Recently doing a bit of touchup work on my replica PHASE II prop (cast from a real Brad Nelson phaser, with mods made by me to incorporate the removable handle and the wooden block/Velcro system inside the P2 body) got me back into reading up on all of this history.
Going back to thecopycats.org, I was surprised (and pleased) to see the recent update covering the limited number of PHASE II style pistols (static, with removable handle and P1) which were made and sold upon request. Very cool.
I’m too young to have been around for those conventions in the 70s, but that whole era between TOS and TMP fascinates me. Mr. Nelson and the others from that era were fulfilling fans’ need for props and other goodies from TOS, and they did a remarkable job with limited reference materials and limited technology. Unlicensed bootlegs with homemade electronics, yes, but also filled to bursting with ingenuity, passion, and talent.
Mr. Nelson’s phaser design has numerous inaccuracies and artistic liberties when compared to the TOS props. Yet, his design has its own aesthetic appeal, and it really is gorgeous. My own replica is a real highlight of my collection.
It’s no wonder that several TOS actors ended up buying some (and famously showed them off on shows like Tom Snyder’s “Tomorrow” and HOLLYWOOD SQUARES), or that Roddenberry commissioned some for PHASE II. It’s a shame that PHASE II was never produced, and that Mr. Nelson never became an Ascended Fan (like the Okudas, Doug Drexler, etc.) whose work became part of an actual STAR TREK production.
We may now be spoiled by the likes of Master Replicas, The Wand Company, Diamond Select, and any other number of licensed and fan-made replicas, but there’s a magic to those early convention props which can’t quite be captured by today’s slick and super-accurate replicas and toys.
