Type-III Phaser Rifle Kit

Yes. Another prop from the Star Trek universe. Call me a big kid, but I do really get surprised when I walk into a workshop and stumble upon stuff like this. I was at the My Sci-Fi Outpost at Cineleisure to see Kenny Gordvyn put the finishing touches to a rebel X-Wing fighter helmet prop when I saw this leaning against the wall. Yeah! The one Picard used to kick the Borg's ass in ST: First Contact.

In the meantime, I learned that sandpaper could make something look worn and weathered. Kenny is my kit building si-fu. He's been tinkering around with model kits for years. Somewhat of a maestro of kit building and a paint expert. Many hobbyists have sought his counsel in the area of plastics, resin and vinyl kits. Planes, trains and automobiles and of course, starships!

Coming back to the subject, this is a resin model of a Starfleet Type-III Phaser Rifle, a standard compliment in Starfleet vessels from 2373 onwards. Being resin, it's solid and does not creak when being maninpulated. It's around 80 per cent of the 'real 'sized weapon is one of 3 known variants.

Still, whoever put this together could have taken more time doing it. The rifle only has a dummy targeting scope; no sight and no lights. I read there are after market parts to form a functional scope. The beam intensity and beam width buttons are incomplete and the power settings indicator was not detailed. Could have drilled a chamber to house some electronics. Painting detail on this model could have been better. The surface is rough and the paint job uneven. The parts weren't assembled together properly with some misalignment and unpolished corners. Not to mention, the entire piece wasn't sanded down properly to get rid of the undulations and moulding marks. What a waste. If I could take possession of this kit, I'd do a complete repainting job to do it some justice, after having consulted Kenny no doubt.