The important of custom work

We take all shades of custom work here at Blastersmiths and we actively encourage people to send us commissions and work.

We're at the end of a very, very busy period here and having people submit custom work has probably saved our sanity. When you're working on the same production items, day in, day out it can get a little numbing. Custom commissions are like life's little surprises and they give us something to mull over on our lunch or machine servicing breaks.

For example, a veteran BUZAN player recently approached us and request some equipment that would extended his carry capacity and general longevity in combat. We've known the chap in questions for a number of years, since most of our staff are two year BUZAN veterans themselves so we were able to get a handle on his play style very easily. Highly mobile, famed for punching through lines and generally one of the society's best, he were a little cautious about equipping him lest the BUZAN moderators tell us off! :)

Anyway, we recommended a standard MkII holster and 2 point quick release sling to start with. Enhanced magazine carriage without too much coverage was also requested so we developed what we call a tactical bolero:

Worn at the top of the back, this MOLLE panel allowed for attaching magazine holders to the back for ready access. Addition of a featherweight dump pouch to the system (the one that the player in question had helped to develop originally, no less :D) round off the set up.

The key element here was to take into account the player's main needs. We were fortunate to be able to pull much of the equipment off the shelf but it was nice to be able to adapt what we had according to need.

Elsewhere, we've been asked recently to make a concealed carry Firestrike holster for an cos-play character. I've not uploaded any pictures of that because, frankly, I think the customer would like to surprise people a little with it.

Other commissions have included a Barricade cylinder holder on a MOLLE bandolier for quick access under fire. This one is particularly challenging since it requires balancing a reasonably large load atop a comparitively narrow strap. Some out of the box thinking has resulted in getting the design down and now we just need to put it into production.

Lightweight Shoulder Rig

Of course, there are times when the customs become the production items. The best example of this is our Lightweight Shoulder Rig. We were commissioned a very similar variant back in June by a customer. We passed it around our testing base and it proved very popular. Indeed, it's our best selling rig so far (controlling for the number of days on the market, of course).

So keep throwing us your custom stuff, guys. If it's made of fabric, we'll do our best to make it. Our production team are a very talented bunch with experience in cos-play on top of making our tactical gear. We're a British company so you won't pay an arm and a leg in shipping or hidden taxes and our work is not as expensive as you might at first think. If you've got an idea of a commission you'd like making, email customs@blastersmiths.co.uk and we'll have a chat.