A quick & dirty TOS tricorder project

[Chrisisall]

In advance of receiving my DST tricorder this Tuesday I've been doing research...
The shape of the viewscreen seems to need some work. The shape on the DST is too squared off, and may need some super subtle rounding (a little more on the sides, a little less on the top & bottom)... I'm doing this on a strict budget, but this is the part that bugs me the most.

 

[Chrisisall]

I got it today, and after playing with it for 15 minutes straight, here are my findings:
Darn, this toy looks nice!
The toy fun wears off fast, though. The lights are annoying, the talky stuff is unnecessary, and the moire spin is boring after a few moments. The strap is crap, but easy to replace. The hood doesn't tilt back enough, but that's not a hard fix. The viewscreen is an inaccurate shape, the lights are wrong and the t-jets are just okay-looking.
So basically, I'm losing all the electronics, replacing the face plate entirely, and all the other little things. And it won't cost me a leg and an arm.

 

[Chrisisall]

I took it apart & removed the electronics, then cut a little off the inside of the crossbar & drilled a new registration hole on the side of the hood to allow it to tilt back some. Then I sanded the face plate viewer opening to a more correct shape, and painted the clear screen from behind. So far it looks pretty good.

 

[Gregatron]

Of course, the DST version is based upon the HMS replica, which was a convention favorite, and also ended up in “Trials & Tribble-ations”, and on Roddenberry.com (as both a kit and a finished prop).

The few tweaks you’ve made to the toy make a big difference!

 

[Chrisisall]

Of course, the DST version is based upon the HMS replica, which was a convention favorite, and also ended up in “Trials & Tribble-ations”, and on Roddenberry.com (as both a kit and a finished prop).

The few tweaks you’ve made to the toy make a big difference!

Thanks, but I'm not done yet. Waiting on some small parts, and a new strap.

 

[Chrisisall]

The faux leather strap arrived- it's perfect (and not expensive).

 

[Chrisisall]

New bezel came in the mail, old bezel removed.

 

[Chrisisall]

New bezel ready to install as soon as I get the kydex backing in the mail...

 

[PicasoX]

cool, I did it quicker and dirtier and just did metal parts, sapphire watch crowns and vintage speaker material on the faceplate,

 

[Chrisisall]

cool, I did it quicker and dirtier and just did metal parts, sapphire watch crowns and vintage speaker material on the faceplate,View attachment 1813519

Very nice. The vintage speaker material adds a lot to the authenticity of the piece.

The Kydex backing in, new metal bezel with moire installed. Last update for a week as I'm waiting for more parts. Next update will be the finished piece *crosses fingers*.