This piece represents the state of the art in a number of ways. First up is the electronics. Just when I thought that the electronics packages for tricorders could not get any cooler, a new wrinkle was introduced. This tricorder now has a CLOSING ratchet sound, in addition to the opening sound. Too cool. As usual, the lighting pattern is identical to that seen on screen.
The thing that really makes this different from other tricorders is the fact that it has a blue ID light, and blue scanning lights on the back/top. These colors change from show to show, season to season. I'm still missing a few variants (at the time of this writing) but I hope to rectify that soon.
The workmanship on this piece is top notch! Paint job is great, using accurate paint codes. Graphics are as close as you could hope to get to originals. Having studied originals a number of times, I can say this with confidence. Accept no substitutes! Of course, the body is dead on accurate. I know that term gets thrown around a lot in this hobby, but in this instance, I am certain. I won't go into too many details, but lets just say that if you held this next to a screen used tricorder, they are shaped identically. Trust me, I did it :)
The scanner is also screen accurate, and features the correct lighting sequence. It 'pulses' in the proper fashion. Also screen accurate is the fact that it doesn't make any sound. Though I would personally prefer that it made sound, I'm confident that my life will continue unmolested, in spite of this minor issue.