17 replies to this topic

[Buffdaddy]

This is one of the new gel ball launchers rumored and spotted over the IRC during the past month or two. Naturally, stock performance isn't up to par. But they do have potential. The pistol is likely the exact performance as the rifle nerfwise, but Jerm already modded the pistol (link HERE), so I went with the expensive option, for the sake of Nerf Knowledge.


Stock. It feels just right, in terms of weight, length, stock comfort, etc. That's at least a good sign that not all my money was wasted. But when we open it up...


...we find shitty internals. A plastic piece sits behind the gel ball, and the air release pushes it forward, accelerating the ball out of the blaster. The extreme deadspace is a downer, so that'll have to go.



The plunger. It's pull and release, but it's awesome. ~7" draw, and the tube is at least 1 1/2 inches wide. The plunger tube has the most spectacular stock seal I've ever seen, no need to change that.



Installing a foot-long RSCB, and dremeling holes in the shell for the ball valve. 1/2" PVC seems to barely fit into the holes in the shell. Also, since I removed the old ammo feeder, the back of the ball valve is open for reloading at your leisure.


The result. Still comfy, and surprising range, close to 100'. The fact that I have a stock helps a lot, in terms of aiming; as long as it's on your shoulder, you should have a straight shot.

There's enough room in the shell for more 1/2" PVC pieces; I want to use those as hornet tank expansions. So when that happens, I won't feel so bad about paying $40 for this thing. Awesome, but expensive.

I've had suggestions to make a homemade trigger for this, but I currently like it the way it is. After using bow for long enough in Nerf, you get pretty fond of pull and release!

[Kid Flash]

Looks nice, and I like it. I won't be paying 40 dollars for something like this though. Do you think there is enough room in the top portion of the shell for a big salvo, or maybe a triple strike tank?

[Blue]

I messed around with a salvage one at goodwill a few days ago and was not impressed at all. Plastic feels about as cheap as a dollar store gun and the whole mechanism is under the blaster which makes it that much more awkward to shoot. Plunger tube seems to be maybe only an inch or two longer than the pistol. I passed it up for $20... I wouldn't even think about paying $40 plus tax at a store. My guess is that these things will be clearanced out as quickly as the predator pistol splats and magnum splats.

[Buffdaddy]

My thoughts, too. If they at least shot worth a darn stock, they might have a chance. It's $26 more than the pistol, for relatively little added in performance or plastic, so if people want to play around, just get the pistol.

[knexpert66]

Nice. Great ranges and it looks clean.

[taerKitty]

I like how you use the breech for the loading port, and the RSCB looks like it was designed to go where you placed it. Very slick.

[Solscud007]

Very clean install. I like it.

[lionhawk]

I saw these on a commercial the other day, looks nice, but I won't pay 40$.

[Solscud007]

Could I get a picture of the other side? A close up of the Ball valve. Thanks

[Seven7h Man]

I love it. I'll defiantly have to pick one of these up next time I'm at target.

[HasreadCoC]

Ok, maybe I'm being dumb here, but theoretically couldn't you just cut off the plunger/plunger tube housing like so:
and still have the blaster function perfectly while detaching it from the shell? I ask because; 1, it seems like it would be awkward to try to pull-fire from that location on the blaster shell, and 2, because that would leave the shell free for other homemade internals (rainbow?) similarly to the way people make Tornado Bows. Speaking of which, how many inches of clearance is there between the two halves of the shell? Enough for 1.25in PVC to fit with a little cutting of inner shell walls?

[Buffdaddy]

Could I get a picture of the other side? A close up of the Ball valve. Thanks

Sure thing!



HasreadCoC: I'm trying to figure out what you're saying; the blaster actually works well like it is. Yes, it's odd pulling with whatever your offhand is, but it's decently comfortable.

Shell spacing: For almost all of the shell, probably 3/4" PVC is the largest you could go without having to carve out the sides of the shell. Even then, you'd have to eliminate a few screw ports. So uing it as the shell of a SNAP or something is a bit impractical.

[taerKitty]

Again, damn slick job using the loading port for loading the RCSB. The internals layout is very well done, very clean.

[Buffdaddy]

Come to think of it, I should probably have a half section of 3/4" PVC back there, or half and a tiny bit whole. Just as an extra piece to slide darts against. I could see trying to reload in battle and missing the ball valve entirely.

[HasreadCoC]

"Buffdaddy":
HasreadCoC: I'm trying to figure out what you're saying; the blaster actually works well like it is. Yes, it's odd pulling with whatever your offhand is, but it's decently comfortable.

Shell spacing: For almost all of the shell, probably 3/4" PVC is the largest you could go without having to carve out the sides of the shell. Even then, you'd have to eliminate a few screw ports. So uing it as the shell of a SNAP or something is a bit impractical.
End of quote.

EDIT: I messed up quotes somehow so I changed it to this primitive type of quoting LOL.

Basically, if I found one of these things cheap I would be inclined to attempt to make a homemade out of it assuming I could fit 1.25inch PVC in between the two main halves of the shell. It wouldn't matter to me if I had to trim down the insides a bit, just so long as I could keep most of the screw ports intact and it would look stock from the outside.

As to the actual blaster part of the thing, I was just wondering if it could be salvaged by cutting along the arrows, thus preventing it from going to waste. Actually, it wouldn't need to be cut off at all as long as the homemade parts up above used the same priming mechanism of the Crossbow, think "crossbow with integrated 2K" to get the visual idea of what I'm talking about. However, I was thinking more along the lines of cutting it off, attaching something similar to the track of the Raider handle (but stronger) and making the homemade pump-action while still having it in a nice shell, it just seems like it would be a waste though if the actual blaster part couldn't be salvaged off though.

Edited by HasreadCoC, 06 February 2011 - 08:26 PM.

[Inferno Falcon]

That RSCB is super clean. Have you tried replacing it with a chopper?

[Buffdaddy]

I had thought about it; put a wye on the front of the PT, and drop the chopper so even more of the mod is internal. But loading has never been an issue; unless I'm aiming, my gun is pointed down anyhow. So I'll save my precious wyes for other projects.
It's certainly doable, though.

[taerKitty]

That RSCB is super clean. Have you tried replacing it with a chopper?

Personally, because I cannot speak for Buffy, I love this mod as it stands - he's keeping it very, very clean. I'm afraid a chopper would expose more of the modded blaster outside the shell, which, while it may be a little more effective, it wouldn't be as super-slick as it is.