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#266660 Baff #6

Posted by Aquinas on 23 February 2010 - 08:24 PM in Nerf Wars

Haha, I will be fine. Had been working on a few things that none of you had seen yet.



#266427 Baff #6

Posted by Aquinas on 22 February 2010 - 02:29 AM in Nerf Wars

I personally find the most fun out of pistol rounds. I know not everybody likes it, but the default lower ranges mean that people have to rely a lot more on movement and teamwork. Also, since you don't have 12-inch barrels pointing at you, people tend to take more risks. All those elements keep the game more fluid, and fun, at least in my opinion.

I'm really thinking of leaving my Nat Geo Gun at home from now on to walk the walk, so to speak. I'm not advocating a blaster-ban or anything of that sort - I do hope that we can each come to a sensible solution as to what would be best for us as individuals and us as a group. As long as there has been modification, there has been talk of "too much range" and "getting back into the spirit of foam-flinging." I think we can find a good middle ground and a blend of game-types that satisfies our primary-wielding urges but also get some lower-range, high ROF rounds in, like Ben was talking about. I had been thinking the exact same thing. HVZ and pistols-only CTF certainly fits the bill. We can think of others.

Looking forward to seeing you again Ben. You always bring a party. That RSCB-ed 4B that Charles was using was a beast.



#265124 Baff #6

Posted by Aquinas on 12 February 2010 - 02:32 AM in Nerf Wars

It's been a while since we've seen Ben, and he can't make it on the 13th. Will anyone object that we bump this back a week, to the 20th, just for this month? He's asked a few times about this on the message board. I think we should respond to it.



#262098 Baff #4, January 16th

Posted by Aquinas on 16 January 2010 - 11:04 PM in Nerf Wars

We missed you HOTH, it's all good, the guys were so busy eyeing at each other's things that they were cool about it.

Another great day. I actually was a little under the weather today, and I do apologize to Blue for hanging him out to dry at the very last CTF round (Bob has already "retired" by that point). Let's start working on a date for February.



#261985 Baff #4, January 16th

Posted by Aquinas on 16 January 2010 - 03:02 AM in Nerf Wars

As I posted on our yahoo group, there's a tarp-covered picnic area for us to set up. Of course, I was last there in November of last year. Things may have changed... though I certainly hope not.

If you all follow my directions to get to William Cann, the park will be on the RIGHT side of Marsh Hawk Road. The covered picnic area will be near the playground, which is near the eastern edge of Marsh Hawk, right before Marsh Hawk cuts left (north) and turns into Dowe Avenue. You should be able to see it the further along you drive on Marsh Hawk. Refer to a map if I don't seem to be making any sense.

Regardless of the situation, we should still get together. It'll be showers, not thunderstorms, and the rain should also let up a bit in the afternoon.



#259603 Baff #4, January 16th

Posted by Aquinas on 22 December 2009 - 09:58 PM in Nerf Wars

I'm in.



#259046 Remote Control Battle

Posted by Aquinas on 15 December 2009 - 02:55 AM in General Nerf

剛剛看過了,做的很好。

我也很喜歡你做的槍。加油!



#258144 Baff #3, December 12th Is Cancelled

Posted by Aquinas on 06 December 2009 - 11:32 AM in Nerf Wars

Many, many thanks for updating, and I'm in.



#257791 Baff #3, December 12th Is Cancelled

Posted by Aquinas on 02 December 2009 - 01:48 AM in Nerf Wars

I'm with Bob here in the sense that the grass isn't always greener on the other side, and we have to be aware of that. Yet it's evident that there has been growing discontentment from a number of us with Fisher Park; lack of cover and restrooms seem to be big strikes. I deem scouting to be good and necessary at this point. I do think we can do better venue-wise.

There is little doubt that Coyote Hills resemble more as a nature reserve than a park, but I'll scout it out nevertheless. I do think there will be some fields / picnic areas available and suitable to our needs. However, for me, at this point, Coyote Hills either needs to be really, really good, or virtually ALL the other places need to really, really suck to justify that 5 dollar parking fee. With parents, the argument can go either way; either it's Blue's logic, or the "What? Another FIVE DOLLARS?????" logic.

I have high hopes for William Cann (there are trees and bathrooms there!). Let's hope it works out.



#257686 Baff #3, December 12th Is Cancelled

Posted by Aquinas on 01 December 2009 - 01:57 AM in Nerf Wars

What you stated is obviously true, and I admittedly doubt my scouting will be done on a Saturday. Nevertheless, there are plenty of other things to scout for (i.e. the general landscape, availability of trees / cover, parking, restrooms, etc.) and worth noting. Also, the general location and surroundings of certain parks can give you clues as to how busy it may get.

Just done some online research:

Coyote Hills is gigantic with a very diverse landscape, but there's also a $5 parking fee. I don't think the parents would like that too much. Here's a link: http://www.ebparks.o...ks/coyote_hills

The Fremont Central Park is bigger than I thought, yet as a municipal park, much of the north end of the property is occupied by sports fields, a golf course, and even a water park. Our hope is finding a suitable location in the picnic area down south. Here's a map detailing the layout of the park: http://www.fremont.g...w.aspx?DID=2138

IF we choose here, I do think there will inevitably be plenty of people around on a Saturday morning/afternoon. Let's hope we can find a more secluded spot and not get in anybody's way.

Just looked up a few more parks in the Union City area (actually a bit north of Fremont), found a nice one: William Cann Neighborhood Park (at http://www.union-cit...ighborhood.htm) compared with a few other Union City parks I found, this one has no sport fields, seems relatively isolated, has a front page with a nice picture of TREES present (a simple google image search reveals more trees in the park), and it's got a restroom. I have to check this place out.



#257618 Baff #3, December 12th Is Cancelled

Posted by Aquinas on 30 November 2009 - 03:57 AM in Nerf Wars

HOTH, I think you're good to go on the darts issue. Thank you for taking an active part in the discussion. I think we're coming to a good consensus.

Also, just confirming to everyone that December 12th at 11:00 am will work for me.

I actually listed the Fremont Central Park as a possible location (post #2 on this thread); my only issue with that is what the crowds would be like on Saturday, it being a "central park" and all. My bet is still with the Coyote Hills Regional Park. In the meantime, we still have TWO weeks. I will definitely make a trip to the East Bay to do some scouting, hopefully this week. I will check out Fremont Central, Coyote Hills, and a host of other locations. Let's hope we find another suitable location.



#256680 Baff #3, December 12th Is Cancelled

Posted by Aquinas on 18 November 2009 - 02:57 PM in Nerf Wars

Thanks for putting this up. The 12th of this month will work for me. As for the time, should we bump it up one hour and begin at noon? Just a thought.

As for location: the good news is that there are a bunch of parks in Fremont, as revealed by a simple Google Maps search. The more... complicated news is that we have no idea what any of them look like. The biggest among them is the Coyote Hills Regional Park, which is right on the bay and actually not far from Fisher Park. Across town there's the Fremont Central Park, and a whole bunch of little ones (more akin to Fisher) scattered in-between.

We've got time until the 12th; we (or a select few of us with cars) may need to do a little scouting, particularly those who live near Fremont. If we can share this effort, that'd be great; I would be happy to volunteer a Saturday and make a drive to do some field research at selected parks and snap some photos.



#256328 Baff #2 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 15 November 2009 - 03:32 AM in Nerf Wars

Amazing day.

It was awesome to meet everyone. This feels like the beginning of something great.

Though I must say that getting shot point blank by a SM 1500 with 12-inch barrels isn't fun. And Blue, sorry about shattering the tip of your PETG barrel!



#256244 Baff #2 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 14 November 2009 - 02:51 AM in Nerf Wars

I'm approaching this from more of a security angle... I have no issue with a few group shots and a few other pictures to chronicle the event, it's more what we do with it, particularly posting them on the internet; it would be wise for us to exercise discernment on how we go about with this. We also have a fair number of minors and neighborhood kids who maybe or may not be involved with the NIC, and their parents may justifiably have concerns over this if they ever find out. Just some thoughts.

See you all tomorrow!



#255905 Mforcer, Wanna See My Red Rocket?

Posted by Aquinas on 10 November 2009 - 06:14 PM in Modifications

Jerm78 posted a video (from drugstore.com) of the pump action and firing of this blaster on his website:

http://nerfornothing.blogspot.com/



#255365 Baff #2 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 05 November 2009 - 02:57 AM in Nerf Wars

I think part of HOTH's incentives was simply to notify us of the increased head-count; perhaps the "permission" bit came out of respect or fear. As he should be. We're a scary bunch.

Pigging-backing on Bob, I would also like to reiterate to everyone that the Yahoo Group is a great and useful feature. Even if you are not a member of any of the NIC forums, you can still join us and have a voice simply by sending an email to BayAreaFoamFlingers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

I do think that a head-count across the forums AND on the Yahoo Group (perhaps we can hone in on utilizing that more in the future to organize events) is important. Due to the highly anonymous nature of the NIC (which we are a part of), as well as BAFF being in a relatively early stage, any connection points we can have is huge, at least until the BAFF event actually happens and we can meet in person. A connection point can just be somebody registering a screen name on a forum (or on the Yahoo Group) and uttering a few lines. Something like that gives us a reference point, a connection that we can build upon. To say this another way: I don't think people just showing up "cold" is a good idea.



#254596 Baff #2 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 26 October 2009 - 01:51 PM in Nerf Wars

Just a bump, as Bob requested; why don't we take a preliminary head count as to who would be able to attend at this point. I'm in.



#254529 When Do Nerf Blasters Become Too Powerful?

Posted by Aquinas on 25 October 2009 - 02:55 PM in Homemades

diamondback said a lot of great things; and I also had thought about a "stefan weight regulation" that Ryan proposed, but, admittedly, it would be close to impossible to enforce (people love their darts too much). I personally employ Slug-style, single #6 washer darts knowing that it won't be shot as far in more powerful blasters, yet they're incredibly easy to make, and the felt tips are a great courtesy for those folks I'll be shooting at, knowing and accepting that same courtesy might not be returned. I can, after all, only control my own actions.

While this conversation has took place before here on NH (I had came across a few from years past; I ghost-read this site for two whole years before applying for membership), technology, for a lack of a better term, certainly came a long way as Ryan said. I felt that people like Slug, Carbon and Forsaken really led the charge a few years back in popularizing homemades and modifications, continuing the efforts of folks like Boltsniper, 3DBBQ, Ompa, Zero, and so on. I still consider Boltsniper's SCAR-N to be the pinnacle of homemades, but seriously, how many of us have the tools and know-how to replicate that? Yet look at the homemade and modification picture threads now compared to a few years ago; I feel that the skills and techniques of the community in general steadfastly improved over time, rather than a few bright spots and then various pieces of plastic wrapped around with duck tape (just consider the progression of the Guru, for example). Times HAD changed, and this issue merits discussion.

Most of us fling foam to have fun; there's fun in the personal sense, yet there's also fun in the collective sense. I'm mostly referring hereafter to the latter. While I certainly agree that the war organizer should lead the way in determining ground rules regarding blaster usage, perhaps the local community should also contribute on how they'd essentially like to be shot at. Now, it is obvious that each local community (be it the various sectors in the Northeast, Southeast, the Midwest, the Northwest or California) has their own distinctive "flavors," so to speak, so this "community contribution" thing will manifest very differently depending on the location. It might not manifest at all in some places. It might be messy at first. It all depends on what your definition of "community" is. Are people just dumb morons that need to be told what to do every time? Can people learn and gradually improve? Can there be a level of trust, respect and compromise within that community? We'd all have different answers, for sure. Time, efficiency and the number of attendees are also factors to be considered. Yet instead of having the host making the calls all the time, perhaps the local community can also contribute in certain aspects as well.

In order there to be fun, there needs to be a certain balance and "fairness" (whatever that means!) within the gameplay. Organizers do their best with teams to ensure opportunities of competition on all sides. In short (which I'm awful at doing), every participant needs to have a chance. They need to feel it, know it, and here's the hard part, actually have it. We're all outstanding at providing chances for ourselves, but perhaps we can do better in doing that for others. In addition to the organizers, we can also police ourselves a little. Ryan posting this article is a great start. Everybody loves to dominate and "diddle," (as Zorn has eloquently mentioned) but those of us with any foresight knows that it gets old really quick, even for the one who's getting all the shots with the big gun (if you can do that with a Nitefinder? Different story). Even in the blasters that we make and/or modify: just because you've made it, doesn't mean that you have to use it in a war. Maybe don't put 6 additional springs in your knockoff Doomsayer if you intend on using it in a war. Maybe don't plug the pumps of those BBBBs. It's hard, but as Zorn suggested, maybe limit the capacity of your RSCBs and clips and magazines.

This is meant to be unappealing to self; you're doing this for someone else. You'd be giving that newbie with a semi-modified Stormfire a little bit more chance than you otherwise would. That newbie might actually enjoy the experience, knowing that he/she has room for improvement, and becomes a more active member of the community. I reckon that'd be a good thing for most of us.

There's a child-like aspect to flinging foam that I think most of us appreciate; that's why we're wielding brightly-colored plastic toys rather than playing airsoft and/or paintball (though some of us still do, nothing wrong with that). Sometimes we may need a pistol round or two to run around a bit and remind ourselves what that feels like. It's worth the heart attack and/or stroke. For the record, I love pistol rounds, maybe a little too much for my community's sake. Teamwork, strategy and execution becomes paramount in those scenarios rather than "how many long-range shots one can get off before the other guy has to reload." Not to disregard the skill required to wield and operate a Doomsayer or a +bow with a RSCB slapped onto it: but you get my point.

Lastly, here's an interesting article by the Team Fortress 2 team regarding the Sharpshooter (substituting for another word) unlockables a few months back. Worth a read:

You Better Hold Onto Your Head, Mate



#254025 Baff #2 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 19 October 2009 - 11:25 PM in Nerf Wars

Let's go for it. The 14th sounds great, at least for me.

Thanks, Blue, for taking initiative and setting this up.



#254003 Baff #2 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 19 October 2009 - 08:44 PM in Nerf Wars

Earlier is better for me as well. Saturdays work best.



#253593 Baff #1 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 15 October 2009 - 01:46 AM in Nerf Wars

I actually applaud Ben for what he did on NerfHQ. I don't think he's trying to disrespect you or undermine your efforts; the very fact that he called it "BAFF 1.5" (instead of, say, "Ben's Bay Area Nerf Out") and specified that "this is for those who couldn't make it on Saturday" acknowledged his acceptance and willingness to buy into what we're all trying to do. We all need to take ownership of this, not just a few of us.

Sorry that I'll be out of town. Hope the weather turns out nicely for ya'll. Really looking forward for BAFF #2.



#252646 Baff #1 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 05 October 2009 - 01:28 AM in Nerf Wars

As for BAFF 2: Would November 14th be better just because it's earlier in the month, or does that not make much of a difference?

Also, same venue? Or does anybody has any new & interesting locales?



#252387 Baff #1 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 02 October 2009 - 02:23 PM in Nerf Wars

Do you have to take everything so literally? Just laugh your way through most of my pointless scribble and we'll all be fine!

(In other words, I'm offering to go along with your preferred Sundays rather than Saturdays. Isn't that nice?)

As seniority (the kind you're talking about) goes, I would argue against it, at least for our group. The point is to have every foam flinger, old and new, to have a genuinely enjoyable experience flinging foam, albeit in different ways. The new guys will probably just be drenched in the rush of being a kid (again, for some of us), while the older guys might enjoy the teamwork and chemistry aspect more. There will have to be facilitators to go over the ground rules and supervise a little bit, for sure, but people getting on their high horses about "well I've done this, I've done that, and I had spent X number of years trying not to shoot people in the head" just kills the spirit of this hobby.



#252378 Baff #1 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 02 October 2009 - 01:18 PM in Nerf Wars

Heh, I actually prefer Saturdays myself, but I think Bob has seniority here, haha...

Ditto on the 18th. Would be the best option for me as well.



#252240 Baff #1 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 30 September 2009 - 07:32 PM in Nerf Wars

I won't be around on the 24th - 25th of this month, unfortunately. But if the time is more suitable for you all on the 24th - 25th than a week earlier, then just go ahead and make it happen.



#252067 Baff #1 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 28 September 2009 - 10:50 PM in Nerf Wars

Will, by essentially asking where you are from (but short of giving away your home address), we're just trying to figure out where everyone actually is around the Bay Area, so that we can figure out what sort of location is most convenient for most people.

In earnestness, there won't be a perfect location. Might as well be in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. But seems like Fremont is looking very promising for near future outings. Again, we can really work on carpools (for those of us in SF and SJ) to minimize travel costs.

I ran a search here for "SJNO," and there should be plenty of folks in the Bay Area. Let's hope we can dig them out from hibernation.



#252008 Baff #1 In Fremont

Posted by Aquinas on 28 September 2009 - 06:21 PM in Nerf Wars

Will said San Ramon, so maybe the Pleasanton / Castro Valley area would be more of a "home turf" for him.

It's obvious, but the Bay Area's pretty big; and though I'm on the other side (and having to pay the bridge toll), I actually find the East Bay to be more suitable for foam flinging. 'Frisco is just way too densely populated and, for a lack of a better word, political, for this (i.e. if people don't like what you're doing, which there will be more than a few, they WILL call you out very impolitely, rather than just pretending you don't exist). Geographically, SF is also really out of the way for most of you, and particularly for you young'ns on the East Bay, where your parents and/or siblings would have to drive you, crossing the Bay (be it the distance, bridge toll and/or TRAFFIC, which can be quite bad, even on weekends, on I-80/Bay Bridge) will probably be the deal breaker. Frankly, I think the middle of East Bay, i.e. Hayward and Fremont are decent enough locations for everybody. I had a very easy time finding venue yesterday. Those of us from SF or SJ will have to drive a little bit, but maybe we can do a better job on carpooling.

The San Mateo Bridge/CA 92, on the other hand, is quite nice on weekends. Perhaps in addition to East Bay locales, we can also consider the Palo Alto / Mountain View /Sunnyvale areas as possible future venues. I also envision a lot of offices, warehouses and laser tag places in those areas; if I haven't made it clear already, it would be awesome to have an indoor event. Then again, I'm realistic too. If grass is easier on Bob's knees, I'm find with playing on a field :oP



#251921 Fmno 2!

Posted by Aquinas on 28 September 2009 - 12:24 AM in Nerf Wars

Agreed with all comments; it was a great day, and it was great to meet you all. I do think that Blue's a bit eager to get rid of some stuff! However, there were also a lot of first timers, and while we admittedly did spend a lot of time hanging out, I thought it was important for us to chat and get to know each other a little better first. I think we can all agree that we're all looking forward for many more events to come. Today was a nice little leap for the three of you who had been trying to build a local community for a while.

I really enjoyed the pistol rounds. Though the 3-teams Capture the Flag bit was decidedly awesome, we might have to perfect it and put it into a rotation; though we'll have to work a little bit on the teams next time to keep things fair (what can I say; Blue and Adrian were beasts).

As a final thought, I really like the term "foam flingers."



#251543 Fmno 2!

Posted by Aquinas on 24 September 2009 - 06:21 PM in Nerf Wars

Sounds great. See you all on Sunday.

Any new "recruits" from HQ and FU in addition to the attendees listed here?



#250226 Fmno 2!

Posted by Aquinas on 12 September 2009 - 02:03 PM in Nerf Wars

The 26th and 27th sounds good to me as well. Looking forward to it.



#250188 Fmno 2!

Posted by Aquinas on 12 September 2009 - 01:56 AM in Nerf Wars

Interested here as well; as for the date, are you thinking of having this in a week, 3 weeks, or a month? It's just good to know, so that I can double check my schedule.



#240977 N-strike Clipped Pas

Posted by Aquinas on 09 July 2009 - 08:06 AM in Modifications

Don't know how relevant this is, but you've also added a notable amount of weight on the plunger head and the plunger rod via the epoxy putty and brass that you used as reinforcement. While I'm sure that this isn't necessarily the deal-breaker here (and that you really did a nice job reinforcing that thing), it is considerable weight to add for a part like the plunger head and rod. Not saying I'm 100% correct, but perhaps a point to consider.



#219890 Lanard 2009

Posted by Aquinas on 26 March 2009 - 04:12 AM in General Nerf

Let's not turn this into a speculation thread just yet...

The guns indeed look sweet. If they are indeed springers, I would be most interested in their plunger sizes and their potential to accommodate more springs, or at least a spring replacement. Frankly, I harbour the same hope for the Raider as I do with the rest of these guns: having the potential to add just a little bit more velocity and FPS to its presumably outstanding rate of fire. Otherwise, it's just the Maverick (rate of fire) vs. Nitefinder (range) debate all over again.

Only after they hit the shelves will we know whether these guns will be comparable to or have a shot at dethroning the Doomsayer (or at least raising as big of a ruckus as it did here).

As for Falcon's comment regarding PASes and Big Blasts: while I agree that variety is nice, but at the end of the day, most people would opt for simplicity, practicality, and functionality (in other words, transcending into the realm and mantra of CS) over, in this case, vanity and individuality. I (along with most people on this site) own both guns and love them for what they are. I also love my TriggerFires and PistolSplats (and they're great guns also), but pound for pound, and not taking the operator into the equation, it's hard to match these fairly balanced guns. But beyond that, the fact that it takes relatively little effort to modify the blasters into a respectable war weapon is, I assume, the deal-maker for most people. I think it's fair to say that they're bread-and-butter blasters for most wars, and I think quite a few old and new foamflingers build their arsenal around these two guns (based on my own experiences and observation on this site).

Nevertheless, all things consider, 2009 seems like a solid year for blaster releases from multiple companies. I mean, I do love my recon, but it's not the most viable skirmish weapon (and somewhat of a letdown). Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.



#204930 Rifletech2000

Posted by Aquinas on 20 January 2009 - 02:31 AM in Modifications

Hahaha JSB, everyone is indeed a critic, but only now there's the internet and countless forums for us to voice our pompous and ultimately irrelevant opinions. A mantra that I have: never take the internet <i>or</i> yourself too seriously.

Back on topic: frankly, I like the gun. A lot of people (myself included) like the guts of AT2Ks and for good reason. Many of us dislike the shell and usually integrates the gun elsewhere OR place it inside another shell. Slowguitarman recently did an amazing job with the Nf2k here. I also happen to really like the RFR (not really war-capable, but just a really fun gun) and its body/shell. The pumping might be a little awkward to some, but not all that different from pumping a Big Blast (minus the handle), if you ask me. If somebody likes something enough, they'll make it work.

To people who are keen of saying "So, what's the point of ____ ?": Isn't that what most people say to our silly, foamflinging sport/hobby? This isn't the most complicated thing since Bill Belichick's brain, but if NoF made it and likes it, then that's that. You start small and gradually get to the point where you can decapitate both of CaptainSlug's arms to make yourself feel better about your ability to modify plastic foam blasters.



#200066 Wipeout (pistol Splat) Write-up

Posted by Aquinas on 31 December 2008 - 07:16 PM in Modifications

I have the tendency to complicate simple matters; I replaced the paintball barrel with a piece of brass (with e-tape on both sides), sanded down the inside of a 1/2 PVC coupler and slapped it right in the front of the gun (with e-tape wrapped all around the top of the shell; I just don't like gluing things together). I might end up doing this your way, trim down the shell a bit and put a slide breech barrel onto the coupler. I'm just not the biggest fan of ramrodding (even though my PistolSplat, in its current form, utilizes that), while PVC breech loading on a pistol just seems too cumbersome. There might be flaws on my modifications, but my PistolSplat wouldn't vacuum load. I guess I'll have to figure that one out.



#200033 Wipeout (pistol Splat) Write-up

Posted by Aquinas on 31 December 2008 - 05:38 PM in Modifications

<introduction>Hello, first post here. Been reading up on the forums since summer of '07 and waited a year to finally apply for membership. Just got approved this past November, I believe. </introduction>

I actually had done extensive research on this particular Pistol; a fair number of companies utilize this pistol/design and rebrand it as their own by slapping on a variety of logos and paintjobs (not uncommon in the toy industry). The Splatmatic PistolSplat is perhaps most familiar to the members of this board. The SupaSplat found at Spencer's Gifts is another. I've recently purchased a Splatmatic Patriot .50 cal (in red and black) at Bass Shop Pro, while TantumBull had just discovered yet another variant. They're all essentially the same toy, albeit with subtle differences. Many of the more respectable members here had given this converted paintball gun high praise, and I, too, am profoundly pleased with this blaster's performance.

Props to TantumBull. I had never thought of sanding down a PVC coupler and putting it INSIDE the shell of the gun. I just might have to do that.

Secondly, addressing specifically to Splitlip's reference to Vacc's quote: I don't want to put words in his or your mouth, and I understand that you are both Jersey nerfers (thus know each other well) for quite some time, but I do remember Vacc discussing this on the forums, and he was primarily addressing the CO2-powered paintball guns converted to shoot darts. If my memory serves me correctly, he mentioned that the PistolSplat's design, in particular, is more in the vein of nerf than paintball, and thus somewhat acceptable. (Though to what degree? You might have to ask him for his answer)

Personally, I don't think the issue here is a pragmatic one, but philosophical. Performance wise, these guns are perfectly within the norm of other nerf blasters. The blaster in question, the PistolSplat, while powerful, would not exceed the range of many popular primaries, such as the PAS, Big Blast, (and I can only assume, since I don't own them) Crossbow and +bow. The Splatmatic Thundersplat, which CaptainSlug recently modified, shoots stefans to about 70-80 feet (the break breech is totally awesome, though). These are solid blasters with solid ranges, though nothing Earth-shattering. Perhaps the issue, particularly for the "nerf purists," would be the spirit of nerf in general: what is "nerfing," and what does/should it consist of?

The "philosophical" side of this matter doesn't really bother me. In fact, aside from my recent Maverick and Recon purchases, I have not purchased an actual nerf product in more than a decade. I had only took modifying foam blasters recently, and my arsenal consists of TriggerFires, Pump Shotguns, Sonic Bazookas and one PistolSplat (I might purchase more). None of these blasters are designed to fire foam darts, and perhaps that's where the issue lies. I know this has been discussed many times before, but since the N-Strike line rolled out, Hasbro has been making blasters that bears more resemblance to (for a lack of a better term) "real" firearms while purposefully keeping the range of the blasters down to around 30 feet. Many members here have made note of how difficult it is to modify the reverse-plunger mechanism, and either that is on purpose, or a side-effect of Hasbro's inherit design. Frankly, this makes complete sense for Hasbro. This appeals to their target audience (and their parents, mind you) while avoiding over-powered blasters for the said audience (and therefore, lawsuits). It's been said many times, but the NIC community is a ridiculously small customer base compared with the actual customer base. Small potatoes are we.

Basically, for me, unless my cranium suddenly increase in size within the next few months for me to create a homemade from scratch, I will continue to find blasters (regardless of brand) that will be easy to modify while providing a satisfying airflow to propel my CS-style stefans. Perhaps the issue of proprietary eponyms also comes into play: it's like Kleenex is a brand of tissues, and Band-Aid is a brand of bandages; is Nerf simply a brand of foam blasters? While Nerf is definitely a pioneer in developing foam blasters (much like Tokyo Marui with AEGs), when other competitors enters the market, the playing field changes. such is the way capitalism works.

I like to talk, as most of you will find out soon enough. Ultimately, the opinions that matters most goes to those individual who host the major wars.