Nerf Aliens Pulse Rifle Build

Hi,

Thanks for posting the templates.
What program should I use to print the templates out on?
I only have access to a normal a4 inkjet but if it needs bigger then I can go to a print shop.
I would appreciate any advice you have on printing the templates so I get them to scale.

Many thanks
 
Just yesterday I was thinking in building a pulse rifle with fiberglass!
This idea is awesome, just sad that NERF guns aren't sold in my country.

How do you work with styrene? Did you have to model it on clay and take molds first?


Hi techuser

Styrene is a type of plastic used for scratch building models. It's available in sheets of varying gauges of thickness. There are templates for the styrene put up by quest for this build on the previous page.

In a nutshell, print out the templates on paper and glue to card stock (or fix directly to the styrene). Cut the templates out of said card and draw around it on to the styrene. Cut styrene and stick together with a good glue (preferably one that will take paint) and sand as required. As a rule, it's better to use a glue that bonds the styrene, not one that melts it as it is much less forgiving if you make a mistake.

Good luck with your build :thumbsup
 
Man, that is awesome! It's just plain awesome what you did with the nerf gun and from a distance I can't tell it has differences with the pulse rifle!

Great and awesome build!
 
Thanks guys:) Glad to help.

Discovery: I would use Photoshop to print it, but you should be able to print it from any picture viewer. One tip: I taped 2 pieces of paper together, lengthwise when I printed mine, so I could get the longer pieces in one shot. When you get your styrene, make sure you get some that is at least 21" long, to fit the whole body (evergreen makes some that size).

For glue: someone recommended the best glue to use in an earlier post, I also used a lot of hot glue to reinforce the structural bits and add some weight. Hot glue works great with the Nerf guns too. I would use the contact cement for the main joint, so it's nice and clean, then hit the hidden parts with the hot glue to hold it all together. That way you don't end up with big globs of hot glue all over the exterior bits.

For cutting styrene: score the outline around the template with yoiur hobby knife/xacto/etc... then bend the piece back and forth gently along the line until it snaps.
 
Thanks for filling the missing bits from my explanation quest, I'd forgotten about the hot glue :)

Cool tips for cutting the styrene too, thanks again :thumbsup
 
Hi Quest,

Your a genius I never thought of taping the paper first then printing, I just had to change the paper size and then print. I now have the templates printed, time to get the styrene.

Cheers
 
What I lack in proper training and tools, I make up for in MacGuyvering ;)

another tip: don't use bondo on the styrene, it won't stick. If you want to clean up your gaps and smooth out the curved parts when you're done, you'll need to use a different filler. I just left mine as is and made sure I hit all my joints as tight as possible from the start.
 
amazing work, quest. i've wanted a nerf pulse rifle since i saw the maverick for the first time, and you make it look easy! thanks for the templates! i might try this one out on a stampede for some full-auto pulse rifle goodness.. <cue evil laugh>
 
amazing work, quest. i've wanted a nerf pulse rifle since i saw the maverick for the first time, and you make it look easy! thanks for the templates! i might try this one out on a stampede for some full-auto pulse rifle goodness.. <cue evil laugh>

Hay zaebra, I would live to see how you tackle that. I originally bought a stampede for just that perpose, but after seeing quests effort it was instantly abandoned. I was thinking of using it for the bigger one with the harness maybe instead, we'll see.
 
yea, i looked at the stampeded initially, for the full auto, but it's way too thick in the body. A full inch taller than the Recon. If you put the handle in the same position as mine, the body of the gun will fill up the entire handle area, and if you line up the tops of the guns, the trigger will be halfway down the clip.

Would love to see you have a go at it though! :) There may be a way to reposition the trigger or something to get a better fit.
 
here's a good pic of the internals on the stampede:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ynWOAg4YQ...Mw5MQM/s1600/Nerf+Stampede+Internals+-+01.JPG

i'm in the process of minimizing a stampede right now, so i'm pretty familiar with the guts of it. you could certainly relocate the entire handle and trigger, since it's just pressing an electronic button to cycle the gun (and it moves a small plastic catch that shouldn't be too hard to actuate, too), but then its location relative to the mag well would be off.

as for height, i'd say the minimum would be 4.25" from the bottom of the mag well (basically the point where your trigger finger contacts the top of the trigger well) to the top of the gun. there's not a lot of dead space you could eliminate top-to-bottom, but the rear portion could be made much thinner if need be. the plunger that goes back and forth needs space in the rear, but it's small and would easily fit inside the stock of the pulse rifle. the front is all empty space. here's the insides of a cut down one:

img2657f.jpg


this is my project one:

2012-04-02_07-19-30_565.jpg


the large protrusion on the rear could be made much smaller.. i just left it like it as is to keep it strong for this pseudo-pistol mod.

i think a stampede pulse rifle is certainly possible. i don't have a recon handy to measure its height, so i'm not sure how it compares to a stampede, but it does seem like the stampede is a little taller. i've never worked with styrene before, so i don't know how well it'd stand up to the rigors of LARP play, though.
 
the distance from the top of the trigger to the top of the gun is 2.5" on the Recon and 4.25" on the Stampede. The channel for the firing mechanism looks like it will force your hand in the gun placement as well. You'll have to keep the body low enough to fit in the rear portion of the shroud.

The biggest change, in the end, will probably be just changing the size of the panel behind the counter, and/or the amount of the clip cover that the gun body slides into.

And styrene will be fine for LARPing...just hot glue the crap out of the inside. My styrene bits are as solid as the original nerf parts...
 
This is friggin awesome. I been wanting an airsoft PR forever and was considering trying to paint up a nerf in a pulse rifle style so I could play with it indoors but this is just amazing. I gotta try and build one of these, great work!
 
:) Sounds like there are a bunch of people that have got their Nerfs collected, and are ready to make this guy :) Can't wait to see some pics.

Canobi: when you get the styrene, make sure it's the 21" by 8" so you can do the side pieces of the shroud in one shot. I ended up getting mine from a local model shop, but you should be able to find cheaper options online.
 
:) Sounds like there are a bunch of people that have got their Nerfs collected, and are ready to make this guy :) Can't wait to see some pics.

Canobi: when you get the styrene, make sure it's the 21" by 8" so you can do the side pieces of the shroud in one shot. I ended up getting mine from a local model shop, but you should be able to find cheaper options online.



Thanks for the tip quest :) Did you manage to get both sides from one piece?

I might end up getting the templates done at a printing shop as I can't get mine to print out two pieces taped together for some reason. It does half and then spits out the rest : / I've looked at the settings, and they seem to be ok, but no go.


Ah well, I'm not at that stage yet, so I guess I'll takle that later.
 
This is just so fantastic!!! I went out and bought one of these exact nerf guns to try this. You sir, are an inspiration! Fantastic build!!!!!
 
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