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Description
Here's the 2nd photo of me carrying both of the Assault Phaser-style props I have in my "Star Trek" collection: the Playmates Toys 2/3-scale electronic toy prop from the late 1990s and the static wooden variant made for me by Triple-Fiction Productions, nicknamed the Copperhead Special because of its unique paint scheme, based on the Sig Sauer P238 Copperhead chambered in .38ACP.

I'm carrying both props with my approximation of the Captain's green variant of the "Assault" or "Commando Uniform" seen online in the Nimbus raid and U.S.S. Enterprise-A brig scenes of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" - also known as the "Wooly Pully Uniform" due to the origin of its main component. The Assault Phaser was seen for the first time being used with this particular Starfleet uniform, one of the least popular uniforms from the Classic Movie Era. It was not originally carried with any sort of holster. Instead, officers often had a sort of elastic-looking loop attached to their pants, often where the belt was, and the Phaser's handle could be threaded through the loop.

I thought this arrangement was rather iffy and didn't want to risk it, and I didn't think Cosplay Sky (the Chinese tailor shop that made my olive green variant pants) could be trusted to understand how to construct one of those without a diagram, so when the Copperhead Special was made, I instead asked Casey Sullivan to put a metal belt clip onto the prop. It didn't matter if that wasn't show-accurate; I cared more about practicality and the Copperhead Special was going to be a unique, one-off variant anyway. The end result is that the belt clip allows me to wear the Copperhead Special on utility belts or the exposed belts of the TWOK Monster Maroon or ST:V Commando Uniform and have it looking much like it did in the films with a minimum of fuss.

In-hand, the feel of the Phasers shows a tremendous difference. The Playmates toy-prop is relatively tiny considering what it's supposed to be representing at only 2/3 scale, and because of this it feels strange when I close my 26-year-old hand around the grip of the prop. I can't help but grasp the top of the detachable battery-cover/magazine clip, and this is very uncomfortable. But the Copperhead Special is fully scaled, and because of this, it feels very satisfying in my grip. My fist can't completely close around it, but it closes just enough to allow my thumb to contact my fingers and hold the prop steady. The full-hardwood construction of the Copperhead Special also gives the prop a realistic heft that the Playmates toy, which was largely hollow, lacked - this also contributes to the realism of the prop.

I've had a couple of days to get used to the Copperhead Special now, and I can only imagine how the Assassin Phaser Rifle variant is going to feel when I finally have it in-hand.

Description
Here's the 2nd photo of me carrying both of the Assault Phaser-style props I have in my "Star Trek" collection: the Playmates Toys 2/3-scale electronic toy prop from the late 1990s and the static wooden variant made for me by Triple-Fiction Productions, nicknamed the Copperhead Special because of its unique paint scheme, based on the Sig Sauer P238 Copperhead chambered in .38ACP.

I'm carrying both props with my approximation of the Captain's green variant of the "Assault" or "Commando Uniform" seen online in the Nimbus raid and U.S.S. Enterprise-A brig scenes of "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" - also known as the "Wooly Pully Uniform" due to the origin of its main component. The Assault Phaser was seen for the first time being used with this particular Starfleet uniform, one of the least popular uniforms from the Classic Movie Era. It was not originally carried with any sort of holster. Instead, officers often had a sort of elastic-looking loop attached to their pants, often where the belt was, and the Phaser's handle could be threaded through the loop.

I thought this arrangement was rather iffy and didn't want to risk it, and I didn't think Cosplay Sky (the Chinese tailor shop that made my olive green variant pants) could be trusted to understand how to construct one of those without a diagram, so when the Copperhead Special was made, I instead asked Casey Sullivan to put a metal belt clip onto the prop. It didn't matter if that wasn't show-accurate; I cared more about practicality and the Copperhead Special was going to be a unique, one-off variant anyway. The end result is that the belt clip allows me to wear the Copperhead Special on utility belts or the exposed belts of the TWOK Monster Maroon or ST:V Commando Uniform and have it looking much like it did in the films with a minimum of fuss.

In-hand, the feel of the Phasers shows a tremendous difference. The Playmates toy-prop is relatively tiny considering what it's supposed to be representing at only 2/3 scale, and because of this it feels strange when I close my 26-year-old hand around the grip of the prop. I can't help but grasp the top of the detachable battery-cover/magazine clip, and this is very uncomfortable. But the Copperhead Special is fully scaled, and because of this, it feels very satisfying in my grip. My fist can't completely close around it, but it closes just enough to allow my thumb to contact my fingers and hold the prop steady. The full-hardwood construction of the Copperhead Special also gives the prop a realistic heft that the Playmates toy, which was largely hollow, lacked - this also contributes to the realism of the prop.

I've had a couple of days to get used to the Copperhead Special now, and I can only imagine how the Assassin Phaser Rifle variant is going to feel when I finally have it in-hand.