My Handlink Replica

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-25-2005, 01:28 PM

Hi all!

Yes, I'm back from the old community wanting to show all of you my latest Handlink attempt. I have wanted a "Gummi bear" handlink ever since I saw it and, have had about 7 attempts, literally. I am now 13 and my latest version is made of foamboard, and clear acetate. The little holes glow in the dark and, when you press the red, rectangular button it makes real handlink noises!

Here are some pictures of my handlink:

QL Nut · 07-25-2005, 01:38 PM

Looks great! Definitely a lot better than the attempt I made when I was about ten. I'll post some pictures of mine once I find it.

feldon30 · 07-25-2005, 01:39 PM

My attempt. It's just Legos.

Colored lucite is just exhorbitant and very hard to cut cleanly.

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-25-2005, 01:50 PM

Ohhhhh nice look Feldon29! have to reaserch lucite!
Can't wait to see your one QL Nut! and Thanks!

McDuck · 07-25-2005, 01:58 PM

You know...these are reminding me of these little bead thingies we used to make crafts with when I was a day camp director. They come in all colors, clear and opaque. You arrange them on a pegboard into a design, and then use an iron to fuse them all together.

Excellent work, guys!!!!!

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-25-2005, 02:01 PM

Ahh you might be talking about what I once tried to use - Hama Beads? and thanks McDuck! like the name!

feldon30 · 07-25-2005, 02:09 PM

The sticking points on making a decent handlink:

* Availability of enough different colors of lucite or other color plastic
* Inability to 'tint' clear plastic
* Difficulty in cleanly cutting plastic/lucite/acrylic
* Difficulty in gluing plastic/lucite/acrylic without cracks/fogging

and this does not include the electronics.

Now that you can get those necklaces and armbands with blinking super-bright LEDs in them, it would be remount those components on a flat printed circuit board but quadruple the # of LEDs, quadruple the battery size/output, and switch to capacitors that can handle the higher load.

feldon30 · 07-25-2005, 02:10 PM

Can we confirm that the colors of the LEDs inside the handlink are only red and green (the only colors commercially viable at the time the handlink was created)?

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-25-2005, 02:28 PM

I am pretty sure the handlink has only red and green LED's as I have never seen any other colour light. However I cannot confirm as, as much as I would like to, do NOT own the real handlink

QL Nut · 07-25-2005, 02:49 PM

The only other color may be possibly yellow, but I am not sure if there were different color lights in the yellow cube parts of the handlink. I know when lit, the green LEDs look like a neon yellow color, as the one I made uses the same kind, I think.

I checked out one of the videos on this site, which was a behind-the-scenes look of "The Last Gunfighter," and one of the producers was talking about the handlink. I never knew there were three separate handlinks built and one "dummy" handlink that never lit up, which was used for outdoor scenes. I'm guessing the "dummy" one was the one they used that got left in 1945 in "The Leap Back."

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-25-2005, 02:55 PM

I watched that video too!

feldon30 · 07-25-2005, 02:58 PM

E! Behind the Scenes back when it was good.

An essential DVD-style extra for any QL fan.

feldon30 · 07-25-2005, 02:59 PM

I have The Leap Back on my DirecTV digital TiVo (no analog-to-digital conversion) and I am going through it to find the best frames for checking out the handlink.

These are the best I could capture until the DVDs come out.

feldon30 · 07-25-2005, 04:23 PM

What's maddening is that the colors of the blocks seem to change color depending on camera angle. Quite maddening. There seem to be 2 basic types of Lucite/Acrylite being used. One for the base which is almost like a grid of squares and then one for the extra pieces which make the handlink no longer be merely a rectangle in shape.

I think the minimum colors someone would need of Lucite/Acrylite are:

* Yellow
* Orange
* Pink/Magenta

* Green
* Blue/Cyan
* Dark Blue

Any experts out there on cutting and glueing plastic without cutting off ones fingers and/or the material cracking?

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-25-2005, 04:59 PM

I agree that the colours of the blocks change at every angle

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-26-2005, 04:35 AM

Another good picture can be found in "Liberation" :

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-26-2005, 09:59 AM

It is terribly anoying, the way the blocks change colour in every light. Of course, If you got the exact colour and material yours would do the same.
Speaking of the correct material, that is said to also be many different things, for instance, in part 4 of the scienceography in the video colection, it is said by the designer, Cameron Birnie to be made from "Plexi-gl as s"

What is plexi-gl as s? is it a general term or precise? Is it like acrylic or perspex? It is also said to be from lego. could it possibly be?

By the way, feldon29 I was wondering where you got the translucent lego you used for your handlink. Because I thought of using that but could not find it anywhere!

Thanks.

feldon30 · 07-26-2005, 11:08 AM

Plexiglas is a registered trademark. I can't imagine someone cutting that out and using it. I'd always heard that Lucite was used.

Colored transparent legos? I looked high and low and found them on eBay.

feldon30 · 07-26-2005, 11:17 AM

Fixed the censoring problem.

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-26-2005, 11:40 AM

right. Thanks!

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-26-2005, 01:22 PM

Some more pictures showing lighting:

feldon30 · 07-26-2005, 02:02 PM

Hey, those are some GREAT shots!

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-26-2005, 02:12 PM

Why, thank you.

feldon30 · 07-26-2005, 02:15 PM

I'll try to record A Little Miracle when it comes around again on Sci-Fi.

Als_Holographic_Helper · 07-26-2005, 02:22 PM

I got mine off the 3rd season DVD!

07-25-2005, 01:38 PM	#2
QL Nut Project Observer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 841	Looks great! Definitely a lot better than the attempt I made when I was about ten. I'll post some pictures of mine once I find it. __________________ - Chris

07-25-2005, 01:50 PM	#4
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	Ohhhhh nice look Feldon29! have to reaserch lucite! Can't wait to see your one QL Nut! and Thanks! __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-25-2005, 01:58 PM	#5
McDuck Junior Leaper Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1,403	You know...these are reminding me of these little bead thingies we used to make crafts with when I was a day camp director. They come in all colors, clear and opaque. You arrange them on a pegboard into a design, and then use an iron to fuse them all together. Excellent work, guys!!!!! __________________ Jen

07-25-2005, 02:01 PM	#6
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	Ahh you might be talking about what I once tried to use - Hama Beads? and thanks McDuck! like the name! __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-25-2005, 02:09 PM	#7
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	The sticking points on making a decent handlink: * Availability of enough different colors of lucite or other color plastic * Inability to 'tint' clear plastic * Difficulty in cleanly cutting plastic/lucite/acrylic * Difficulty in gluing plastic/lucite/acrylic without cracks/fogging and this does not include the electronics. Now that you can get those necklaces and armbands with blinking super-bright LEDs in them, it would be remount those components on a flat printed circuit board but quadruple the # of LEDs, quadruple the battery size/output, and switch to capacitors that can handle the higher load. __________________

07-25-2005, 02:10 PM	#8
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	Can we confirm that the colors of the LEDs inside the handlink are only red and green (the only colors commercially viable at the time the handlink was created)? __________________

07-25-2005, 02:28 PM	#9
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	I am pretty sure the handlink has only red and green LED's as I have never seen any other colour light. However I cannot confirm as, as much as I would like to, do NOT own the real handlink __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-25-2005, 02:49 PM	#10
QL Nut Project Observer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 841	The only other color may be possibly yellow, but I am not sure if there were different color lights in the yellow cube parts of the handlink. I know when lit, the green LEDs look like a neon yellow color, as the one I made uses the same kind, I think. I checked out one of the videos on this site, which was a behind-the-scenes look of "The Last Gunfighter," and one of the producers was talking about the handlink. I never knew there were three separate handlinks built and one "dummy" handlink that never lit up, which was used for outdoor scenes. I'm guessing the "dummy" one was the one they used that got left in 1945 in "The Leap Back." __________________ - Chris

07-25-2005, 02:55 PM	#11
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	I watched that video too! __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-25-2005, 02:58 PM	#12
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	E! Behind the Scenes back when it was good. An essential DVD-style extra for any QL fan. __________________

07-25-2005, 04:23 PM	#14
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	What's maddening is that the colors of the blocks seem to change color depending on camera angle. Quite maddening. There seem to be 2 basic types of Lucite/Acrylite being used. One for the base which is almost like a grid of squares and then one for the extra pieces which make the handlink no longer be merely a rectangle in shape. I think the minimum colors someone would need of Lucite/Acrylite are: * Yellow * Orange * Pink/Magenta * Green * Blue/Cyan * Dark Blue Any experts out there on cutting and glueing plastic without cutting off ones fingers and/or the material cracking? __________________

07-25-2005, 04:59 PM	#15
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	I agree that the colours of the blocks change at every angle __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-26-2005, 09:59 AM	#17
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	It is terribly anoying, the way the blocks change colour in every light. Of course, If you got the exact colour and material yours would do the same. Speaking of the correct material, that is said to also be many different things, for instance, in part 4 of the scienceography in the video colection, it is said by the designer, Cameron Birnie to be made from "Plexi-gl as s" What is plexi-gl as s? is it a general term or precise? Is it like acrylic or perspex? It is also said to be from lego. could it possibly be? By the way, feldon29 I was wondering where you got the translucent lego you used for your handlink. Because I thought of using that but could not find it anywhere! Thanks. __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-26-2005, 11:08 AM	#18
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	Plexiglas is a registered trademark. I can't imagine someone cutting that out and using it. I'd always heard that Lucite was used. Colored transparent legos? I looked high and low and found them on eBay. __________________

07-26-2005, 11:17 AM	#19
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	Fixed the censoring problem. __________________

07-26-2005, 11:40 AM	#20
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	right. Thanks! __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-26-2005, 02:02 PM	#22
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	Hey, those are some GREAT shots! __________________

07-26-2005, 02:12 PM	#23
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	Why, thank you. __________________ ~ Jeddie

07-26-2005, 02:15 PM	#24
feldon30 Forum Technician Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: SC Posts: 963	I'll try to record A Little Miracle when it comes around again on Sci-Fi. __________________

07-26-2005, 02:22 PM	#25
Als_Holographic_Helper Control Room Technician Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 103	I got mine off the 3rd season DVD! __________________ ~ Jeddie

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