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Dollarama AIR BLASTER


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#1 Chuck dee

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Posted 13 March 2013 - 10:28 PM

Hello everyone. First post here. First write-up as well. Critics are always welcomed if they are well formulated and polite.

If anyone from the US would be interested in this toy, let me know, I might be able to ship it to you for under 5$. Of course, at that price I recommend getting a Nitefinder though.
Contact me to diapo.pro@gmail.com
Keep in mind that this is a 2$ gun at the dollar store. I think 65' is pretty decent.

Write-up is under a PDF form which was easier for me to make. Have fun!

Air Blaster write up.pdf - 13.03 MB

*EDIT*: Content now in the post itself.

Hello, this is my first write up. Original idea : http://canadiannerfe...c/31/Knock-Off-
Star-Wars-Rebel-Troop-Blaster-Optimizati#.UUEkeflLNUs
First of all, I'm Chuck. I have been into Nerfing for several years and I have quit 2 years ago.
Recently, one of the kids of my neighborhood started playing nerf too. I saw him last week shooting
outside a trusty old stock maverick. Since I still had all my stuff, I gave him everything that wasn't just
garbage. Then I was gonna throw everything else away when this caught my attention. And this is how
I got back into modding. I didn't remember how much I liked it, but now I do. I'm also working on a
breach setup for a BuzzBee belt blaster (which I no longer have the shells for).
Anyhow.
This is with what we will work. THE DOLLARAMA AIR BLASTER.
A note on the product:
This is a toy that can be acquired at Dollarama for 2$. Dollarama is a Canadian dollar store franchise
operating nationwide. I do not think there is any of them in the US, but still, if any of you ever
encounter one, you'll know what to do. This version shot arrows (a bit like BBB arrows). It had a range
of 20 feet angled.

This mod will consist of a Barrel replacement (CPVC in this case, but you can use whatever you want),
a rod reinforcement and adding an extra spring.

Let's begin.
1st Step: You might want to play with it a little before modding it to see how much it sucks stock. This
way, you will think this is the greatest mod in the world afterwards.


2nd Step: Let's open the beast.

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Screws are located on the right hand side. Unscrew all of them.

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You might also want to cut off the “scope” like I did since it is probably going to be more trouble
keeping it. I used a hacksaw.

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It should give you something like this once opened:
Take note that I already removed the stock barrel on this picture, normally, it should still be there.
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4th Step: Cutting off what seems to be an AR.
Before:
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After:
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I used the little cutter you see on the left of the picture.
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5th Step: Plunger tube's disassembly.
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There is a screw on the head of the plunger tube. Unscrew.
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What you should have now.
6th Step: Reinforcement of the cocking rod.

Since it is very weak (your grandma was stronger than that) I decided to call in a little friend on this
job.
Dude, there is a Gorilla on the syringe. It's surely strong. (I was going to use Hot glue until I saw the
gorilla's face @ walmart. Them bastards, they surely know how to touch my feelings.)
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I'm also going to use two of these big nails. Good stuff.

So pour a bit of glue in the rod, then put in the nails like this.
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7th Step: Go start writing this up while it dries. Or you could cut you barrel.

8th Step: Here I will introduce to you Sketchy. Sketchy is an awful spring to work with. If you have
anything better (I really took what I had under hand and I have no clue what it is) you might want to
put it in instead of Sketchy.

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Sketchy + original springy.

9th Step: better seal of that plunger. *EDIT* Don't do this. I'm a cheap old bastard that didn't want to go get O-rings and didn't want to spend on lube either. I thought it was an OK idea, but DartSlinger and Carbon told me otherwise.
Classic method, just e-tape the head of the plunger so it gives you something like this:
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Now add some kind of lubricant. I like Vaseline much.
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10th Step: Do a barrel roll.

11th Step: Put everything back together. In my case, since Sketchy didn't want to stay in, I had to tape
the tube.
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12th Step: Glue your new barrel at the end of the plunger tube. I used hot glue there. Gorilla glue would
have seemed excessive to me. But heh, banana.

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13th step (the unlucky one) : Put everything back in the shell and hope you haven't lost anything (like
that |(!/”?& catch spring). Then just screw the shell back together. I added E-tape to make sure it
doesn't come apart too. Stupid chinese toy.

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Voilà, you are done. I estimate that everything cost me less than 4$. I get ranges of 18 meters
consistently. To add some power, you could add some bungees/rubberbands like to a Nitefinder but I
don't guarantee you the handle will be strong enough. Also, I don't think this toy will handle more than 500 shots in its lifetime. Its made very cheap, so I don't expect to much out of it.

Edited by Chuck_dee, 13 March 2013 - 11:50 PM.

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#2 Carbon

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Posted 13 March 2013 - 10:58 PM

It's a well done writeup, but please post the actual text and pictures here, and not on a remotely linked file. You can edit your post to add the content.

Speaking to the content of your mod, an e-tape plunger head is a bad idea, lubing it with Vaseline doubly so.

Edited by Carbon, 13 March 2013 - 11:06 PM.

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Hello. I am Indigo of the Rainbow Clan. You Nerfed my father. Prepare to die.

#3 DartSlinger

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Posted 13 March 2013 - 11:12 PM

After reading your write-up, I noticed several things that you can improve on. First, using electrical tape only temporarily improves your seal, because after a short while, the electrical tape degenerates, causing sticky goop on the inside of your plunger tube, which slows down your plunger, and, consequently, decreases the range. Also, using Vaseline for your lubricant is inadvisable since it eats into rubber and plastic. A much better alternative would be silicone grease, which can be found at any hardware store.

Link to silicone grease

Edit: Carbon beat me while I was composing.

Edited by DartSlinger, 13 March 2013 - 11:14 PM.

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#4 Chuck dee

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Posted 13 March 2013 - 11:28 PM

All right for Vaseline and e-tape. It wasn't any good of an idea haha.

And I will to fix the PDF issue as of right now.

*EDIT* Fixed.

Edited by Chuck_dee, 13 March 2013 - 11:50 PM.

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#5 Mully

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Posted 13 March 2013 - 11:58 PM

Good writeup man.
One question:
How does this plunger tube compare in size to a nitefinder pt?
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#6 nutterbutter

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 12:09 AM

Looks like this gun has a LOT of extra room for a PT swap, with some work of course. Even still, looks like you COULD move the PT forward for a decent gain in draw. Either way, it's always neat to see someone make something out of nothing. Good first post.
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#7 Chuck dee

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 12:11 AM

Good writeup man.
One question:
How does this plunger tube compare in size to a nitefinder pt?


I will get a pic, but it is bigger. Like 1cm longer and maybe 1cm wider too.

Looks like this gun has a LOT of extra room for a PT swap, with some work of course. Even still, looks like you COULD move the PT forward for a decent gain in draw. Either way, it's always neat to see someone make something out of nothing. Good first post.


I'm not quite sure of how moving the PT forward would change anything, perhaps an example could help. I thought about a plunger swap, but i don't have any bigger on hand and as stated, this was a quick an easy to do mod. I don't wan't to get too much work on a gun that will most probably break down after 500 shots if you know what I mean...

Edited by Chuck_dee, 14 March 2013 - 12:17 AM.

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#8 nutterbutter

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 12:47 AM

I'm not quite sure of how moving the PT forward would change anything, perhaps an example could help. I thought about a plunger swap, but i don't have any bigger on hand and as stated, this was a quick an easy to do mod. I don't wan't to get too much work on a gun that will most probably break down after 500 shots if you know what I mean...

Moving a plunger tube forward (In relation to where it sits stock) can increase the volume of air that would be in front of the plunger head while the gun is cocked. The plunger rod/head is then allowed more of a draw, and thus more power. It can be done on a NF, though it rarely is. I can snag some pictures of mine if you'd really like to see it.
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#9 Ray9745

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 12:52 AM

Yeah... don't use Vaseline (petroleum jelly). Check this link on what lubricants to use. Oh yeah, even though petroleum jelly is on maybe, don't use it. http://nerfhaven.com...showtopic=16267
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#10 Goldie

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 01:40 AM

Great write-up, but reinforce the crap out of it.

I had one of these once, got great ranges (60 feet) with simply a spring addition and a cpvc barrel.

However these things are SUPER weak. Witch greatly limits what you can do with it. A few guys up in Canada did all kinds of stuff with 'um always with poor results. The plastic on these is so weak that simply pulling a speed loader out can break the shell. And moving/ replacing the plunger tube the is also out of the question. The screw in the plunger head rips out all the time so just a heads up.

Also I always found the plunger tube to be shorter and thinner then a nite finder but with its thinner plastic I wonder if they have the same volume?

Its funny topics about this blaster show up every 18 months or so. The end result is always the same, someone asks a question and the OP says something to the effect of "it broke".
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#11 Griever 2112

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 07:31 AM

Since this looks like a bad Nitefinder ripoff, it's not bad writeup, honestly. My question is more for the internal pieces. What is the size comparison of this things plunger rod to that of a Nitefider? If it is longer, it might be suitable for parts on a NF Rifle, if someone doesn't want to worry about making a complete from scratch internal set.
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#12 Chuck dee

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 08:24 PM

So I went comparing the two plunger tubes. The NF is indeed longer by about 1cm and wider by 1cm too.

NF plungertube in it's shell.
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AB plungertube in NF shell.
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Both of them side by side.
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Moving a plunger tube forward (In relation to where it sits stock) can increase the volume of air that would be in front of the plunger head while the gun is cocked. The plunger rod/head is then allowed more of a draw, and thus more power. It can be done on a NF, though it rarely is. I can snag some pictures of mine if you'd really like to see it.

Bah, the green version's shell I got is already crapped out (surprising). I might try this out.

What is the size comparison of this things plunger rod to that of a Nitefider? If it is longer, it might be suitable for parts on a NF Rifle, if someone doesn't want to worry about making a complete from scratch internal set.


The AB rod is indeed longer, but it is also thinner, which mean it doesn't seem right in the NF's shell. It is also wayyyyyyy weaker and the head is total garbage. I wouldn't even consider it. One piece that seems to be the same is the catch. It is exactly the same mold, only a bit cheaper and smaller, but still fits snuggly in the NF shell.

Edited by Chuck_dee, 14 March 2013 - 08:30 PM.

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#13 Blue

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Posted 15 March 2013 - 01:53 PM

I've seen these around, I think they are one of those summer seasonal toys they put on aisle end caps at some stores. It's of the absolute worst quality, and I can tell you from experience with knockoff TTG's and similar blasters that you will more than likely end up just destroying this out of frustration/boredom because no matter what you do to this thing SOMETHING will break. Just don't try to push this thing too far because it's not worth your time or materials.
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#14 koolman97

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Posted 10 June 2013 - 05:38 PM

Where did you pick this up? i really want to see if i can find one.
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