The Wand Company TOS Tricorder is coming!
- Thread starter Jediwannabe
- Start date
enterprise0216
Sr Member
Exactly I love the cutting tools and what go into making the build process. However, I want to know more about the data discs as well.
Yeah - the Data Discs are intriguing.
And I guess it makes sense to have them color coded, for very easily distinguishing them from one another. I will say that such bright colors are a little jarring in conjunction with the severe black/silver of the Tricorder. I wish they could have gone more with a translucent jewel cover, like the buttons on the bridge or Kirk's chair.
Of course, that likely would have increased the price. Less expensive to paint than to insert something.
That said, if they had to go with color, I wish they would have chosen a more *muted* selection - ie chosen colors more in line with the pastel-ish palette we've seen on the show itself, rather that really vibrant colors seemingly chosen off a dayglo color wheel. They make the Tricorder seem more like a child's toy, rather than something we would see *in-universe*.
I mean, look at the color of the rocker switches, above. Or the microtape data cards we saw all the time on the show, below:
I hope these colors are not locked in yet, and that we might be able to persuade them to use more 'canon' colors instead.
Heck, since there are 8 data discs and 8 standard rocker switches used on the switch panels throughout the Enterprise:
using those as the colors for the data discs could be an 'in universe' explanation for what those universally-unmarked switches are uniformly designed to access on the ship's computer when one uses those switches aboard the Enterprise! That would be a great tie-in to what we *always* see on TOS!
As to what each disc is for, that is interesting. I can read:
Archive
Audio
Atmosphere
Radiation
Orientation
Logs and
Planetary
The lettering on the yellow one is harder to read. It looks like it *might* start with ST and seems short enough to be Stars, but I cant be sure.
And I guess it makes sense to have them color coded, for very easily distinguishing them from one another. I will say that such bright colors are a little jarring in conjunction with the severe black/silver of the Tricorder. I wish they could have gone more with a translucent jewel cover, like the buttons on the bridge or Kirk's chair.
Of course, that likely would have increased the price. Less expensive to paint than to insert something.
That said, if they had to go with color, I wish they would have chosen a more *muted* selection - ie chosen colors more in line with the pastel-ish palette we've seen on the show itself, rather that really vibrant colors seemingly chosen off a dayglo color wheel. They make the Tricorder seem more like a child's toy, rather than something we would see *in-universe*.
I mean, look at the color of the rocker switches, above. Or the microtape data cards we saw all the time on the show, below:
I hope these colors are not locked in yet, and that we might be able to persuade them to use more 'canon' colors instead.
Heck, since there are 8 data discs and 8 standard rocker switches used on the switch panels throughout the Enterprise:
using those as the colors for the data discs could be an 'in universe' explanation for what those universally-unmarked switches are uniformly designed to access on the ship's computer when one uses those switches aboard the Enterprise! That would be a great tie-in to what we *always* see on TOS!
As to what each disc is for, that is interesting. I can read:
Archive
Audio
Atmosphere
Radiation
Orientation
Logs and
Planetary
The lettering on the yellow one is harder to read. It looks like it *might* start with ST and seems short enough to be Stars, but I cant be sure.
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Actually, when the Tricorder is being used (as opposed to displayed), given the functions each disc lists, it is likely one will be using those discs a LOT in order to switch between those different functions. So those children's toy colors will be visible every time you want to actually use the Tricorder.
I'm already trying to think of ways of changing them if those ARE the final colors and TWC can not change them.
asalaw
Sr Member
Good point.
Chris finally answered my question about the SD card:
Here's hoping they have the bandwidth.
I saw that - and it rings odd to me. It is not without cost to build something like that into both the design and the function of the Tricorder. Not utilizing it in ANY way right now seems VERY strange.
NakedMoleRat
Master Member
I would imagine the disks are actually interchangeable moire disks. The color side faces the holder with the moire pattern on the outside.
Let’s see if I wind up being correct.
Let’s see if I wind up being correct.
I had hoped for that to begin with when I first saw the depression that was similar to the moire disc on the outside. In fact, I imagined that outside disc might *be* one of the discs - that they were all to be interchangeable - and that the Tricorder functions would be dependent upon which disc was placed on the outside 'reader'.
The Wand Company TOS Tricorder is coming!
Wouldn't that be cool if you could pair the tricorder to a cellphone, like the Communicator, and then be able to access online content. Actually, the back of the Tricorder CAD references Antenna PCB. While that is likely an antenna to "scan radio frequencies" (as indicated on the Interest/FAQ...
www.therpf.com
The Wand Company TOS Tricorder is coming!
Wouldn't that be cool if you could pair the tricorder to a cellphone, like the Communicator, and then be able to access online content. Actually, the back of the Tricorder CAD references Antenna PCB. While that is likely an antenna to "scan radio frequencies" (as indicated on the Interest/FAQ...
www.therpf.com
Turns out I was partially right, but the reader is on the inside of the Tricorder instead, reading the disc on the farthest right. And the external moire is just a display piece, not a swappable disc itself.
So I think we are indeed looking at TWC's design choice for the data discs. I just hope we can get them to change the colors at this point.
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Unfortunately, up to this point all the renders produced with 'real' coloring (like silver, as we see in their pic of the discs) have shown what TWC anticipates the finished product looking like. As such, when it comes to the colors, the fact they gave us this "render" is discouraging, not encouraging.
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I'm sure they chose colors that are at least close to what they intend for it to look like, but we have nothing to validate how close the renders are to reality. Getting in the ballpark with aluminum and black is totally different from matching actual colors. I do think it's good to think ahead for ways to alter the colors more to your liking, if it's that concerning.
I won't personally be worrying about it. Even if the colors are exactly as they show in the render, it's not like TOS just had one color palette they were working from. I can certainly fit some different colored data discs into my head canon
asalaw
Sr Member
The more I think about it, the less worried I am about the colors. I'm more interested in the content each one makes available. I'd love a picture of Balok in there somewhere, because the AMT Field Exploration Set tricorder had a B&W decal of Balok for the screen. It would be a cool little callback I think.
asalaw
Sr Member
That is nicer, I admit--I'm just not exorcised about it.
AnubisGuard
Master Member
I assume they're using some kind of optical sensor to "read" the discs based on color, so the Crayola colors may be necessary to make it work. The pastels have dark gray, medium grey, light gray, and white, all of which look similar at a glance. If I'm right about how it works, that may not be a viable set of colors.
IF true, that would be very unfortunate for a number of reasons, including it would mean the optical sensor they chose is a very poor one. Most these days - even the cheap ones - are able to distinguish FAR beyond the twelve colors of the primitive color wheel. As such, that would mean they didn't choose for quality of product - be it for the sensor or the replica.
It ALSO means that we won't be able to fix the colors on our own.
These colors make it look *cheap* and NOT at all TOS. The colors move this OUT of the "replica" category they claim to cherish, and into the "toy" category.
If the color palette truly doesn't matter to people, then TWC might as well complete the toyification of this 'Tricorder':
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NakedMoleRat
Master Member
To quote Luke Skywalker, “Every word in that sentence was wrong,”
No, it wasn't.
Of course, if you're happy with the toy 'tricorder' I depicted - which uses the TWC palette - you are certainly entitled to that preference. I won't be "angry" at you, telling you your preferences are "wrong".
