As much as I love Star Trek (and I do like the design of the Discovery phaser), there's simply no way I would buy a $500 prop even if I had that kind of disposable income.
McFarlane phaser replica scrapped
- Thread starter C.E. Evans
- Start date
As much as I love Star Trek (and I do like the design of the Discovery phaser), there's simply no way I would buy a $500 prop even if I had that kind of disposable income.
Was it scrapped because it actually vaporized someone? 
Reminds me of that joke from the Simpsons.
"This is the world's only working Phaser. It was fired only once to keep William Shatner from making another album."
Reminds me of that joke from the Simpsons.
"This is the world's only working Phaser. It was fired only once to keep William Shatner from making another album."
I'd rather buy TOS props anyway.
We all already have TOS phasers though
They're pretty easy to get, nice quality and fairly cheap.
If you ever feel like hearing your wallet scream in terror, just visit Entertainment Earth and look at their "Really cool expensive stuff" page (note: truth in advertising strikes again here):
Whoa! 
$500
Is it like, actually working?
If that were true, sales of stoves, fireplaces, microwave ovens would plummet. But sales of burn kits, radiation treatments, etc, would skyrocket.
So it probably was having to add a red barrel, plus all the other various local laws regarding (or even prohibiting) the sale of toy guns. "...without compromising the integrity of the item."--McFarlane maybe could have released the phaser, as long as it didn't look "realistic" to make a quick buck, but didn't want to.
I understand their point, HOWEVER...……...how does a $500 prop replica get to be sold and a $40 dollar "toy" can't be. Isn't it basically the same damn thing with a different price point? Something doesn't quite pass the smell test. Trek has a horrid history when it comes to their merchandising.....
The truth is probably they wouldn't sell enough on the collector's market to make the release worth while. Trek merchandise is about as niche as you can get now. Mass market days are over.
Yup---I was thinking along those lines as well @BillJ But something must have happened between April and now.....they were showing them off at every trade show then BOOM.
I think the main difference is that McFarlane intended to sell their phaser pretty much at every retail store chain too and move many times more units. ANOVOS wasn't going that route, it was sticking to the adult collector's market and bypassing the toy retail regulations (or barriers) McFarlane may have run into. McFarlane likely could have still sold their phaser so if it was colored a bright green or orange, though. They may have made a mistake in thinking people really couldn't easily mistake a black toy phaser for a real gun, perhaps...
If McFarlane is making a toy then it really shouldn't matter if it has an orange tip cause it's a toy...…plus adults would have gladly painted the tips. Cops shoot people holding cell phones or nothing and claim they saw a gun...….it least with a phaser I think a cop would be like "does that kid have a laser blaster?" Then his partner would be "No! Damn it Jerry! It's a PHASER!!!"
Depending on the local, it is against the law to paint the tip. California, in particular, is very strict about these matters, and some regs require orange tip just as part of moving them through that state, which is a major shipping hub.
It sounds like McFarlane thought it was more trouble right now. Too bad.
The other option is that MacFarlane was completely incompetent not knowing what they could and couldn't release in the US, so deep into the process.
