Customer Reviews

Star Trek Communicator and Phaser Two Pack

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Of course if these two toys where metal that would be an improvement but for the purpose of being able to have a great replica of a childhood fantasy in your hand, this product is good. A heavier, more durrable plastic would be an improvement. The sound effects are cool. The 'hailing' setting on the comunicator is great. The phaser has an over load build up with explosion setting, straight out of the original TV show.

I always wanted these toys as a kid growing up in the late 70's but to poor to get for Christmas or birthdays, so I'm buying them now..just 'cause.

I must say this is a disappointment, mainly due to the quality. The communicator in particular looks rather poor. The paint job is sloppy, with some of the silver paint spilling off of the trim, or not covering the trim completely, making the new item look worn. The antenna has a frame with the mesh "cage" soldered at a few points, and where it is not soldered it does not quite meet the frame, leaving rough looking gaps. It does not fit into the casing well and won't close completely. Though only a very minor nitpick, the antenna is also a matte bronze color rather than the shiny gold in the picture (this may be more faithful to the original prop, as shiny metal can cause glares on set, but it was nonetheless a little disappointing). Mine had some sort of flaw in the display screen resulting in a big black splotch in the center. The phaser doesn't suffer quite as much, though it too has sloppy paint.

All of this is in addition to the over use of gimmicks. I knew going in that the phaser wasn't perfectly accurate, but the changes seem excessive and unnecessary. The biggest modification is the "targeting sensor". What is supposed to be the power control dial instead raises the silver mesh piece on the top to a low angle, supported by a clear plastic piece that replaces the trigger button (which has been relocated to the bottom of the piece). To change the power setting one turns the gauge on the right side. This might seem like fannish, nerdy nitpicking, but it is a significant modification of the original design, unless all the replicas I've seen elsewhere are inaccurate. Combined with the reassigning of the pistol's power control dial that is supposed to initiate a self destruct sequence (that doesn't work on mine) and a few other minor details, it really isn't accurate to brag about the authenticity.

All in all, these are not really very good for collectors or geeks who want to display or occasionally play with replicas. They might be more suitable for children, but they are awfully expensive to be thrown around by a kid, especially given their light construction. Perhaps if the makers had used fewer gimmicks and instead made the items a littler better, they might be worth it. As it is, I will be sending mine back, and will just save up for proper replicas.

COMMUNICATOR

I got this and the packaging looked fine. The communicator has a "pull this tab to connect the battery" strip of plastic. I pulled it. The communicator did not work. I managed to unscrew the back without stripping the screws that are pretty low quality. I opened up the back and the whole battery area was corroded over.

I managed to get them out and scrape off the corrosion. I put in new batteries and it worked. I then tried to put the back panel back on and it wouldn't go back into place correctly. It still doesn't work.

The digital tech of the communicator is pretty nice. It can call you. It has some whirring parts. Various trek voices, etc.

The flip grill is dull gold-ish plastic.

PHASER

The phaser is a blast. However its battery was terrible. The screw to open it up is made of the cheapest metal (if it is even metal) and stripped almost instantly. And I expected it and had the right tools to not have it happen. I still haven't drilled it out because the battery is able to make some barely audible sound.

Again, pretty nice digital tech on the toy, but the battery design and screws made it horrible. The variable sounds are good. The self-destruct is clever.. other reviews were disappointed about which dial did what. I don't care about that too much. The sounds are authentic. The phaser-1 / phaser-2 detach is actually pretty solid. The light seems like it might work well, but my battery is terribly low.

GENERAL

I took a picture or two of these when I opened it up. I'd love to have these things working even if it took some black electrical tape to hold them together. But it isn't even possible to get it that close.

I needed some props to complete my Star Trek TOS costume and thought this set would do the trick. Unfortunately the set seems sized for kids and is very poorly constructed. Beware that these are not quality props, but very cheaply made toys. That would be fine if not for the outrageous price! I was really disappointed.

I'll start with the phaser...amazing. I've never seen a more complex toy, every switch, dial, button, etc., does something different. I don't think you can find a more accurately detailed TOS phaser anywhere.

Now the Communicator: judging from all the other great reviews, I just got a dud. Everything basically works right except sometimes when you close it; it stays on. Sometimes I close, it turns off, I set it down, then 5 mins. later it turns back on lol. I can spend 5 mins. just trying to get it to shut up. But when it's working correctly it's very well done.

Anyway, great product if you don't happen to get a lemon....and even then, it's not THAT bad.

First the good. The phaser is very good. You have the option of using it as a Type I (just using the smaller part) or Type II (ie. docking it into the pistol part and using both). Now the bad news. The Type I doesn't dock into the pistol very well at all. This affects the "overload" function. Only through pressing down on it by hand or somehow wedging the phaser down will you get the overload to work. It's cheaply built but it doesn't mean it's not fun. The communicator however is just bad all around. The mesh screen came bent and not fitting flush to the rest of the communicator. Thankfully it's made of cheap metal so I could bend it to the right positioning. Also, don't think you can flick this communicator open just like the show. There's no friction on the hinge so it just flops around. The motor that makes the screen design slowly spin around is so incredibly loud that I went in and took out the battery. No on/off switch. The communicator couldn't be more disappointing. Save yourself the money and buy the phaser by itself if you really want it.

Wow,I'm 42 and when I saw this on Amazon I knew I must have it. Not as a toy but a reminder of a much more entertaining time before reality TV.

While a big fan of Star Trek, I would not be considered a "Trekkie". However, the "replica" items are fine for my taste. They are only for display use and therefore are just fine. A more fanatical fan would probably be disappointed in the quality and design. But for the "average" fan, they are acceptable. Probably a little over-priced for the average fan.

When I bought this I only paid $22.74! Now I wish I bought a few. Hard Core Fans of the original Star Trek will love this item. I keep it on my desk in my office for clients to hold and play with. They feel real. The audio that comes inside the communicator sounds just like the show! The phaser is a little cheap feeling but the communicator alone makes this a great purchase. Buy one for yourself and another one for a loved one or a good friend. You will love this item!

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I purchased this product to replace the Playmates version I had, which was showing their age. The phaser pistol w/ detachable palm phaser is more accurately detailed than the Playmates, but not as heavy. The playmates version had two phaser sounds while the Diamond only has one. The Diamond does have the "overload" sound but I like the two phaser setting sound.

The Diamond communicator is by far superior to the Playmates talk back communicator. Again, it is more accurately detailed. The talk back feature never worked well and it didn't have the "channel open" chirp. The weight is about the same as the Playmates and it is slightly smaller but I believe that is more accurate to the detailing. The "call back" function is totally cool and I get a kick out of it when I show off the communicator to friends. Yes I'm an original series geek and have quite a collection of ST items that I show off whenever friends drop by.