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The Classic Star Trek PhasersPart two.. The 2nd Season - Page TwoBy Richard A. CoyleAs with the black and white models almost all of the rest of the detailing changed from phaser to phaser. And again the second semi-constant parts I have seen have been the muzzle and the knob-like thing on the side of the main body. Even then, I have counted three distinct models for both the muzzle and the knob. Let us study this model from "head to toe," starting at what some would call the "business end," at the front of the phaser, right at the tip of the emitter. These remained the same, just carried over to the new model. The best of these tips appear to be machined acrylic, cut into a cone shape and tapering to a blunt end with the crudest of these being simply a piece of plastic tubing.
A few of the working models were hollow or drilled out and with a taper cut. These had a grain-o'-wheat light bulb installed for a lighting effect. These lights were believed to have been installed to aid the special effects artist who would then key in on these lights when they drew the animated beam of a phaser firing. Current custom is to leave all lights out of props. The phaser in "Star Trek - The Search For Spock" had no tip light. After all, animation is charged by the frame and an actor firing for three seconds is cheaper than a ten second blast and he might be aiming it wrong when he does fire.
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