Which phaser to buy?

[EEE]

Well I got the black-handled variant after all.
Have to say, I'm a little underwhelmed, but then it wasn't an expensive purchase so all up I guess no harm done. It does look the part, but it has a real light cheap-plastic feel to it and only emits a red light, no blue.

Yes, they are cheap-plastic (hence my 'prone to breakage' warnings). But they're still not bad and are definitely the best of bang for buck. Especially when compared to any of the other options.

Still, after seeing the more full-on replica phasers listed on websites at hundreds of $, I think I'll stick with this one for now.

But if you can afford one, the Master Replicas... made of metal, several light effects, several sound effects, looks right, feels right (funny how much the weight of one makes a difference). But so frustrating in that it should actually be real!

 

[Trekwatcher]

Really?! I don't recall ever seeing a white-handled phaser. Do you know where I can find a screen-cap, or which episode(s) I might see them in?

They were only seen in the earliest episodes. Check out "The Man Trap", "The Enemy Within", and "The Naked Time".

While Handle Phasers are only seen in the first 8 episodes. After that, they were repainted for later use in the series.

To the best of my knowledge, there were no Bronze handle phasers in TOS. This was a marketing tool used by DST to sell more phasers.

And, not to open a can of worms, but some of the most intensely heated debates in the ST prop world center on the fate of the original white handle phasers. Some say all white handle phasers were repainted (which is generally accepted as fact) while others (a minority) say that some survive to this day and escaped repainting. Virtually all white handle phasers purported to be genuine TOS props have been shown to be fakes/replicas but some people SWEAR they have a genuine TOS white handle phaser.

 

[EEE]

While Handle Phasers are only seen in the first 8 episodes. After that, they were repainted for later use in the series.

I can't remember when they changed Phaser 1's.

To the best of my knowledge, there were no Bronze handle phasers in TOS.

Actually, I've come to the belief that there were no black handled phasers. I think the bronze handles were so dark (see my links above of brightly lit bronze handles), they appeared to be black most of the time (picture a dark brown as viewed on 1960's TV's... it'd look black too).

 

[Trekwatcher]

While Handle Phasers are only seen in the first 8 episodes. After that, they were repainted for later use in the series.

I can't remember when they changed Phaser 1's.

To the best of my knowledge, there were no Bronze handle phasers in TOS.

Actually, I've come to the belief that there were no black handled phasers. I think the bronze handles were so dark (see my links above of brightly lit bronze handles), they appeared to be black most of the time (picture a dark brown as viewed on 1960's TV's... it'd look black too).

The original phasers did not have a bronze handle. We know this for certain as several, mostly midgrades and so-called crapizoids, survive to this day with the original paint. On photos of genuine props I have seen, the midgrades have a very dark/ash gray color (which can look like plain black in certain lighting conditions), and the crapizoids I have good images of have black handles.

 

[EEE]

Actually, I've come to the belief that there were no black handled phasers. I think the bronze handles were so dark (see my links above of brightly lit bronze handles), they appeared to be black most of the time (picture a dark brown as viewed on 1960's TV's... it'd look black too).

The original phasers did not have a bronze handle. We know this for certain as several, mostly midgrades and so-called crapizoids, survive to this day with the original paint. On photos of genuine props I have seen, the midgrades have a very dark/ash gray color (which can look like plain black in certain lighting conditions), and the crapizoids I have good images of have black handles.

A quick review of The Cloud Minders reinforces my belief that they were indeed (dark) bronze handles (see around 43:35 mins and lighten a screencap if you have to).

Personally, I'll take Star Trek's word over the multitude of phaser props purporting to be originals (not to mention differently lit photos of said items). But, that's just me. *grin*

 

[Trekwatcher]

I know what you are referring to, but there is no way I would call that color bronze.

While I agree with you that there are many fakes out there (Don't even get me started on that one), there are several P2's that are widely accepted as original, with solid provenance that can be screen matched. None of them have bronze handles.

 

[EEE]

I know what you are referring to, but there is no way I would call that color bronze.

As expected. LOL!!! Neither of us will convince the other. I will stick with what I see on Star Trek. You're happy with "widely accepted..." Fair enough!

 

[Gepard]

The original phasers did not have a bronze handle. We know this for certain as several, mostly midgrades and so-called crapizoids, survive to this day with the original paint. On photos of genuine props I have seen, the midgrades have a very dark/ash gray color (which can look like plain black in certain lighting conditions), and the crapizoids I have good images of have black handles.

While I can't speak to the midgrades or crapazoids, your assertion that no phasers had bronze handles is wrong. The sole surviving hero phaser (currently owned by John Long, who helped assemble a list of modern matching paint colors), which is the one with all the bells and whistles that MR examined and measured to replicate, definitely has a dark bronze handle.

For reference, the colors used on the original series hero phaser, either in original brands or modern equivalents are:

1. Phaser pistol body: Krylon Shadow Gray #1604.

2. Phaser 1: Zynolyte Dark Gray Primer # 8070.

3. The Phaser 2 handle: Rust-oleum Dark Bronze Metallic # 7272.

The thread summarizing and discussing the paints can be found here. (You'll have to register first, though.)

Here's a photo of various phaser parts painted with the correct paints:

 

[Trekwatcher]

Interesting post. I think it is Greg Jein, and not John Long, who has the hero. I have about 50 color photos of Jein's hero P2, which I believe is the only one left.

So I may have been wrong about the bronze handles, and EEE was wrong about the black handles! I have innumerable photos of midgrades and crapizoids with black handles.

I guess I can live with that.

 

[Gepard]

Interesting post. I think it is Greg Jein, and not John Long, who has the hero.

You may be right, but I avoided naming Greg Jein because I could have sworn that was a notorious eBay scammer, but I think I was getting my names mixed up.

So I may have been wrong about the bronze handles, and EEE was wrong about the black handles! I have innumerable photos of midgrades and crapizoids with black handles.

I guess I can live with that.

Well, considering for years everybody thought the handles were black, you're in good company. IIRC, it wasn't until the phaser was documented for the MR replica that it became common knowlege about the dark bronze color.

 

[EEE]

So I may have been wrong about the bronze handles, and EEE was wrong about the black handles! I guess I can live with that.

So your "certainty" there were NEVER any bronze handles MAY HAVE been wrong and my "belief" they were bronze WAS wrong. ROFL! (now that's something I can live with too!)

 

[Ssosmcin]

It's a shame the different colored phasers are all just the same exact mold repainted. You could buy two of the same ones and pain the handle on the other, if you missed one of the colors. There were differences between the hero and the junk phaser that could have been accentuated. The grille doesn't rise up nearly far enough, for one thing.

Actually, it's funny. If you put the phaser replica against the communicator, the phaser looks like a tody, but the communicator looks like a prop. I think it's the etchings in the communicator plastic and the metal grille.

 

[Trekwatcher]

So I may have been wrong about the bronze handles, and EEE was wrong about the black handles! I guess I can live with that.

So your "certainty" there were NEVER any bronze handles MAY HAVE been wrong and my "belief" they were bronze WAS wrong. ROFL! (now that's something I can live with too!)

Hey, you gotta admit that the bronze on the AA/DST phaser does not look anything like the bronze on the real one. :-)