TSFS Bomber Jacket w/ Assassin Rifle Variant

When my friend Brent, the James T. Kirk of our cosplay group, came to visit yesterday, he also brought a small arsenal of his own with him: the majority of the props that Triple-Fiction Productions had built for his personal use.  Of our group members, Brent has the 2nd-largest supply of props built by TFP, including his very own full-scale ST:VI Assassin Phaser Rifle concept.

Brent's rifle is - as of the end of March 2014 - the most recent of Triple-Fiction Productions' Assassin Phaser Rifle series.  TFP created the first of its Assassin Phaser Rifles - replicas of a prop that had originally been intended for use in a pivotal scene from the sixth "Star Trek" movie but was ultimately rejected from the film because the script had changed - for me many months ago.  

It's been so long since I received my prop that I find it hard to remember exactly when I got it, but I think we tackled the project in mid-to-late August 2013, shortly after the creation of the "Copperhead Special" Assault Phaser pistol.  That particular prop has earned a treasured place in my heart, because I made "Star Trek" fan history by becoming the first fan ever to wield an Assassin Phaser in a public event when I debuted it at Anime Weekend Atlanta 2013 on Saturday, the 2nd day of the convention.

However, that first rifle was a crude prototype and it really showed.  Many sections of the prop were not quite even with each other, and much of the shaping of the prop's details were simple and unrefined.  The "vents" in the prefire chamber were simple ovals of cut felt instead of actual decals, and the shapes that made up the muzzle brake and scope were not quite accurate.  The muzzle brake was rounded when it should have been flatter and more rectangular, an inaccurate "emitter tip" was added to the end of the muzzle brake and it had a felt piece on the bottom of the handgrip instead of the more accurate "ID tag" plate.

Because we felt that the Assassin Phaser's obscure but curious history might lead to some degree of marketability for the prop, Triple-Fiction Productions continued to make more, improving on the design with every prop they built.  Brent's Assassin Phaser rifle is the 5th full-scale rifle in the series (if my memory serves me right) and the 7th Assassin Phaser overall if you also count the two "Shorty" Assassin Phaser Carbines as part of the series.  

It's incorporated a number of dramatic improvements compared to my original, including smoother, straighter shapes, more intricately carved & accurate detailing, textured paint work, an actual hole in the barrel emitter instead of a soft cone-shaped tip cap and - most important - an improved structural design featuring a metal rod built into the body of the prop to prevent it from snapping and help support the comparatively massive weight of the Phaser.  Even the display base that came with the prop was superior in design to the one that I have.

Although Brent had received the prop a while back, I had never been able to hold it before.  It was my first time wielding the prop, and it felt pretty amazing to work with.  Among other things, it was lighter and much more comfortable and it felt easier to work into a shooting pose.  I think part of this had to do with improved ergonomics and refinements in the shape and length of the stock, but I had also learned that, interestingly enough, it seems to have also been made from a different species of wood, contributing to its significantly lighter feel.