Tracer’s backstory from Overwatch is pretty out there. Becoming a test pilot for a teleporting fighter jet, getting lost in (presumably) another dimension, and then coming back months later like Billy Pilgrim from Slaughterhouse-Five getting stuck and unstuck in time, is all firmly in the realm of fiction. But Tracer’s pulse pistols are a different story. They can be built (approximately) in real life, and thanks to YouTuber LaserGadgets, now they have.
LaserGadgets, who’s made myriad brilliant real-life adaptations of laser weapons from pop nerd culture — including this 84-watt Death Star that can cut through steel — turned his laser-like attention (many apologies) to Tracer’s pulse pistols for his latest creation. And the fully functional weapon is perfect if you’re looking to blink into an enemy’s backlines and do some damage, or pop a kid’s birthday balloons.
The pulse pistol duplicates the video game version almost exactly, at least in terms of visual design. LaserGadgets notes that the side of the pistol “has spinners, just like in the game,” and that the firing mode can switch in and out of pulse mode. The laser can also set lots of things on fire, which means that this decidedly on-point costume addition is definitely not “convention-proof.”
In-game look at Tracer’s pulse pistols.
If Tracer isn’t your favorite Overwatch character, but you still want to celebrate the game’s out-of-this-world weaponry in… this world, you can go with the Hacksmith’s real-life version of Reinhardt’s rocket hammer. (It’s also great if you have any old Pontiac Sunfires that you need to get rid of.)
What do you think about LaserGadgets’ real-life pulse pistol? Recall your thoughts in the comments below!
Images: LaserGadgets