SNW Ready Room

[dupersuper]

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This weeks Ready Room is extra long.

I'm not sure why they spoke of the ending of the episode like it was a big shock. Maybe if you've never watched TV before...

Red flags starting popping up early in the episode.

 

[Timofnine]

My two take aways…

I can’t not wait to ‘see’ the Gorn later on this season! It is Confirmed! They will also be filmed in a more ‘Alien’ movie like way with a mix of CGI and actual physical costumes/prosthetics which hopefully should look *super* cool.

Why does it cost $8,000 to make one prop phaser though?

I know a guy who can make similar models of likewise standard for a few hundred dollars. Ok, these phasers will be *movie* quality props but $8,000?! I hope that they auction them off one day to recoupe their costs. Unfortunately, such a prop would be well out of my price range! Also, Spock’s pendant box was said to have cost $8,000 to make too, was it actually made of *real* gold? Or was it just made of a gold looking metallic material? It is a beautiful construction and I would again *love* one myself… but only if the box was actually made of gold would it come anywhere near to justifying it’s price tag.

This explains why CGI is probably being used for ship models…. Props are obviously really expensive to make on productions such as this, so it is easier to create things as CGI models which can be rendered in the future in anyway that is seen fit a lot more cheaply. Nothing quite beats out the aesthetics and on screen ‘substance’ of physical models in my opinion. I know that this is more time consuming to produce but it just has a more ‘real’ look. I would love to see a Star Trek show or movie filmed using *real* starship models and partly brought to life/animated in CGI with CGI rendered environments. That would look totally awesome, but probably not cost effective any more… I would imagine that a physically constructed Enterprise filming model for this series would cost too much money to build and animate like in the ‘good old days’ going off the phaser price tag… that’s probably why we do not have a filming model, which is a shame as it would have looked amazing in the Smithsonian one day.

I still want a phaser though. My dream model prop to purchase would be a Mark IV Tricorder as seen in Voyager. I wish that they would release a replica prop of this again, I missed out the first round. This is my *dream* toy. My other dream toy is the Enterprise D which I’m currently building the Eaglemoss part work version of which had been great up until recently… but that dream is coming to a slow death so it seems.

Oh, and why is Wil Wheaton not part of the production staff on Star Trek? He is like a super fan/expert on the series so could easily have this role. Maybe he can help produce as well as Star in his own spin off show!

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

My two take aways…

I can’t not wait to ‘see’ the Gorn later on this season! It is Confirmed! They will also be filmed in a more ‘Alien’ movie like way with a mix of CGI and actual physical costumes/prosthetics which hopefully should look *super* cool.

Why does it cost $8,000 to make one prop phaser though?

I know a guy who can make similar models of likewise standard for a few hundred dollars. Ok, these phasers will be *movie* quality props but $8,000?! I hope that they auction them off one day to recoupe their costs. Unfortunately, such a prop would be well out of my price range! Also, Spock’s pendant box was said to have cost $8,000 to make too, was it actually made of *real* gold? Or was it just made of a gold looking metallic material? It is a beautiful construction and I would again *love* one myself… but only if the box was actually made of gold would it come anywhere near to justifying it’s price tag.

This explains why CGI is probably being used for ship models…. Props are obviously really expensive to make on productions such as this, so it is easier to create things as CGI models which can be rendered in the future in anyway that is seen fit a lot more cheaply. Nothing quite beats out the aesthetics and on screen ‘substance’ of physical models in my opinion. I know that this is more time consuming to produce but it just has a more ‘real’ look. I would love to see a Star Trek show or movie filmed using *real* starship models and partly brought to life/animated in CGI with CGI rendered environments. That would look totally awesome, but probably not cost effective any more… I would imagine that a physically constructed Enterprise filming model for this series would cost too much money to build and animate like in the ‘good old days’ going off the phaser price tag… that’s probably why we do not have a filming model, which is a shame as it would have looked amazing in the Smithsonian one day.

I still want a phaser though. My dream model prop to purchase would be a Mark IV Tricorder as seen in Voyager. I wish that they would release a replica prop of this again, I missed out the first round. This is my *dream* toy. My other dream toy is the Enterprise D which I’m currently building the Eaglemoss part work version of which had been great up until recently… but that dream is coming to a slow death so it seems.

Oh, and why is Wil Wheaton not part of the production staff on Star Trek? He is like a super fan/expert on the series so could easily have this role. Maybe he can help produce as well as Star in his own spin off show!

Everything probably comes down to cost.

Top Quality Canadian Labor ain't cheap, especially prop making.

Just ask Adam Savage!

$8k sounds about right considering what goes into Adam Savage's prop that he makes for himself over a very long period of time. And the model makers have to crank out those phasers on a time table. Especially Low Volume Custom Orders that are TV / Movie props.

 

[Tuskin38]

Oh, and why is Wil Wheaton not part of the production staff on Star Trek? He is like a super fan/expert on the series so could easily have this role.

That's not his skill set.

Also note that's $8000 Canadian dollars, which is about $6200 American.

 

[Timofnine]

That's not his skill set.

Also note that's $8000 Canadian dollars, which is about $6200 American.

I just LOVE Star Trek props… this lot of props alone must be worth about $48,000 Canadian dollars!!!!!!

Can someone please release an official Tricorder Mark IV replica again? I only want to pay a few hundred dollar though… I am also willing to pay in instalments if it’s at the higher end of a ‘few hundred dollars’… joking or course.

I just love TNG/Voy Tricorders. These should be what are being offered to Star Trek fans, not ‘plush dolls’. I can afford a plush doll but I just don’t want one! I don’t want a toy Tricroder or Phaser either… I want a *proper* replica as do many fans! Why are Eaglemoss (or someone else) not making die cast prop replicas, including electronics/lights????

 

[fireproof78]

just love TNG/Voy Tricorders. These should be what are being offered to Star Trek fans, not ‘plush dolls’. I can afford a plush doll but I just don’t want one! I don’t want a toy Tricroder or Phaser either… I want a *proper* replica as do many fans! Why are Eaglemoss (or someone else) not making die cast prop replicas, including

Mcfarlane became a warning sign. Maybe the new TOS phaser will prove the market is viable.

 

[Timofnine]

Mcfarlane became a warning sign. Maybe the new TOS phaser will prove the market is viable.

The secret would be not to price people out of the market. Maybe they could break the model phaser down in to individual components for us to subscribe to and put together over a period of months…

I would also enjoy wiring up my own Tricorder Mark IV!

This ‘do it yourself’ model would cut out the labour costs and reduce the price by a few thousand dollars…

 

[fireproof78]

The secret would be not to price people out of the market. Maybe they could break the model phaser down in to individual components for us to subscribe to and put together over a period of months…

I would also enjoy wiring up my own Tricorder Mark IV!

Well, McFarlane ran afoul of some California laws regarding weapon replicas and orange safety tips. So, there's some nuance to navigating the market.

 

[Noname Given]

That's not his skill set.

Also note that's $8000 Canadian dollars, which is about $62.00 American.

FTFY.........^

 

[Timofnine]

Well, McFarlane ran afoul some California laws regarding weapon replicas and orange safety tips. So, there's some nuance to navigating the market.

Tricorders are not weapons though? I am not *too* interested in a TOS Tricorder version as I did not grow up with them in the same way as the 90’s versions… maybe series 3 of Picard can feature one of these Mark IV or a similar upgraded version (not an android phone with a Star Trek LCARS wallpaper ) so that they can be marketed along with the series. We don’t want to buy an Android phone and pretend that it is a Tricorder… we want an affordable legacy prop replica. We have not in recent years been offered these at a realistically affordable level as far as I know. The official Mark IV tricorder was once sold at a few hundred dollars, but I missed out as I was a kid and could not afford one on my paper round wage… if I want one now it is about $2,000 - $4,000 unless I get an equally impressive unofficial knockoff for a few hundred again. It’s almost like the whole point of selling previous official prop replicas was to make future ‘antiques’ or ‘collectibles’ that the vast majority of fans can not afford to buy. This market may be niche, but they are sure missing out on revenue streams…

 

[fireproof78]

Tricorders are not weapons though? I am not *too* interested in a TOS Tricorder version as I did not grow up with them in the same way as the 90’s versions… maybe series 3 of Picard can feature one of these Mark IV or a similar upgraded version (not an android phone with a Star Trek LCARS wallpaper ) so that they can be marketed along with the series. We don’t want to buy an Android phone and pretend that it is a Tricorder… we want an affordable legacy prop replica. We have not in recent years been offered these at a realistically affordable level as far as I know. The official Mark IV tricorder was once sold at a few hundred dollars, but I missed out as I was a kid and could not afford one on my paper round wage… if I want one now it is about $2,000 - $4,000 unless I get an equally impressive unofficial knockoff for a few hundred again. It’s almost like the whole point of selling previous official prop replicas was to make future ‘antiques’ or ‘collectibles’ that the vast majority of fans can not afford to buy. This market may be niche, but they are sure missing out on revenue streams…

Are they? Is the demand high enough to justify R&D, marketing and selling? I see it as a chicken and an egg scenario. The market is tight and niche and they can't predict revenues but they might not know until they try. But, who will take that risk?

 

[Timofnine]

Are they? Is the demand high enough to justify R&D, marketing and selling? I see it as a chicken and an egg scenario. The market is tight and niche and they can't predict revenues but they might not know until they try. But, who will take that risk?

The ‘Research and Development’ of the props is done. Marketing and selling should be proportionate to the success of the new Star Trek shows on streaming services surely? If there is no demand then there is no point in releasing merchandise, I agree. Maybe this is why the Eaglemoss Enterprise D subscription model kit looks to be on it’s last legs? I might be the only person still subscribing?

 

[fireproof78]

The ‘Research and Development’ of the props is done. Marketing and selling should be proportionate to the success of the new Star Trek shows on streaming services

That's not how this works. Developing molds, appropriate materials, and market interest is different from marketing a show. Interest in a show doesn't translate in to spending money.

 

[Timofnine]

That's not how this works. Developing molds, appropriate materials, and market interest is different from marketing a show. Interest in a show doesn't translate in to spending money.

I know a guy who does this kind of R&D as a hobby for free as a form of art, then just charges for the model replicas he manages to sell. I’m not talking about Star Trek contraband here, I mean Flash Gordon/Captain Proton type stuff of course… COS play hobby material lol

I bet good money that all the props in Strange New World’s are printed using 3D printers, not carved out of stone by hand!

 

[fireproof78]

I know a guy who does this kind of R&D as a hobby for free as a form of art, then just charges for the model replicas he manages to sell. I’m not talking about Star Trek contraband here, I mean Flash Gordon/Captain Proton type stuff of course… COS play hobby material lol

I bet good money that all the props in Strange New World’s are printed using 3D printers, not carved out of stone by hand!

And that's worth the risk? CBS seems to think not.

 

[Timofnine]

And that's worth the risk? CBS seems to think not.

If CBS want to delegate the responsibility of producing high quality prop replicas on their behalf to a third party, I know some good independent third party options for them, I wouldn’t even take commission. I would just insist on a purchase discount for friends and family.

 

[fireproof78]

If CBS want to delegate the responsibility of producing high quality prop replicas on their behalf to a third party, I know some good independent third party options for them, I wouldn’t even take commission. I would just insist on a purchase discount for friends and family.

Given recent difficulties with third parties I can understand CBS' reticence.

 

[Timofnine]

Given recent difficulties with third parties I can understand CBS' reticence.

Fair enough. Hopefully in a Seven of Nine spin-off set on the Enterprise E refit, *someone* will be able to produce a physical model of this iteration of the Enterprise at last which can be mass produced for production as a scale die cast metal replica model. I believe that the Enterprise E was the first Enterprise without a physical model? That is quite sad… I wouldn’t want to jump to a physical model of the F presumptuously before the E has had her swan song though.

 

[fireproof78]

Fair enough. Hopefully in a Seven of Nine spin-off set on the Enterprise E refit, *someone* will be able to produce a physical model of this iteration of the Enterprise at last which can be mass produced for production as a scale die cast metal replica model. I believe that the Enterprise E was the first Enterprise without a physical model? That is quite sad… I wouldn’t want to jump to a physical model of the F presumptuously before the E has had her swan song though.

Sad indeed...

 

[Mudd]

I know a guy who does this kind of R&D as a hobby for free as a form of art, then just charges for the model replicas he manages to sell. I’m not talking about Star Trek contraband here, I mean Flash Gordon/Captain Proton type stuff of course… COS play hobby material lol

I bet good money that all the props in Strange New World’s are printed using 3D printers, not carved out of stone by hand!

Actually, things like the SNW phasers and communicators are machined aluminum at something like 8000 bucks a pop.