I just got a WC Phaser Remote and the Beam Emitter/Barrel assembly works fine and properly, and is a jewel of a feature that every WC Phaser owner should experience. In the 'closed' position (rotate CCW looking directly into Beam Emitter), the inner male cone mates with the female cone bore of the outer Beam Emitter. This position represents the short, snub-nose BE of the first season. Rotate CW from the snub-nose position will extend the BE out approximately 3/8" to represent the long-nose BE of the second season. This feature is often missing in Prop Replicas. I think many WC Phasers suffer from aggressive rotation of the barrel by new owners not realizing how this works and that many either strip or jump the internal threads at the runout and thus, lose this function. It is possible to re-mate the threads from a jump by applying gentle downforce (from the long-nose position) while rotating CCW to achieve the snub-nose position. It could also be repaired by a competent machinist-enthusiast with a respectable reputation. As a very longtime Tool & Die Maker, model builder, sculptor, painter, CAD & 3D Modeling Designer & Draftsman, I can certainly appreciate all of the nuanced details that you have pointed out in this video. However, the WC Phaser 1 & 2 are accurate to a Greg Jein-owned screen prop - including the matte sheen to all aluminum surfaces, the large window above the barrel, the rear heat sink spacing and the black trigger under the P1. Go to TMustachio channel and see the four-part "P2 Autopsy" to see this screen prop and others
The aspirator grille on the WC Phaser is a speaker grill. It doesn't sound significantly louder when raised for precisely this reason. When raised, you'll notice there isn't any appreciable gaps revealed to allow sound to escape. It is all coming from the speaker grill whether up or down. On the sounds: most prop Replicas only offer a handful of sounds and the authenticity and quality fluctuate greatly among them. The WCP has very good sound with volume control and additional sounds for fun. Setting One is Heavy Stun, while Seven is Low Stun. Six is the ship's Phasers, while Eight is the Bridge console firing sound. These sounds are additional to the standard set and I don't understand the critique of then, nor the BE colors.
Even before you suggested it, I've cruised all the different UA-cam reviews extant. Yours is unique in its unapologetic, informed, and obsessive attention to detail. Good on you, mate. Very helpful as I'm getting ready to pull the firing stud on a high three-figure Wand. Several times you made a well-observed observation on the reflectivity of metal parts. You are certainly correct that this is not screen-accurate. I feel that the relative dullness actually adds to the realism and believability of the phaser. Best. Leo.
Nice review, very well done! Although I don’t know this to have been the reason behind it, I would like to point out that having both audio and visual lighting indications of which mode the phaser is set (ie practice, control or effects) would be very useful to those who are either sight or hearing impaired.
Are you kidding? The extending/retracting beam emitter nozzle is a very cool feature and replicates the original hero albeit via a differing mechanical function. The Roddenberry is static so it's lacking the 'prop replica' feature IMO. I have 5 Wand phasers and they all work fine extending out all the way and retracting back almost completely into the bezel ring as they should. Both yours are broken with stripped threads if they don't function. The bright metal parts were easy to replace and I even added a high output laser diode with visible beam. This puts it miles ahead of the Roddenberry and much closer to the Greg Jein owned hero prop.
The Wand Phaser is so accurate that it actually was used as THE prop throughout the eleven episode run of "Star Trek Continues", a show that is so well-made in every detail from top to bottom that it has earned the right to be canon.
The window in the phaser II is bigger because it is a remote control and the mechanism for this in the phaser I, the bigger window allows for this to function properly. Love your props by the way!!!
Thanks for the review, nice job. Something I'd like to point out though, the sight window and fins are correct for a hero model. And the P1 trigger is painted over on the hero that Wand based theirs on, so I can't blame them for that. They used the only hero known to still exist as their reference imgur.com/a/hYfW4
Thanks for the input. I saw Wand's video of the prop being laser scanned, but it doesn't show much detail, so I couldn't really comment on the accuracy of the copy they used to master the phaser they've produced. Thanks for the comment about the trigger - rather interesting. That 'oversized' window does appear in several video clips I reviewed, so obviously it was used on on-screen props, even so after decades of seeing replicas with smaller windows iit just doesn't 'feel' right to me. Doesn't matter though, I still love this thing!
I just got a WC Phaser Remote and the Beam Emitter/Barrel assembly works fine and properly, and is a jewel of a feature that every WC Phaser owner should experience. In the 'closed' position (rotate CCW looking directly into Beam Emitter), the inner male cone mates with the female cone bore of the outer Beam Emitter. This position represents the short, snub-nose BE of the first season.
Rotate CW from the snub-nose position will extend the BE out approximately 3/8" to represent the long-nose BE of the second season. This feature is often missing in Prop Replicas.
I think many WC Phasers suffer from aggressive rotation of the barrel by new owners not realizing how this works and that many either strip or jump the internal threads at the runout and thus, lose this function. It is possible to re-mate the threads from a jump by applying gentle downforce (from the long-nose position) while rotating CCW to achieve the snub-nose position.
It could also be repaired by a competent machinist-enthusiast with a respectable reputation.
As a very longtime Tool & Die Maker, model builder, sculptor, painter, CAD & 3D Modeling Designer & Draftsman, I can certainly appreciate all of the nuanced details that you have pointed out in this video. However, the WC Phaser 1 & 2 are accurate to a Greg Jein-owned screen prop - including the matte sheen to all aluminum surfaces, the large window above the barrel, the rear heat sink spacing and the black trigger under the P1.
Go to TMustachio channel and see the four-part "P2 Autopsy" to see this screen prop and others
The aspirator grille on the WC Phaser is a speaker grill. It doesn't sound significantly louder when raised for precisely this reason. When raised, you'll notice there isn't any appreciable gaps revealed to allow sound to escape. It is all coming from the speaker grill whether up or down.
On the sounds: most prop Replicas only offer a handful of sounds and the authenticity and quality fluctuate greatly among them. The WCP has very good sound with volume control and additional sounds for fun. Setting One is Heavy Stun, while Seven is Low Stun. Six is the ship's Phasers, while Eight is the Bridge console firing sound. These sounds are additional to the standard set and I don't understand the critique of then, nor the BE colors.
Even before you suggested it, I've cruised all the different UA-cam reviews extant. Yours is unique in its unapologetic, informed, and obsessive attention to detail. Good on you, mate. Very helpful as I'm getting ready to pull the firing stud on a high three-figure Wand. Several times you made a well-observed observation on the reflectivity of metal parts. You are certainly correct that this is not screen-accurate. I feel that the relative dullness actually adds to the realism and believability of the phaser. Best. Leo.
I have seen a few of this fellows videos. I do like his videos, but I came back for one reason each time!
I LOVE THE WAY HE SAYS METAL!!
Just rewatched your review. Entertaining and informative. Thanks.
The phaser scanned by Wand is an original hero prop. The larger window is correct.
Very informative
great review Ernie
Nice review, very well done! Although I don’t know this to have been the reason behind it, I would like to point out that having both audio and visual lighting indications of which mode the phaser is set (ie practice, control or effects) would be very useful to those who are either sight or hearing impaired.
Are you kidding? The extending/retracting beam emitter nozzle is a very cool feature and replicates the original hero albeit via a differing mechanical function. The Roddenberry is static so it's lacking the 'prop replica' feature IMO. I have 5 Wand phasers and they all work fine extending out all the way and retracting back almost completely into the bezel ring as they should. Both yours are broken with stripped threads if they don't function. The bright metal parts were easy to replace and I even added a high output laser diode with visible beam. This puts it miles ahead of the Roddenberry and much closer to the Greg Jein owned hero prop.
Blackbird can you share how you installed the laser diode? Pretty Please. :-)
If I remember correctly, my original Starfleet Technical Manual did show that as a Dilithium chamber on the side of the Mk II Phaser.
The Wand Phaser is so accurate that it actually was used as THE prop throughout the eleven episode run of "Star Trek Continues", a show that is so well-made in every detail from top to bottom that it has earned the right to be canon.
Looking at framegrabs of the show, the window on the front of the Wand is correct.
Nice review. Thanks.
The window in the phaser II is bigger because it is a remote control and the mechanism for this in the phaser I, the bigger window allows for this to function properly. Love your props by the way!!!
Not really. Wand got the P2 window detail absolutely correct when compared to the Greg Jein owned original hero.
Always thought that the phasers not having signts was funny.
I need the remote
Thanks for the review, nice job. Something I'd like to point out though, the sight window and fins are correct for a hero model. And the P1 trigger is painted over on the hero that Wand based theirs on, so I can't blame them for that. They used the only hero known to still exist as their reference imgur.com/a/hYfW4
Thanks for the input. I saw Wand's video of the prop being laser scanned, but it doesn't show much detail, so I couldn't really comment on the accuracy of the copy they used to master the phaser they've produced. Thanks for the comment about the trigger - rather interesting. That 'oversized' window does appear in several video clips I reviewed, so obviously it was used on on-screen props, even so after decades of seeing replicas with smaller windows iit just doesn't 'feel' right to me. Doesn't matter though, I still love this thing!
If the prop is literally scanned from the original there cant be anything the wrong size or shape.