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By Steve Fronczek
06 May 2008
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What props do you remember making for Battlestar?
Well here's a list of ones can remember.
- Restraint collars -- as worn by cylons detained by humans. Completely scratch built from CNC machined aluminum. Fun fact: these were a retooling of a restraint collar White Monkey made for the critically acclaimed Canadian zombie movie Fido.
- The first Battlestar prop I worked on in Season 1 was a claymore bomb detonator using the handle from a Joystick -- not sure of the brand. We made two from a pair of different joysticks and the prop master picked one to use.
- Claymore mines, CNC'd aluminum by my fellow White Monkey employee Trevor F.F. Charles.
- Walkie Talkies and "Break-Away" walkie talkies, which I believe Starbuck breaks just before hijacking a Cylon raider.
- Various modified vintage radios. One I recall specifically was the one in Starbuck's apartment that take a micro cassette. This was actually a CD tray modified to have a short travel and with a plastic insert to accept a micro cassette.
- A Galactiguised lap top. I think this was used by the woman creating anti-government propaganda. Don't remember for sure.
- Baby life support briefcase for the cylon/human baby's escape. It wasn't shown on TV as I recall.
- Cylon re-birthing tank wrist collars. These were made from length adjusters from Shaviv deburring tools and CNC'd aluminum.
- Random space ship spare parts from the meeting of Galactica and Pegasus. Some of which look like robot penises.
- Galactica PDA. Don't recall from what episode but it was scratch built.
- A retractable knife that was used to stab Roselin.
- The restraint chair
- Binoculars. These were a common brand I can't recall that we added machined plastic and aluminum details to.
- The thing Lucy Lawless sticks in Baltar's ear.
- The portable computer set up from the start of Season three used during the New Caprica planet escape.
- Lots of fake plastic explosives
- Hanging IV bottles. Made from internal charcoal filter sports/camping bottles with machined acrylic rings and bent wire.
- Ostrich Skin ballot box
- Baltar's blood slide scanner.
I'm sure there are more I have missed.
What was your favorite material and surface texture to use on Battlestar props?
I like machining parts out of aluminum since it is very predictable and produces great parts. I left the surface finishing up to White Monkey's painters.
What was the most complicated prop and simplest prop you made for Battlestar?
Complicated was definitely the chair. Simplest must have been cutting the corners off of things or painting lapel pins.
Were the lapel pins something done in-house?
No, they were some off the shelf items. It was for the episode where all the heads of all the ships got together and voted on something -- using the ostrich skin ballot box.
Did you get to work directly with any members of the Battlestar art department when you were building props?
Not usually. Mostly it was all through props.
What has been the highlight of your career?
Since I can never count on seeing what I've built appear on camera as much of it gets cut, my career highlights are directly tied to my favorite objects I've ever built. There are a few I can think of. The restraint chair is definitely in the top five along with a couple of builds I did for Eureka. My all time favorite build was a model of the "Fantasticar" from the Fantastic Four movie. This never made the film, but the finished product was so perfect and completely my interpretation I was extremely proud of it.
If the readers on my site have read this interview and think to themselves, "This sounds like a job for me!" What advice would you give them?
Go for it, but prepare to work crazy hours and have your job run your life. Learn how to build things with a critical and be meticulous. Learn how to use computers to your advantage. An engineering degree isn't necessary but it is nice to have something to fall back on when you need a break!
What do you prefer, working with 3D graphics or building stuff? And why?
BUILDING! The 3D designing is a means to an end. Nothing tops having a physical object in your hand that you designed and built.
Do you have any funny stories while working with White Monkey Design about doing props for Battlestar? Any funny stories about being in the biz?
So many, many of which I shouldn't repeat. I think I will keep them to myself at the moment.
Have you been following this season, and if so, what do you think about the story arc for this season of Battlestar?
I actually stopped watching mid way through season three. It coincidentally coincided with my props not being on the show anymore. I had quit the business at this point.
Who is your favorite character on Battlestar?
Baltar
If you could choose to fly a space craft from the show, like a Viper, Raptor or a Raider which one would you choose and why?
Raider of course. I would have to know how you can control a space ship by tugging on its internal organs.
What are you working on at the moment?
I now work as a mechanical engineer in the Silicon Valley with a company called Velocity 11 designing equipment for robotic automated lab equipment that does drug discover and research. It is kind of like building for tv/movies in that it all looks really cool.
Is there anything about your work on Battlestar that you would like to comment on that I haven't asked about?
It was the best show I have ever worked on, and I hope that the things I built for it played a role in making it that way.
Best of luck with your new career and thank you for doing this interview with me.
Thanks
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