Saturday 29 March 2014

Helmet Mounted Torch Bracket

Sometimes a blaster light isn't enough. Sometimes you're either in a non-combat situation or your blaster won't take a torch. You still need your hands free to do other things so can't use a torch but it's dark and you're on a LARP battlefield or HvZ mission. What then?


Well, I started wearing a helmet a long time ago to mount an action camera for in-game footage so adding a pair of torches to the other side seemed a pretty good idea. I have one of these cheap M88 replica helmets that I bought for £10 from eBay and so I decided to 3D print a bracket to fit a Rolson torch or two. These are the same super-bright torches we use on our rail mounted torch brackets but moved to the helmet position. The bracket is 28mm wide and features a 3D printed clip to secure the array to the helmet.

It's important to mount these torches on your off hand so you can readily turn them on and off. The bracket is sturdy enough to hold itself and the torches to your helmet without any jiggle. I'd also suggest you consider taping over the lens of the torches with red headlight tape to reduce risk to people's night vision. These little Rolsons are tiny but pack a lot of output when the batteries are fresh, having people stumbling around in the dark, dazzled and without night vision isn't the safest thing in the world!

The only problem with the bracket as it stands is that leaves a little halo of torchlight just at the corner of your eye. I can see that being a problem as it will reduce your peripheral vision somewhat. I think raising it up a little might be worthwhile.

Single and double versions of these will be put on the store at some point next week. The single version will cost £8 while the double will cost £12 inc VAT at the UK rate of 20%. I'll also dig out my action camera and rebuild its mount using 3D printing technology. That way there will be plenty of footage of our adventures with the Green Cloaks in a couple of weeks time.

-Mike, Blastersmiths UK

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Big Bag o' Blasters

If you're like us, you'll be lugging blasters around the place going to and from wars and often rucksacks and things don't have the impact factor of a big roll of blasters or aren't quite the right size for your blaster. Well, we thought we'd solve that.




Introducing the Big Bag o' Blasters (Big BOB) from Blastersmiths UK. Designed with flexibility and portability in mind, this is the last word in blaster carriage.

Built (and I mean built) from highly durable Cordura fabric, this carriage solution will out last any sports bag or Perpetual Play product you can source. Barring actual military kit bags, you won't find much tougher than this, and we'd warrant none more stylish.


On the inside of Big BOB is a layer of quilted waterproof Nylon fabric stitched with rows of MOLLE compatible webbing. Supplied with the blaster is a series of quick release straps that link to the MOLLE while being able to tighten around any blaster you choose to secure them to. Not only do you have rapid access to your blasters but you have the flexibility to store a vast array of them on a single panel.


At 800mm wide and 1500mm long, the Big BOB is more than able to store multiple Stampedes or Rapidstrikes and associated hardware. The internal MOLLE allows you to store magazine holders and pouches full of darts protected from the outside world by a layer of tough ballistic Nylon, soft and bouncy foam and then water proof Nylon.

On the outside, you've got more MOLLE webbing to store pouches and magazines for quick and ready access. All our current MOLLE compatible lines as well as third party items will sit comfortably on the outside.


Roll up Big BOB and you've got a big lump of Nylon and foam wrapped foamy fire-power. On its own, that's not very portable or terribly secure. In order to close it, a pair of straps (provided) can be looped through the external webbing to form carry handles. Complete with a Velcro sealed comfort panel for your hands, you've got a grab bag you can sling in the boot of the car, ready to deploy at a moment's notice. We've all seen this, right? Well, we thought we'd make one for the Nerfers of the world!

The icing on the cake, however is the pair of D-rings we have sewn to the top of the system. With that one simple change, we added a whole extra dimension to this product line. Big BOB can be hung from a pair of picture hooks on the wall to display your arsenal without the need for big immovable peg boards and the like.

Compatible with most MOLLE mountable accessories, including our own magazine holders


Priced at £65 inc UK/EU VAT at 20%, (non-payable for US and other non-EU countries so £54.16 [~USD$90]) this item is a buy once, use forever item. Extra quick release straps will be available in packs of 2, 4, 8, 10 and 20.

Big BOB comes with a stock of quick release straps, a set of carry handles, a small 500D Cordura pouch to store all of the above in - that pouch can be upgraded to a pouch with the same dimensions as our Large Zip Dump Pouch for £5 extra. This system can be ordered now subject to a 3-4 week lead time and is supplied in a range of colours. Other colours and camouflage patterns can be ordered but will need to be ordered as a custom item via email. We will happily ship internationally, transit time is usually a maximum of 5 days barring any customs delays. Big BOB is big so shipping internationally for North America and Australia will be around £18-20.

Little BOB, Big BOB's smaller cousin for SMG Stryfes and other, smaller blasters, will be available in the coming weeks. More details as that happens.