<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <title>Anima's Nerf Obsession</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <meta content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16705" name="GENERATOR"> </head> <body bgcolor="#000000" link="#0099ff" text="#00ff00" vlink="#ff00ff"> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); width: 100%;" bordercolordark="#000000" bordercolorlight="#000000" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <big> </big><tbody> <big> </big><tr> <big> </big><td valign="top"><big> </big> <h1 align="center"><big><font face="Courier New" size="6"><big><strong><u>Anima's Nerf Obsession</u></strong></big></font></big></h1> <big> </big> <p align="center"><big><font color="#004080" face="Arial"><strong></strong></font><strong></strong><font color="#004080" face="Arial"><strong></strong></font><a href="http://animakitty.livejournal.com/"><font color="#00ff00" face="Arial"><strong></strong></font></a><font color="#004080" face="Arial"><strong></strong></font><a href="http://animakitty.furrynet.com/Logs.htm"><font color="#00ff00" face="Arial"><strong></strong></font></a></big></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><font face="Courier New" size="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In December '04, I happened to be wandering around a Toys 'R Us with a friend, and saw the new line of Nerf toys.&nbsp; The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-61497-Nerf-N-Strike-Maverick/dp/B0002UP0IA">Maverick</a> and&nbsp; the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nerf-N-Strike-Nite-Finder-EX-3/dp/B0009SQEYY">Nitefinder</a> caught my eye, because they had an awesome anime look to them.&nbsp; The Maverick:&nbsp; a big chunky six-shot revolver that fires hard, feels great in your hand, and is generally perfect for indoor fun.&nbsp; The Nitefinder is just a Nerf gun with a red LED sight, but it's styled beautifully like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MEU%28SOC%29_pistol">SOCOM</a> pistol or something.</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Courier New">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I decided right then and there they <i>had</i> to be painted.&nbsp; I'd just started work on prop replicas, and prior to that I'd modded my computer case, so I was feeling more confident about paints and such.&nbsp; While searching the web for a way to remove the stop in the Maverick that prevents the cylinder from ejecting fully, I stumbled upon an entire <a href="http://www.nerfhq.com/">community</a> of Nerf <a href="http://www.nerfhaven.com/">enthusiasts</a>.&nbsp; Hundreds of people not only modify or paint their guns, but they have Nerf wars.&nbsp; A lot of these people are my age or older, not just a bunch of kids.</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Courier New">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://www.vhtpaint.com/vinyldye.html">Vinyl dye</a> is my secret weapon when it comes to painting Nerf guns.&nbsp; It's easy to use, and since it dyes the plastic instead of painting it, it doesn't scratch or chip off.&nbsp; My first efforts were lackluster, but I soon got the hang of it.&nbsp; Before long I was selling painted Mavericks on EBay.&nbsp; One sold for over fifty dollars! $$$</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Courier New">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (If you'd like to try painting your own Nerf guns, I've written up a guide you can find here,&nbsp;<a href="http://d.furaffinity.net/art/anima/stories/1142246936.anima_nerfpainting.rtf" target="_blank">A Beginner's Guide to Painting Nerf Guns</a>&nbsp; I cover the use of vinyl dye, give tips on primers and masking, and advise you on how to prepare your guns for painting.) </font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Courier New">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I got tired of painting the same, off-the-shelf models of guns though.&nbsp; I wanted to try painting <a href="http://www.davidrgriffin.com/fascsub/nerfrazordet.htm">older</a> <a href="http://www.danielbrtoys.com/Variados/ARMA_NERF_Sawtooth1.jpg">guns</a>, ones I remembered having as a <a href="http://nerfhaven.com/mods/cxwq_ssii/ssii-done.jpg">kid</a>.&nbsp; The problem is, the EBay market for Nerf guns is fairly competitive.&nbsp; The old, <a href="http://nerfcenter.com/photos/FireStormNN.jpg">cool</a> guns are rare and expensive.&nbsp; Nevertheless, I did obtain (eventually) most of the guns I was looking for, though many came from a local Goodwill store instead of the internet.&nbsp; Yay for paying 99 cents for something that sells on EBay for over sixty bucks!</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Courier New" size="5">Here are some pictures...</font></strong></p> <p><strong><font face="Courier New">These are all hosted on Flickr, so you can click 'em all for larger resolutions and see the rest of my gallery.</font></strong></p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/299643466/"><img alt="Anodized-paint Nerf Mavericks" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/112/299643466_dd5b2c0f18.jpg" align="left" height="323" width="500"></a><br> <br> <b>These guns were painted with <a href="http://www.duplicolor.com/">Duplicolor's</a> line of <a href="http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalcast.html">Metalcast paints</a>.&nbsp; They simulate an anodized metal look, and I love the sheen that goes with it.&nbsp; The blue one was a commission for <a href="http://brianmclean.livejournal.com/profile">Soltris</a>.&nbsp; The green one I still have, and the red one was sold on EBay.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><br> <br> <a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/346442381/"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 500px; height: 374px;" alt="Custom-painted Nerf Mavericks" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/346442381_0c99699b8e.jpg"></a><br> <br> <b><a href="http://slipscale.livejournal.com/profile">Llyander</a> commissioned these from me, and I eventually got them finished up.&nbsp; The main frame of each gun was vinyl-dyed, while some parts like the top rail, slide, and butt have to be painted with conventional paints.&nbsp; The grips are sprayed with <a href="http://www.societyofrobots.com/images/actuators_servo_waterproof_plastidip4.jpg">plastidip</a>, giving them a better feel as well as a better color.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;<br> <br> <a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/299643470/"><img alt="Painted Nerf Sharpshooter II" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/112/299643470_1f60b28f10.jpg" align="left" height="251" width="500"></a><br> &nbsp;</p> <p><b>This is one of the older models I mentioned above, the Sharpshooter II.&nbsp; I'm not quite satisfied with the scheme on this one, but it's one of the few guns other than the Mav and NF that I've painted so far.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/414458565/"><img alt="Blue Metalcast Maverick" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/414458565_cc72a7a9d6.jpg" align="right" height="375" width="500"></a><br> &nbsp;</p> <p><b>Here's a better picture of Soltris's gun.&nbsp; The paint has held up well!&nbsp; He's had this one for at least six months now.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><br> &nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/458930246/"><img alt="Modded Nerf Nitefinder" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/458930246_aa0ce66c4c.jpg" align="left" height="329" width="650"></a></p> <p><b>The Nitefinder I painted awhile back.&nbsp; I'm not proud of this one...&nbsp; This gun is also modified to shoot mega darts instead of microdarts, but it doesn't shoot well at all.&nbsp; Needs more work!</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/261739996/"><img alt="arsenal2" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/97/261739996_b111cf5446.jpg" align="right" height="500" width="375"></a></p> <p><b>I've spent a lot of time at Goodwill, scooping up any Nerf gun I can find that works (and some that don't) so I can paint them, or trade them for guns I want.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/261739997/"><img alt="arsenal3" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/89/261739997_2b40ab5f56.jpg" align="left" height="500" width="418"></a></p> <p><b>That gun at the bottom of this pic is my latest favorite.&nbsp; I've modified one to shoot around 80 feet, but I've yet to finish painting one.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/261740005/"><img alt="arsenal5" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/102/261740005_895538b653.jpg" align="right" height="500" width="375"></a></p> <p><b>The <a href="http://www.buzzbeetoys.com/RSAirBlasters/2005/04630.html">Rapid Fire Rifles</a> and <a href="http://www.buzzbeetoys.com/RSAirBlasters/2005/05040.html">Doubleshots</a> are interesting off-brand guns in that they utilize shells.&nbsp; After firing the shotgun, you snap it open and the spent shells autoeject.&nbsp; </b></p> <p><b>The Rapid Fire Rifle uses a clip of six darts-in-shells, and cocks <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_rifle">Winchester</a>-style.&nbsp; </b></p> <p><b>I tried selling these on EBay, but after I sold my first one, about a dozen other EBayers caught on and ruined the market.&nbsp; </b></p> <p><b>The Koosh Firestorm is interesting because it fires rubber rings instead of foam projectiles.&nbsp; Its range is impressive, and it looks badass.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/261746641/"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 500px; height: 173px;" alt="arsenal6" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/99/261746641_80c510f0af.jpg"></a></p> <p><b>The Big Bad Bow is pretty cool, but my interest in it is mostly for its spring, which I add to the Longshot's for increased power.&nbsp; If I find one at Goodwill, I always cheer; regardless of the gun's condition I just saved 25 bucks.&nbsp; </b></p> <p><b>The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-Toy-Nerf-Rapid-Fire/dp/B00005BXJ0">Rapidfire 20 </a>is one of my favorites.&nbsp; It's an <font size="4">automatic Nerf dart machine gun!</font>&nbsp; Pump it up, squeeze the trigger and it blasts rapid fire through all 20 darts.&nbsp; Talk about crowd control....</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/261746646/"><img alt="Nerf Longshot, painted with Metalcast Smoke" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/82/261746646_df8c20c2de.jpg" align="right" height="375" width="500"></a></p> <p><b>This is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nerf-N-Strike-Long-Shot-CS-6/dp/B000ETQR3Q/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_2_txt/103-7550393-4240601">Longshot</a> I'm in the process of painting.&nbsp; It's easy to see its potential from this shot!</b></p> <p><b><u><font color="#99ff99">I do take commissions</font></u> as far as Nerf painting/modding, but I'm busy enough that they usually take me <i>quite</i> awhile to get done...months, usually.&nbsp; </b></p> <p><b>To give you an idea of pricing, I charge <font color="#ffff00">$25</font> for a basic paintjob on a Maverick, <font color="#ffff00">$30</font> for a paintjob/mod-job, and <font color="#ffff00">$35</font> for something special.&nbsp; (Special can include the Metalcast paints, or stenciling, patterns, etc.)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A Nitefinder would run about the same.&nbsp; A Longshot would be at least <font color="#ffff00">$50</font>, because there's so much more gun to paint, not to mention sand, prime, etc.&nbsp; A modded Longshot would be <font color="#ffff00">$60</font> or <font color="#ffff00">$70</font>, because it's a lot of work and uses up one of the Big Bad Bow springs I hoard like gold.</b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a title="Photo Sharing" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/animakitty/464410465/"><img alt="Nerfsmith" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/464410465_963648fd2a.jpg" align="left" height="154" width="500"></a></p> <p><b>Just a banner I photoshopped up.&nbsp; </b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <script type="text/javascript"><!--google_ad_client = "pub-0002750421790055";google_ad_width = 728;google_ad_height = 90;google_ad_format = "728x90_as";google_ad_type = "text_image";//2007-04-24: Leaderboard Adgoogle_ad_channel = "2001351646";google_color_border = "000000";google_color_bg = "F0F0F0";google_color_link = "0000FF";google_color_text = "000000";google_color_url = "008000";//--></script> <script src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <center> <form action="http://www.google.com/custom" method="get" target="google_window"> <table bgcolor="#000000"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left" height="32" nowrap="nowrap" valign="top"><a href="http://www.google.com/"><img alt="Google" src="http://www.google.com/logos/Logo_25blk.gif" align="middle" border="0" height="32" width="75"></a> <br> <label style="display: none;" for="sbi">Enter your search terms</label> <input id="sbi" maxlength="255" size="31" name="q"> <label style="display: none;" for="sbb">Submit search form</label> <input id="sbb" value="Search" name="sa" type="submit"> <input value="pub-0002750421790055" name="client" type="hidden"> <input value="1" name="forid" type="hidden"> <input value="8865345940" name="channel" type="hidden"> <input value="ISO-8859-1" name="ie" type="hidden"> <input value="ISO-8859-1" name="oe" type="hidden"> <input value="0000" name="flav" type="hidden"> <input value="OP7RTETHCQ9DN2Oi" name="sig" type="hidden"> <input value="GALT:#660033;GL:1;DIV:#000000;VLC:66FF00;AH:center;BGC:2BA94F;LBGC:11593C;ALC:000000;LC:000000;T:330033;GFNT:330033;GIMP:330033;FORID:1" name="cof" type="hidden"> <input value="en" name="hl" type="hidden"></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </form> </center> <!-- Search Google --> <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-1853626-1"; 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