Call them ray guns, laser guns, blasters, death rays, beam rays or any other name but the image remains the same. Very effective and very lethal, these Steampunk guns are an important weapon in most of the science fiction movies. As the name goes, when a ray gun is activated a visible ray is emitted that is capable of killing the target or of causing serious damage to heavy mechanical objects.
Being an imaginary object many versions of it have been created till date. Each story teller has his own type of gun. Who can forget the handheld laser weapons used in the Star Wars movies? Even in the real world people have tried to create replicas of this much desired object. They may not be functional like the ones in movies but to have one created by oneself gives immense satisfaction. And the methods and material adopted to create these guns are beyond imagination. Consider the Ray Gun II.
Taking a close look at the gun by Swift and Calamitous can you decipher the objects used to construct it? It includes toilet paper rolls, luggage tag straps, copper craft wire, toothpaste lids, a light-up spoon, ink pen, a broken needle threader, and many more such household objects and so called waste material. However, the final product will leave you guessing as to where each one is used because the gun doesn’t look to be made from those objects. One important reason that makes the gun so real is its paint. The copper colored paint gives this little creation life like appeal. You may not be able to use this gun but the sheer pleasure of holding it in your hands is enough to make you feel special.
Many objects once considered to be part of science fiction are now a part of our daily lives. Attempts have been made to incorporate the laser weapon technology also into the real world but with limited success. For example consider the heat-ray gun that was unveiled by the US military a couple of years ago. The high energy beam that it emits produces a burning sensation which, though not lethal, is enough to repel enemies from a distance. A very recent example of laser weapons is the US Army’s High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) program.
Steps are being taken to get closer to the day when fiction will turn to reality in the laser weapon field too. However, till then we can create our very own ones or purchase replicas, choices are unlimited.
Steampunk Guns and Electromagnetic Coilgun are few other deadly weapons that you would want to have a look at.
