Regards those GPS Radio Trackers. From these two screen grabs it can be clearly seen that Q passes Bond one of the none working versions. You can clearly see an LED. In the the working model you don't see a physical LED as confirmed in the box of trackers seen above. Further more when Bond goes to put the tracker away he slides down the switch and the LED continues to flash. Question, was the flashing light CGI as was the case in the Keychain Bomb in Casino Royale.
Asp9mmOver the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,535MI6 Agent
edited May 2022
They all have LEDs in them. It’s just the light reflection in the images makes it look like they are all different, but in reality they actually aren’t. 3 were just static but the switch still moved up and down, the LED light didn’t work, or the aerial pop up. The hero light up versions switches were quite loose and could move up and down without turning the LED off. To deactivate the LED, the switch had to be pulled right the way down. No CGI was used.
Visually, there was no difference to any of them. It was purely functional. The only way you could tell which were the functional ones was to try the switch and see which worked.
Originally, the whole side was supposed to swing out and up and the aerial come from the top of that. But they decided it was too difficult and just glued the pieces together and bodged it with the aerial coming out of the bottom of the now static swing arm.
The 2 hero props were the only ones with pop up aerials, the rest were static. So the one that Q hands to Bond must be a Hero. I was told that DC only used one of the Heroes by the prop master on the film.
I would say its pretty clear the top two don't have LED's or at least not the same as the bottom 3, and the two images-posted previously look to show two different units. One working and one from the lower 3?? has anyone here actually seen them by any chance?
Yes, I took the photo, I handled them and took the measurements.
Asp9mmOver the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,535MI6 Agent
edited May 2022
I’ve seen and handled working and statics. Honestly Paul, it’s just the image making them look different. I can see exactly what you mean and I’d be inclined to agree with you based on that picture alone But in person they are all identical with the same LED.
The top one that is out of the recess is actually the working hero. Pete had the propmaster take it apart after he took that picture. It’s distinctive as it has a wobbly thin edge to the top of the switch which can be screenmatched.
It's fun that the idea was for the aerial to swing up out of the side, although it looks like it would have to have been designed differently as the top corner would need a curved part to for it to hinge? Which I suppose would have been uglier, and also the operator's fingers would be likely to impede it.
Asp9mmOver the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,535MI6 Agent
The main pieces of the prop were made by two different companies. The main body was made by the same company that made the props and Tumbler from Nolan’s Batman films. They shipped the parts to the Bond propmakers who probably looked at the bits and thought WTF, so went their own route seemingly only using the body. The internals are mental in the way they are designed. Like a Swiss watch. It’s so complicated for such a simple prop. And all glued together with Superglue which makes quick battery change impossible.
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Asp9mmOver the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,535MI6 Agent
Well that's that then. If you guys have seen them in the flesh I accept what you are saying...trick photography lol. I guess then once the battery goes flat it can't be changed. They are pretty small so can imagine trying to fit a spring, battery, switch etc into a small space would have been head scratching. 😄
Yes that makes more sense mechanically! 😊 I like the telescoping (although I'm sure it would have been a nightmare to make! And might have been tricky for Bond to conceal in his pocket 😂). It's a more coherent design visually in fact, with the circular LED being echoed by the pivot. The final one seems a bit of a shame when you see that- the concept is much more considered.
It's still a pleasing little thing though. You'd think the 007 Store could do a nice little run of them; they're a nice size and recognisable, and a design unique to Bond which a lot of the stuff in the films isn't. Give them a bit of functionality like they're remote shutters for your phone's camera or something!
Work in progress after months of work, these static none working replicas will become available soon in a limited number. I'll put up a separate post when the time is right, probably in 3 weeks, if anyone is interested.
Comments
I'm currently working on a replica. Does anyone have the dimensions for the screen used prop?
I made a dummy one last year, didn't have any confirmed dimensions though, sorry.
Good luck 🙂
TIS - "The moment you think you got it figured - you're wrong"
Formerly known as Teppo
Regards those GPS Radio Trackers. From these two screen grabs it can be clearly seen that Q passes Bond one of the none working versions. You can clearly see an LED. In the the working model you don't see a physical LED as confirmed in the box of trackers seen above. Further more when Bond goes to put the tracker away he slides down the switch and the LED continues to flash. Question, was the flashing light CGI as was the case in the Keychain Bomb in Casino Royale.
They all have LEDs in them. It’s just the light reflection in the images makes it look like they are all different, but in reality they actually aren’t. 3 were just static but the switch still moved up and down, the LED light didn’t work, or the aerial pop up. The hero light up versions switches were quite loose and could move up and down without turning the LED off. To deactivate the LED, the switch had to be pulled right the way down. No CGI was used.
Visually, there was no difference to any of them. It was purely functional. The only way you could tell which were the functional ones was to try the switch and see which worked.
Originally, the whole side was supposed to swing out and up and the aerial come from the top of that. But they decided it was too difficult and just glued the pieces together and bodged it with the aerial coming out of the bottom of the now static swing arm.
The 2 hero props were the only ones with pop up aerials, the rest were static. So the one that Q hands to Bond must be a Hero. I was told that DC only used one of the Heroes by the prop master on the film.
I would say its pretty clear the top two don't have LED's or at least not the same as the bottom 3, and the two images-posted previously look to show two different units. One working and one from the lower 3?? has anyone here actually seen them by any chance?
Yes, I took the photo, I handled them and took the measurements.
I’ve seen and handled working and statics. Honestly Paul, it’s just the image making them look different. I can see exactly what you mean and I’d be inclined to agree with you based on that picture alone But in person they are all identical with the same LED.
The top one that is out of the recess is actually the working hero. Pete had the propmaster take it apart after he took that picture. It’s distinctive as it has a wobbly thin edge to the top of the switch which can be screenmatched.
It's fun that the idea was for the aerial to swing up out of the side, although it looks like it would have to have been designed differently as the top corner would need a curved part to for it to hinge? Which I suppose would have been uglier, and also the operator's fingers would be likely to impede it.
The main pieces of the prop were made by two different companies. The main body was made by the same company that made the props and Tumbler from Nolan’s Batman films. They shipped the parts to the Bond propmakers who probably looked at the bits and thought WTF, so went their own route seemingly only using the body. The internals are mental in the way they are designed. Like a Swiss watch. It’s so complicated for such a simple prop. And all glued together with Superglue which makes quick battery change impossible.
Well that's that then. If you guys have seen them in the flesh I accept what you are saying...trick photography lol. I guess then once the battery goes flat it can't be changed. They are pretty small so can imagine trying to fit a spring, battery, switch etc into a small space would have been head scratching. 😄
Yes, I have a pic of it in bits, obviously that is why your one works 😁
I wonder what was going through their heads when they made all those fiddly little parts. It’s genius and insanity all in one.
It can be changed as they are glued, depends if you want to take it apart I guess 😁
The ones in the archive are probably dead by now as I doubt that Meg will even know that they come apart.
It was some young guy that made the prop shop ones as the prop master had to get him to take them apart.
The pics that you're showing are just concepts aint they JD ?
Yes that makes more sense mechanically! 😊 I like the telescoping (although I'm sure it would have been a nightmare to make! And might have been tricky for Bond to conceal in his pocket 😂). It's a more coherent design visually in fact, with the circular LED being echoed by the pivot. The final one seems a bit of a shame when you see that- the concept is much more considered.
It's still a pleasing little thing though. You'd think the 007 Store could do a nice little run of them; they're a nice size and recognisable, and a design unique to Bond which a lot of the stuff in the films isn't. Give them a bit of functionality like they're remote shutters for your phone's camera or something!
FE were going to make them but decided against it.
Yeah.
If FE did make them. They’d be playing card size 😂
I was told by production that the radio was a homage to the homer in GF.
Work in progress after months of work, these static none working replicas will become available soon in a limited number. I'll put up a separate post when the time is right, probably in 3 weeks, if anyone is interested.
Cool, they look good, certainly a good alternative and more accurate that others that are available.
You do realise that the statics were made in the same way and not engraved ?
Here is another WIP from my reference, not many being made though and the internals still need making.