[PICS] My "based on" RPM Engine Cell ID Badge Version

Okay, first off this could go 2 different places here, so if a mid wants to merge it, great.





So... after receiving my final mega set, I sat down and finally, finally watched RPM all the way through. Fantastic series, but it left me wanting something no one has seemed to touch, the RPM ID/Engine Cell badge/holder.



Now before we get to my version, we need establish some things. I can see why nobody wanted to do this, there's absolutely no reference material whatsoever but the show, and that's if you can get good screen grabs of what is there. The problem lies in where not every prop was exactly the same. The first versions were shorter in length and didn't appear to have the ID info printed on the holographic foil. That later changed and they became longer in some shots, and ones you could see some definite head shots with text on the holographic part. The Corinth logo, my god, what a freaking hassle. There are never any really clear shots, nor straight on shots of the whole thing. And forget detail... most of the symbols I had to just guess at as that's how they looked.



So with all of the in mind, I set out to at least make mine a "based on" version and not a exact replica. "Why," you may ask? I have no prop building experience at all, especially in the rhelm of casting.



The only way to get something accurate is to have someone cast the casing with the cutout for the cell, and then have to fashion something to push the cell out of the hole. I'm just a designer, not a sculptor.



So what I ended up with is something in the middle, show inspired, but functional on my level. Now on to the photos.





Here's what my version includes:



- accurate Top Trumps card holder in silver

- accurate lanyard, although mine is smaller in length

- holographic front sticker

- Corinth seal on back

- foam to hold Engine Cell inside

















As you can see, not too shabby, definitely not a perfect replica, but it suits me, and that's all that matters.



Now onto the actual Corinth logo. What a pain, like I stated above it was really hard to find good shots that made this thing... and guess what, it was different for different applications!! The logo was never really the same from substrate to substrate. Go figure.



So here's my version: I designed and cut this at work.







What I know and what I had to modify.



- the logo isn't symmetrical. It is, but isn't. I made it symmetrical.

- my outer "clock face" doesn't dip in between every raised hill. That's a cosmetic choice.

- the individual 4 logos were a bitch. I know there was an open hand, the star, and what looked like the scales of justice. But the top one, it looked like crossed hatchets. Some department logos have that, but I knew what I was going to be doing with this, so I modified it.



You have to understand something. Cutting vinyl isn't easy. You have to plan how things will cut, not only on big items but also small items. Smaller items are hard because you have to modify the lines so that they are thicker to be able to be cut easier, otherwise you lose parts or you get odd cut lines.



Ask blindrummer... he'll tell you the same thing. And not all vinyls cut the same.



So there you have it, I'd love to hear what you all have to say, good or bad.