! C A U T I O N !

 

When WIRED™ announced that ThinkGeek.com was closing its virtual doors as of July 2nd and that everything on their site was for sale at 50% off, my first thought was "Plasma rifle!".*

Sadly, that particular sample of  Fallout 4 replica weaponry was no longer in stock.  However, the  plasma pistol was, and at 50% off, it seemed like too good an opportunity to turn down, even at the current USD exchange rate.

I placed my order, and waited. I had to pay some additional import fees**, and as usual UPS failed to impress me with their skills as a shipping choice, but in the fullness of time, my purchase made its way to my workplace, and I toted it home for the unboxing.

The plasma pistol, created by Texas-based Chronicle Collectibles, has been lovingly distressed in order to match the post-apocalyptic style of the game, and at 15 inches in length and 11 inches tall, it's an impressively large replica (which makes me feel that the 45 inch long rifle version would have been almost ridiculous).

It's quite well made and doesn't feel at all flimsy, but I'm not sure that I'd want to give it to a small child to play with, it's obviously a game prop reproduction, not a toy.  That being said, I was amused to see that it's equipped with the standard orange muzzle that distinguishes toy pistols from the real thing - it's hard to imagine that the police would mistake this for an actual weapon and draw their own firearms in response.

 

AND IT LIGHTS UP. (Which, for some obscure reason, was disconcerting to Jaq the Cat the first time I tried it.)

Overall, I'm completely pleased with my purchase - I'd love to have it make a noise when the trigger is pulled, and I'd like the trigger spring to be a bit stiffer, but that's just nit-picking.  But why does a device that would shoot at 20,000° C need to be stored at "a moderate temperature"?

- Sid

* What, was that not your first thought?

 ** I bear the Canadian government no ill will for this. In the current political climate, I would put some kind of tariff on imported American plasma beam weaponry as well, lord knows what Trump is charging on softwood going the other way.