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Packaging - ***
Weta always has a sense of humor, and they put it to good use with the
entire Dr. Grorbort's line. Yes, that's the name of the supposed
inventor, and they have a whole website devoted to the guns. The
package can be used to display the gun, but it's still a simple box
with window. The graphics and text are excellent though, including the
various humorous notes. It's also collector friendly, although you will
have to remove a few twisties. The one downside is that when you remove
the twisties, the inside tray comes off the backer as well. That means
you'll need to replace the twisties to replace the gun. There's no COA, and no edition
size that I've seen mentioned, but I can't imagine that the production
numbers are too high on this gun.
Sculpting - ***1/2
There's tons of detail and minutia
here, just as you'd expect for this price point and style. I love the
steam punk look, and this gun looks very, very much like the actual
Grordbort logo. I doubt it's coincidental. The gun is very large
too, measuring 16" long and about 11" tall. It's hollow plastic of
course, but there's still a little more heft to it than I had expected.
If you plan on using it in a cosplay situation - and it's perfect for
it - you'll need to get pretty creative in designing a holster that's
large enough. There's a mold line down the center, but that's to
be expected from a plastic anything. They've done a reasonably good job
of hiding it, but it's still noticeable if you look hard enough. There
are small sculpted rivets and screws, as well as a very detailed dial for
'reflux/influx'. I'm sure that has something to do with the physics of
smashing indivisible particles. The grip is sculpted with an
atomic theme, and much of the overall look reminds me of Buck Rogers or
Flash Gordon. These weapons hearken back to a time when technology and
mechanics were still married, and the result is exceptional. The only movable piece is the trigger, which can be pulled back slightly. Sadly, no particles are smashed.
Paint - ***
The paint work is good, but not exceptional. The 'imitation metal'
(what Weta calls the plastic) looks very much like metal, thanks to the
paint application. There's a nice use of various washes to bring out the sculpt
highlights, and accentuate the metallic texture. The paint job is a little sloppier than I expected though, especially at this price point.
Fun Factor - ****
Yep, you can certainly 'play' with this gun, and if you're looking for
something to accent your own funky steam punk or retro sci-fi costume
design, this gun is perfect. It's light weight enough to carry around
all day at the San Diego Comic Con, but sturdy enough that it won't
break if you bump a fellow geek.
Value - **
I'm thrilled that Weta has produced a lower priced version of their ray
guns, but the price still seems a tad high. For some it might seem
double what it should be, but I think that having paid $50 or so for
the miniatures makes me less sensitive to the $100 price tag. It's hard
to tell without knowing true production numbers, but the price tag
seems about 20% high to me.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not
a thing. I will say that while it's just a plastic ray gun, I did point
it away from anyone the first time I pulled the trigger. And by
'anyone', I mean the human members of the family. I'm not that fond of
the cat.
Overall - ***1/2
I've been drooling over the Weta ray guns for two years now, and I'm
thrilled that they're producing a cheaper alternative. They still
aren't 'cheap', but they are certainly more affordable. Hopefully
they'll get their paint operations down perfect as they produce more of
these. They've also just released a new mini gun which I'll be reviewing shortly!
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