My Icons Quest...

 

Hi everyone, I'm Fred from France.

I knew building and hosting an Icons Museum would be controversial. It's been a hobby of mine the past 20 years to try to acquire rare prototypes or replicas Icons produced and to historically document the company. Which regardless of what happened R&D over 68 props (each one had unique requirements and problems....some went through various versions....3 or 4 different resins etc) and did deliver over 70.000 replicas and was there at the beginning of the industry. This year is the 31st anniversary of Icons being founded in 1995 and the 26th of its sad demise.

I've had to gather stories, anecdotes, memories etc. from employees, collectors, business associates and the multiple founders over the years, many never having been interviewed before, to try and piece things together. There was a lot of  false rumours I've been able to debunk and new facts that turned up that were cross-corroborated.

If there is any incorrect information on the blog, questions or revisions etc. please let me know. I would be more than happy to make changes where needed if the information can be substantiated with my sources.

I hope some will enjoy the blog. It has been a labor of love, regardless of the controversy surrounding the company. To me, Icons was a pioneering company which had a tragic end. I want to acknowledge the positive aspects of the company and set the truth straight where possible. Especially the emphasis on the quality of Icons replicas and the talent of its artisans and its marketing etc.

I'm always looking for new additions to the collection (nothing is for sale here), so please let me know if you come across anything, including photographs, videos, concept artwork, artifacts etc.

Best regards,

Fred

Icons Production Manuals

The now defunct Icons were a leading replica prop company, specialising in reproducing weapons and props from sci-fi films and shows. 

Those manuals are from their production of a series of Aliens HERO Pulse Rifles, replicas of those carried by the Colonial Marines such as Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn) and Private Hudson (Bill Paxton) and from the Lost In Space (LIS) Laser Pistol replicas. Inside the hard-plastic file are letters detailing the production, memos and hand-drawn production designs from throughout the process.

A picture of the finished HERO Pulse Rifle article has been slipped into the front cover of the manual, and three photos of the replica being held by someone are tucked in the inside front cover.

The folders show some very minor wear from age and storage, with a couple of tears on the older pages, but despite this the pages remain in an excellent condition.

Icons Excalibur Merlin's Helmet Prototype

This is the first time I saw that one !!!.......and I love it :-)

This is the Excalibur Merlin's helmet prototype (from John Boorman movie).

This screen-used piece was bought by Al Z. from Terry English himself in the mid-90's and was then loaned to Icons to serve as a prototype for Icons to show to Warner Bros. Studio in 1997-98.

Incredible and really marvellous piece....fabricated out of a solid sheet of aluminum.

Thank you very much Al.

Icons Terminator 2 Endo Arm

Here we have the Endo Arm, with "wrong" Icons base !!!  

Icons T2 molds and/or masters were used in EVERY incarnation of Endo product sold to this day on the market. Do you doubt this ? Here is a clue...look at the base on the Sideshow or HCG Endo Arm replica...that has been used from 2000 to 2007. That isn't the screen-used one like they thought. It was hand-made at Icons in 1996. Totally unique to Icons. Not the filmed one, like these people in denial thought. Oops !!

Here is the Icons T2 Endo Arm "Master".

Casey Losey is the man who was in charge of that replica : "Some parts on the master were metal. The ball & socket wrist, hydraulic forearm rams is all machined aluminum by me using dimensions off of one of the real Endo forearms. Various parts of the hand were made from brass and aluminum. The fingers, the elbow and the forearm shroud were castings off the original forearm & hand, that I cleaned up and made more pristine looking".

"I personally put a lot of attention into the accuracy of this piece since I had a lot of reference, and simply because I was a major Terminator fan. I wanted the people who were going to buy this piece, to get the best..... I came close to getting fired, because I was being so anal and taking the time to make it right. LOL!"

"That was the first test casting from my prototype. Al Z. took my prototype, took it apart carefully, then molded every piece, and then did a test casting using a urethane plastic resin.

Then the urethane casted pieces are cleaned, then put together, and then simply spray painted silver just to see how it was going to look.

Production castings got chromed".

Thank you very much Casey.

Larry Taylor also adds that the weathering was made in the following manner : "we did airbrush spray on those products a water-based flat black to simulate a burnt corrosive look into the tight and recessed areas.

After that was dry, we came back and wiped it down with denatured alcohol so that would allow it to seat into the crevices and not necessarily on the top exposed pieces. Then after those steps, I'm sure it was wiped down with some sort of a chrome polish to remove all the excess".

Thank you very much Larry.

Icons Terminator 2 Endo Skull Prototype - Rare "Pipe-Neck Version"

Here is the original (and unseen for 30 years) Icons Endo Skull Prototype known as the "Pipe-Neck Version". 

Back in 1996, Icons was the first collectibles company to approach the licensing agent for "Terminator 2 : Judgment Day" with a proposal for a line of 1:1 scale, authentic replicas of props based on the blockbuster film.

This is the actual prototype sample that was submitted to the licensing agent of "Terminator 2" at the time - Danny Simon of "The Licensing Group", who represented "Canal Plus", the company that purchased the rights to "Terminator 2" as part of the "Carolco Pictures" bankruptcy.

This prototype can also be seen in the first "Terminator 2" Endo Skull replica 1 page advertisement that Icons ran in numerous magazines in 1996/1997 (please see the different advertisement comps shown below).

As you can see, it is very similar to the actual finished Icons Endo Skull replica, except for the unusual "Pipe-Neck", which was fabricated using a machined piece of aluminum piping. At the time Icons only had access to an original, screen-used Endo Skull for molding & casting that did not have the neck portion. So the pipe-neck was created.

This was quickly deemed impractical for both manufacturing purposes and for retailers/consumers & collectors to display without risk of the item being damaged, as the Endo Skull would have been top-heavy with it's resin material composition and nickel, copper and chrome plating (which was $500 for each skull at that time...).

The plexi-case is the original, as is the prototype plaque. On the left side of the base, you can see another prototype plaque bearing "Stan Winston Studio" logo (with matching prototype COA, not shown).

From what I could gathered, no complaints came in about Icons Endo Skulls scale. Icons re-cast the skull when they were in R&D on the Endo Skeleton, which was larger. No one ever complained, just false rumours. Both sizes were used in T2.

This piece took me years to track down and obtain and I am very pleased to finally be able to share it with visitors to the Icons Museum.

My standard edition Icons Endo-skull above....

Larry Taylor told me that he's pretty sure he assembled over a hundred of those skulls !!!

Endo-skulls ready to ship and some, ready to chrome-plating...

Below is an unfinished Icons T2 Endo-skull neck. Fun to have this piece...

Those are the "Master" for the Icons T2 Endoskull eyes.

Here is what Al Z. can say about them :

"I molded the original eyes and made these Masters for our endoskull. If you look at the back you can see that it has little half rounds which will go into the eye sockets so that it matches perfectly. To everyone I also put a L and an R so that we would know which socket it went into".

And just under, some different prototype ads for the Endo-skull.

Icons Lost In Space Jonathan Harris Signature Edition Laser Pistol

Here is an extremely rare replica from one of Icons best selling 1:1 scale Studio licensed, authorized and authenticated prop replica product lines, a functioning replica 1st season laser pistol from the beloved and classic television series Lost in Space. 

Behind Star Wars and Terminator, Lost in Space was Icons best-selling product line. These stunning prop replicas were sold through quality retailers such as FAO Schwarz and The Sharper Image. Several hundred were sold & shipped to collectors all over the world. 

The original prop pistols used in the 1st season (and often 2nd season) seen on the popular T.V. series, Lost in Space, were originally created by 20th Century Fox Studios prop fabricators, who created them by molding a readily available Remco brand toy pistol, found at department stores in the early 1960's. These talented prop makers took the original toy and modified it by adding changes, such as a large simulated battery compartment, the simulated brass-colored target aims, a simulated battery-energy regulator light, the brass-colored cylindrical feature near the barrel and the red cone at the end of the pistol barrel (both solid and red translucent-clear for the illuminated "Hero" prop version). 

The cast and modified body of the Lost in Space prop pistol was painted solid black, which appeared visually stimulating on-screen combined with it's brass and deep red colored accents. 

Both "Hero" electronic, functioning illuminated prop pistols, as well as "Stunt" non-functioning versions, were constructed for production use on the Lost in Space television series. The illuminated versions interestingly assisted 20th Century Fox sound engineers with sound effect cues. And the illuminated "Hero" versions of the prop laser pistol also helped the actors during filming on set, feel like they were actually firing a futuristic laser weapon at some strange alien creature or huge space monster, like the dreaded Giant Cyclops.... 

This scarce, 28 year old, rarely seen, 1:1 scale, Studio licensed, authorized and authenticated Lost in Space 1st Season prop pistol replica is extremely well-made and gorgeous ! As you can see by the pictures above. 

The 3 display plaques that are featured in the display case are very unique. They are the 1st (all metal cast & etched) Lost in Space celebrity signature plaques that were ever produced for this product line.

Icons Star Trek Deluxe Klingon Prop Pistol Set (1998)

This is a stunning and very rare display piece celebrating the legacy of the Star Trek universe.

This is a deluxe Klingon prop display set consisting of gorgeous 1:1 scale, precise and authentic replicas of 3 recognizable variations of Klingon Disruptor prop pistols, from 3 incarnations of the legendary and beloved Star Trek franchise. Each of these beautiful prop replicas was fabricated under the direct supervision of the brilliant and talented prop makers, who created most of the amazing props used in Star Trek : The next Generation, Star Trek : Deep Space Nine, Star trek : Voyager.

The set includes the following :

1)  Classic Star Trek (the original series) : a Klingon Disruptor prop pistol. This stunning replica was created through reverse engineering by carefully molding a screen-used original Klingon prop pistol used in the 1960’s. The photo here do not do this piece justice. The metal components on the upper portion of the pistol and its barrel were machined in aviation-grade aluminum. The machining is a wonder to behold in person. This is the 1st ever produced, Paramount Studio’s licensed Klingon Disruptor prop pistol. As most collectors know, only a few dozen of these were ever produced by Icons, before the company closed its doors forever. If you’ve seen Master Replicas recently produced Classic Star Trek Klingon Disruptor pistol, they are being produced from the same reference materials utilized to produce this pistol. (This prop pistol was also available with its own display case and numbered plaque, limited to 1966, the year Star Trek was first broadcasted on T.V. You can see one later in that blog).

Star Trek : The Next Generation (Star Trek 3) : Tri-barrel Klingon Disruptor prop pistol. This replica was cast directly from the master Paramount Studio’s molds utilized to create the originals utilized in the popular Star Trek : The Next Generation television series and Star trek 3 feature film. This is also one of the most popular versions of the Klingon Disruptor prop pistol with Star Trek fans. The detail on this piece is amazing. The paint finish and weathering alone is something to just marvel at. With gold and silver color paint highlights, and a multicolored cloisonné Klingon emblem is affixed to the side of the pistol as an accent. The grip on this piece makes it feel like it is an actual lethal weapon. This is the first Paramount Studio’s licensed 1:1 scale version of this Klingon Disruptor prop pistol. Less than 28 of these were ever produced by Icons. (This prop pistol was also supposed to be available with its own display case and display plaque. Here is a picture of a prototype display plaque).

                                 

Star Trek : The Motion Picture : Long-barrel Klingon Disruptor prop pistol. This exceptional replica features a long, almost rifle-like, simulated barrel that tops off the whole Klingon Disruptor weapon display piece. This 1:1 scale prop pistol was also taken from original molds and made under the supervision of the actual prop makers for many versions of the Star Trek television series and feature films. It also features custom studio-style paint finish and exceptional accents. With gold and silver color paint highlights and Klingon calligraphy. The barrel nozzle is airbrushed with black accents to look like blast patina. It is also the first Paramount Studio’s licensed 1:1 scale version of this Klingon Disruptor prop pistol ever made. (Like the two others above, this prop replica was also supposed to be sold alone with its own display case and plaque. I have seen one of those display cases for sale on ebay years ago but sadly, didn’t kept a pic of it !!!)

All of these quality made and authentically reproduced replicas of the screen-used originals are displayed in a museum quality, wall mount or standing Plexiglas display case (easily displayed on an entertainment center, fireplace mantle or shelf). This display case is also designed for a collector  to easily slide the front cover up on tracks to remove the prop weapons from their display mounts. Each display mount is meticulously lined on its holding area with black velvet to avoid any scratches to the prop pistols. 

Adjacent to each Klingon Disruptor pistol barrel is a plaque, paying homage to the television series or feature film the original weapon was seen on screen in. The main metal embossed plaque at the bottom center of the display features actual Klingon calligraphy along with the official Paramount Studio’s and Icons Authentic Replicas logos. And, has the distinct marking of an engraved #....of 1701, like the U.S.S. Enterprise starship. 

Here is another metal embossed plaque with Klingon calligraphy, Paramount and Icons logos but as you can notice, there is no licensing line at the bottom, just under the edition number !!! I asked the question to Mike Moore who answered : "when we made plaques back then, we made 2 or 3 designs to see which one the Studio would pick. So it is maybe a proto plaque".

Less than 28 of these deluxe Star Trek Klingon Disruptor prop pistol sets were ever made. This collectible’s investment worthiness is one thing, its impressive presentation captivating, but this incredible art piece is also just fun !! Opening up its sliding display case and holding and examining these museum quality and historical replicas inside is a real pleasure.