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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 30, 2007 18:45:53 GMT -5
I thought about starting this thread over in the prop collection section but I don't have it yet so I'll start it here and then it can be moved. Anyway, I went and purchased a Crystal Skull. I decided that since I never got around to buying a good Gold Idol I'd spend a little extra and go for the "deluxe model" on the skull. Here's what it will look like. Here's the link to the site where I purchased it. www.exotic.co.uk/erotica/skull_crystal.htmlThis is one of the sites that RB found around the time he bought his two Skulls. At the time none of us thought spending that much on one was worth it. I still agree to some extent but like I said. I don't own any props so I thought I might as well go with a "high end" one first. I'm hoping that it will look as good as it does in the picture. It better for the price I paid..... I've been going back and forth on this for a while now and at first I was going to buy the cheaper models but I noticed that most of the places are now "out of stock" on them. I'm guessing word of mouth is spreading about Indy 4 and the skulls so everyone interested in this stuff is buying them up. By the way.....here's some of the e-mail confirmation I received after I ordered it. We want to let you know that your order has been received and will be Hand Cast and Shipped to you in appx. 3 weeks.So apparently these are hand made one at a time or in limited quantities at a time. I'm guessing I should be getting this sometime around Halloween........how appropriate. ;D I'll post pics as soon as I get it.
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Post by Stefana Jones on Sept 30, 2007 19:47:29 GMT -5
COOL !!! Can't wait to see a pic of you actually holding it. ( In full gear of course! )
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Post by GCR on Sept 30, 2007 20:44:09 GMT -5
Sounds like a cool purchase, for sure PH! I've been thinking about getting a crystal skull for a while now myself, but with so many other things on my gear wishlist, and a lack of funds to buy ANY of them, it may be a while before I order one. Let me know how this one works out for you, PH. Oh, and I checked that link you posted and I noticed that is says "lifesize", but I didn't see any specific dimensions posted anywhere. Do you happen to know for sure what size this skull will be? -GCR
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Post by Ragingblues on Sept 30, 2007 20:44:54 GMT -5
That's a cool looking one for sure PH. I think the price was what made me go a different route on it last year... but it will certainly make a great prop. I like the more natural human forms like this one and mine, as it adds to the creepy factor a bit. Looking forward to seeing pics when it arrives. Ken
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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 30, 2007 20:49:19 GMT -5
I'm guessing the model I've ordered is going to look similar or exactly the same as the on being offered at this site for a little bit more than what I paid for mine. www.skullsdirect.co.uk/default.asp?nID=lyr6I've done quite a few searches on the net over the last few weeks and all of the more expensive ones seem to be "life sized" replicas and have the more detailed sculpt......especially around the teeth. I'm not sure yet if mine will be totally clear like RB's skull with the moving jaw of it it will be "cloudy" like the one located at the link. When it comes to pics I've definitely got some plans for it, that's for sure. I'm going to try to come up with a way for it to "glow" while I'm holding it. It's time working at the goofy hobby store actually paid off. So hopefully I can find some way of rigging a little light underneath it. I'm also thinking about getting a black light and displaying it around that.
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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 30, 2007 20:56:06 GMT -5
Sounds like a cool purchase, for sure PH! I've been thinking about getting a crystal skull for a while now myself, but with so many other things on my gear wishlist, and a lack of funds to buy ANY of them, it may be a while before I order one. Let me know how this one works out for you, PH. Oh, and I checked that link you posted and I noticed that is says "lifesize", but I didn't see any specific dimensions posted anywhere. Do you happen to know for sure what size this skull will be? -GCR Well, it's definitely more than I thought I'd spend on a prop that none of us know really what it's going to look like in the actual film. By the way encase anyone *might* want to get one themselves. This cost me about $122.00 total. It says the Skull is a "life sized" replica and it gives these measurements for it 6" High X 5" Deep X 4" Wide "Life Sized" could mean either a normal adult or a kids sized skull couldn't it? I'm just wondering how much the thing is going to weigh.
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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 30, 2007 20:57:59 GMT -5
Oh, and before I forget...... I don't know when you added it but I like the little "ghost" Crystal Skull that you added to the banner, RB I noticed it for the first time the other night. ;D
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Post by Ragingblues on Sept 30, 2007 21:02:47 GMT -5
This one looks to be made of acrylic to me, which would be more like the one I have with the moveable jaw. My favorite one is made of clear cold cast resin, so it has a different look to it. I prefer the cloudier look, as most real crystal skulls are very cloudy like the mineral itself. A crystal ball has a very different look, which is probably what people think of when they picture crystal. Regardless, they are all creepy, cool, and make a great prop. Ken
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Post by Ragingblues on Sept 30, 2007 21:07:10 GMT -5
Oh, and before I forget...... I don't know when you added it but I like the little "ghost" Crystal Skull that you added to the banner, RB I noticed it for the first time the other night. ;D Thanks! I added it when the movie title was announced involving crystal skulls. I wanted to see if anyone caught it, and you are only the second person that mentioned it. Ken
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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 30, 2007 21:10:54 GMT -5
;D
I just happened to be staring at the banner last night and I felt something staring back at me and I looked over and there it was.... ;D It's almost like a little "Where's Waldo" game. ;D
Hey, have you ever put either of the skulls you own under a blacklight yet? Just wondering.....
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Post by Ragingblues on Sept 30, 2007 21:19:55 GMT -5
;D I just happened to be staring at the banner last night and I felt something staring back at me and I looked over and there it was.... ;D It's almost like a little "Where's Waldo" game. ;D Hey, have you ever put either of the skulls you own under a blacklight yet? Just wondering..... No I haven't tried the blacklight trick yet, mainly because I'm 39 years old and don't own one. ;D Seriously... I have tried a regular light under it and that works nicely. It gives a nice glowing effect, as expected. Maybe I'll try it with both skulls and take a pic. Ken
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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 30, 2007 21:34:34 GMT -5
;D When I think about black-lights all I can picture are these psychedelic 60's posters at this shop at the mall here in town. Because they sell the black lights right next to them and they are "Far out.......man!" ;D I look forward to seeing the pics.
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Post by Stefana Jones on Sept 30, 2007 22:47:22 GMT -5
I can't see it !?? In the banner or the avatar ? You guys must have like a giant size computer monitor.
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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 30, 2007 23:13:57 GMT -5
I don't know about anyone else but I don't have a giant monitor. I wish I had one of those flat panel 19 inch ones. Those are sweeeet. Anyway, the little skull is in the main Lounge banner right next to the "I" on the left. It's sorta transparent.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2007 13:21:29 GMT -5
Hey PH,
I ordered one of those as well three weeks ago, and was told that I should have it within two weeks.
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Post by corellia on Oct 1, 2007 13:36:49 GMT -5
the skull looks very nice harry! congrats on your decision to get one!
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Post by pitfallharry on Oct 1, 2007 16:01:07 GMT -5
Hey PH, I ordered one of those as well three weeks ago, and was told that I should have it within two weeks. Oh, cool. So it takes three weeks to get the order completed and then two weeks to ship it to the US?
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Post by pitfallharry on Oct 1, 2007 16:11:13 GMT -5
the skull looks very nice harry! congrats on your decision to get one! Thank you.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2007 9:49:56 GMT -5
So it takes three weeks to get the order completed and then two weeks to ship it to the US? I guess. I just thought this would give you an idea on when to expect yours.
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Ihatesnakes
Trail Guide
"You wanna talk to God? Let's go see him together. I've got nothing better to do!"
Posts: 79
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Post by Ihatesnakes on Oct 4, 2007 21:06:57 GMT -5
I just got the skull with the movable jaw that RB has, and I think it's awesome. It looks like the real thing to me and not only does the jaw move, I can keep it shut or remove it from the skull entirely! If you've seen this video (warning: Possible spoiler for the meaning of the crystal skull) the real mayan skull looks just like my skull I think. Especially with the separate jaw peice. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwrGQuFyRDQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Findianajones%2Emoviechronicles%2Ecom%2F
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Ihatesnakes
Trail Guide
"You wanna talk to God? Let's go see him together. I've got nothing better to do!"
Posts: 79
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Post by Ihatesnakes on Oct 4, 2007 21:12:18 GMT -5
Here's some pics.
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Post by pitfallharry on Oct 4, 2007 21:54:29 GMT -5
That does look cool up close. Is there anyway to shrink those pics some?
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Ihatesnakes
Trail Guide
"You wanna talk to God? Let's go see him together. I've got nothing better to do!"
Posts: 79
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Post by Ihatesnakes on Oct 4, 2007 22:14:45 GMT -5
That does look cool up close. Is there anyway to shrink those pics some? sorry. Is that better? Thanks, -Snakes
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Post by pitfallharry on Oct 4, 2007 22:17:37 GMT -5
Ah, that's much better.....now I can get a better look without having to scroll from side to side. I can see where RB said there's a little bit of a difference in the color or "hue" between the regular part of the skull and the jaw portion. How long have you owned that skull, ihatesnakes? Maybe the jaw becomes loose after a certain amount of time like RB's did OR RB got a defective one from the start. I didn't want to take the chance so that's why I went for one where the mouth didn't open.
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Post by Ragingblues on Oct 4, 2007 22:31:16 GMT -5
BTW, this particular design is based on the " Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull" shown below: Here's some info on it: www.crystalinks.com/crystalskulls.htmlThe most widely celebrated and mysterious crystal skull is the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, for at least two reasons. First, it is very similar in form to an actual human skull, even featuring a fitted removable jawbone. Most known crystal skulls are of a more stylized structure, often with unrealistic features and teeth that are simply etched onto a single skull piece. Second, it is impossible to say how the Mitchell-Hedges skull was constructed. From a technical standpoint, it appears to be an impossible object which today's most talented sculptors and engineers would be unable to duplicate. The discovery of the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull, sometimes referred to as the "Skull of Doom". is a controversial matter, and reads like a sci-fi action adventure film.
The skull was made from a single, unusually large block of clear quartz crystal, and measured 5 inches high, 7 inches long, and 5 inches wide, weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces. It closely corresponds in size to a small human cranium, with near perfect detail, even to rendering the skull without the globular prominence or superciliary ridges, which are characteristics of a female.
As the story goes ... One day in 1927, English adventurer, traveler, and writer, F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, who had a talent for telling colorful stories, was clearing debris from atop a ruined temple at the ancient Mayan city of Lubaantum, located in British Honduras, now Belize. His seventeen-year old daughter Anna, who had accompanied him, suddenly saw something shimmering in the dust below. Anna found an exquisitely carved and polished skull made of rock crystal, with the jaw piece missing. Three months later, she located the jaw in an excavation about 25 feet from the first site.
In 1970, art conservator and restorer Frank Dorland was given permission by the Mitchell-Hedges estate to submit the quartz skull to tests conducted at the Hewlett-Packard Laboratories at Santa Clara, California.
From these tests, and from careful studies done by Dorland himself, the skull revealed a whole array of anomalies. When submersed in a benzyl alcohol bath, with a beam of light passing through, it was noted that both the skull and jaw piece had come from the same quartz block. What was astounding to the testers, however, is they found that the skull and jaw had been carved with total disregard to the natural crystal axis in the quartz.
In modern crystallography, the first procedure is always to determine the axis, to prevent fracturing and breakage during the subsequent shaping process. Yet, the skull's maker appears to have employed methods by which such concerns were not necessary.
The unknown artist also used no metal tools. Dorland was unable to find signs of any tell-tale scratch marks on the crystal, under high-powered microscopic analysis. Indeed, most metals would have been ineffectual, for the crystal has a specific gravity of 2.65, and a Mohs hardness factor of 7. In other words, even a modern penknife cannot make a mark on it.
From tiny patterns in the quartz near the carved surfaces, Dorland determined the skull was first meticulously chiseled into a rough form, probably using diamonds. The finer shaping, grinding and polishing, Dorland believes, was done by applying innumerable applications of solutions of water and silicon-crystal sand. The big problem is, if these were the processes used, then, as Dorland calculated, it would mean that a total of 300 man-years of continuous labor was spent in making the skull. We must accept this almost unimaginable feat, or admit to the use of some form of lost technology in the skull's creation the likes of which we have no equivalent today.
The enigma of the skull, however, does not end with just its making. The zygomatic arches (the bone arch extending along the sides and front of the cranium) are accurately separated from the skull piece, and act as light pipes, using principles similar to modern optics, to channel light from the base of the skull to the eye sockets.
The eye sockets in turn are miniature concave lenses that also transfer light from a source below, into the upper cranium. Finally, in the interior of the skull is a ribbon prism and tiny light tunnels, by which objects held beneath the skull are magnified and brightened.
Richard Garvin, who authored a book about the crystal skull, believes the skull was designed to be placed over an upward shining beam. The result, with the various light transfers and prismatic effects, would illuminate the entire skull and cause the sockets to become glowing eyes. Dorland performed experiments using this technique, and reported the skull 'lights up like it was on fire.'
Still another finding about the crystal skull reveals knowledge of weights and fulcrum points. The jaw piece fits precisely onto the skull by two polished sockets, which allow the jaw to move up and down. The skull itself can be balanced exactly where two tiny holes are drilled on each side of its base, which probably once held suspending supports. So perfect is the balance at these points that the slightest breeze causes the skull to nod back and forth, the jaw opening and closing as counter-weight. The visual effect is that of a living skull, talking and articulating.
The question, of course, is what purpose did this serve? Was the skull only designed by its artist as a clever toy or conversation piece, or, as Dorland believes, was the talking skull meant to be used as an oracular device, through strange phenomena associated with the crystal skull, that defy logical explanation.
Observers have reported that, for unknown reasons, the skull will change color. Sometimes the frontal cranium clouds up, looking like white cotton, while at other times it turns perfectly clear, as if the space within disappears into an empty void. Over a period from 5 to 6 minutes, a dark spot often begins forming on the right side and slowly blackens the entire skull, then recedes and disappears as mysteriously as it came.
Other observers have seen strange scenes reflected in the eye sockets, scenes of buildings and other objects, even though the skull is resting against a black background. Still others have heard ringing noises emanating from within, and at least on one occasion, a distinct glow from no known light source surrounded the skull like an aura for up to six minutes.
The sum total of the skull appears to take in all five physical senses of the brain. It changes Colour and light, it emits odors, it creates sound, it gives off sensations of heat and cold to those who touch it, even though the crystal has always remained at a physical temperature of 70 degrees F under all conditions, and has even produced sensations of thirst and sometimes of taste in a few cases.
Dorland is of the opinion that what is happening in all this phenomena is that the 'crystal stimulates an unknown part of the brain, opening a psychic door to the absolute.' He observes, 'crystals continuously put out electric-like radio waves. Since the brain does the same thing, they naturally interact.' He has found, too, that periodic happenings in the crystal skull are due to the positions of the sun, moon and planets in the sky.
Researcher Marianne Zezelic agrees that the skull was primarily used to stimulate and amplify the psychic abilities in its handlers. She observes. "Crystal serves as an accumulator of terrestrial magnetism. By gazing at the crystal, the eyes set up a harmonic relation stimulating the magnetism collected in that portion of the brain known as the cerebellum."
The cerebellum therefore becomes a reservoir of magnetism which influences the quality of the magnetic outflow through the eyes, thus setting up a continuous flow of magnetism between gazer and crystal. The amount of energy entering the brain eventually increases to such a proportion as to affect the poles of the brain, a region extending just above the eyes, contributing to psychic phenomena.'
Going a step further, Tom Bearden, an expert in the field of psychotronic studies, believes that, in the hands of a skilled mediator and mental focalize, the crystal skull also served not only as a vehicle to transform life field energy into electromagnetic energy and other physical effects, but also aided in healing, by the altering of its crystalline resonance to match that of a patient's mind and body frequencies, and affecting curing energies on the skull that would manifest in the patient's auric field. The skull should thus be used as an amplifier and a transmitter of psychic and earth energy forces.
When looking at the sum total of skill and knowledge incorporated in the Mitchell-Hedges skull, modern science is stumped as to how to explain it. Author Garvin summarized the findings in these words: 'It is virtually impossible today -- in the time when men have climbed mountains on the moon -- to duplicate this achievement.
The lenses, light pipes, and prisms alone display a technical competence that the human race only achieved recently. In fact, there is no one on the globe today who could attempt to duplicate the carving. It would not be a question of skill, patience and time. It would simply be impossible. I'm going to go ahead and move this thread over to the Prop section now, just to keep a-"head" of the game. Ken
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