Star Trek TOS 3D Chess Set Reproduction

I don't write about replicas often, but Roger Romage, a good friend of mine, produces some of the finest Star Trek TOS prop and set dec replicas out there.  Roger's latest project is the original 3D chess set.

From Roger:

So many of you have asked for this over the years and now this fantastic item is brought to you by exclusive agreement with Starfleet R&D East. We are proud to offer these for a fraction of the price of an original set, if you can even find one!

This is a PRE-ORDER item and should be ready to ship within about 3-4 weeks.
 

Particulars:

  Molded from a Pristine Unopened, Unused Sealed Set
  Constructed using State-of-the-Art Molds
  Molded in Color
  Cast in Solid Urethane
  Precision Laser Cut Felt Bottoms
  Expertly Constructed and Finished by a Well Known Prop Maker

These chess pieces were used quite often, in many episodes. You may remember Charlie melting a set with his mind powers.
 

I only have 7 sets available! That is all the mold can handle before it wears out. After these are gone there will be NO MORE! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so don't delay, order today!

I am offering them at a special price of $239.99 + $10.00 S&H. 

For more information contact Roger at: trekclassic@hotmail.com.  Roger is a great friend of mine and you can trust him.

Alec

QMX releases Star Trek Phaser replica

Having seen the prototype of this at San Diego Comic Con, I can tell you this is a great deal for a high quality replica.  QMX, like EFX, does great work and I highly recommend this!

From the QMX Press Release:

The Best Diplomat: A Fully Activated Phaser Bank

Got pesky Romulans lurking in the shadows? Or Klingons off the starboard bow? All you need to ward them off is this gleaming 1:1 scale, screen-accurate replica of the stunt phaser used in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek.

Our replica has been cast from a first-generation master of the screen-used phaser. Its solid polystone core is precision metal-plated in several finishes – steel, gunmetal, aluminum block and chrome – to create an exact match of the actual hero phaser used in the movie.

The QMx Enterprise Metal-Plated Phaser Replica measures 10.5" long x 7" high (grip included) and weighs more than one pound. It comes with a custom-designed display stand in smoke-colored lucite and includes a brass name plaque.

All this for just $49.95.

Romwear brings ST 2009 Romulan clothes to fans

While I try and not talk much about Replicas (outside of Master Replicas and EFX, which are worth owning), I found out last year about the maker of the Romulan costumes from the 2009 Star Trek movie and that they were now selling their costumes to the public. Recently this cam up on teh Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum and it made me think I needed to write about them!

Romwear is a company created by the team that did the Romulan costumes for the 2009 Star Trek movie.

As they state on their site:

ROMWEAR is brought to you by the same designers who were contracted in 2007 by Paramount Pictures to create over 300 original costume pieces for the Romulans in the Star Trek movie (2009), directed by J. J. Abrams.

So what you can get? Well, the whole outfit, sold ala carte. The jackets are beautiful and I think well worth the price. Both Nero's and Ayel's jackets are available as well as other versions. Shirts, pants and boots as well.

I think the prices are very reasonable and the only question is how many people are interested in them. Typically it is the uniforms that are in demand. However, while not uniforms, these are very cool costumes and because of the prices I think they will be well worth it. The jackets are amazing by themselves. I wish these guys would set up at the Las Vegas Star Trek con!

The Replicas You SHOULD Own

Well, most of my collecting friends will tell you I don't collect replicas. But there are exceptions. The TOS Master Replicas versions are the best in the business. I own all four that they produced for Star Trek TOS; the Phaser, Communicator, Tricorder and Klingon Disruptor. They all are made of metal and plastic (the Phaser is really heavy.....just like you would expect a real Phaser to be) and incredibly detailed. There have simply never been anything close, and they even light up and make sound.

Plus, they are beautifully presented on impressive bases with clear plexi cases. So they display very well.

I remember having these on my mantle in Atlanta and after a dinner party for three couple I knew, we all were drinking in my TV room and the guys started taking the props down and playing with them, amazed at how detailed they were and how they were just like one might expect the real thing to be. Of course one of the wives said "Can you boys put down the toys and sit down!" We were having too much fun.


You can find these on eBay, search "Master Replicas" and "Star Trek". The Phaser will set you back about $ 1,000, being the most popular of the lot. There are also William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy autograph versions, but that just means you get a plate with their autograph. Not so impressive, save your money as they cost more.

The Communicator is in the $ 400-500 range. And the Tricorder is in the $ 500-600 range.

I highly recommend them as they really are the pinnacle of Star Trek collecting.

High End Replica Tricorder from EFX

With the demise of Master Replicas (It was bought by Corgi and then faded into the sunset), EFX has taken up the banner of high end replica props. Barry and Bryan, the two founders are industry vets, and EFX has secured a number of licenses, Star Wars, Disney, and Star Trek. An avid Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Blog reader recently wrote a review of the new TNG era Mark IX Tricorder which I am happy to print, as EFX items are top quality, and worthy additions to a prop collectors collection.

EFX Mark IX Tricorder

The Mark 1X Tricorder, as sold on the Entertainment Earth web site,. is a copy of the tricorder used by LT. Cmdr. Data in Star Trek First Contact. The casing of the tricorder is cast metal with a plastic battery door that attaches to the tricorder with four screws - the same as the original prop. The tricorder comes with all of the bells and whistles you would normally get in a high quality replica including a prop stand and a numbered plaque. It is loaded with LEDs and has the original science tricorder scanning sound - all of which engage when the tricorder trip switch is thrown by opening the door/flap of the tricorder. The only sound issue that I see is with the opening of the tricorder. The ratchet sound is a fabricated electronically rather than having it built into the door itself. This slightly takes away from the overall aesthetic affect of the prop.

Being made out of metal, the tricorder is very heavy, perhaps too much so for any real prop enthusiast to enjoy playing with because you feel like you're going to drop it when you pick it up and you wonder whether it will fall off the custom stand. But rest assured, it is very secure. If you already own the Master Replicas First Contact Phaser, then this is a good sister prop to add to your collection because both are made out of metal and both display similarly on their custom stands.

Overall, it's worth the $349.00 U.S. (compared to the $249 that EFX Collectibles had it posted on their web site for) that Entertainment Earth charges considering the Roddenberry.com props go for more than double this and when you add in that this is limited to 684 pieces and comes with Brent Spiner's signature, you can't go wrong. I don't doubt that these units will triple in price on Ebay within six months of initial delivery so if you have the $349.00 to spend, get it now.

Rob Ball

EFX Collectibles Web Site

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=EFX02090001

Vulcan Lyra on eBay - Another repro

A seller on eBay is claiming that the Vulcan Lyra she is selling is a set used one from TOS.

Unfortunately, this is not real, but a reproduction.

The description claims:

"This is an actual set prop: Spock's Vulcan Harp from Star Trek the Original Series. Only three have ever been made. Christie's auctioned one of these about 15 years ago, I have this one, and I have no idea where the other one is. I don't know if this was ever used in an episode; the broker who sold it to me just said it was on the set. I actually contacted Christie's to auction it, but they told me it wasn't something they dealt with anymore, so they suggested I auction it locally. And since no one where I live really cares about Star Trek, here I am auctioning it on ebay...LOL I bought this years ago from a private broker in Long Island New York. It comes with a wooden stand that matches the wood on the harp. The only thing wrong with this is that it's actually supposed to play when you push the buttons on top of the harp, but the circuitry inside of it doesn't work anymore, presumably just because of age. It's been stored for years in a protective case; it's just that it's old. One of the pics has a closeup of the back of the harp where you can see the switch that is supposed to turn the harp on."

As Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum member Seleya pointed out in the thread on this prop reproduction:

"This ebay item appears to be made to some blueprints published at some point, http://cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/vulcan-ha...ction-plans.php. Note the screws at either end of the guard plate under the knobs. Note the back. They fit the plans exactly.

The screws are not on the original screen used: http://www.startrek.com/startrek/mediaview...76&count=-1 http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e333/mik...eKing116-Ar.jpg

EVERY other reproduction that has appeared over time, and the remakes used in Voyager, were *seriously* different from the original."


Also,

"These plans specify use of an electronic component, the 50240 integrated circuit, which became available in the mid 1970's."

Thus, being a TOS item from the 1960s would be out of the question.

And as always, pay attention to the provenance, which is absent here.

Alec



UPDATE: The seller pulled this item after being informed it was not genuine. As as is clear from the above post, I didn't accuse her of trying to defraud anyone, but I was clear that this was mis-described and not what it claimed. It appears she was duped and was passing on what she was told.

eFX to take over where Master replicas left off!

This came in my email last night:

eFX Boldly Goes Into a New Frontier
With the Addition of Star Trek Collectibles

Star Trek Joins Other Incredible Entertainment Properties to Make eFX the Premiere Producer of Officially Licensed Prop Replicas

BURBANK, Calif. (Sept. 21, 2009) – Space was the final frontier for Capt. James T. Kirk and his crew – and now it is the next frontier for eFX Inc., which today announced that it will introduce new high-end collectibles based on the classic Star Trek films and TV series.

eFX will introduce its Star Trek collectibles, licensed from CBS Consumer Products, later this year with the Mark IX Tricorder as seen in Star Trek: First Contact – and it’s just the first of many contacts that eFX plans for fans to be able to make with the seminal science-fiction TV and movie series, which holds a special place in the hearts of eFX’s development team.

“For many of us, Star Trek was our introduction to the possibilities and promise of science-fiction storytelling, and it is an absolute honor to have been given the chance to bring Star Trek collectibles to fans,” said Bryan Ono, president of eFX Inc.

Pre-orders for the Mark IX Tricorder are expected to begin in September, and eFX will limit its production run to no more than 1,000 pieces worldwide. The Tricorders will be offered as a “Signature Edition” signed by actor Brent Spiner, who played Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the films it inspired.

Star Trek joins an incredible list of properties within the eFX portfolio. They include Star Wars; the original Battlestar Galactica TV series; Disney animation, live-action films and TV series; and the Muppets.

“With the addition of Star Trek to the eFX catalog, we’re very proud to be home to high-end collectibles based on some of the most classic entertainment properties and brands,” Ono said.

More details about eFX and its collectibles can be found online at www.efxcollectibles.com.

More on Ed Miarecki and eBay

In talking with Ed Miarecki this past weekend, we discussed that he puts items up for sale on eBay from time to time. This week he has two interesting items.

One is a shuttlecraft casting from "The Osiris Chronicles" which was a production to be made by Star Trek veteran Joe Dante and Paramount. We have seen some of these items in the IAW sales as the items were stored with all the Star Trek assets. You can read about this item and "The Osiris Chronicles" on John Eaves web site here.

The other items is what Ed calls a miniature "master" though I would speak to Ed if you are interested. I don't think Masters were made from foam, but I could be wrong. Ed sells a lot of good stuff, and he knows of what he speaks, but just check with him on this one. You can see it here. A few weeks ago Ed had a casting of the Ferengi filiming miniature that went pretty high.

Richard Coyle ST III Communicator on eBay

There is one of Richard Coyle's replica Star Trek III Communicators on eBay now. The auction was brought to my attention and a quick email to Richard by Don from the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum confirmed this. Richard had an original to cast off of, but made certain changes to make it easier to reproduce.

Still a nice piece and probably worth $ 150 or so. Richard Coyle and Ed Miarecki props from the 80's are still in demand by replica collectors.

Alec