wayouteast
Sr Member
Since I've added several more of the original cast series/movie communicator models to the STIII/IV and STV/VI since posting my previous thread, I hope it's OK to post a new one with pictures of the finished collection. All these were printed on my Elegoo Mars resin printer, finished and painted, and simple lighting added (no sound or other effects). From left to right: TOS, TMP (2 versions), STII, STIII/IV, STV/VI.
The lighting in the TOS communicator is purely speculative of course, as the original props indicator 'lights' were reflective gems and never actually lit. It has two micro-switches on the back - an on/off which switches on the left-hand flashing green light, and a momentary button switch which lights up the middle flashing red light and the right-hand constant blue. The result is a seemingly random sequence of lights. I really wanted to have the moire rotate, but, being no Wah Chang, I lacked the skills to make that happen in the space available!
The print files for this communicator are by Unimatrix Red on Printables. The Kydex look on the case was achieved using Paint Factory 'Real Feel' coal black textured spray paint. All the other parts were airbrushed with Alclad II chrome and stainless steel and AK Interactive Xtreme metal polished brass. The moire was downloaded from the resources at HeroComm and printed onto metallic foil.
The TMP wrist communicators are solid resin prints with no electronics added. Painted with rattle can cream spray paint and detailed with Vallejo acrylics and a Molotow chrome pen. I chose two of the many variants of this prop that I liked the best.
The Wrath of Khan communicator is printed from files by 3DTechDesign on CGTrader. It's painted using airbrushed Alclad II polished aluminum over a gloss black basecoat with a protective coat of AK Interactive's Interactive Gauzy Agent shine enhancer (one of the few protective coatings that doesn't seem to affect the look of a metallic finish). The black parts are rattlecan matt black. I gave it some subtle weathering to make it look a bit used. The lights are achieved with a short length of 3v LED strip and a 3mm white LED for the illuminated 'hinge' and 2 red 5mm LEDs and a red 3mm LED in the bottom lightpiece. A blinking red 5mm LED was used for the indicator on the face plate. The battery is accessed by removing the faceplate which is held in place with 12 3mm neodymium magnets.
The communicator from The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home is from files available from Ivan Popovitch on MyMiniFactory. It's lit with red, green, blue and white SMDs behind the parts that were printed in clear resin, and is designed with built in 'light boxes' which make the lighting easier.You can see a bit more detail of the build on my previous thread. The case is sprayed satin black with a rattlecan, the brass is AK Interactive polished brass, the silver is Alclad II stainless steel and the blue is Vallejo Model Color 'Royal Blue'.
Finally, the communicator from The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country is printed from more files by 3DTechDesign on CGTrader. This took a bit more work to get the electronics into despite the relative simplicity of the single light panel as the design is all-but-solid with not much room for electronics. In the end, I lit the panel using a grid of three folded strips of three LEDs from a 3v LED strip. To get an even glow (or as even as I could) I put a small panel of polycarbonate diffuser under the clear light panel. Again, there are a few more details in my previous thread. The communicator is painted with a gunmetal auto paint, then darkened slightly with a 25/75 mix of AK Interactive Xtreme metal gunmetal and black basecoat misted over the surface. The brass is AK Interactive polished brass, and the buttons are painted with Vallejo acrylics.
And, just for fun... with their respective phasers!
The lighting in the TOS communicator is purely speculative of course, as the original props indicator 'lights' were reflective gems and never actually lit. It has two micro-switches on the back - an on/off which switches on the left-hand flashing green light, and a momentary button switch which lights up the middle flashing red light and the right-hand constant blue. The result is a seemingly random sequence of lights. I really wanted to have the moire rotate, but, being no Wah Chang, I lacked the skills to make that happen in the space available!
The print files for this communicator are by Unimatrix Red on Printables. The Kydex look on the case was achieved using Paint Factory 'Real Feel' coal black textured spray paint. All the other parts were airbrushed with Alclad II chrome and stainless steel and AK Interactive Xtreme metal polished brass. The moire was downloaded from the resources at HeroComm and printed onto metallic foil.
The TMP wrist communicators are solid resin prints with no electronics added. Painted with rattle can cream spray paint and detailed with Vallejo acrylics and a Molotow chrome pen. I chose two of the many variants of this prop that I liked the best.
The Wrath of Khan communicator is printed from files by 3DTechDesign on CGTrader. It's painted using airbrushed Alclad II polished aluminum over a gloss black basecoat with a protective coat of AK Interactive's Interactive Gauzy Agent shine enhancer (one of the few protective coatings that doesn't seem to affect the look of a metallic finish). The black parts are rattlecan matt black. I gave it some subtle weathering to make it look a bit used. The lights are achieved with a short length of 3v LED strip and a 3mm white LED for the illuminated 'hinge' and 2 red 5mm LEDs and a red 3mm LED in the bottom lightpiece. A blinking red 5mm LED was used for the indicator on the face plate. The battery is accessed by removing the faceplate which is held in place with 12 3mm neodymium magnets.
The communicator from The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home is from files available from Ivan Popovitch on MyMiniFactory. It's lit with red, green, blue and white SMDs behind the parts that were printed in clear resin, and is designed with built in 'light boxes' which make the lighting easier.You can see a bit more detail of the build on my previous thread. The case is sprayed satin black with a rattlecan, the brass is AK Interactive polished brass, the silver is Alclad II stainless steel and the blue is Vallejo Model Color 'Royal Blue'.
Finally, the communicator from The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country is printed from more files by 3DTechDesign on CGTrader. This took a bit more work to get the electronics into despite the relative simplicity of the single light panel as the design is all-but-solid with not much room for electronics. In the end, I lit the panel using a grid of three folded strips of three LEDs from a 3v LED strip. To get an even glow (or as even as I could) I put a small panel of polycarbonate diffuser under the clear light panel. Again, there are a few more details in my previous thread. The communicator is painted with a gunmetal auto paint, then darkened slightly with a 25/75 mix of AK Interactive Xtreme metal gunmetal and black basecoat misted over the surface. The brass is AK Interactive polished brass, and the buttons are painted with Vallejo acrylics.
And, just for fun... with their respective phasers!
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