Rodd Dot Com's Star Trek III Phaser kit: A Review
Roddenberry.com has surprised us prop geeks with the release of a long-admired
favorite: the Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Phaser II!
Roddenberry.com has surprised us prop geeks with the release of a long-admired
favorite: the Star Trek III: The Search For Spock Phaser II!
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| The four main pieces: P1 halves and P2 top and bottom. |
The Props of Trek III
From a design standpoint, the 'Exploration Set' of Star Trek III was nicely
and credibly updated. Their look had caught up with the rest of the Trek
Universe. They looked like logical developments of their TOS
counterparts. That could be why the props from that film are still so
popular in spite of their limited screen time. For instance, the ST3
Phaser only appeared in, well, ST3, a TNG episode as an obviously
Starfleet-surplus weapon, and as a wall-hanger in Kirk's cabin in
Generations.
The Kit
There's really no debating the accuracy of this kit. It was cast using an
original Trek III prop as a master. That's one thing in its favor. The other
thing is that the kit is produced by a company called HMS, and they are
among the absolute best in the prop making business. (The other kits
sold by Rodd.com are produced by HMS as well.) They're made with an
eye for fidelity to the original, plus they are specifically engineered to be
easily buildable by pretty much anyone who has even basic modelling
skills.
This kit is no different.
Can you wash things?
Can you handle gluing two magnets into place?
Can you screw things together?
Can you spray paint any at all?
If so, then this kit will pose you no problems whatsoever. If you have
more experience under your belt then you can try filling in pinholes and
sanding them smooth. Yes, this kit has pinholes – a few of them. If you’re
looking at this as your first resin kit build, then don’t worry – they’re
easily fixable. They’re just par for the course – I don’t think I have ever
seen one kit that didn’t have any.
From a design standpoint, the 'Exploration Set' of Star Trek III was nicely
and credibly updated. Their look had caught up with the rest of the Trek
Universe. They looked like logical developments of their TOS
counterparts. That could be why the props from that film are still so
popular in spite of their limited screen time. For instance, the ST3
Phaser only appeared in, well, ST3, a TNG episode as an obviously
Starfleet-surplus weapon, and as a wall-hanger in Kirk's cabin in
Generations.
The Kit
There's really no debating the accuracy of this kit. It was cast using an
original Trek III prop as a master. That's one thing in its favor. The other
thing is that the kit is produced by a company called HMS, and they are
among the absolute best in the prop making business. (The other kits
sold by Rodd.com are produced by HMS as well.) They're made with an
eye for fidelity to the original, plus they are specifically engineered to be
easily buildable by pretty much anyone who has even basic modelling
skills.
This kit is no different.
Can you wash things?
Can you handle gluing two magnets into place?
Can you screw things together?
Can you spray paint any at all?
If so, then this kit will pose you no problems whatsoever. If you have
more experience under your belt then you can try filling in pinholes and
sanding them smooth. Yes, this kit has pinholes – a few of them. If you’re
looking at this as your first resin kit build, then don’t worry – they’re
easily fixable. They’re just par for the course – I don’t think I have ever
seen one kit that didn’t have any.
Inside the P1:
There are three screws holding the P1 together. Don’t worry about
stripping the screws out – as the HMS team thoughtfully installed threaded
inserts into the top half of the P1.
Looks to be a decent amount of room for electronics, too.
There are three screws holding the P1 together. Don’t worry about
stripping the screws out – as the HMS team thoughtfully installed threaded
inserts into the top half of the P1.
Looks to be a decent amount of room for electronics, too.
The two main assemblies are held together by four rare-earth magnets.
Going into the P2:
This baby’s meant for electronics, no doubt about it. The top ‘banana’ piece
comes off after you remove three more screws. A large ‘pit’ is revealed
where trigger mechanisms, power supplies, etc. all could be fitted. There’s
an open ‘trench’ giving access to the rear of the already-hollowed-out
emitter. Of all the phaser kits out there, I think this one is the most deserving
of a nice green high output laser.
This baby’s meant for electronics, no doubt about it. The top ‘banana’ piece
comes off after you remove three more screws. A large ‘pit’ is revealed
where trigger mechanisms, power supplies, etc. all could be fitted. There’s
an open ‘trench’ giving access to the rear of the already-hollowed-out
emitter. Of all the phaser kits out there, I think this one is the most deserving
of a nice green high output laser.
There is one problem with this particular sample. The hole for the trigger
is decidedly off-center. That can be corrected but it'll be a bit of an
aggravation.
is decidedly off-center. That can be corrected but it'll be a bit of an
aggravation.
The biggest seam. I do not consider this a problem... like the occasional
pinhole, this is just part of the experience of building resin kits. Note one
of the three screws that hold the P2 body together.
pinhole, this is just part of the experience of building resin kits. Note one
of the three screws that hold the P2 body together.
Some of the greeblies and the top of the P1 with the optional light plate in
place.
The kit supplies you with the parts and markings to build either the
prototype or the Production version. The simplest build would be to do the
prototype, as it requires the least amount of modification. The production
version has an led panel for the top of the P1 and plates to cover the
charging ports on the sides of the P2.
What am I going to do with the kit? This one is my personal phaser but I’m
building it up like I would for a Customer. I try to do that so I can give the
best figure on pricing that I can. I have no doubt that the majority of my
customers will want the Production version, so that’s the way I’m going with
this one. It’d be nice to make at least one of the side plates removable so
that access can be gained to the ‘charging port’. I’m going to try but I don’t
know how well it’ll work.
Electronics – I just about guarantee that someone will have some kind of
electronics suite available for this phaser, and with that in mind I’m going
to build her so that they’ll be ‘addable’ in the future.
1. Install the faux leds into the light panel with white glue. They look close
enough to the real ‘old-skool’ leds to pass viz inspection.
2. Same with the LED on top of the trigger button.
3. Drill out the ‘bore’ and line it with something like stainless tubing. I could
maybe discolor it a bit with a torch to make it look like it’s handled some
intense heat, then install it.
After painting her, I’m going to use some of my supertuff clear coat. That
way, if I feel like it I can wrap a piece of rawhide around the grip and dusty
it up a bit without worrying about damaging the paint.
Conclusion:
This one's a Keeper. Whether you're wanting a nice prop from the TOS
Classic Crew or an obscure TNG prop, this one's for you.
Difficulty: On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a total shake-the-box kit and 5
being a near or total scratchbuild, I rate this one a 2 simply because it
needs a couple pinholes filled and some sanding and painting. Very
suitable for a beginner with limited skills or a veteran that wants a nice
weekend project.
Link to the Phaser. Go there and buy one! You'll be glad you did!
place.
The kit supplies you with the parts and markings to build either the
prototype or the Production version. The simplest build would be to do the
prototype, as it requires the least amount of modification. The production
version has an led panel for the top of the P1 and plates to cover the
charging ports on the sides of the P2.
What am I going to do with the kit? This one is my personal phaser but I’m
building it up like I would for a Customer. I try to do that so I can give the
best figure on pricing that I can. I have no doubt that the majority of my
customers will want the Production version, so that’s the way I’m going with
this one. It’d be nice to make at least one of the side plates removable so
that access can be gained to the ‘charging port’. I’m going to try but I don’t
know how well it’ll work.
Electronics – I just about guarantee that someone will have some kind of
electronics suite available for this phaser, and with that in mind I’m going
to build her so that they’ll be ‘addable’ in the future.
1. Install the faux leds into the light panel with white glue. They look close
enough to the real ‘old-skool’ leds to pass viz inspection.
2. Same with the LED on top of the trigger button.
3. Drill out the ‘bore’ and line it with something like stainless tubing. I could
maybe discolor it a bit with a torch to make it look like it’s handled some
intense heat, then install it.
After painting her, I’m going to use some of my supertuff clear coat. That
way, if I feel like it I can wrap a piece of rawhide around the grip and dusty
it up a bit without worrying about damaging the paint.
Conclusion:
This one's a Keeper. Whether you're wanting a nice prop from the TOS
Classic Crew or an obscure TNG prop, this one's for you.
Difficulty: On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a total shake-the-box kit and 5
being a near or total scratchbuild, I rate this one a 2 simply because it
needs a couple pinholes filled and some sanding and painting. Very
suitable for a beginner with limited skills or a veteran that wants a nice
weekend project.
Link to the Phaser. Go there and buy one! You'll be glad you did!
