Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy Fair

[phase pistol]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Too kind, Cessna. :$

A book on Trek props would be awesome, but sadly the company with publishing rights to Star Trek stopped putting out nonfiction nearly ten years ago. Too bad because Mike Okuda had a fantastic book on the Starships Enterprise almost ready to go but it got canned.

As to the old Playmates TMP phaser, well it may be more accurate than you thought, but it still isn't accurate. :lol

Grip too long, weird bump on trigger, trigger wrong shape, so on and so forth. Not too terrible though. Probably the worst defect is the bottom of the grip, which is angled wrong.

The best currently available TMP/WOK replica remains the HMS kit from Rodd.com.


- k

 

[caseyatbt]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Quick note: reading the previous page is helpful in discussions, especially when two members (including myself) have received emails directly from Diamond Select indicating there will be a spinning moire.

Sorry, I missed it. Up until those post, all we heard was no spinning moire. I'll take my lashes without complaint :cry

 

[Jack T Chance]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Too kind, Cessna. :$

A book on Trek props would be awesome, but sadly the company with publishing rights to Star Trek stopped putting out nonfiction nearly ten years ago. Too bad because Mike Okuda had a fantastic book on the Starships Enterprise almost ready to go but it got canned.

As to the old Playmates TMP phaser, well it may be more accurate than you thought, but it still isn't accurate. :lol

Grip too long, weird bump on trigger, trigger wrong shape, so on and so forth. Not too terrible though. Probably the worst defect is the bottom of the grip, which is angled wrong.

The best currently available TMP/WOK replica remains the HMS kit from Rodd.com.


- k

Well, I knew it wasn't entirely accurate, that just goes without saying!

Still... of the Playmates phasers, it's probably the most accurate of the lot. Their Assault Phaser is too small, the lighting effects are the wrong color, (those things fired BLUE beams, not orange! :rolleyes) the "radiator fins" on the back end are sculpted wrong, so is the tip, etc., etc. And as for their phaser from the Original Series... I USED to think it was alright... until I put it next to the (reasonably) screen accurate Art Asylum one. Yegods, what a difference! :eek

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Art Asylum's version of the first movie phaser... I just hope they give us the ST:TMP variant, as well as the one from TWOK. And, at some point, an Assault Phaser. But more than anything, I wish they'd hurry up and make the phaser from STIII and STIV, my favorite of all the movie phasers! I'm tired of finding that the Richard A. Coyle versions are the only ones worth a damn! There needs to be a lower-priced alternative, for those that can't afford $500-600 (or more) for a phaser prop! Even though I CAN afford it, it doesn't mean I'll enjoy paying that much for it!

 

[skyit]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

very good news!
i am curious to know then what communicator will win between Playmates and AA

 

[phase pistol]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

I'll grant you, the Playmates TMP phaser isn't all bad. :lol

Best of the bunch, no question. That's one reason we were all groaning when we heard Playmates got the roleplay-toy license for the JJ Abrams Star Trek movie. Ugh. Well maybe they've learned something in ten years...

The Playmates Assault Phaser is an insult though. As is their TOS tricorder, which is ridiculously undersized as well. :lol

The Playmates TNG era Tricorder toys are not too bad though. Again, somewhat undersized and simplified, but "in the ballpark."

Ironically the Playmates TOS phaser is a very accurate copy... of a Mark English fake! :eek Playmates were provided with what everybody thought was a real screenused prop to copy, and it turned out to be one of ME's. The oversized grip and thick P1 hand phaser match exactly.

As far as the Trek III phaser, yeah you said it! Great prop. :thumbsup

Once again though, HMS and Rodd.com have saved the day. For under $200 they make a kit of the T3 phaser that was cast directly from the ILM prototype for the prop! :eek

This fantastic kit comes with all the parts you need to make either the ILM prototype, or the actual screenused version. Typical fine quality work from HMS/Rodd. :thumbsup

Well, I knew it wasn't entirely accurate, that just goes without saying!

Still... of the Playmates phasers, it's probably the most accurate of the lot. Their Assault Phaser is too small, the lighting effects are the wrong color, (those things fired BLUE beams, not orange! :rolleyes) the "radiator fins" on the back end are sculpted wrong, so is the tip, etc., etc. And as for their phaser from the Original Series... I USED to think it was alright... until I put it next to the (reasonably) screen accurate Art Asylum one. Yegods, what a difference! :eek

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Art Asylum's version of the first movie phaser... I just hope they give us the ST:TMP variant, as well as the one from TWOK. And, at some point, an Assault Phaser. But more than anything, I wish they'd hurry up and make the phaser from STIII and STIV, my favorite of all the movie phasers! I'm tired of finding that the Richard A. Coyle versions are the only ones worth a damn! There needs to be a lower-priced alternative, for those that can't afford $500-600 (or more) for a phaser prop! Even though I CAN afford it, it doesn't mean I'll enjoy paying that much for it!

 

[phase pistol]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

very good news!
i am curious to know then what communicator will win between Playmates and AA

I can tell you right now, the answer is: AA/DST. Because the old Playmates communciator (all versions) are not as accurate as you might think. The "moire disc" is just a holofoil sticker with scribbling over it, all the proportions are wrong, the flipgrid is a solid piece of plastic with no holes in it, the hinges are wrong, and so on and so forth. :lol

Here are some comparisons of a Playmates, IPI, MR and Vegas Experience comms. The MR and Vegas are the same mold as the upcoming AA/DST.

The MR/Vegas/AA version is the most accurate commercially-available comm ever made. It has some problems though... most notably the "fat butt" effect. The comm is very wedge shaped, moreseo than you'd expect. The probem is mostly though that the profile is too narrow at the top up by the gridwheels, not so much that the butt is fat. Still, it's excessive and "feels" wrong. A slimmer comm would have been better.

This comparison with a screenshot from "Mirror Mirror" shows that there WERE props that were pretty wedge-shaped, but the slimmer comms seem more common.

Actual props

 

[Jack T Chance]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

I'll grant you, the Playmates TMP phaser isn't all bad. :lol

Best of the bunch, no question. That's one reason we were all groaning when we heard Playmates got the roleplay-toy license for the JJ Abrams Star Trek movie. Ugh. Well maybe they've learned something in ten years...

The Playmates Assault Phaser is an insult though. As is their TOS tricorder, which is ridiculously undersized as well. :lol

The Playmates TNG era Tricorder toys are not too bad though. Again, somewhat undersized and simplified, but "in the ballpark."

Ironically the Playmates TOS phaser is a very accurate copy... of a Mark English fake! :eek Playmates were provided with what everybody thought was a real screenused prop to copy, and it turned out to be one of ME's. The oversized grip and thick P1 hand phaser match exactly.

Wow, I never knew that! Learn something new every day! :cool

As far as the Trek III phaser, yeah you said it! Great prop. :thumbsup

Yep. Of all the movie phasers, it's the one that looks the most like a true successor to the original series phasers! :cool

Once again though, HMS and Rodd.com have saved the day. For under $200 they make a kit of the T3 phaser that was cast directly from the ILM prototype for the prop! :eek

This fantastic kit comes with all the parts you need to make either the ILM prototype, or the actual screenused version. Typical fine quality work from HMS/Rodd. :thumbsup

Yes, but see, you're assuming I want to go to all the trouble to FINISH the prop myself, which would mean not only building it, but also having to find all the right electronics, and installing them myself, which all involves skills I lack! :thumbsdown

But, then again, I didn't mention that in my previous post, so it's not your fault that you didn't know that.

 

[Neon Sentry]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

(those things fired BLUE beams, not orange! :rolleyes)

Quite common, considering the time of production. Blue LEDs were not commercially viable until just a few short years ago, at which point they started showing up in every DVD player on the market in order to look "futuristic".

Unless, of course, it used a bulb like the Playmates TNG Phaser did, at which point there's no excuse. :unsure

 

[trekker670]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Pretty sure it just used the bulb, not LED

 

[darthgordon]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Don't think any of playmates stuff ever used LEDs. A TNG tricorder with LEDs would have been sweet... but instead we got lousy bulbs and painted on lights. Ah well, I suppose it was the best they could do and still make it affordable. I know the really accurate tricorders are way out of my price range.

 

[Neon Sentry]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Don't think any of playmates stuff ever used LEDs. A TNG tricorder with LEDs would have been sweet... but instead we got lousy bulbs and painted on lights. Ah well, I suppose it was the best they could do and still make it affordable. I know the really accurate tricorders are way out of my price range.

The TNG Tric only used a bulb for the display (white LEDs were not available at the time) while the green Alpha, Beta, etc. indicators to the left used a green LED. Their TNG Comm also used LEDs, as did their Ent-D Bridge playset, which used them to indicate damage to the Warbird on the viewscreen.

I'm actually in the process of modifying my Playmates Tric to be a bit more accurate (still need to find graphics, but Google has been useless in that regard) and adding additional lights. It was a

to disassemble the damn thing, but it's getting there.

 

[darthgordon]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

The TNG tricorder had LEDs? Where, b/c I fully disassembled mine and I'm 98% certain it had a bulb. The Alpha Beta Delta Gamma indicators were nothing more than a piece of what appeared to be acrylic angled so that it got thinner towards the top away from the light bulb. Thus they only flashed and didn't blink in sequence. The screen (which oddly enough had some kind of spatial map on it) was lit up by something that looked almost like a flashlight behind it.

 

[Neon Sentry]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

The display screen used a bulb, yes, but there was a green LED mounted on the circuit board directly underneath the clear indicator plastic. It was angled so that the decal on it's back could better reflect the light.

What was the original price point of these things, because they really appear to be made on the cheap.

 

[darthgordon]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

I know they were under 20... I want to say between 12.99 and 14.99. I could be a little off there, it was 15 years ago or so. I did like the dimensions though, so if you've got the wiring know how, it could make a nice prop with a new paint job and lights. Unfortunately, I'm lucky I can get the lights on my Christmas tree so I never got around to modding mine. One thing I do remember though was that the screws stripped real easily.

We've just gone way off topic here.

 

[Neon Sentry]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Until any new info comes to light on the DST Comm, I don't think anyone will be offended by a slight derail, especially since it still concerns Trek "toys". I know someone on Dewback Wing was selling an electronics upgrade kit for the Playmates Tric, for about $100, with lights and sound.

 

[phase pistol]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

Since we're still talking about "prop toys" I can just about justify it. :lol

Anyway I found these pix on a Japanese collector's site. They show a real prop (larger) next to the Playmates toy Mk VII Medical tricorder.

So the toy is undersized, and has lots of wrong proportions especially up top where the scanner plugs in. And the scanner itself is way too fat.

Here's a similar comparison with a screenused Mk VII science tricorder prop (left), Playmates toy (center) and a TV remote that was given away with a DVD box set in Japan

 

[skyit]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

I can tell you right now, the answer is: AA/DST. Because the old Playmates communciator (all versions) are not as accurate as you might think. The "moire disc" is just a holofoil sticker with scribbling over it, all the proportions are wrong, the flipgrid is a solid piece of plastic with no holes in it, the hinges are wrong, and so on and so forth. :lol

thanks for your info now i know what buy

 

[NakedMoleRat]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

here's to hoping they get around to a Mark VI tricorder. Imagine an accurate shaped and sized tricorder that could be easially upgraded to be screen accurate.

 

[Hedjii72]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

I'm in the market to pick up an Art Asylum Communicator and Phaser. Is there a preferred version out there? I saw Entertainment Earth has a communicator exclusive, but Diamond Select has a 2 pack of both. Is the EE Communictor better in any way?

 

[Pumpernickel]

Re: Art Asylum/Diamond Star Trek TOS Communicator, TOS Tricorder, WOK phaser at Toy F

I'm in the market to pick up an Art Asylum Communicator and Phaser. Is there a preferred version out there? I saw Entertainment Earth has a communicator exclusive, but Diamond Select has a 2 pack of both. Is the EE Communictor better in any way?

The EE exclusive DST TOS communicator has a very shiny golden (metal) lid/antennae, whereas the regular DST version is more dull gold/brass-looking. The regular version originally had a metal lid/antennae, but the new version sold at TRU has an undesirable plastic antennae. Don't know what the 2-pack has. My favorite is the EE comm (which has an extra Spock phrase).

Pumpernickel