DUSTIN'S BACKPACK (SEASONS 3 & 4) 1-3-2023 UPDATE:
Hey everyone! Finally had time to put my latest update on Dustin's backpack together. Not gonna lie - I was putting it off a bit because I was hoping for maybe one more breakthrough, but I think there's enough now to warrant one.
PART 1:
Firstly, let's talk about the elusive Chrome Speaker. As many of you know, I've been searching for this thing since 2019.
I tried every search term I could think of. Any combination of "retro", "vintage", "chrome", "silver", "cb radio", as well as "extension speaker", "car speaker", "mini speaker", etc. I got as detailed as I could think of... and apparently this was my mistake.
I was doing another very late night random search session, and maybe this is just stars aligning at the right time, but I tried simply "vintage "extension speaker"". And I swear my heart skipped a beat. Lol. In the middle of the top row on Google Images was this:
I couldn't believe it. I checked the listing and got it straight away, in fact, I got a couple of them in hopes that one of them would be in ideal shape (not pristine, but not too worn) and that proved to be a good choice. Before we get to that though, let's talk about the speaker itself!
Can't convey how excited I am to find this. Searching for such a long time and even getting some very sassy responses from CB Radio forums saying they probably just grabbed a metal tin, added a grille and some wires. So helfpul. Lol.
This is a vintage Fedtro RSP-1 Speaker from the 1960s. Check out the retro packaging:
As I noticed, it has black and white speaker wires coming out of it. The "nubs" on the side are not actually anything to do with a stand or handle, but are simply screws to hold the front casing onto the rest of the speaker. Additionally, I thought there might've been something on the speaker itself that would assist with mounting onto the backpack's side pocket. The Fedtro has a perfect clip for this very purpose.
Judging by the way the speaker wire loops up over the speaker and back into the backpack pocket in the reference photo from the show, I assume it was indeed the clip that was used to mount it to the bag, since the wires would come out of the bottom this way and need to loop up in a similar way. I'm unsure if the screw mount is just hidden from view or if it was removed entirely though.
As I said earlier, I bought multiples. I did this to ensure I would get one in good shape as most of them on eBay were out of the packaging. Very glad I went this route. One them was unfortunately cracked on nearly every panel (this wasn't fully apparent in the sparse eBay photos).
The one pictured with the packaging graphics above was new in the package. However, it must've gotten moved around a lot because it is overall just a bit too warped for my liking / slightly dented around the edges. Not a bad option though at all. If anyone would like it, I'm more than happy to send it along. It also came with a switcher. I had to get rid of the packaging unfortunately - it was not in great shape, very dirty, and had tons of rusty staples in it.
The one I went with for my backpack replica itself (pictured in the comparison further up this post) is in remarkably good shape, just need to remove some gunk in some areas (residue from a piece of tape, that sort of thing).
Mystery solved!
I just knew I couldn't shake the feeling that this was a real vintage piece and not just something fabricated for the show.
PART 2:
Next up, some general prop updates. I finally got the proper Micro-15, new in the box, to replace my incorrect (but very close) Micro-18:
Those of you with eagle eyes may also notice that I grabbed the correct Microcassette inside the Player as well:
This is just a Panasonic RT-604MC. Very easy to find. Make sure it's on Side B for maximum accuracy. Lol.
I also picked up Dustin's new Realistic TRC-212 Walkie and grabbed a couple of close approximations to the flashlights from Season 4 to go with my correct UniFloat Mark II - since Dustin seems to be the flashlight provider of the group.
I am not 100% on this, but I wouldn't be surprised if the lights from the show were created in partnership with Energizer (parent company of Eveready) as I have not found a single one of the specific variants from Season 4, Episode 5 in the wild. The fact the Netflix released a branded version as partnership with them seems to make this assumption even more possible, but perhaps they're just really rare.
PART 3:
So... the patches. I have not had any new ones made yet. I have been holding out to try and get some better reference. I've even reached out to the Prop Master to see if they would be willing to be of some assistance. That being said, here's where I'm at with the best reference I could get from Season 4. I'm pretty happy with the Radio Tower, Atom, and Compass designs. The additional Camp Knowhere patch is pretty good considering the lack of detail I'm working with - I think there's more to it, but I simply can't make out anymore detail. The telescope, however, I think needs another pass now that I look at it again.
Forgive the colors in the reference images, I've messed with some of these in photoshop and the colors have lost some accuracy, but I tried to use these for the design and other shots for color reference.
Any of these would be much much better than what I have now, so if I don't get any more leads then I may go ahead with these as is or slightly tweaked.
On a somewhat related note, here is my most recent design iteration of the Computer Pin. This is the one I had made, but I may revisit it as well to see if I can get it a bit closer. I do think this may be a true vintage pin, but I have not found it yet.
PART 4:
Finally, of course, here's what is still not identified. Pretty much same as last time. We've got two pins that have very little detail to go on and no strong leads it seems.
Award Pin
This is a very rough mockup to attempt and clear up the design.
Definitely we've got a blue enamel shield with a lamp of learning/knowledge on it.
Around that is maybe a wreath or a banner of some kind. And up top is striped row of blue and gold/brass and some kind of crossed shape?
I assume this is some kind of vintage school pin, but maybe it's some kind of military pin? A scout pin? No idea. But this is the best we have.
Mystery Domed Epoxy Pin
Still no clue what this is at all, appears to be pink and purple. Maybe orange and purple?
Looks like a shoe sometimes, also looks like a weird robot dinosaur head with an antenna, or maybe a desert landscape with a sun and...something tall?
Well...I think that's finally it for now! Thanks for having me everyone!