Weta Workshop Awesome Fictional Rifle Reveals Our Inner Geek
by: Tal Pinch
In the world of collectibles, there is a special "Whoa, dude" category reserved for certain truly unique items. It's usually a certain piece of sports or pop culture memorabilia, but for the truly innovative (borderline bizarre) items that bring a certain "je ne sais what" to your home, there is the "Unnatural Selector" Ray-Blunderbuss raygun. The fictional firearm was designed and made available for sale by Weta, the innovative design crew responsible for props and wardrobe in the Lord of the Ring and Narnia films.
The limited-edition prop gun listed for sale at between $4,500 and $7,900 is over three feet long and would make a serious impression next time you're trying to flag down a cab in midtown. In case the NYPD has any questions, it does come with an illustrated "Raygun Operator's License." But because it would probably look best mounted somewhere around your home, you'll probably want to just leave it perched on the included stand and just use your New York know-how to get that elusive mid-town cab.
Of course, the obvious question is "who needs a raygun?" What it really comes down to is ambiance. We're currently used to decorating our homes with the latest in technology and lounge amenities. But before they started mounting LCD displays on their wall, some men chewed on their pipe and put an animal's head up there; that was a man. Now that the fellas are no longer planning their mancation around a weekend fox hunt, we see the raygun as equal parts game trophy, technology, conversation-starter, antique, and above all else, a fascinating piece of Weta memorabilia.
