— Cisco, An act of desperation by a cash- or time-strapped effects team in the days before digital imaging became affordable and subsequently took over. Instead of incurring the time or expense of building their own miniatures, they instead take a shortcut by purchasing off-the-shelf toys or model kits. Depending on the quality of their manufacture (and, in the case of models, assembly), the results can range from surprisingly effective, to sub-par, to obvious. Alternately, the effects team might modify ordinary household items into whatever props they need.

Do note that the use of off-the-shelf models are very common for miniature work. Most model kits are often already of very high quality and can be pulled off convincingly, particularly in the use of 'greebling' (the details themselves are 'greebles'). This is when one takes parts from a model kit, already being of great quality and put it on as detail for bigger models. A great example are the star destroyers in, which were essentially plywood models dressed with loads of parts from mixed and matched kits to create what looked like extremely realistic and detailed ships.

Occasionally if the story allows for it, it might end up playing what it really is. For example, commercially available model vehicles being used to portray their real-life counterparts, or licensed being used as props or for model shots on the actual show they came from.

This trope comes in two flavors: • Straight Out of the Box: Unmodified items being used as props. Here the item has literally just been ripped out of its packaging, and at most it is given a new coat of paint. These may require assembly, but still remain largely unmodified.

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Note, however, this doesn't always equate with the results looking bad or being a; if the models are convincing enough, or used as background item, it might be sheer pragmatism - why spend $500 and two days of work to make something that will appear in only a few frames, when the hobby store across the street sells good replicas for $20 (or even less) and they come pre-assembled (or can be assembled with speed and ease, particularly in the case of 'snap-tite' kits)? And the creative use of paint, lighting and camera angles can further gloss over the finer details - even making the item appear to be something different than what it really is. This can even be done digitally - either by purchasing pre-rendered CGI models (typically of real world objects) or by reusing ones already rendered for the show - often resized to help hide its previous identity.

• Kit-Bashing: The item is a model, toy or some other off-the-shelf product, but it is modified, altered into something else. In Hollywood and among hobbyists this is often known as 'kit-bashing', where parts from several commercial model kits are combined to create a new model. A similar technique is used for CGI models as well. Kit-bashing is sometimes used just for experimental purposes, to get a general appearance and design for a prop.

Other times bits of model kits are attached to custom built models just to give it texture and save time ('greebling'). Or perhaps only pieces of it are used into the making of something else entirely. This again is pragmatism: building a new model by gluing bits from other existing items together is both cheaper and easier than molding new parts from scratch. And the results can be equally good. The downside doesn't have to result solely from shoddy workmanship - over-greebling (especially if done with apparent randomness and without any purposeful pattern, or if done simply by cut-and-paste repetition of the same pattern, especially on CGI models) often results in a details getting lost amongst themselves, an overload of visual 'noise' and only drives home the sense that the viewer is looking at a plastic or CGI model.

See also and. Compare with where cut-and-paste stock photos and backgrounds are used with little or no modification. See for when the budget is a little better. • • During the podracing sequence in, the crowds contain several action figures, one of which is clearly.

• In the faraway shots of Luke's landspeeder in, 'Luke' and 'Obi-Wan' are actually dolls from. • The Tie Bombers in reuse the bent wings of Darth Vader's personal Tie tighter from model kits of it. • At least one X-Wing model kit from MPC is used in the Battle of Endor sequence from • In, Inspector Finch and V, disguised as Rookwood pull out a recording/signal jamming device at various points which looks remarkably like a, with a red LED replacing the normally white one. • There have been stories that the in are pie tins or hubcaps. The truth is, the filmmakers made them from toy flying saucer kits. • does this digitally, as one scene is set between a pair of enormous CG fleas one of the animators had lying around. Then again, it is a very strange movie.

• One really bad example comes in, Gigan is rampaging across Tokyo. You see the inside of the building that is going to be crushed by the monster in mere seconds. Inside stand two Kelly dolls, just staring at each other, and are soon crushed by the monster's claw. Now it is possible they were intended to be store mannequins, but the place does not exactly look like a store. • In, a scene with an army of crab Destoroyahs heading towards the military is rumored to have used Bandai action figures of the creatures in addition to the actual puppets.

• The Mighty Gorga - a bad ripoff - stars a man in a store-bought gorilla suit who fights dinosaur handpuppets, waved in front of the camera. • In, model police cars and taxicabs are used in the Stay-Puft sequence. And in the shot where Slimer hovers around a chandelier in the hotel, said ghost is represented by a peanut spray-painted green, with optical streaks added in.

• On the DVD commentary, Joe Medjuck (the producer) moans about how hard to come by those police cars and cabs were, especially in the scale they needed. •: The command school sequences show the characters using as they give commands to the fleet. • has, as some of, licensed die-cast replicas of some of its '. Near the beginning of the sixth film, during the scene with Brian's family, Brian and Dom are shown giving two of those same replicas (specifically, the first film's Charger and the fourth film's Skyline) to baby Jack. • uses many common items for props; most of the background items in Cairo are made from kitchen equipment, a basket of oranges is Goldfish crackers and a real-life person is painted metallic and used for a statue. • In the early 80's B-grade post-apocalyptic movie Battletruck, one of the protagonists uses a pair of binoculars with some sort of scanner on the top.

However, to New Zealanders, it is obviously a local brand of air-freshener that has been repainted. • 's infamously uses footage from the game as action scenes. Note that they use footage from the of the original game, with the mid-90's polygonal graphics and the 'Insert Coin' message blinking repeatedly. • In, what appears to be an impressive (for 1981) wire-frame CGI image of Lower Manhattan is actually a physical model with the buildings outlined in glow-in-the-dark green tape and filmed under a black light. • The de-evolution guns of are rather brilliantly Super Scopes (the SNES' light gun) re-painted black.

• has the eponymous aliens armed with ray guns that can stun people. Which are actually perfectly normal Wham-O Air Blasters. And when we say 'ray guns', we don't mean to imply that they could afford to add some sort of ray effect, or even a well placed film scratch. The guns just make the normal 'pop' noise they always do, and the 'stunned' actors try really hard to stand still.

• calls for a 'space platform', but gets a three-for-a-nickel model rocket instead. You can even clearly see the hand holding it up;! • Then, of course, there's Ro-Man, whose costume consists of a Halloween gorilla suit and a diving helmet with TV antennae stuck on top. • from the 'masterpiece' speaks for itself. • features an obviously plastic off-the-shelf helicopter model sinking while parked atop an obviously plastic off-the-shelf submarine model in what is obviously a swimming pool. • The disintegration weapon used in is an off the shelf 'Atomic Disintegrator' toy from Hubley. • uses this in-universe in the finished cut of 'The Case', the Amateur, in which it's very obvious that Joe eventually did agree to let Charles blow up his model trains.

• The famous M65 Smart Gun from was made using a German MG42 machine gun with motorcycle parts added, as well as a SteadyCam harness for the gyroscopic mount. The Marine's combat helmets are just normal M1 steel helmets with some bits added. • The Metal Man/Iron Hero surprisingly has a on the protagonist's costume! • In the, the vertical 'sensors' briefly seen on the USS Kelvin bridge are unmodified commercially made amateur radio antennas. • The movie uses a CG model of a walking tank purchased from the hobbyist site www.daz3d.com as their 'hero' mech, for the final climactic fight scene with the walking megalodon. And while its normal price is only about ten bucks, they could have actually gotten it FREE for a short bit, as it was originally a freebie on that site.

• In, it's pretty obvious that the train that runs off the tracks near the end is a miniature model. • In the live action movie made in Korea in 1990, the prop used for the character Puar is a stuffed plushie of him. • In the knockoff, one shot of Bulk's hands are actual Hulk Hand toys recolored purple! • There's a gag in that involves a Deadpool action figure from 's line.

• The high-tech computer in Xtreme Fighter is just a black and monitor with some tape on the front. • In, the are jellyfish-like who resemble melted plastic lamps—because that's exactly what they are.

•: • US-made model-based mecha footage appears in Season 3 of, and is achieved using off-the-shelf Power Rangers toys - with predictable results. The worst example of this is the Shogun Megazord.

In the show, the White Ranger's zord comprises the left arm, but the toys made it the Pink Ranger's zord instead. Since the toy is used for the Shogun Ultrazord formation, the zord suddenly, inexplicably, turns hot pink. Also, the chest symbol changes, and Titanus inexplicably gains the Dragonzord's chestplate in both the Ninja and Shogun Ultrazords. • For the curious, it's there because when Titanus' head and chest are repositioned for the Ultrazord, there is a fairly large gap in his chest intended to be filled by the Dragonzord's chestplate. • Also, the white Shogun Zord turns pink for a simple reason: has five Rangers (Red, White, Blue, Black, Yellow); has six (same colors plus Pink). The White Kakuranger's machines were given to the Pink Power Ranger, while a sentient Kaku mecha becomes the White Power Ranger's machine. For the toyline, Bandai decided to turn those white mecha pink to line up with its new operator.

• According to VFX artist Rick Cortes, the staff would use off-the-shelf toys of the Zords whenever they lacked the necessary shots from the existing footage they were given. • The original does this for the Ultrazord (okay, Titanus/Brachion is an actual prop model), but manages to pull it off with a combination of quick editing and decent visual effects. The difference in proportion is still obvious, but at least they put some effort into it. • Some other shots of the Dinozords alone on Zyuranger are pretty obviously the toys; for example, when they combine into tank mode and then transform into mecha mode. When the Green Ranger first appears, there are times when he stands on the Dragonzord's head and changes from a live actor to an action figure, and back again. • A lot of scenes of the Guardian Beasts sitting on a hill or some such for non-battle-related scenes (typically not used in MMPR) couldn't be more obviously plastic. • Rita Repulsa gets shrunk down and appears as a screaming (but not animated) action figure of herself.

The hand holding her activates the 'Swing my left arm up and down' lever 'convincingly'. Oddly enough, Rita did not get a figure until almost 18 years later. • Likewise, when the shrunken Ninjor is freed from his prison in 'Master Vile and the Metallic Armor Part 1,' the shot is achieved by using a Ninjor action figure. • In ', the shot of Serpentera sitting on the moon is done using the toy. • Also, whenever the Zeo Megazord combines with the Red Battlezord, it's done using the toys.

However, this is because the footage of doing so is from the source material of Ohranger, so it flies. Another notable example is the season's Ultrazord, Pyramidas. • Much like the Doctor Who example below with the Sonic Screwdriver, they frequently used the toy replicas for the morphers, and actors would mention crew members having to make quick trips to toy stores to replace broken ones. It created an interesting problem during Thanks to some odd scheduling, they had to use the Japanese toys for their morphers, and had a very limited number to work with. Unfortunately, they had very form fitting police uniforms for costumes that year, which made bathroom breaks awkward and sent more than one of them into a toilet. This also created a problem where the actors often had to hold the morphers improperly to avoid hitting the button on the toy that causes them to open and light up. • Early series occasionally use the toys for the of the mecha (this is particularly noticeable with Live Boxer in due to the toy being extremely inaccurate).

This became less common as special effects improved. However, the 2013 series,, uses this technique for its mecha due to being a.

• When the TyrannoRanger from shows up in the vs. Movie, he transforms by using the Legacy Power Morpher toy that Bandai had released to celebrate 's 20th anniversary. • Like the Super Sentai examples above, uses a stuntman in a suit to portray Spidey's, but the robot's transformation scenes are all filmed by using the Leopardon toy sold by Bandai.

• The weapons and used in are. •: • Off-the-shelf Louis Marx toy Daleks are used for model-shot scenes of Dalek armies in ' and '.

The off-the-shelf toys can easily be recognised by their simplistic conical shape, which makes the 'heads' proportionately much too small in relation to the 'bodies'. In 1960s-era episodes, the show also occasionally pads out Dalek crowd scenes with what are quite obviously cardboard cutouts (at least, with modern picture quality; at the time, they were much harder to discern). • The original sonic screwdriver as used by the Second Doctor is a. • ' depicts a battle between a man in a robot suit and a toy tank from the Action Man range.

Two Action Man dolls are also used to show the robot grabbing soldiers after it turns gigantic. • The TARDIS Chameleon Circuit control panel in ' is obviously an old carpet sweeper turned upside-down. • In the late-80s Sylvester McCoy story ', the alleged 'time controller' is an off-the-shelf. Even then, such devices were reasonably common in techno-gift shops, and the obviousness of its origins made silly- and cheap- what would have appeared an impressive and credible prop a few years prior. • The uses a commercially licensed Tardis key replica for the Tardis key prop. • During the production of the first revived season, the original sonic screwdriver prop was replaced with a licenced replica because the licenced version looked just as good and was more durable. • The revived series was criticised for using what are quite obviously keyboards in '/', set in the 52nd century.

• In ', the communicator the Doctor uses to speak to Amy is clearly a book light ◊ painted bronze. • ': • Osgood's scarf is a commercially available replica scarf — easily identified by the fact that it's stocking stitch (the v-shaped weave used in most knitwear) and not garter stitch (a stitch with pronounced ribs common in beginner knitting projects) like the genuine article.

The colours are also much more vibrant and loud. It actually leads to a bit of — the intention is probably that she got it from a future incarnation of the Doctor who is her friend, but it's so inaccurate that it can't possibly be one of his. • The War Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver is a modified version of a Tom Baker Sonic Screwdriver toy. • The Dalek model shots in the Time War sections (particularly the one crushed by the landing TARDIS) are the large remote control Dalek toys that were sold in the late 2000s.

• A few more of those remote control Daleks get blown up in '. • Psi's projector in 'Time Heist' is just a normal USB cable.

• In ', the shrunken TARDIS is recognisably a Character Options Flight Control TARDIS toy. • does it a few times: • In 'The Doomsday Machine', the gutted and scarred USS Constellation is in fact an AMT plastic model; absolutely nothing is added to it, and in fact, its registry number (NCC-1017) was created by simply reordering the digits in the decals showing the Enterprise's registry number (NCC-1701).

• The Enterprise visible through the window of the station manager's office in 'The Trouble With Tribbles' is yet another AMT model. • A different type of 'off the shelf': the device used to mute everyone's heartbeat in 'Court Martial' is clearly just a microphone.

• Other -franchise productions also do this. • They still did this even up to. Riker's 'manual steering column' is an off-the-shelf computer game joystick.

• The technique of using improbable or seemingly unlikely devices for serious technology is actually used on a smaller scale in real life. Many bomb-disabling robots in service of the United States Army and Navy are handled with a control screen, a portable control station. And an Xbox controller. • The massive battle against the Klingon fleet in the episode 'Way of the Warrior' was only manageable by using a lot of model kits.

That is why they decided that an old Klingon ship that hadn't been seen since the first movie was still in use, it gives the fleet more variety. • The original Borg cube is notoriously built out of several plastic model kit 'sprues,' that is, the plastic frames that plastic model kit parts come attached to. This becomes when it explodes, with many of the sprues popping off in one piece. • Seven of Nine's regeneration alcove in is surmounted by an off-the-shelf. • Voyager in particular reuses CGI models to represent dozens of different alien ships with little to no modification other than playing with scaling.

Other than a key role here and there, most of these models are seen for only a few seconds, as screen filler, or both, so the effect isn't immediately noticeable. A good example is in the episode 'Drive', where the 'starting line' spectators are mostly ships that have been seen in other episodes (including many alien shuttlecraft rescaled to match Voyager's size!) • The reason why are an unusually frequent occurrence in the original series is because there were plenty of Nazi-themed and WWII-themed props available from contemporary movies (such as ). This even made its way into the franchise, as described in the kitbashing section below. • This is a big reason why the original series has so many other alien planets modeled after Earth history as well, such as 1920s-30s gangsters and ancient Greeks and Romans.

Especially regarding the latter, the early 60s was the height of the genre, so sets and costumes for those were easily available. • Combining this trope with, in the Next Generation episode 'Pen Pals', a device used by a geological survey team during the episode is in fact the Oscillation Overthruster from.

Set designer Michael Okuda was a fan of Buckaroo Banzai. • The props, models and sets from were pulled together from model kits and found objects; after the original local-TV version of the program was sold to the Comedy Channel, the producers purposely affected the same low-budget style in every episode of the series — even the ones where they spent actual money. • The dashed-together appearance of the robots is justified in-universe, as Joel built them from spare parts to keep from being lonely. These were the 'special parts' used to control when the movies begin and end. Since they include such items as a gumball machine and a bowling pin, this suggests the whole satellite is made of spare junk. • uses pipette fillers ◊ as sci-fi injectors/syringes/hyposprays/whatever. There's also the bulkier device used to inject liquid explosive into bombs in 'Family Ties', which is very obviously a super-soaker with a thin paint job.

• isn't beyond a bit of this as far as props go. The Peace Keeper comm headsets use necklaces for mics (specifically, one called by local Aussie company Bico), and a slightly-altered Logitech flight stick shows up as a holo-projector. And then there's Moya's 'manual control' in the premiere episode - aka Logitech-trackball-mouse-on-a-stick. • has an example of this. On the back console of the Raptor set, a Logitech Attack 3 joystick is mounted to the console, and is clearly visible in multiple shots throughout the series. Youtube Proxy Download Video. • Parodied in: the manual controls for light balls consist of a TAC-2 joystick, instantly recognizable by any owner of a 8/16-bit home computer.

• Another example: the Viper engines are actual military aircraft engines, retired Rolls-Royce Model 250's. Rapidshare Scarface The Fix Wiki. Other bits of set dressing like the storage racks for ordnance are probably also surplus Air Force or Navy equipment. • Some of the hangar scenes contain what are very obviously commercial forklift trucks with a couple of vinyl stickers of the Galactica's unit patch.

• In, Kivara goes from a CG creature to a toy on a string starting with episode 8. The switch is extremely noticeable, especially in one episode where they use the old CG model for precisely one shot, then bring out the toy for the rest of the episode. In episode 14 (the start of ), they bring back the CG version, but the toy makes a return at the end of episode 27.

• In for (and a few appearances elsewhere), there's a CG example of this, namely a very generic looking model of an Apache attack helicopter,. • One special effect in, meant to represent a vortex, is simply the camera looking into somebody's cup of coffee that has been swirled around with a spoon quickly. It passes, because is a comedy anyway.

• In, this is done by Abed and Troy when making a full of of the feature 'Kickpuncher'. • An episode of uses dollar store FM radios as remote controls. Another episode has Seamus Harper using a standard LED flashlight/key fob as a remote control. • is notorious for this, with characters made out of plasticine and props made out of Fischer Price toys and her lunch. • does this too.

The GPS tracking unit they remove from the back of the neck in one episode is shown on the sink. It is the packaging strip for surface-mount-resistors/capacitors; each bump on the strip holds one, and they're cut from a long reel. • Apparently, is • In one episode of, in a scene set in the future, a squad of soldiers are exploring a submarine. They can be seen wearing Xbox wireless headsets painted black. • In the episode 'Soul Hunter', a solder sucker is a major component of the eponymous soul hunter's soul extractor. One might suspect the prop makers of making a. • does this all the time, with the crowning moment being the ◊ in 'The Tale of the Dangerous Soup.'

Would you also like to own a 'cursed statue from a remote jungle tribe?' Well, you can for • uses everyday items as props, most famously a pressing iron as a ship controlling device. While cheesy, it works quite well. • The season 1 finale of uses a lot of heads, which were rented in bulk. As it was noticed later,. • In the pilot, actual action figures from appear. • On the live-action, this is how Bob Burns got the part of Tracy the gorilla: note The suit itself beloned to 'Kogar,' Burns' earlier gorilla character.

The suit was all right, but the Kogar mask was rather fierce and menacing. When Ghostbusters came around, Burns asked a then up-and-coming to make a much more placid mask for the new character. • parodies this in on, where at one point (for whatever reason) the main characters enter a model shop, and the robots immediately comment 'Hey, we've seen these models in a fight already!' It was the first table to include a playfield toy, a scale model of the titular Shuttle licensed from NASA. This move ended up saving Williams from almost going bankrupt during a time when were experiencing a resurgence in popularity. • The playfield for 's is decorated with several off-the-shelf action figures, while the teetering Gotham Bridge features a Hot Wheels Batmobile.

• Similarly, 's has a red Matchbox Ferrari parked in front of a model of the White House. • The playfield is adorned with several Turtles action figures. • 's uses a Hot Wheels Bumblebee Camaro for the playfield captive ball shot, while the various Transformers figures are from (most notably the 'Robo Fighters' series). • Similarly, Stern's uses various movie action figures from Hasbro to decorate the playfield, including the prominent Iron Monger target. • 's uses a cue ball and eight ball as game elements.

• uses 's action figures and AMP Suit from the movie tie-in toyline. • 's has a toy Mustang model near the middle of the playfield.

Allow for easy customization, as the turntable is pre-drilled to accept either Maisto or M2 brand 1/24 scale cars. • The playfield for 's is decorated with Bugs and spaceships from 's movie toy line. • has a Hot Wheels Porsche Carrera overlooking the table.

Nearly half of US adult smartphone owners fall victim to cyberthieves each year – but the notorious founder of the world's largest security technology firm believes he has a solution. John McAfee has unveiled plans to develop what he calls 'the world's first truly private smartphone', which is said to be 'hack-proof'. Boasting a $1,100 price tag, the 'John McAfee Privacy Phone' will be equipped with switches that enable users to manually disconnect certain components such as the antennas for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and geolocation.

John McAfee has unveiled plans to develop what he calls 'the world's first truly private smartphone', which is said to be 'hack-proof'. Boasting a $1,100 price tag, the 'John McAfee Privacy Phone' will be equipped with switches that enable users to manually disconnect certain components. This includes 'the battery, the antennas for WiFi, Bluetooth and geolocation, the camera and the microphone, McAfee said during an interview with Newsweek.the battery, the antennas for WiFi, Bluetooth and geolocation, the camera and the microphone, McAfee said during an interview with. It is said to be an OEM model using the Android operating system. But the full specs of phone will not be made public until a week before it is unveiled - which is later this year. McAfee plans to release the phone later this year through MGT, reported Anthony Cuthbertson with, who conducted an exclusive interview with the computer expert and businessman. 'The smartphone contains a bank of switches on the back cover that allow the user to physically disconnect the battery, the antennas for WiFi, Bluetooth and geolocation, the camera and the microphone,' McAfee said during an interview with Newsweek.

'It also will not allow the phone to connect to a Stingray or any other IMSI catcher device. In addition, it contains a web search anonymizer.' MGT shared a press release last month, revealing it had signed a letter of intent with Nordic IT Sourcing Association to design, test and assemble a state of the art cell phone with privacy features that stay one step ahead of hackers and eavesdroppers. 'We are honored to be working with cybersecurity pioneer John McAfee and his team.

MGT's innovative ideas should result in a unique offering in mobile communications, said Alexander Reay, president of Nordic IT. 'We have been heavily involved in the research of security and privacy issues, both in the Nordics and with our partners worldwide.' 'The smartphone contains a bank of switches on the back cover that allow the user to physically disconnect the battery, the antennas for WiFi, Bluetooth and geolocation, the camera and the microphone, McAfee (pictured) said during an interview with Newsweek. According to the release, the 'phone will be procured as an OEM model using the Android operating system, and then modified using the skills of MGT's cybersecurity team.' However, Newsweek noted that the full specs of McAfee's phone will not be made public until a week before it is unveiled. According to John McAfee, AI is a ‘self-conscious entity’ that is inherently self-interested, which could give rise to conflict with the human species.

The cybersecurity expert argues that any system created by humans would be flawed by nature – and, ultimately, the AI’s goal would include the ‘necessary destruction of its creator.’ In the novella - which blatantly alludes to the debate on artificial intelligence today, with opposing forces named ‘Demis’ and ‘Elon’ – a particular passage describes an advanced system that can hack itself to ‘improve efficiency and logic,’ McAfee explains. ‘Such a concept is certainly not new and typical hacking techniques in use today can easily be imagined to be self-produced by complex software systems,’ McAfee wrote. ‘It would, in fact, be trivial to create such a system.’ Despite strides in cybersecurity, the expert says any imaginable logical system can be hacked – and, this becomes more certain as these structures become more complex. This is because there is no system that exists that does not have a defect, according to McAfee. But MGT's first lot production would include 16,000 units at $350 per unit.

'Smartphones have become the Achilles heel of cybersecurity,' said McAfee, who is also the executive chairman and CEO of MGT. 'No matter how secure our applications become, they must still execute in an environment designed from ground up to be a spy device. 'It is like building a race car and having it powered by a rubber band.'