Customer Reviews

Star Trek the Original Series Black Handle Phaser

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I was a kid, and the original Star Trek was a new show, I dreamt of having my own phaser. My own "ray gun". When I opened the packaging and held onto the phaser, all of the old memories came rushing forward! A childhood dream had come true!

The unit is remarkably faithful to the original series. In the original series, there were two types of handheld phasers the crew used: a small, personal, palm-sized Type I phaser; and a pistol-gripped, handgun-style Type II. The Type II phaser consisted of a pistol-gripped housing that a Type I phaser would be inserted into, focusing and amplifying the beam from the Type I unit.

This unit has both Type I and Type II phasers. The Type I is just like the original series, with a thumb-wheel dial that increases the intensity of the beam (in this case, the sound effect and speed of the flashing LED on the front of the unit). A second switch causes the upper panel of the unit to elevate slightly for better "targetting". The "trigger" is a button on the bottom of the unit (since the actual unit used in the show had no visible firing mechanism).

The Type I palm unit snaps into the Type II housing, powering the Type II housing. A trigger button in the pistol grip fires the weapon, causing the sound effects and flashing the acrylic plastic "barrel" in front. A dial allows you to adjust intensity of the beam (once again, sound effects and flashing lights). There is even a switch for setting the unit to "overload" (which appeared in a couple of the original shows). The unit will start with a low humming, building in intensity and pitch, until it generates an explosion sound effect.

All in all, I was incredibly impressed with the thought put into the design of the unit. If, like me, you are an old fan of the series, you simply will not be disappointed with this "toy". I know that everyone in my home is getting rather tired of being "stunned" by me whenever a disagreement arises.

Like a lot of Trek fans I grew up watching the original series and wanting a phaser of my very own. Over the years there have been many available props from varying sources, with very mixed results. I myself am a prop fanatic, and while The DST Phaser is very nice, it's far from perfect. It not only has aesthetic inaccuracies, but flaws in it's design that do effect it's functionality.

When I first received mine I was amazed at how light it was. Every other phaser prop I've held has always had a solid construction with a bit of heft to them, usually due to the batteries in the handle, giving them a realistic feel. This thing feels cheap in your hands, lightweight but top heavy and overall fragile... When shaken ever so slightly, the loose buttons and knobs make it sound like a baby rattle. When I pulled the trigger, the sound was low and dull, with the flashing red nozzle getting on my nerves. The locking mechanism for the Phaser I doesn't really lock it into place. So it can be easily pulled off with a slight bit of pressure.

I really had a hard time taking this item seriously at fist, and after hearing the glowing praise for it, was a bit underwhelmed.


Those were my fist impressions of the phaser, which changed after some time playing with it. I came to terms that this isn't the studio prop recreation I've always hoped for, and is in fact - A TOY. Eventually I did find a few things by going back and reading the instructions... The setting dial on my P1, which I thought was static, actually did turn. But mine was stuck in place. Pushing it really hard snapped it into the next positions, which eventually revealed the classic phaser sound everyone knows. Why the packaged phasers aren't set to this one by default puzzles me, but the dial now turns much more easily. Secondly, I was always too afraid to touch the knob on the back of the phaser II housing. Just looking at it, you can see the spindly peg that holds it in place, rather loosely I might add... It looks like a weak point that I'm sure will break with enough play, but does work to give us that nice overload sound.


This made me much more comfortable with it's TOY status... for the price, it's really nice. No other toy has ever come even close to this in terms of quality for cost, and I'm sure that we won't ever see anything this nice again.


But I was looking for more than a cheap feeling, but nice looking toy, and so, as I've done with almost everything I've ever owned... I started taking it apart.

First off, there is one defect that is completely the fault of the manufacturers. It should have been caught and fixed, but due to someone being asleep at the wheel, made it through to production. The battery compartment on the Phaser I has been molded in a way, that makes it impossible to completely close it, while there are batteries inside. Three squares molded on the inside of the cover, keep it from being screwed in all the way. As such, the phaser I does not sit in the cradle of the Phaser II properly. This is why the locking mechanism doesn't work. I was able to repair this by grinding down the inside of the cover to remove the excess plastic. It now sits flush with the Phaser II, eliminating the gap, and firmly locking into place. It is now impossible (beyond breaking it) to remove the P1 without pushing the release pin forward.

This is something I should not have had to do, and will not be easily fixable for a lot of people.

So, after having fixed the battery compartment, my major gripe is all the loose parts. After being dubbed "trekkies first rattle" by me and my friends, I went about isolating all of the major culprits of this. the loose deflector grid and dial, the P2 setting knob, release pin, the side knob and bezel ring which control the light. All of these things rattle rather obnoxiously in your hand.

The setting knob on the back of the phaser has two problems... it's loose, and has a weak pin. This could have been solved with a ridge around the pin that would keep it from moving back and forth. I created my own by cutting off one of the rings from the twist tie holders that originally held it inside the box. After splitting it in two and sanding it down a bit, it slid the 2 disc sections into place, a drop of glue, and now the knob has the support needed to keep it from snapping off, and the friction to keep it from rattling.

Similar efforts can be used on the other rattling parts of the P2... A bit of extra plastic to increase the friction prevents it from rattling around.

The P1 needs to be opened and have the hinges on the dial and deflector grid tightened to prevent them from rattling. I did this with a tiny bit of electrical tape around the pegs.


After doing this, it greatly altered my feel toward the piece. It's feels solid now, less cheap and prone to breakage. It still doesn't fix several of the aesthetic issues, but stops it from feeling like a toy, and more of a licensed prop.

I bought this for my son after he started getting hooked on the old original series. Although I enjoyed the show as a kid, I never really became a Trekkie. But now I want one too; it is just too cool!!! Modelled after the most commonly shown phaser prop in the old show, it has a very authentic look and feel. The four intensity settings sound just like the sound effect used in the tv show. It even has another setting that puts it on over-load to explode, particularly clever as this was only done in very few of the original episodes. Be forewarned: although batteries are included, it takes three button batteries of the AG13 type. These are not a battery that most folks have kicking around the house, but can easily be found in most drug stores, Radio Shacks, etc.

I didnt buy mine here but i just had to say something about it.It was way better than i expected.The one i have is different than another reviewer in that the sound stays going as long as you hold the trigger.It really brought back memories and i wished i could have one when i was a child but it was never made back then.I have been watching star trek each night on TVLAND and will be getting the series on dvd soon.i am very pleased with it.The sounds are exactly like the series.Wish the light could be brighter but its just fine.I would never part with it.Go ahead and grab one,you wont be disapointed"""A word of caution,be careful aiming this thing.It tends to be a little rough on the furniture and i let my son play with it the other day and now the dog is missing""I cant for the life of me figure out where he is.If anyone has any ideas i would appreciate an email.

What can I say. If it loks like a phaser and sounds like a phaser then it must be a phaser. I love this toy. It makes all the different sounds a phaser makes.It lights up.It even remove phaser 1 from the main body to have a smaller pocket sized phaser(perfect for shooting the boss,teacher,pastor or,or anyone else that anoys you. The coolest thing is the self distruct feature.My wife and have hours of fun playing hot potato and blowing each other up.Get one today and let the carnage begin

I've had one of these for a while now, and I'm very impressed.
Let's face it, I'm a nerd, and this is the toy I'd have loved SO much as a child of the 70's! We didn't have anything comparable then, but now we do.
Sure, I may be too old for it now, but that hasn't stopped me from having fun with it! Need to take a walk through the darkest part of the house? Take it along with you to zap those phantom Klingons, Romulans, and the odd Space Dust Bunny you know are lurking out there!
I tease my cat with it too, she loves it now, will come running at the authentic phaser sounds, she knows she's gonna get poked with it, and it's one of her favorite games.
One of the neatest things about this toy is the seperable 'Phaser 1' unit. Pull the little side knob, and it pops out of the pistol grip, just like the ones in the show. Now you can carry your phaser with you to shoot those annoying people who cut you off in traffic, without looking like you're waving a gun at them! (rofl!)
Let the kid in you come out and play, just get one, you won't be sorry! (Though the wife/kids/neighbors or whoever might think you've slipped your gears a little).

This toy is AWSOME!!! Has great sound effects just like the ones from the movie! Has 4 settings and an overload feature that will make a humming sound ending in an explosion-like sound!

Type 1 phaser removes from the type 2 phaser pistol! Pull out the gold-bronze colored pin gently to release the type 1 phaser.

The type 2 phaser has a few knobs and buttons as well. The trigger is obvious. There is a knob just above the trigger which lets you turn the LED light on or off. The overload switch is on the top back of the type 2. Turn the knob so it clicks and press the trigger. The beam emmiter has a turning diam that lets you adjust the brightness on the type 2 phaser.

The type 1 has a rubber trigger on the bottom. The dial on the left will flip up the silver grid. Do this and you will get better sound. The dial on the right will change the settings. You have to turn this dial when the type 1 is attatched or seperate from the type 2 to change sound effects.

My only complaints are very minor.
1. Sound is a bit too soft.
2. Pull the trigger to far or twist the overload dial too far and the type 1 will pop off. This is because of the loose pin.
3. Why not use AAA batteries? It uses LR44/AG13 batteries.

OVERALL, GREAT TOY!!!!!!!!! :) All Trekkie fans will be very pleased!
VERY great value. It is worth the cost!!! :) STrongly encouraged to buy!!

to all of us who remember the AMT model kits version of this item (sold as a 3 pack with a communicator and a tricoder)

and the fun we had with them (even tho they werent very accurate)

this is our time!

this toy is is freakin AWESOME!

(my only gripes are 1. the locking pin for the type one unit...why not just make it a 'snap in' feature? and 2. NOT LOUD ENOUGH!)

tho neither of these bugs me all that much...

the sound is true, the weight feels good. and its got enough bells and whistles to make up for the minor gripes i mentioned...

this is just a totally awesome toy!!!!

good job guys!

I didn't buy mine from amazon, but it is definatly a solid phaser. I love it, and i feel like part of star fleet. the only problem is that on some of them, the latch that keeps the type I phaser in place is kind of loose, so when i press the trigger to hard, or i turn the overdrive dial, the type one phaser pops out. it's annoying, but remedied by a light trigger pull. all and all one of the best replicas i've seen.

Ok, led's gotta go, then order a 200mw laser from China (you see where this is going right?) Paint it a metallic black with silver trim add a 3.6(recommend 3 volt)battery and pop baloons light matches, cut black tape, annoy mom with POP POP POP. NEVER look into it, permanent eye damage guaranteed. NEVER use it on animal permanent YOU damage I guarantee. NEver shine at a helicopter, or aircraft or people or their house or cars, THE COPS< COPS will come for you and they won't be smiling or saying "hey thats cool", rather "YOU HAVE.....etc. Never do anything stupid , I can't list them all, just use your common sense and if you need some use your grandparents, not your friends. AND HAVE A BLAST. Oh I intend to continue on making them more and more Powerful, and don't go waving it around in the dark near cops, they can't tell and you won't get the chance to explain before BANG,too late. Then you're in the paper dead with a toy phaser, not the cool way to go.