Sunday, February 7, 2010

Ray-Gun 4: The Shackelton Crackler

This one is rifle-sized...trying to get back to something very retro, in material and shape.  The ridge of fins on the main body are for heat-dispersion of the plasma core, and the spheres are electrical dynamos for an added two stages, increasing power augmentation of the plasma beam.

Originally was going to call this the "Brass Hammer" but on Friday a co-worker shared with me that modern explorers had found a case of whisky that was left behind when Shackelton's expedition to the South Pole failed. Their ship was caught in the ice and eventually crushed; they had to abandon ship onto the ice, taking only what they could transport.  The article stated that the goal was to reverse-engineer this blend of booze and make it anew--great idea, it practically markets and sells itself!  It comes with a built-in legend.

If you want to read a great book on Shackelton's trip, "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing is the one to read, in my opinion.  Try to get an edition with photos to better illustrate the conditions these men were pitted against, it's truly an amazing story from the end of the Age of Exploration.

So here it is, the Shackelton Crackler!

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