How to un-Nerf a Nerf.

[bicyclebuilder]

I've recently purchased a Nerf Fury Fire.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

My idea is to un-Nerf the toy beyond recognition. I've roamed the internet for ideas, but most mods are mainly paint 
I've joined Nerfhaven to see if anyone has modded their Nerf. Most mods there are internal. Most external mods are add-ons by lengthening the barrel. All and all the Nerfs are recognisable as Nerfs. I guess it's partly due to laws, not prohibited to carry something that resembles a weapon. But I think there is a more creative way than that.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Picture of the internals

For my project, I want to make the turret into a barrel. As in, wine barrel. For this, I need to make some room above and below the turret.
I think I want the pump handle and stock a nice dark shade of wood. The barrel is probably going to be painted metalic with a coat of resin to protect it from wear.

[Hez]

I'm looking forward to the befores and afterses

[GCCC]

For me, the most un-Steampunk part of a Nerf is always the handle...it always looks like a Colt 1911, or even more modern than that. I have no idea if cutting one down/reshaping one is possible, let alone if that would affect the overall stability of the thing, but I'd be very impressed to see someone try.

You, perhaps?

Good luck, and keep us posted!

[Wilhelm Smydle]

In theory you can cut down a lot of the handle and use a moldable epoxy to form a frame and affix wood grips.

Few need mods use wooden grips, if you want corian or other composite material also works for knives and other tools.
 

[ZeroID]

Re your barrel idea for the turret. I've used some wooden veneian blind slats to 'barrelise' a cardboard tube, actually one a single malt whisky came in. Easy enough to just glue cut lengths to cardboard with PVA. Not sure how you wpould go about it with plastic. The slats are uniformly thin and straight grained so easy to cut. You could brass band them to wrap to the turret. They are already sealed and normally a sort of varnished brown colour so painting is not always necessary.

I've also been using the slats to build a 2 meter dirigible that will eventually become the dining room light fitting. Couple of led units slung underneath. 'Canvassed' wings, gondola and brass\copper etc.

[Otto Von Pifka]

nerfhaven is mostly for getting more performance from the darters, not so much for aesthetics.

as far as wooden handles go, the triggers usually go almost completely to the rear of the grip area, so you have to plan well to keep it all working.

every one that I have ever done, I swore to never try the same gun again. if you don't plan enough ahead, I guarantee you will spend 3 times longer than you hoped for, and will probably do it over at least twice.

you could go with a completely fake barrel above the real barrel and leave the real barrel to mimic the feed tube like on a pump shotgun. I used a recorder (plastic flute/whistle) for a fake barrel and made it look like a tommy gun. same gun I used the epoxy putty to build up the hand grip below the trigger and painted it like wood, it looks more like wood than the real wood I used to make the front grip.

a giant water barrel in top of everything and maybe a shoulder stock would definitely hide the nerf pretty good, it would have a nice video game vibe to it too.

 

[Rory B Esq BSc]

I'm not familiar with 'nerf's but from the second picture it should be possible to fit a wooden pistol grip by cutting off the existing one and making a wooden replacement that slots into the body and is held in place with a couple of brass screws. (a 45 degree cut just below the molded screw locator followed by drilling out the locator and cutting it down should make that possible).

The priming pump handle also looks like it should be fairly easy to put a wooden grip on it of another design (maybe more 'pear shaped' in cross section to rest on the palm better).

Also consider doing something about the sights, ('toy' telescope maybe)?

Replace all screws with slotted rather than cross head ones...or even hex headed bolts 'it's the little details that are most important' as Holmes would say.

[Otto Von Pifka]

I made a clamshell wooden stock for a lewis gun conversion of an electric nerf knock-off. maybe something similar? it encloses a few inches of the original plastic stock. I should finish this gun!



the water barrel around the ammo drum could be two half barrels that don't rotate with the drum inside. each half could be bolted on from inside each half of the body. a big fake cannon barrel on top of everything would be most intimidating.

pvc pipe and wood and a lot of bondo (automotive body filler)

[George Salt]

For me, the most un-Steampunk part of a Nerf is always the handle...it always looks like a Colt 1911, or even more modern than that. I have no idea if cutting one down/reshaping one is possible, let alone if that would affect the overall stability of the thing, but I'd be very impressed to see someone try.

The priming handle is also a big giveaway.  Is there a way of changing that to a bolt-action style of mechanism, or a rear-pull?

[bicyclebuilder]

two half barrels covering the turret sounds like a good option. I'm going to see what that is going to look like. Thanks all for the ideas!

[GCCC]

@George Salt:

I completely agree about that! Plus, a pistol that requires both hands to operate? That's why I got excited when I saw this:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

located at:  http://www.target.com/p/nerf-zombie-strike-hammershot-blaster/-/A-14497493#prodSlot=dlp_medium_1_1&term=nerf

The first hammer-operated gun from them I've seen.

[Otto Von Pifka]

google the nerf rebelle line, the sweet revenge has the same basic innards but with a less industrial body.

[bicyclebuilder]

google the nerf rebelle line, the sweet revenge has the same basic innards but with a less industrial body.

Mental note to self: Do not show these images to almost 5 year old daugther. She wants everything that is girly and pink. 

The shapes of the Rebelle line are awesome. Almost Flash Gordonesk.

[selectedgrub]

Similar to zero. Ice block sticks.

[bicyclebuilder]

I've been looking at the Nerfhaven forum for a different way to operate the priming handle. There aren't that many mods for this particulair Nerf. Most mods are about making it shoot further. I have to look at the insides and see how it all works, but I don't think I can alter the Furyfire's priming handle.

The screws aren't visable right now, but the holes are deep. It's these holes that are bothering me. I'm thinking about drilling them through and through, and replace the screws with hex-nuts and bolts. Or acorn nuts.

Have to think about a scope or flashlight. Is it common to have a scope on a handgun?

[Moriarty]

Acorn nuts could look very nice indeed.

[Rory B Esq BSc]

I believe that 'scopes are put on some high power handguns...or were a few years back if my memory of 'gun digest' is correct (not kept up to date on that), and they were used in the American civil war by snipers so fit the steampunk era / technology.

Making provision for a detachable shoulder stock would add versatility (2 screws at the bottom of the pistol grip will do the job). I know that the 'broom-handle Mauser' and the 'artillery Luger' could have a stock attached to make a carbine, as could some revolvers, (in 'carbine' mode a leather sling frees your hands as it can be over the shoulder.

'Milliput' epoxy putty is my equivalent of 'duct tape'....can do anything with it, filling gaps, fixing parts in position, sculpting, and when set it can be drilled and tapped like metal to take a bolt (or you can cheat and smear the bolt with petroleum jelly and squeeze the putty around it then unscrew the bolt and have the threaded hole for it to go back into). 

[Otto Von Pifka]

they make slotted set screws, you may find a size that you can use in the holes above the actual screws. you can use a screw the same size to cut the threads inside the plastic hole, either a self tapping screw (the tip is tapered and has cuts along the length of the tip so any chips will come loose) or an actual tap, or even take a regular screw and grind a bit of a taper to the end and dremel some longways cuts into it. once you put in the set screw and make it flush with the gun surface, it looks pretty much like a recessed machine screw.

[RJBowman]

Someone should make garage kits for this type of thing; cast resin bodies that the Nerf gun's functional parts can be transferred into.

[Steampunk Away]

Why not white wood i.e. pine and cold cast metal for the kits?

[RJBowman]

Cold cast metal can't really be fitted and sanded after it is cast. The casting would have to be too perfect to work.

[bicyclebuilder]

I've found this ballpoint with lightning-like flickering top.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The electrical part is about the size of a kidney bean, it's actuated by bumping or shaking. I could use this as an extra. I'm thinking about using hotglue strings glued to the LED's. The idea is that the LED's will light up the strings, making it look like lightningbolts. Probably placed somewhere inside the Nerf. I have to find out where I have room for that. Placed in a dark background behind a (plexi)glass window it would look nice.
That is ofcourse if the hotglue strings will work as light benders. I have to find out before I hack and cut the Nerf.

[MechanicalMouse]

@George Salt:

I completely agree about that! Plus, a pistol that requires both hands to operate? That's why I got excited when I saw this:

There was a RPG game called SLA Industries (great game), in that there was a gun called FEN 091 FARJACKET. It was a pump action pistol firing 17mm rifle (cannon) rounds.

[bicyclebuilder]

@George Salt:

I completely agree about that! Plus, a pistol that requires both hands to operate? That's why I got excited when I saw this:

There was a RPG game called SLA Industries (great game), in that there was a gun called FEN 091 FARJACKET. It was a pump action pistol firing 17mm rifle (cannon) rounds.

I think I've found a picture of it:


It's true though, a pump action handgun are rare. A quick google got me one. And that one looks like a sawed off shotgun. A handgun should be able to be operated with just one hand. Although, in the real world. But this is the Steampunk-realm. The alternative world we all imagine. Anything goes in our imagionation. The biggest issue is to make the gun "work". A backup story or a reason to hand pump this gun. The pump action being an alternator for the tesla-coil to wind up. The bullets are fired by an electrical charge. Making the lightning ballpoint LED more part of the story. The gun doesn't work without actuating the pump action (a.k.a. alternator), the electrical charge is stored (a.k.a. lightning ballpoint LED) until the trigger is pulled.

Something like that.

[MechanicalMouse]

That's the gun, though unfortunately the original picture doesn't seem to be available on the internet and my book is in the attic somewhere.

FOUND


The original picture had a much larger pump handle and knuckle guard over it, as I remember it would have made a very good nerf design.

I saw those pictures you found, they're very nice rendering and very nice designs.