Long thought to be a myth, the ICONS Hero Pulse Rifle has surfaced after nearly 10 years in hiding.
This has recently passed from the hands of one private collector to another, but I had the opportunity to examine, inspect and photograph the piece before it went on its way.
On one hand, it is the most accurate Pulse Rifle replica ever made. ICONS had access to one of the screen-used heroes when they constructed this and it shows in the little details that even the high-end real-steel heroes miss (I know, I have one). Issues such as the "fatter" shroud (it runs about .25" - .5" thicker all around) and the dual-railed shoulder stock. Through and through, this "looks" the most like a screen-used one.
On the other hand, this piece was clearly never meant to be handled. It's constructed of some kind of metallic resin with the actual metal parts being very few and far between. You can see cracks and dings all over it -- even a repair that had to be made to the shoulder stock. The pump action handle isn't really attached to anything, rather it slides freely all over the replicated Spas cage.
In speaking to someone familiar with the project at ICONS, I was told that this was meant to be treated as a display piece, a sort of "studio scale" model meant to be looked at but not played with. I'm not surprised.
As a collectible, it's a one-of-a-kind piece that has some very interesting history around it which makes it pretty valuable for a replica. As a toy, it's a fun piece but it's really no more than an an intriguing look into "replica past."
This has recently passed from the hands of one private collector to another, but I had the opportunity to examine, inspect and photograph the piece before it went on its way.
On one hand, it is the most accurate Pulse Rifle replica ever made. ICONS had access to one of the screen-used heroes when they constructed this and it shows in the little details that even the high-end real-steel heroes miss (I know, I have one). Issues such as the "fatter" shroud (it runs about .25" - .5" thicker all around) and the dual-railed shoulder stock. Through and through, this "looks" the most like a screen-used one.
On the other hand, this piece was clearly never meant to be handled. It's constructed of some kind of metallic resin with the actual metal parts being very few and far between. You can see cracks and dings all over it -- even a repair that had to be made to the shoulder stock. The pump action handle isn't really attached to anything, rather it slides freely all over the replicated Spas cage.
In speaking to someone familiar with the project at ICONS, I was told that this was meant to be treated as a display piece, a sort of "studio scale" model meant to be looked at but not played with. I'm not surprised.
As a collectible, it's a one-of-a-kind piece that has some very interesting history around it which makes it pretty valuable for a replica. As a toy, it's a fun piece but it's really no more than an an intriguing look into "replica past."
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Would still love to have that!
