MY Supershot

So, as you may or may not already know, I am currently doing extensive work on my Longshot. I saw Uin13s video here a while back, and I have wanted to do something special with my Longshot since I got it. Although it was cool and all, I knew it had great potential, and I'm now going to finally unlock as much as I can! I will go through the mods below:

Already Done
Firstly, I have already removed the air restricters, added a Nitefinder spring (as recommended by some members of OzNerf- but the spring combo sucks- don't do it!) and have done some work on the air seal. Externally, I have removed the top rail- quite cleanly- I just need to fill the gaps with epoxy putty. I have also integrated the front gun- which turned out not so great- I'll say what I'm going to do with that soon. As well as all of that, I have done some other small mods- like putting some PVC in the stock to stop it collapsing and sanding off the warning labels. All in all, it works ok- but isn't very good.

What to do with the front gun
I have decided that, for the front gun portion of the blaster, which is integrated, as mentioned above, I'm going to be gutting the internals and using epoxy putty to make a nice grip. But that's not all. What's to do with that gaping hole. Why not make good use of it by installing a flash light into it. It would really give you an edge in low-light conditions. This will be switched on via a small slider switch in the back angled portion of the LSFG. I am then going to install a targeting laser in the same general vicinity as the flash-light, but it will then be activated by a push-button SPST tactile switch, right on the grip portion, for ease of operation.

Extra Performance
The internal mods that still need to be done, besides a new breach are few and far between. I want to get rid of the annoying rattling of the dodgy NF+LS spring combo, by replacing it with a single Black Tactical LS V2 spring found here. It looks great, and will get rid of the makeshift spring combos once and for all. I will then order a second o-ring for the plunger head, to increase the seal. I will also lube the seal. If I have enough money, I'll also get the metal internals found here. If only they made a bolt-sled.

17/32 Brass Breach
Although the stock breach provides ok performance, if I'm after the ultimate Longshot, or Supershot,  I need nothing but the best. This brass breach is going to be an modified version of of the 'Angel Breach' found on  Nerf Haven, made by ForsakenAngel24. It's a great design, but with the ease of the 17/32 design, used by Coop, and made by someone who I'm not sure of their name, I think that it will be ideal.

LEDs:
If I really want something special out of this Longshot, I'm going to have to put in some real effort. So, with the stylised hole in the shell, I'm going to add LEDs. This will completely awesomeize? this blaster. It will just top off the shell really nicely. I'm going to use green ultra-brights, hooked up to a 4.5 volt, 3 AA circuit.

Shell Mods:
As stated earlier, I have already integrated the front gun, although I am going to add a few extra things. Firstly, the top rail is already removed, so I'm also going to be removing the logos and safety warnings with some sand paper. Also, all the annoying nubbly bits at the front are going to be sawn off, as I have already don with one side. I will also need to fill all the gaps with epoxy putty.

Paint Job:
Well, this is technically a shell mod, although I believe it is significant enough to be done separately. The colour is going to be a white vinyl dye, with florescent green highlights and all the orange internals left orange. It should look great , and with a bit of luck, I can sand the scratched down, so the vinyl dye doesn't show them up.

All in all, this mod may take up to three months to complete, so stay tuned for the end result. I won't actually post all my new progress, as  believe the finished product will have more effect than a half finished prototype. That's pretty much it for now. Just make sure you follow us on Networked Blogs, and keep Nerfing.

Networked Blogs Account

So, I recently found out (from my mum, nonetheless) that there was a great app on Facebook, allowing for an easier way to follow blogs. In fact, it is so good, that it will tell you via you Facebook updates when I have posted something new. I have a widget for it in the sidebar, so if you want the easiest way to stay in touch with all the new content here on TNB, all you have to do is make sure your signed into Facebook, and then just click the follow button. It's heaps easier than Google friend connect, so I hope you guys like it.

That's about all for now, just remember to follow the blog and keep Nerfing!

Sorry Guys

Hey guys. This post is just to say sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've had a lot of assignments for school, and have bee really busy in general lately. I have done a few new mods, that I will be sure to post. I also have some new ideas to post about, including a new review criteria system, where all my reviews are going to be made a whole lot better.

This post was mainly just to say sorry for not posting enough content recently, as well as letting you know that the blog isn't dead, it just had a bit of down time. For any of my followers, thanks for your support. And if your not already, become a follower!

That's about all for now. New content to come soon. In the mean time, keep Nerfing!

Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS

I got a Stampede yesterday. And it's awesome! Why? Because it is. And I'll get into specifics later. But in the mean time, think- full auto, 3 darts per second blasting. That's what makes this one of the best blasters ever.

Let's start off with this blasters claim to fame- rate of fire. This is one of the coolest aspects of the blaster. If 3 darts per second sound like a lot, that's probably because it is. When you can unleash a fully automatic foam onslaught, you tend to find yourself doing things you wouldn't normally do- eg. dumping a clip on an unlucky family member and then scrambling for cover as they shout at you and more than likely try to dissect you with whatever they can find. And I don't do that with my Recon.

Despite what can only be described as 'impressive' rate of fire, another stand out part of this blaster is it's range. This now means you can unleash your fully automatic foam onslaught at a distance out of range of most projectiles that will be inevitably lobbed at you by your victim. But seriously, 30-40 feet full auto is perfect. As a rushing weapon, I literally couldn't think of anything better. Sure the Raider has more ammo capacity, but it is easy enough to transplant your Raider drum straight into the Stampede.

Speaking of ammo, the Stampede comes with 3 18 round clips and one 6 round clip. I have no idea why they bothered with the 6 rounder, but hey, I'm not complaining. The 18 round clips themselves are great too. 18 rounds is 3 times the ammo capacity of a standard 6 rounder, and it is evident in the firing operation of any blaster. You can also use one of the great 35 or 18 round drums of the Raider and Alpha Trooper, respectively. The rate of fire of the Stampede really mandates a higher ammo capacity, and Nerf really delivered on this one.

Also included in the box are 60 darts, which are a good top up for your ammo box. But another interesting inclusion was the Bi-Pod and Shield, both of which will clip on to any of the 5 tactical rails of the Stampede. Let's start with the fore-grip/bi-pod. Let me put it this way- great fore-grip, useless bi-pod. While the idea of having a cool bi-pod that you can use in wars to pop up an unleash your previously mentioned fully  automatic foam onslaught is cool in theory, in practice, it is absolutely useless. The trouble with it is, that when you pop out your pop out bi-pod, it is too short to actually support it while using the 18 round clip. Which is stupid. But it does make a nifty fore-grip. The shield is also much of the same. Ambitious, but rubbish, as the guys from Top Gear would say. It looks great on the box, but in use it is goofy and awkward. In my opinion, it needs to be sold to a n00b.

Now, sadly, there are some bad sides. I cannot vouch for the crowd that say the Stampede has good battery life, but I must say that while the batteries where exhausted in my first week of testing, I have realised that in that time, I actually wrote down how many clips I fire, so I could quote it in my review. The exact number of darts I have fired is 1560. So, the battery life wasn't bad, per-say, just the blaster addictive.

Another thing is that although I have said above that the rate of fire is perfect, for just the playful type, this blaster's rate of fire might be a bit of a downer. When I first fired it, I though: "excellent, a cool new rushing weapon", but some kids may go: "Oh, no the fun is over already?". Just my opinion, but anyway. But on a final note, I have experienced what can only be described as big-ass chunks of Nerf foam falling out the barrel. This is just an observation, and maybe something to watch out for.

In conclusion, I must say that pumping as many rounds as I have through this blaster, I feel as thought this review has been as accurate and honest as possible. I hope I have influenced your decision to buy this blaster. It's definitely fun, and a worthwhile bit of kit. This rounds out another review here on TNB I hope you enjoyed it.

Dylan

Rating
9.8/10
AWESOME EVERYTHING

The blaster itself- without any accessories 

Size Comparison

Fully decked out- too bad it doesn't stand up without the container of PVC glue!

Raider drum- yes please!

A Shout-out

This a shout-out to a fellow Australian Nerfers blog. It's called Australian Nerf, and although it hasn't got much content on it yet,  it should be great. I'm currently helping with it, and I really want it to be successful for him. So check it out, here. Follow it and feel free to comment.

Thanks for helping him out guys!
Dylan

Nerf Longstrike CS-6 Review

The Nerf Longstrike. What can I say... 1. I looks great 2.Well... That pretty much sums up the Nerf N-Strike Longstrike CS-6. While it has the looks covered it completely lacks that WOW! factor in the performance, and the actually use of it really lacks the realism of the Dragonouv sniper rifle look it really seems to be going for.

Firstly, the blaster itself looks superb. The lines may be sharp and angular, but they are extremely clean and crisp. The way the blaster looks and feels evokes thoughts of a sniper, a lone warrior hiding in the shadows. An assassin, preparing to take the shot of their life. An that's exactly what I do, but it does look quite funny when I'm discovered and when I fire, the darts seems to dribble out. This makes me looks like an utter idiot, and for that I don't use it in public any more. Full stop. And that neatly brings me on to the next topic.

As I said above, the ranges are a little weak, but you can get around that by just carrying it and not bothering to fire. But that sort of ruins the charm. The acual figures of range really put it into perspective: 15-20 feet. I'll just let the figures speak for themselves.

As you probably already know, the Loangstrike is a clip system blaster, which basically mean fast reload and minimal fuss. But that also limits the blaster to using streamline darts only, which ruins acuracy. They don't have enough power to fishtail, but that will annoy you no end with their little hole that makes them arc in any direction. One other awesome thing is that you can also carry up to 2 spare clips in the stock, which make for some extra ammo. Dispite this, there is only one six shot clip included with the blaster.

I honestly don't know how to sum up this blaster. All show, no go? I don't reckon that's it, as this blaser really is a ton of fun. I'd say the motto would be epic looks, epic fun. See- I didn't even metion the range. So that means I can comfortably say that woth this blaster, the range doesn't matter. There, I said it. On that bombshell, it's thime to end yet another review on TNB, so for my fans and followers, later. And for any newbys out there, comment and follow.

Rating:
8.5- Epic fun, Epic looks 

From Thorn- Assassins: Concealed Carry 101

 Let me start by telling you a little about myself. I started organized nerfing as part of a group who ran “Assassins”-style games at a steampunk nightclub. Yes, really. As more members joined, we branched out and eventually started playing normal games, but the core lessons I learned playing with this group have stayed with me. It’s a rare day I’m not within arm’s reach of a loaded Nerf gun, even when far from home.

Why should you care? Carrying a Nerf blaster surreptitiously has a number of advantages, ranging from the obvious – if you’re playing Assassins yourself – to the more subtle, like to surprise an opponent in a regular team game by drawing a blaster they didn’t know you had.

Those who play Humans vs. Zombies on university campuses should also get some use from the following, because if you’re not recognized as prey, you can blend in to any ‘civilians’ in the game area with greater ease, escaping the notice of the horde (for extra points, pretend to be another zombie).

While you can get plenty of inspiration from real firearm concealed-carry methods, Nerf guns present a couple of significant differences you’ll have to take into account.

Firstly, most Nerf blasters are far bulkier than real firearms. Generally speaking, this rules out tucking it into a belt at the front or back and covering it with your shirt.

Secondly, most Nerf blasters also require two-handed operation to cock and fire or reload repeatedly.

To start with, I’ll introduce two basic concealment techniques: The pocket/sleeve hold, and the underarm position.

The pocket/sleeve hold is something most people do intuitively. Simply wear a jacket with a pocket or pair of cargo pants, hold the blaster in one hand and sick it in you pocket. The advantages are plain: You’ve already got your hand on the blaster, ready to draw and fire instantly. Your hand and sleeve conceals any protruding orange bits and disguises the shape of the blaster in your pocket.

The downside is that only the smallest blasters, such as the Secret Strike IX-1, the Reflex IX-1, Buzz Bee Tek 3, etc., can be used effectively in this manner unless your jacket or pants have very large pockets.

                                   1. A concealed Reflex IX-1. So easy, your boss could do it.

While using a small blaster like the Tek 3 or Secret Strike, try to hold the blaster so that your hand and sleeve covers as much of it as possible. This is to prevent people other than your target from seeing the blaster, and for him it’s too late.

                                           2. This should be the last thing your target sees.

The second carry method I’m showing you today is one which requires a short strap. I have one off an old laptop bag.

3. The Strap. And a hardwood floor.

A number of larger ‘pistol’ Nerf blasters such as the Spectre REV-5 and Recon CS-6 have strap loops on their grips. It can also be done with any similarly sized blaster.

4. Wearing an underarm blaster.

The Underarm position can also be achieved via the use of a Nerf Bandoleer. Simply hook the bandoleer on your belt loops over your shoulder like suspenders, and thread the blaster through the elastic loops.

5. Note the bandoleer clip is connected to the belt loop. Blaster is pointing outwards…

6. …so you can draw it easily.

The same lesson can be applied to larger blasters, like this Spectre, at the expense of a slightly more difficult draw. Note that I’ve looped the elastic around the protrusion near the stock anchor. This is to stop the blaster from falling out, since its added weight and bulk means it will swing while running. 

7. The Spectre in underarm position.

7. The Spectre in underarm position.

Thanks for tuning in to The Nerf Blog once more. I hope you find these interesting, and I’ll continue this series some time in the future to cover larger blasters and other accessories you can easily get to help keep your nerfing clandestine.

  

Super Soaker Hydro Cannon- A way into Super Soaker?

When I first saw the new, updated Nerf Super Soaker line-up, I though, cool, now super soaker fans who like Nerf will be happy. But then all the ranges decreased, and the Nerfisation of Super Soaker lead to terrible triggerless mechanisms, and just downright nasty quirks that took away the appeal for many. But now I have to say, the fun may be back, in the form of the new Super Soaker Hydro Cannon.

It looks awesome, apparently shoots well, and is evidently the first good Super Soaker since Nerf took over. Now it doesn't let out a dismal stream of water, that could frankly be outdone by a monkey urinating, but more like a fire hose  at full blast. So, when this water blaster comes down under, I will grab one for sure!

Thorns First Post- Nerf Guns: How Many is Too Many?

This is Thorn's first post for The Nerf Blog, and I am thoroughly impressed. Be sure to leave him feedback below!

Okay, I know the obvious answer is “You can never have too many Nerf guns”, but beside that point, it's something that runs through nearly every nerfer's head once they collect more than a couple – which ones do you pick for tomorrow's war, and how many?

Ultimately, it will depend on a number of factors. First is what kind of game and where. Inside or outside? Long range or close? HvZ or free-for-all? Assassins or Capture the Flag? Will the games be played in short rounds (so you can re-fill clips), or does the game go all day?

This should dictate what your essential, first pick is – the blaster you own which is most suited to the role.

Further choices will depend on what your first pick is. You might pick something to cover the primary's weaknesses, or carry something similar so you can keep firing when it runs out.

In principle, you can keep picking blasters until you're carrying everything you have.

Then consider how you're carrying it all. There are a number of options, ranging from the Nerf-produced bandoleer kit and vest kit, to army-issue load-bearing vests, home-made holsters and the like. I've even seen crazy schemes where someone had six Reflex pistols velcroed to a dart tag vest. If you really try, it's more than possible to carry ten blasters. In practice, though, I rarely see anyone carry more than two or three. Why? Despite (mostly) being lightweight, Nerf guns are bulky. The KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle also comes into effect. Just remember – the more foam weaponry you carry, the less space to carry ammo.

Then there's your “spares”. What if someone else needs to borrow one? Maybe the game changes as the day goes on? Fortunately, you don't have to carry these around during the match, so you've got a bit more flexibility with their type and size. The only limit on your spares will be how many you're willing to load in your car or can fit in a bag.

But I've gone on enough – how many do you guys take to wars, and how do you carry them?

Fishpond.com.au- Best for blasters?

Recently, Fishpond.com.au has had a major overhaul of all it's Nerf products. Many new blasters have been added, and all the prices have dropped significantly. I must say that the majority of the blasters are cheaper in store, but many blasters are not available in Australian stores. So does this mean Australia's blaster availability if going to get better?

Firstly, the service at Fishpond.com.au is excellent. Everything was tracked via an easy to use system, postage was free, and item I ordered was yet to be spotted in Australian stores. The item was delivered around the date it said it would, and despite the post-Christmas sale, the date it arrived certainly wasn't bad. I found that the box even had the packagers name written on it. It made the service seem very personalised, and like you order wasn't one of the couple hundred they would have inevitably packed that day.

Also, many previously unobtainable blasters are easy to get on Fishpond, with even some brand new BBBs on popping up from time to time. I also found that there is a fantastic amount sales, so if you really want something, just add it to your wish list and then wait for your item to come on sale. It's an easy way to always save some money on  your orders, and with common Free Postage offers, often your item can be obtained for a lot cheaper.

So, does Fishpond stack up for Australian Nerfers as a place to obtain blasters? In my opinion, it does, but it you can readily get a blaster in a store close by to you, then it wouldn't be worth paying extra for the convenience of it being delivered to you, a week after you ordered it. So, technically it is a good site, but use it sparingly and to your advantage!