Hi everyone.
As you can see, I am new to the forums - although I have been reading them (as well as many other sources on props like RPF, Propsummit etc.) for quite some time.

After saving some money for a considerable amount of time, I was just about to make my girlfriend's dream come true (believe it or not, she's a huge Aliens fan) and buy her a decent Pulse Rifle. That way, she would stop being jealous of my Blade Runner Blaster, I thought .
I actually stumbled upon a pretty decent pulse rifle made from deactivated parts on the ZeroIn forums ; but it sold out only a couple of days before I could get my hands on it.
Mind you, it was expensive (and definitely in the higher part of my 900€ to 1800€ budget) - but considering it was all made out of real gun parts, with some nice weathering, I though this was a rather good deal!
Of course, maybe there are many other good offers on the Px section of these forums right now - but as I am a newcomer, I can't see them yet .

Anyway, I then went on to look for other pulse rifles - and the best ones I have been able to find so far are from someone who goes by the username auroraproject2011 on eBay (and MovieGunsInc on Etsy, it seems).
Does it ring a bell to anyone? Has anyone bought from him and been satisfied by the item quality? Could that person even be the famous Matsuo I have been reading here and there about (I have just begun to realize it may well be)?
(I dare not post a direct link to some of the items I am interested in, as those are not auctions that I created and therefore may be against forum rules as I understood them)

Unfortunately, as I had been kind of spoiled by the exceptional £1,500 bargain I found for the all-made-out-of-real-gun-parts pulse rifle (a once in a lifetime opportunity, I guess), I was a bit surprised by auroraproject2011's $1,200 price tag for what was indeed an awesome looking replica, yet mostly made out of non-metal parts it seemed (at least from the naked eye).
Therefore I started asking auroraproject2011 questions that - thinking back about it - may have appeared a bit silly / obvious to real Pulse Rifle experts (but as I said, the £1,500 metal one biased my judgement); and had some hard time stomaching his rather blunt (yet probably justified) answers.
Now, it seems I may even have crossed him and led him to believe I was a troll / someone looking to know more than I should (and steal) his manufacturing secrets.
Which is really a shame, cause now that I have realized how unrepresentative the £1,500 metal pulse rifle was, I really can't see how to get a decent pulse rifle for my girlfriend with my budget without him (and no, I cannot craft things on my own for sh*** - and I live in tiny suburban appartment where I would barely have any room for that).

Anyway, that communication issue is up to me to solve (if that can still be helped ).
I mainly wanted to get your thoughts about investing into one of auroraproject2011's replica - or if you had any other comparable alternative (in terms of quality) for a 900€ to 1800€ budget.


Thanks in advance - and thanks for reading this far.

AFAIK he's the guy who buys Spat, Matsucorp and other maker's stuff, whacks a huge markup on it, and gets pissed off if anyone asks questions about where it came from on eBay...
Go to the makers.

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If its the guy that used to be "auctionsherpa" (and your description sounds like it is) then you absolutely do NOT need him for a good pulse. He just buys other people's stuff then marks it up 500% as he tries to flip it. Then he gets pissed and calls anyone who dares ask questions a troll.

HCG is the higher end metal parts (none real gun parts though) mainstream replica that can still be had for under a G.

Yeah, stay as far away from that guy as you can! This seller "auroraproject" formerly known as "auctionsherpa" is THE real TROLL !!!

just go to the RPF and read all the threads about "auctionsherpa" make sure to have some popcorn and a beer with you and you´ll have a fun time reading about the behaviour of that guy LOL.
He has a good reason for changing his seller ID


The HCG Pulse Rifle is not a bad piece and has a lot of metal feel to it, due to the whole shrouds being massive aluminum. Otherwise Matsuo is the best adress for custom made pulse rifles in the higher price segment (depending on which features you choose)

So is the guy a recaster? Or does he just try to flip things for more money?

Also another option is an airsoft pulse rifle. For a couple hundred bucks you have a decent looking piece and you can throw it around without really having to worry about it.

Thans guys for the precious info!

Regarding the HCG version, after reading quite extensively about it (mainly here and on the RPF), I must say I am a bit wary of it .
Correct me if I am wrong, but a lot of copies (if not most) seem to suffer from the infamous - and rather noticeable - barrel droop ; something which I find unacceptable for a €1000 item, and that I could not correct myself even if I wanted to (considering I am really not the crafty type).
On top of that, it seemed that - apart from the metal shroud (which is definitely something I could live with not being metal, as opposed to the core gun components like the barrel etc.) - the overall build is nothing stellar in terms of quality, given that most parts are resin-moulded, with sometimes several visible defects (asymetry, non-working triggers etc.).
From what I got, only the stock and the barrel vent are metal (that is if you don't care about the shroud), which is even less than on same airsoft models !
Here again, please correct me if I am wrong.

As a last resort, that is why I was even considering buying an evike / Matrix / Snow Wolf airsoft replica (they are all the same, right? just from different vendors?).
It may not be as accurate (especially the grenade launcher / SPAS part, whose color is a bit off).
But from what I have seen, it contains more metal parts than the HCG (if you don't care about the shroud, that is) - including the stock, barrel vent and upper M1A1 receiver .
Plus it does offer a functional LED counter (which the HCG does not really, as it is static).
And it can be found for a €300 to €350 price tag.
Of course, I would have rather bought something better; but I don't wanna invest in some overpriced and poorly built item either...

Please let me know what you think.
I am not a in a complete hurry here - but as I wanted to get that pulse rifle for my girlfriend for our anniversary (i.e. in a couple of weeks), that would be great if I could find something decent in the upcoming weeks (I have already been searching for some time).
Here again, I wish I had access to the Px parts of the forum - although I do understand why such rules exist - indeed, maybe I would have found myself some nice custom pulse rifle there, as on the ZeroIn forums.



@RevolverOcelot: they did not strike me as recast (provided the pictures were accurate); just overpriced items.

I would go for the airsoft, trust me once she picks it up all she will be thinking is I have a pulse rifle

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A09/TQ2.0.12136E1

I wouldn't go for a HWC Pulsey.
£$€ 1000 is a lot of money for plastic bits HOT GLUED together and wrapped in a metal shroud. Regardless how nice it looks.

There is an Airsoft replica available now which looks the part.

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Thanks for your advice.
The airsoft replica seems the way to go, then.

Is the Snow Wolf version (like this one, supposedly) any good, according to what you have heard?

Take a look in the airsoft section there are a few posts abut the snow wolf/matrix, i myself have a G/P kit she is my baby, i was going to modify but its easily good enough for me and then she was held by Bill Paxton for a photo so im deff not changing her

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SSgt Kris "Bloodsucker" Kobus, VAS.
A09/TQ2.0.12136E1

Thanks - I will check that out.

Best as I've gathered he is not a recaster. H just buys someone elses prop, pass it off as his own and 'one-of-a-kind', and jacks the price up to insane levels. He also is a straight up liar. (for example: He sells common 'canteen straps' that can be purchased for $6 and claims they are "screen accurate" slings which he posts for $40). The guy's business is based on taking advantage of the uninformed. It has been argued people should educate themselves on things they intend to buy, which is a fair point. As such, its not like he is doing anything illegal. It just really rubs me the wrong way how he does business.




But back on topic. If you want something really nice, I suggest you touch base with the member here Matsuo. He has done some pretty heavy modifying of HCG pulses including stripping the parts and milling them out so they can be attached to any Thompson. He also does a lot of high quality resin work and I believe has tackled high end pulse projects in the past. For a custom/semi-custom high quality build, I would hit him up in a heart beat.

There are more metal parts on my HCG than other G&P style kit PRs (I think some of the Thompson parts are metal?), and my barrel droop isn't noticed unless you actually get told about it too.

I love my HCG and wouldn't swap it for a G&P.

_________________
Steve
Corporal in 69th Regt. 1st Batt. Homer’s Heroes.

"I'd like to die at the age of 80 in my own bed, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k."

He's a paper prop recaster.

Now his 4.35 canteen slings are 50 USD....

Nothing wrong with re-selling, the problem is the FALSE information + troll behavior.



As for replicas go, your choices are:

HCG PR, nice, higher price, barrel droop problems, a lot of poured resin parts around a metal shroud. (well said Padsbrat!)

Snow Wolf/ Matrix, not bad for the price, some accuracy issues, metal and ABS, it fires+ counts down!

Spatcave kit, low cost, nice kit. assembly and paint required. Light up counter like HCG

The new Spulse also has a working trigger and is made to fit the Lightbender counter, if you wanted the numbers to count down when you pull the trigger.

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-Spat

Thanks again everyone for the feedback.

I think I will try to get in touch with Matsuo first, as bigbisont suggested - and if that does not work out for some reason (i.e. everything sold / too busy), I will look for a Snow Wolf Airsoft gun.

A woman who loves Aliens and wants to own a Pulse Rifle? You might want to put a gold ring on the PR somewhere; it sounds like you have a keeper!

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How unusual, isn't it ?
Nice idea regarding the ring, by the way - may actually fit on the nozzle!
That is, once I have found one of them pulse rifles (if possible custom made / improved over an airsoft version).

Not to forget that the Spulse can also be upgraded with metal parts (later), so it's a good (starting) kit and/or if you need something lighter for Cons.

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