Alleged Screen Used Hero TOS Phaser up for auction (now the aftermath)

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Fooled me. Okay, then best pic of knob on Auction and Finney. So, auction knob is LOWER, by appearances. Is that the issue ?
Lowering that knob would require repairs to the fins. Why would anyone go through the trouble?

The auction phaser has a similarly inexplicable gap just before the rear grills.

IMO, Even *if* the P2 shell was pulled from the same mold, it was finished/trimmed differently from the start.
 
Lowering that knob would require repairs to the fins. Why would anyone go through the trouble?

The auction phaser has a similarly inexplicable gap just before the rear grills.

IMO, Even *if* the P2 shell was pulled from the same mold, it was finished/trimmed differently from the start.

Got it. So, that truly eliminates 1-4 known hero phasers in a way even a non-expert can understand. ;)

They show some phaser pictures in the 1-4 known hero range, but there is NO way the auction phaser could be any of these in the auction hero pics.

Can we simply turn them into the Better-business bureau ? Or CBS studios ?

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Another big detail that screams at me is the three side ribs. On all known originals the ribs follow the curve of the shell and maintain an even thickness along their length. But on the auction phaser the ribs lift up at the front end and are thicker.
Capture 8.jpg
 
Another big detail that screams at me is the three side ribs. On all known originals the ribs follow the curve of the shell and maintain an even thickness along their length. But on the auction phaser the ribs lift up at the front end and are thicker.
Capture 8.jpg

Thank you ! I'm very Visual, showing me is better than describing it. :D
 
There's also a strange bulge on the rear bottom, where the screen used props have a nice clean line.
The back wall of the P2 where the P1 snaps in is at a different angle than on the screen used props.
I'm not a phaser expert, but these are other things I've noticed.
These are clearly not pulled from the same mold.
Is there any reason a hero prop would not have been made from the existing molds?
 
Not for nothing, but the raised fins and the side knob placement are details this prop shares with Diamond Select's P2 shell.

If it were made from a cheap toy, that would be even funnier. (I'm not saying it is)
 

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Another big detail that screams at me is the three side ribs. On all known originals the ribs follow the curve of the shell and maintain an even thickness along their length. But on the auction phaser the ribs lift up at the front end and are thicker.
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Good catch!

Let's assume for a moment that they DID need more hero props, but that the molds had to be rebuilt (which itself doesn't really track, given all of the midgrades floating around), thus explaining the shell discrepancies. Would they really invest all of that time, money, and energy into cranking out (maybe) just one more hero? A hero which, as far as we can tell, never even ended up being used in the show?



Okay, now.

I've been hesitant to ask these questions, because they could open up a big can of worms. but, at this point, I think it might need to be said:

Does this prop exhibit traits of any particular known commerical and/or fanmade models? Models which could have been modified or molded to create this piece?

And, if so...who would have the talent, materials, and resources necessary to create such a forgery?
 
Okay, now.

I've been hesitant to ask these questions, because they could open up a big can of worms. but, at this point, I think it might need to be said:

Does this prop exhibit traits of any particular known commerical and/or fanmade models? Models which could have been modified or molded to create this piece?

And, if so...who would have the talent, materials, and resources necessary to create such a forgery?

You guys just gave me a crash course in this prop. (or replica?)
I happen to already have a Diamond Select Phaser. I just ordered some of the upgrade parts and am going to intentionally try and UPGRADE it to match the HA Hero.

Wish me luck !
 
Okay, now.

I've been hesitant to ask these questions, because they could open up a big can of worms. but, at this point, I think it might need to be said:

Does this prop exhibit traits of any particular known commerical and/or fanmade models? Models which could have been modified or molded to create this piece?

And, if so...who would have the talent, materials, and resources necessary to create such a forgery?
It does have some features from the Diamond Select toy (fin details, side knob placement). It's possible that you could use that as a base to create the P2 shell molds.

*IF* the HA Phaser is a fake, my guess is that the molds were taken from the Wand Company's prop. The details on that are off (some in ways that are similar to the HA phaser), but the overall proportions of the P1 & P2 shells should be extremely close to the GJ phaser it was based on. They probably put in some "tells" intended to keep people from making forgeries based on the Wand Company's product. Some critical dimension is off in a subtle way. This is a relatively common practice. Perhaps a clever forger was able to recognize the change and work around that tell. That would go along way to explaining the expert's certainty that the HA phaser isn't a forgery. If the forger had a perfect shell, but only the episodes, photos on the internet and commercially available toys/replicas to use as reference--that might explain the odd details of the prop.
 
It does have some features from the Diamond Select toy (fin details, side knob placement). It's possible that you could use that as a base to create the P2 shell molds.

*IF* the HA Phaser is a fake, my guess is that the molds were taken from the Wand Company's prop. The details on that are off (some in ways that are similar to the HA phaser), but the overall proportions of the P1 & P2 shells should be extremely close to the GJ phaser it was based on. They probably put in some "tells" intended to keep people from making forgeries based on the Wand Company's product. Some critical dimension is off in a subtle way. This is a relatively common practice. Perhaps a clever forger was able to recognize the change and work around that tell. That would go along way to explaining the expert's certainty that the HA phaser isn't a forgery. If the forger had a perfect shell, but only the episodes, photos on the internet and commercially available toys/replicas to use as reference--that might explain the odd details of the prop.

Okay, so the materials would all have to match the Jein to potentially fool experts--fiberglass body shells, brass handle with wooden craft sticks, etc. That rules out literally taking a Wand Company or Art Asylum phaser and reworking it, since those have molded plastic bodies. And, as you noted, there are certain tells that TWC phaser has, despite being laser-scanned from the Jein. They cleaned the scan up to idealize it, and presumably added those anti-counterfeit tells, as licensees often do with replicas.

The Art Asylum phasers are based on the HMS/convention/Trials & Tribble-ations phasers, which have certain inaccurate tells of their own (P2 sight window, the curved side ribs on the AA version, etc.). The HMS kits sold through Roddenberry.com were resin, and a bit more accurate than the AA modification of that design.

If I were building a forgery, It would probably be easier to 3D-model and print a master (or do it the old-fashioned way, with wood or plaster) to mold and cast fiberglass shells from, rather than trying to pull molds directly from a TWC or AA phaser. As noted, extensive photos and measurements of the Jein hero are out there to use as a reference.

I also wonder if a little digging online for 3D phaser models might turn up one which matches the specific shapes of the auction prop. As in, someone dug around Thingiverse or wherever, printed a model, then pulled molds from it.


Again, I'm not outright saying the prop is a forgery, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, and so every alternate theory other than "it's real because the experts say so" needs to be exhausted, because we're not getting anything else to work with, here.
 
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Looking at certain shapes, the P2 shells just do not seem to match, to my eye. Like the bottom rear sweep of the "Coke bottle", extending back from the trigger box--an elegant, straight line on the Jein, yet kinda lumpy and bloated on the auction piece.
 
Okay, so the materials would all have to match the Jein to potentially fool experts--fiberglass body shells, brass handle with wooden craft sticks, etc. That rules out literally taking a Wand Company or Art Asylum phaser and reworking it, since those have molded plastic bodies. And, as you noted, there are certain tells that TWC phaser has, despite being laser-scanned from the Jein. They cleaned the scan up to idealize it, and presumably added those anti-counterfeit tells, as licensees often do with replicas.

The Art Asylum phasers are based on the HMS/convention/Trials & Tribble-ations phasers, which have certain inaccurate tells of their own (P2 sight window, the curved side ribs on the AA version, etc.). The HMS kits sold through Roddenberry.com were resin, and a bit more accurate than the AA modification of that design.

If I were building a forgery, It would probably be easier to 3D-model and print a master (or do it the old-fashioned way, with wood or plaster) to mold and cast fiberglass shells from, rather than trying to pull molds directly from a TWC or AA phaser. As noted, extensive photos and measuremenys of the Jein hero are out there to use as a reference.

I also wonder if a little digging online for 3D phaser models might turn up one which matches the specific shapes of the auction prop. As in, someone dug around Thingiverse or wherever, printed a model, then pulled molds from it.


Again, I'm not outright saying the prop is a forgery, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof, and so every alternate theory other than "it's real because the experts say so" needs to be exhausted, because we're not getting anything else to work with, here.
I doubt that there is anything out there that’s as close to the JG phaser as the Wand Company’s. They scanned the real thing with the intention of replicating it. They will have gathered all the data that they needed. Any idiosyncrasies in the shell should have been captured. That said, I’m sure that they made things symmetrical & came up with an idealized shell. A bit of resculpting here & there on that shell might get you very close to the right shape. It’s also possible that the Wand Company replica was scanned/measured and replicated in CAD. The compound curves are tough, but not impossible. Years ago, when I first started learning CAD I modeled the body of a Jaguar E-Type. That thing is ALL compound curves!
 
I doubt that there is anything out there that’s as close to the JG phaser as the Wand Company’s. They scanned the real thing with the intention of replicating it. They will have gathered all the data that they needed. Any idiosyncrasies in the shell should have been captured. That said, I’m sure that they made things symmetrical & came up with an idealized shell. A bit of resculpting here & there on that shell might get you very close to the right shape. It’s also possible that the Wand Company replica was scanned/measured and replicated in CAD. The compound curves are tough, but not impossible. Years ago, when I first started learning CAD I modeled the body of a Jaguar E-Type. That thing is ALL compound curves!

Yeah, the Wand is lovely. Even John Long’s, which was based on hands-on examination of the Jein, has shells which are rather significantly off in both shape and length.

That all said, I’ve built both a (static) hero and midgrade P1 from this digital model, and it’s pretty spot on.



Anyway, the Wand does indeed have its inaccuracies. As I recall, the handle is too narrow (about the same thickness as the AA), for example.


For reference and comparison with the auction piece, here are some quick and dirty photos of some of my replicas…


Art Asylum:

91A1527C-7F91-4228-93A3-50831F80E64E.jpeg
58B5D6C7-5338-4388-BF1F-A6B125712EDF.jpeg



Wand Company:

CA510E6C-1AB0-4D35-ADD1-487FD660D29A.jpeg
5D456AA6-644A-4EF3-AFF1-D56BE5E6C5E6.jpeg


From left to right: AA, Wand, John Long, Thingiverse model.

F2C9684C-F3CB-4B0D-99E8-0C7631CDA05A.jpeg
 
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Funny… the wand company’s side dial seems too big & in the wrong position.

Side note, do you think there’s enough information in the public domain to model an accurate P2 shell? I had assumed no (not a perfect one), but maybe there are blueprints out there that are detailed, annotated & “correct”. If so, I’d be happy to make an STL file to share. I’d also share the CAD files — my correct interpretation of blueprints may not be everyone’s correct interpretation.
 
The knurl pattern on the uh... emitter?... the aluminum thingy, of auction phaser is different. It's not as fine as the screen used ones appear to be.
The front nozzle is fairly different from the GJ phaser. The knurling looks different for sure, and also the parting line on either side of the rotating center ring is a lot more pronounced on the auction phaser.

Looking at a nozzle you can buy on eBay I see a lot of similar features to the auction phaser that the GJ does not share.

Look at the wall thickness of the rear ring area (marked in red) and the hole in the tube (marked in yellow)...neither part matches the GJ but both of those areas on the auction phaser match the eBay nozzle...

Nozzle-1.jpg

e-Bay-nozzle.jpg


I think if you went to town on one of those eBay nozzles with the wire wheel of a Dremel and smeared some gray paint on it you'd have an identical twin of the auction phaser's nozzle.
 
The front nozzle is fairly different from the GJ phaser. The knurling looks different for sure, and also the parting line on either side of the rotating center ring is a lot more pronounced on the auction phaser.

Looking at a nozzle you can buy on eBay I see a lot of similar features to the auction phaser that the GJ does not share.

Look at the wall thickness of the rear ring area (marked in red) and the hole in the tube (marked in yellow)...neither part matches the GJ but both of those areas on the auction phaser match the eBay nozzle...

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I think if you went to town on one of those eBay nozzles with the wire wheel of a Dremel and smeared some gray paint on it you'd have an identical twin of the auction phaser's nozzle.

You’re right. Those nozzles appear to be dead ringers, right down to the centered hole in the mounting stem (which is OFF-center on the Jein).

And, as HeroComm noted before they swapped sides, the aging/yellowing of the sight window appears to be absent, at least compared to the Jein. And, as I noted, the (thicker than the Jein) plexi is even cracked, which gives a convenient “aged/damaged” look. But…how would that plexi have cracked, with no other signs of damage? As we know, the forehead tower on the left side of the Jein hero’s shell broke off when it was accidentally dropped. The shell broke, but the plexi remained intact, being safely recessed within the shell. How do you crack the plexi without damaging the shell surrounding it, first?
 
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