Fixing the wobble - why 3D printing isn't always the best solution.

We previewed our new Stock Extenders on Wednesday afternoon and got a great reception to them. They're going into combat testing this evening and there will be other posts about them forthcoming. One of the comments that came up (and has come up in several other threads and request emails) is to do something about the stability issue in the Stryfe/Rapidstrike front end barrel attachment space.

On the face of it, it would be very simple to mass produce these. They're a very simple piece of plastic printed to slot over the current muzzle attachment and it sits nicely behind my Longstrike barrel extension and steadies it.

See? It's a nice tight fit, it locks the extension in place. On the face of it, 90 seconds of print time per collar with lots to a tray means I can print thousands of these each day. Ideal, right?

Wrong. It's frankly overkill. I'm using a high powered piece of CNC machinery to do what I could do just as effectively with a craft knife and some plasticard or ABS sheet. It'd be a lot easier to customise that sort of contraption to your personal blaster, to your specific circumstance than it would be to buy a packet of ours off the shelf. Add in the fact that ours aren't exactly durable if you try taking them off once you've put them on.

It's all about selecting the correct tool for the job. Too often in the Nerf modding hobby do people look at 3D printing and think of it as some sort of magic process that will do anything. It really won't. Even with high infill ABS, the composite layer by layer nature of additive manufacturing results in something that's very different (note different, not weaker) to injection moulded plastic.

For example, when we realised that the vertical foregrips we had produced weren't going to work because of plastic fatigue failure, we went away and looked at alternatives. We came back with aluminium plates and retained our original plastic handles to give us the best compromise between weight, cost and future design changes. To get the best quality outcome, you have to think beyond a single method or process and not just accept its limitations.

As for us, we need a barrel extension on our in-house blasters to help us house some instrumentation for characterising dart ballistics. The model for the spacer came from some work we were doing to replicate barrel attachment holders and transplant them to blasters that don't currently have them. Though these were printed as demonstration pieces, it's still a lot easier to get the craft knife and cardboard out when the need arises.

I suppose that's a lesson for all modders: right material and process for the job and keep your tools in good order! :)

Combat testing - HvZ style!

Since we posted about the Stock Extenders yesterday there appears to be a little bit of confusion about how we go about testing our stuff.

We have a couple of stages to our testing. First there's the office test. We put our gear through it's paces in the office. We throw it around, drop-kick it, step on it and generally abuse it to find any problems before they become a problem. There are many days spent holding blasters at odd angles, throwing them at things and just down right being mean to them,

For the second stage, our guys head over to BUZAN (Bristol University's Nerf group) and test our stuff with their players. We hand our stuff over and let them at it. If it doesn't survive contact with the user base then it goes back to the drawing board. By testing with the people who actually use our stuff, we get all sorts of feedback from durability, functionality and pricing information. We've always designed for University HvZ players and having a group on hand that are happy to host us means we can offer products that are genuinely tailored to that market.

We hand kit out, have people play with and in some cases break it. It's always fun in the first term, freshers get handed a piece of kit and break it so you have to spend an amount of time explaining that we're encouraging them to break it. On occasion, we also have to explain that, no, if you break it you don't have to pay for it!

It's an effective means of putting our gear through our paces. We're very lucky to be able to get our stuff into the hands of eager people before launching to the public. Of course, there is the slight guilt factor of watching a piece of kit fail at a critical moment and seeing people get eaten by zombies! We like to temper that feeling with the many more successful moments where a holster provides that last minute hold out shot and the player in question goes on to clear that jam, down half a dozen zombies and goes out in style, rather than ignominy! :D




NOTE: All our testing staff are associate members of the University of Bristol Student's Union and of the Bristol University Zombie Apocalypse Network (BUZAN) with all appropriate dues paid up - we're very happy to support student projects both in a personal and business capacity. :)

Rapidstrike Tray Extension

The joy of being a maker is that very often product ideas come from what we need ourselves. A goodly number of your best creations are those that you use yourself.

I got sick of having 2 sets of batteries for my Rapidstrike CS-18. I got sick of having to keep two different sets on my webbing. I decided to make my Rapidstrike battery tray larger to accommodate my 1800mAh 3S LiFe Stampede battery so I can use it in my RS.. I've got a few more plans for this one, including an integrated torch kit and other things. If people want these then I'll happily pop them in the shop, I just thought it might be nice to show off. I can probably arrange custom jobs, too for different packs. :D

-Mike, BSUK

Rail Mounted Magazine Holder: First Look

While we produce a wide array of gear for carrying your magazines on your webbing there are times in life when you need something a little different. Perhaps you can't wear a rig because it's already full or because it's too warm. Where else are you going to put Nerf magazines? Well, your blaster has a number of hard points just waiting to be used.

Want more accessory than rifle? No problem! What else are these rails for?

Enter our Rail Mounted Magazine Holder system. We've designed this in true Blastersmiths UK fashion: to be combat effective and as customisable by the user as possible. The system will be supplied as a kit for users to screw and stick together as required.
 

We've designed this so it can be assembled into one of two configurations to allow magazines to be placed in either vertical or horizontal positions on your rails.

The mount plate of the main holder contains 2 part Velcro with each half sewn in place to prevent loss of the strap during fire-fights, transport or storage. Despite not having an elastic component, when sealed correctly the Velcro will retain its charge in all battlefield situations and has only failed under the most extreme of tests*. The lack of elasticity also restricts lateral movement of the magazine when swung back and forth. The Velcro also strong enough to allow the magazine holder to be used as an emergency grab strap for the blaster, though we don't condone this, there's a huge chunky ABS grab handle just a few inches away!

Each kit will contain 2 magazine holders to allow the effective carriage of either 2x 6 or 12 dart magazines or 1x 18 dart magazine. Despite what the photos show, 18 dart magazines are most stable when held by two adapters.





*For the purposes of this article, 'most extreme of tests is use of the rifle in question as a battle axe to smash your way through a table"

Return of the Vertical Foregrip Handles

MkI old breakable foregrips!

A great Nerfer once said "Do not accept the limitations of your materials at face value, if you want to do something, find the best thing for the job and do it" (Or words to that effect). We couldn't agree more!

We built some prototype grip handles using our 3D printer a couple of weeks back. We were ready to abandon the project when we ran into stress fractures and other nasties that posed serious problems. While we could get a game or two out of our handles, the fact the plastic mounts would fail resulted in the near mothballing of the project.

It was then another intrepid Nerfer
contacted us with an idea. Just use a better material. Initially hesitant, I put out feelers and commissioned a set of replacement rail grips for our 3D printed handles. This is the result:

New and improved fore-grips that don't break!

That Rapidstrike is held by my single hand at arms length with nothing but the grip holding it in place. I've just spent 20 minutes swinging it around my head in the hallway and generally stress testing it. The whole assembly has just looked at me and gone "nope.avi". It's wonderful. Granted, it's not slide on, you have to clamp it in place with screws but trying to twist it off sees the Rapidstrike's body fail before the plastic and aluminium used here.

This is obviously a prototype but we'll start selling black units (black anodised aluminium to match the plastic) later in the month. Orange and other colours will follow in the future. In the meantime, we'll open a register of interest for people to start forming an orderly queue. No money will change hands until we have these in stock, the register will just be a way to gauge interest and to ensure we are able to produce at the quantities needed to avoid disappointment.

Current price projections place these around £10-12 for UK/EU customers (includes VAT @ 20%) and £8-10 for non EU customers (though local sales taxes may apply). Once the initial order queue is cleared, we'll operate a stock policy - i.e. no lead times but you'll only be able to order if they're in stock. We'll get some video of how the prototype holds up in the next couple of days.


Please note, if you are great Nerfer who we badly paraphrased earlier, thank you for your pearls of wisdom and apologies for such terrible lexical butchery!

First Look: MkI 'Juliet' Tactical Vest

It's been a long time coming but this is a pre-production version of the MkI Blastersmiths UK Nerf compatible Tactical Vest. Codenamed Juliet, it represents the top end of our carriage solutions. Why Juliet? Well, I threw a dart at all 26 letters of the alphabet and came up with J (Juliet is the NATO radio alphabet for J.)

This is a pre-production in University of Bristol colours for a BUZAN member who asked us really, really nicely. Production versions will be in black on black with black

Inspired by the IOTV and other plate carriers, our MkI vests will be tailored to each individual customer (we'll ask for your measurements on ordering). Available both singly and as part of a series of bundles, this vest offers our largest area for carriage to date.

The Juliet arose from the need for a physical representation of armour in Live Action Role Play (LARP) systems.  LARPers require a great deal of flexibility in their equipment as they may see several different characters die in the course of a weekend event. The MkI vest was developed with this in mind. There are a number of add ons including water pouches, back mounted sword sheaths and padded under arm panels for those cold winter months. We're also working on ballistic collar inserts to provide a little more coverage and warmth in winter.

Extra padded chest sections are something we are also considering for the release version. The upper chest area is a little thin on the ground so we're looking to beef it out a little. We'll certainly be expanding that Velcro loop tape to allow people to attach larger sized morale patches and the like to their rigs. It'll also add a nice space to aim for in Dart Tag games!

The version above is shown without its matching tactical belt which expands carrying capacity even further to allow the rig to be worn in combination with other elements including our range of drop-leg holsters.

More pictures and details will be forthcoming. The MkI Vest will be available from our web store from 27th November 2013.

Update on a few projects

We've been exceptionally busy these last few weeks and development has taken a bit of a back seat. We're very grateful for the support all of our customers have shown us by buying into the Blastersmiths project and it's wonderful to see our kit out there in the world being used as it was intended (and in some cases, other uses are found, you know who are you :P).

I thought I'd take the chance to update a few projects that we have rumbling in the works. Of course, there's the fact we're now producing 3D printed parts. There are lots of nice things in the pipeline for that, we're striving to do things that haven't been done before so don't expect any iron sights this side of Christmas! Of course, things don't always work out. Our Vertical Foregrip prototype is being shelved because no matter how much plastic we throw at those rail grips, they keep fatiguing under combat stress. Until we find a solution to that, they'll sit here as prototypes because I'm not happy letting a sub-standard product reach the market.

Elsewhere, we have the Juliet rigs. Our prototype has proven its mettle and there are a few changes that need making. We've made those changes and the first production variant is slated to be made up on Tuesday afternoon. There will of course be pictures but it's not in the standard black, just as a heads up.

The blaster sleeve is still on the table. We're trying to balance everyone's needs with what's actually practical. We're still going with the little and large approach - so a separate holder for the Stampede and Rapidstrike and a different one for the Stryfe and Retaliator. There's a prototype here in the office but I'm not happy with the balance between retention and accessibility at the moment.

The Vambraces are good to go, I'll launch those as soon as I get a moment alone with the website.

Finally, we have a battle belt on its way. Essentially, a wider tactical belt complete with MOLLE webbing, you'll be able to strap it around your waist and dig in. I'm thinking of expanding the system to integrate it into a torso piece for a slightly more flexible armour phys-rep. There will be pictures on the blog and Facebook page when the prototype battle belt is finished.

I'd like to say thank you to everyone again, you're all amazing and your support is what keeps us going when things get busy. I'm off to a little dance and then get back to work.

All the best,

-Mike, MD Blastersmiths UK Ltd

Meet Amber...

Amber is our RepRapPro Prusa Mendel Tricolour development 3D printer. She's been with us since April and has certainly made our lives interesting. She's why Development Fridays have been a bit quieter the last few months than we would like.

Unlike her sisters, Amber is designated solely for development. Blastersmiths UK was born on the idea of tactical equipment and that comprises both fabric and custom plastic components. We've been working these last few months to bring this system online and we're starting to trickle new and innovative products to market. We're proud, as a company, to participate in the Rep Rap project - we're based less than 20 miles from the home of the project and Dr Adrian Bowyer's lab in Bath. It's only fitting we utilise the flexible and effective platform he and his team developed to bring Nerf compatible custom components to those that demand them.

Our suite of printers are all open source platforms designed to be built by the hobbyists. We've made a number of modifications to them and we have full control over our configurations. If a failure occurs, we can repair it within 2 hours while replacement parts can be ordered and delivered within a 48 hour cycle. We opted for the Prusa platform for this very reason, it's a system that can is flexible yet resilient in the face of commercial pressures. For Nerf parts, you don't need a high resolution printer that can sing its way to the moon, you need something brutally efficient that can print block plastic effectively and efficiently. Amber and the rest match those criteria wonderfully.

So what can we do with it, then? Well, we're offering a different approach. We're aware of our competitors and their works. We're aware of their abilities and we'd like to offer something unique. There are low hanging fruit out their that haven't been plucked and we have our eyes on them. We've just released our Rapidstrike switch plate kit for those looking for an easier method to install high current switches to their builds. A simple drop in plate complete with the necessary switches, we're hoping it lowers the threshold of entry just a little. Torch mounts, rail mounted vertical grips and other components are on their way. We will trickle products to market over the coming months so keep an eye on the website, our Facebook page and BritNerf.

This is a new field but the last few months have taught us a great number of things as a company. We hope to continue to build our reputation as a solid and dependable after-market parts company for years to come. In new markets such as these, companies come and go but we're building BSUK to last.

Finally, yes, Amber is a tri-colour printer but we've only got her working the one colour. Why? We're approaching 3D printed components the same way we approached tactical equipment: you can have any colour you want so long as it's black. Orange and blue are on their way in a couple of months. We've got our future growth and development covered. Every design we've worked on so far has not required support material to get going and it's something we're very much hoping to avoid.



And yes, that is a Sledge-fire shell prototype on there but it's not a Sledge-fire shell as you know it. ;)

New website!

We finally have our new website: blastersmiths.co.uk MkII went live on Monday afternoon here in the UK. We're rather happy with all the new functions it offers and even more happy that it's out of the way and we can start devoting our Development Fridays to actual tactical equipment and not just infrastructure.

The main cool thing about the website (damn, I sound 13!) is the custom buttons. You'll notice those nice white buttons that light up allowing you to select your choices for your gear. For things like our Lightweight Shoulder Rigs where you can make hard point selections, these buttons are ideal. It also looks kind of Star Trek with all those rounded edges and bright lights. :)

Anyway, we've got most of our catalogue on there now with fully integrated international shipping so our international friends no longer have to worry about contacting us for a shipping quote. Steve, our exceptionally talented Operations Director, led an effort to code a full calculator for our website and it works wonderfully! It even calculates VAT correctly so US (and other non-EU) customers can expect to pay 20% less than the list price (provided you don't get stung with import duty and local taxes, of course).

So yes, go and peruse our latest creation and order things so that we may serve. In the mean time, we're going back to real development. Trust me, we've got some special things lined up in the months. :D

Rough Cut Back Holsters

I've been asked on 4 separate occasions in the last week about these so I thought I'd make the response pretty clear and unified. The question is always the same: can I get an RC holster that will sit atop my shoulder blades so I can draw it like this? The person in question then mimes drawing from their back over their shoulders and blatting me in the face with an imaginary or, rarely, real Rough Cut.

It's simple: there's a reason we've not got them on the market yet - it's not possible to offer both effective drawing and re-holstering in that configuration.

Let me explain: not being able to see where you're placing your blaster when holstering is a pain in the plums. You can get to our staff's level of proficiency with the MkII and MkIII and not need to look where you're placing your blaster but when starting out you really need to be able to see what you're doing. It takes time to ingrain things into muscle memory and not being able to see what you're doing really hampers that.

So what about work rounds? Well, there are several I'm not a fan of any of them. We looked at magnets. Steve, our crash test dummy got concussion when the RC we were testing decided it didn't want to stick to his back any more. Why? The funky profile of the Rough Cut isn't flat and so it will suffer from the variations in different. OK, so you could cover the case of your RC in steel or something but that's not terribly practical. Even then, a stock Rough Cut without darts weighs 460g - that's a lot of magnets.

Velcro? Yeah, it sort of works but it's a pain finding quantities of it that will stick to the blaster without problems. Industrial strength stuff works to an extent but if you miss the plate by a little bit on your back it will fall off and give you concussion. The other problem is that Velcro comes in two parts: hook and loop. Yes, the loop part is all nice and fluffy but leaving that hook part exposed will mean it'll get gummed up something rotten leaving you with either a dud panel on your expensive rig or your shiny blaster covered in gunky Velcro.

Drawing the blaster isn't a problem - we've got half a dozen ways of doing that. However, returning it to a pouch without problems is next to impossible without the help of an obliging friend. We're happy to modify an existing shotgun holster for you but you won't be able to return the blaster under combat conditions without an obliging friend. Oh and it'll cost you £30 including VAT and will only be MOLLE mountable. On the bright side, it'll be nice and padded with all that tasty, delicious closed cell foam protecting you and your blaster. :)

Pouches & Holsters

Not the best photo! Camera's on the fritz again!

This item is a modified MkIII holster requested as a cos-play piece by a customer. He requested an additional magazine flap pouch on the exterior of his holster and the movement of the grab strap to a more leading position.

This is interesting not for the grab strap placement but for the pouch. We've looked at doing these ever since we deployed the MkII back in March. At least one of our competitors offers a similar facility but its not been asked of us until recently.

This is a flap - and we've all seen what our team think of flaps in combat. For our variant, we'd seek to add our traditional elastic loop and golf toggle rather than a standard flap The issue of course is that the combat efficacy of a holster magazine holder. For one, I wouldn't seek to place these on our production holsters but the option is in the spirit of our development. We will seek to mock up a prototype for mainstream production in the next few weeks and then when the new website goes live there will be the option to have an additional magazine pouch, a dart plate for the MkII holster or additional MOLLE webbing for affixing various options.

Elsewhere, this is the first item that has our new polyester twill binding for additional strength and a better look and feel over our traditional black bias binding. We'll continue to roll this out across all our products, it's a much better looking solution to edging pieces. The pouch itself is a gusseted and uses top stitching to keep its shape. Again, a first for us. In all, we had to try a few new things to make this work. It's all part of how custom work helps us push the envelope.

Our kit can be bought at www.blastersmiths.co.uk - for now, ones with pouches can be ordered custom at customs@blastersmiths.co.uk until our new website goes live.

In-depth: Magazine Holders

Why can't I hold all these clips!?

With the release of the singly available 18 dart magazines from Hasbro and some British Nerfers being able to acquire them for as little as 50p per magazine (no, that's not a typo!) we thought it was time to have another look at a range of products that have been on the market a while but not been promoted over much. Carrying all those magazines is a challenge.


Enter our fabric magazine holders and stack kits.Using 500D Cordura, these holders keep magazines secured and out of the way until they are needed.

Traditionally, these have been MOLLE mountable but recently, we've developed a better loop system to allow them to be held on your belt just as easily as a MOLLE vest. With their golf toggle style enclosure, these are designed for quick and easy access under combat conditions.Extra webbing can be added for a small fee to allow further expansion for things like dump pouches and the like. That also applies to the belt loop variants.

1812 Triple Holder

We designed these to be available in two sizes. A 6 and 12 dart magazine sized variant and a 12 and 18 dart sized variant. The adjustable golf toggle means the two sizes of magazine for each holder is readily and securely accommodated. The number of magazines held ranges from singles to full hex stacks that can take 6 magazines.  The stack kits are simply a pair of holders with one having extra webbing so that it can be attached behind the other. Of course, you could have extra webbing added to the outside of your stack kit for even more carriage!

These can all be ordered by email or our new website when it goes live. Prices are on our current website. Choosing belt loops instead of MOLLE compatibility won't cost you any extra. Orders can be placed by emailing orders@blastersmiths.co.uk - we do ship worldwide, just ask.

On another note, our new website is coming, we're just testing it and finishing things off. It should be live within the next couple of weeks. :)

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.

First Look: MkVI Chest Rig

The fact it has a 6 in it suggests that the chest rig we have is one of the more developed items we have. That's mostly true but it benefits more from new insights and machine techniquees as they become available because as a system, they're huge in terms of resources and so we need to constantly review their design to improve them.


To that end, I offer the MkVI for sale. As of now, it completely supersedes the MkV which will no longer be for sale. All outstanding MkV orders will be filled or be changed to the MkVI pattern at the customer's request on the proviso we've not started cutting yet.

So what's different? Well, not much in terms of functionality. We've removed all of the double layers of Cordura that were in the MkV and replaced them with foam and mesh for a more breathable item - no more boil in a bag Nerfer! :)

We've also removed the belly panel pockets as our initial specifications are incompatible with the products had intended for them. Additionally, they were a faff to sew and really caused a number of headaches for our team so won't be making a reappearance any time soon.

MkVI.1 Rig, the Cordura at the back has now been replaced

The big thing that's changed, however, is the construction and shape of the rig. I mentioned we've swapped out double Cordura for a Cordura and mesh foam sandwich. Well, that makes for a lot of changes to the feel of the rig. It's now much stiffer and feels a lot more secure under load. It holds its shape much better and is generally nicer to wear and look at.

Since the above photo was taken, we've elected to further refine the design and remove the last double Cordura layer. We've sourced some lightweight foam for the back plates and will couple that with mesh for the perfect combination for your upper back. We've also changed the way we sew the shoulders. The method used previously was a little ugly and had some problems with load. The new system is much tidier and sits better on the shoulders. With the constant change and development, it's a wonder that any two of our items can be said to be the same at all. :)

Just a final note, there will be a price increase in these rigs effective when our website goes live in September. The price of materials has gone up and margins need to be readjusted after the acquisition of a new, more potent sewing machine. Not to put a downer on things. :)

Hopefully, the MkVI will remain a staple for a little while longer than its predecessors did: development cycles mean things are constantly changing and we can't help that. Making new stuff is exciting and what we do. For those that are interested, there will be pictures of the MkV on our website for a couple of days or our Facebook from our development threads in March and April.

Rigs, vests and other carriage solutions

Externally, we've had a couple of quiet Fridays but rest assured, we've been hard at work. With the new academic year fast approaching and the convention season in full swing, we've needed to reassess a few of our product lines.

Currently, we have our Tactical Chest Rig designed for HvZ players and the like but it does have its faults. The nature of the rig makes it difficult for our production team to efficiently manufacture it and mistakes are frequently made in the production leading to frustration and longer than necessary build times. The fundamental design is sound, there just need to be some tweaks made to make things a little more efficient. We've found that our new approach of using AirTex polyester mesh and foam instead of a second layer of Cordura fabric is lighter and much more breathable than the original so we're planning to rejig the back panel, shoulder strap and belly plates to be built of that. Closed cell foam in the shoulder straps and belly plates for maximum strength while a softer, mesh foam in the back plate will maximise breathability.

Beyond that, we've the designs and pattern down for our new vests. Actually producing a prototype is proving difficult, however. We're a little busy right now so it's a case of getting the machine time to do it. The new pattern is aimed mostly at LARPers and the seriously committed HvZ player. Its development has involved looking at sources as diverse as Starship Troopers and Black Hawk Down. The thing we're looking for, and it's something that's lacking at the moment, is a proper LARP safe armour for the future warrior. The Juliet Pattern is what we've come up with and we're hoping that it fills that nice.

The Tactical Chest Rig and the 'Juliet' pattern Tactical Vest will serve as a the top end of our carriage systems. Our Lightweight Shoulder rigs form the middle and our bandolier and belt systems the bottom. All of our kit is interchangeable so you'll always be able to use your old kit in conjunction with our other equipment. We will consider offering things like the TCR and Juliet without their respective belts so you can use your belt if you're upgrading from a belt system With the new website,that sort of thing ought to be trivial.

I can't do photos because all we've got is patterns on paper and paper mock ups (no, really) but imagine US Army IOTV meets Eagle Industries plate carrier meets Battleship Troopers armour.Never fear, we're working to get you shiny new things in the coming weeks, just watch this space and we hope you like it!

Choices: Colours and Fabrics

We stated in our first post why we went after 500D Cordura for our products. It's hard wearing, waterproof and cheaper than its 1000D cousin. We're proud of the black items we've produced, the MkII holsters, clip holders and slings are awesome but as we grow there are more and more requests for other colours. Black is all great for our core HvZ student groups but the LARP groups we've contacted and the military simulation nuts out there want so much more.

We've fought and struggled to get 500D camouflage variants but we run a small, bespoke operation and simply don't have the room to store whole rolls of niche and unusual fabrics. Additionally, we've looked to source from the UK whereever possible in order to keep our supply lines short and to support our fellow British businesses. We've found several UK based companies that are very happy to work with us to supply our needs for 1000D Cordura. While it's strictly over kill, it's the only thing we can get and we'd rather that than nothing at all.

We've got access to a selection of 1000D camouflage patterns and block colours. We've also been able to source a supply of 500D Genuine Multi Cam. The only difference to our customers will be price and you'll only pay for what you want. We plan to add gradations of variation from a simple body fabric swap for a small fee to matching straps and buckles or even camouflage backed strapping for maximum concealment.

We've just acquired a new heavy duty machine for our workshop so as to effectively sew 1000D and various canvases. It'll take a couple of days to bed in and then we can really start the prototyping purposes. 1000D is a different beast, it's much stiffer and durable. Onwards!

In Depth: Lightweight Shoulder Rig Prototype

NOTE: A full production variant of this is now on the market but we've only got photos of the prototype - the camera refused to take any photos of the full version.

We've noticed that a lot of people don't like a big vest or for LARPing purposes need something a little more lightweight. We developed a lightweight rig as a custom commission for a customer back in June and it set us thinking about adapting them fully for production.

Essentially, a shoulder rig places two hard points under your arms and secures them by hanging them from your shoulder and anchoring them to your belt. A narrow strap runs across the top of your back to connect both sides of the system. You can then tighten the whole system so you're left with unimpeded movement and a lot of flexibility in your load-out. There's plenty of elastic built into the system so the rig will move with you.

The base rig comes with a modified MkIII holster for use on one hard point and a small MOLLE panel. You can purchase a set up with 2 MOLLE panels or two holsters but the basic unit is 1 holster, 1 MOLLE panel.

Why MOLLE panels? Why not just modify the pouches and clip holders you offer like you did with the holster? Good question. The answer is flexibility. We design our kit to last so if your needs evolve and suddenly you're not carrying a Strongarm there but a Stryfe instead then you're going to need a clip holder not a dump pouch on your other hard point. Rather than leaving you with a highly specialised piece of equipment that can only be used with our system, we felt it best to offer something that could be used elsewhere. Of course, there's plenty of MOLLE compatible gear in our full range and a wonder combination might be out there we haven't thought of. Offering MOLLE panels instead allows that sort of creativity. Frankly, I'm waiting for a customer to order one of these and try to put an 1812 Hex Stack kit on there for a laugh.

So why no MOLLE mounted holster? Well, holsters are awkward in that every blaster has a slightly different centre of gravity which makes creating a MOLLE or belt mounted variant for a multiple blaster holster very difficult. The Firestrike was simple to do, it's a holster that will fit only one blaster. For the rest, it was much simpler to mount it using the side release buckles that we have and demonstrate to the end user how best to level the blaster according to their needs.

The system itself is fully adjustable and contains plenty of elastic loops to hold in any surplus straps. The initial prototype version didn't include any padding under the shoulder buckles but after feedback we've decided to put them in - even our formed ITW Nexus buckles weren't comfortable enough!

Please note that we're only offering the Firestrike holsters as a special commission at the moment due to concealed carry issues and will likely only have them made in bright yellow or red fabric.

The Lightweight shoulder rigs went on sale on 27th July at £22 including VAT and you can choose from 2 from the following list:
Pistol Holster
MOLLE Panel + 1812 double clip holder
MOLLE Panel + Small Zip Dump Pouch

Orders can be placed by emailing orders@blastersmiths.co.uk and will have our usual 1-2 week lead time.

In-depth: Quick Release 2 point sling

Stampede ECS in a standard 2 point sling

A 2 point sling attaches to a rifle sized blaster at 2 points (hence the name) and serves to secure it to the user. It can also serve as a shooting and teaching aid but its most important role is to allow for stowing of the rifle during non-combat periods.

The standard 2 point sling is a versatile and effective solution but it gets in the way; the triglide mechanism it uses can be fussy and difficult to use under pressure. Blastersmiths UK has always prided itself on products that can be used in the heat of a firefight without a fuss and so our standard 2 point wasn't good enough. In order to answer the problem we developed the Quick Release 2 point sling.

Rapidstrike CS-18 and a BSUK 2 point QR sling (stowed state)

The idea for this one came from a number of LARPers who spend a lot of their time standing around not doing a lot of fighting but need ready access to their blasters in case a monster raid comes down the hill or they walk into an ambush (more common than you'd think, apparently :D ). It'll also be handy for HvZ players who want to carry a bigger blaster to lectures and the like: I'm currently sitting in my office chair writing this with a Rapidstrike strapped to me. No, really - it's that comfortable.

2 point QR securely mounted on the back

In its ready state, it functions like any other 2 point. It attaches to 2 points on the blaster, ideally as far a part as possible. The critical difference with this strap is that there is an extra side release buckle on the strap to allow it to be lengthened into a ready position. Bring the two halves of the side release buckle together and Boom! you've got a shortened sling that can be used to secure your blaster to your back. The two states, stowed and ready, are completely customisable - if you want it nice and loose on your back then go for it, running about a lot and in need of something secure? Also fine. Note that it sitting on the back like that means it sits equally comfortable on the front. I've known LARPers with a habit if cuddling their rifles. To you lot, this one's for you! :D

Worried those tiny 4mm carbine hooks aren't going to fit around the 10mm Stampede fixing points? No problem, we've got that covered. We use loops of shock-cord around the fixing points to secure the carbine hooks to them and then connect everything up. No fixed attachment point? Again, that's covered: we have  Velcro D-ring mounts (pictured right) that can be looped around most blasters and stocks to provide that extra point. Originally designed as a single point upgrade for a Raider stock, they were upgraded when we realised it fitted the Rapid-strike stock. All QR sling kits will ship with both options for maximum flexibility.

The strap itself is fully adjustable in length, it fits pretty much everyone we've thrown it at. It's an unusual design that does take some time to get used to but the ability to climb trees with a blaster on your back isn't a problem that's been solved in the Nerf community yet and so it's worth taking the time over.

At the end of the day, this design combines the best of the analogue and the digital. You have the strengths of analogue variability combined with the speed and convenience of digital. While the strap can be in many lengths for dozens of different configurations, the ready and stowed states will be right just for you. We've found that no two people are able to share slings without resetting them in some way or another.

Our current variant is 25mm wide and will likely remain as such. We have a price listed for a full width 50mm variant which will be less subject to twisting but the special buckles we use in these slings are prohibitively expensive and so it will be a special order item at £10 including VAT.

There will be fitting and demonstration videos to come - we're currently a little under manned in the office.

These slings will be available to early birds from 27th July by email order only. When our new website goes live in August sometime, they'll be there are ready for you to order until your heart's content.



Thanks to Tim for modelling this one for us - we will get you to climb a tree in it sometime and show these good folks how awesome these things are. :)

In Defence of Nerf Holsters

There's an adage in some parts of the Humans versus Zombies community that you will die with your primary in your hands. I respectfully disagree. I will die with my jammed or empty primary slung from my shoulder and an empty or jammed sidearm firmly in my grip. Why? Because I've worked with my team over the last 6 months to make the best damn tactical gear we can and the MkII and MkIII holsters are the pinnacle of that work.

Masterkeys are often a solution to not being able to carry a second blaster for what ever reason. I don't like the idea that gluing/bolting/otherwise affixing another blaster to your blaster is the way to go for a number of reasons. First, I'd like to be able to use my blasters in any way I see fit. If I need my Strongarm for going to lectures then I don't want to have to buy another one because my main one is on the bottom of a Retaliator barrel. Second, if your primary is pointing one way, with a Masterkey, so is your secondary. I have seen so many of our holster users break out of corners because they were able to quick draw from our MkII holster, down the incoming threat and move. Two targets at once, maximum flexibility and maximum survivability.

The other problem with Masterkeys is modding skill. It takes time to learn how to make them. With a holster, I can teach its use in 2 minutes. Granted it takes time to be fully proficient mine but that's practice and it applies to any gear you carry. An improperly done Masterkey can be deadly to the player or, worse, unsafe to those in the game.

The MkII and MkIII holsters are our best selling products. At LARP events and other times when we get together with UK Nerfers, we're known as the guys with the holsters. It irks me a little (we do other stuff too!) but if that's what we're known for because we do it best then I'm happy with it. When they're in use, they're popular and effective. I've seen many a player saved by timely deployment of his/her properly carried side arm.

We will continue to make them as long as people continue to need them. A holster is for life, not just for looking good and it will save your backside plenty of times. :)

- Mike, BSUK MD

NOTE: Remember, I'm writing this as a MD for a company that makes these, bear in mind my bias but also remember that I've given 6 months of my life to it and I wouldn't do that without reason. :)

Green Cloaks: After Action Report - Part II - Tactical Gear Reflections

As mentioned in my previous post, we spent the last weekend in June in Pembury with the Green Cloaks Sci-Fi LARP system. This post is about how those experiences will affect Blastersmiths development pipeline and how our kit holds up in combat.

Being outdoors was a huge change and not just for the effect on blaster range. I found myself crawling through bushes, lying prone and firing down a hill and generally getting dirty and muddy - things I'd never do as a BUZAN player. My left hand holster is currently a mess having gotten incredibly muddy and dirty to the point where we might have to consider putting it through the washing machine (a 30 degree wash is fine, for reference). This is an important realisation, BUZAN needs quick access to darts but if you're running for a whole day then some compromise solution might be in order. While I still maintain flaps are going to get you killed (and they did get a player killed at least once) I think a zip type solution to switch between combat readiness and not would be a good idea. I also think some kind of blank spacer to save me having to constantly throw away the first dart in my magazine.

Our current kit held up very well. The MkII and MkIII drop-leg holsters performed admirably alongside some of the other kit we saw around. It was a lovely feeling to stand atop a hill with lines of players filing past struggling to tell if our holsters were in use or not; they're designed to be low impact and the fact the manufacturers struggle to spot them at a distance I think proves we met that criterion!

The prototype chest rig I deployed held together fine, too - there are some bugs that need fixing with its construction but generally, the idea is sound. The Camel Back was an absolute life-saver. Everytime I was told to 'Hydrate or die' all I had to do was reach for my catch tube. It also had the fantastic effect of being a huge heat sink keeping me cool under all that gear. It's certainly a winner and the design will be taken forward.

Another point relating to kit is that the bruises on the back of my right leg are only just fading. Normally, I use a 2 point combat sling to hold my blaster out of the way. Only problem is that it will bang against the back of your leg while on long marches. A three point sling or a QR sling would have been a much better idea and would have saved the pain. After being asked for one several times, such variants are our top priority.

Other kit changes include our approach to our rig systems. Our tactical chest rig as it stands is fine for HvZ but I don't honestly think it can continue to as it is. To that end, we've revised our approach to include two different tiers. Tier 1 will consist of lightweight shoulder rigs, pancake holsters, belt systems and the like while Tier 2 will consist of full vest kits. We've got some sewing pattern-fu in the works and so we'll be able to offer differing sizes. Our commitment to the MOLLE adaptability system remains solid, our company motto is 'Take your blaster' - while the full meaning of that is yet to become apparent to the public, making your kit your own is a key part to success in any system, be it LARP, HvZ or NIC wars.

The form that the end of the current chest rig system and the introduction of the new systems is currently unclear. We have some chest rig parts in stock and will likely make those up to order but produce no more once those parts are used. The deployment of the new tier systems will be coincide with our new website that's coming at the beginning of August. Our new products will be combat tested around the place, both indoors and outdoors.

If there's one thing I could take away from this last weekend it would be that we're doing the right thing. Seeing people struggle in the field with poorly adapted equipment was a nightmare for me and it's spurred me on to get us moving. The lack of MOLLE mounted vests was disappointing and the fact people were electing for ill-fitting Viper and Webtex rigs makes for a strong case for selling starter kits and packs for people looking for an adaptable load out. Eventually, it's just a case of getting people to know who we are and why we do what we do. :)

There's a very strong possibility we'll be back in Pembury in August to fight alongside the Green Cloaks once more (it would be a certainty but I've not discussed it with the guys yet). I'd like to reiterate my earlier sentiments and thank Enys, Hollie, Woj and everyone else for a fantastic weekend. We learned so very much and we hope we can repay you by either fighting alongside or being the faceless mooks you wage war through in the coming months. :)

-Mike, BSUK MD

Green Cloaks: After Action Report - Part I - Differences between indoor HvZ and LARP

NOTE: This is one of two posts by our MD on our weekend with the Green Cloaks LARP system in Pembury, Kent. This first deals with the difference in experience that LARP offers to a HvZ veteran while the second deals with the lessons learned about our kit and our future development directions.

Here goes....

It's been nearly a week since we got back from Pembury in Kent after a great weekend with the lovely folks at the Green Cloaks. I've had plenty of time to think about things and I thought I'd share some thoughts. It was the company's first ever trader event and our team's first time in any kind of LARP system. I've written out my thoughts on the differences between the BUZAN Humans versus Zombies indoor variant and my experiences alongside these chaps.

I played a monster trooper on the Sunday and participated in the event's climax as a One Bakkar ranger while Steve took up arms with the player base as a trooper with the 23rd Heavy Infantry regiment on the Saturday and turned traitor with me on the Sunday.

The first thing I noticed was the shallowness of the learning curve. I hail from BUZAN, an indoor melee free Humans Versus Zombies variant. There, it's shoot or die. The human faction are invariably overrun and it's a case of yelling "By the manner of our deaths shall ye know us!" 25ft is considered out of range and your kill zone is between 6ft and 10ft. It's frenetic and brutal, a closely fought live or be turned system and it looks poorly on humans who fail to learn quickly. BUZAN members rapidly learn their blasters, rapidly learn situational awareness or they get really, really good at being a zombie.

Green Cloaks was refreshingly different. While BUZAN relies on a "here's a blaster, those zombies are going to kill you, survive as long as you can" there's a greater sense of community beyond the raw martial camaraderie seen at BUZAN. Our heroics are short lived because all human survivors are inevitably overrun but with GC, and I figure other LARP systems, there are the stories around the camp-fire that are told for years to come by characters that endure. There's a depth and richness that comes from a plot that has clearly been lovingly worked out by an experienced team. The charm of BUZAN is that it reflects the lack of context that comes as a civilisation comes crashing down. For the miserly sum of £20 (and I'm being serious when I say that - for what you get it's nothing) you can turn up and jump into a full experience.or you can even play a monster free of charge.

The difference in learning curves made itself apparent in some aspects of gameplay. The fact monsters were able to creep into camp and raise hell was something that would never happen at BUZAN but then we're a highly strung lot who routinely check one another for bites. A BUZAN player is never far from a fully loaded rifle, even in the off periods and the number of unloaded, unattended blasters lying around was a bit of a shock to us! To the credit of the player base, they shaped up very well toward Sunday and they acquitted themselves very well in the final battle. The density of game play was less intense so players learned much more slowly but the system was a lot less brutal and friendlier in some ways than BUZAN.

The other great thing about GC was the space. Oh the space. I mentioned earlier that 25ft for BUZAN is considered out of range. My Stampede is used to firing at 15-20ft with the best accuracy my aiming skill can manage. In the final battle as we held up the player base with a single sniper, with just a light breeze, that was woefully ineffective. Steve's Longstrike did a little better but the maxim about upgraded Elite blasters being the best for outdoor fire fights rings true. The other advantage of space is that, provided you can move and fire, you can remove yourself from a threat almost indefinitely (or until you trip over something, as I did at least once!). That shift gives you a lot more time to deal with threats and your decision cycle becomes a lot less compacted. In some ways, that makes the system more newbie friendly and ensures the shallower learning curve. Not sure which I'd prefer but for someone who's not a total masochist, I figure the GC model is a little preferable.

The number of hits a player will take before going down is another big change. My Stampede ECS, Katarina, is a fine tuned zombie slaying machine. In my first encounter as a monster (when I found myself with the diplomacy skills of a dead ferret and got my entire squad killed) she worked wonderfully as the charge came down the hill, my combat reflexes and 2 years of combat drills kicked in. I tracked and hit targets with typical BUZAN efficiency but because her ROF is muzzled, I was overcome. These players took 3 shots to kill, not my customary one. It set me thinking about all sorts of burst fire and rate of fire modifications. My blasters would need completely rebalancing for this sort of scenario, a 9 darts a second rate of fire would actually be reasonably provided I was able to match it with a solid 100ft range on the flat. That way I can lay down enough suppressing fire to overcome a charging player in some form of armour in the time it takes him to enter my blaster's range and close the distance to close combat. It was a shocking realisation for me as an experienced armourer but it makes sense that there are horses for courses. Full automatic fire at close range does actually have a role to play, just one outside of HvZ.

I didn't play as a character so I don't have much to say on the wider role-play side of things. Monster role play came slowly to me but it's not something I've ever done before. It was fun to do and I got to be a lot more tactical than I'd normally get in a BUZAN session. The monster refs were a great bunch and really got creative with things. The tactics were mostly down to the extra space and the different nature of the enemy. Even in BUZAN HvH games, we've only got a space of around half a football pitch which limits tactical capability somewhat. Acting as a ranger, crawling through bushes and hedgerows, allowed me to apply a little more flair than I normally would have done.

I'm not the sort of person that's ever taken to role-play. I've tried three different table top systems and not really engaged. Most of my personal gaming taste lies with Real Time Strategy but I think I'm finding myself warming to future-LARP. I'm not sure I could ever play a character but certainly playing as a monster in a number of different ranged combat configurations is a possibility and I find myself thinking up NPCs and support characters for the player base in my off-time. It's a dangerous bug and I think I may have been bitten. :D

In short, BUZAN is brilliant if you've had a crap week at work and need to blow off steam (and probably why it's so successful with students) but GC and Nerf LARP is more about the immersion and the escapism. It's more of a holiday than physical therapy!  Cheapest camping holiday you'll ever get, too, and there's a brilliant group of people around to keep you entertained during the day (and into the night!). Green Cloaks truly is a grass roots system and welcomes newbies with open arms.

I think that's everything I wanted to say on the matter. I'd like to end by thanking the Green Cloaks team, Enys, Hollie, Woj and all the rest, for a wonderful weekend. You guys were all fantastic and thank you for putting up with us. We're looking forward to returning and waging war against or alongside you fine chaps and chapesses. And remember, never be afraid to bum rush a lone sniper.



If you've got any questions then drop me an email at mike [at] blastersmiths.co.uk and I'd be happy to chat. If you've got custom requests, if your regiment or detachment would like bulk discount then get in touch. We're here to help and push the UK Nerf community, whatever its gametype, forward to greater and better things.

The MkIII clip-fed holster story

I think the MkIII drop-leg holster is one of the longest running sagas in BSUK's short history, even more so than the MkV tactical chest rig. It's been a long time coming but the one hand draw, one hand re-holster clip-fed holster is something of a holy grail of Nerfing equipment so it's worth it. Besides, we're a dedicated bunch here at BSUK and we like to get things right.

We released the MkII drop-leg holster in March and it has been our best selling product since. Indeed, it is one we are very proud of. However, Retaliators and Stryfes are incredibly popular among our base HvZ group and the community at large so we felt the need to accommodate them as fast as possible. It wasn't long before the clip-fed variants were up for development.

It all started not long after the MkII release with this:

That's a modified MkII with a plastic centre release buckle on the upper strap. It originated after weeks of me and Steve banging our heads against the wall. There are versions of holster prior to this but they will not be spoken of for the they are abominations. The variant above came from Steve's simple remark over IRC "We need to find a way to break that top strap" So I did. Plastic centre release buckles were my initial answer. It works fine but the reholstering is a little fussy and those plastic buckles didn't last more than 2 sessions before beginning to fail. Single hand resetting was also a problem because getting the two parts to meet wasn't intuitive nor was it easy under fire.

We began looking for alternatives. The very-quick draw action of the MkII was something we'd have like to keep so we tried magnetic handbag clasps (pictured opposite). These were fine for smaller blasters but the Stryfe and Rough Cut were too much for the magnets when rolling around the floor. The final straw for these was a catastrophic failure during combat testing when a Retaliator was dropped from the holster and spun across the floor leaving our test subject to be gribbled by zombies. Frankly, the paperwork was a nightmare! :D We had to find something else that would work and all our testing concluded that a breakable top strap in this fashion would compromise the holster's retention and so we had to opt for something a little more solid.

To the left can be seen the second-from-last prototype for this holster. You can clearly see the retention pop-snap. That strap length is variable and can go over the top of the pistol grip to avoid the Stryfe powering on automatically. This pop-snap can be swept aside with the thumb and the blaster drawn in the same action. This holster still suffers from 2 critical problems, however. First, the 12.5mm pop snap will not remain in place under serious stress - we lost at least another 2 test subjects to zombies before we worked that out. Second, the reholstering action left a great deal to be desired. For a number of reasons the holster would deform, argue and generally scream when trying to put anything back in it. It's important to remember that, at this stage, the holster is still a MkII with a breakable top strap.

We fixed the first problem using these:

These are 15mm heavy duty pop-snaps. These prototyping variants are brass effect but we've ordered nickel for the final variant (because shiny!). They hold the blaster in place very securely but require the addition of a 'grab strap' for easier release and to overcome the stronger grip. The removes the 'snap-draw' capability offered by the MkII but we feel the MkIII fills a slightly different combat niche and so it wasn't a big loss.

We then turned to address the reholstering problem. One of the major problems we noticed with reholstering the MkII was the fragility of the aperture - it would deform too easily and make reholstering awkward. We elected to put some closed cell foam around the top to make it a little stiffer and to force it open. This helped but it wasn't enough and it took a long time with a lot of shouting at the holster as we tried to work out a way of getting it to work. It was during this we took some time off and developed the rifle scabbards and Alpha Trooper drop-leg holsters. The retention stuff we had worked out with the MkIII holster allowed us to very quickly develop a holster that would securely take the Alpha Trooper and allow it to be readily accessible in combat. The rifle scabbards also benefited the MkIII development insofar as we now had a better idea about centres of gravity and mass and their relationship to holsters.

The BSUK drop-leg family (all prototypes)!

We eventually came back to the MkIII to try to get it into production. Steve suggested moving the lower retention strap down and using it to holder the blaster against gravity rather than the internal securing strap we'd been relying on thus far. We made the alterations but now noticed a slippage problem - the 25mm belt loops we'd been relying on were no longer sufficient to carry the blaster in its new configuration. The holster would move around during reholstering resulting in it sitting on the front of the thigh and generally getting in the way. It was here we decided to drop Rough Cut compatibility in favour of developing a separate holster. Fortunately, the new Alpha Trooper drop-leg holster is Rough Cut compatible in both the straight and cross-draw positions.

50mm side release buckles are normally reserved for our tactical belts and such. I decided to try it on a whim and hey presto! It worked! Between that and moving the straps, it looked like we had a working holster on our hands. It worked in our localised testing so we took it to a BUZAN session to test it out under combat conditions.





Both the left and right leg variants have been proven to work fine under combat stress. There were two defining moments for the MkIII holster in that last testing session. A king of the hill game saw myself armed with a Strongarm and a Stryfe in the holster. Hunkered down behind a table, I was able to reload the Strongarm, roll to drop two shots onto a rush from the opposing team before rolling back to reload and shoot, from the floor lying on my back, upwards as another player tried sweeping over the table. During all this the Stryfe remained secure and steady at my side in case I emptied my Strongarm. However, possibly the greatest moment was when a test subject was trapped during a dark round in a safe zone with a jammed Longstrike and a Retaliator side-arm. The Retaliator was drawn from the MkIII, the contents of the two blasters' clips were combed for darts that didn't suck and combined into one good clip. Cue a break out and epic victory for the humans in that round! It was then we decided it was ready for deployment and so the end of the long road of bringing it to market comes into sight.

The final MkIII prototype shown with belt loop, holstering a Stryfe.

The MkIII represents a long path of development that goes back to the earliest days of Blastersmiths UK. It's an item that represents a lot of trials and tribulations on our part but we got there to deliver another good quality product which we hope will serve the community well for long while. The holster itself will be available to order on 24th May 2013 or you can register your interest early and get a shorter lead time by clicking this link.

Now the fun (sort of) bit is over. We've done the development, we have a product now we have to clear the legal and logistical hurdles of bringing a product to market. Frankly, compared to the reholstering issues we faced during development, they're small fry. :D

On a personal note, I'd like to thank the Warhouse (you know who you are), the BSUK team (because you're all awesome),Tim and Matt from BUZAN who acted as our test subjects and the BUZAN committee for putting up with us bitching and moaning as our prototypes fail mid-game. Thank you everyone, you've been awesome.

Remember, 24th May 1200BST they can be ordered fresh from our store with a 2-3 week lead time (seriously, our production team are mostly students with finals to sit).

-Mike, MD, BSUK Ltd

Dead Man's Flaps and Combat Efficacy

NOTE: This is a long and rambling one but I get asked about this stuff a lot so I thought I'd answer it all here. I'm a Humans vs Zombies player first and foremost so much of this stuff is taken from that angle but is very applicable to a number of other games.

How not to play Humans vs Zombies

Designing for Nerf is weird, I've said it time and time again when posting here and around the company's general social media bubble. Unlike the military spec stuff around, most Nerf wars are fought in parks over the course of a single day. The hardest use most of our equipment will see is a week long Humans versus Zombies game once a term but even then players will return to base to rest and refuel. It's extremely unlikely (and outside of our design scope) that people will be camping up trees for days playing Nerf games. If you are in the latter category, let me know - I just want to know.

I've been asked a couple of times, why no flaps? Our pouches have that funny shock cord and toggle thing going on while our rig and holsters are totally absent of them, relying instead on MOLLE and friction respectively. It used to be that infantrymen would refer to the flap on their holster as a 'dead man's flap' because it would get you killed in the time you took to get around it and draw your weapon. Quick draw is essential for BUZAN players and given they're a reasonably average Nerfing group, I'd wager it's important for everyone else too. Even the MkIII only has a small fixed retaining strap after we literally exhausted every other option (I'm not joking, you guys only saw the mag locks and the plastic buckles, our better ideas!). Why? Because I want to get to my blaster as fast as damn possible, I've just realised my Stampede has just jammed and I've got less than a second to get this shot off before I get turned. Fumbling with a flap in that situation? No thanks.

MilSpec M4 Multicam pouch, damn flaps!

There are other reasons why flaps are unnecessary. Drawing a clip isn't as life or undeath (geddit?) as a side-arm but it's annoying to have to fiddle with things when you're trying to concentrate on the horde that's charging you. Besides, many of the flap designs are there to keep dust, grit and other crap out of magazines that, in a fire-arm, would probably take your head off if the round were to get stuck in the chamber. The worst you'll get with Nerf is a scratched up brass breech that you'll need to clean up and service. Any one who has a one knows this and ought to be sensible enough to maintain their kit correctly. Cost is another factor that puts flaps out of the equation: it costs a lot less for a 45cm length of shock cord, a golf toggle and a pair of 25mm webbing squares than it would for either a side release buckle or velcro followed by the extra binding, Cordura and such that a flap would need. We have a very strict pricing policy here to cater to our market so if we can make it cheaper without compromising quality, we will. Flaps are a nuisance and get in the way when things get heated.

Combat Efficacy (or how your Longshot might not be as badass as you might think)

That brings me onto the second part of what is now looking like an essay: Combat Efficacy (CE). This is a nebulous term I made up sometime in the early days of BUZAN's armoury team. It is a rough metric of how something will perform under the stress of combat. A blaster is a tool to help you play the game, you need the right tool for the job but you also need to know how to use it. A lot of this might seem obvious for experienced players but I'm still going to get this off my chest because it's important.

Where's your singled Titan now?

For example, a Brass Breech Longshot with a stefan accepting breech, 24kg firing spring and 150ft+ range is all well and nice but its CE is bugger all when you're playing Humans vs Zombies. That slow rate of fire (RoF) is going to get you killed and you'd be better off wrapping the LS in some LARP safe foam and clubbing the zombies to death. A well balanced Stampede on the other hand is much more effective. The full auto feature shouldn't be used in of itself but using it semi-automatically can remove the distraction of needing to re-prime between shots and allows you to concentrate on threat assessment. Even outside of HvZ, rate of fire and ease of use need to be considered probably more than range. It's a personal beef of mine that large portions of the NIC (Nerf Internet Community) see range as the hollowed factor  often at the expense of everything else. The nature of foam darts is that they are reasonably easy to dodge at range so while you can lob a dart at me from across a field, I'm still going to saunter away if I see it coming.

It's important to note that CE is a broader thing that just how good an individual player is with something. For example, a Raider is a brilliant anti-horde blaster because of that slam-fire and drum magazine. It has a brilliant CE rating in that regard but a left handed user is going to struggle because of the asymmetric design. DDespite being highly efficacious in the given situation, it isn't for that player.

Finally, let's bring this back to what BSUK does best: tactical gear. Combat efficacy of flaps is minimal, they get in the way and serve no purpose for Nerfers. Secure yet accessible clip holders, are essential as are accessible side-arms and the like.

I've rambled on enough now, if you're still reading, thank you. At the end of the day, it's all about compromise and play-testing to work out what fits for our market - that philosophy has served us well so far, long may it continue! Now where's my Stampede? I've got zombies to hunt.

- Mike, BSUK MD

POST SCRIPT: I've just remembered my Stampede has a drive train fault and currently doesn't function. Consequently, I am just about to be overwhelmed, send help - or LARP safe foam, whichever. :D

MkII Tactical Vest Development - Design to prototype beginnings

We've taken a commission from someone to develop a full tactical vest for military style LARP characters. This is a custom item that won't ever enter full production so we've obtained permission to blog about its development. I thought it'd offer a nice insight into one method of development. This way is much looser and less combat focused than our usual method but it's still fun to write about an item from beginning to end.

The brief we received was reasonably broad and is paraphrased as follows:

• Military style vest replete with PALS webbing and stuff
• No cost limit, just build something amazing
• Must include all amenities for a day in the field including water and food storage
• Character will take the same attitude to camouflage as Warhammer 40K Space Marines
• Red and Black or White and Blue colour schemes

From that reasonably broad brief, we developed a specification:

• Use a military pattern MOLLE system plate carrier as the departure point and build from there
• Include hydration pouch pocket with appropriate tube fixings and access points
• Inside pocket for secure storage for keys and the like
• ALL of the MOLLE webbing
• Morale pouch attachments points on the front only
• Tactical belt attachment in the same way as our production MkV tactical rig
• Lightweight breathable mesh and foam to be used on the back plate if possible
• Front zip for easy doffing and donning
• Rank slide attachment points
• Easy to disassemble and clean parts separately whilst being completely adjustable to fit the client
• Thick padded front plates to provide a physical representation of Osprey style body armour
• Use red and black colouring because we have all of the black Cordura fabric floating around
• Medical pouch to include quick access glove pouch and space for basic first aid kit
• Catering pouch to include cutlery pouch and space for rat packs
• Production clip holders made in custom cloth with custom edging

Some not-final scribbles

We didn't have a military style plate carrier to hand so we had to improvise. Using waistcoat patterns found on-line, the Nerf tactical vest and some scribbles on a piece of paper we drew up our own pattern. We had to take measurements from the client to give us a broad outlook on how big the vest needed to be but with that we were able to proceed.

Wild scribblings on some fabric

This is my personal favourite stage of any development project. We take some cheap calico fabric and cut out a very rough version of the item. This one, as you can see opposite hasn't even been hemmed or sewn beyond the very rudimentary lines to give it a rough shape. Black marker pen is then used to mark out the layout of key features on the final vest itself. That's what's so fun about it, you can stick it on someone and draw on the fabric, adding things in and crossing stuff out. This item is very feature heavy in line the client's brief with lots of expansion and storage space hence a lot of black about. The 'SRB' text stands for 'side release buckle' which will allow the product to be readily adjusted and disassembled for cleaning and maintenance. It also makes the production team happy because the three components (two front plates and one back plate) can be worked on separately. The double width Velcro MOLLE serves two purposes. First it allows for the fixation of Velcro backed morale pouches. Second it's wide enough that it will serve as a loop to feed slings through and prevent neck chafing and other things. Not sure if it will work yet but it's a prototype for a reason! :)

In case you're still wondering, MOLLE is this stuff. I think I elaborated on it in a previous post but it's a webbing format that allows modularity and customisation in our, and a lot of other companies', products. Nearly all of our kit is MOLLE compatible in one way or another and it seemed logical to continue with this theme in our custom work. There is a huge amount of space for locating pouches and such on this design with including plenty of space for morale patches and ID stuff. There is only one fixed pouch on this one and that's for an ID pouch with optional cover flap.

The construction of this vest will differ from our current production items. Many of them are built inside-out and then turned about to give rolled seam and softer edge than would normally be expected. In this instance, all the extra pouches and additions would favour a different method. The attitude to camouflage item of the original brief came into play here so we elected to edge the vest with bright red textured binding tape in the style of a lot of DPM pouches and stuff. What we'll do this time around, rather than turning things, is put together all the layers to form a sandwich and then sew them together in one big run. If successful, this could become a mainstream construction method as we develop the 'look and feel' of our products in the coming months.

Any seaming or sealing method like this is needed for two reasons. One, to stop fabric fraying. The ballistic nylon we use isn't prone to it but in the field it might well get tattier quicker so it needs doing. The other advantage is that it covers a great many sins when cutting the fabric by hand. Cordura is a nightmare to work with (not as bad as calico but that's for a different reason) at the cutting stage because it can be so inflexible. There is a third reason (one I discovered when discussing this with my Production Director) suggesting not needing seams is likely to induce some kind of panic attack in your haberdashery trained staff followed swiftly by a thick ear and a telling off! :)

Rough Cordura prototype

Still, the third stage is the prototype: opposite is a pinned together shell of the three body components to give a general idea of what we're looking for. Remember, this is only a prototype and it's pinned not strapped together as it will be in the final version. The pin in the middle is knocking the whole thing out of shape making the final shape difficult to see from just a simple photo. It's why we do this, having things in your hands you can work with is much easier than having to do it all in your head. You can see the beginnings of chalk drawings as we thrash out the layout of all the layers, more have been added since this photo was taken and they will allow us to add bits and pieces as they are made. It's all a long, step by step process to get to the end result. No different from anything else we've put out on the market really.

I'll continue to update the blog with how this commission progresses over the next few weeks. The item itself won't enter production but the opportunity to reflect on three solid months of development work with such freedom is guaranteed to yield results as methods and ideas are exchanged between the two separate development threads. This sort of custom work will be one of two engines of growth for our product portfolio over the next few months. I'll blog about the other one when BUZAN starts up again.