willtruncheon

All of the blasters I've made and modded have been geared for a specific live-action role-playing game I attend in Massachusetts. To my limited knowledge, there are only two games near me that allow the use of nerf "guns", one being steampunk-themed, and the other sci-fi. "Geek Culture" is growing in popularity and acceptance in the US... larpers are even being lampooned in movies and tv series. Humans Vs. Zombies, a simple rules larp if ever I've seen one, is a nationwide phenomenon integrating larp rules and nerf weapons. I'm wondering if anyone else on the forums attends any larp events, and if so, have you been able to use your nerf arsenal there?

Some of you may be familiar with the "boffer" weapons used at many live action role-playing games. For the uninitiated, these are usually toy melee weapons made from a core of PVC or carbon fiber, surrounded by pipe foam insulation and covered with duct tape, kite tape, or painted latex. The idea is to create something that is reminiscent of an actual sword, axe, club, etc. that is safe to strike someone with in "lightest touch" combat. People have been doing this for decades, and although I have seen many breathtaking examples of well-made boffer weapons, I've never seen one that integrated a nerf blaster. This seemed to me like the time to try.

In the 17th-19th centuries, it was popular to combine a compact pistol or derringer with a cutlass, walking stick, or even a warhammer. This is my attempt to do so for larp combat.



The melee portion is carbon-fiber kite rod surrounded by a foam pool noodle, cut to shape with a hot wire. The striking surface at the head is soft, spongy open-cell foam. I integrated a heavily minimized NF tube and activation mechanism to the core of the weapon, using steel wire, epoxy, and layers of trimmed pvc.



The blaster is coaxial to the shaft of the weapon, and fired by depressing the orange thumb-stud trigger at the hilt. The thumb falls quite naturally in line with the trigger when the weapon is held in a saber grip. The tube is cocked by pulling back on the beaded lanyard.



The barrel of the NF is deeply recessed into a foam sheath that prevents the hard plastic from coming in contact with any fleshy bits while you bludgeon someone. I have used this at games in the past to great effect, being able to reach around a shield, shoot at point-blank range, and still keep fighting.



I hope to try and do something similar soon, using a Recon and a halberd.

This is just a fun little blaster made from a Crossfire. AR's removed, spring replaced, seals redone, o-rings, and a lot of sculpting and painting. Themed for a steampunk larp... specifically, this is supposed to be a "Native American" type pistol.









Sculpting work was done using cast-off pieces from a doubleshot shell, kneaditite epoxy, and plumber's putty. I am really happy with how the verdigris paint effect turned out.

Check pages 135-136 of the paintjob/mod picture forum for more of my work. Thanks in advance for any feedback, praise, or spirit-crushing mockery.