Space Marine Mk12 Variable Assault Plasma Rifle (VAPR)

[Tereglith]

The Space Marine - a genetically engineered supersoldier with muscles of steel, bones of titanium, and a mind like a tactical computer. Would such an agent of interstellar destruction be armed with a mere double-barreled pistol? Not likely.

Enter the Mk12 Variable Assault Plasma Rifle, or VAPR, the Space Marine's main weapon of choice:

Due to its bulk, the VAPR is generally used from an aerial tactical position, utilizing the Marine's built-in jetpack. However, its robotic adjustment arms connect directly to the forearm of the Marine's mechanical exoskeleton, enabling a soldier to heft the weapon one-handed even in a gravity well, and ensuring that it is never lost except in catastrophic unit failure.

While the basic, unmodified VAPR boasts impressive destructive abilities (Standard shot is a self-propagating high-energy ionization pulse capable of vaporizing one-inch thick steel armor, with an accuracy of ~500 yards and a coherence rating of ~3000 yards), its true strength comes from the tactical rails on either side, which can hold an impressive array of add-ons for meeting the needs of any peacekeeping situation.

By far the most common of these add-ons is the Telemetry and Analysis Unit, which sacrifices some of the weapon's power for greatly increased accuracy, precision, and range, intelligent targeting, and computer analysis of distant foes.

With Telemetry unit by Tereglith, on Flickr

The other standard attachment is the 3kHz Vibro-Bayonet, composed of a electromagnetically reinforced neutron lattice blade vibrating extremely quickly. While useful for melee combat, the Vibro-Bayonet is also an extremely handy multi-tool, capable of slicing through most known materials in under thirty seconds. (NOTE: Under no circumstances should one VB be used in an attempt to cut through another. Bad things would happen. Explodey bad.)

With Vibro-bayonet by Tereglith, on Flickr

If a soldier is certainly headed for close-quarters combat with opposing ground forces, the equipment of choice is a VB on the right and a CFI/E on the left. What's a CFI/E you ask?

With pressurized combustible unit by Tereglith, on Flickr

It's a Compressed Fuel Igniter/Emitter (a.k.a. a flame-thrower). The little bauble at the end of it keeps fuel at sufficient pressure to spew flames continuously for over three hours. The fire has a range of fifty feet in favorable atmospheric conditions, and the specially engineered fuel burns at about 3000 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt most known materials.

...aka flamethrower by Tereglith, on Flickr

On the other hand, if a marine's assignment brings him nowhere near hostile ground forces but instead has him staying far away from the action, he'll want to take of the VB and CFI/E and put on instead a Magnetic Induction Rail Kinetic Sniping Unit. Using powerful electromagnets, the MIRKSU accelerates a reinforced neutron-lattice slug to between 0.01c and 0.013c (several thousand kilometers per second). The 20g slug can create impacts equivalent to hundreds of tons of TNT being ignited, and with the help of the telemetry unit it can be aimed to within ten yards of its target over interplanetary distances, or to within ten centimeters of any point on a planet from the orbit of that planet.

Certain missions carry a high risk associated with them. When there is a high chance of a more covert mission failing, and the most ideal failure outcome involves a marine who is certain to suffer critical failure destroying vast swaths of the area he has infiltrated, he will latch a Tactical Electrum/Explodium Nuke (TEEN) to the side of his VAPR. Utilizing new island-of-stability elements found during the Scientific Rennaissance of the 2150's, the TEEN houses an extremely small, extremely stable, extremely high-yield nuclear warhead capable of obliterating everything in a ten mile radius of its detonation. The TEEN does come with a launching mechanism, but the only way the shooter will be safe from the blast is if he launches it down to the planet from orbit (it's the only way to be sure).

With Tacital Electrum/Explodium Nuke by Tereglith, on Flickr

In addition to these standard attachments, Q Labs in association with the United Planetary Military has been working on some experimental attachments to the VAPR. These include:

Project Kryptonite: An unwieldy bottom-mounted add-on, "Kryptonite" is code for a chemical agent capable of swiftly weakening hundreds of opponents in a vast swath in front of where the weapon is pointed. How the weapon does this is unknown, though it is suspected that prions are involved and that the reason progress on getting the weapon to the battlefield is so slow is because the scientists involved keep dying.

With "Project Kryptonite" by Tereglith, on Flickr

Project Lovecraft: Even stranger than Kryptonite, Lovecraft is a biological warfare add-on consisting of two semi-autonomous tentacles emerging from the right side of the weapon. Little is known about its battlefield applications, but rumors report that its operation is melee-based, and involves the tentacles lashing out and infecting opponents with a fast-acting biological agent, possibly viral or bacterial in nature, that overtakes the subjects' immune systems and destroys them in minutes. The advantage provided by this weapon is that the affliction is contagious; within minutes a Lovecraft-equipped VAPR on one end of a battlefield may have killed a thousand soldiers on the opposite end that it never would have reached otherwise.

With "Project Lovecraft" by Tereglith, on Flickr

Project Roy G. Biv: Only one test has been made thus far with a fully-powered Roy G. Biv add-on. A marine tester stationed on the Lunar research base took aim at an asteroid in the asteroid belt. The beam emitted appeared to most Earth-bound instruments to travel faster than the speed of light, and the resulting explosion of the asteroid was so bright that it was clearly visible in the sky for several nights afterwards. Attempts to determine what use, if any, Roy G. Biv may have on the battlefield if toned down slightly, are ongoing.

With "Project Roy G. Biv" by Tereglith, on Flickr

A marine faced with a mission...

All attachments by Tereglith, on Flickr

I don't normally go for collectible minifigures (the Series 3 Elf being my only previous exception), but when I saw S7 in my local shop I could resist feeling a few packages to attempt to find the awesomeness Space Marine. And then, instead of studying for my calculus exam like I should have been, I decided that he was a little under-armed to be taking on whole alien armies by himself. And then I got to thinking about interchangeable components, and a while later I had this. I've always rather liked the concept of modular weapons, and the absurd, exaggerated sci-fi badassery invited by a space marine figure is a great place to play around with that.

[Tereglith]

So now that it's not late at night I'm thinking that this has a stronger affiliation with Sci-fi than with Special Themes (I was thinking Collectible Minifigures, but the focus is on the space rifle... :P). Could a mod move it there?

[Rufus]

So now that it's not late at night I'm thinking that this has a stronger affiliation with Sci-fi than with Special Themes (I was thinking Collectible Minifigures, but the focus is on the space rifle... :P). Could a mod move it there?

Yeah, I think you might be right. Moving!

[DraikNova]

I've made something similar to this, with a bunch of grey attachments to add trans attachments. Overal, a good moc!

Edited May 13, 2012 by DraikNova

[Plastic Brick]

When I first looked at the name on the forum I was like "This probably Brickarms or something," Then I looked at it, it wasn't brick arms . it were regular bricks and all that! I was thunderstruck. it was pretty nice!