Catacombs Model Gallery
Scan Gun

Alpha/Darian/Sunim Scanner Gun

This instrument first appears as a direction finder in The Full Circle. The antenna has a circular plate.

It appears as a Darian weapon in Mission Of The Darians. The circular plate has gone, and the antenna is enclosed in a clear perspex box.

Later it appears as a Sunim weapon, in A Matter Of Balance. The blue stripe on the sides has gone, as has the metal bar on the right side (the holes can still be seen on the prop). On the red face the numbers have been replaced by symbols. A metal hook has been added to the underside of the handle, and Vindrus uses this to hang it from his belt (the Darians wore a belt with two silver straps).

The prop is a Dictaphone Time Machine microphone, probably from the 1950s or 1960s. The hook on the right side attaches it the base recorder. It was present when Alan uses it in Mission Of The Darians, but was removed, leaving two holes. There was also a cable at the base attaching it to the recorder. Most of the Dictaphone recorders in the 1950s and 1960s used a vinyl "DictaBelt" recording, although magnetic tape started to be introduced in the 1960s. The large main plastic button is start-stop, although Dictaphones would start recording when you picked them up. The two silver buttons are marked P (for playback) and <- (rewind). Other Dictaphones had a "C" button to mark corrections (for the secretary who was typing the audio recording). Thanks to Simon Friend.