Artifact discovery: The long-lost ICONS Hero Pulse Rifle Prototype

[tripoli]

My understanding on this particular gun was...

It was made custom to ship to me after i had paid cash for two of them. The first demo piece was made and taken to a convention to show off. It was there that the "fragile issue" became a really noticeable issue. Someone tried to cock the gun and shattered the the cowling. From there my order became delayed into oblivion. A bit pissed about it still. Latta was suppose to make it up for me but never did. He was to make a few Icons Nautilus models and send them to me via a legal compromise but at the very end those models seemed to make it to MiM instead as Icons closed down. So double burned on the whole issue. Always interesting to see the very prop which I financed out of my own pocket at least.

 

[BrundelFly]

Just another Pulse Rifle.


(sigh)


Sorry, just cant get excited.
its what 6 years too late?

 

[aliensarchive]

Hard to believe that with all the molds and casting required for this prop that they only made one.

 

[Bountys Hunted]

My understanding on this particular gun was...

It was made custom to ship to me after i had paid cash for two of them. The first demo piece was made and taken to a convention to show off. It was there that the "fragile issue" became a really noticeable issue. Someone tried to cock the gun and shattered the the cowling. From there my order became delayed into oblivion. A bit pissed about it still. Latta was suppose to make it up for me but never did. He was to make a few Icons Nautilus models and send them to me via a legal compromise but at the very end those models seemed to make it to MiM instead as Icons closed down. So double burned on the whole issue. Always interesting to see the very prop which I financed out of my own pocket at least.

That...sucks man. What a friggin' drag!

 

[tommin]

The screen used one owned by Latta was an Aliens one painted black for Alien 3.

It is my understanding that the above is a pic of it. I'll dig around and see what else I can find on it.

 

[micdavis]

Where did we see Pulse Rifles in Alien 3?

 

[SSgt Burton]

They were used by the Weyland Yutani commandos at the end:

Kevin

 

[frightzone_4_you]

I paid Icons for that, two of them actually. Still have the receipts and e-mails, but never received them. My first prop rip off via Jim Latta.

I hear you brother... have been in the same boat as well... that was messed up that Latta had ICONS to continue to accept paid orders during their bankruptcy process :angry

 

[frightzone_4_you]

A bit pissed about it still. Latta was suppose to make it up for me but never did. He was to make a few Icons Nautilus models and send them to me via a legal compromise but at the very end those models seemed to make it to MiM instead as Icons closed down. So double burned on the whole issue. Always interesting to see the very prop which I financed out of my own pocket at least.

He promised me a Galactica pistol from his private collection... just a lie to stall while he received bankruptcy protection! What gets to me are those who still defend this crook!!

 

[Matsuo]

For arguments sake that tail section appears way too tall, I'd like to see a Bapty made PR with the rear section that high.
Not saying there wasn't one like that but it appears to be the exception and not the rule.

Saying it's the most accurate PR is a bit presumptuous is all I'm saying....with all due respect mind you.

M

 

[outlander]

My understanding on this particular gun was...

From there my order became delayed into oblivion. A bit pissed about it still. Latta was suppose to make it up for me but never did. He was to make a few Icons Nautilus models and send them to me via a legal compromise but at the very end those models seemed to make it to MiM

A lot of stuff that people had paid for made it to MiM and no further, Trip. I think it got so bad for Icons there at the end Jimmy was buying groceries with whatever he could piece out their backdoor. I know I bought the one and only K1 prototype, the full-length predator spear, through MiM at an eBay auction. I remember they sold a couple of the DISNEY BLACK HOLE pistols Artist Proofs through eBay also.

I remember "Ponytailed Fraud" eBaying pieces he picked up on his way out before they chained the doors. #1 of the Batman Icebreaker batarangs and an Artist Proof of the MiB Noisy Crickets. I almost bought the Cricket from him but BRUNDLEFLY - who knew him - was unwilling to vouch 100% for his character.

Man, I remember those days... no chargebacks through PayPal... caveat emptor to the max. When I didn't get that Cricket I went after another one on eBay and got into a last nanosecond bidding war with this shifty, treacherous shyster from Ohio. :ninja Using dirty tricks he prevailed by backstabbing me but I understand it was a piece of junk anyway when he got it.

I was on the hook with for a pulserifle and the complete predator suite, but luckily I had paid by American Express and they went and got my cash back.

Always wanted to see one of the resin PRs that Icons DID get out. I cannot imagine it casting a pale shadow compared to the S.D. Studios Pulse Rifle I bought inspired by the one on Brundlefly's old website.

 

[Riskbreaker]

For arguments sake that tail section appears way too tall, I'd like to see a Bapty made PR with the rear section that high.
Not saying there wasn't one like that but it appears to be the exception and not the rule.

Saying it's the most accurate PR is a bit presumptuous is all I'm saying....with all due respect mind you.

M

It's definitely the most accurate I've seen of all the readily available options. And considering I'm a little obsessed with the PR, I've handled every one I can get my hands on.

The big differences are the shroud's shape and thickness and the way the shoulder stock is engineered.

We compared this side by side to a screen-used hero and also had a guy there that's handled I think 4 of the 6 screen-used heroes that are around. He pretty much agreed. It's not perfect, but then none of them are. The big difference is that all the replicas I've seen (including the $4,000) are very accurate, but they're idealized. This replica was aiming to be closer to the SU ones (with straight shrouds, though ).

I've never seen one of your real-steel buildups, admittedly, Matt, but the above-mentioned differences are two of the things I've never seen in a replica, no matter how nice it was. If you've constructed thicker shrouds and the slotted shoulder stock, then I happily take it back.

 

[Matsuo]

I tried not to come off terse... I've supported the Icons gun on numerous occasions and I probably should have prefaced my previous post with a thank you for sharing the pix and story.

I never said mine were the most accurate. Any differences are actually intentional in order to make a user friendly prop.
Idealized shrouds IMO are the way to go. You know as well as I do the hero metal shrouds were beat to hell and pretty wonky. If I made resin shrouds like that people would cry.

I will tell you this though that the HCG PR is prototyped off the one hero gun they own, it is really beat up, so of course we smoothed out the master and made the lines congruent, yet made the outside dimensions match that of the metal shroud. The tail piece above the stock is no bigger than three or four thickness of the sheet metal they used on the shrouds.

Short of doing a poll I don't think there are too many people who would prefer kits that are direct copies of the bent up hero shrouds warts and all.

I will tell you this, that whatever pre-pro that went into the Icons gun was no small feat. Prototyping a prop like that for mass production is not exactly a walk in the park. Shame that the whole thing went belly up and people got ripped off.

M

 

[Riskbreaker]

Took no offense, Matt, and I agree that "idealized" is the way to go for a $4,000 replica, certainly. Again, my statement goes back to the thickness of the shrouds and the (inferior) engineering of the shoulder stock's telescoping action, which have not been duplicated, but rather, idealized.

That makes this one more accurate to the screen-used heroes, IMO. As a piece of hardware, though, it does not even cast a shadow over the real-parts hero replicas.

 

[Lear60man]

I was out when most of the prototyping of the PR was underway. Never saw the hero version but got to play with the loner. It all comes down to Idealized vs screen accurate. The SD, Matsou, HGC and home build 'Hero' versions built out of real world parts are about the cream of the crop.

The Icons 'Hero' has a few things wrong with it but is beautiful in its own way. The thing to remember is that all of the original PR's were hand built and have a few differences (8 hole vent vs 10, counter vs no counter, shroud construction etc.)

 

[tripoli]

"Man, I remember those days... no chargebacks through PayPal... caveat emptor to the max. When I didn't get that Cricket I went after another one on eBay and got into a last nanosecond bidding war with this shifty, treacherous shyster from Ohio. :ninja Using dirty tricks he prevailed by backstabbing me but I understand it was a piece of junk anyway when he got it."

Still sore about me beating you and your programs with my ninja quick typing eh? lollol

Type this up and Outlander walks in the door here, jeesh. I was a distributor for Icons and sold quite a bit and was owed quite a bit more. I was ripped off for quite a bit as the two pulse rifles were not the only Icons pieces paid but not delivered. But it was the one I was looking to get for my own collection. I did end up getting a super pieces with the SD version. But still a bit miffed that Jim all the way to the end did not follow through, given the monies sent and personal word to do so.

 

[Studio Stasis]

I should scan a photo of me holding the black hero pulse rifle in 1994. I hosted a show on the sci-fi channel that Jim dressed the set for. He put his own screen used props and some from the collection of Roger Sides onto the set as dressing. The pulse rifle made it's way on there and I had to take a picture holding it. That thing was super heavy. I wish I could have purchased it when it sold on profiles.
I'll try to scan the pic and post it.

 

[tommin]

I should scan a photo of me holding the black hero pulse rifle in 1994.

Yessir. Please do this.

 

[Harry Harris]

The screen used one owned by Latta was an Aliens one painted black for Alien 3.

It is my understanding that the above is a pic of it. I'll dig around and see what else I can find on it.

The above PR is the dual-firing one now in the Propstore collection. The one that Latta had was the Alien³ version with the vacuum-formed black shroud.

Harry

 

[ghostryder]

Is that the one Profiles In History auctioned off a year or two back?

That I'm not sure - I think Ryan, Harry, Brandon, or Dan may know. Here's a picture of it from several years ago: