The Zapper was available in the “Nintendo Action Set” that contained the NES console, the Zapper, and the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt multicart. It could also be purchased on its own. The design of the NES Zapper was meant to resemble a futuristic science fiction ray gun, making this pairing with the leader of the Decepticons an excellent combo. However, the original design of the Zapper was still a little too close to resembling a real gun, so when the US passed the Federal Toy Gun Law in 1988, the gun was redesigned with an orange grip and barrel.
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This Transformers edition NES Zapper is the handiwork of Simon Smith, who not only crafted the transforming Megatron toy, but also the highly period-appropriate box. The artwork on Megatron is excellent, and the back of the packaging cleverly takes original images from Nintendo packaging but replaces the text. Sadly this item isn’t going to find its way on to store shelves anytime soon, unlike the many Transformers toys that were hoarded by fans and now hold absurd value. But if Nintendo had been into limited edition collaborations back in the day, this would’ve sold like hot cakes.
This isn’t the first time the NES Zapper has been reimagined by fans, as back in 2016 a company named Precision Syndicate modified a Glock to look like the iconic Zapper. The result was a gorgeous, but deadly, take on the classic peripheral. For obvious reasons, the gun was never given a production run. Between Nintendo’s legal department and the aforementioned Federal Toy Gun Law, there would definitely be issues with a product like this ever reaching the market.
Both the Zapper and the Transformers are icons of 80s nerd cool, and while the Transformers franchise continues to churn out more movies, the Zapper will likely remain a relic of the past. While Nintendo doesn’t have any plans for another light gun, the Zapper will live on in fan creations like Simon’s.
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Source: Daniel Arsenault/Twitter
