Adam Savage's Talks Rasputin's Mecha Glove

One of the coolest bonuses of Jamie and Adam's (MYTHBUSTERS) Tested site is the inside look at Adam Savage's man cave/workshop and the replica prop projects that he has meticulously been working on.

What I love about his process is that he actually takes his time to study the prop and takes the time to make sure every detail is as close to the original as possible, even going as far as machining the parts himself or hiring companies to build custom made parts.

Here he is discussing one of his prop projects which is the infamous Mecha Glove that Rasputin used in the film HELLBOY:

Prop Inspiration: Army of Darkness Mechanical Hand

Here is a amazing look at how Blind Squirrel Props has made a replica of the mechanical hand that Ash used in the film ARMY OF DARKNESS.  Very cool.

Go here for more.

Replica Prop Forum Hacked!

Just got word that the Replica Prop Forum was hacked.  Here are the details sent to me by one of the moderators:

DO NOT USE WWW.THERPF.COM or THERPF.COM

ONLY USE WWW.THEREPLICAPROPFORUM.COM

There is a FAKE SITE at www.therpf.com

They have your password (with a little work), regardless of whether you have logged into the fake site or not. So you need to change your password... AND PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU SEE www.thereplicapropforum.com in your address bar when you change your password.

We do not know the extent of what they have and don't have, so just assume that they have EVERYTHING (password, email address, saved pm's, etc).

Please just stop using / testing therpf.com at all.

---

The hacker has now duplicated our Facebook page for the RPF.

This is the FAKE page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Replica-Prop-Forum/321458777885579?sk=info

Please go to this page and report it to Facebook by scrolling to the bottom and choosing Report Page from the Left hand side. From the Report Screen choose "Duplicate or miscategorized Page", then choose "Duplicate of another Page" from the drop down. Finally, type in "Replica Prop Forum" and our icon should come up.

I also suggest reporting it also as spam too.

Show your support at the REAL Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/therpf?ref=ts&sk=wall

Please share this with your friends so others aren't fooled into going to this fake page.

Weekend Links: 7-16-2011

Here is what you may have missed from the Lost in Schlock Facebook page:

Need breakaway glass of all sizes and types?  Check out Alfonso's Breakaway glass.

For those throwing their own Harry Potter themed parties in time for part 7.2 learn how to make your own Mandrake root.

How to use plastic sheeting and a heat gun for a unique twist to corpsing a Bucky skeleton

Make a large life-size gargoyle for your next set or yard haunt.

Inspiration: A Treasure Trove of Behind the Scenes Videos of Ghostbusters 2

Much like the Steve Johnson Ghostbusters video are three more vids making the rounds  This time around for the sequel..  The first video showcases some optical effects alongside miniatire work and a bit of bluescreen puppeteering.  Not to mentiom a peek at Vigo.
The second video showcases the puppeteering involved with a far different made Slimer puppet.

The third video showcases how the Vigo painting effect was pulled off along with the real voice of the actor who played the film's main villain.

Check it out:

How to Turn Recycled Pizza Boxes into a Tron Legacy Helmet

Now here is a very cool usage of recycled pizza boxes: a tutorial on how to make a TRON: LEGACY Helmet fron cardboard.  Full how-to can be found here.

Build a Cardboard Tec DC9 Prop

Another cool use for recycled cardboard can be found with this tutorial on how to make a realistic Tec DC9 gun.  Full details here.

NOTE: As with all tutorials on building prop guns, safety first. Don't be a idiot and go outside waving a fake gun around It may be fake to you, but to others it might not be. Your neighborhood police officer is not a psychic. He or she will not always know if you are making a movie. Always keep that in mind. Know your state laws and get permits or police aid whenever needed when necessary.

Make a Foam Latex Crowbar The Easy Way

In numerous films or stage productions when a weapon is used in a stunt or is thrown at an actor, more often than not, it is a foam rubber casted copy.  This is obviously done for safety reasons.  To make a foam copy of a weapon the most commonly used technique is to build a plaster cast over the prop and then fill the mold with foam rubber. 

The weapon copy is then painted to match the original as close as possible to achieve realism.  As good as a technique it is, it still can cost a bit of money for a weapon that may only be used for a meere fifteen seconds of actual screen-time.

However, over at Backyard FX is a cool tutorial on how to make a foam latex crowbar cheaply and without the trouble of making a plaster mold and all the mess associated with it.  The same skills shown on the tutorial can, with a bit of practice, be used to make other foam weapons.  As a word of caution, whenever you are using fake weaponary of any kind always use extreme caution and make sure that every inch of the prop is safe.  Lawsuits and deaths can but quite the damper on a film project.

IMFDB - Internet Movie Firearm Database

I always wanted a replica of this. 
It's so damn purty!

Has there ever been a film which there is a character who has a very unique firearm that you wish you could own a replica of, if not the original?  Yet you don't know what make and model of the gun was or any idea as to where to find it on the intertubes. 

Well, now there is a site just for you; IMFDB.org (Internet Movie Firearm Database) is a wiki database of the thousands of guns and other assorted firearms used in films.  Now you can spend hours on this site looking up everything from the guns used in Blade Runner to Hellboy's Samaritan and more! 

Go here to see for yourself.

(h/t to Boing Boing)

Friday Link-o-rama: 1-7-10

Here are a few links you may have missed from the Lost in Schlock Facebook page and elsewhere:

The Frugal Filmmaker asks the question, "Should we self-distribute?"

Five words that you can cut.

Prop maker Dave Lowe made relics for his family this past Christmas.

Here is a crafty way of making a replica Ghostbusters sniffer from found parts.

As fun as making props is, it is important to follow safety regulations for your own health and those around you.

Learn how to build a free roaming crank ghost.

Make a Rorschach Mask That Actually Works!

Here is a very ingenious way of using thermographic ink to make a replica of Rorschach's mask from the film Watchmen..  My only question is how easy is it to breath in this mask?

Kenneth Strickfaden: A Movie Artist for the Ages

You may not immediately know the name Kenneth Strickfaden but if you are a hardcore horror and sci-fi movie geek or TV nut then you have surely seen some of his work in some incarnation or another.

Snipped from Wikipedia:

Ken Strickfaden, short for Kenneth Strickfaden (1896 - 1984) was an electrician, film set designer, and electrical special effects creator. He created the science fiction apparatus in more than 100 motion picture films and television programs, from 1931’s Frankenstein to The Wizard of Oz and The Mask of Fu Manchu to television's The Munsters.

Propnomicon has a fantaastic mini write-up on Strickfaden and his prop and set contributions to genre cinema and what had happened to many of the pieces of props and sets that he had made which found their way unto Ebay a few years back via Forrest J. Ackerman.

Go here for more details including some cool pics of his work

Inspiration: The Making of the Visual Effects for ALIENS

Here is a cool set of vids that I discovered a few minutes ago on the visual effects that were created to bring ALIENS to the big screen.  It's awe inspiring on what can be done without the need to go the CG route.

Inspiration: The Dollar Store Lightsaber Contest

Much like the dollar store laser gun this prop is equally cool.  The Replica Prop Forums had a contest to see if anyone could build a Star Wars inspired lightsaber using only parts found from a dollar store.  Here is the winner:



It's amazing what can be found at the dollar store these days

Full details on how it was made found here.

Make Your Own Harry Potter Mandrake Root

Just in time for the Harry Potter film series latest installment; here is a neat tutorial found at the Haunt Forum on how to make a Mandrake Root.

Full how-to here.

Also be sure to find out how to make your own Harry Potter wand here.

How to Make a Light Up Magic Wand

In time for the latest installment of the Harry Potter films, Indy Mogul now has a video tutorial on how to make a light up magic wand on a low budget.

Prop Inspiration: A Quick and Dirty PKE Meter

Someone over at the Replica Props Forums has discovered a neat way of building a replica of a Ghostbusters PKE Meter.  Although not a full tutorial it's still well worth the look.  Check it out.

Another Rocket Pack How-To

Here is another Rocket Pack how-to currently making the rounds on the internet.  Similar to the Indy Mogul version it uses 2 liter soda bottles and other inexpensive parts and the end result is spiffy. 

Go here for the full how-to
See the Indy Mogul version of a rocket

(via Super Punch)

Inspiration: Build a Life Size Alien Queen Replica

So you have built a ALIENS Power Loader and now find yourself needing something extra to complete the coolness of the mech suit. 

How about build a life-size replica of the Alien Queen?  It's the perfect accessory to have while wearing the Power Loader. 

The complete instructions can be found here.

Learn how to build a ALIENS Power Loader here.

How to Make a Batarang

Here is a friggin' awesome tutorial on how to make a replica of the snap-action Batarang inspired from the Batman Arkham Asylum game.  (h/t to Make Magazine)

Full how-to here.  

Note:  Because this prop has the potential of injuring someone be sure to be responsible with the construction of this prop.  Build it at your own risk.  Just don't put someone's eye out with this.

See a video of it Batastic action after the jump.