Review - Psi Corps Replica Pin

I am overdue for a review. I got a little Babylon 5 gem in the mail, so here’s the scoop!

This is my in-depth look at the Psi Corps replica badge you see floating around places like Ebay and Amazon. You can view Amazon’s listing here: Babylon 5 PSI CORPS Replica

Don’t be fooled by the crappy product photo. At first glance, it looks like a cheap, plastic replica not worth your time. I’m happy to say that I scoured the Internet for reviews to confirm that the badge is metal (not that cheap Halloween-bend it-break it metal either).

Imagine the way my heart sank when I pulled this out of the packaging. I was fully prepared for a broken badge.

Phew! A perfect badge.

My thoughts:
1. As I said before, it’s made of a decent metal and has a good weight to it which makes it feel like a proper badge. Sign me up for the Psi Corps right now!
2. The clasps in the back are just as the descriptions say: military style.

3. The size is perfect. It appears to be as large as the ones seen on the show. I couldn’t be happier with that aspect of it.

4. The casting/mold has dents in it to give the badge a realistic worn feel, but not to the point of being ugly and unwearable (see the large image above).

5, There is a slight deviation from the badges on the show (I can see why this would anger people, but the product image–as crappy as it is–shows you this). The psi symbol in this badge is curvy, whereas the ones seen on the show are blocky.

The difference between psi symbols got me curious (hey, I *am* a huge fan, after all!) Where did the curvy version come from? Take a look at the collage of screencaps I gathered below and click on the image to enlarge it:

I looked in my Babylon 5 Images folder to see if I could spot anything obvious. There was one possible deviation from the blocky version (circled in bright green). It’s hard to tell if the badge in that picture is an instance of the curvy psi, or if just looks that way due to the angle. If it is the latter, where did they pick up the curvy version from?

There it is.

So why did they mass produce the curvy version instead of the show’s more prominent blocky version? I can only speculate…It could be that phantom badge I circled in green, an early prototype that was nixed in favor of the blocky version, but was somehow sent to the manufacturer instead, or maybe Alfred Bester didn’t like the idea of exact replicas being mass produced for Mundanes…I don’t know!

If there are any Babylon 5 fans who know the answer to this, I am all ears!

There you have it! More than you ever wanted to know about the Psi Corps replica pin!

Conclusion

4/5 Teeps – The only reason it gets docked a point is because it is not an exact replica of the ones in the show.

Would I recommend this to a friend?

Unless you are a stickler for something that is 100% true to the original, then yes. If you are a fan of Babylon 5, it is a fun replica to have and a nice little addition to any collections you own. Get on Ebay, Amazon, or what have you and purchase one right now!

*Tosses in more photos just for fun*

Return to Tomorrow: July

I am losing the War Against Busyism ; it is such an unfortunate truth, but that doesn’t mean I was idle while waiting in the trenches. I was able to scribble out a few things for the month of July. A patriotic prelude to my new avatar Pencil drawings are such fun! I have plans to make a digital version of this ink sketch. I’m a Fighter Pilot – The image I created my avatar out of. It’s too wide to post on here, so here’s the link! 7/3 books read. Thank FSM for lunch breaks.

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A Quick Post

I have some good news! The deadline for the contest has been extended to 25 May! The cover is waiting patiently for 31 May. I am excited about all of this! Part of me is tempted to post the evolution of the cover from the first sketches, to the first design, and finally to the final image. It is crazy to think that the idea I had in 2010 has turned into a full length novel! Well, enough cryptic words about the cover! Here is what I’ve been up to lately in the world of art: If Babylon 5 was an anime…and had a spin off series dedicated to the Psi Corps! ** NOTE ** I used google translate for the words “Psi” and “Corps,” so the translation might not be 100% accurate. I periodically run drawings for free commissions on Facbook! This was for the winner of my St. Patrick’s Day drawing. More Babylon 5 fanart. This is one of the advantages of painting, if you want to decorate your walls with something obscure, you can! Sparkly space hi...

Club High Castle

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