In the spirit of this "Neo-Victorian" movement and my discovery of another subculture that enjoys modifying Nerf Guns (ala NerfHQ and NerfHaven), I decided to make my first attempt at my own steampunk creations.
I humbly present you with Professor Finneas Wiley's Curiosities & Contraptions.While on one of my many trips to the thrift store, I managed to acquire (rather cheaply), a Nerf N-Strike Nite Finder EX-3 as well as a Ruff Stuff Air Blasters Motorized Mech Tommy 20 Dart Blaster (try saying that ten times fast). It was soon after this, that upon closer examination of these weapons of mass office chaos, I realized that they were both begging to be given custom steampunk style paint jobs. I then proceeded to blow through a few cans of plastic spray paint and a fair amount of Testor's enamel model paint until I was satisfied that they were both completed. Upon successfully modifying the pair, I needed more. So I ran to the local Toys 'R Us and picked up a brand new Nerf N-Strike Maverick and a big bag of foam darts (since neither the Nite Finder or the Mech Tommy had any).
I took a few photos of the three now fully customized guns, gave them new names, and added them into an old Victorian newspaper style ad I created.
The Mech Tommy 20 was repainted to give it a rusted boiler room appearance with a few decorative gilded accents on the handle and became The "Mad Scientist". Since it uses an battery powered electric motor to fire the foam darts, I didn't do any other modifications to it.
The Nite Finder was repainted to appear weathered by many a trip in the air ship and I removed part of the air restrictor to increase airflow. It then became The "Shipmate's Sidearm".
The Maverick was repainted in brass, copper, and satin black with decorative gilding on the cocking mechanism to give it a regal appearance. I fully removed the air restrictors to allow maximum airflow and allow the use of Stefans (for the uninitiated, they are homemade foam darts made with FBR (foam backing rod) and lead fishing bobbers). I also modified the ammo chamber to allow it to flip out fully. It then became The "Gentleman's Pistol".
So there you have it. The first three of Professor Finneas Wiley's Curiosities & Contraptions. I'm pretty hooked on the idea of modding Nerf guns now and plan to work up a couple with a weathered post-apocalyptic theme.
All three of these are currently listed for sale on eBay to help fund the purchase and modification of further Nerf guns. Feel free to check them out at the links below.
The "Mad Scientist". Opening bid $14.99
The "Shipmate's Sidearm". Opening bid $5.99
The "Gentleman's Pistol". Opening bid $9.99
**Update**
All three of the guns sold for enough to pay for the guns, the extra darts, and the paint I purchased as well as adding a bit of green to my pocket for the hours of labor I spent modding and painting them. I actually reached over 1000 views on the "Gentleman's Pistol" (with 40 watchers) and just shy of 900 on the "Mad Scientist" (with 40 watchers), so that was encouraging. The "Shipmate's Sidearm" didn't get as many views or watchers, but still did pretty well compared to other items I've listed on eBay. Now that I know I'm not completely mad as a hatter for trying to sell refinished Nerf guns, I'll be posting more creations in the coming months.
Be sure to check out Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of the Customized Steampunk Nerf Guns for more customized Nerf Guns and Dihydrogen Monoxide Blasters.
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