Here's another update, and we're in the home stretch for the MkII and Concept.
PHASED PARTICLE:
The only thing I've done to this is drill the hole into the magazine and smooth the surface a little more:
CONCEPT PHASER:
Took the masking tape off the emitter, and am still prepping it to receive the nozzle, as the hole pre-drilled into the kit is off center (I don't know why there is a Cheerio there):
I initially painted the mesh on the P1 silver, but I think it looks terrible. I sent the following pic below to my client and it was decided that painting it all one uniform color still wouldn't look good (raised mesh just doesn't work on a P1), so I'll be using some textured styrene to cover it up, and make it blend in more with the futuristic design of this concept:
While I'm still working on that, I added the brass P1 emitter:
On the back end of the this phaser is a dilythium crystal power indicator like the ones on the ST1 & ST2 phaser. Since this is a static build and the normally illuminated part is a solid hunk of resin, I employed some interesting paint. I started with a highly reflective chrome silver, and then mixed Pearl Ex Interference Blue pigment powder into some Future, and put on several coats. The pictures don't show the effect, but it looks like a powered down, translucent window, with a hint of energy beneath it:
PHASER MkII:
I used some spray adhesive to affix the graphics to the MkII:
...and painted the buttons on the side and P1:
I painted the plate on the bottom of the grip a dark brass, just to add a little flavor. I also glue in the aluminum trigger:
Now here's where I ran into a problem. This particular casting of the kit is several years old, and before Xscapes started machining their emitter tips out of acrylic. The one in this kit was cast resin, and unfortunately was from a bad batch. Not only had it turned a sickly yellow color, but I could also bend and flex it like rubber:
I would like to stress that this emitter is an extreme rarity. Xscapes does top notch casting. This is just one of those things that happen once in a blue moon. I sent an e-mail to Scott of Xscapes explaining my problem, and he happily machined a couple replacements for me (I'll be using the other one on the Concept Phaser, as it's emitter was damaged in my move). I can't say enough good things about Xscape, so if any of you want this (or other amazing prop kits), do yourself a favor and hit up the website:
Xscapes Sci-Fi Originals, movie prop replicas and more...
Now, since the emitter design has changed a little bit in the intervening years, the new emitter tip is a bit too short and too thin for the emitter housing. I managed to find a piece of brass tubing in my brass box that had the exact inner diameter needed to snugly fit the emitter tip, and the exact outer diameter to fit snugly in the housing. I first put the tip into the brass tube, and hit it with some CA glue from behind. Then I dipped the exposed acrylic into some Future to really bring out the shine and make it crystal clear and let it dry:
Then I mixed up some epoxy glue, put some into what little cavity was left inside the brass, and dripped a good sized gob down the hole in the housing. I made sure everything was square and let the glue set. Here she is with the new emitter:
Just a few touchups to make on the MkII and it's all done. I'll try to get some beauty shots of it in direct sunlight if the rain over here ever lets up this week. I anticipate the Concept will be finished by the end of the weekend.