BTTF Flux Capacitor replica
- Thread starter SurferGeek
- Start date
Well, the new DST Flux Capacitor came in today and here is what I think will be one of the first reviews on the web. I'm not going to say "in-depth review" for one simple reason. I looked at this as long as I could before putting it back in the box. It's that much of a let down... 
I don't know about you all, but I was super excited to hear about the collecting community FINALLY getting a licensed Flux replica from the films.
We all saw the initial Toy Fair pics and many of us raised the alarm right off the bat. The item shown was not a prototype made by DST but one of the over 300 replicas produced over the years by Bruce Coloumbe (at least according to his ebay descriptions).
I held firm to the belief that this was only a placeholder item until DST could properly research the real deal and put that research towards an ACCURATE replica.
In short - I was completely wrong.
DST has essentially copied a Bruce Coloumbe replica verbatim - flaws and all. Technically they even copied me, but we'll get to that a little later.
Let's get into some pics and descriptions. Believe me, the worst is yet to come.
Fresh out of the packing box. I love the packaging. It's very bright and colorful. the back is nice as well. All the pictures of the unit are of the original BC replica with some rather sloppy photoshop work.
Opening up the box treats you to the COA and instructions. Each COA is hand numbered. I was suprised to see that DST only made 1000 of the units.
Here is the back of the instructions.
The replica itself. DST did a really nice job on the packaging for this unit. Everything is nice and contained.
Batteries are included as is a really nice display stand. both are contained on the upper sides of the stryrofoam supports.
The replica in all it's glory. Right off the bat you can see things aren't going to go well. The window gasket ir probably 3/8" wide - MAX. It should be closer to 3/4" or 7/8". Even Bruce's replica had that part close.
You can also see that the color of the housing is totally wrong. The produced color is waaay too light. Again this is another flaw of the BC Ebay replicas. They are produced using the factory color of Glacier Gray instead of a proper "battleship gray".
Here is the top fitting. It should at least be silver, but instead is the same color as the casing. Not present is the Amphenol Elbow for the side of the Replica as seen in the film.
Batteries are accessed from the back and the unit runs on 3 AA's. Suprisingly this operates the LED Chasers AND the Strobe unit.
Now let's open this up and see what we have. Oh guess what... More poorly copied wrongness.
The first thing that suprised me was the enclosure itself. The original flux used a Fiberglass Stahlin enclosure. This thing is METAL. I gotta say, that is the most impressive part of this replica.
I'd be damn tempted to take this apart and use it for a replica of my own. Its downright beefy.
Sadly, the metal love is exceeded by the dissapointment in the details. The hinges and lathes totally do not match a Stahlin. I'm going to assume that's due to an IP or copyright issue with the original Enclosures. I'll have details of those latch differences a little later in the review.
At the heart of the Flux are the Torr Relays themselves. Again, this replica has what are nothing more than poorly made copies of Bruce's poorly made copies. The Acrylic Lenses are too wide and the sides are not painted as they are in the film. The Relays are simply machined acrylic with a metal rod stuck down the middle - again a copy of what Bruce does. The mouting feet are a really flimsy piece of brass (also a direct copy).
The biggest suprise to me was the Torr Laboratories label. It's actually a copy of MY REPLICA with the incorrect model number and serial number from one of my personal Torr Relays. See, I sold a mess of them to Bruce back in the day and either DST got some of my labels with their Flux or Bruce saw fit to copy my labels for his later replicas. Either way it was funny to see my work reproduced in a licensed replica. Shame they didn't bother to have them printed on a proper silver/mylar backing.
For comparison, here is what a more accurate relay should look like . Please bear in mind this is a cast base. My original relay is in the car and I couldn't get to it easily for the review.
FUNCTION
The Flux replica is controlled by two knobs inside the unit. Yes... you have to open up the flux to even turn it on. The top knob controls the strobe, while the bottom controls the chasers.
You will not believe this - and I'm sorry for having waited this long in the review to tell you. The CHASERS are BACKWARDS. Not only are there not enough chasers (3 vs 6), but they chase from center to the outside. They are also Blue/White LEDS instead of the now available (and more accurate) Warm tint LEDS. I really hope my unit was wired up wrong or something. If thier original reference replica was like this then I really feel sorry for them.
There are no screen-accurate side lights, nor is there a secondary mode which makes the Center Activate with the Arrays fully on as seen in the film.
COMPARISONS
Here are some comparison shots to a real stahlin enclosure which I am in the process of converting. You can see the color differences and also some of the other differences.
Look at those latches - wow. The DST is on the left
Overall Thoughts
I really wanted to love this thing. I even bought one before I saw the reviews. I strongly believe in supporting the licensed products when we are able to get them. I know that I'm far too particular to give this item an unbiased review. I've spent years trying to make this replica myself and do it correct to what I see on screen.
This replica will NOT fit that bill.
However, for the price of $225-$260 it IS a good buy and a well-made replica for a fan of the BTTF Films. The average fan will not notice 95% of the differences I pointed out above.
It is a good HALF the price of what fan-made replicas used to sell for on ebay and best of all its a real licensed collectible.
I have no doubt that DST will sell all of their run. I hope they do and realize that there are still plenty of items in the BTTF trilogy they can replicate for the collectors market.
I only hope that next time they do not take the easy way out and do some proper research before committing to production.
-Gary
I don't know about you all, but I was super excited to hear about the collecting community FINALLY getting a licensed Flux replica from the films.
We all saw the initial Toy Fair pics and many of us raised the alarm right off the bat. The item shown was not a prototype made by DST but one of the over 300 replicas produced over the years by Bruce Coloumbe (at least according to his ebay descriptions).
I held firm to the belief that this was only a placeholder item until DST could properly research the real deal and put that research towards an ACCURATE replica.
In short - I was completely wrong.
DST has essentially copied a Bruce Coloumbe replica verbatim - flaws and all. Technically they even copied me, but we'll get to that a little later.
Let's get into some pics and descriptions. Believe me, the worst is yet to come.
Fresh out of the packing box. I love the packaging. It's very bright and colorful. the back is nice as well. All the pictures of the unit are of the original BC replica with some rather sloppy photoshop work.
Opening up the box treats you to the COA and instructions. Each COA is hand numbered. I was suprised to see that DST only made 1000 of the units.
Here is the back of the instructions.
The replica itself. DST did a really nice job on the packaging for this unit. Everything is nice and contained.
Batteries are included as is a really nice display stand. both are contained on the upper sides of the stryrofoam supports.
The replica in all it's glory. Right off the bat you can see things aren't going to go well. The window gasket ir probably 3/8" wide - MAX. It should be closer to 3/4" or 7/8". Even Bruce's replica had that part close.
You can also see that the color of the housing is totally wrong. The produced color is waaay too light. Again this is another flaw of the BC Ebay replicas. They are produced using the factory color of Glacier Gray instead of a proper "battleship gray".
Here is the top fitting. It should at least be silver, but instead is the same color as the casing. Not present is the Amphenol Elbow for the side of the Replica as seen in the film.
Batteries are accessed from the back and the unit runs on 3 AA's. Suprisingly this operates the LED Chasers AND the Strobe unit.
Now let's open this up and see what we have. Oh guess what... More poorly copied wrongness.
The first thing that suprised me was the enclosure itself. The original flux used a Fiberglass Stahlin enclosure. This thing is METAL. I gotta say, that is the most impressive part of this replica.
I'd be damn tempted to take this apart and use it for a replica of my own. Its downright beefy.
Sadly, the metal love is exceeded by the dissapointment in the details. The hinges and lathes totally do not match a Stahlin. I'm going to assume that's due to an IP or copyright issue with the original Enclosures. I'll have details of those latch differences a little later in the review.
At the heart of the Flux are the Torr Relays themselves. Again, this replica has what are nothing more than poorly made copies of Bruce's poorly made copies. The Acrylic Lenses are too wide and the sides are not painted as they are in the film. The Relays are simply machined acrylic with a metal rod stuck down the middle - again a copy of what Bruce does. The mouting feet are a really flimsy piece of brass (also a direct copy).
The biggest suprise to me was the Torr Laboratories label. It's actually a copy of MY REPLICA with the incorrect model number and serial number from one of my personal Torr Relays. See, I sold a mess of them to Bruce back in the day and either DST got some of my labels with their Flux or Bruce saw fit to copy my labels for his later replicas. Either way it was funny to see my work reproduced in a licensed replica. Shame they didn't bother to have them printed on a proper silver/mylar backing.
For comparison, here is what a more accurate relay should look like . Please bear in mind this is a cast base. My original relay is in the car and I couldn't get to it easily for the review.
FUNCTION
The Flux replica is controlled by two knobs inside the unit. Yes... you have to open up the flux to even turn it on. The top knob controls the strobe, while the bottom controls the chasers.
You will not believe this - and I'm sorry for having waited this long in the review to tell you. The CHASERS are BACKWARDS. Not only are there not enough chasers (3 vs 6), but they chase from center to the outside. They are also Blue/White LEDS instead of the now available (and more accurate) Warm tint LEDS. I really hope my unit was wired up wrong or something. If thier original reference replica was like this then I really feel sorry for them.
There are no screen-accurate side lights, nor is there a secondary mode which makes the Center Activate with the Arrays fully on as seen in the film.
COMPARISONS
Here are some comparison shots to a real stahlin enclosure which I am in the process of converting. You can see the color differences and also some of the other differences.
Look at those latches - wow. The DST is on the left
Overall Thoughts
I really wanted to love this thing. I even bought one before I saw the reviews. I strongly believe in supporting the licensed products when we are able to get them. I know that I'm far too particular to give this item an unbiased review. I've spent years trying to make this replica myself and do it correct to what I see on screen.
This replica will NOT fit that bill.
However, for the price of $225-$260 it IS a good buy and a well-made replica for a fan of the BTTF Films. The average fan will not notice 95% of the differences I pointed out above.
It is a good HALF the price of what fan-made replicas used to sell for on ebay and best of all its a real licensed collectible.
I have no doubt that DST will sell all of their run. I hope they do and realize that there are still plenty of items in the BTTF trilogy they can replicate for the collectors market.
I only hope that next time they do not take the easy way out and do some proper research before committing to production.
-Gary
Neon Sentry
Sr Member
Thought this was a really cool idea for a licensed replica, but that review leaves me cold. Thank you, and sorry it didn't live up to your expectations, and even more sorry they used your work without crediting you!
I'd imagine it would be possible.
First off, I'd replace the gasket with a 7/8" one. That may mean mods to the outer casing and most probably a new acylic window piece. Also repaint the outer casing and fitting while you are at it. For extra giggles - find an Amphenol Connector or Casting and put that on the side.
Next, I'd see about taking the unit apart and looking at how those the flux lights are arranged. If they can be reversed to do the proper chase pattern - go for it. I'd probably swap out the LED's for some Warm Glow ones while I was in there.
Then I go about painting the sides of the acrylic blocks. Silver, then a coat of black if you want them dark. Otherwise leave them silver.
If you can get them see about upgrading the tubes. First thing would be to ground down the point or replace the rod entirely (see example of real relay above). I've gone and made a mold of my real Torr Relay Tube and can cast them with embedded details that look more like the real thing.
Like I said above. For the casual fan this is a great piece. If you are a Delorean owner and want to throw something in the back to combat all the "where's your flux capacitor" questions, then get one of these. However, for the die hard BTTF-Proppers out there this is somewhat of a dissapointment.
All that being said. A little elbow grease will give you a pretty sweet replica.
-Gary
First off, I'd replace the gasket with a 7/8" one. That may mean mods to the outer casing and most probably a new acylic window piece. Also repaint the outer casing and fitting while you are at it. For extra giggles - find an Amphenol Connector or Casting and put that on the side.
Next, I'd see about taking the unit apart and looking at how those the flux lights are arranged. If they can be reversed to do the proper chase pattern - go for it. I'd probably swap out the LED's for some Warm Glow ones while I was in there.
Then I go about painting the sides of the acrylic blocks. Silver, then a coat of black if you want them dark. Otherwise leave them silver.
If you can get them see about upgrading the tubes. First thing would be to ground down the point or replace the rod entirely (see example of real relay above). I've gone and made a mold of my real Torr Relay Tube and can cast them with embedded details that look more like the real thing.
Like I said above. For the casual fan this is a great piece. If you are a Delorean owner and want to throw something in the back to combat all the "where's your flux capacitor" questions, then get one of these. However, for the die hard BTTF-Proppers out there this is somewhat of a dissapointment.
All that being said. A little elbow grease will give you a pretty sweet replica.
-Gary
Last edited:
darthgordon
Sr Member
I really doubt that most people would notice nearly 100% of the stuff listed above (assuming I'm still on the same page). I guess it's all about which props you're an expert on. I know nothing about the flux capacitor, minus what was seen on screen. The color however seemed too bright even to me.
All in all, I still like it from the pics I've seen.
All in all, I still like it from the pics I've seen.
Yup, and thats just how Bruce C. was able to sell crappy, innaccurate Flux Replicas for YEARS on ebay. The general public doesn't know any better and as long as there were chasing lights in a Y pattern they were happy.
I'm glad my being involved in the hobby caused Bruce to upgrade from his original ropelite and/or test tube based Fluxes.
Just be thankfull DST didn't wind up with one of those for reference :eek
-Gary
judgedredd
Sr Member
here it is fot sale in UK
http://www.play.com/Gadgets/Gadgets/4-/3593984/-/Product.html?searchstring=capacitor&searchsource=0
http://www.play.com/Gadgets/Gadgets/4-/3593984/-/Product.html?searchstring=capacitor&searchsource=0
Onkelpsycho
Sr Member
Germany got no Capacitors at the moment, and again: I hate that country... :angry
F-N-S
Well-Known Member
http://www.medienparadies.com/back-future-zurueck-zukunft-fluxkompensator-p-34901.php
No need to hate a country because you can't find something :lol :lol
Onkelpsycho
Sr Member
Yeah, but also available?!? :unsure
I talked to replix today, they told me the capacitor is in the next 10-14 days available... But I will get a mail and then I can pick up my flux c. in GE. So, no paying till I got that thing in my hand...
I talked to replix today, they told me the capacitor is in the next 10-14 days available... But I will get a mail and then I can pick up my flux c. in GE. So, no paying till I got that thing in my hand...
I wonder how much fun it would be to take this prop into an airport?
Onkelpsycho
Sr Member
I wonder how much fun it would be to take this prop into an airport?
Not so much fun, like trying the same with a Proton Pack...
I haven't really given it that much thought. A big factor would be just how much do you want done to it.
If somone sent me a Flux and wanted it revised here is what I would do right off the bat.
- Disassemble and Repaint of outer enclosure to proper battleship grey color.
- Revise Gasket around window with 7/8" seal
- Redo Labels with darker vintage Dymo Label if available - if not, just replace with current style labels
- Rewire the lighting so the flux chases in the correct direction. Also replace the bright white led with warm white leds
- Replace the Flux Relay Tube with more accurate cast tubes at the minimum. Perhaps replace the whole relay component (base and labels)
- Paint the sides of the Acrylic Flux Lenses.
- Add a cast Amphenol Fitting to the side of the Enclosure
Of course, I'd probably be willing to do it if someone would send me Two Fluxes (ie, you get them at Wholesale cost which is a bit cheaper). I'd convert one over and keep the other as payment for the work.
I must admit I'm itching to take one apart on this end, but don't feel like tearing apart the one I have here.
-Gary
Ha Ha. I was wondering how long it would take someone to say just how inaccurate these are. Everywhere they are mentioned people love them. Glad Gary could knock them down a peg or two. I would much rather buy one of his but I cannot see spending that much for an electrical box with radio tubes in it, no matter how awesome it is. Besides, I already have the ultimate BTTF prop, an 81 D.
Besides, I already have the ultimate BTTF prop, an 81 D.
But...how can it time-travel without the capacitor?
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