Diamond Select Star Trek Tricorder

[WinstonWolf359]

I used Rustoleum smoke gray...first can of gray paint I grabbed. I'm digging the slate blue, though. I'll try to get a can before I get my science tricorder and use that on the other one.

I completely removed the LED's for the screen on mine. I figured there's no going back after the screen was painted anyway.

 

[darthgordon]

Soooo... you bought the two different tricorders... the only difference being the lousy hand scanners, the distorted voices and the screens... and you're painting over the screens so they both look identical?

 

[TOSPHASER]

Soooo... you bought the two different tricorders... the only difference being the lousy hand scanners, the distorted voices and the screens... and you're painting over the screens so they both look identical?

the other scanner is cool though! But hey I have done more stupid things!! :wacko :lol

 

[WinstonWolf359]

Soooo... you bought the two different tricorders... the only difference being the lousy hand scanners, the distorted voices and the screens... and you're painting over the screens so they both look identical?

Lousy hand scanner? If you've got a better one feel free to whip it out and humiliate my poor excuse for a Star Trek toy, but I'm fairly pleased with it.

Distorted voices? Nope, not on mine. Biggest problem is the speaker is too loud, but after putting a small layer of cloth between the speaker and the grill it is not only a more pleasant volume, but you can tell it really is DeForest Kelly's voice.

Painting over the screens so they look identical? Well, yes and no. I might use the slate gray I just used on my medical tricorder when my science tricorder arrives, or I might use the slate blue like TOSPhaser used.

But since both original tricorder props had the same color video screen, it doesn't bother me a bit if both of mine are the same too. I do have some plans for how I'm going to make the science tricorder physically different from the medical tricorder, but overall, there really weren't that many physical differences between the original props.

 

[darthgordon]

Okay... so I believe the MR had a gray screen until you turned it on. Then a display was shown. I'm guessing there was some sort of polarized sheet in there.

If you open the display screen, is the screen image printed directly on the screen or is it on a sheet between the screen and the light? If it were the latter couldn't the gray screen be achieved by adding this in between the screen and image sheet but still have a display when turned on?

Just a thought.

 

[TOSPHASER]

At that point you would need to upgrade the lighting and then you are creating something the screen used props didn't have anyway!......I can assume WW359 Is with me that we are trying to make this a little more prop quality for minimum effort!

 

[WinstonWolf359]

The MR had a black screen until turned on. They couldn't figure out a way to have a gray screen AND a graphic, so they did the best they could.

The original props had gray screens, and that's my ideal look for a tricorder. I understand why toy companies needed the screen to have something on it, because the gray screen is kinda dull. Screen accurate, but dull.

The screen in the DST is a lot more complicated that I'd expected... There is a bubbled outer screen, a middle flat clear lens with the graphic decal affixed, and a thick back lens painted silver to reflect more light through the display. I think Diamond thought that middle layer and back layer would diffuse the light from the two LED's more evenly, but it's pretty obvious it doesn't; you just see two distinct LED's on the right hand side of the screen. At least until you rip them off the board.

 

[TOSPHASER]

The MR had a black screen until turned on. They couldn't figure out a way to have a gray screen AND a graphic, so they did the best they could.

The original props had gray screens, and that's my ideal look for a tricorder. I understand why toy companies needed the screen to have something on it, because the gray screen is kinda dull. Screen accurate, but dull.

The screen in the DST is a lot more complicated that I'd expected... There is a bubbled outer screen, a middle flat clear lens with the graphic decal affixed, and a thick back lens painted silver to reflect more light through the display. I think Diamond thought that middle layer and back layer would diffuse the light from the two LED's more evenly, but it's pretty obvious it doesn't; you just see two distinct LED's on the right hand side of the screen. At least until you rip them off the board.

And paint the s.o.b Gray! then it ROCKS!! :lol

 

[darthgordon]

Nah, the screen used prop might have been gray but I like the graphics. It never made any sense to me that the props didn't show anything.

Besides, although superimposed, the medical is still accurate as to what was seen on the screen... at least somewhat.

Okay... but it's close

 

[micdavis]

I have trouble hearing what I thought the Tric should sound like while "scanning".

I don't think we got the proper sound.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is perhaps the best Trek toy ever made. Add in the Comm and the Phaser. Hard to beat.

 

[TOSPHASER]

Nah, the screen used prop might have been gray but I like the graphics. It never made any sense to me that the props didn't show anything.

Besides, although superimposed, the medical is still accurate as to what was seen on the screen... at least somewhat.

Okay... but it's close

:rolleyes

 

[jkno]

I ordered mine from bigbadtoystore.com, and my account say "preorder 2009" and nothing else.

There is no indication as to whether it is a science or medical tricorder, unless "DMC" stands for Dr McCoy?

ST:TOS Tricorder
Product #: DMC10924

BBTS has both of them for pre-order:

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/search.aspx?search=tricorder

I pre-ordered the Medical Tricorder more than a month ago.

 

[WinstonWolf359]

I have trouble hearing what I thought the Tric should sound like while "scanning".

I don't think we got the proper sound.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is perhaps the best Trek toy ever made. Add in the Comm and the Phaser. Hard to beat.

Yeah, both the sounds they chose were diagnostic bed sounds, as opposed to tricorder sounds. I guess Diamond did that to really differentiate it from the "regular" tricorder but I admit it is a little strange.

I'm sure the science tricorder will have the high-pitched warble we're expecting.

 

[antwayne]

The 3 indicator lights are a big improvement over the ones on the AA communicator. There is no bleed through with light shining through the "metal." I don't have many quality issues with mine other than it not being the product in the photo on the back of the box. I am going to replace the strap with leather and do something to dampen the cheap plastic sound of the doors opening- the sound screams cheap plastic toy. It is too tall to fit my MR case when has the view screen up. I am going to try slipping a painted card between the bubble screen and the graphic to give it the prop look.

 

[TK648]

I just received my medical tri-corder today
and I know its set in that display mode so it only says one phrase

He's Dead Jim
but mine with a bit of static sounds like

He's De Ja
and I had to press the button several times just to understand that
because it was so quick
I am not even going to break the tape on the box so
I don't even want to know if that clears up taken out of display mode
so that on top of the fact there is no motor in the med scanner
make me want to send it back even faster then before.

I can honestly say, that even if the scanner had a motor to make the scanner head spin. I would still send it back.

I know its a a toy but I am not impressed.

 

[DJP]

I guess you've just got to take it for what it is. Sure it doesn’t feel or look nearly as nice as my MR, but for the price of $35 bucks I can't complain. That's less than I would end up spending on dinner out at a decent restraint. Plus so far I haven’t had to take an antacid after using it.

I like the painted screens folks. Now I’m going to have to pick up an extra one to do the same with. Then I can have both a screen on /screen off version.. Now I’m regretting sending the extra two back to EE yesterday..

 

[DARTH SABER]

I want to know why Spock and McCoy always look at their tricorders upside down.

 

[DJP]

I always figured the sensors were on the front, so they had to face it toward what they were trying to scan. Starfleet design flaw..

 

[Funky]

I always thought the sensor was at the bottom of the unit (though we never saw it) as Spock usually points the bottom at whatever he's scanning and looks at his screen at the same time. :confused

 

[DJP]

Either way it would lead you to believe that the sensors inside the thing were about as accurate as a garage door opener remote. :confused