Custom NERF Guns and Props - Johnson Arms

A Nerf Vigilon arrived today from Urban Taggers - got after it with the quickness Here's some WIP photos from the stuff I started today!

















I'll post more as I get further into the project. Still not 100% sure how I'm going to paint this one, but I think it's going to be a fun challenge

Why does the Vigilon have "Not For Sale" on it?

LostBoy wrote:Why does the Vigilon have "Not For Sale" on it?

Probably because it's a demo/display model.

Cheers,

clunk07 wrote:

LostBoy wrote:Why does the Vigilon have "Not For Sale" on it?

Probably because it's a demo/display model.

Cheers,

Oh okay.


Thanks mate.

Urbantaggers got it from one of the Hasbro reps, Which they got from there Display model, So Clunk is correct.

-Luke

Exactly! I put that photo in there because I thought it was kinda funny funny until I had to sand and fill that melted branding, hehe. It's all gone now!

I can get my hands on the Nerf Scouts now...yessss, hehe. Is it true they don't sell these anywhere in Australia? That's a real shame if that's the case.








almost done, just a little more detail painting..


moving right along on the Vigilon



and vera is now all taped up as of tonight. Adding the "wood" parts now

The don't sell scouts apart from the Unity Power System in Australia...not yet, at least.

Those scouts look sick.
So we know your asthetic mods are the business but how do you go with performance mods?

Brunius wrote:The don't sell scouts apart from the Unity Power System in Australia...not yet, at least.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys

Nooft1187 wrote:Those scouts look sick.
So we know your asthetic mods are the business but how do you go with performance mods?

I can remove ARs and swap springs, etc. I just don't do it since not all people buying the guns care about shooting darts with it. Plus the paint and clearcoat can't really stand up to a ton of outdoor use (sweat and dirt will eventually eat away at the paint.

Hey,

I see you use a finishing sander for the prep work. Just curious as to what paint you use?

I realise the US has better access to plastic's paint than Aus, but I'm trying to find a way to cut down on my prep time, and would be interesting to know if you use enamel or Krylon Fusion/acrylic etc
Currently, it takes me 5 hrs to prep a LShot, just over 4 hrs to prep a Stampede.

Fully understand that you do a lot of hand-detailing, but for base-coats etc, do you use rattle can's or airbrush?

Cheers,

Johnson Arms wrote:

Brunius wrote:The don't sell scouts apart from the Unity Power System in Australia...not yet, at least.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys

Nooft1187 wrote:Those scouts look sick.
So we know your asthetic mods are the business but how do you go with performance mods?

I can remove ARs and swap springs, etc. I just don't do it since not all people buying the guns care about shooting darts with it. Plus the paint and clearcoat can't really stand up to a ton of outdoor use (sweat and dirt will eventually eat away at the paint.

Have you tried warhammer clear coat? I figure people pick up those modles all day long and they dont come off
Also what kind of coin do you charge for one of those painted scouts?

clunk07 wrote:Hey,

I see you use a finishing sander for the prep work. Just curious as to what paint you use?

I realise the US has better access to plastic's paint than Aus, but I'm trying to find a way to cut down on my prep time, and would be interesting to know if you use enamel or Krylon Fusion/acrylic etc
Currently, it takes me 5 hrs to prep a LShot, just over 4 hrs to prep a Stampede.

Fully understand that you do a lot of hand-detailing, but for base-coats etc, do you use rattle can's or airbrush?

Cheers,

I mainly use the rattle cans because I've got to where I can get a consistant finish and not have to clean the spray gun I will use it more with the new shop when I can dedicate an area for a spray booth. For now they work just fine, all brands really.

I can sand and prep a Stampede in about 2 hours now, but that's usually the first thing of the day. It it's 8-9 hours in, it could be a longer time..much longer

Nooft1187 wrote:

Johnson Arms wrote:

Brunius wrote:The don't sell scouts apart from the Unity Power System in Australia...not yet, at least.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys

Nooft1187 wrote:Those scouts look sick.
So we know your asthetic mods are the business but how do you go with performance mods?

I can remove ARs and swap springs, etc. I just don't do it since not all people buying the guns care about shooting darts with it. Plus the paint and clearcoat can't really stand up to a ton of outdoor use (sweat and dirt will eventually eat away at the paint.

Have you tried warhammer clear coat? I figure people pick up those modles all day long and they dont come off
Also what kind of coin do you charge for one of those painted scouts?

That's a good option, I just don't know how cost-effective that would be on the large guns. I guess I better do a price-check

Johnson Arms wrote:I can sand and prep a Stampede in about 2 hours now, but that's usually the first thing of the day. It it's 8-9 hours in, it could be a longer time..much longer

That is super fast. Stampede probably takes me 6-7 hours to sand and prep the surface. I did pop a question in your blog site, I asked about the Stampede in the photo you posted at NerfRevolution, it showed a Stampede hanging up with wire and a lot of the stock grey paint on the handle and stock black paint on the back still visible. I am just wondering you don't really sand off as much stock paint as possible before you apply the paint of your choice?

Akimbo Assassin wrote:

Johnson Arms wrote:I can sand and prep a Stampede in about 2 hours now, but that's usually the first thing of the day. It it's 8-9 hours in, it could be a longer time..much longer

That is super fast. Stampede probably takes me 6-7 hours to sand and prep the surface. I did pop a question in your blog site, I asked about the Stampede in the photo you posted at NerfRevolution, it showed a Stampede handing up with wire and a lot of the stock grey paint on the handle and stock black paint on the back still visible. I am just wondering you don't really sand off as much stock paint as possible before you apply the paint of your choice?

Pretty much the same question I was asking. Hence why I was curious as to the type of paint used, rather than any specific brands. We're fairly limited here in Australia for cost-effective plastic primer/base coat that doesn't require hours of prep work for the paint to adhere efficiently.

I haven't tested it out, but I doubt that enamel paint would stick to that amount of stock paint, without a specific plastic primer.

Cheers,

[quote="clunk07"]

Akimbo Assassin wrote:I haven't tested it out, but I doubt that enamel paint would stick to that amount of stock paint, without a specific plastic primer.

My belief is it doesn't matter what type of paint or primer you are using, as long as there is old paint underneath it is going to affect the bonding of new paint over it. The whole paint layer is more easily chipped off and not as durable.

[quote="Akimbo Assassin"]

clunk07 wrote:

Akimbo Assassin wrote:I haven't tested it out, but I doubt that enamel paint would stick to that amount of stock paint, without a specific plastic primer.

My belief is it doesn't matter what type of paint or primer you are using, as long as there is old paint underneath it is going to affect the bonding of new paint over it. The whole paint layer is more easily chipped off and not as durable.

I've had vinyl dye adhere perfectly to a stock shell, with no prep apart from a quick wash with soapy water, and obviously drying time.

Problem is, I haven't found a brand of enamel that will stick to the dye...

Cheers,

I've found that acrylic modelling paints stick really well to vinyl dye which seems to be the easiest and fasted way to paint a blaster.

Fiddly bit paint brand from Bunnings also sticks nicely and at only two or so dollars it's a steal.

Unknown wrote:I've found that acrylic modelling paints stick really well to vinyl dye which seems to be the easiest and fasted way to paint a blaster.

Fiddly bit paint brand from Bunnings also sticks nicely and at only two or so dollars it's a steal.

Yeah, I've used Fiddly Bits on Warhammer, and although I don't know how well it sticks to Nerf paint, it does cover pretty well.

The 3 different brand's of acrylic that I've used over vinyl dye have taken at least 3 weeks to cure, and even then, I still wasn't happy with the end result.

As for enamel, I've tried 5 brands, and none of them passed the scratch test. It might be okay with a couple of thin layer's of paint... maybe. But with camo paint job's, there's just way too many layer's for it to adhere properly.

Cheers,

clunk07 wrote:

Akimbo Assassin wrote:

Johnson Arms wrote:I can sand and prep a Stampede in about 2 hours now, but that's usually the first thing of the day. It it's 8-9 hours in, it could be a longer time..much longer

That is super fast. Stampede probably takes me 6-7 hours to sand and prep the surface. I did pop a question in your blog site, I asked about the Stampede in the photo you posted at NerfRevolution, it showed a Stampede handing up with wire and a lot of the stock grey paint on the handle and stock black paint on the back still visible. I am just wondering you don't really sand off as much stock paint as possible before you apply the paint of your choice?

Pretty much the same question I was asking. Hence why I was curious as to the type of paint used, rather than any specific brands. We're fairly limited here in Australia for cost-effective plastic primer/base coat that doesn't require hours of prep work for the paint to adhere efficiently.

I haven't tested it out, but I doubt that enamel paint would stick to that amount of stock paint, without a specific plastic primer.

Cheers,

Sorry, missed that, but now that I'm reading te comments I think you guys are bit off on what paint needs to adhere to the shell of a nerf gun or other plastic. My paintjobs are as durable as you'd want and of about 300 guns, I've had one person need a repaint and he was trying to use it all the time in Nerf wars. That is not what I do and it is not the intended use of the guns. Paint needs texture and a good oil free surface to bond, you don't have to have every last trace of paint removed. That mega overkill unless you're not doing the additional steps to prep the surface.

Johnson Arms wrote:Paint needs texture and a good oil free surface to bond, you don't have to have every last trace of paint removed. That mega overkill unless you're not doing the additional steps to prep the surface.

Thanks for your reply, I just need your professional confirmation.

Akimbo Assassin wrote:

Johnson Arms wrote:Paint needs texture and a good oil free surface to bond, you don't have to have every last trace of paint removed. That mega overkill unless you're not doing the additional steps to prep the surface.

Thanks for your reply, I just need your professional confirmation.

No problem at all, just sounded like my methods were coming into question Hope it helps you with future projects.

Here's a few photos of stuff that's getting close to finished or complete and in the mail

Vera from Firefly almost done..































I have my kids this weekend so I'll get some more stuff up soon, but not in the next couple days

HAHA - nice work with Vera mate. I was actually commissioned to do a Stampede version, but it never got off the ground. I congratulate you on the perserverance to tackle a mod like this.

I definitely wasn't questioning your method's. Actually, I'm still rather interested in your prep method's. I've tried using an electric sander in the past, but still had to do too much hand-sanding afterwards. I think I'm going overkill with my prep work.

I understand the theory behind good paint adhesion, but fear if I don't do an overly thorough job on the prep, then the paint won't last. All my paintjobs are designed for heavy handling from use at wars.

Keep up the impressive work!!

Cheers,

WOW! Just WOW, You actually inspried me to paint my longshot, my Alpha trooper and my stampede. I'm using a couple of you schemes.
<3 these paintjobs

-James

clunk07 wrote:HAHA - nice work with Vera mate. I was actually commissioned to do a Stampede version, but it never got off the ground. I congratulate you on the perserverance to tackle a mod like this.

I definitely wasn't questioning your method's. Actually, I'm still rather interested in your prep method's. I've tried using an electric sander in the past, but still had to do too much hand-sanding afterwards. I think I'm going overkill with my prep work.

I understand the theory behind good paint adhesion, but fear if I don't do an overly thorough job on the prep, then the paint won't last. All my paintjobs are designed for heavy handling from use at wars.

Keep up the impressive work!!

Cheers,

Sorry, my response probably came back too harsh, sorry wasnt intended. For durable paint, the best thing you can do is use multiple coats of paint with as much drying time between as humanly possible. I have a gun that cured over the course of a month and I couldn't chip off the paint if I had to...but just know all paint wears from sweat and body oils and salts. You can't stop from sweating so you just gotta know it won't be a gun that lasts forever, but you can always design it to hide some of the wear. Mine tend to look newer as they wear, which is kinda odd

melbnerf619 wrote:WOW! Just WOW, You actually inspried me to paint my longshot, my Alpha trooper and my stampede. I'm using a couple of you schemes.
<3 these paintjobs

-James

That's great, bud! I hope you'll share them when you get done!


Just a few more photos from the shop today. Finished the Vera gun, finally!













Video of the guns in the photos: https://youtu.be/4or3wi7xmBg

Is the banana clip functional?
If so TELL ME!! :p

-James

melbnerf619 wrote:Is the banana clip functional?
If so TELL ME!! :p

-James

Sorry James, it's just for show, but v2.0 might work.

Johnson Arms wrote:

melbnerf619 wrote:Is the banana clip functional?
If so TELL ME!! :p

-James

Sorry James, it's just for show, but v2.0 might work.

Well it looks really cool man. Keep it up!

-James

melbnerf619 wrote:

Johnson Arms wrote:

melbnerf619 wrote:Is the banana clip functional?
If so TELL ME!! :p

-James

Sorry James, it's just for show, but v2.0 might work.

Well it looks really cool man. Keep it up!

-James

Thanks, I appreciate that! I'll have some more stuff done soon, sorry no new pictures lately

Ok, so here comes a few more photos from today...some fairly simple for their purpose and some that have a bit more going on, design-wise













Color is not right, promise..it's more grape purple colored


where did this come from? haha, I get into one of my moods..










Thanks for looking

Might I enquire to what the pistol between the vulcan and sharp shot is?

Swatsonia wrote:Might I enquire to what the pistol between the vulcan and sharp shot is?

That's an airsoft, sorry! I usually take those out, but I missed it last night. Not sure of the make/model

Pro work again.

I also fancy your skull. How did you get the dark stain onto the crevices of the skull surface? Did you use any other skull to model this paint job? Hope you didn't use your own skull.

I love your paint jobs, I WISH I CAN DO THAT GOOD (WELL I CAN BUT IM TO LAZY).

I did something like that.

(Joey edit) Please do not double post, use the edit button instead