Recasting a Sci-Fi Icon; The Classic Star Trek Communicator
- Thread starter jlong
- Start date
I found a picture of it before I covered it. The brand name is SPI 7 Jewel.
Thanks for the help. I went to the Alpha communicator site and with the INFO got a stop watch off Ebay for $21. It is a vintage 1 jewel Apollo made in the late 60's or early 70's. It has Computeur de sport on the back plate and only has the one control, so I think it is very close to what was used in the Hero prop.
So I take it the smaller clock arm is taken off and only the bigger one is used? What did you use to connect the moire pattern to the stopwatch? Any PICS of that?:cool
JLinNY
Sr Member
John,
Just to let you know I signed up a over a month ago but never received this email. Luckily I happened to check the forum today and saw that it was for sale, so I placed my order.
Thanks-your kit should go out on Monday!
Ya know, I've got to tell you guys, seeing these build-ups
is just so cool for me. I mean we're seeing the most accurate
Communicators ever, and they're being built from a kit that
I was privileged to bring you. This is literally the fulfillment of
one of my childhood dreams. Thanks guys.
Just a reminder, for those of you who want to get in on these
in time for Christmas, now's the time.
Thanks again guys.
John Long
Ya know, I've got to tell you guys, seeing these build-ups
is just so cool for me. I mean we're seeing the most accurate
Communicators ever, and they're being built from a kit that
I was privileged to bring you. This is literally the fulfillment of
one of my childhood dreams. Thanks guys.
Just a reminder, for those of you who want to get in on these
in time for Christmas, now's the time.
Thanks again guys.
John Long
pielock373
Well-Known Member
pielock373
Well-Known Member
Here is my latest build, I replica of alpha...
Click on link to see moire in action
http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg227/pielock373/?action=view¤t=CIMG4369.flv
Click on link to see moire in action
http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg227/pielock373/?action=view¤t=CIMG4369.flv
DrMcoy
Sr Member
Like the majority of you reading this, I have obsessed over the Star Trek communicator since I first saw the show in the early 70's when I was 8 or 9 years old. In the era before video recorders, there was no way to enjoy instant "repeat" viewings or "pause" the screen images for inspection...so what a treat it was cracking the cover on THE MAKING OF STAR TREK at Walden Book Store in Southwyck Mall in Toledo, Ohio and seeing most of the props I had been dreaming of laid out in all their photographic splendor. At long last I could study all the details that had up until this point been so elusive on my home TV.
And ever since then I have been searching for the perfect realization of this prop -- and I have finally found it.
Here is my build of John's kit. Not too different from what others have already posted on thsi forum and AccuProp, so I won't say too much, except to thank John for making the kit and phez for helping me out with the grid weld and midplate screw tap. I decided to seek help on this because I only plan on building one of these (at the moment) and even though the instructions offer clear and easy to understand guidance, I didn't have any of the needed tools, so I thought it wiser to seek help on this rather than invest in tools I wouldn't likely use down the road -- I say this NOT to dissuade anyone from building the entire kit themselves -- as I said, the instructions are clear and easy to understand, and the needed tools likely cost under $30...but I was thankful that phez offered to help me out for an extremely reasonable price and a very quick turn around.
Once I had grid and pre-tapped midplate in hand, the rest of the kit took me about a week to put together, working on it a little each night -- one could easily get it done in a day or even an afternoon if you were focused and had everything you needed. I decided to paint my shells flat black -- couldn't find the Ultra Flat so just used Krylon Flat and it appears to work fine....just make sure you allow it to dry a good 6 hours (if not 24) before buffing it with fine steel wool.
I modeled mine after MOST for nostalgic reasons. I MAY get another kit and modify it with stopwatch some day, but I am very pleased to add this to my collection and consider it the definitive communicator replica.
Here it is:
And here it is shown with my MR phaser (that's John's hand phaser kit INSIDE the MR case on base)...
And here are a couple of my others...
An HMS with KYDEX shells (which were offered not from Rodd.com but through another fan to put onto an HMS kit.
And here is an older HMS I did up to look like Dwyer comm...
Thanks to everyone who took the time to post pics and info on their builds and I certainly hope others continue to post picks of their builds once you get them done. And one final note, how cool is it to be holding in my hands a communicator replica that is mastered from an actual screen-used prop...more than 30 years from the day I first turned on the TV and watched as Kirk, Spock. McCoy, Scotty and the entire Star Trek team zipped around the universe seeking new life and new civilizations.
And ever since then I have been searching for the perfect realization of this prop -- and I have finally found it.
Here is my build of John's kit. Not too different from what others have already posted on thsi forum and AccuProp, so I won't say too much, except to thank John for making the kit and phez for helping me out with the grid weld and midplate screw tap. I decided to seek help on this because I only plan on building one of these (at the moment) and even though the instructions offer clear and easy to understand guidance, I didn't have any of the needed tools, so I thought it wiser to seek help on this rather than invest in tools I wouldn't likely use down the road -- I say this NOT to dissuade anyone from building the entire kit themselves -- as I said, the instructions are clear and easy to understand, and the needed tools likely cost under $30...but I was thankful that phez offered to help me out for an extremely reasonable price and a very quick turn around.
Once I had grid and pre-tapped midplate in hand, the rest of the kit took me about a week to put together, working on it a little each night -- one could easily get it done in a day or even an afternoon if you were focused and had everything you needed. I decided to paint my shells flat black -- couldn't find the Ultra Flat so just used Krylon Flat and it appears to work fine....just make sure you allow it to dry a good 6 hours (if not 24) before buffing it with fine steel wool.
I modeled mine after MOST for nostalgic reasons. I MAY get another kit and modify it with stopwatch some day, but I am very pleased to add this to my collection and consider it the definitive communicator replica.
Here it is:
And here it is shown with my MR phaser (that's John's hand phaser kit INSIDE the MR case on base)...
And here are a couple of my others...
An HMS with KYDEX shells (which were offered not from Rodd.com but through another fan to put onto an HMS kit.
And here is an older HMS I did up to look like Dwyer comm...
Thanks to everyone who took the time to post pics and info on their builds and I certainly hope others continue to post picks of their builds once you get them done. And one final note, how cool is it to be holding in my hands a communicator replica that is mastered from an actual screen-used prop...more than 30 years from the day I first turned on the TV and watched as Kirk, Spock. McCoy, Scotty and the entire Star Trek team zipped around the universe seeking new life and new civilizations.
Last edited:
As promised:
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=54608
http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=54608
pielock373
Well-Known Member
My latest JLong build, the TMOST communicator
I was snow bound all weekend so I desided to build another one...
I was snow bound all weekend so I desided to build another one...
