Customized Steampunk Nerf Guns - Part 4

So it's been awhile since I last posted information about my progress with customizing Nerf guns and water pistols to give them a Steampunk or Dieselpunk appearance. I've discovered that I have a tendency to begin documenting certain things pretty regularly, but then after a few posts, I will allow it to slip from being a priority which causes me to have to play catch-up.

Since my last post on the subject, I've successfully modified and sold (on eBay) six Steampunk themed dihydrogen monoxide blasters. With the exception of one of these, all of them were picked up rather inexpensively from a couple of local junk stores, tested, and given a bath and a new paint job.

The first gun I worked on since The Lady From Hades was a small water pistol that had the words "No. 268" marked on the side of it. The numbering got me thinking and I decided to call it The Model No. 268 Pocket Ray (which would become the first in a line of Pocket Rays to follow). Before I began painting, I sanded off all the writing on the gun except for the No. 268 and smoothed the plastic seam between the two halves using my Dremel with a couple of different sanding attachments and a sheet of 400 grit wet/dry sand paper. To create the finish, I started with a base coat of Rust-oleum Metallic Antique Brass spray paint. After the spray paint dried, I applied several layers of Testors Copper Enamel, then dry brushed some Testors Gold Enamel over areas of the antique brass to give the appearance of polished areas of the gun. Once that was completed, I did several washes with India Ink to bring out some of the shadows and give the look of old oil and grease that got stuck in the grooves over time. I did some research and discovered that a number of professional model painters used Pledge Floor Polish with Future Shine to seal and protect their models when they were done painting them. It turns out that Future Shine is a gloss acrylic sealer that does a better job than typical spray-on acrylic sealers to keep dirt and dust from collecting and ruining a paint job. It also allows paint to be handled more without wearing off on the user's hand. So I picked up a bottle at my local Wallyworld and gave the Model No. 268 a nice bath of floor polish to seal it up.

The result is remarkable.

After I finished the Model No. 268, I began working on another Pocket Ray. This one would be the Model No. 310 Pocket Ray. I'm still not sure where I came up with the number, but it sounded right at the time. It didn't have any writing on it that I wanted to keep so I sanded it all off and smoothed the seam. I then applied the same paint colors and methods to the finish of this one and finished it with the washes of India Ink and coat of Future Shine.

The result, The Model No. 310 Pocket Ray.


While I was working on the Model 310, I made an order with The Great Models Webstore for a number of Tamiya and Testors Master Models acrylic modeling paints (my copper was running dangerously low, my flat black was getting clumpy, and I was running through thinner like it was my job), a few packs of Milliput (the World's best modeling epoxy putty IMHO), and a Tamiya Weathering Set C (designed for dry brushing silver, gunmetal, and rust using a handy make-up style applicator or brush). Around the time that the Model 268 and Model 310 sold, I got my order. Now instead of being limited to Copper, Gold, Flat Black, Steel, and Rust enamels, I had access to Copper, Dark Copper, Bronze, Gunmetal, Flat Black, and Flat Base acrylics by Tamiya. As well as, Brass, Gold, Verdigris, Iron, Steel, Silver, Rust, Leather, and Blood Red Master Model acrylics by Testors.

I had already painted the base coat of Antique Brass and painted the copper elements on the next two guns while I was waiting for my order to arrive. Since they were similar in design, I decided to try out selling a pair. I've always been a fan of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea", so it seemed appropriate to give this pair a more nautical theme. I dry brushed on some Brass Acrylic to the pair to brighten up the polish in areas and applied some Verdigris and Dark Copper to the Copper base to give it some aging and corrosion. Leather paint was then applied to the handles and straps that connect to the plugs and the finish was completed with washes of India Ink and a coat of Future Shine.

The result, Port and Starboard (I know I could have come up with better names, but that was all I could think of at the time).


Satisfied with the look of Port and Starboard, I began working on an old Super Soaker I had picked up that also had a rather nautical look to it. Since it had screw holes, they were filled with Milliput and sanded smooth before the gun was painted. Once again, the same techniques were applied. Base coat of Rust-oleum Metallic Antique Brass, the areas that would be copper were painted with Copper and Dark Copper and finished with washes of Verdigris, and the antique brass was given a bit of polish with dry brushed layers of Brass. The gun was then finished with India Ink and Future Shine.

The result was The Submarine Captain.


Just before the Submarine Captain and Port and Starboard were listed, I found a source for what looked like same squirt gun I used for the Model No. 268 on Amazon. They were cheap, so I ordered eight of them. The only catch was that the seller would send a mixed grouping of four different water pistols so I wouldn't know how many of which one I would get until I opened the box. When the box arrived, I found that I had gotten three of what looked like the Model No. 268 (only with a shorter barrel and smaller trigger hole), two of what would become the Model No. 245 (details in the next paragraph), one of what would become the Model No. 287 (which has not been listed for sale yet), and two of a model I haven't started working on yet.

Rather than work on the Model No. 268 Snub-nose (at least that's what I'm thinking of calling it), I decided the first gun from the box I worked on would be the Model No. 245 Pocket Ray. After the lettering and seams were sanded smooth, I applied the base coat of Antique Brass. The paint reacted with the plastic to give a really fascinating texture. I then added solid layers of copper and brass to the gun followed by subtle washes of verdigris, dark copper, and dry brushed brass. To add another level to the realism, I used steel to add solder seams to the areas where the piping met the chamber before adding the finishing touches of India Ink and Future Shine.

The result was The Model No. 245 Pocket Ray.


All of the guns have successfully sold on eBay, so I've still got a 100% sell rate on my creations.

Be sure to check out Part 5 of the Customized Steampunk Nerf Guns for more customized Nerf Guns and Dihydrogen Monoxide Blasters.

Customized Steampunk Nerf Guns - Part 4