Star Trek MidGrade Phaser, Fiberglass, Catspaw Episode Tribute.
The PropStore Edition. Overall about 8-1/4 long x 5-1/4" tall.
Offered for sale from my personal collection. The PropStore just auctioned screen used fiberglass midgrade for $350,000.00 USD so I guess this reproduction is a steal? (yes, attempt at funny)
Review the listing photographs to see the care I took to make an exacting reproduction. Worthpoint tracks my Mid Grade sales history so you can see this is a very good value.
This Fiberglass MidGrade is made like the 1960’s originals. No plastic nor 3D or resin copy can reproduce that same accurate feeling “in-the-hand”, nor take the vintage paint finishes in quite the same way as Fiberglass.
The nozzle was manually machined after extensive study.
Custom metal; side-turn-dial (it rotates!), top dial, thumbwheel with coined edge, machined trigger stud and solid brass release pin, flying saucer top-turn, all hand-crafted.
Fiberglass; old school "burlap" weave fiberglass just like the kind seen on the damaged right side of the P1 on the Zolar-X.
This is a clean just-out-of-the-shop style scratch build.
P2 painted Gray over black base color,
P1 painted Zylonite Dark Grey over black base,
P2 handle painted silver semi-metallic.
The sale includes a custom made nominal 3” x 3” x 7” acrylic and aluminum display stand.
Finishing Layers: ALL Fiberglass is finish painted after curing for one week, P1 is finished in Zylonite® that is buffed out with fine steel wool, cured for 4 more weeks prior to high gloss lacquer application. This process was followed to achieve the proper appearance. Also, the P2 is finished Grey to mimic the surviving set used Midgrade Phasers.
Other Construction: acrylic half moon, custom acrylic emitter, and a custom stamped diamond crisp on P1. All aluminum material is 6061. The brass pin is H58 brass alloy.
Reference Photos of Set Used Phasers: Looking at some Set Used history can help one appreciate that all this mid-grades varied quite a bit. Check out the photos. I have traveled to Seattle, Los Angeles, and the United Kingdom to study this stuff. Susannetrek and jonpaultrek are one in the same company that manufactures the many parts of these reproductions. We know we are the best at this. I have received in-person accolades (and some purchases) from Greg Jein and his very good friend Glen L. for the accuracy of my reproductions.
RETURNS: 14 DAYS OK, BUYER PAYS ALL ACTUAL SHIP-TO AND RETURN-SHIP ACTUAL COSTS; INCLUDING PAYING OF FULL INSURANCE. THESES AMOUNTS WOULD BE DEDUCTED FROM REFUNDED AMOUNTS.
Some Star Trek Prop History For Inquiring Minds:
Most of these Prop Makers and Technicians have passed-on.
Below are old-timer accounts of convention conversations before conventions were really a fad. (all these are therefore 2nd hand stories)
The persons quoted worked for; Desilu ®, NBC ®, Paramount ® & Gene
Mr. Bob Stone was Star Trek's machinist and made all the metal prop parts for all three seasons of the show. Parts were made to order for each episode as in those times (the 1960’s) as machining was done by hand and there was no advantage to making short runs (and no studio funding either). Each episode had a specific budget. Speaking of budgets, Bob relied on his Star Trek friend Robert Archer (VP of Budgeting for the show) in getting a little leeway on the $ so he could do the best possible job. According to Bob there was no magic drum of Phaser Nozzles and every job was a mad-dash to meet the filming deadlines.
Because parts were made only to order, parts varied quite a bit. These variations can be seen in all the surviving examples of TOS hand props from Phaser to Communicators and Tricorders. Sometimes it was not that a new design was needed but rather that when one wings it from a sketch, in a hurry using what is on-hand, you get an unintended-new-version of something (in the 1960’s the TV audience never could see that).
Robert Archer and Bob Stone worked closely together so when the show was canceled suddenly in season three, Robert Archer ended up with a nice collection of hand props.
Richard Heimer made the molds for hand props. He also did all the casting and forming. This included; Vacuum form bucks, Fiberglass molds and urethane molds. Again, according to him most work is done in the normal Hollywood maddening rush. He shared with his convention friends that there were many molds made from molds when the production schedule demanded this. He also shared that when the show ended he rescued the molds from being discarded by putting them in his garage.
James Ruggs (b. 1919) was the director of special effects for the show. He handled and repaired many of the props on-set. When the show was canceled in season three he rescued many hand props and even some models from the scrap heap. Dick Ruben, Prop & Art Assistant on the show, got his Set-Used Klingon disruptor from James. Mr. Ruggs held on to his rather large Star Trek collection for many years. It is widely known that Greg Jein got his Holy-Grail Hero Phaser from James.
In closing a nod to Mr. Ruck, a prop technician, who reported that he repaired some hand props hundreds of times as they were often damaged during filming. He had also shared that the fiberglass Mid-Grade’s, and some other props often used basswood strips between the seams to establish uniform dimensions. Watch some YouTube Star Trek TOS bloopers to see what he was talking about when it comes to repairs and hand props flying apart.
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