"Gummi Bear" Handlink Info

It's been a few years now,but I saw the ebay auction for one of the screen used wristlinks and it sold for something like $500 which was a steal.
At $2,200 that lets me out on the handlinks too,but I understand with all the labor and parts involved.
 
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Have you been able to contact anyone with a screen used handlink to get the exact dimensions of the prop? I can't wait to see the completed units. I would love to own one.
 
Ebay and live auctions are weird and unpredictable. You can never be sure that the people who most want the item are in the bidding. If at least two of them are, the sky's the limit. If not, and there's no reserve or the opening price is low, the seller can really take a beating. That wristlink that sold for $516 on eBay in 2011, I never saw that auction. Does anyone have a screenshot or other copy of it? The same prop sold through Profiles in History in 2005 for $1200, from a catalog estimate range of $800-$1200. OUCH!

The only *possibly* show-connected gummi bear handlink prop whose sale price I know is the weird green and blue one that was misidentified by Profiles in History that sold for $3000, from an estimate of $1000-$1500. In my opinion, that piece was at best a non-screen-used prototype, and at worst possibly someone's homemade replica. I give Profiles in History a failing grade for their poor research on that one, and shake my head in pity for the bidders who apparently took what PiH claimed at face value without doing their own research, and drove the price up that high.

I have not had any luck getting exact measurements of a screen-used GB HL. Mark Dickson wrote at the Replica Props Forum that he made a tracing at the same time he took the photos he posted, and that he sent a copy of that tracing to another RPF member, but I was unable to get a response from either of them. I did get a response on a different topic via a different site from Deborah Pratt about her original prop. She said it's in storage somewhere and I got the impression that she doesn't want to be bothered to dig it out for mere fanservice to one person, which is completely understandable, so I probably won't ask her about it again. If my replica project turns out well and opportunity presents itself, I would offer to restore her original (which is in rather sad shape) but getting that opportunity doesn't seem likely.

So the best I can do for now is photogrammetry -- take the best available image (the Mark Dickson front view photo), make multiple corrections to it (lens pincushion/barrel distortion, rotation, tilt/perspective, etc.), then scale it using known dimensions of some of its parts, such as the LEDs and the battery. Since the last time I scaled it, I have obtained some LEDs that I didn't have before (the CP-56/57 equivalents) as well as the correct batteries. I've also made new discoveries and changed my mind about a few details, so I need to go back and do that whole process again. I think I can get accuracy within a couple of millimeters that way.
 
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Scotophor said:
Ebay and live auctions are weird and unpredictable. You can never be sure that the people who most want the item are in the bidding. If at least two of them are, the sky's the limit. If not, and there's no reserve or the opening price is low, the seller can really take a beating. That wristlink that sold for $516 on eBay in 2011, I never saw that auction. Does anyone have a screenshot or other copy of it? The same prop sold through Profiles in History in 2005 for $1200, from a catalog estimate range of $800-$1200. OUCH!

The only *possibly* show-connected gummi bear handlink prop whose sale price I know is the weird green and blue one that was misidentified by Profiles in History that sold for $3000, from an estimate of $1000-$1500. In my opinion, that piece was at best a non-screen-used prototype, and at worst possibly someone's homemade replica. I give Profiles in History a failing grade for their poor research on that one, and shake my head in pity for the bidders who apparently took what PiH claimed at face value without doing their own research, and drove the price up that high.

I have not had any luck getting exact measurements of a screen-used GB HL. Mark Dickson wrote at the Replica Props Forum that he made a tracing at the same time he took the photos he posted, and that he sent a copy of that tracing to another RPF member, but I was unable to get a response from either of them. I did get a response on a different topic via a different site from Deborah Pratt about her original prop. She said it's in storage somewhere and I got the impression that she doesn't want to be bothered to dig it out for mere fanservice to one person, which is completely understandable, so I probably won't ask her about it again. If my replica project turns out well and opportunity presents itself, I would offer to restore her original (which is in rather sad shape) but getting that opportunity doesn't seem likely.

So the best I can do for now is photogrammetry -- take the best available image (the Mark Dickson front view photo), make multiple corrections to it (lens pincushion/barrel distortion, rotation, tilt/perspective, etc.), then scale it using known dimensions of some of its parts, such as the LEDs and the battery. Since the last time I scaled it, I have obtained some LEDs that I didn't have before (the CP-56/57 equivalents) as well as the correct batteries. I've also made new discoveries and changed my mind about a few details, so I need to go back and do that whole process again. I think I can get accuracy within a couple of millimeters that way.
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Hi,Here are some photos of the wristlink auction.http://www.quantumleap-alsplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6139 I was the one who originally saw it and posted it here. I was going to place a bid higher than $516 on it,but the seller had zero feedback at the time and when I had contacted them several times and got no reply to my questions I decided not to risk it. Later I read they did indeed have difficulty getting the seller to ship the prop to them.

That's too bad that Deborah Pratt wasn't able to help out. I love her handlink and truly wish I would have been able to attend the last Quantum Leap convention. She attended it and had the handlink as well as Al's Starbright project neon badge on display. I would have loved to have been able to see it in person and ask her about it. Sadly there is very little activity on this forum anymore and despite all the effort put forth here it seems the fund raising for another LeapCon has stalled out. I would think if anything there would be more interest in Quantum Leap given its age. I watched it when it was new and its sad to think that Scott and Dean might not ever be reunited at another LeapCon again.

I think you've done an amazing job documenting all the details of construction and the parts involved. Please post photos of your finished project when you are done.
 
I have the two wristlink photos from post #12 in that topic, but nothing of the eBay page itself. None of the images in the first post show up for me.

I have posted some info on the "Starbright" neon pinback badge before, not sure if it's already somewhere here at Al's Place or not but I'll repeat what I can remember:
It was a 100% unmodified, "found" item. Before QL ever went on the air, I remember seeing an easel-style display just inside the entrance of a Best Products store (R.I.P.) with the star and at least one other badge style, possibly two or three. I was probably in junior high or the first or second year of high school at the time, and couldn't afford to buy one for myself, and couldn't get anyone to buy one for me. They were rather expensive, as I recall. Other shapes I remember were a rainbow and a palm tree - those might have been in one badge or they might have been in separate badges. The rainbow I seem to remember had an optional special effect; it could be made to run a simple animation in which it would gradually illuminate from one end toward the other, then go off and start from the end again. I think the other shapes could be set to blink or perhaps also do the slow fade-from-one-end thing. They must not have sold very well, because I've never seen any of them again apart from the few QL episodes with Al's star, and the 2009 LeapCon photos. I think only the star was a plain white color (looks blue on film/TV but this is a known quirk of "white neon" - the same effect occurs on the Back to the Future DeLorean). The other neon badges were multicolored.

Thank you for your words of praise. I fully intend to post photos and videos when I've completed my replica(s). I'm currently working on some additional photos, text and such for an article on the handlink LEDs and how they were modified to make the props. It may be a few weeks before I get it posted, and I think I need to edit a photo and some of the text in the article I already posted at A.S.A.P. too.
 
Dimensions

I hope I can chip into this. I'm in the process of making a handlink for myself - nothing as fancy or screen accurate as has been discussed here, but as close as I can get it on a shoestring budget.

Can anyone tell me the dimensions please? I'm not overly fussed about specific blocks, just the height and width at its tallest/widest point, and how thick the actual handlink is. Would really appreciate it! I've been colour-matching a schematic of it, as best I can, so that I can source the right tint acryllic, but in order to print measure the shapes on the schematic I need a starting point :) Thanks!
 
jbeebus2 said:
I'm in the process of making a handlink for myself [...] Can anyone tell me the dimensions please? I'm not overly fussed about specific blocks, just the height and width at its tallest/widest point, and how thick the actual handlink is. Would really appreciate it! I've been colour-matching a schematic of it, as best I can, so that I can source the right tint acryllic, but in order to print measure the shapes on the schematic I need a starting point :) Thanks!
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I need to redo my drawing of it, as the dimensions I have written are partly based on some old erroneous info. However, it's very roughly 4 inches wide by 6 inches tall in its maximal dimensions. The clear center section is nominally 1/2 inch thick (acrylic sheets' actual thicknesses are slightly smaller than their nominal sizes). Total thickness at the thickest parts is about one inch.

You mentioned a "schematic" - is this one you've found online, or one you've made yourself? I know of one posted online by Robert "Replicaprops" Werden that has several errors in colors, shapes and thicknesses. I offered to send him an updated version if he would send me his original vector file, but he refused, so all I have is a sloppy reworked version of the rasterized image file. That reworked version is also outdated and needs to be re-done to incorporate some new insights.
 
I'm a graphic designer. If you'd like to collaborate on an accurate vector illustratration, I'd be happy to do so. I've downloaded "Replicaprops" file and can transform it into a vector file. My e-mail is morganfeldon (at) gmail.com. It's frustrating the work you have done on so many forums to try to get this to a reality and you get shut down repeatedly.
 
I'm currently not shut down, just taking my time. I'm planning soon to take a micrometer to all of the vintage LEDs I've acquired for this project and distill down some accurate measurements to use for my replicas. When I have finalized the Handlink dimensions based on true LED dimensions, I'll make several accurate vector drawings of some of the GB Handlinks. I plan to document and possibly replicate at least Beta, Gamma, Delta 1-2, Delta 3 and Delta 4 (pre-decrepitude). I may also make an "idealized" version based on Delta 4, with missing elements from Beta and Gamma added back in.
 
Well if you want, I will be thrilled to produce or help produce a "bible" of all the information on this prop. It sounds like you've probably got enough for at least 15-20 pages!
 
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