Which is the Correct Screw

This page was created from the content of our board post on 9/12/08 regarding the debate between various replica makers as to the proper screw type(s) to use in their creations. While it is not our policy to ever offer critical comment on specific replicas, the question raises an overall sourcing issue that has influence on all future builds. References relating to these specific individuals have been omitted, and some illustrations have been added for clarity...

Additional material on this topic has been published on this page in Dec. '09 as a result of studying Season 2 Blu-Ray HD screen caps.

The question before us is: what is the right screw to use in your replica? Alpha, the only found original comm so far to have its screws intact and examined in-place, shows one brass slotted oval head and three steel slotted round head, all 1/2" length tiny 2-56 size. The sole brass one was a major find because it alone matches the numerous definitive screen caps from the series (more on that later) along with actually fitting into the tapered (intentionally or not) hole contour Wah built in his shells. This oval head screw, however, has been out of production for several decades already. Now, a highly-anticipated licensed kit directly molded from Zeta comes with brass Philips round head screws, purported to be based on those that came with the disassembled original comm prop. Fortunately for the builder, his Philips screws are readily available and inexpensive.

But that still leaves the question of what is the proper screw to use if you were to choose just one; in other words, the "best." What fastener did Wah originally install as they left his shop? And what does it mean if a found authentic comm today has something different than that? To sort it out, our staff composed this new composite below of every last decent screen cap of a screw from all three years. Each has been enlarged 300% to bring out the details, except the few in HD which are at 200% (since they start out bigger already). Our research has long ago identified the following comms as having screws: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Zeta, Eta and Kappa. With that list, then, wouldn’t you know the best close-ups of bottoms usually belonged to Delta (and its empty holes) and screw-less Epsilon and Iota. But Gamma and Kappa along the way got some good backside exposure too, and since we also know what those two look like from all angles they were easy to identify. Some others, indicated with the question mark, we can’t be assured in our ID:

As you look fully at the assembly of pics, it moves beyond debate that Kappa and Gamma both had brass oval slotted, as did at least one or two others not firmly identifiable - just like in the Alpha hero:

The evidence of the slightly mounded top, the single slot line and an exposed outer lip of metal outside the shell is sprinkled everywhere, including in what little we see of Beta’s. While it is true that many caps offer too little clear data for a definitive call, there is certainly not one single image that even hints at a Philips four-point slot. Barely any suggest even a round screw top. However, let’s be clear. That does not rule out the possibility that round Philips were used in Zeta and maybe elsewhere. There are constant reminders in Wah’s work that he grabbed whatever his hands landed on, and it wouldn’t be surprising to discover he ran out of one type and used another. Maybe even the steel round tops in Alpha are original as well. Still, we can never be sure, though it can be hoped the HD pics from Season 2 and 3 might help to clear up at least a few unknowns from the photo gallery above - albeit years from now.

So where does that leave us today? It is simple, really. If you are gunning for the inarguable quintessential “authentic Wah” look that is easily backed up and never contradicted by three years of screen caps, you use the brass slotted oval head 2-56. Period. And with a newfound demand for this long-extinct type, it can also be anticipated that some entrepreneurial fan will soon enough find a way to make them available to the public. We will happily report that day when possible.

Only if you want to on purpose: 1) duplicate the venerable “as is” look, 2) run with the reasonable but undocumented assumption that Wah used multiple types, or 3) expand your definition of “authentic” to any lost part that was replaced later by the studio or others with something different, should you gladly use a steel, round or Philips head. But at that point, you are departing from known filmed canon and boldly going into the nebulous zone of individual taste and unverifiable opinion, which we are all welcome to do - on our own.