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[Kyr Mordha]

[Edit] this started out with loads of questions (and anxiety) about nerf guns and has now changed into an image heavy (SORRY) progress thread using different guns as bases!

I haven't had a chance to work on my mando in months, I haven't had a space to really work and other costumes took priority, I'm finally getting back to it and ordered these matching nerf guns off of ebay to mod:



[edit: removed long explanation and replaced with summary since these guns are no longer being used]
I originally purchased these because they looked fairly in-universe as far as the shapes go (except those damn loop things) and I really loved the ridges on the grips and the barrel. I had plans to add some things and bondo them to make them look like legitimate guns but nothing that would drastically alter them because they're just so damn big adding too much would almost turn them into blasters! (See my pics on page 2) But when I showed them to an official merc he basically said that I needed to remove what I loved about the pistols and add a lot more than I was willing to add. Cue panic and disappointment. I was actually really crushed and discouraged because suddenly the project didn't feel like mine anymore.

Luckily after lots of good advice and forum searching and internet searching I found better bases and got some good ideas for how to modify them, I've been posting some pic heavy updates because once again, thanks to you guys, I'm excited and I feel like the project is mine again!

Thanks!

[ConDar Ward]

Well ...... For Starters .... Congrats on Getting Back to your Mando !   

Even though I Don't have any Love for Nerfs ...  it's not a Bad Base as far as they Go.
 Don't be Too Discouraged , they Could be made Worthy with a little Work.
I'd take Some Time to Read through the Nerf Mod W.I.P.'s for Some Expanded Ideas and
for some Good Greeblie placement , Paint apps , etc ....

You Won't know what you Can or Can't Do until you try ... 

Good luck with your Build ... 

[Kyr Mordha]

Well ...... For Starters .... Congrats on Getting Back to your Mando !   

Even though I Don't have any Love for Nerfs ...  it's not a Bad Base as far as they Go.
 Don't be Too Discouraged , they Could be made Worthy with a little Work.
I'd take Some Time to Read through the Nerf Mod W.I.P.'s for Some Expanded Ideas and
for some Good Greeblie placement , Paint apps , etc ....

You Won't know what you Can or Can't Do until you try ... 

Good luck with your Build ... 

No one in the forum seems to have a love for nerfs, but I couldn't find another option that people DO love outside of manufacturing pistols from scratch which I can't do.

I had plans for these based on poking around this forum and looking at other approved weapons, I was going to gut them this weekend then go to home depot and look for parts that will fit them. But with another member telling me I will certainly be denied even after all that work I really don't know if I should spend all that money on paint, bondo, glue, and other supplies only to be told "Sorry, we can still tell it's a toy, better luck next time." and have to spend even more money and time on another mod that could also be turned away. I'd rather get it right the first time. He honestly discouraged me so much I'm considering not even finishing my kit. I can sew all day long but if I need to be a master prop maker I probably don't belong in this group. :/

I was hoping someone may have an idea to address his concerns about the ridges I'm fond of and what to do about the grip so getting approval will not be an issue.

[Kuu]

This is all it says

Nerf guns are readily available and have become a staple for Mercs costumers to use, but have become much more popular in the mainstream and have lost their uniqueness and "Star Wars-ness". We do strongly recommend that new applicants refrain from the use of Nerf weaponry without significant modification.

Nobody knows what 'significant' means because there's wiggle room on a case by case basis. Everything you described as your intent sounds like a great plan, carry on. That's my 2 cents.

[ConDar Ward]

This is all it saysNobody knows what 'significant' means because there's wiggle room on a case by case basis. Everything you described as your intent sounds like a great plan, carry on. That's my 2 cents.

^ This ....  8) 

Where is Niabi When you need him ....   

I'm Sure he'll be Checking is Soon ...

[Kyr Mordha]

That's my (really) rough plan though the barrel might change slightly. Just looking at them I can't really tell if I can get away with cutting that much off or if I need to leave the tip on and extend outwards from there. I could always wrap the grip if it becomes an issue, also the add-on stuff to make it special and in-universe is hard to sketch because I haven't found it yet, but that is where I want to put it to cover up the boring trouble spots I'm not fond of anyway.

I'm sure I'll find a bunch of stuff I want to add on to it.

Edit: If I wind up having to make the barrel longer I'll probably pop a scope on top.

[Danne Outlander]

Don't quote me on this (Seeing that this is just from what i've seen poking around the board.) but the best nerf weapons i've seen have been hacked apart and put back together. Just an idea.

[Kyr Mordha]

http://amzn.com/B00G6KSAGO

Would something like this be less of a headache and more passable maybe? I could gut it and essentially just use it for the grip which is the only thing I can't really make. The rest is pvc pipe and random stuffs.

[Echo Darklighter]

http://amzn.com/B00G6KSAGO

Would something like this be less of a headache and more passable maybe? I could gut it and essentially just use it for the grip which is the only thing I can't really make. The rest is pvc pipe and random stuffs.

Nerf ain't exactly the best place to start.  This might be better, but you'd probably be better off using something early-20th century as a base and going from there.  Think dieselpunk.

[Kuu]

If I may recommend, note don't try to make it look like the T-6 "Thunderer" heavy blaster pistol, but I think if you use the T-6 to borrow ideas for look and feel you can easily make those Nerf guns Swarzy... and definitely scopes

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/T-6_heavy_blaster_pistol

[ConDar Ward]

You might Want to Drill a Few Holes in the Trigger Mass and Add Some Detail there as well .... IMO .... 

Also you Could first try to just add too the Detail on the Grip . ... perhaps a Textured paint of Some Sort ?

Scopes are also a Good addition to Swarsy it up as Mentioned ... But not always as Easy to Holster , so be mindful of that.

I hope your a bit more optimistic today .....  We are Here to Help , not Discourage . 

 

[Kyr Mordha]

Nerf ain't exactly the best place to start.  This might be better, but you'd probably be better off using something early-20th century as a base and going from there.  Think dieselpunk.

I was looking at vintage cap guns, but the prices were a little out there for me...one that would have been a good base was $50 with a bid on it! I did find a Luger replica for about $11 and bookmarked it just in case I royally flub this mod! I know that some of the Star Wars weapons were based on German WWII guns, so that would be a good (re)start!

I ordered the little fiberoptic pistols to see if those will work better for what I want. (They were so cheap it's worth a shot) The nerfs I have are already quite bulky and aren't many parts away from being blasters! As someone else mentioned, it'll make them a pain to holster. I want to see if I can get those fiberoptic pistols to look like a mash-up of the CDEF and the DL-18 from this chart: http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20081001125558/starwars/images/3/3c/Blasterpistols_negwt.jpg

They'd holster up better and give me that sleek look I want. But now, sadly, that means I have to wait for them to arrive! Good thing I have plenty of armor to sand in the meantime!

I do feel better, thank you, I'm once again excited and thanks to all the advice I have a backup plan (lugers) if these do not work! I think not having a backup plan or better options than the nerfs was stressing me out, I felt stuck.

[ConDar Ward]

Remember your part of the Mercs Family now ... We will always be here for advice on Such matters .... 

[Kuu]

This is just my opinion, but the original 2 Nerf guns you got (with the logos and whatnot removed/screws filled/etc.) look very Swarzy to me. They have the "Blastech" round cylinder look and have "fins" on the front cylinder like Boba Fett's rifle. I think it would be fairly easy to convert them up. But if they're too bulky, they're too bulky, but when you want a sidearm blaster revisit them.

[Lawnknome824]

This is just my opinion, but the original 2 Nerf guns you got (with the logos and whatnot removed/screws filled/etc.) look very Swarzy to me. They have the "Blastech" round cylinder look and have "fins" on the front cylinder like Boba Fett's rifle. I think it would be fairly easy to convert them up. But if they're too bulky, they're too bulky, but when you want a sidearm blaster revisit them.

No worries, she isn't throwing the away.  They are going to our garage where I will most likely see what I can create out of them.

[Niabi]

Bit late to the party i know (Preping for a troop)

Now Nerfs can work  But they are a lot of work. Normally i advise chopping them up and sticking them back together  But with pistols that does not always work.

This is what i would do the bit in-front of the trigger i would remove and possibly replace with a Heat sink greeb    It would be a served cut going forward from just on front of the trigger guard and then counter sink the heat sink in the new hole
I would remove a bit of the back of the trigger to make it look a bit more like a real trigger.
I like what you have planed for the barrel
the back part of the grip i would fill and smooth out

[Kyr Mordha]

I wanted to post a little progress update with some pictures!

The new guns arrived while I was in the garage sanding yesterday, I didn't get a chance to mess with them until today though. Here is a comparison of the new guns to one of the old nerf guns:



The smaller guns feel a LOT more comfortable in my hand and I think they'll be much easier to get my little fingers around when I've got gloves on!



I went ahead and gutted them, I didn't realize how easy it would be. I did have to buy a micro-screwdriver set but it was worth it, took almost no time to pull the innards out!



If anyone plays tabletop games and buys chessex dice, make sure you save their clear plastic dice containers!! They're a total lifesaver for projects like this!!


Right now, this is the plan. I'm going to take a dremel and carve out some of the plastic bits inside the guns so I can slide the pvc pipe all the way back. The PVC looks a little deceptively big in this photo because it is closer to the camera. It's just a 1/2" pipe, the smallest I could find. I haven't found anything to pop onto the end of it to make the barrel look spiffy but I'm still looking. I REALLY like the shape of these new guns, they're going to need a ton of bondo to make them look presentable but I think this is a much better direction! I'm going to look in a bunch of places for little bits and bobs to make these things spiffy.

[Straka Zulu]

Could almost make your own version of the Westar-34's (Jango's pistols) with those. I like

[Kyr Mordha]

Could almost make your own version of the Westar-34's (Jango's pistols) with those. I like

That's not a bad idea! I could definitely dremel the guns so the barrel part pops out the back and then add some things on to it much like his gun and I like the trigger guard on his gun, though I'm not sure if I can find a piece of something that will work for it. Thank you for the suggestion, it's very inspiring!

[Kyr Mordha]

Will this work? I walked around Wal*Mart for over an hour looking for pieces! I need to run to a hardware store tomorrow and do some online shopping to try to get the finishing touches but I loved your suggestion to mimic Jango's gun and I think it's really coming together!!

I found this faucet, it's got an extra plastic piece on it I need to saw off, I just shopped it out for this photo:



My boyfriend was afraid this was a piece belonging to a lightbulb, it's not though, it's some kind of weird outlet thing...either way it was 2 for $1.25 so I couldn't resist. It works perfectly for the back of the gun!



Aaand pardon the hastily shopped together mockup:



I'm going to try to find a little cylinder bit that fits inside the faucet so I can give the tip a more 'complete' look and the same for the back. I'm going to try to mimic the end cap that's on his actual gun. http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20081001125558/starwars/images/3/3c/Blasterpistols_negwt.jpg And I'll look for a trigger guard or something akin to a trigger guard!

Thanks guys! Sorry for the photo-heavy posts.

[Kuu]

Awesome

[Dun'merkin]

I'm loving that barrel tip!

[Kyr Mordha]

Awesome

Thank you!! Sorry I couldn't make the other ones work, you gave me some awesome advice on them!

[Kuu]

It's all good!  Can't wait to see your build.

[Niabi]

that looks cool  8) I like it