Julien’s Upcoming Hero Phaser & Communicator Auction
- Thread starter ghostryder
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feek61
Sr Member
The phaser is the TMOST and the communicator is the Beta. They came from a legit source that can be traced back to the show. I did extensive photo matching with unpublished photos of the original props at the first of the year and everything looks perfect, every detail.
Don't discount these, after all, things happen; the 3 footer was recently discovered.
Don't discount these, after all, things happen; the 3 footer was recently discovered.
Racer_X
Well-Known Member
Another image of the communicator (From the Julien's website and editing the image link). Yup, Feek, it can only be Beta - very cool, it'll be interesting to see if the full story will be allowed to be told.
I’m withholding judgement on these, myself.
Real or not; I would want them in my collection.
I do recommend that this thread be closed and a new thread be started.
Real or not; I would want them in my collection.
I do recommend that this thread be closed and a new thread be started.
feek61
Sr Member
When I first got the call, I rolled my eyes but the more I examined and compared them to the originals, the more I was convinced. If someone starts a new thread, please post a link here (so I can find it, lol).
BTW, I was the most vocal about the previous fake that went up for auction; this is a completely different animal. That one had a ton of things wrong, this one, I could find nothing wrong.
BTW, I was the most vocal about the previous fake that went up for auction; this is a completely different animal. That one had a ton of things wrong, this one, I could find nothing wrong.
asalaw
Master Member
Cool. Maybe there should be a new thread, if these are authentic.
I just noticed that power meter acrylic half-round is also missing on the P1. This whole bit with the missing parts is a new wrinkle in the scam. No power meter numbers and no moire/ring make them that much harder to match up with the know props.
And, yes, Beta is generally held to be the Kirk hero, since he used it in several episodes (most notably “Dagger of the Mind” and “Day of the Dove”).
We need more photos and more info. I presume “fake” until the burden of proof is met. And multiple experts chiming in with their different viewpoints and levels and knowledge and experience.
Frankly, long-lost props now conveniently popping up every 2-3 years is a big red flag. I have no doubt that the perpetrators of the previous scams have been honing their craft to help avoid the sort of pushback that dissenters provide. Better detailing, better sculpts, conveniently missing parts to help muddy the waters.
Some of the shapes and details of the P2 shells don’t quite seem to match. The Finney phaser in the screencap looks to have generally sharper features (the rear edges of the P2, the side ribs, the swoop of the base that the handle plugs into, etc.). The chipped paint on the thumbwheel also looks like a close-but-not-exact attempt to copy the chipping seen in the screencap.
As noted, the hole size in the brass antenna grid looks too big. And, if this is indeed a stopwatch hero, then it’s either Beta, or some newly-discovered third hero that we conveniently never saw or knew about, until now.
The excessive glue residue around the upper shell where it attaches to the midplate seems “fake-y” (much like the overdone weathering/chipping on the previous auction phasers). If it IS Beta, then the rhinestone colors don’t match what we know. The only comm with a similar color pattern is ETA, which was not a hero. The amount of midplate visible on the auction communicator also doesn’t really match the more closely-trimmed examples we’ve seen.
Here are the auction photos and HeroComm’s simulations of Beta and Eta (based on known details), for reference.
The excessive glue residue around the upper shell where it attaches to the midplate seems “fake-y” (much like the overdone weathering/chipping on the previous auction phasers). If it IS Beta, then the rhinestone colors don’t match what we know. The only comm with a similar color pattern is ETA, which was not a hero. The amount of midplate visible on the auction communicator also doesn’t really match the more closely-trimmed examples we’ve seen.
Here are the auction photos and HeroComm’s simulations of Beta and Eta (based on known details), for reference.
My gut feels “different” with these pieces.
They just look “right” to my eye.
I’m going to pull a Kruge and “trust my instincts” and see what additional details come out on these pieces before issuing any opinion.
…even the rear fin shapes (and bends / warping) seem to match, as does the fin cut-out in the shell.
Does someone want to start a new thread on this topic?
EDIT: NEW THREAD ON THIS TOPIC STARTED HERE:
www.therpf.com
EDIT: NEW THREAD ON THIS TOPIC STARTED HERE:
Julien’s Upcoming Hero Phaser & Communicator Auction
Starting a new thread on the topic of the upcoming Julien’s Hero Phaser & Communicator Auction. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/star-trek-phaser-comic-con-auction-1235947222/
www.therpf.com
Last edited:
Listen, I want to make it clear that I’m open to the possibility that these are real. They pass the “first glance” test in a way that the previous fakes didn’t quite manage.
But there’s a burden of proof to be met. We have to go in assuming that these are fakes until factual evidence proves otherwise. Fake until proven real, not real until proven fake.
I’ve already pointed out a number of apparent discrepancies. I don’t yet see a way to explain them without convenience and contrivance (“the comm shell was sloppily glued back on when it came loose after the last time it was filmed”, etc.).
I continue to be royally pissed off at the past few years’ worth of fraud and nonsense. Narcissistic, opportunistic creeps have bribed and lied and cheated to take financial advantage of the public, the fanbase, and the legacy of this once-great franchise.
As the old guard of creatives and fans ages out, I feel a strong moral imperative to defend and honor the legacy of the real STAR TREK and the people who made it a legend.
The vultures are circling, now, and they need to be held at bay.
They don’t get to win. Not without a fight.
Nope.
Yeah, I noticed that.
But how hard would that really be to replicate? Especially with an HD screencap to reference. One could carefully do it by hand, or even create a jig to replicate the cut using a photogrammetry program and 3D printing.
I try.
As I’ve said in the past, I have no dog in the race. No financial stakes, no personal consequences if some rich fool blows a quarter-million dollars on a fake.
My sole devotion here is to the truth, and to maintaining the integrity of the public record.
2-3 years seems to be the schedule. Just long enough to avoid too much suspicion by flooding the market too quickly.
Three different auction houses (one of which, I’m told, was designed and intended to be stocked with fakes). Three different types/conditions of props (a complete hero phaser, two midgrades, and then a hero phaser and hero comm with missing parts).
A wide spread of props over a span of years through different auction houses. Different provenance, each time (two “fans” with made-up names consigning each half of a hero phaser that a TOS guest actor was “gifted”, then later sold; Nichelle Nichols—suffering from dementia—being used to shill two midgrades; a hero phaser and comm apparently gifted to a deceased “prop veteran” who allegedly acquired them from a former Paramount staff member).
HeroComm’s simulation of Beta and some TOS screencaps for reference.
All that glue around the midplate looks fishy, but the slight curl in the right corner of the aluminum control plate is either authentic, or someone did their homework. Also, the moire pattern looks more like Alpha than Beta, but it’s possible that one layer or the other got misaligned.
The rhinestone on the right appears not to match what we know, either. Conveniently replaced with a different color after the last time it was filmed?
What about the number of facets in the gems? According to HeroComm, the vintage gems different slightly than the modern versions used on replicas.
All that glue around the midplate looks fishy, but the slight curl in the right corner of the aluminum control plate is either authentic, or someone did their homework. Also, the moire pattern looks more like Alpha than Beta, but it’s possible that one layer or the other got misaligned.
The rhinestone on the right appears not to match what we know, either. Conveniently replaced with a different color after the last time it was filmed?
What about the number of facets in the gems? According to HeroComm, the vintage gems different slightly than the modern versions used on replicas.
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