Stargate fans are talented, there is no question. But the fans featured on stage at Gatecon: The Celebration are absolute artists.
Fan prop makers Remington Phillips and Nicole West from SG-1 Props joined “Dial the Gate” host David Read on stage in Vancouver last fall, showcasing several of their handmade and screen-accurate props. The team’s pride and joy is the Zero Point Module, the Ancient vacuum energy module that is heavily featured on Stargate Atlantis.
“My thing is getting intense screen accuracy,” Phillips said. “That’s my passion. … We spent probably 50 to 60 hours meticulously looking at every single crystal, comparing it to screen shots from the show, making sure that any damage that was incurred during production we fixed.”
The Z.P.M. prop was more than a year in the making, and as screen accurate as you will ever find in a fan-produced replica. That’s because SG-1 Props didn’t just scrutinize screen shots from the show: they also got access to an original prop that was auctioned off after the show’s production came to an end, and used it to reverse engineer their own molds.
Take a look in this clip:
“[For] this particular prop the design process for replicating it is pretty intense,” Phillips said. “To start with, I do have one of the original props … and I was able to use that original prop to make a direct copy. So not only is it the right proportions … but every crystal is the same on this prop, every line is the same, as the original. Because it’s a direct copy of the original.”
Also on stage for this event was fan prop maker Martin McClean, who has designed and produced incredible (and functional!) 3D-printed items from SG-1 and Atlantis. Here he shows off an Ancient scanner (a.k.a. “life signs detector”), which was auctioned off for charity at the convention, and the motion-controlled Atlantis door control.
Martin is the creator of the Atlantis blueprints wallpaper featured right here on GateWorld, which you can see in the video. Download it here for your PC, Mac, or a printable poster!
This is just one part of Dial the Gate’s full-length conversation with Remington Phillips and Martin McClean. Learn more about SG-1 Props (and find out what may be available for your collection) at SG1Props.com. We also have close-up photos of the props shown on stage in GateWorld’s photo gallery.
You can watch the full, 40-minute stage event showcasing more fan-made Stargate props on Dial the Gate’s YouTube channel! And while you’re there subscribe to GateWorld’s channel for more Stargate content.
Special thanks to Remington, Nicole, and Martin for sharing their artistry with the Gatecon audience!
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I'm normally not much of a props person, but they're right to be proud of having built a screen-accurate ZPM. Other than the titular stargate itself, the ZPM has always been the franchise's most important MacGuffin. Plus, let's face it: props that glow are cool.😁