Star Trek TOS Phaser Project: The Color Scheme

There are many different types of Color schemes of Phasers in the Star Trek Original season. The first season was largely a work in progress as it was being made, so the consistency of props was nonexistent. The tricorders and communicators are varied as well... All of this is from reading, and opinions are going to vary because of the inconsistency of the prop making methods.

Because all the color schemes and combinations are "Screen Accurate", this allows for a bit of flexibility in choosing my preferred color setup... So here are the more well known versions in the TV show.
First, the Black and White model. These are only found in the first eight TV shows to my knowledge. Some say the color was a cream or pearl... Something to consider. You can see why they *ahem* phased them out.

Rare Original screen used white phaser. They are rare because most were painted over.

What the color of the remaining handles were depends in the type of Phaser you are talking about. There is the Stunt/dummy model which is the cheapest of all the props, often not even colored. Then there is a AA model. These usually had a Black handle with a grey/blue color. Some say it was completely grey. My opinion is it was more of a slate color... This is most commonly seen prop. Some had gold grips, to based off the hero, but failed in the execution... Again, IMO. ;)

AA version prop. Note the lack of the metal conical tip

The last version, is of course the Hero Version (or AAA), which I will be basing my project off of. These got close ups and had functional parts such as raised sights. There are two opinions as to what the color of the Hero grips were, either Dark Bronze Metallic or a Charcoal Grey Metallic.
   The color of the body of the Phaser is a dark blue. No Metallic. Here are two Screen Captures... Both have the Metal Conical tips.

So, after the long and lengthy amount of research, I think I will be going with the dark Bronze handle and a dark blue Slate paint job.

Here are the paints I plan to use.
For the Pistol Body:
Santa Fe Blue. http://www.testors.com/products/137307
And more to consider here: http://www.testors.com/category/560957/Naval_Colors

For the Type 2 (smaller Phaser):
This color is tricky, because it is supposed to look dark grey in the light, and black in less light.
Engine Black: http://www.testors.com/products/137240

For the Bronze Grip:
Rustoelum Dark Bronze Metallic: http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-7272830-Metallic-Bronze-11-Ounce/dp/B000ZYTNJA

The Star Trek TOS Phaser Project

I don't know about you, but Star Trek "The Original Series" is one of my favorite TV shows. Yes. It is cheesy, corny, and not even realistic. But the actors are some of the most memorable in TV history, and work together in a way which we don't see anymore in TV shows.

While most props were rather... Lame. There are three which are pretty interesting. First, the Tricorder. Spock's Instrument of choice when he needed to pick up life forms or any other reading. Second, the communicator, which was their ticket back to the Enterprise. Lastly, The Phaser, which was first a tool to cut, weld, or heat. A weapon to defend themselves from hostile aliens. And a  bomb. If it gets set into overload.

You don't want your phaser to go into overload.

I have wanted to build a fully functional 1:1 Star Trek Phaser for a long time now. There are many cheapy kid models, but few quality cast kits. Even Fewer which are 1:1 scale. After a few months of searching I managed to snag 2 of these Brand new:

This cast kit is a full 1:1 Scale, which was made back in the 80s. The people who made this actually operated out of a garage, and because these were so accurate, got a cease and desist order from CBS. They are very hard to find, but they will pop up on ebay once or twice a year. It is one of the best kits out there to install electronics and maintain the accurate scale.

So here's the goal. To turn this pile of plastic into two fully functional LED phasers with sound. The Type 1, with two modes. The Type 2, with one. Rechargeable cells will also be used, so you plug it in instead of swapping batts.

A project and a half, but I think it will be fun, and provide that nice change needed from saber building at times.

So, things to do.
1. Find proper adhesive and purchase
2. Find accurate paints
3. Find replica sized metal thumbscrew
4. Mounting solution for grip other than glue
5. Custom Soundboard with a friend of mine
6. Layout internal electronics
7. Switch and LED holes
8. Dual Mode switch solution
9. Photoshop settings diagram
10. Glue, sand, bondo, and paint pieces
11. Install electronics
12. Close everything up and test/fire/enjoy

If you are wondering. I plan to make a High powered Phaser that will actually burn through items, pop balloons, etc with the second model. Using a LED Laser Diode this is possible (the same kind which burn DVDs, CDs, etc. I wanted to tackle the easier project first. ;)