It's not unusual for sci-fi props to be made out of "found" objects.
Once upon a time, I used to build a collection of Star Wars props ... and pretty much everything in there was made from something else out of the real world, not designed and built from scratch. A large part of the hobby consisted of trying to identify what the parts were. I think the most rare piece that somehow, inexplicably was found had been deep inside a rare variation of a 1940's jet engine.
I think the easiest (and most ridiculous) was the
Jedi Comlink in Episode 1-The Phantom Menace, which I think many people in the theatre recognised straight away as a
Ladyshave with a few bits and bobs glued onto it.
