Even if I had to deal with a few setbacks, the work went forward quite smoothly and pretty much the way I had imagined it. However, some serious precision work was necessary to make the parts as accurate and clean as they turned out to be, which was no easy task at all! As you can see in the pictures below, I shaped the wooden raw material with knives, saws, files and of course different kinds of sandpaper until I was satisfied with the results, while permanently applying coats of primer in between to reveal rough spots and other blemishes yet to be smoothed out. The most useful tool in this process? My caliper, which I used to continuously measure the thickness of the ribs, the spacing between them, etc. Without it, the parts undoubtedly wouldn’t have turned out this nice.

Of course, the pieces are not 100% symmetrical or exactly like my schematics, but I’m very pleased with the results nonetheless. The three parts I made in this manner are the ribbed middle section as well as the two back pieces. I decided to do the latter ones separately so I could make seamless resin castings of them later by using a one-piece silicone mold for each in contrast to a two-part mold for a bigger piece, which would possess a seam line by default.

So, without further ado, here are the pictures. First, the finished parts:

The original prop and my schematics for comparison:

And here are some progress pictures:

Very useful for making flat surfaces truly flat: a belt sander.

Humble beginnings…

Expanding the grooves.

Cutting deeper to match my schematics.

Some filing action to accurately shape the ribs.

Splash coat applied to reveal all kinds of blemishes.

The final cut to trim the piece from the excess wood.

The next part of the probe I want to tackle is the tip of the tool, which I will have to scratch build since I wasn’t able to identify the nose hair trimmer part that was originally used for this purpose.

Keep watching the blog for more updates. If you want to catch additional info between my blog entries, follow me on Twitter: @trekprops!

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For what it’s worth, here’s a look at the test piece I was playing with to get accustomed to working with a lathe:

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As with most of these props, it was used as a medical instrument as well as an engineering tool. However, with this one, the scientific use was seen more often.

Here are some screenshots from “Star Trek: Captain’s Chair“:

And here are two shots from the “It’s A Wrap”-Auction where two of these were sold:

Lastly, here’s the sequence of the lights from the show:

Even if it’s not very clear in the animation above, I know that the last LED of the sequence is green whereas the rest of the lights are of a warm yellow/orange color.

Using these references and with some help from people in the know, I was able to figure out proportions and measurements for this prop. Also, I learned that the tip was taken from a nose hair trimmer and the ribbed middle part was loosely based on a Star Wars lightsaber handle. The back piece was custom made from aluminum.

Here are some schematics I put together:

This drawing will be the basis for my replica. The dimensions should be pretty accurate to the original.

The next step will be to manufacture the ribbed middle section as well as the two back pieces. I will try to accomplish this by turning these parts from wood.

Stay tuned for more progress pics in the coming weeks!

Any questions or suggestions as to how I should proceed with this? Or do you know which nose hair trimmer model was used for the tip of the Neutrino Probe? Leave a comment and let me know!

Related Content:

1. Work In Progress: Neutrino Probe – Main Parts
2. Work In Progress: Neutrino Probe
3. ODN Scanner
4. Work In Progress: ODN Scanner – Part II (Molding)
5. Work In Progress: ODN Scanner – Part I (Scratch-build)

For it to be the correct size, a good portion needs to be cut off the back of the unit. The display screen of the Desktop Viewer was scratch built for the show, then the whole thing was (re)painted and decorated with pieces of black acrylic as well as vinyl tape.

I’m currently looking to get the missing pieces (screen, etc.) from fellow prop builders. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll scratch build them myself. Anyhow, this project is on the back burner for now.

Are you going to try to get one of these for yourself? Leave a comment and tell me!

Below are some screenshots. Notice the power plug socket on the side which was concealed on some prop units and visible on others.

Related Content:

1. Buildup: Small PADD (VOY)
2. Prop Analysis: Neutrino Probe
3. Small PADD (VOY)
4. Comm Badges
5. Work In Progress: Neutrino Probe – Main Parts

Ah, Starfleet cases. They come in all colors and shapes and I love all of them! Especially the ones that were used by the engineering staff to carry around their great little tools and instruments. But that’s not the only use for them, of course. They’re also very useful to store PADDs for example. And that’s exactly what Captain Picard uses his briefcase for in the TNG-Episode “Starship Mine” (6×18) when he leaves the ship, which is due for a Baryon sweep that requires a complete evacuation.

Prop-makers love to use everyday items, re-dress them a little and let them appear in a futuristic environment. It’s cheap, it looks convincing and it doesn’t take much time to do it. Because of that, most of the cases that appear on Star Trek are actual cases, that have a unusual twist or a unique look to them. It’s the same with Picards briefcase, which is actually a uncommonly shaped CD case from the eighties. The good thing about this is, that any “replica” made from the same type of case is 100% accurate in size and material, which is also the case with my prop.

The case itself does not give away too much about the brand or maker of it, the only markings on the inside state: “Outer Circle Products LTD. Chicago, U.S. & Foreign patents pending, made in U.S.A.”

I got this case on eBay some time ago. Unfortunately it was painted in the wrong color and had the incorrect details on it, so I had to refurbish it and make it accurate to its prominent appearance in TNG.

Here are some screencaps from the show:

This case was actually also heavily used on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine“, not very prominently however, but in the background on the Promenade. For these appearances, it was repainted and outfitted with different styles of tape detailing.

Here are some examples:

And here’s my prop:

One of many cases used on Star Trek: Picards Starfleet Briefcase.

The overall shape is very futuristic, unique and interesting.

The back-side is nothing but black and clean-looking.

The case opens up on the top where the handle is.

I lined the inside with some soft foam to protect whatever is carried in the case.

Instantly recognizable as Starfleet: The red pill-shaped label is essential.

These are the only markings found on the entire case.

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“Tea, Earl Grey, hot!”

It is a small glass cup made by Bodum, equipped with a plastic handle that can be detached for cleaning. This found item is to my knowledge no longer manufactured, so it will be increasingly hard to find. The cup is part of an entire tea set named “Le Pot”, which includes four cups, a tea pot, a sugar bowl, a creamer (all with cork pads) and spoons.

Here’s a still of the screen used cup:

And here’s mine:

The Bodum cup (note the logo on the bottom) is made of glass…

…and has a plastic handle which can be detached for cleaning.

There is also a taller version of this cup…

…which was also used in TNG.

Here are both cups in a comparison shot.

I was lucky enough to obtain the entire tea set which is called “Le Pot”.

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Thirdly, the color of the prop was way too light. Additionally, the backside of it wasn’t painted at all! The naked resin revealed itself which was simply unacceptable for me.

Here are a few pictures:

No doubt about it, I had to do some face-lifting work there.

My first step was to sand down the old paint completely and to remove the circuit graphic. I removed the paint residue from the “ground” of the circuit depression using an appropriate attachment for my dremel. This technique however didn’t work with the four upper small slots.

Next up was the backside. Since there was the raw resin visible – being everything but flat and even, I decided to strengthen it with styrene.

Some putty and sanding work helped here to make it look much better. There were however still imperfections left to eliminate.

After I had repaired all of the blemishes with spot putty, I could then primer and paint the piece. Since the original color – Plasti-kote 7173 – was never available in Germany and the original composition has been changed even in the US, I used a custom mixed equivalent that is indistinguishable from the original color.

Now I had to attend to the four small vents on the top of the prop. They had to be painted black again. Not an easy task to cover all of the insides with paint without messing up the front…

After I had cut the new circuit graphic, adjusted it to fit inside the depression and glued it in, I was satisfied with the result:

Looking back to the beginning I think that reworking this prop was worth the effort. The color is now accurate and the surface looks a lot cleaner and smoother. Only one question remains: How can I activate the darn thing…?

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In the episode “Future’s End“, the Doc was able to get a piece of 29th century technology – the mobile emitter -, which enabled him to do a big step in his development: He now was able to not only exist in sickbay or the holodeck but any other room without holo projectors and to move freely on the ship, go on away missions, etc. In essence, he gained the same freedom any other (human) crew member took for granted.

Here are some reference pictures from various episodes:

Here are the pictures of my replica:

The exposed circuits can be modified using micro tools, …

… which can have different effects on the Doctor’s projected appearance.

Size comparison with a Standard Starfleet Comm Badge.

I got the circuit board graphic from a fellow prop builder, …

… who printed it on aluminium vinyl and then laminated it. Great work!

The inside of the four slots are hand painted.

The graphics were cut precisely to fit in where they should.

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Once activated, these small devices enable the user to communicate with any other crew memeber who is also equipped with a smiliar badge. While the activation is done by a simple tap, everything else works through a highly sophisticated speech recognition system. Furthermore, these badged contain a personal ID beacon which can for example help to locate crew memebers in case of an emergency.

My replicas shown here are first generation castings from the original and are painted with authentic colors – unless you own a screen-used piece, this is as authentic as you can get. I acquired all of these items through eBay from the seller “JeepFX“.

TNG

TNG – Acting Ensign

TNG – “Future Imperfect”

DS9 – Bajoran Militia

TNG – “All Good Things…”

DS9/VOY/FC/INS/NEM

VOY – “Relativity”

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Because of this, I simply had to bid when I saw these chips from the tenth Star Trek movie “Nemesis” on eBay. They are made of shiny blue plexi and feature beautifully laser etched isolinear patterns. These patterns are silver on one and golden on the other side which results in a really nice metallic effect. Besides, their edges are even sharper than those on my TNG isochips!

As far as I know these chips were made by Paramount’s prop department and are identical to the original props in every aspect (material, way of construction). Probably they are even better in quality!

Here’s a picture from the “Nemesis” Special Edition DVD. On the bottom, you can see some of the isochips that were used in the film. The smaller one of my replicas is identical with the blue one on this pile.

(By the way: Besides the isochips, there are also two PADD-Stylii in this picture, which were made out of butane pen torches.)

These chips were not only used in “Nemesis“, but also in “First Contact” and “Insurrection“.

Here are the pictures of my replicas:

Silver on one side, …

… and golden on the other.

The contours of the isolinear pattern are amazingly crisp!

My ODN Scanner cannot detect any malfunction …

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