It's Pulse Rifle Time!

I've had this project in and out of the shop since 2009.  It's my M41A Pulse Rifle the iconic Sci Fi blaster from the 1986 film Aliens.  It's gone through several different versions since I originally started building it, including Laser Challenge V2, Laser Challenge Radar Extreme, and plans for an Arduino-run system that could do whatever we wanted it to.

With that Arduino plan, we wanted it to mimic the abilities of the famous Xenomorph gunslinger that it was in the film.  95 rounds of 10x24 Caseless ammunition.  The handicap for this insane ammo capacity and RoF was to be in it's reload, much like the LTX DMR.  Drop the mag, reload sequence begins, put it back in, 95 more shots of blink-and-you're-dead firepower.  The hit sensors for compatibility with Lazer Tag brand stuff were being installed inside the vents underneath the main barrel, on top of the sight rail, and on front of the blaster... so you'd still shoot at the gun to hit the player just like in the other systems.  For compatibility with Laser Challenge, you'd just turn those sensors off and wear external sensors like everyone else.

Well... it's been almost 5 years since the Pulse Rifle Project started.  I think it's about time to just nail in the features and call it good.  With the technical problems of Arduino beyond me, I'm planning on just doing what I do best: recasing.  However... I'm hoping to build it around a Phoenix LTX board and potentially pick up a RapidFire Accessory board (there are a few folks in the hobby who know about this) so that I can replicate the quick firepower of the Pulse Rifle.  Regardless, I'll start with refinishing the sensor arrangement we had originally set up with the Pulse Rifle.  From there, I can hopefully finish this thing up so I can go back to using, in my opinion, the best looking blaster out there!

Below are linked videos of this blaster through the years.