33 replies to this topic

[dizzyduck]

I've done a lot of mods and write-ups on secondaries (Warthog, TTG, NF), and indoor primaries (Star Wars RTB, Firefly), but no primaries. I wanted to remedy that, and to get the whole "dizzyduck only does re-writes of old mods" monkey off my back.

I think the Scorpion Bow is one of the most underrated blasters out there. Many people disregard it as a knockoff clone of the Big Bad Bow, but that is not the case. Although the Scorpion Bow has a nearly identical plunger chamber and stock spring to the BBB, the Scorpion Bow has a different priming mechanism which I prefer to the Big Bad Bow.

Before any of you ask, you can buy these at Toys R' Us for $20 US.



Stock, right out of the box:



I'll begin with Part One of my mod writeup now; replacing the barrel and reinforcing the plunger head. I've included pics and instructions for those of you who want to follow along.

Part 1: What You Will Need
------------
- Scorpion Bow
- 1/2" CPVC coupler
- 8-10" length of 1/2" CPVC (depending on barrel length)
- Hot glue gun (low or high temp)
- Hacksaw or Dremel rotary tool
- Epoxy or super glue

I started by opening up the main shell of the blaster. Note that the priming handle and plunger sled move independently from the rest of the shell, and have their own set of screws.

The trigger mech is pretty straightforward.


The larger orange piece stabilizes the plunger sled, while the smaller one is the catch. The trigger spring works double duty as the catch spring; as the trigger returns to position, it pushes the catch back into place. If you are planning to do a spring addition or replacement, I would recommend replacing that spring with a stronger one.

The sled comes out on its own.


I opened the sled, but it was tricky to find the hidden screw underneath the "Air Zone" sticker.


Air restrictor:


Once I had the plunger assembly out, I reinforced the plunger head with a steel washer. The pics explain it all. I first got the idea from coop and his plunger head reinforcement mod. Just so happens that it works on the Scorpion Bow too.





After I finished the plunger head reinforcement, I moved on to the barrel replacement.





That's the end of Part 1. You can now put the sled back together, put in the firing mech and reassemble the blaster. With a 7" barrel I was consistently getting ranges of 85' or more with 1-3/4" copper BB stefans. Please keep in mind, though, that I am rather tall (6'4") and so my height may affect ranges.

Part 2 will be coming shortly.

(Quick edit for pics)

Edited by dizzyduck, 16 March 2009 - 11:06 PM.

[Banshee]

Let me be the first to say nice work man! How does it prime compared to a BBB?

[dizzyduck]

Part 2 of my Scorpion Bow Mod.

Part 2: What you will need:
----------
SuperMaxx 1500 (Or AirTech 2000*) tank
Secret Strike Pocket Blaster
Dremel rotary tool
circular needle file
Super glue or plastic adhesive
Plumber's Goop or similar plumbing sealant
High strength fishing line
1/8" diameter tubing coupler
Hot glue gun (low or high temp)
Keyring or similar (to pull the trigger)
1/2" CPVC coupler
3-4" length 1/2" CPVC (depending on barrel length)

*if you use an AT2K tank, you'll need 1/8" ID vinyl tubing and another tubing coupler to attach to the tank.

The second part of the mod involved putting the dopey-looking scope to use. I had an old SSPB which I wrecked trying to saw the stock barrel off (in the days before I had my trusty Dremel rotary tool, but that's another story).



I sawed off the pump, cleaned it off, and attatched a 1/8" ID tubing coupler* to the end after widening the hole with a circular needle file. First I used super glue to adhere the two together, then used Plumber's Goop to ensure an air-tight seal.

*you may also find them listed as "barbed splicer" or "connector"; they come in brass or plastic.




I took the tank out of a SuperMaxx 1500 (with the tubing still attached to the tank) and fit it into the sanded-down scope.



I then filled in the right side of dead space in with hot glue to reduce errant motion and to keep the tank in place. While the glue was drying, I pulled the firing pin open and blew through the tubing attached to the tank to keep cool air flowing through so the O-ring wouldn't fry.

Everything fit into place pretty cleanly. I had to drill a couple holes through the scope shell to fit the tubing through it.


I tied some fishing line to the firing pin and strung it through one of the holes in the shell from the bow attachments. I strung it to the right side, but if you're a southpaw you can string it through the left side. I tied the SSPB clip attachment to the end of the fishing line, sawed off the tip of the SM1.5k tank, and glued on a 1/2" CPVC coupler.



Part 2 is done. Ranges on the scope integration averaged 60 feet with 30 pumps. I'd predict higher ranges with more pumps, but I didn't have time to do as thorough a range test as I would have liked. It's worth noting that the SSPB has a built in overpressure release valve, so you'll max out ranges somewhere along the line.

Part 3 is a paint job, since I seem to have gone over the image limit (again).

Edited by dizzyduck, 08 February 2009 - 02:20 AM.

[dizzyduck]

Now for a paint job:



Painting this was a bit challenging since covering the blaster meant going over a few moving parts. I needed to sand some areas down, paint them. and seal them separately before painting other parts. I couldn't imagine trying to do all of that with spray paints. One of the advantages of painting by hand, I suppose.

The Scorpion Bow has a lot of open space for graphics, which I took advantage of:



Total painting time: 11 hours.



Lettering and graphic close-ups:



More detail shots:





Questions? Comments? Flames?

Edited by dizzyduck, 08 February 2009 - 12:58 AM.

[Magic]

I just shit my pants. INCREDIBLE! KEEP IT UP!

[Blue]

That's awesome. How awkward is it to pump such a tiny pump at that place?

[dizzyduck]

Banshee: The Scorpion Bow has a sled with a handle that you pull back to prime. You pull back the whole back end of the BBB to prime it.

Blue: Not particularly awkward, unless you're trying to aim while pumping, in which case it'll strain your wrist.

Edited by dizzyduck, 08 February 2009 - 01:25 AM.

[rork]

That's badass--especially so when the goofy looks of the stock bow are taken into account. And I frakking love your walrus.

[futureseal]

Damn, that's one cool ass wallrus! I love all of your paint jobs, an we better be seeing a walrus gun soon. Good job on the gun.

[thaygor]

Wow that gun is awsome!!! keep up the good work

[nerfer9]

Ah, it makes me so happy to see pictures of well done drawings of a walrus. Nice write-up.

[bigred1rifleman]

You turned an ugly gun, into a good looking, well functioning gun. Keep up the good work and painting!

~Br1

[Daniel Beaver]

Very nice - I love the way you formatted this. I hope the Mod Walrus graces these boards again.

[slowguitarman]

I always get excited when I see that you have posted a mod. As I've said to everything else you've done, very nice work.

[Drew is nerfing]

That is pretty awesome. Although I don't see the point of the little secret strike. 30 pumps is a hell of alot for only 60 foot ranges. My friend recently got this gun and let me mod it. It's uncanny how similar the internals are. I added a nite finder spring, and did all of the mods you have done and his shot over 100 feet. Definately a good primary. I remember a while back these were on sale at toys R us for $12!!!

nice gun, good paintjob, overall job well done!

[thedarksideofnerf]

That so F'in sweet. Where did u get that gun.
P.S. your a good artist

[RVMVTVProductions]

That so F'in sweet. Where did u get that gun.
P.S. your a good artist

I really hope I don't have to flame you three times in one day. Please, capitalize and do not spell "you" like "u".

Nice gun, great paint job , great art. I look forward to a new mod by you.

[Groove]

Very nicely done. You may or may not be the first person to use hilariously awesome drawings in your mod write-up and pictures, so double brownie points for you.

I also noticed that you're currently attending the same college as me. Fucking rad. The paintjob is pretty slick, you wouldn't happen to be in the school of the arts, would you?


-Groove

[slowguitarman]

you wouldn't happen to be in the school of the arts, would you?


-Groove

He is a Communication Arts student. I found that info on his website, and he also has some other awesome paintings/sketches on there too.

[Pineapple]

Walruses rock.

I wish I had a FRACTION of your drawing talent.

Your post is fun to read and extremely clear. I never heard of a Scorpion Bow before this.

We must have a walrus blaster soon, please.



-Piney-

[BustaNinja]

I will be very upset if you stop posting write ups with these comedic pictures. The Tombstone with "space" written on it made me laugh for about a good 10 minutes.

Good work. You do basic mods, but you do them so so so well its hard not to love your work. Plus you paint like a beast (and you paint beasts...)

[k9turrent]

PRETTY PICTURES GOOD! [/retard voice]

Sweet-ass dude... and simple and effective.

[ninja mods]

dude sweet write up. I love the pics, and i agree, it is alot like the big bad bow.

[Salindin Naz]

Nice job, that's one slick lookin' blaster! I love the graphics but have just one question about them; did you paint them in or draw them. If you painted them, what size brushes do you find work best. I personally love to draw, but can't paint a picture worth a damn. I noticed on your Firefly you said you drew it in before painting, maybe I should give that a try. Anyway, again nice job, love all your work.


Salindin

*edit* Upon closer inspection I can see that you've painted it in, and again all I can say is wow.

Edited by Salindin_Naz, 08 February 2009 - 11:34 PM.

[slowguitarman]

Nice job, that's one slick lookin' blaster! I love the graphics but have just one question about them; did you paint them in or draw them. If you painted them, what size brushes do you find work best. I personally love to draw, but can't paint a picture worth a damn. I noticed on your Firefly you said you drew it in before painting, maybe I should give that a try. Anyway, again nice job, love all your work.


Salindin

*edit* Upon closer inspection I can see that you've painted it in, and again all I can say is wow.

You should definitely check out his site. He has some awesome (non-nerf) paintings on there. I am in the same boat with drawing. I'm a decent artist, but I can't paint worth a darn (in my opinion).