Imaginary Cage Phaser Rifle Mark 1 you can build in one night!
Started by ncc1701toy, Mar 23 2009 08:08 AM
11 replies to this topic
#1
Posted 23 March 2009 - 08:08 AM
This was originally posted to the TPZ, but I figured it might be fun on the TrekToy forum.
Well, this one was completely for fun - for those of you who have zero dollars and want to build your kid Trekkie a cool prop with recycled materials (or just for the kid in you). Hey man it's plastic, mostly. I know it looks rather toyish now, but wait until after it is painted up!!! I call this the Cage era Mark 1 Phaser Rifle beta field tested by the USS Enterprise during Pike's time and also why you didn't see it much - it had a tendancy to malfunction and spray Fabreeze on the enemy after zapping them. Since my thoughts were in the Cage time period and they needed a Phaser rifle to play with, Starfleet came up with this gizmo hot out of Starfleet labs for field testing. It purposefully resembled the WNMHGB rifle, but predates it by a few Stardates, but also resembles the fashion of the hand laser - note the rear end shape, and how the center tubes are housed. I'll post some more pics once it's glue up and painted. I actually assembled this thing last night, it's fairly simple once you have all the "parts" together - parts list follows.
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While I have not painted it yet, here I played with the PICTURE colors on a previous pic, to try to imagine what the final paint job would make it look like - something much more like this:
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PARTS LIST:
- 5/8" wood dowel about 3-4 feet long (hobby shop)
- small size wood pieces for two handles, and 3/4" wood dowel for cross member.
- floor mop resin fixings for front nozzle parts (you need to locate one that can be used this way)
- fabreeze style bottle (check the dollar store for generic brand ones are much better)
- old broken auto tire gauge for upper "antenna thingy" makes a cool range indicator
- plastic tube or other method to fix the tire gauge (or antenna) to the top of the plastic continer mouth
- small clear plastic package from some small brads or something - so it looks like a viewscreen
- another similar small plastic package material to receive the square colored pushpins for the rear end
- round and square multicolored pushpins - get the largest ones you can fine - Staples had them.
- shampoo bottle for the rear section
- Windex bottle - the bottom part only cut out and a short length of wood dowel screwed on - for the rear end handle
- clear tubing gotten from a wooden flagpole that had clear tubing with it - cut to three pieces
- three lengths of ribbed tubing - I used the type meant for hiding electric wiring or running network cables
- two cap ends from a large diameter tube mailing or storing container (the black things)
- side panels with the three "lights" are plastic cut from a Multicat cat litter container - it's cool plastic!
- length of acryllic resin for the front I obtained on the internet - but a clear small size plunger handle from CVS works too
Construction: The 5/8" wood dowel is the backbone of this baby. The wood handles have 5/8" holes cut in them and they slide right on the 5/8" wood dowel as you insert it into the plastic containers that form the body. The rear handle also has a 5/8" plastic hole drilled in the bottom - the Windex container bottom is thick plastic and curved so excellent fit and hold. The plastic tubing in the middle just needs some form of spacing to keep the three tube assemblies in a triangle formation. Of course all the plastic containers need 5/8" holes drilled in them to accept the dowel. The thing just holds itself together the way it is, but glue and paint will make this looks a lot more "professional" actually and less toyish. I figure Cage era paint won't be blue, I'm thinking black body, brass tubing color, and chrome for the nozzle end and round gizmos that hold the tubing. wink.gif
Have fun!!! Without fun, what is the point ?
Peter
Well, this one was completely for fun - for those of you who have zero dollars and want to build your kid Trekkie a cool prop with recycled materials (or just for the kid in you). Hey man it's plastic, mostly. I know it looks rather toyish now, but wait until after it is painted up!!! I call this the Cage era Mark 1 Phaser Rifle beta field tested by the USS Enterprise during Pike's time and also why you didn't see it much - it had a tendancy to malfunction and spray Fabreeze on the enemy after zapping them. Since my thoughts were in the Cage time period and they needed a Phaser rifle to play with, Starfleet came up with this gizmo hot out of Starfleet labs for field testing. It purposefully resembled the WNMHGB rifle, but predates it by a few Stardates, but also resembles the fashion of the hand laser - note the rear end shape, and how the center tubes are housed. I'll post some more pics once it's glue up and painted. I actually assembled this thing last night, it's fairly simple once you have all the "parts" together - parts list follows.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
While I have not painted it yet, here I played with the PICTURE colors on a previous pic, to try to imagine what the final paint job would make it look like - something much more like this:
.
.
.
.
PARTS LIST:
- 5/8" wood dowel about 3-4 feet long (hobby shop)
- small size wood pieces for two handles, and 3/4" wood dowel for cross member.
- floor mop resin fixings for front nozzle parts (you need to locate one that can be used this way)
- fabreeze style bottle (check the dollar store for generic brand ones are much better)
- old broken auto tire gauge for upper "antenna thingy" makes a cool range indicator
- plastic tube or other method to fix the tire gauge (or antenna) to the top of the plastic continer mouth
- small clear plastic package from some small brads or something - so it looks like a viewscreen
- another similar small plastic package material to receive the square colored pushpins for the rear end
- round and square multicolored pushpins - get the largest ones you can fine - Staples had them.
- shampoo bottle for the rear section
- Windex bottle - the bottom part only cut out and a short length of wood dowel screwed on - for the rear end handle
- clear tubing gotten from a wooden flagpole that had clear tubing with it - cut to three pieces
- three lengths of ribbed tubing - I used the type meant for hiding electric wiring or running network cables
- two cap ends from a large diameter tube mailing or storing container (the black things)
- side panels with the three "lights" are plastic cut from a Multicat cat litter container - it's cool plastic!
- length of acryllic resin for the front I obtained on the internet - but a clear small size plunger handle from CVS works too
Construction: The 5/8" wood dowel is the backbone of this baby. The wood handles have 5/8" holes cut in them and they slide right on the 5/8" wood dowel as you insert it into the plastic containers that form the body. The rear handle also has a 5/8" plastic hole drilled in the bottom - the Windex container bottom is thick plastic and curved so excellent fit and hold. The plastic tubing in the middle just needs some form of spacing to keep the three tube assemblies in a triangle formation. Of course all the plastic containers need 5/8" holes drilled in them to accept the dowel. The thing just holds itself together the way it is, but glue and paint will make this looks a lot more "professional" actually and less toyish. I figure Cage era paint won't be blue, I'm thinking black body, brass tubing color, and chrome for the nozzle end and round gizmos that hold the tubing. wink.gif
Have fun!!! Without fun, what is the point ?
Peter
#2
Posted 23 March 2009 - 03:17 PM
Very nice job there! Excellent designing, it really does look like a Cage-era ancestor of the TOS phaser rifle.
#3
Posted 30 March 2009 - 02:14 PM
Way to use recycled materials to feed your inner trekkie!
SS
SS
#4
Posted 30 March 2009 - 04:30 PM
That is too awesome! I use that shampoo!
#5
Posted 02 April 2009 - 08:28 AM
So here's the finished painted up version - I also changed the handle configuration (think it looks better). I went with a metallic charcoal grey for the back and front body parts to contrast with the black handles in the rear and bottom. Also found a concave piece for the front that I liked better - off of an old desk lamp.
#6
Posted 02 April 2009 - 12:23 PM
I am going to go ahead and move this to the customs section where it can get the recognition it deserves.
#7
Posted 02 April 2009 - 12:39 PM
Dude! That's really really cool! It came out really nice! Well done!
#8
Posted 02 April 2009 - 04:35 PM
Nicely done!
#9
Posted 04 April 2009 - 06:08 PM
That is really a great idea, and it is totally recycled materials to boot! When I was a kid (many eons ago) I remember building a model of the TOS 1701 using heavy duty paper plates glued together for the saucer section, cardboard tubes from paper towels for the warp nacells, and a toilet paper tube for the engineering section. This goes far beyond any skill I had! I can imagine adding a few LEDs where the pushpins are (the hollow bottles would have enough room in them for LEDs and batteries)! I can imagine them doing just this kind of thinking when building props for the original series given the budget they had back then! Even later, I remember reading (I think in the Next Generation Companion) that when they were filming a Next Generation episode and there was this little probe chasing the crew around on this planet, that the probe was actually a plastic spray bottle attached to one of those egg shaped things that panty hose came in! And we know that Geordi's visor was a hair barrette painted gold! Some things never change. LOL Even the bigger budget shows save money wherever they can. The universal translator on Enterprise was a bathroom air freshener! Even JJ Abrams' new props don't look quite this good. Great job!!
#10
Posted 04 April 2009 - 06:21 PM
Amazing? Yes.
Great idea using recycled material, an example we all should/could follow? Yes.
Truly an inspiration to us all, customizers and non-customizers alike.
Keep up the fantastic work!
SS
Great idea using recycled material, an example we all should/could follow? Yes.
Truly an inspiration to us all, customizers and non-customizers alike.
Keep up the fantastic work!
SS
#11
Posted 05 April 2009 - 11:21 PM
QUOTE (tribble @ Apr 4 2009, 06:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
That is really a great idea, and it is totally recycled materials to boot! When I was a kid (many eons ago) I remember building a model of the TOS 1701 using heavy duty paper plates glued together for the saucer section, cardboard tubes from paper towels for the warp nacells, and a toilet paper tube for the engineering section.
Oh boy, I bet I detect a FHC posting (I think it was you) of a similar Enterprise and it even came battle damaged!!
That is an amazing idea with parts that we all see daily, but with a bit of paint... and creativity especially... can create magic. I think if the dowel between the spray bottle and the emitter were hollow, I would wire a bulb at the end, and have a trigger rigged up! Great job to be sure.
#12
Posted 11 April 2009 - 05:50 AM
Now that is totally cool!!
So, when are you going to start offering these for sale
So, when are you going to start offering these for sale
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