Star Trek - Merchandise - Communicator

Something a little bit different today!

I recently purchased this little communicator to go with a costume I'm making!  I didn't want to splash out on something I was going to take to a convention and probably drop kick, so I decided to go for a cheaper option for now, and if I REALLY like the costume, I'll buy a more expensive version... maybe even the snazzy blue tooth one... one can dream!

This 'kit' is called 'Star Trek Light-and-Sound Communicator' and described as a 'Deluxe Mega Kit'.  The 'publisher' (?) is Running Press.  It comes in pretty spartan packaging, it's only protection from mishaps a thin plastic bag and a small cardboard box; I'm not going to complain too much though, since it's RRP is £7.99 and mine got to me with no damage whatsoever.

Personally, I think it's good quality for the price.  It's a novelty item, a toy rather than a display item but it will do for cosplay purposes I think!  This communicator is quite small, it's going to work for me because I have tiny hands, but when my partner held it it looked like a child's toy!  It's something like 2/3 the size of the actual communicators, but that's just my reckoning. 

As the name suggests, it does have lights and sounds!  The adjustment knobs (?) have been re-purposed into buttons, the left one makes the distinctive communicator 'blip blip blip', the right hand one... I have no idea what sound effect it is supposed to be.  It's quite long, perhaps it's an interference sfx?  I really don't know, but it is quite loud for such a little thing.  The three little lights light up and flash a little while it is playing the sounds.

The communicator is all plastic, but it is textured so it feels nice to hold, but I do have a complaint!  You can't do the iconic flick motion to get the aerial to go up!  In order to do the motion, you need to use your thumb to move the aerial while you do the wrist flick.

This communicator also comes with a little information book (pictured below), it has some background information about the communicators, some interesting facts about the props themselves, and also some pretty pictures.  The little book potentially makes it a really nice gift item for the Trekkie in your life!  Or just a cheap gift for yourself... 

For the price, I don't think you can go far wrong with this!