Didn't like the original Lever Action Blaster design? Think you can do better? This is your chance to prove it.
I will be running this contest to see who can design and build the best Lever Action Blaster revision.
To enter, you don't need to post a writeup, or even a thread. What you do need, is a a good set (at least 5) photos of the finished product, which detail the improvements and anything particularly important at it. A video is not only a suitable substitution for the photos; it's preferred.
The Design Goal
The goal of this project design was two-fold. Make a reproducible and customizable blaster that breaks away from the norm. We need to stop the +Bow (and, to a much lesser extent, the SNAP) from dominating the world of homemades!
Some ground rules:
- The submitted project must be primed by a downward lever action, such as on the Rapid Fire Rifle or the original design.
- The submitted project must be made entirely from scratch - no Nerf or pre-molded plastic parts. Ask about specific parts if you're not sure.
- The submitted project must be spring powered, or a "springer."
- The submitted project must be fully functional, and be able to accept 1/2" PVC barrels.
I'm leaving these as open as possible, to avoid infringing on any of the radical changes. Radical redesigns are what I want to see.
- How well you met the goal - ability to be customized, and whether is can be reproduced or not (Note: the latter is NOT a scale. I'm not judging this on how hard it would be to remake, just whether it can be or not. Go ahead and use that lathe if the design calls for it - you won't be penalized for it. Using a specific curtain rod part from your basement will kill you though.)
- Innovation - Things never before seen
- Problem Solving - How well the solution suits the problem. If the problem is a +bow cutting your face open, a cheek rest is a better solution than a relocated handle, which may inhibit other parts' integrity.
Design quality - Design Quality - How well everything fit together from design to product. Did you have to cut some extra groove or drill some extra hole after you started assembling? That'd be bad. Good design avoids those things.
Currently, the prize is a stock, eye-rapingly Green Airtech 2000. This may change to any off the shelf blaster under $30, or just $30. We'll see as time goes on.
Final Remarks:
This contest will run for a month and a half. This is a pretty reasonable amount of time, as far as I'm concerned. I can churn out an original homemade in a day or two, while still logging some time on other projects.
As such, the deadline for submissions will be 12:00 PM (NOON) Eastern time on April 30th, 2010. Do NOT edit your post after this time. Any posts dated after this time will of course not be judged.
Please post all submissions to this thread.
With all that said, I'm anxiously looking forward to what you guys come up with. I got a lot of criticism to the original, and this contest only furthers the community looking into non-+bow design.
Edited by Split, 16 March 2010 - 11:58 AM.