Tripper
Sr Member
Just a heads up, I have nothing to do with this item on eBay. Someone is using my name-
Midgrade Phaser eBay listing
Midgrade Phaser eBay listing
Star Trek TOS Fiberglass Midgrade Phaser Build
- Thread starter Tripper
- Start date
I've never quite understood the bronze thing, either. While I've not had an original in front of me to examine, the handles have always looked to be a dark metallic silver/gunmetal color in photos and on the show itself.
AdmiralBaxter
Sr Member
Because people list the color as being "Dark Bronze" people automatically assume that the color is a shade of bronze.
Most don't understand that the dark bronze looks more like a grey or dark grey metallic that has a slight yellow/gold tint...
AdmiralBaxter
Sr Member
Interesting resin midgrade body, hero P1 and all the metal parts (including the rear fins) are from JPL....
Nascence
New Member
Wow!
This is a great build!
I am just amazed by model builders’/makers’ skills at building and paintimg these ST-TOS mid-grade PHASER II pistol build replicas.
I am especially impressed with this build as it is from Ron Shanko’s early version mould casts.
Awesome build and finishing!
Has a good balance of “screen-used” wear/weathering on it!
I own two mid-grade PHASER II pistol builds that one was done from a later set of Shanko moulds ( vers 3, I think? ) that were more accurate, but the overall build, from this particular maker, is not that great ( for the price I paid ) as the handle/grip is more hero looking than a true mid-grade looking handle/grip and it is the wrong color ( the mid-grade I purchased was like a “twin brother” mid-grade version to a really well done to a hero PHASER II, I purchased from the same maker, hence this, particular, mid-grade PHASER purchase ), and this maker chose to remove the rear fin area of the casting and use a machined aluminium part ( from Jon Paul Lussier ) that mimics the look of the mid-grade scribed-in fins, which looks/appears shorter in length, than the length of the actual mid-grade scribed-in fins length.
It still took some significant time for that maker to build and paint ( both hero and mid-grade versions hand/brush painted ) this mid-grade, and I know most mids are not identical and have their own inaccuracies to the hero counterparts, but would have like to have had a mid-grade that was more true to the original screen used versions.
I own another solid resin build mid-grade PHASER II pistol that has been done more accurately, but because it is a resin cast, most of the edges, on the P2 body, are too sharp edged and not rounded/rolled over enough, to more soften all of the P2 body edges.
Also, this maker decided to fully aluminium paint-in the scribed-in fins and from a short viewing distance, the fins just look like painted aluminium/silver soiid color shapes/rectangles, giving it more of a crawp painted stunt PHASER look!, Ugh!
I have been trying to figure out a way to remove/scrape out or mark over the aluminium paint to better show the individual fins, on that build, but haven’t been able to come up with a method to fix this.
The handle/grip is painted that med/dark bronze color, though, which looks fine, IMHO.
Otherwise, this mid-grade replica prop model is a more true to screen mid-grade PHASER II pistol replica.
The maker even made sure the handle/grip was attached very securely, in place, by both glue-ing and screwing it in, by driling a clearance hole and screwing a long screw into the P2 body P1 seat surface to hold the handle more permanently, in the event to glue gets old and no longer will keep the handle/grip attached/adhered to the P2 trigger/handle base, without adding/needing new glue.
Your build is just a fantastic one!
This is a great build!
I am just amazed by model builders’/makers’ skills at building and paintimg these ST-TOS mid-grade PHASER II pistol build replicas.
I am especially impressed with this build as it is from Ron Shanko’s early version mould casts.
Awesome build and finishing!
Has a good balance of “screen-used” wear/weathering on it!
I own two mid-grade PHASER II pistol builds that one was done from a later set of Shanko moulds ( vers 3, I think? ) that were more accurate, but the overall build, from this particular maker, is not that great ( for the price I paid ) as the handle/grip is more hero looking than a true mid-grade looking handle/grip and it is the wrong color ( the mid-grade I purchased was like a “twin brother” mid-grade version to a really well done to a hero PHASER II, I purchased from the same maker, hence this, particular, mid-grade PHASER purchase ), and this maker chose to remove the rear fin area of the casting and use a machined aluminium part ( from Jon Paul Lussier ) that mimics the look of the mid-grade scribed-in fins, which looks/appears shorter in length, than the length of the actual mid-grade scribed-in fins length.
It still took some significant time for that maker to build and paint ( both hero and mid-grade versions hand/brush painted ) this mid-grade, and I know most mids are not identical and have their own inaccuracies to the hero counterparts, but would have like to have had a mid-grade that was more true to the original screen used versions.
I own another solid resin build mid-grade PHASER II pistol that has been done more accurately, but because it is a resin cast, most of the edges, on the P2 body, are too sharp edged and not rounded/rolled over enough, to more soften all of the P2 body edges.
Also, this maker decided to fully aluminium paint-in the scribed-in fins and from a short viewing distance, the fins just look like painted aluminium/silver soiid color shapes/rectangles, giving it more of a crawp painted stunt PHASER look!, Ugh!
I have been trying to figure out a way to remove/scrape out or mark over the aluminium paint to better show the individual fins, on that build, but haven’t been able to come up with a method to fix this.
The handle/grip is painted that med/dark bronze color, though, which looks fine, IMHO.
Otherwise, this mid-grade replica prop model is a more true to screen mid-grade PHASER II pistol replica.
The maker even made sure the handle/grip was attached very securely, in place, by both glue-ing and screwing it in, by driling a clearance hole and screwing a long screw into the P2 body P1 seat surface to hold the handle more permanently, in the event to glue gets old and no longer will keep the handle/grip attached/adhered to the P2 trigger/handle base, without adding/needing new glue.
Your build is just a fantastic one!
Nascence
New Member
The lower Shanko moulds version was painted to match a hero version build done by the same builder/maker.
A sort of “matched set”/“twin brother” hero/mid-grade version set of PHASER II pistols.
Images below
Here are two images of my two purchased mid-grade PHASER II pistols.
Top is the solid resin version.
The bottom one is from a set of Ron L. Shanko moulds ( I believe version 3 set of moulds ).
A sort of “matched set”/“twin brother” hero/mid-grade version set of PHASER II pistols.
Images below
Top is the solid resin version.
The bottom one is from a set of Ron L. Shanko moulds ( I believe version 3 set of moulds ).
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AdmiralBaxter
Sr Member
Nice!
Interesting I didn't know the Wand Co had access to a midgrade to get colors from
Nascence
New Member
Those new images look faaaantastic, Tripper!
Those images look amazing! I am very impressed with your build of this Shanko midgrade PHASER II mid-grade!
I, also, have some good news and a few new images, as well.
On my purchased, solid resin built PhaserFetish mid-grade PHASER II pistol, I was able to get the scribed in fins to be more visibly indivudual by using a a series of heavy cotton-tipped ear swabs to, literally, burnish off/rub off, by simple friction, some of thick, the heavy handed paint, to a point where all the individual fins, started showing through.
To add even more definition, I used a bunch of sharp wooden toothpicks ( the end diameter followed all of the grooves of the fins, fairly smoothly, precisely/evenly ) and ran the ends of the toothpicks back and forth ( or up a nd down ) in the in-between, lower/recessed grooves, to remove even more paint to expose more of each individual fin.
The results look great and the fins are much more visible, now, and stay visible from a closer, visible distance,now!
Very happy I was able to come up with a solution that worked and I am very happy with the look of this mid-grade PHASER II pistol, now!
Those images look amazing! I am very impressed with your build of this Shanko midgrade PHASER II mid-grade!
I, also, have some good news and a few new images, as well.
On my purchased, solid resin built PhaserFetish mid-grade PHASER II pistol, I was able to get the scribed in fins to be more visibly indivudual by using a a series of heavy cotton-tipped ear swabs to, literally, burnish off/rub off, by simple friction, some of thick, the heavy handed paint, to a point where all the individual fins, started showing through.
To add even more definition, I used a bunch of sharp wooden toothpicks ( the end diameter followed all of the grooves of the fins, fairly smoothly, precisely/evenly ) and ran the ends of the toothpicks back and forth ( or up a nd down ) in the in-between, lower/recessed grooves, to remove even more paint to expose more of each individual fin.
The results look great and the fins are much more visible, now, and stay visible from a closer, visible distance,now!
Very happy I was able to come up with a solution that worked and I am very happy with the look of this mid-grade PHASER II pistol, now!
AdmiralBaxter
Sr Member
Very nice and the color can look very different under different lighting as can be seen in this picture taken indoors of the same phaser I posted a pic of earlier
