Doom's plasma gun- the original source

It's already known the original Doom plasma gun sprite was made using photos of the front attachment of a toy machine gun, turned so the back end faced forward. I owned one of them as a kid, but the gun in question was released by several companies over many years, likely a recycled or bootlegged mold. I believe I've uncovered the original version of this gun, made by Arco as a Rambo tie-in in the early 80s. This one is a little more complex than the other editions, having an actual electronic speaker for sound effects- the other models have a gear mechanism inside that when the trigger was pulled would spin a wheel making a clacking noise to mimic gunfire.

Finding these can be a bit tricky, it sometimes takes luck on eBay as they were sold under numerous brand names and often requires generic search terms, and this Rambo gun in question has an expensive price tag to it.

I didn't know the plasma was based on that. I have one I think, but it's got a gray/blue camo, not matte black like yours.

That is amazing.

The Doom wiki entry notes this but only has generic info on the toy, probably because any info on them is hard to come by thanks to being made by numerous smaller companies.

http://doomwiki.org/wiki/Plasma_gun

I only found this Arco version as I was searching the company name for other things. It's definitely older than most other releases of the toy, the Rambo branding says that much, but it also lacks the orange tip that toy guns required starting in the late 80s and onward.

Haha wow yep, my nephews were just playing with this a few weeks ago. I would have gotten it ~87-89 and lost all the attachments by 1990. The barrel attachment I remember broke clean in half, probably trying to sprint through a doorway portal that was too narrow. There's no identifying marks other than "CHINA" stamped in to the plastic, the sticker reads "Stealth Force TM" but the trademark isn't attributed to anyone. My camera is too crappy but also on the sticker is an eagle under which is "Night Raiders" and again "Stealth Force".

edit: haha it still has the space on the barrel for the speaker, even though it uses the wheel clicking mechanism.

http://doom2.net/bsp/plasma/ - some more crappy photos

11 hours ago, diosoth said:

The Doom wiki entry notes this but only has generic info on the toy, probably because any info on them is hard to come by thanks to being made by numerous smaller companies.

 

http://doomwiki.org/wiki/Plasma_gun

 

I only found this Arco version as I was searching the company name for other things. It's definitely older than most other releases of the toy, the Rambo branding says that much, but it also lacks the orange tip that toy guns required starting in the late 80s and onward.

Wow that fake doom wiki just straight up rips off the info from the real one. https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Plasma_gun

The only difference in the links is http for the wikia link and https for the real wiki. So shady.

I find it amazing how toy companies back in the day were able to create tie-ins with violent action movies.

1 hour ago, Jamins34 said:

I find it amazing how toy companies back in the day were able to create tie-ins with violent action movies.

It's back when companies and the world in general wasn't so uptight and butt-hurt about movies and games.

9 hours ago, pnptcn said:

 

Wow that fake doom wiki just straight up rips off the info from the real one. https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Plasma_gun

 

The only difference in the links is http for the wikia link and https for the real wiki. So shady.

Keep in mind we moved from there so our article is based on that one up until any changes made since 2011.

Interesting. I figured the Wikia site came along later.

On 10/19/2017 at 10:18 PM, Nevander said:

It's back when companies and the world in general wasn't so uptight and butt-hurt about movies and games.

They never really stopped the tie-in toys, they just switched to the adult collector market. Kenner was bought out by Hasbro who only wanted the Star Wars license, ending Kenner's spree of licensing out whatever they could get. Stores also gained more control in what got made- partly because the retail stores are the real customers of these toy companies. They buy from the toy makers, then sell their stock to us, and these retail chains are largely clueless and only want stuff with major media tie-ins IE summer blockbusters or popular cartoons. Kids also buy fewer toys now because they switched to game consoles, tablets and phones.

Toy guns got restricted hard after a few kids got shot. Federal law requires the orange tip, while California requires all sorts of unusual colors. It's why no new Megatrons with gun modes, even the 2007 Nerf version is no longer good to go. One could blame this on overzealous cops but safety rules say if someone is pointing something at you that looks like an actual gun, you assume it is, and this was back in the 80s when things weren't so... heated.... regarding police shootings. You can find piles of toy guns still, just some stores are reluctant to stock them. Dollar General is one of the better places to find them.

Moral guardians have been around for a long time but they aren't the sole reason for everything. Why did toys lose firing spring-loaded missiles? Mattel's Battlestar Galactica line from 1978, a kid shot a small missile down his throat and choked. No it wasn't the Boba Fett toy, but that toy was the first to get a gimmick cut down due to it. Firing missiles vanished from toys for a long time until they came back but at a certain minimum length. Same deal with why Lego men have those holes in their heads now, it allows air through if a child swallows the piece. Lots of toys were recalled or changed due to children being injured or killed.

Yeah it does seem to suck that so many things changed to toys over the years but some were by necessity, some were just the changing business.

Back on topic, I had the Stealth Force version, I think with 99% certainty it was from the Sears holiday catalog, back before internet shopping. The orange tip of the front piece cracked so I couldn't put the bipod there. Was a decent toy gun, the bipod was dual mounted and it was neat it had a rear trigger so you could set it down. I wish it had more bullet belts, it only had 2 and one of mine ripped/split.

so... my vacuum cleaner source was wrong?

On 10/19/2017 at 10:58 AM, Vorpal said:

Haha wow yep, my nephews were just playing with this a few weeks ago. I would have gotten it ~87-89 and lost all the attachments by 1990. The barrel attachment I remember broke clean in half, probably trying to sprint through a doorway portal that was too narrow. There's no identifying marks other than "CHINA" stamped in to the plastic, the sticker reads "Stealth Force TM" but the trademark isn't attributed to anyone. My camera is too crappy but also on the sticker is an eagle under which is "Night Raiders" and again "Stealth Force".

 

edit: haha it still has the space on the barrel for the speaker, even though it uses the wheel clicking mechanism.

 

 

http://doom2.net/bsp/plasma/ - some more crappy photos

Huh, that actually resembles the Zombieman's rifle if you squint a bit, what with the pistol grip, no sight on the barrel, and that big carrying handle.