Screen Accurate Pepsi Can Props

October 27, 2005

By the PropMaster, staff writer

Purchase, New York - Pepsi-Cola North America, headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., is now making screen accurate prop replicas. The real props can be seen in movies, TV shows, and commercials. "Propgod", his name on several Internet prop boards, says, "This is great! I can finally get my hands on some affordable, screen accurate replicas. I am already working on an elaborate, wall mounted display mount for them."

The Pepsi cans can be purchased at local convenience stores, super markets, vending machines, and some yard sales. Some claim that Pepsi is following Coca Cola's lead. Coca Cola started making screen accurate prop replicas of the prop seen in the balcony scenes in "Attack of the Clones".

A spokesperson for a major studio told us, "I think this is a trend that is only going to grow. Besides the soda cans, we are seeing screen accurate props from car manufacturers, cell phone makers, airplane manufacturers, and even gun manufacturers."

PepsiCo Beverages and Foods North America also comprises PepsiCo's Tropicana, Gatorade and Quaker Foods businesses in the United States and Canada.

Pepsi-Cola North America's carbonated soft drinks, including: Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Twist, Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Code Red, Sierra Mist, and Mug Root Beer account for nearly one-third of total soft drink sales in the United States.

How the Props of Star Trek Influence our World - A Discovery Channel Documentary

October 25, 2005
By PropMaster - staff writer

A new documentary on Star Trek and the development of technology, How William Shatner Changed the World, premieres next month. Hosted and narrated by William Shatner, the documentary will show how the props and science of "Star Trek" inspired the brightest minds of Silicon Valley to create the gadgets that have changed the world.
Channel Canada reports, "As a young boy in 1960 suburbia, Mark Rayman was less interested in how far he could hit a baseball than how far it was to the Final Frontier. Captivated by television coverage of the early Mercury flights – and the Star Trek expeditions a channel or two over – Rayman is now Chief Engineer in charge of the Robotic Deep Space Probe project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. And the longstanding affection between NASA and Trekkies is mutual – NASA’s very first Space Shuttle was named Enterprise, and, according to Shatner, this was no coincidence.

And while some young Trekkies dreamed of space, others were more interested in the gadgets o­nboard in the year 2300 and would make it their life’s work to bring these toys off the screen and o­nto the streets. According to Shatner, booking a date for Friday night and fielding inquiries from casting agents got a lot easier thanks to an industrious Trekkie named Marty Cooper. Cooper, a chief engineer at Motorola, understood that people were inherently mobile and would never want to be chained to their desks, tethered to conventional telephones. Captain Kirk and his USS Enterprise colleagues were o­n to something with their cordless “communicator” with voice recognition technology. Inspired by the brick-like device, Cooper and the Motorola team invented the first mobile cellular phone, giving birth to the start of a communications revolution.

And for some young minds captivated by the fictional world of Star Trek, the possibility of communicating with Talarians, Klingons and Gorns would lead to the most basic question: Is something “out there” beyond our own solar system, and if so, how do we find them? Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer with the SETI Institute (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) which works alongside NASA, credits Star Trek with synthesizing the physics and astronomy of the search for extra-terrestrial life with the emotional and intellectual drive to know and understand the rest of our universe.

The evolution of the computer, the microchip and software programs is peppered with Star Trek influences, from the primitive Altair 8800 (named after a Star Trek solar system) and its evolution into the first Apple computer to the rise of Bill Gates and Microsoft. And as a result of Star Trek, human operating systems also began to reflect this futuristic vision. The USS Enterprise sickbay, under the medical supervision of Doctor McCoy, specialized in quick diagnosis and scalpel-free – and painless – surgery. For Stanford University Hospital brain surgeon Doctor John Adler, this protocol was the o­nly way forward. Today, non-invasive diagnostics, CAT scans and MRIs are a matter of course and, inspired by Star Trek technologies, Adler has invented the Cyberknife – a computer-controlled robotic device that employs a laser beam to remove cancers without even the smallest cut."

So, prop geeks lift your chins a little higher everytime someone "flips" open their cell phone. I'll bet Wah Chang did.

You can see the documentary in Canada on the Discovery Channel on November 13, 2005 at 8:00pm eastern time. You can read the entire article at this URL- http://www.channelcanada.com/Article1089.html

1933 King Kong Prop Re-Animated After 72 Years

October 22, 2005

By PropMaster – Staff Writer

Bob Burns visited Peter Jackson at Wellywood Studios in New Zealand and he brought with him a very special prop- the original, 1933, stop motion puppet of King Kong. There were three puppets used to make the original 1933 film. The one owned by Bob Burns is the only one that still exists. Now, after over 70 years, the original Kong puppet has been re-animated by the WETA FX crew. You can see the new stop motion footage at http://www.kongisking.net/index.shtml.

Mysteries of the ObiWan ANH Saber Finally Revealed

October 18, 2005

By PropMaster - Staff Writer

For over 25 years prop nerds have been trying to identify the components used to create Obi-Wan Kenobi's saber as seen in "Star Wars - A New Hope". The pommel was identified a while back as being a sink faucet knob. The "grenade" looking piece was identified as being, well, a grenade. A British made MK3, rifle grenade used in WWI.

But, the "gear" portion and the "emitter" portion remained a mystery- until now. Some of our very perceptive friends at the RFP have identified both components. The "emitter", it turns out, is a part from a Derwent 8 or 9 jet engine. The "gear" is actually a recoil booster from a .30 caliber AN-M2 (British) Browning machine gun.

Good work guys!

Shown below is a pic of the Master Replicas ROTS Obi Saber.

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News From Art Asylum

October 19, 2005

By PropMaster - Staff Writer

Art Asylum just re-released their popular Star Trek Original Series phaser II. They can be purchased at several online shops. They have also released a special Black and White, first season color scheme phaser sold exclusively by NewForce Comics.

And, for you BattleStar Galactica Fans-

As reported in ToyFare #100, Art Asylum will be offering products based on Battlestar Galactica. Though the agreement covers both classic and new versions of the series, the line will kick off with Minimate 2-packs based on original series characters, including Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, Cylon Warrior, and others.
Products from the new series will include busts (Baltar and Six are slated to be the first two) and full-body statues (Adama, Six, and Cylon Centurion are planned but not finalized).
But that's not all. AA will also be offering a line of replica ships, starting with the new Galactica. AA's Robert Yee boasts "You'll be able to mount it in different modes of operation, for instance with the landing bays tucked in as the ship prepares for hyper-jump." Start saving now; Yee estimates the price range for this "very, very highly detailed" line will run between $175 and $195.

TOS Tricorder Moving Moire Mystery Revealed

October 19, 2005

By PropMaster - Staff Writer

There has been a heated debate among "proppers" over whether or not the ST:TOS tricorder had a moving moire. Some say yes while others say no. And, of course, you have those who immediately resort to name calling and personal attacks when they start having a hard time proving their point. Somehow, they feel the attacks seem to support their arguments. The recent release of the Master Replicas TOS Tricorder didn't help clear up any of the confusion. The MR tricorder has a moving moire. The pro moving moire crowd points to the MR tricorder to prove that high tech electronics could have been used in the original, 1966-1969 tricorder to produce the moving moire. They infer that there were miniature electric motors in 1966 that moved at the rate of 2 rpm and would fit in a very small space inside the tricorder. The anti-moving moire crowd points out that is just ignorant and stupid. Miniature, inexpensive, 2 rpm electric motors didn't exist in 1966. They also point out that several people who worked on the production team of Star Trek in 1966 say that the moires on the tricorder didn't move. But, that isn't enough for the pro-moving moire crowd. Facts don't matter when there is a possibility that you can get credit for discovering something prop related that no one else could find. After all, it is the recognition that counts - not the truth.

But, we at PropBuzz have discovered the shocking truth behind the moving moire mystery. The truth is stranger than fiction. The moving moire in the tricorder is actually a projected clip from the Patterson Bigfoot film! We talked to the discoverer of this new information and he says, "I was watching my TOS DVD set for the 104th time when I spotted it on my 57 inch HDTV. I paused the episode and couldn't believe what I saw. It was a large, hairy unidentified creature. It had too much hair to be William Shatner and it didn't have pointy ears like Spock. At first, since it didn't have any dialog, I thought it may have been Chekov. But, after a closer look I could tell- It was Bigfoot! Sure, it looked cheezy, but what 1960's Sci-Fi TV show didn't? Anyway, it makes you think, doesn't it?"

So, that settles it. There was no moving moire in the TOS tricorder. How do we know? Because, unlike the moving tricorder moire, people have actually seen Bigfoot. Or, have they? We contacted a Psychologist about this and we were told, "Based upon the best evidence we have we know that anyone who claims to see a moving tricorder moire while watching any episode of Star Trek the original series is also likely to be the kind of person who would be convinced they saw a real Bigfoot."

So, the chances of a moving tricorder moire are about the same as the chances that Bigfoot exists in a suburb of Brooklyn.

Welcome

October 17, 2005

Hi,

I am the PropMaster. (Yea, I know "prop masters" don't necessarily make or collect props, but who cares?) I bring you news from the world of movie/TV props. As any prop aficionado can tell you, this is a great hobby for getting dates. Girls love it when I pull out my Star trek original series phaser II, or flip the lid on my communicator while standing in line at the super market. Boy, are they impressed by my full scale Han Solo in Carbonite sitting in my living room. And don't even get me started on how impressive it is when I wear my screen used Spock ears.
Some would call us aficionados geeks, but we are just misunderstood. To be successful in this hobby you have to be artistic, determined, lonely, and have a lot of money to spend on the latest cool prop replica. I mean, those Master Replicas props aren't exactly cheap. If you want the best you have to pay for it, right? Even if you have to drive a 1974 Vega as a result.
So, this blog will be dedicated to all the "proppers" out there who have a deep affection for those little, make believe gadgets we all see in movies and on TV. Maybe it's the mystique of the props. Maybe it's the fun that we imagine the props can give. Or, maybe it's just the fumes from glue, resin and paint that we use to build our prop replicas. Either way, it's a fun ride. Stay tuned and see what comes next.
PropMaster