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Arachnophobia Pistols

All the fire-power of the originals-- compact and dual wielded

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#1 imaseoulman

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:06 PM

So, the evolution of the Arachnophobia Series continues. The original Arachnophobia remains in my "active arsenal" (blasters that I personally use in a war) but Arachnophobia II is undergoing reconstruction. It worked well, but not as well as its predecessor. I just couldn't get the range I wanted out of the SMDTG barrels. It was through trying to solve this problem that the idea for the Marvelous Salvo was born (and very special thanks to ChilliPepperFender for his write-up).

I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with different options for the "best" integration. After experimenting with BlastFires, Hornets, SMDTG's, Big Salvos, and many other blasters (including SuperSoakers), I decided on the "Marvelous Salvo." The Big Salvo blast chambers are capable of so much range (consistently hitting over 100'), but the trigger system is a major weakpoint. My only complaint about the original Arachnophobia was the trigger set-up. It was very difficult to get it just right and even then it didn't have an auto-return (spring) mechanism. My concern with Arachnophobia II (other than range of the back-up barrels) was the difficulty in aiming down the barrel and also the size (requiring two hands compared to the original needing only one hand).

With all of this in mind, I set out to make the next installment in the Arachnophobia Series. I first designed Arachnophobia III (still in the works) but it got put on the back-burner as I have experienced the most stressing and busy summer of my life (complete with legal battles and a major career change...in a few months I will begin a career with the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Engineer). So being without all my tools, parts, and blasters, I decided to make what I originally intended to finish after Arachnophobia III:

The Arachnophobia Pistols:
All the Fire-power of the Originals-- Compact and Dual-Wielded
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This was the first blaster I thought of once I came up with the Marvelous Salvo (the Big Big Blast was actually the third blaster I developed using the same idea). Being extremely fond of dual wielding SF's in a NERF war (and performing excellently when so doing) I wanted something similar but with just a bit more umph behind it. I can run much fast holding these than carrying any one of my primaries and these things shoot hard and far.
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Mechanically they are quite simple. I simply sanded (with a dremel) grooves onto the Lightning Blitzes where I planned to put the barrels and trigger mechs and hot glued them on. The bottom barrel also got a zip-tie for extra support. Inside the Lightning Blitz, just before the tubing enters the blast chamber, I inserted a barbed tee and ran that line to the SMDTG trigger mech with a check valve just before the trigger mech (I had pictures of all this but my brother-in-law destroyed the camera along with all its internal memory).

One of the blasters has the trigger on the left side of the grip so that when being held in my right hand, my thumb naturally falls right where the push-button is. The right-handed blaster has CPVC barrels (in all my experimenting I have never found anything to compare to the range of a half-length CTD in CPVC for "air guns") while the left-handed blaster has PETG barrels. This is because I am not as good at aiming with my left hand so I don't need quite as good range because I won't be able to hit anything 80' anyway. The slightly more light weight blaster is easier to aim for my left hand. And reciprically the left-handed blaster has the SMDTG trigger mech on the right side, so it too fits my hand naturally. These blasters are not "ambedextrous." One is right-handed and the other is left-handed.
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As for firing the blaster, the lightning blitz is pretty much point and shoot; the spread is good, but not so wide thay your darts will go on opposite sides of the target and miss with the entire barrage. To fire the BS chambers, first I turn the blaster sideways and aim down the lower barrel (set as the first barrel to go off). It is amazingly accurate. With my first shot I quickly aimed at a small tree (about 4" diameter trunk) from about 70' and hit it with the first shot. Then I turn the gun right side up and aim down one of the top two barrels. This was one of my design goals, to make a blaster that allowed aiming down the barrel...and I succeeded 100%.
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Now for a video of firing the gun:
YouTube Link:

PhotoBucket Link:
h t t p ://s192.photobucket.com/albums/z44/imaseoulman/?action=view¤t=arachonophobiapistols.flv
(copy and paste then fix http, I don't know why this keeps giving me problems)


Write Up:

Materials:
Lightning Blitz
Barbed Connectors (3)
Barbed Tee
Barbed Check Valve
3/16" ID Tubing (at least 2')
Big Salvo Blast Chambers (3)
SMDTG Trigger Mech

This is by far the easiest to duplicate in the Arachnophobia Series. The first thing you'll want to do is open this thing up. There aren't any tricky caps that need cutting or prying, but there is a sneaky screw hidden underneath the AirJet sticker. You'll want to do a basic mod, you know, plug the pump and replace the barrels, for help with this, see Forsaken Angel's Write Up. For more details on the BS chambers see Marvelous Salvo and ChilliPepperFender's Write Up.

Next, cut the tubing that connects the pump tube to the blast chamber, about 3/4" before it enters the blast chamber and insert a barbed tee that fits your tubing (I use 3/16").

I find this a good time to talk about the LB Blast Chamber (if you just want to get on with the write up, just skip below the picture). There has been a lot of confusion due to the comparison of the Lightning Blitz with the Blast Fire, Hornet, Big Salvo, Secret Shot II, etc. While there are common features (the valve) the trigger doesn't work the same. While the Lightning Blitz belongs in the same category with the Secret Shot II, it does not belong in the same category as the other blasters mentioned. This is because of the way they're fired. In the BF, BS, Hornet, and similar blasters, the air input and back-pressure-actuated-trigger/valve use the same pathway. The LB and SS2, however, have the air input and back-pressure-actuated-trigger/valve on different pathways. The main difference this results in is that if you create back pressure in the air input pathway the blaster will fire (if it's a BS, BF, Hornet, etc.). In a lightning blitz there's a check valve right where the tubing meets the blast chamber (of the sort that's in the end of the pump tubes for AirTech and SuperMaxx blasters). The difference is significant when you realize you can't use backpressure in the tubing to fire it, i.e. you can't use a SMDTG trigger to fire off three SS2 blast chambers or three LB chambers (as cool as that would be) without removing the trigger systems. Back pressure is created in the LB and SS2 when fired by pushing in the firing rod and allowing air to escape out the back of the chamber (the backpressure then seals this leak and at the same time opens the front valve allowing air to rush out the front and launch darts). Well, that was lengthy, but I hope it helped dispell some of the confusion. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
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The next thing you want to is cut/sand/drill or my favorite, dremel a small hole in the back of the pistol where the picture says "drill here." I just use a sanding drum on my dremel on one side of the LB. After that, connect some tubing (at least 12", just to be safe) to the odd end of the barbed tee. Run the tubing out of the hole you just cut/drilled/whatever and put the LB back together. You may need to fiddle a bit to make sure this fits well (on my left handed pistol I came out the top of the gun and that seemed to work best).
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Now you're going to sand/dremel/cut down the sides of the LB where it says "sand here" in the photo. The point of this is to make a nice seat for the BS chambers. The more rearward spot will need to be sanded down a bit more because the BS chamber is wider there than at the barrel. The red circles give an idea of about how much to cut, but mostly just dremel some off and put hold the BS chamber in place, see if it's approximately straight, make corrections and repeat. Apply liberal amounts of Hot Glue and then hold the BS chamber in place until the glue dries (note: it can help to already have a barrel in the BS chamber when alligning it).
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On the under side, cut about where the line in the picture is and then sorta sand out a curve to more easily attach the BS chamber. After gluing it on, throw on a zip-tie for extra support.

You'll also need to sand/dremel a groove on the handle (not deep, just enough to make a seat for the SMDTG trigger). Hold the gun in your hand (the hand you'll be using to fire the gun as this makes it so you can't comfortably hold the gun in the other hand) and move around the SMDTG trigger until it's comfortable to figure out where to place it. Mark the spot, sand the groove, glue it on, and hold it in place while it dries. (Note: when removing the SMDTG trigger mech from your SMDTG, try to get as much as possible of the original tubing on the trigger mech so you have enough to work with).

Finally, using barbed connectors, connect the BS chambers to the SMDTG trigger mech. When you connect the tube running out of the LB to the SMDTG, instead of using a barbed connector, use a barbed check valve. If you don't put in a check valve, you'll have problems when firing the LB before your fire the BS chambers.

Also, I reccommend making the bottom barrel the first to fire as it is the easiest to aim with. I know that seems strange, but just turn your blaster to the side and then you can easily aim down the barrel. This is now one of the most accurate guns I own. Enjoy!

Ranges:
Lightning Blitz 60-85'
Marvelous Salvo 80-110'

Edited by imaseoulman, 22 July 2008 - 06:28 PM.

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#2 Kid Flash

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:09 PM

Were you who outbid me on the lot of lightning blitzes and mad hornets? Either way theyre pretty cool.
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#3 imaseoulman

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:11 PM

No, I haven't bought a NERF blaster for months now. I've had these sincle last summer. But sorry to hear you missed out on getting some...they're a lot of fun.

Edited by imaseoulman, 21 July 2008 - 08:50 PM.

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#4 Kid Flash

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:17 PM

I eventually got one... It is a lot of fun. Not too great of range though.
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#5 imaseoulman

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:23 PM

What kind of range do you get out of yours? Most of mine hit around 65' but occassionally I'll find a good one that hits around 80'.

Edited by imaseoulman, 21 July 2008 - 08:50 PM.

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#6 Kid Flash

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:35 PM

I only get 30ft with petg... pump plugged, 15 pumps... :blink: I'm sad now... :D
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#7 imaseoulman

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:40 PM

Wow, I get more than that using stock darts. How long are your barrels? You are using steffans, aren't you? I do, however, pump it more than 15 times. I'm not sure how many times I pump it, but I don't worry about over-pumping because the seal on the pump isn't good enough to over-pressurize and damage the air tank. I've never seen a Lightning Blitz pump that could seal well enough to damage the air tank (unless you've modified/replaced the O-ring).

Edited by imaseoulman, 21 July 2008 - 08:50 PM.

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#8 Kid Flash

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:44 PM

About 4 inches of petg, with angels old red fbr stefans.
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#9 imaseoulman

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 08:48 PM

You could try slightly longer barrels. Also, are your stefans heavy enough (not just one bb, but either a fishing weight, sling-shot ammo, or multiple bb's)? You might also try switching to CPVC and use CTD's. It's a bit more expensive, and the dart is a tight fit, but the ranges are pretty good. That, or you've just got a lemon, I've had one of those before too.

Edited by imaseoulman, 21 July 2008 - 08:51 PM.

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#10 Banshee

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 09:11 PM

Great job! Those things are BEASTS! Are they easy to use as a pair?
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#11 BustaDartInYOurAss

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 09:41 PM

I honesly am jealous, flat out jealous. Great work and I hope you continue to make Arachnophobia Series.

Edited by BustaDartInYOurAss, 21 July 2008 - 09:41 PM.

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#12 Salmon

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 09:49 PM

Dude, that is sick. I want one! Or two! But I guess my Falcon'd NF will have to do for now...(sigh...) And who/what is that screaming in the background? Because the last little "AIIII-!" made me literally lol.
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#13 NerfCrazy

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 10:32 PM

Nice mods and that little scream at the end of the video made me laugh.
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#14 Forsaken angel24

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 11:28 PM

You continue to amaze me.
I would love to see those in person.

Definitely enough to scare the crap out of anyone in a pistols round.

Any chance for a basic write up?
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#15 ChiliPepperFender

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Posted 21 July 2008 - 11:54 PM

Wow, that's totally insane. Great work. I'm going to have to integrate mine on to something now. I love the Arachnophobia series, keep up the good work!

By the way, where do you get your barbed fittings? All I can find at Home Depot is bing connectors and brass barbed fittings which don't work too well. Also, how long are your Big Salvo barrels

Edited by ChiliPepperFender, 22 July 2008 - 02:26 AM.

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#16 Dayko

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 12:30 AM

Great work. Those look awesome. The only draw back I see to these is the time it takes to reload all the barrels during a war. But other then that those are beasts.
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#17 mystefansdontflystraight

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 05:55 AM

Thats totally the coolest thing I ever saw in my whole nerfing career. I love the BS, and was trying to buy chili's integration but shipping was too expensive. I guess I need to get my hands on a big salvo now.
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QUOTE(Blacksunshine @ Dec 24 2009, 02:15 PM) View Post

QUOTE(white moonlight @ Dec 23 2009, 01:29 PM) View Post

It's just screaming to be rearloading...

I seen a movie about that once.



#18 imaseoulman

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 06:10 AM

I honesly am jealous, flat out jealous. Great work and I hope you continue to make Arachnophobia Series.

Don't worry. Arachnophobia III will eventually get finished. Somewhere I have plans drawn up for Arachnophobia IV, but I don't even remember what the concept was. Hopefully I'll finish Arachnophobia III before I begin "Nuke School."

Dude, that is sick. I want one! Or two! But I guess my Falcon'd NF will have to do for now...(sigh...) And who/what is that screaming in the background? Because the last little "AIIII-!" made me literally lol.

Nice mods and that little scream at the end of the video made me laugh.

Hahaha...the screaming is my nine year old brother-in-law. He was hiding behind a waste basket to help study the camera. I had to do a second take on that shot because the first one was the first time he saw me fire all the barrels at once and he laughed maniacally with excitement. I'll have to post that clip...it's pretty funny.

You continue to amaze me.
I would love to see those in person.

Definitely enough to scare the crap out of anyone in a pistols round.

Any chance for a basic write up?

Pistols round...haha that would be hilarious. As for a write up...yeah I'll put something together. I already hate write ups, but when my brother-in-law deleted all my internal pics, I just gave up on it.

Wow, that's totally insane. Great work. I'm going to have to integrate mine on to something now. I love the Arachnophobia series, keep up the good work!

By the way, where do you get your barbed fittings? All I can find at Home Depot is bing connectors and brass barbed fittings which don't work too well. Also, how long are your Big Salvo barrels

I get most of my barbed fittings from McMaster. If you're buying something else already, it doesn't add anything to the shipping price, and they have the best deal by far. You can get five for the price of one and at most hardware stores. I use 3/16" because that's what fits my tubing.

Great work. Those look awesome. The only draw back I see to these is the time it takes to reload all the barrels during a war. But other then that those are beasts.

I'm glad somebody brought this up. I was going to go over this in the first post, but I was rambling too much as it is. These "pistols" have a very distinct role in a NERF war, and I don't usually use them as my primary weapon for the duration of an entire round (with a few exceptions). This is mostly due to the reloading issue. A lot of people I've NERFed with have noticed that "I don't reload." One of my strategies (this changes depending on war type) is to just carry enough firepower that I can go "blitzkrieg" and take out half the opposing team and not worry about reloading until the action is calmed down and I'm very far away. It is quite effective and I rarely get rushed because I always have at least one shot ready to go.

But, if I do have to reload in the middle of a "fire fight" (I'm not a mil-sim fan, but I don't know what else to call it) I usually only reload the BS barrels and repump those. If you keep the LB blast chamber pressurized, it doesn't take much time to just repump the BS barrels. So they can be used in that manner as effectively as most other primaries. Six barrels with excellent range is not bad in my book.

As for the role these things play, I usually pull them out when I need to "get something done." For example, we're playing CTF and we just can't seem to take enough of their guys out quickly enough to get the flag out before they respawn. I'll put down my primary grab these two suckers, and if the other team is really giving us problems, I'll strap a heavily modded MS to my back, and (hopefully) there won't be a person alive in their base. It also works well for intimidation/shock factor. I've learned that half the benefit of some of my Arachnophobia blasters and other menacing mods is their ability to overwhelm my opponent before I fire a shot. They simply don't know what to do when they are outranged by multiple barrels (I would imagine Angel has experienced a similar phenomenon with his Doomsayer).

Which brings me to another application for using the Arachnophobia Pistols...the pesky "Ghosts." Ghosts are what my friends call people who just won't seem to die. There are a couple players who are just really good and are hard to kill and usually are ghosts and sometimes some people are just "on" for a round or two and you just can't seem to take them out. When this happens, again, I'll grab these pistols and take them out quickly. Then I'll retreat to cover to switch back to my other primary.

Occasionally, just for fun, I will use these pistols for entire rounds and I'll rack up high numbers of kills, but I end up doing a lot more running (taking cover to reload) than I like to do.

Well, that was long, but maybe somebody got something useful out of it, and maybe VACC will rip apart my strategy and give me pointers on how to be a better NERFer. He usually does.
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#19 Blacksunshine

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 06:45 AM

You sir are a dirty bastard :P Just kidding those are great. I seriously need to pick up some BS's and start integrating them.
You get more then 15 pumps on your LB's? The one that I have the pump plugged starts to make a cracking noise at around 15. Maybe its just age or wear. I did get it at a thrift store after all.
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#20 VACC

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 07:08 AM

They're very interesting, hehe. You seem to mod nerf guns almost exclusively for what we used to call "East Coast rule"; No count-ins, every dart that finds a mark counts against the target's hit points.

You must run through ammo like taco bell through the small intestine.
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#21 imaseoulman

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 08:21 AM

You must run through ammo taco bell through the small intestine.

I have to admit, this really confused me, until I realized it was supposed to be a simile, then I laughed to myself...it seems taco bell does that to everybody. But yeah, I go through a fair amount of ammo. I carry a lot and don't pick up very often. I'm not at all trigger happy though. I make my shots count; I'm more conservative than most with the shots I take, but it sure is fun to unload a barrage of 16 darts.

They're very interesting, hehe. You seem to mod nerf guns almost exclusively for what we used to call "East Coast rule"; No count-ins, every dart that finds a mark counts against the target's hit points.

Actually, I have lots of mods for what used to be "West Coast Rules." But the large majority of those have been done before, so I don't post them. I feel no need to post every time I do mod that's already in the directory. But just for the record I have several basic modded NiteFinders, SM1500's, AT2K's, etc.

Mostly I play CTF. It's my favorite and since I host most of the wars I go to, I get my way. When playing CTF, it really helps to have multiple shots ready to clear out a base. I do think CTF is a great way to improve your game. There's no down time and you find out quicly what kind of assaults are effective. When I play slayer I usually hold back and take long range shots with The Unfair Gun. Some day when my life isn't all screwed up I'll make it out to one of the major wars so you'll all be able to see the unique playing style I bring to the game.
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#22 imaseoulman

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Posted 22 July 2008 - 06:58 PM

Write Up added and YouTube link is now working.
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