Why mod your nerf.....

[Captain Brandsson]

Okay... but... while random gluing is not my thing... I really, REALLY want to paint my first nerf gun...

While a no-no for Jinglepunk, it is perfectly acceptable in steampunk (if such is to your taste).

In fact...
Unless I missed it, no one has pointed you here, yet.

[InTheDark]

ohhhhh... I need one or two of those...

also... this...



Is there a reason so many pictures are buried in a hotlink in a spoiler? should I be doing that too? was that in the rules and I missed it?

[Dr. Zedrich Heretic]

It's more just a habit people picked up, probably started as preventing page stretch, but any computer monitor bought in the past five years or so tends to have high enough resolution for that not to matter as much anymore.

Also, that particular Nerf gun worries me slightly.  With most Nerf guns, they are similar but still distinctive from real guns, that one in particular gets really close to the “Could be mistaken for a real gun if painted black.”  As such I advice caution if you intend to mod one of those.  Either keep some of the orange the original colour our repaint in a way that still leaves no doubt that it is still a toy.  We don't need anyone being kicked out of a con/arrested/shot because of mistaken prop identity.

[InTheDark]

it does look really real.

I say keep the hot orange and ditch the blue.

because... really...

Hot Orange is awesome.

that must be why Hunters wear so much of it. so that the deer get mad and confront them about their rage then BLAMMO!. Venison for dinner!

[Wilhelmina Frame]

Hmmm .. I have a scary image of a yellow tailcoat and topper with orange waistcoat to go with the nerf.

The boys in the group were wearing things along those lines.

Here see this link from flickr:
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbroders/4959201332/#sizes/z/in/photostream/

[draxthedestroyer]

I wish you had some better pictures of these guys. Everything looks soooo awesome.

[rovingjack]

ohhhhh... I need one or two of those...

also... this...

I wouldn't mind one of those myself, or the rifle for that matter... what?

anyway this idea has me thinking some kind of cross between cir de sole, willy wonka and gangs of newyork. a sort of cracked, crazy awesome. Joker and two face would be proud.

[akumabito]

ohhhhh... I need one or two of those...

also... this...



Is there a reason so many pictures are buried in a hotlink in a spoiler? should I be doing that too? was that in the rules and I missed it?

Handcannonized!

[InTheDark]

Man! I NEEDZ!

[Just call me Rob]

Okay... but... while random gluing is not my thing... I really, REALLY want to paint my first nerf gun...

As Wraste said, go ahead and do it.
The guns are cheap and it's a fun thing to do.
Without trying to sound patronising, it's a great introduction to design, to modification and to painting.
Everyone needs to start somewhere, and you could do a lot worse than having a crack at a maverick.

I have to admit though, I'm not a big fan of nerf mods in the grand scheme of things.
Unless you actually need to have a firing nerf gun for any reason I think it's worth looking for different base guns or perhaps making something from scratch.

I am forever in awe of those people who can paint plastic and make it looks like 40 year old brass. Looking at something that appears to be an antique brass maverick makes me smile and appreciate the effort that's gone into it. But it still looks like a nerf gun.

The modded nerf gun is a cliché.
Same as the painted water pistol and the generic-shop-bought-gun-with-cogs-attached.

Just because it's been done before by someone else, there's no reason it can't be done again by you.

[Just call me Rob]

Is there a reason so many pictures are buried in a hotlink in a spoiler? should I be doing that too? was that in the rules and I missed it?

As far as I know it's to keep the pages work friendly.
A page of text is fairly generic in a workplace, but large pictures of toy guns and people in crazy outfits is easy tend to draw the eye.

One other thing I've noticed is that having hidden pictures also makes it much easier to view the forum on a mobile device.

[InTheDark]

I just like the idea of a Prop I can use to pop people in the back of the head.

... I could just make a rubberband gun.... but....

nerf bullets are funny!

[draxthedestroyer]

Very true. I don't have internet on my computer so I'm always on my phone and it is a lot easier and faster to load the fourms when the pictures are hidden or low quality.

[Captain Lyerly]

I can't believe nobody has brought up "Scruffy-looking Nerf herder" yet.

Oh - I guess I just did.  Sorry!


Chas.

[Clym Angus]

I'm new... is there some Anti-nerf Mod movement in steampunk I wasn't aware of? I love the outfits!

Only in Jinglepunk.

Jingle-punk, jingle-punk
Nurfing all the way.
R.Y.B.
In high contrast.
Will burn your eyes away. Hey!

[Lord Wraste]

Is there a reason so many pictures are buried in a hotlink in a spoiler? should I be doing that too? was that in the rules and I missed it?

As far as I know it's to keep the pages work friendly.
A page of text is fairly generic in a workplace, but large pictures of toy guns and people in crazy outfits is easy tend to draw the eye.

One other thing I've noticed is that having hidden pictures also makes it much easier to view the forum on a mobile device.

Hiding images under spoiler tags is also for people with very slow connections. Though I don't think it works as well as some think...

I'm new... is there some Anti-nerf Mod movement in steampunk I wasn't aware of? I love the outfits!

Only in Jinglepunk.

Jingle-punk, jingle-punk
Nurfing all the way.
R.Y.B.
In high contrast.
Will burn your eyes away. Hey!

JinglePunk, JinglePunk, JinglePunk-rock,
JinglePunk-swing at JinglePunk things.
Dancin' and prancin' and havin' a lark,
That's the JinglePunk-ROOOOOOCK!!!

[JingleJoe]

... I have theme songs now O_o ... Fantastic!

nah, not a moron... you just haven't posted any pictures of random gears glued to things, painted nerf guns, or made comments to the effect that steampunk is only about costuming... these subjects bring harsh comments from a normally mild mannered JingleJoe...

Stick around, you'll meet him eventually...

Ahoy hoy

My thoughts regarding nerf guns are expressed here:
http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,24963.25.html
Very briefly I think plastic, mass-made waterpistols/nerf guns are not steampunk. Painting them doesn't make them any more so unless you are some sort of paint god, what these girls have done is much nicer and much more original, its got that special edge, they brought nerf to steampunk instead of steampunk to nerf, or rather they nerf-modded thier steampunk Much better than a plastic waterpistol painted to look brass imho

Okay... but... while random gluing is not my thing... I really, REALLY want to paint my first nerf gun...

The modded nerf gun is a cliché.
Same as the painted water pistol and the generic-shop-bought-gun-with-cogs-attached.

Just because it's been done before by someone else, there's no reason it can't be done again by you.

Doesn't mean it's steampunk either.

[Just call me Rob]

Doesn't mean it's steampunk either.

Of course.
But it doesn't mean it isn't.

Nothing is intrinsically SP, and nothing isn't.
If it's modded into an SP gun then it's SP,
If it's modded into a Space Gun then it isn't SP.
If it's modded into a shocking mess then it's a shocking mess.

/fe
To many people Nerf guns are very much SP though, whether modded or not.
The nerf Maverick is the classic SP gun. It might be a yellow plastic toy, but it's still an SP toy. It's as SP as welding goggles, pocket watches and cogs. 
fe

[Captain Brandsson]

Hence the phrase "Jinglepunk".

"Jinglepunk"...  Tell your friends.

[jringling]

what these girls have done is much nicer and much more original, its got that special edge, they brought nerf to steampunk instead of steampunk to nerf, or rather they nerf-modded thier steampunk

NERFPUNK!!

[Clym Angus]

Very briefly I think plastic, mass-made waterpistols/nerf guns are not steampunk. Painting them doesn't make them any more so unless you are some sort of paint god, what these girls have done is much nicer and much more original, its got that special edge, they brought nerf to steampunk instead of steampunk to nerf, or rather they nerf-modded thier steampunk Much better than a plastic waterpistol painted to look brass imho

Sorry J usually I agree with you but I do have to say you may be missing one small point:

Subversion. Which is the very nature of punk. Take and reshape, rip and safety pin back together again.

The Nurf "reconditioning" subscribes exactly to the wider ethic of punk. The steam part on the other hand well that is in the execution. As such renurfing very punk.

Personally sod the colour I want increased R.O.F. and more dangerous ammunition (maybe slap a tazer in there too). But hey that's just me.

P.S. Access to a machine shop and or woodworking tools should in no way inhibit someones creativity. Eg if your message was not written on a Von Slat keyboard then I question the steampunkness of your opinion sir as it has been subverted by the evils of mass produced Dell plastic!!!

Slippery slope when you limit the materials accessible to any subculture........ ingeniousness should be the only benchmark by which men and women like ourselves are to be judged.

A good conversion: ingenious
Make the punk look like the gun: ingenious
Create a spotato in gun form: Halfass.

[Captain Brandsson]

I'll even go simpler than Angus...

It's a fun toy, but it's ugly.  That can be fixed.

Joe's philosophy regarding construction and art are often quite good, where I tend to have issue with his approach to his philosophy is that he often ends up, essentially, telling people that how they enjoy themselves is some how "wrong".

I don't think he means to (or, maybe he does  ). 
I think he just wants to present his very valid philosophy to the wide-eyed wonderers arriving for the first time.

Part of why I coined "Jinglepunk" is because I thought it was a freindly and light-hearted sounding name for what is see as a freindly and light-hearted debate of approaches.

[Captain Lyerly]

When we were going through the Maverick Challenge, I was (for a short time) making a mental list of improvements that could be sent to the Nerf Company (who makes those things, anyhow...) as feedback.  Then I mentally wadded up the list and chucked it in my mental bin.

Every single thing I had listed in my mind was an improvement - and would make a toy look more like a Real Weapon.  Of course the Nerfguys are not going to be interested in any of that; they make toys, and are not interested in making anything that would make their toys get mistaken for anything real.  Dead kids are kind of a drag on sales....


Chas.

[James Harrison]

With all this discussion as to whether a nerf gun is or ever can be steampunk (and I agree with Joe about plastic and such like, but that's beside the point), I have one simple question. 

Which is;

If somebody took a nerf gun, broke it down to its component parts to understand how it works, then built one exactly alike from scratch from metal (which could be the shoddy thin stuff that goes into tin cans just as easily as it could be the exquisite brass available in hobby shops), is that then intrinsically more 'steampunk' than one that has simply been spray painted and adorned with gears? 

Or, put another way, is it the material in the base construction that offends, in which case is the general argument that any metal/wood beats plastic, or is it the general look of the nerf gun in the first place?

[Captain Brandsson]

And the question rears it's head once again: "What is steampunk?"
Which is often an interesting discussion when people behave themselves.

However, what is really being discussed, in this case, is "What is the proper way for an individual to enjoy steampunk?"
Expressing preferences is fine.  Encouraged even.
But telling people that how they should or should not enjoy steampunk?  No so much.