42 replies to this topic

[dizzyduck]

This is not a "should I paint my gun" thread.

This is instead a discussion about how important looks are to a blaster. Some in the NIC are only concerned with performance; I know of a few nerfers who are content just with air restrictor removals and barrel replacements held together with copious amounts of duct tape and hot glue if they yield serviceable results. There are others who will spend hours on cosmetic modifications which don't affect performance at all. Some of them say a mod isn't complete without cosmetic alterations.

Where do you stand? Are cosmetics important to you as a nerfer, or are they largely irrelevant? Feel free to discuss.

[alextwin007]

In my opinion cosmetics mean nothing. Just because your gun looks good it will not perform better. Now a gun being clean is a different matter. A clean gun wont get snagged and usually operates more smoothly

[Disturbed]

I feel that modding a gun is a challenge, and adding cosmetics is a way to relax after the mod and think out sexy paint schemes.

If I ever put to much tape or glue that shows, I like to find ways to make it less noticable. and who wants bright green, yellow, blue and red all over their gun anyways?

[StealthMan]

I don't care if my gun looks like god, or like your mom at 5 AM, as long as it shoots.

[BustaNinja]

I feel that modding a gun is a challenge, and adding cosmetics is a way to relax after the mod and think out sexy paint schemes.

If I ever put to much tape or glue that shows, I like to find ways to make it less noticable. and who wants bright green, yellow, blue and red all over their gun anyways?

Me? And Im pretty sure my guns will still kick ass

[cheesypiza001]

I always try to find a way to make a blaster look good. However, I will discard a gun for its parts/pieces if it is not "good." I personally am a function over form kinda guy.

[BritNerfMogul]

I go best of both. Mods and paint for me, but sometimes I just mod, sometimes I just paint. Depends what mood I'm in.

[hardshot]

The looks of your gun don't affect how the gun works in any way. I personaly really like cosmetic mods and honestly, would you rather be shooting people with your piece of shit or your beautiful prized baby?

Edited by hardshot, 16 May 2009 - 08:36 PM.

[Hi Yah]

This is what I personnally believe. A shitty gun with a great paint job, is a shitty gun. A great gun with a shitty paintjob, is a great gun. Paint isn't important to me, but making mods clean is.

[white moonlight]

Personally, I think cosmetics aren't crucial to a nerf gun.

I'm not saying that I don't like a good cosmetics job, because I do, but it is no big deal if you don't have one.

The only major importance with a nerf gun is whether it fires or not.

[Nerf Bros]

I strive for a balance of like 80% percent performance/20% appearance, I like my guns to look good but I really don't care if their fugly. I always appreciate the efforts of LARPers and others who can make a gun look pimpn', but when it comes down to it appearance mods are just one more thing to break.

[Mehku]

I believe in performance over cosmetics. But however, I do like to take my time on all of my guns and put all the finishing touches on them, including making them look cool. I am just starting to learn how to properly do cosmetic mods to my guns, but eventually they will have both form and function. Why take one when you can have the other as well?

[SchizophrenicMC]

Performance is good, and all, but if a gun looks horrid, I don't like it.

As much as I like having a gun with range or rate of fire, there's a certain aspect of "it looks badass" that must be fulfilled.
I mean, I own a Recon for God's sake. What's more, I use it. It looks pretty cool, though it kinda sucks.
All this said, if it comes down to choosing between a gun that fires far or one that looks good...

Well, I'll hollow out an LS shell for it.

Edited by SchizophrenicMC, 16 May 2009 - 09:11 PM.

[The Nerf Devil]

I prefer a working mod that functions well to a purely cosmetic mod. I do however much prefer guns that are painted and clean and work well to ones that are fugly and have hot glue and duck tape all over the place and only perform slightly better. Also I will do mods that are not very clean if they are mods that will greatly increase the functionality and versatility of a gun. I will not paint a gun that doesn't work well enough for me to deem it "worthy" performance wise of a decent, time consuming paint job, but any gun i deem "worthy" however fugly gets a decent paint job.

Edited by The_Nerf_Devil, 16 May 2009 - 09:43 PM.

[mystefansdontflystraight]

I am a believer that crossbows NEED to be clean. That is my only gun that I really care about looking really nice. APart from that, many of my guns are clusterfucks of tubing, hot glue and epoxy putty. They work though. That is what matters to me the most. I would not like my crossbow as much as I do if I did not know that I have a 90ft reliable shot ready, no matter how nice it looked. Nice crossbows are nice, but still, we love them for their performance and reliability.
I can't paint to save my life. Painting is fun, but mine are always simple, just taking guns apart and spray painting them different colors.

[umpshaplapa]

If I've modded my gun to its best, then It's painting time.

[TAiLsChaser]

To me, some guns don't need a difference in cosmetics. Take a Longshot for instance. The main gun minus the bipod is a beautiful thing and to hack that to piece is a crime. Also, a titan that's minimized may now be a pistol but what good is a pistol that has a 5 ft long barrel and is unwieldly? Sometimes, the stock appearance is more intimidating than these mods and that in its own right adds to functionality. Like my friend's Longshot for example. Im a game of ZVH, his gun was known for its ability before anyone knew his name. It looked the part and could walk the walk. Since then, he's been revered as an elite player and the fear of that gun (now broken due to being overpowered) lives on.

So in short, cosmetics can play just as an important role as a mod. Anyone can do a mod, but only cosmetics can make two identical guns unique.

[WDoE]

I know it has been said elsewhere before, but I think that comfortability and satisfaction go a long way in personal performance. If you're happy with the way your blaster looks, you're going to be happier to use it, and more than likely do better in a war.

On another note, I think it adds to modification process in general. For me, more than half the fun in nerf is the actual modding. I play with a casual group (10-20) each week at night in an academic hall on campus, and I'm more than happy to mod anyone else's gun, even when I won't be using it. If I were any good at it, I would paint every blaster I have. I do feel like I'm missing out on a portion of nerf by not painting, just like I would be missing out if I didn't enjoy modding.

[nerfnut23]

Personally, I say fuck paint, unless I can see it becoming a true work of art (Lancer) or if some well-shaped lexan makes it look way better. I will post pics of my LS, my cousins all said that it looked like a blood-covered assault rifle, and I nearly got shot due to that very appearance, so I made the gun brighter. It was dark crimson with black flecks, but now it is much more of a bright red.

On topic: If I can easily make a gun look better without hindering performance, okay. If it makes a gun way more powerful, and slightly hinders appearance, I will do the mod. If it makes the gun in question look better, and work better, I say go for it. If you like the appearance of your gun, you will have pride in it. With pride comes confidence. With confidence comed better Nerfing, to a certain point.

Off topic: here is the pic of my LS.


The last thing you want to see.


Right side.


Left side.

And yes, it is Angel breeched.

Edited by nerfnut23, 16 May 2009 - 11:54 PM.

[Vengeful Waffle]

Paint totally matters. So, last night I was modding my AT2K and It got like 60 feet. After painting I got 80 feet. Painting just increases range ROF and accuracy. I am dead serious. Paint jobs affect your gun in every way.

[/sarcasm]

I think you get what I mean.

[Salmon]

After seriously screwing up some guns that would have looked awesome without cosmetic modifications, I at some point began to not give a hang about how nice a gun looks. That doesn't mean I don't at least try to make my mods clean to some degree, but if making my blaster look beastly gets in the way of it's performance in any way at all, I'm going with performance.

[Nerf 808]

I Really could care less about looks, i mean my LS has duck tape all over the place, it is ugly, but it out shoots most of the Stock stuff that we usually war with

[BustaNinja]

Actually, there is some truth to that. If you paint flames and rivets and stuff on the Airtech Jet Squadron, you get atleast a 20 foot range boost, not to mention higher velocity.

[minsc]

Cleanliness is different from cosmetics. Cosmetics don't contribute to the overall performance or hardiness of a blaster, but cleanliness does. The duct tape thing is one big example. If something breaks in a gun that has been cleanly modified, ex. using hardware or small amounts of adhesive, it can be easily fixed. If it breaks in a gun that has several feet of duct tape wrapped around it, and 4 pounds of hot glue securing everything and its mother together, its going to be a huge pain just taking it apart, much less repairing it. Cleanliness also makes a gun easier to paint should you choose to.

Everyone should paint their guns red though. It makes you move faster.

[Vengeful Waffle]

Actually, there is some truth to that. If you paint flames and rivets and stuff on the Airtech Jet Squadron, you get atleast a 20 foot range boost, not to mention higher velocity.

Don't forget the sound effects!

Anyway, Making the gun look decent is important, but not as much as making it functional.