Oof. One moment, let me get those cobwebs for you... Yeah, so it's been a while, but I decided to document my latest project.

It's quite clear to most people that I'm a just big kid at heart, and as such I do own several Nerf products. Yeah, I'm 25 and I like Nerf, get over it. It's harmless fun for everyone, no mess, no fuss!

Anyway, as much as Nerf is fun, the blasters can be a bit samey, so many people take to customising them, either to stand out in Nerf play, for use with cosplays, game/movie/television replicas or even as props for filming!

I decided it would be fun to make something of my own so I went out and bought myself the Rebelle Victory 4 blaster. Just the right kind of shape and size for what I want; which is a small, vibrant space themed blaster for potential cosplay.
Maybe even Destiny themed? I'm going for a deep, slightly metallic purple, so perhaps a Queen's Wrath style? Swag.     (I forgot to take a pic before I got to work, so here's a stock image of the blaster)

Victory 4 in it's supplied cyan holster.

From here on out, I'll be providing brief progress reports and how I did each step. Maybe try doing it yourself! It's a relatively simple process, it's great fun and really quite satisfying.

I'm not going to be painting the handle or any of the moving parts (hammer, trigger etc). I'm also leaving the orange muzzle piece as is, to maintain the "toy blaster" look, for law reasons. /shrug

The first step is disassembly. Nothing really noteworthy here, just a case of removing a few screws and carefully opening up the blaster. General tip for any projects: keep your screws in a small tray or pot so you don't lose them.

After separating all the parts, I went to work sanding the blaster. This is a necessary step when painting most plastics as primer won't bond too well with the standard glossy finish. I also sanded off the safety warnings, patent info and brand logo, so it'll be nice and smooth when it's done. Proper sanding is important! Remember to smooth it off with a fine sand paper or sponge.

Gently wash off all the excess dust and debris from sanding, then leave it to dry. I won't go into detail about how to apply a primer...it's hardly rocket science. Here's the blaster after two coats of primer. I used Halfords matte grey primer. It works wonderfully and it's not too expensive.



Update! The main shell of the blaster is painted! The colour doesn't really show up too well on the photo - it's really quite something in person. Once it's lacquered, I'm confident that it'll be stunning. I've also painted the little node for tactical rail attachments, so the entire rail is all one colour.


I've really taken a liking to the main shell as it is and I probably won't apply any game inspired marks/logos to it. I also haven't decided on a colour for the inner front piece yet but I'll get to it soon.

Update! And here it is! All finished and reassembled...and looking mighty fine. Mmm mm.



I have a Heartbreaker Bow on the way, so I'll be taking a crack at that next!