC/laptop used by the main character in Hackers.
Tracked down original (and hard to come by) computer, parts, and stickers from the early 90s

Think it's hit or miss. I've only really tried to gain details pertaining to star wars related props, but more often than not, these pieces are sitting in a private collector's home, to whom they keep such intimate information to themselves or those in their "inner circles"

Other times, as I've seen specifically with the Rocketeer, a prop master would be openly discussing their paint process for the helmet, or talk about that extra rocketpack they still have.

So I think it's going to really depend on what piece you're looking for, who's had access and how those individuals respond to such inquiries.


It's unfortunate in my case that the only prop/costume pieces I really care about are all privately owned, so I'll more likely never get anything more than what I already know

I hear ya. My challenge is that Hackers is a very "cult" movie so the details are extremely hard to come by. I have no idea who has them or if they even survived production and have yet to communicate with anyone who knows. I may try to reach out to some studio folks to see if I can get a reply, but I have even less hope on a reply from them.

if you look in my post history I had a thread on the hackers computers where people posted some good info