The modification of Nerf guns has become a surprisingly popular pastime, with fans of all ages performing a variety of changes to the “stock” models. Whether it’s a simple recoloring by means of a paint job, modification to make the guns shoot farther, or a full cosmetic overhaul, the number of things that can be done with these (relatively) cheap, plastic guns is astounding. This example in particular really goes to show just how much can be done to one of these toys along the lines of additions and other modifications while still keeping it in working order.
Starting off as a stock N-Strike Barricade RV-10, designer faustus70 decided that the semi-auto, foam dart gun just didn’t look cool enough. Many mods turn the guns into more realistic versions of weaponry, not difficult considering that many NERF designs are already based off existing firearms. This design, however, opts for a fantasy route, turning the bright orange and yellow gun into a steampunk wonder that looks bulkier than the original plastic version. The plastic ends up completely hidden replaced by an outer casing that consists of wooden strips. The strips are held together with aluminum bands, decorated with riveting for extra effect. All around, it looks like the sort of thing you’d see in a Wild West steampunk setting, extra metal embellishments and tubing added for detail and a 3x magnifying scope so you can take down prey from a distance with your not-so-deadly foam bullets.
Despite all the chunky modifications added onto this, it’s still a fully-functioning NERF gun, apparently with another mod that loads it via magazine as opposed to the revolving barrel used in the “stock” version of the gun. This gun uses NERF’s “whistler darts” which do what they say on the tin. In some ways, the sound the darts make could be viewed as another semi-futuristic add-on to the steampunk firearm. With this in mind, it might be easy to create something similar on your own, if you’re the handy type, through the use of old wooden furniture and spare bits of metal. Unfortunately, it looks like that’s the only way to get your hands on the gun, since it’s already been sold on Etsy. The designer has plenty of other similar designs, so check them out on his Etsy page or check out some of our other articles on steampunk faux-weaponry like this Telescope Sub-Machine Gun or this modified Nerf Maverick Revolver.
