GensoNerf

Same as most people, Nite Finders and Firestrikes.  

An old Dart Tag Crossfire is pretty easy too.

I'd have to go with the Rapid Fire-20, its just so fun!

My Awfuls blaster is the Rebelle bow.  You feel like Legolas or Erin Yagokoro, but you can barely get twenty feet.

I'd prefer to be the Phantom Corps since they have a cooler name, and I don't particularly prefer the shades blue of the rival guns, too pale for my tastes and I don't like the color red as much.  I only have a team Red apollo and Zeus with a red face mask however since thats all they had at any stores I went to, but I will probably get a Hera soon.

You could try to make a homemade version of a Big Blast release mechanism.  A descent hardware store should provide the proper PVC and other parts.  If that would end up being a more costly solution, you could always just save money to buy the mjvo-3 valves.  

Aside from that, I suggest just walking up and down the aisles of your local hardware stores(assuming you have more than one) and try to get ideas from that.