Propstore "screen matched" TOS Tricorder

[AdmiralBaxter]

Someone needs to—nicely—contact the host from Prop Store and advise him that the original Hero Tricorders, created by Wah Chang, WERE NOT covered in leather; the black panels were made from vacuform hair cell Kydex (as we all know, here, of course):

He has stated that the Chang Heroes were leather in both this video and the other video by Tested. He is correct in his statement that there were two “leatherette” Tricorders created for Season 3 (as far as we know).

Neither he nor Propstore cares about being honest in regards to this auction, it is EXTREMELY clearly they are only concerned about getting top dollar and will say anything to make sure it sells.

That's why we have people in here considering the possibility that the moire' we see in the Tricorder even being considered as an original component....

It won't be too long after the auction that the truth comes out about it...

 

[Lost in Trek]

Keep in mind the gentleman who made those comments was Chuck Costas from Prop Store and not one of the hosts of the podcast.

Yeah, I really wish Chuck would stop saying that.

Part of me gets it though. It’s difficult to be an expert in all props from all movies and TV shows.

 

[Lost in Trek]

Neither he nor Propstore cares about being honest in regards to this auction, it is EXTREMELY clearly they are only concerned about getting top dollar and will say anything to make sure it sells.

That's why we have people in here considering the possibility that the moire' we see in the Tricorder even being considered as an original component....

It won't be too long after the auction that the truth comes out about it...

Well, again, while I question the middle compartment, there are places it does seem to screen match.
And as already noted, that moire was available in the 60s so it’s at least a possibility.

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

Keep in mind the gentleman who made those comments was Chuck Costas from Prop Store and not one of the hosts of the podcast.

Yeah, I really wish Chuck would stop saying that.

Part of me gets it though. It’s difficult to be an expert in all props from all movies and TV shows.

I know,

Yet I don't like how it seems they can say what they want. I really wonder if they think folks are stupid?

 

[Lost in Trek]

I know,

Yet I don't like how it seems they can say what they want. I really wonder if they think folks are stupid?

I get that. That’s why you should always research an item as much as possible and ask questions when necessary before bidding.

In this case the early versions of the Tricorder aren’t relevant.

Once they screen match it kinda negates any additional questions for them.

I wonder if I had the money if I’d bid on this… and the answer is maybe.

 

[Gregatron]

Those guys have a podcast "Stuff Dreams are Made of" - Hollywood bigwigs with way more money than knowledge...
Their kind of painful to listen to

The weirdo on the left was the one playing with Greg Jein's priceless artifacts like they were toys, last year.

Pure cringe.

 

[Leinads]

The weirdo on the left was the one playing with Greg Jein's priceless artifacts like they were toys, last year.

Pure cringe.

Not only cringe-worthy, but it was also frankly upsetting and disrespectful. That’s entitlement for you ~

 

[Treadwell]

If it's any consolation, he bought a bunch of it!

 

[Leinads]

If it's any consolation, he bought a bunch of it!

Right? Boy did he. It was just the optics prior to the auction that looked off. Maybe that’s on us, and we’re just being too uptight these days about how props up for auction are handled when there’s unlimited money to excuse the behavior. I just don’t know, but one thing is certain: this industry is full of some odd ducks.

 

[Gregatron]

Right? Boy did he. It was just the optics prior to the auction that looked off. Maybe that’s on us, and we’re just being too uptight these days about how props up for auction are handled when there’s unlimited money to excuse the behavior. I just don’t know, but one thing is certain: this industry is full of some odd ducks.

Well, gee, people are free to do what they want with their private property, but you’d think that someone taking possession of important, decades-old pieces of popular culture would treat them with care and respect, instead of running around and zapping imaginary Klingons. You, know, like a five-year-old or an adultolescent with arrested development would.

Reminds me of that episode of THE SIMPSONS where Mr. Burns enlisted Homer to pull pranks on people, and so Homer bought a mint-condition copy of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 1 just to then tear pages out of it in front of Comic Book Guy.

 

[newworld]

Someone needs to—nicely—contact the auction host from Prop Store and let him know—respectfully—that the original Hero Tricorders, created by Wah Chang, WERE NOT covered in leather; the black panels were made from vacuformed hair cell Kydex (as we all know, here, of course):

He has stated that the Chang Heroes were leather in both this video and the other video by Tested. He is correct in his statement that there were two “leatherette” Tricorders created for Season 3 (as far as we know).

Yeah, that conversation was already had, FWIW.

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

Yeah, that conversation was already had, FWIW.

So did he even bother to act like he cared?

I honestly have no reason to believe he would.

 

[newworld]

So did he even bother to act like he cared?

I honestly have no reason to believe he would.

Wow. Judgmental much? You started your thread about this Tricorder by calling it "Yet another forgery/fan build". I think that is blatantly wrong. You called the Julian's Phaser and Comm a "straight-up forgery" on a public forum based only on the initial PR photo. How'd that proclamation turn out for you? You sure don't seem to have a problem with yourself being wrong. But everyone else gets held to a higher standard.

The fact that everyone on these threads is better informed than PS could ever hope to be and still NO ONE has a specific explanation for how replica parts got into a production-made piece tells us just how unusual this thing is. They did their screen-matching – quite effectively, IMO – and didn't understand the guts detail was an issue until I told them a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, when they originally showed me pics several months back they neglected to show me the inside or I would have warned them then. That said, I have been in contact with Brandon at Propstore and informed him of the latest info I have. I think it is likely that the description at the auction itself will be amended but ultimately I have no control over that.

Regarding the guts and how they got there, some things are simply not knowable. This is one such thing, IMO. We can make educated guesses but that's it. We can't KNOW its origins.

FWIW, PS had me look at something recently that I initially thought MIGHT be real but when I discovered exactly what it was - a replica - and informed Brandon, he did not hesitate to pull the piece. He has done this numerous times over the years without hesitation.

Now I'm gonna say this very carefully. You, sir, are not the ultimate arbiter of these things. Nor am I. No one person is or should be. I would suggest in the future that you temper your opinions until you actually know some facts. Or don't.

 

[Anakin Starkiller]

I never really cared too much for the “leatherette” Tricorders, before, but I find myself really wanting to take a crack at replicating this one (not the current one up for auction…the other one):

View attachment 1848813

I looked for a real long time for the correct leatherette material. Everything I found was too thick with too big of grain. If you find something that you think works, please let me know.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

I looked for a real long time for the correct leatherette material. Everything I found was too thick with too big of grain. If you find something that you think works, please let me know.

Agreed—that’s what has kept me from seriously wanting to tackle this project. I have yet to find leatherette of the proper thickness or hair-cell pattern.

Leatherette used for camera case repairs is the closest to the thickness (I still have yet to find the correct grain):

Years ago, on the TPZ, Steven Pielock (at least, I think it was him) made an excellent relica using a Vacuformer to tightly pull the leatherette onto the Tricorder panels.

 

[Captain Dunsel]

The “Retro Grain” adhesive backed leather repair kit, here, looks close:

Adhesive-backed Leather Repair

 

[feek61]

Oh yes, that is VERY close considering you are trying to match something over 50 years old.

 

[Lightning]

just for fun I checked my 1960s Gerstner Dental Student toolbox, which is covered in black leatherette, and its not even close. too spidery.

 

[Leinads]

just for fun I checked my 1960s Gerstner Dental Student toolbox, which is covered in black leatherette, and its not even close. too spidery.

That is hilarious! I just dug out an old leatherette legal bag in the garage, and same. Also checked some old cameras for comparison. Nope. Captain Dunsel this is looking very close, and it even has similar grain ribbons throughout the texture. Nice find!

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

Agreed—that’s what has kept me from seriously wanting to tackle this project. I have yet to find leatherette of the proper thickness or hair-cell pattern.

Leatherette used for camera case repairs is the closest to the thickness (I still have yet to find the correct grain):

View attachment 1850471

View attachment 1850472

Years ago, on the TPZ, Steven Pielock (at least, I think it was him) made an excellent relica using a Vacuformer to tightly pull the leatherette onto the Tricorder panels.

Have you looked at material for redoing car seats for GM or for cars from the 60's?

I know some companies have like 10 to 12 different patterns, the only downside with that route might be cost.