“Where does he get those wonderful toys?” – The Joker, Batman (1989)
“How can I get those wonderful toys?” – Sci-Fi movie fans since time immemorial.
The short answer is “prop replicas”. Movies build props and special effects in exactly the quantity they need to finish the flick. For example, Jaws infamously had just the one animatronic shark. Screen used props are, therefore, crazy expensive. Prop replicas are simplified versions you can take home at least a bit more affordably.
Are Prop Replicas Valuable?
Yes, though “how valuable” varies wildly. The fact is that prop replicas are made with or without the official license. Take the replica RXF-M5 EVA Pistol from Alien that headlines this article: it looks immaculate! It’s a 1:1 scale replica of what you saw on screen in the movie….but it appears to be a “garage kit”. That is to say, it is an unlicensed creation of small studio likely based in the artist’s garage. These days, it’d be the kind of thing you’d find 3D printable from Etsy.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t a great looking display piece, but it does mean it lacks a certain amount of provenance. Compare it the products of an outfit like Sideshow Collectibles. Their officially-licensed replicas are generally numbered limited editions produced with the assistance of the movie studio. This gives them access to behind-the-scenes production materials above and beyond what a fan can find or create. While an unofficial replica may be just as detailed, its lack of documentation means it won’t fetch quite the same price on the secondary market.
Are Practical Effects Better Than CGI?
For collectors? Absolutely! Lets say that you’re a huge Iron Man fan and want an exact replica of his suit from Avengers: Infinity War. You don’t care how much it costs, you want something that matches exactly the one from the movie. Well, a bit of a roadblock: it never physically existed! It was a purely CGI creation, making it effectively a cartoon. Which doesn’t mean you can’t get a cool version of it in reality, but it does mean that it will always be at best a representation rather than a true replica.
Not so with practical effects and props! The fact that an artist had to design and build them in first place allows for replicas nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Due to CGI being barely in its infancy, the first two Terminator movies achieved their iconic cyborgs with a mix of make-up, animatronic puppets, and props. While CGI created the T-1000’s transformations in T2: Judgement Day, the “liquid metal” creations that resulted were almost all practical props attached to Robert Patrick. You can recreate those props and puppets and end up with something that looks like it stepped right off the screen!
Prop Replicas Rule!
1:1 prop replicas are a wonderful thing. They let fans take a piece of their favorite movies and TV shows home at a reasonable price. That said, they serve a niche audience on both the primary and secondary markets. Most folks don’t want a realistic Pumpkinhead, no matter how artfully Stan Winston designed the creature. A 1:1 prop replica isn’t exactly the kind of thing you find at Wal-Mart, meaning their audience has to go find them. As long as you’ve displayed it responsibly and not let it be damaged, even an opened replica maintains its value pretty dang well.
Practical effects allow pop replicas to perfectly match what you saw on the silver screen. Special effects artists put great care into designing their creatures and other effects so that they’d look great from as many angles as possible, making them excellent display pieces. If you’ve got a collection of such replicas and you’re ready to sell them, let Back to the Past help you figure out exactly what they’re worth! And there’s a prop you’d especially love to have, sound off below or hit us up on social media @b2pcollect!