31 replies to this topic

[Shoopy]

Hey all. I didn't find another person with the same problem that I had with a panther so I guess I will put this here.

Basically what happened is that I bought a panther at Walmart and opened it up. I was so glad to stumble upon a panther because I remembered they were only in select stores. I was shocked that the tank was reduced to about the size of a hornet. Also, the line that connects the tank and pump is now changed to black and is much smaller. The tank is not secured to the line in any way and there is only an o-ring creating the seal. Even though all these changes were made, I just slapped a 1/2" pvc coupler on it and reduced the front to accommodate. When I pumped it for the first time, the entire tank assembly came out of the front. I must have cut an important piece off that keeps the tank back on the o-ring. Another problem is that it does not sound like a regular panther. When I cut off the front barrel to attach the coupler, the usual junk came out. I can't remember if there was an air restricter in it. When I keep the tank back and pump, then pull the trigger it sounds like an air restricted panther. So, I'm not sure if they changed the tank's AR or moved it. I'm too lazy to investigate further so it's in the trash.

Long story short, they changed the panther to be lame-o. I'm sure the tank can be changed so it sounds like an old AR removed panther. I'm not sure how performance will be effected because of the smaller tank. Maybe, you guys can figure out what's the deal with the newer version of the panther. You might want to buy up some older versions if they are still made because they might become pretty valuable for they're modding potential. Good thing I already have a few of the older versions in my gun box.

Possibly you experienced the same problem and can talk about it here. Let's get to the bottom of this.

-Shoopy

[Shoopy]

Pics are up...

It looks like the usual externally...


And here's the new look internally...


Tank close up.




Blast button --> Tank connector


Was white and fat, now black and skinny.

[Paze]

I was talking with Venom and he said that the Walmart Panthers have smaller tanks and are not very consistent to modding. So far at Toys r Us the panthers there have been the same with there tanks.All the same size. i would just buy them at Toys R Us just for the extra buck. All and all i had the problem too so i just sold mine.

[Shoopy]

I was talking with Venom and he said that the Walmart Panthers have smaller tanks and are not very consistent to modding. So far at Toys r Us the panthers there have been the same with there tanks.All the same size. i would just buy them at Toys R Us just for the extra buck. All and all i had the problem too so i just sold mine.

Good thing they still have them at ToysRus, even for $6. Mine is being sold to the trash can.

[ShaNayNay]

PROS: the new blast button can be salvaged for use in other blasters.
CONS: Literally everything else.
Last year everyone saw the blaster as a purposeful gift to the modding community by the Buzz Bee devs, shame to see this isn't the case as the tanks have been purposely downsized. I just bought two Panthers from Toys R Us, I'll confirm whether or not those have been reduced as well.

[481IceDragon]

Damn those buzzbee ceo's and thier small bladders...

fucking frequent urinators...

USER WAS WARNED FOR THIS POST

You are not TED.

Edited by Zorn's Lemma, 15 July 2013 - 02:26 AM.

[mdk511]

I bought one at Toys R Us yesterday opened it up and it was just like that.

Edited by mdk511, 15 July 2013 - 11:38 AM.

[Ezio Nerf]

I'd think they did that because of the potential it has being modded, even just stock its OP. So reducing the tank size makes it less powerful (Obviously), for the safety of kids because this is a kids toy.

Edited by Ezio Nerf, 15 July 2013 - 02:50 PM.

[Mully]

I'd think they did that because of the potential it has being modded, even just stock its OP. So reducing the tank size makes it less powerful (Obviously), for the safety of kids because this is a kids toy.

Safety of the kids...and liability.
Too bad these tanks are so small. Thanks for posting this Shoopy.

Edited by Mully, 15 July 2013 - 04:27 PM.

[TED]

I actually say hermit crab.

[Shoopy]

Safety of the kids...and liability.
Too bad these tanks are so small. Thanks for posting this Shoopy.

No problem. I just wanted to make sure people didn't do what I did and buy a lot of them because I was surprised Walmart carried them.

@shanaynay: I agree, I actually did think of saving the blast button unit because it looks a lot easier than the old unit to reuse.

[Soothsayer]

A few days before my last war I picked up a few of these, they were on sale for $3 a piece. I spent about an hour each on each blaster, and the people I loaned them to were hanging with +bows all day. I did a little more than you did as far as modding, I'll get a little write up here in a bit because with a few simple alterations and CPVC barrels I was getting exceptional ranges.

[Ambience 327]

Any chance you could get some exact measurements of a minimized tank (i.e. all unnecessary stuff removed)?

If these are small enough, they might be just what I need to finally realize my dream of an old double-shot with airgun tanks replacing the plunger assembly.

[nine]

On the plus side, these new tanks will be a lot easier to fit into tight spaces for integrations. I know that the old tank wasn't that difficult to work with, but this will allow for a cheap air tank that will fit in almost any blaster.
Don't get me wrong, I am not thrilled by this new change. I am simply showing the community that even a change as seemingly bad as this can still have some benefits.

[Shoopy]

@Ambience @nine: Yes. The smaller tank will provide for easier integrations because of its smaller size. But like I said before, it's about the size of a hornet tank.

You know, I would measure the tank but I have seemed to misplace it. I have heard that many other people in this thread have bought them so maybe they could assist you. Also, I only have a standard ruler so I don't know how accurate the measurements would be.

[A side of nerf]

Okay so I just picked up two of these from Toys-R-Us yesterday, after inviting my brother to NOMNE last minute. The two that I got have the same internals as displayed in Shoopy's pictures.

I went ahead and modded them and unfortunately I didn't take pictures during the process. After I get back from NOMNE this weekend, I'll snap some for you guys to more clearly illustrate my point.

The main thing you have to worry about with the new design is what Shoopy described about his tank "popping out of the front" after he modded it.

When I pumped it for the first time, the entire tank assembly came out of the front.

So basically the red circle is a "no touch zone." The yellow dotted line represents a plastic bracer that keeps the tank from sliding forward when it pressurizes. If you sand down this bracer to fit a pvc coupler, the tank will pop out when you pump the blaster.

A convenient way to sidestep this is to use a piece of 1/2" cpvc to pass through the bracer, connecting the tank to a coupler of your choice on the other side of the bracer. This way the tank will remain in its resting place behind the plastic bracer.

The ranges aren't as great as your standard Panther, but I'm easily pulling 70-90 feet which, honestly, is fine for such an inexpensive blaster.

I'll snap some pictures when I get back from NOMNE this weekend.

Edited by A side of nerf, 18 July 2013 - 11:48 PM.

[Shoopy]

A convenient way to sidestep this is to use a piece of 1/2" cpvc to pass through the bracer, connecting the tank to a coupler of your choice on the other side of the bracer. This way the tank will remain in its resting place behind the plastic bracer.

The ranges aren't as great as your standard Panther, but I'm easily pulling 70-90 feet which, honestly, is fine for such an inexpensive blaster.

I'll snap some pictures when I get back from NOMNE this weekend.

Great job. Thanks for posing this. Though this mod is an easy way around the "no touch zone" it also has some dead space which might reduce range but probably not that much at all.

My guess and everyone else's would be that the range decrease is because of the smaller tank..,

And, when you were done, did u notice a different firing noise than an older version panther?

[A side of nerf]

And, when you were done, did u notice a different firing noise than an older version panther?

I've actually never owned a Panther prior to these so I couldn't tell you for sure.

[Mully]

Does it take fewer pumps to charge up?

Edited by Mully, 22 July 2013 - 02:04 PM.

[Shoopy]

Does it take fewer pumps to charge up?

I would not know because I only had one and every time I pumped the blaster the tank popped out. If I held it back and pumped I could only pump it about five times before it was too much to hold back.

[A side of nerf]

Does it take fewer pumps to charge up?

It takes me 9 pumps to get the ranges I listed.

[NerfOfSteel]

Same problem bro. You can tell its bullshit if the inside of the barrel is black. If the inside is white, it's unchanged. Hmm... Wonder how they came up with that? *fake coughs* (racist)

[Ambience 327]

Same problem bro. You can tell its bullshit if the inside of the barrel is black. If the inside is white, it's unchanged. Hmm... Wonder how they came up with that? *fake coughs* (racist)

Thanks! I wasn't sure if there would even be a way to ID these before getting them home. Now, if I decide I want some of these smaller-tanked versions, I know what to look for.

[Jimu RetroGuru]

Anyone try a pump replacement yet? This could be a viable alternative to the increasingly hard-to-find Airtech 2000 tank in internal-replacement mods such as the Wookie Bowcaster.

[Mully]

Just wanted to mention, I was at Target yesterday, and saw these things for sale, with a different color scheme.
As Steel mentioned earlier, the inner barrel was black, the body was still gray, but the pump handle was purple.