If you signed up for the subscription-based version of the Hachette 1:2 scale Terminator T-800 model build, you will receive four FREE gifts along the way. The first three gifts were OK, but this time, we get this magnificent Replica Plasma Rifle!

I had a heck of time getting this shipped through customs to the US, but it made it safely. I had seen other builders open theirs and were very impressed at the quality. I feel the same way. I know it is plastic, but it looks fantastic! The details are good and the weathering is decent too. It arrives in a nicely ‘felted’ package in four parts:

There are no assembly instructions, but it is pretty straightforward. Insert the magazine until it clicks, screw on the barrel, and insert the forward rod into its D-shaped hole until it snaps in place. I originally thought the trigger was the only moving part, but there is a tiny magazine release on the side that works too:

It does not weigh much, but that is a good thing as the endoskeleton needs to be able to hold it. I wonder how long it will take the modding community to create mods with lights and sound that others can buy. I might just have to jump on that when it happens. Until then, I am super impressed with the plasma rifle and look forward to arming my Terminator T-800 in the future.