Awesome Props

Yutaka Yamaguchi aka Aidakko Shisho is blowing up on TikTok and Instagram because of his jaw-dropping cardboard creations that he enthusiastically showcases. He’s made toy weapons, jet packs, helmets, and even a monobike out of the humble material. His props have satisfying moving parts and seem to be made of the world’s toughest cardboard.

The A1 Thanos from FroggysFogFluid and TopCat is a portable fog machine built to look like a blaster gun. The high-output fogger uses theatrical fog fluid and runs on rechargeable batteries. It looks fantastic with that LED lighting, though at 31 pounds, it’s not the easiest thing to carry around on stage.

Resident Alien is one of our current must-watch TV series. The science fiction comedy features wonderful performances, lots of laughs, and some great visual effects. This behind-the-scenes footage from season three gives us a look at the costumes, makeup, props, and digital VFX that help bring the show to life.

These replica Temple Traps from Regal Robot make your room look like the temple at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The 15″ square wall art is based on the traps that fire darts as Indy and Satipo attempt to escape with the idol. Each is made in the U.S. from polyurethane resin and handpainted for accuracy. They also make mini fridge magnet versions.

1980s kids, Johnny 5 is alive! Adam Savage got to geek out over one of the original screen-used models of the friendly and inquisitive robot from Short Circuit. This particular Johnny 5 was never functional but it still looks amazing. It’s one of the many amazing props and artifacts headed to Prop Store’s 2022 London auction.

There are lots of scenes in movies and TV shows where they show enormous stacks of cash. But there’s a fine line between on-screen realism and illegal counterfeiting. Insider takes a look at how prop companies produce fake bills, and one of the times they got in trouble for being too good at their jobs.

Svetlana and Benni of KamuiCosplay make incredible props and costumes. Their latest build is the eponymous mask from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. They made it entirely from sculpting EVA foam and then added LED lighting and a colorful paint job. This thing always reminded us of Aku Aku from Crash Bandicoot.

Svetlana from KamuiCosplay created this epic shield based on the one wielded by Overwatch’s Brigitte, wearing her custom Diablo skin by Zach Fisher. She created the shield using EVA foam, packed it with 550 RGB LEDs, and outfitted it with a miniature smoke machine. The magnificent paint job really brings it together.

Drug usage is frequently depicted in movies and TV shows, but actors obviously aren’t really snorting coke or shooting up heroin. Insider spent some time with prop master Joel Barkow to learn about the creative techniques involved in making realistic-looking fake drugs that are safe for actors to handle and even ingest.

It took James and the guys from Hacksmith Industries months to complete their arsenal of props and costume armor inspired by The Mandalorian. They’ve now released a short film to celebrate their achievement, showing off everything they built and then some.

Loki has so many variants; it’s possible that any of us could be a Loki too. Let your friends and family know you’re part of the multiverse with some cardboard Loki horns. Raphael of Epic Cardboard Props is here to show us how to make Loki’s horned crown from a spare shipping box. Grab the template here.

Some everyday items can make unwanted noises while filming movies and TV shows. Editors can fix some things in post-production, but it’s preferable to capture clean audio on set. Insider explains how prop artists create versions of objects like ice cubes, pool balls, and paper bags to reduce amount of noise they make.

It’s been rumored for some time that Disney was working on a lightsaber replica that could retract like the ones seen in the Star Wars movies. In this all-too-short video, we get a glimpse at one in action. If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Walt Disney World’s Galactic Starcruiser in 2022, you’ll get to see it in person.

In the world of Spider-Man, Dr. Otto Octavius (better known as Doc Ock) has been augmented with a set of mechanical tentacles he uses for nefarious purposes. JLaservideo teamed up with a few internet friends to design and build a working tentacle backpack, and then gave it mind-control capabilities.

(Gore) The weapons in the RPG shooter Outriders have some of the most insane designs ever. Among them is the Grim Marrow, a deadly light machine gun made from bones wrapped around a sparkly crystal structure. Kamui Cosplay built an amazing replica from PVC and foam, loaded with colorful light-up crystals.

A big part of making movie stunts and action scenes look more dangerous than they really are is by using lightweight and breakaway props. I Like to Make Stuff tried their hand at molding three kinds of stunt props, including a lightweight foam cinder block, fake glass bottles, and a soft silicone crowbar.