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Art Asylum Communicator

...when I put some fresh batteries in it, I found that I still had my old manager singing "Kiss My F****** Ass" from "The South Park Movie" on it. :lol:

Except for the tiny detail that there was no such song in "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut". :D

Perhaps you mean "Uncle F**ka"?

Yep. That's it. I am horrible with remembering names. :alienblush: At least I was somewhere close.


And I finally ordered my communicator this afternoon. It should be on my doorstep Monday... along with the first volume of the "Smurfs" on DVD. :D What can I say... I will be playing like I am seven again by the beginning of next week!
 
Got mine the other day.

LOVE IT!!

Had a minor argument with my mom over me spending money on "toys" instead of more adult things, but there's not much I could do about that.

If I could just get to my phasers in storage, I'd be all set for Starfest in a couple of weeks...
 
All right. there is a NY Comiccon a week from this Saturday. I will look for one then, since Diamond Direct is an exhibitor there.
 
yeah i picked one up too, i also have the vegas comm, but the sound chip in the art asylum one is much better (it doesnt sound like it was recorded 30 years ago)

ugh...that Vegas one set me back $50 I think and the sound was HORRID.
 
yeah i picked one up too, i also have the vegas comm, but the sound chip in the art asylum one is much better (it doesnt sound like it was recorded 30 years ago)

ugh...that Vegas one set me back $50 I think and the sound was HORRID.


The STTE Comm (what you call the Vegas comm) did have a poor sound chip for the opening chirp. The "interference" sound is actually quite good. Prop fans still like the STTE comm for it's metal midplate, metal buttons, clearer moire, and metal bezel. The AA comm is mostly, but not totally, plastic. If you are into comms, you probably bought a STTE comm despite the downsides. I picked up two while they lasted.
 
I received mine yesterday and I am very happy with for the price. I was surprised by the weight and feel of the piece. It doesn't feel like a toy. I also love the cycling lights, the clear sound recordings and the choice of a "delayed" call from the ship (which is a thoughtful touch). The detailing is also very nice for the cost. I was especially pleased with the texturing on the outer casing. Even the rounded sides have a nice crisp and clean surface texture.

But I do have a few quibbles. My main problem is with the moire pattern motor being rather noisy. It sounds like an old mechanical toothbrush. And the sounds are a bit loud for my taste too. The only other thing that bothered me was the painted silver rings on the indicator lights not being opaque when the lights are on.

All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase. She will look very nice resting beside the AA TOS Phaser.
 
Got mine today from a local comic book / genre toy store. I bought two, actually. :-) I am happy to finally have a communicator with an actual see-thru grille. Nice.

Some quibbles (anyone have Trouble With Quibbles?): this is the same mold that they used for the communicators in the Enterprise "Mirror Darkly" episode, or close to it I assume. I had a real prolbel with those when I saw the episode because the lower part is waaaaaay too fat.

The original prop had a more subtle increase in the thickness. See here:

Star%20Trek%20communicator.jpg


And the AA communicator. I haven't found any pictures of it from the side, so it's hard to tell here.

%5CAUTOIMAGES%5CDC17711lg.jpg


The Playmates version is much more accurate and even a little larger. The Playmates sound effects were better also. The chirp was clearer and the call beep was accurate.

They have yet to make the perfect comminucator replica...but it's almost there,
 
Looks incredible, but it's gonna cost far more than I could possibly justify...

But, shoot, the Art Asylum version is still a nice piece.
 
How fat the thing is depends on which specimen you're examining.

Remember, those props were hand made, and as such, they often weren't even accurate to each other. The phasers were the same way, with some not even symmetrical.

Sticking with the communicators, some were almost flat, some bulged slightly towards the butt end, some more so.

It was all close enough for television. ;)
 
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