come on guys... why is it suddenly the common thought that I would Bullshit you guys on this manta thing?
^I should have defined this better... it's more of the fact that it seems anytime the terms "Manta, Legality, Questionable and/or Non-standard use" wind up within a thread it somehow comes back to me. which coupled with often fallacy-ridden comments about irrelevant things like "what if people start doing things that are out of hand" coming into play, I just simply get a little annoyed. Particularly since I have openly and strongly been against the use of mantas as simply armor or as just an additional defense, rather than as a key part of the functionality of using a manta.
I didn't say you were bullshitting, just that you didn't post the detailed specifications people seemed to think you did.
I Wasn't accusing you or anyone in particular of calling BS, more of venting that it's rather annoying that whenever anything is posted about mantas; someone winds up saying "well...bags did this" and someone else saying "But it's wrong!"... gets a bit old...
I never said that I documented things perfectly... my Prototype was a proof of concept and all the information I put out there was solely for the purpose of being a Starting point for anyone who felt like doing something similar. The Size measurements I made were done to give people key reference points for the drawing their own unique template. I may be one of the more neurotically thorough members of this hobby, but from the start the homebrew manta concept was designed with individualism in mind.
Sorry if that's the impression I gave. I just assumed there were some mis-measurements, until I measured the curvature, and it was almost exactly 17". No, Bags, nobody thinks you're putting forth misleading material, and for the record, you still have my respect.
^like I just said...wasn't particularly pointing a finger at anyone...just annoyed with this discussion right now...because apparently modifying the shape of a manta is going too far but all the other Weird things we do to nerf blasters(including modifying the capacity of a plunger tube/air tank) is just fine.... you just happened to give out the numerical information I needed to reference in my explanation for how I made the measurements.
Now.. For Something positive:
Big shout out to my main homie falcon for backing me up... we're the ones who pretty much run what goes on in SoCal nerf right now... if you don't want to agree with us, that's fine...all we've ever said is "this is what we do, why not give it a try" and that applies to all the "unconventional" things we do with mantas...or with how our crew nerfs in general.
to the discussion about the homemade shell I do have one anecdote to add... there's something funny I've run into because it's soo much lighter a material than the Epoxied beast the original sicklefin was and it's less secure because I still haven't quite figured out how I'm mounting it on a blaster permanently yet... it has actually caught the wind and fallen off the blaster I'd velcroed it to...(a Nat Geo gun while I keep working on my new primary) more than once ... which each time has lead to me getting shot somewhere I would have been defended, for example, got nailed by Slug at Geddon as a ran right at him... where the manta would have been.
I now will speak no more about this stuff until I have some time to really write up a concise and clear article on the theory of the use of mantas, and and any other plausible shield blasters in this hobby(like the little hand guard on the ratchetblast or those spy gear disk shooters that are meant to block with). and in said article I'll let all this shit hit the fan and discuss it freely. Right now... I'm also partially put on-edge by all of this because I currently can put forth a more detailed, clear and in-depth argument about the concepts of using a homemade manta than I can for my chosen topic in my Research Seminar Class for summer school... and That's a bad thing...
Or because I plan to use it like a shield on my big blast, I could make it detachable. Thanks again for all the input.
Finally, detachable integrations are catching on! Woo hoo!
Good luck with the project! Looking forward to seeing how that turns out!
Will do.
Detachable integrations are what I have been working at all the time. Its more of a pass into my love for tactical weaponry, but being able to slap on a different gun makes your play style change drastically, and I like having that option.
Same here! imaseoulman too apparently! I was just telling him how I love how I don't have to have a million different guns, but I cant just put in and take out whatever I want.
Detachable things is like a party and a half in my book(although... a manta on a big blast seems like a bit of overkill)... and when you guys see what I'm working on next...you'll understand why.
-bags
Edited by baghead, 27 August 2008 - 10:00 AM.