I know there have been threads before about trying to identify the piece of equipment used for Dietrich's med kit (as well as the bag it was stored in), but what about one dedicated to fabricating one from scratch?
Well that's what I'm planning to do. We'll start with the really ugly basics. The med kit shows up at about the 100 minute mark in the director's cut, and has only a few seconds of screen time. Nevertheless we know it beeps, has lights, and is giving Cpl. Dietrich information about her patient. So after watching it about a dozen times and checking out screen grabs I've started making my version.
First, a rough mockup of the device, with a screen grab inset showing the device:
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This is what I can make out at least. On the right is an oscilloscope, and on the left (where I've placed the screen grab) appears to be a paper read-out from a heart monitor or somesuch. Just below the oscilloscope is a square yellow light, and then there are a number of round and rectangular knobs and buttons.
Next we have the roughest of rough cardboard approximations:
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So here we have the paper readout on the left and the "oscilloscope" (i.e. backlit laminated printout) on the right. This was mostly to test the fit in the Finnish gasmask bag I'm using. I am of the belief that the original prop bag was fabricated along with the pouches the Marines wear, but not out of the same material. In any case, this bag is a close enough match to meet my needs.
The next step will be to gather the parts I need to replicate the knobs and buttons, find or make a yellow square light cover, and then decide if I want to build this out of sheet plastic or metal. My plan for the oscilloscope is to have a static display (similar to what I mocked up already), with the ability to swap it out for small a device that can play a movie file of an oscilloscope. I found a pretty good .mov on Pond5.com for pretty cheap. Whether this ends up being a small video camera, smart phone, or something else entirely I don't know. Any ideas?
Do folks think the paper readout should move?
In the film Dietrich is stuffing a white cord into the bag in the space above the device (see second photo above). We never see it clearly, but she was obviously using it to examine Newt. Any thoughts of what this might be? I'm thinking of something like the circular tabs the Marines have on is hypersleep. It might be a nice nod anyway.
But this brings up the question of what else might be stored in that cavernous bag? Any ideas? Thanks!