Assassin Phaser Carbine Version 2 by TFP (4)

Although I was the one who first brought up the idea to Triple-Fiction Productions to take on the challenge of bringing the so-called "Assassin Phaser Rifle," the upgraded sniper version of the ST:V/VI Assault Phaser that was the original prop intended for Rene Auberjonois to use as Colonel West during the notorious sniping scene in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," Brent has also played a critical role in spurring continued development of the prop and improving TFP's skill in reproducing the item, and eventually getting it to the level of quality that Triple-Fiction is able to offer now.

Brent and I had been slowly making plans to have him join the ranks of the "Monster Marooners" - those "Star Trek" fans fortunate enough to own uniforms from the classic movie era of the "Trek" universe - since the end of AWA 2013, and obtaining some very impressive and character-appropriate props was one of the first steps to making this cosplay ready.  Brent first got in the "Assassin Phaser" development process in November 2013 when he received the second - and currently, the only - ST:VI-inspired Assassin Phaser Carbine.  

Though ultimately considered a "failed" experiment, the "Shorty" was a crucial intermediate step.  Triple-Fiction gained a lot of experience crafting the overall shape of the Assassin Phaser while producing the two "Shorty" props, including attempts to research different ways to build the details of the muzzle brake component and perfect their craftsmanship in forming and shaping the control surfaces of the prop, which in reality, had been put onto the Phaser because the Phaser itself was originally built from Airsoft replicas of the Beretta M93R automatic hand pistol.  The reason Brent's more recent full-scale Assassin Phaser rifle is the first one to actually have a hole machined into the tip of the barrel's emitter tip - something TFP had rarely bothered to put onto their weapon props before we insisted - was because there wasn't one on either of the "Shorty" Assassin Phaser Carbines and it detracted from the on-screen realism of the props.  

Furthermore, the special paint scheme used on all of Brent's Assault/Assassin Phaser props was ultimately developed from what we did with this one.  I had long used a unique, idiosyncratic paint scheme on all of my Assault/Assassin Phasers that had been nicknamed the "copperhead colors" because it originated from my Assault Phaser variant having the colors of a particular real-life handgun, the SIG Sauer P230 Copperhead chambered in .380ACP, color-mapped onto the prop.  This had been done because the real prop had been nearly 100% black, making me concerned that the beautifully intricate details of the prop wouldn't show up very well on camera because everything would just wind up drowning in a sea of black; the new colors, which were brighter, warmer combination of gray and glittery metallic copper with silver highlights, made the different levels of detail on the prop stand out against each other and, furthermore, allowed the prop to really draw attention on camera.

I wanted to achieve the same kind of positive effect with the prop(s) that would ultimately go to Brent, especially since I was already expecting that Brent would go on to use the props on his own at conventions and shoots that I would be unable to attend; each of us, when carrying these props, would represent Triple-Fiction Productions' handiwork and the ST:VI Assassin Phaser Rifle prop - a very real, if obscure, piece of "Star Trek" history.  I really wanted his prop to look just as good as I knew, from experience, that the Copperhead looked.  On the other hand, although I am very fond of using idiosyncratic variants on canonical uniform and prop designs, I usually shy away from forcing strange variants onto my friends.  I was now in a quandary: how could we create a relatively show-accurate prop while still allowing the details of the prop to stand out?

The answer lay in a variation of what I was slowly beginning to refer to as the "counter shading" technique: instead of pairing a mild shade of medium grey against warm metallic copper, we would now pair a deep black (as the main color) against a metallic gunmetal grey (the counter-shade used to emphasize details), while keeping the silver paint highlights on the control surfaces and studs.

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This submission offers another three-quarter view of Brent's finished "Shorty" ST:VI-style Assassin Phaser Carbine prop, this time viewed from above and to the rear.  The decal that Triple-Fiction Productions applied to this "Shorty" to depict its rear indicator light is different from the one that was used on my now-destroyed version of the prop.  More importantly, there were critical alterations to the shape.  

The sharply angled section of the stock was lowered, meaning that the weapon would be braced so that the scope would be higher up and closer to eye level.  Meanwhile, the scope was moved forward until it was exactly above the center of the pistol component, which also helped to get it closer to eye level even though the prop still had a similar flaw, shared with the first "Shorty," that prevented it from being quite able to be wielded in a proper firing pose while the stock was braced against the shoulder. 

This is why we often mention that the stocks of the "Shorty" Assassin Phaser Carbines had been meant to be depicted in a "retracted" configuration.