Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Any guess as to what type/size screws were used for the buttplate? They look brass to me. And what size tang nut do you think they used.

View attachment 409140

Definitely brass, slotted flathead, but I couldn't be sure as to the size without directly measuring them with a thread finder. I'm going with the 4-40 because it looks close enough, and the diameter of the flathead matches the diameter of the screw molded into John's MM pistol body. I assume the angle of the flathead is the standard 80 degrees.

Tang nut, like I said above, looks very close to a 5-40. The outer diameter is somewhere around 0.320", but I can't be precise because I just sort of eyeballed it on the lathe. I'll measure my end plate for you for reference today, or maybe even go you one better...

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Hey guys! Final handle post tomorrow. I've gone as far as I can stand to go with the gasket/wafer/whatever. I've matched the color so closely... well, why don't you tell me?



Which of these four plugs has the real Hubbell gasket?

Details tomorrow, including extensive color reference/paint formulas for a part you're going to paint over anyway.

 

[TOS]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Great pic there, like a window into the mid 60's of a propmaker's desk..

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Okay, here we are. Last constructiony post till after the break.

So I took the original gasket to Home Depot and matched the color.

I used the Glidden, which is a paint and a primer, plus it was the cheapest can on the shelf, so there's that.




Here's the code label in case you're curious. The match was pretty much perfect.



Also, I have this little app called iModelKit. It's supposed to be a pretty good color matcher, but I haven't tried it yet. Here's what it gave me for Tamiya colors:

Matched by Eye:
Tamiya Flat White XF2: 1 Part (11%)
Tamiya Flat Black XF 1: 6 Parts (67%)
Tamiya Flat Red XF 7: 2 Parts (22%)

Matched by the calculator:
XF2: 3 Parts (10%)
XF1: 20 Parts (67%)
XF7: 7 Parts (23%)

So I'm guessing they'll both look about the same.

EDIT: Finally got around to calculating the other paint brands in the app. I think this covers the most popular paints:

Humbrol 70 Brick Red: 3 Parts (75%)
Humbrol 160 German Cam Red Brown: 1 Part (25%)

Vallejo 71.080 Rust: 5 Parts (83%)
Vallejo 71.001 White: 2 Parts (17%)

Mr. Color C327 Red: 19 Parts (58%)
Mr. Color C62 Flat White: 4 Parts (12%)
Mr. Color C33 Black: 10 Parts (30%)

Model Master 2009 British Crimson: 13 Parts (50%)
Model Master 1768 Flat White FS 37875: 4 Parts (15%)
Model Master 1749 Flat Black FS 37038: 9 Parts (35%)

Then:

Since I already had plenty of material on hand, I went to Michael's and got still more...


Go ahead. Tell me again I'm obsessed.

And this is what I got:



Didn't exactly break the bank.

So...




I made some laminates, wood in the middle, craft paper on the outside, which came to the requisite 1/32".



And then I went to the laser cutter, and Bob's your creepy but avuncular relation:



The very large sheet on the right is a 14" x 14" sheet of 0.030 styrene I bought at the shop. Two bucks. Plus I also bought another 12 x 12 sheet (a buck) and did that one up too.



In this photo, the original is the one close up in the foreground.

And here's the original surrounded by its children:




And since no one chimed in, the correct answer was # 3. I hope...

So that's it for the handle portion of the build. Seriously, I could keep going with the gaskets, trying different materials and so forth. It's a lot of fun, and once you have the artwork and the paint, it's quick. But I really have to move on or I won't have a phaser, just a nice handle buried in gaskets.

During the break, I'm going to wait for some sunlight and take some more readings with iModelKit to cover different brands of paint and federal and British standards, and backfill them here. Once that's finally done, the owner gets his gasket back...

When I get to painting the phaser, I'll do the same for the Zynolyte primer and the Krylon Shadow Gray, so maybe we can all stop either paying through the nose for the right rattle can or going crazy experimenting.

So that's it for now, guys! See you on the other side of a very long nap.


At the shop. On a bench. In a suit.
Cuz wife really pi$$ed off now.

 

[spacerone]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

asalaw nicely done handle! This has got to be the one of the most accurate made handles I have ever seen.
Since you have used most materials that would be on the original handle you probably have a very accurate weight to the original.
Did you ever weight the handle and determine how many ounces it weighs with and without batteries included? :confused

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Ha! Hadn't thought of that. I have a scale, I'll get it done.

 

[healvis]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Just a quick off topic note Asa. You posted about a subject on the ETF, try the "all sections alpha" forum because quite a few members branched off there.
John.

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Thanks healvis -- I was beginning to get that impression after seeing the ASA board. Besides, it's got the right initials.

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

asalaw nicely done handle! This has got to be the one of the most accurate made handles I have ever seen.
Since you have used most materials that would be on the original handle you probably have a very accurate weight to the original.
Did you ever weight the handle and determine how many ounces it weighs with and without batteries included? :confused

So I've weighed the handle, and here's what I got:

Weight without batteries: 2.3 oz., or 68g
Weight with batteries: 3.0 oz., or 86g.


Hope that helps!

Oh, I completely forgot about this -- bear in mind that the hardware I did inside, for the battery contacts, is completely speculative on my part, so the weight could be way off compared to the original.

 

[spacerone]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

So I've weighed the handle, and here's what I got:

Weight without batteries: 2.3 oz., or 68g
Weight with batteries: 3.0 oz., or 86g.


Hope that helps!

Oh, I completely forgot about this -- bear in mind that the hardware I did inside, for the battery contacts, is completely speculative on my part, so the weight could be way off compared to the original.

I think you are very close if not right on target to the original handles weight. My compliments to the chef.

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Thanks! Did you weigh a Wand phaser or something?

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Swapped in the brass screws, settled on a craft paper laminate gasket, and except for a spritz of bronze next time I go to the shop, I'm sticking a fork in this one. YAAAAAY!!!!



Next up: the pistol from current state to completion.

 

[Sean]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Awesome! :thumbsup

 

[TOS]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Very nice, Mr. ASA! Hey so what did a hero pistol phaser weigh do you guys think? Probably a fair amount with all the internals, metal parts, and then the batteries to boot. I can see why midgrade phasers were used so often over the heroes, I'm sure the actors moaned and whined every time they had to do a scene with a hero pistol.

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Good question. This build should come pretty close, because even though it's urethane resin and not fiberglass with polyester, the wall thickness is comparable after all the hogging out I did. It'll certainly be interesting to weigh it. Meanwhile, the Wand phaser is supposed to be weighted like the original -- anybody got one?

 

[spacerone]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Thanks! Did you weigh a Wand phaser or something?

Yes I did!

Good question. This build should come pretty close, because even though it's urethane resin and not fiberglass with polyester, the wall thickness is comparable after all the hogging out I did. It'll certainly be interesting to weigh it. Meanwhile, the Wand phaser is supposed to be weighted like the original -- anybody got one?

The wand phaser handle weighs 5.0 oz. I'm not sure it is accurate to the original handles weight though. It feels like a solid piece of metal and I can't see a hollow handle weighing that much but who really knows:confused


Here is a the wand phaser on the left and next to it on the right is the replacement handle that I will be adding to the wand phaser.
As you can see it is more accurate in size. Just need to determine how much it should really weigh. Either 3oz or 5oz.:confused

​

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

That replacement handle is very nice! I have no idea what to tell you about the weight, since I've never seen anything on the internal makeup of the original handle. So many little things can add up to throw the weight off by just an ounce or two either way, so who knows? Damn sure I don't.

The weight, honestly, isn't that big a deal for me. I'm interested in looks. Now that I know how to scratch-build a handle, I know the ones to come will go a lot faster and more easily. For now, though, I'm more interested in finishing the entire phaser than in popping out handles.

That's because my next build is already calling to me from the ether, dying to be born...

 

[spacerone]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

That replacement handle is very nice! I have no idea what to tell you about the weight, since I've never seen anything on the internal makeup of the original handle. So many little things can add up to throw the weight off by just an ounce or two either way, so who knows? Damn sure I don't.

The weight, honestly, isn't that big a deal for me. I'm interested in looks. Now that I know how to scratch-build a handle, I know the ones to come will go a lot faster and more easily. For now, though, I'm more interested in finishing the entire phaser than in popping out handles.

That's because my next build is already calling to me from the ether, dying to be born...

Build it and they will come! I can't wait to see the results when your finished, but I have a feeling it's going to be good.:thumbsup

 

[asalaw]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

Build it and they will come! I can't wait to see the results when your finished, but I have a feeling it's going to be good.:thumbsup

That's certainly been the case here -- I can't tell you how astonished and delighted I am to see nearly 6,000 views after only two months! Thanks everybody!

Yeah, I can't wait to see it either -- the handle's just whetting my appetite to see the whole thing!

 

[robn1]

Re: John Long Phaser 1 Kit Buildup plus MM P2 Restoration

The Wand Company matched the overall weight to the GJ, give or take a couple grams. I think they said their handle is a bit heavier, but it matches overall and gives it better balance.