Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/08/12/theres-a-huge-auction-coming.html
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I’d like to be comfortably wealthy, mind you, but if I were stupid, billions-of-dollars rich, I would be so headed for a divorce because I would buy so much of this kind of crap my wife would leave me.
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- Practical Special Effects Colonial Marine Flamethrower Unit
… To simulate full functionality, this unit emitted a steady pilot flame operated via a gas canister concealed in the frame and regulated with an on-off flow valve. It was used specifically for pilot light shots with the small flame. Since production, the weapon has been fully deactivated for safety reasons. The flamethrower is painted green with brown, black, and silvertone details, and exhibits nicks, stains, and chipped paint from production use and age. It remains in good overall condition.
You have got to be kidding me! Half the joy of owning this piece would be from knowing that it worked.
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Weekend project!
Seriously they should donate all this stuff to a sci-fi museum, if such still exist. Or get some billionaire to buy it all up and donate it. I mean it was fun going through part of the catalog a bit, but I guess 5 seconds on each item was sufficient.
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Reminds me of this old Reddit AMA with a lottery winner. When asked what was the most ridiculous thing he bought with the money…
T-rex animatronic head used in Jurassic Park. It cost me $90K and sits right behind my sofa.
The whole thread is worth reading. Some readers challenged him about it and he posted pics.
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9li9n/i_won_a_30_million_lottery_jackpot_and_have_spent/
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Call up Adam Savage for a rebuild job. I imagine if you’re that wealthy you have the contacts of everyone famous.
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The bigger problem is that many of the props were designed for specific shots.
Looks good in closeup. (all the authentic details are present. Doen’t work, though the controls can be manipulated.)
Show pilot light: (less detail, but a real flame)
Actually produces flames: Crude looking, and used in VFX shots.
Useful in the battle sequences: Light weight, with green screen panels.
The whole package-- fancy editing, and CGI. Doesn’t exist, except in the imagination.
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Ah, I must have misread and thought they were saying that the pilot had been disabled, but was otherwise functional.
Ok, so you just have Adam do one of his one day builds based on the in-shot device that’s fully functional. Money is no object!
I think this was the piece that was used to show the pilot light, but that extra functionality was disabled after the film was made.
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When they give you your big cardboard check for the obligatory photo-op, a complimentary little black book is fastened to the back. Them’s the rules.
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Yeah, it was surprising how sort of fake and cheap most of the props looked out of context. Goes to show that true movie magic is more that the sum of a movie’s parts.
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One theatre owner tried to buck the trend of fakery, and insisted that real jewels be used for performances at the Gaiety Theatre. Unfortunately, this artistic philosophy bankrupted him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Paget,_5th_Marquess_of_Anglesey
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