JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
That’s how I feel about my FE medical tricorder. It’s an awesome piece but has taken a LOT of criticism.
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The Wand Company TOS Tricorder is coming!
- Thread starter Jediwannabe
- Start date
asalaw
Master Member
I don't think the criticism is justified. Would anyone really pay for a wonky version of the tricorder that exactly matches the original prop? How many Trekkies would look at that and feel ripped off? Seriously, have you seen the photos of the Jein tricorder? That thing is a hot mess.
Most of the TOS Props were
mach7
Well-Known Member
For me, I have very close (to the prop) replicas of the props I want. They are wonky as you said, but fill the need for
"close to what the actors would have held"
They are cool and cherished in my collection.
The Wand Co items are as close to what would have been "used" in the "real" Star Trek universe that current technology allows.
They look right, they feel right, they work right. They are not toys or prop replicas, they are both...and neither.
"close to what the actors would have held"
They are cool and cherished in my collection.
The Wand Co items are as close to what would have been "used" in the "real" Star Trek universe that current technology allows.
They look right, they feel right, they work right. They are not toys or prop replicas, they are both...and neither.
FANATICO
Sr Member
Your right…..but also in my opinion, Wand’s landing party equipment trio is the current pinnacle to the evolution of functionality as first envisioned by Gene Roddenberry, his Writers, and Prop Masters. I don’t doubt that the evolution will continue as the Star Trek licensing moves from company to company as it has throughout the decades. Years down the line, a new company will build upon its predecessors as the technology improves. It will eventually reach the state ‘from science fiction to science fact’. Hopefully I’m still alive by the time a new landing party trio comes out.
JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
For those that want the hood detects to be stiffer, Chris Barnardo has posted instructions to accomplish this on the Tricorder blog. These will also be added to the on-line manual.
Chris Barnardo
July 9, 2025 at 7:41 am
Here is a quick explanation on how to increase the detent strength, but the first part describes and shows how to remove the straps. I will add this to the Tricorder online instruction manual. If you follow these instructions, taking off the side panels to adjust or replace the strap is not destructive and was part of the design intent.
1. Unscrew the single side screw that hows the panel in place
2. Unscrew the screw that holds the back door closed
3. Open both the front and back doors. This is important as there are features on the doors that lock the side panel in place
4. with the front and back doors open, slide the side panel down a few millimetres
5. it should easily lift off. You do not have to unthread the strap, just lift the panel to one side to reveal the hood hinge axle and detent mechanism
6. Unscrew hood locating axle and detent mechanism using a T6 torx screw bit
7. Hold the mechanism between thumb and forefinger or with a pair of pliers
8. Bend the detent spring away from the front face. You can be quite brutal with this as we have never managed to break one
9. Bend it enough to make sure that it stays bent after you let go of it, basically you have plastically deformed it
10. Put the detent mechanism back and secure with the screws and then the reassembly is the reverse… be careful to make sure that a) you use the correct screws for the correct parts and be careful to remember that the front and back doors must be open when you slide the panel back in.
Check that the detent is stiffer and then if you want it even stiffer do the same to the other side.
Chris Barnardo
July 9, 2025 at 7:41 am
Here is a quick explanation on how to increase the detent strength, but the first part describes and shows how to remove the straps. I will add this to the Tricorder online instruction manual. If you follow these instructions, taking off the side panels to adjust or replace the strap is not destructive and was part of the design intent.
1. Unscrew the single side screw that hows the panel in place
2. Unscrew the screw that holds the back door closed
3. Open both the front and back doors. This is important as there are features on the doors that lock the side panel in place
4. with the front and back doors open, slide the side panel down a few millimetres
5. it should easily lift off. You do not have to unthread the strap, just lift the panel to one side to reveal the hood hinge axle and detent mechanism
6. Unscrew hood locating axle and detent mechanism using a T6 torx screw bit
7. Hold the mechanism between thumb and forefinger or with a pair of pliers
8. Bend the detent spring away from the front face. You can be quite brutal with this as we have never managed to break one
9. Bend it enough to make sure that it stays bent after you let go of it, basically you have plastically deformed it
10. Put the detent mechanism back and secure with the screws and then the reassembly is the reverse… be careful to make sure that a) you use the correct screws for the correct parts and be careful to remember that the front and back doors must be open when you slide the panel back in.
Check that the detent is stiffer and then if you want it even stiffer do the same to the other side.
I will be curious to see what results anyone has with this procedure.
Simonized
Active Member
I've already swapped the strap, it is simple
Simonized
Active Member
Might give it a go on mine, I'll let you know. The only thing with this is that as it is it opens and closes quite nicely, you make it stiffer it's not going to have as smooth an action.
JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
I won’t be doing it. Who wants loud restrictive clunks while opening and closing the hood? It’s fine the way it is and simple enough to hold the back of the hood while pushing the buttons.
In fact, I’d be more tempted to sand down the ribs between the detents except for fully closed and maybe 110 degrees open and further. That would give it smooth motion like the original prop.
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The ones made by Desilu certainly were.
Wah Chang made the hero props, because the union made ones were so bad.
Lets be real: The props were perfectly fine for a TV show, made in the 60s, broadcast on the NTSC standard.
DMT
New Member
Do you plan to upload STLs for the other two dividers?
-E-
Well-Known Member
The hood on my tric has a hard time staying closed. It likes to pop into the first ratcheted position a lot. I wonder if this would help.
JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
smithjohnj
Sr Member
There was a question if I would make the .stl for the other Tricorder dividers available. There seemed to be limited interest and I was waiting to receive my own in order to test the fit. So I did not provide them earlier. I can confirm I was right on target for the size and shape but needed to refine the tabs to match the TWC versions. There is also a groove in the compartment which had not been mentioned or obvious from any images I had seen. Although I have now received a Medical Scanner, I currently have three identical dividers in place simply to "hide" the slots. It provides a more "finished" look for the compartment in my opinion. I will try to provide an improved version after I finish a couple of other tasks.
FANATICO
Sr Member
It would be nice if someone like Andrew or James or Chris himself posted a YouTube video demonstrating the procedure….or anyone else.
Btw Who’s to say that bending (deforming) won’t unbend (reform) back to its original moulded form over time.
On the TWC blog update #20…..Chris’s answer to someone’s gripe of the hood ratcheting sound and flimsiness ..is this…
“
Chris Barnardo June 4, 2024 at 5:17 pm
Pity that makes you cringe… we had to work really hard on getting that exactly right. The idea of that was so that the user could stop it in any one of the positions that were seen on the show. Of course if you want, when you get it you can always take it apart and remove the other detents with a knife, and leave only the one that you want. In the show it flops around all over the place.
“
Sounds a wee bit sarcastic to the gripers concern. Imo….given Chris’s tone (and probably frustration by then) I don’t know if his answer is BS or not as far as a fix goes.
Has anyone tried Chris’s suggested knife procedure to physically cut away detents as one might desire?
My suggestion to TWC (if they read this thread) is to do a re-tool redesign of new left and right moulds and recast both parts with the modified dimensions and then make them available at the TWC website as a customer request replacement option.
Hand bending may not cut it…as a permanent fix.
Btw Who’s to say that bending (deforming) won’t unbend (reform) back to its original moulded form over time.
On the TWC blog update #20…..Chris’s answer to someone’s gripe of the hood ratcheting sound and flimsiness ..is this…
“
Chris Barnardo June 4, 2024 at 5:17 pm
Pity that makes you cringe… we had to work really hard on getting that exactly right. The idea of that was so that the user could stop it in any one of the positions that were seen on the show. Of course if you want, when you get it you can always take it apart and remove the other detents with a knife, and leave only the one that you want. In the show it flops around all over the place.
“
Sounds a wee bit sarcastic to the gripers concern. Imo….given Chris’s tone (and probably frustration by then) I don’t know if his answer is BS or not as far as a fix goes.
Has anyone tried Chris’s suggested knife procedure to physically cut away detents as one might desire?
My suggestion to TWC (if they read this thread) is to do a re-tool redesign of new left and right moulds and recast both parts with the modified dimensions and then make them available at the TWC website as a customer request replacement option.
Hand bending may not cut it…as a permanent fix.
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-E-
Well-Known Member
I'll give that a go this weekend. Thanks for the tip.
Oh they were fine untill you held them in your hand
As with anything as long as it looked good on camera you were fine
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