Humans vs Zombies Loadout and Blasters!

Hey guys and gals Snake here.  Since the other HvZ article I wrote, I've been getting a lot of requests to see what I use at HvZ events.  Here's the full shot of everything all packed up:

Everything you need to eradicate any Zombie threat!

Starting from the top we have my Secret Shot I, Eagle Industries Mini Chest Rig, and White-out series maverick.  Next is my first line gear all mounted on an ATS Tactical War Belt.  Finally we get to my Special edition red Nerf Recon, which has been customized.

Typically I play in HvZ's that are one day events, or have set playing times throughout the day.  When playing I am always wearing my first line gear on the War Belt.  Here's a pic of the War Belt with everything displayed:

Starting from the left, in the M16 pouch I keep 2, 5-Hour Energy Drinks and 2, 6 shot magazines.  The 5-Hour Energy works well for me, and you never know when you'll need a boost to keep running.  In the Green GP pouch I keep my flashlight, hand sanitizer (Killing zombies are unsanitary and gross!), my boo-boo kit, Cliff bars, and most importantly the Doodle Roll.

The Doodle Roll Activity Kit is 15' of paper, crayons and the case, which has an awesome easy tear notch.  I ran into the Doodle Roll folks at a few fairs, cool product, cooler people!  Quick shout out to my boy at Doodle Roll, you know who you are :) I use this super rad product to leave messages for teammates, sketching maps, and, if the horde is slow, to alleviate boredom.  This is a must have in the field!  Check them out at http://www.doodleroll.com/!

The canteen is necessary to stay hydrated!  Finally, the dump pouch is used to carry my sidearm, extra ammo I find on the ground, and empty magazines.

Found at Flying Tigers II Army/Navy Surplus

The Mini Chest Rig is compact and simply holds a total of 5, 6 shot magazines.  I can also stuff my keys, wallet, and phone in the Velcro bib pocket.  It attaches easy and comes off easy.  When doing a mission to save survivors, I always can use the extra ammo this rig provides.

My "Little Friends"

Finally we come to the blasters.  My primary is a Special edition Red Nerf Recon and 35 round drum magazine, completely customized.  It features a first-generation plunger tube (so it will not break), air restrictors removed, deadspace removed, and a new spring custom made by a moderator at Nerf Revolution.  It hits huge range and puts aftermarket kits to shame.  Tutorial to come soon on how to make this baby for yourself!

The White Out Series Nerf Maverick features air restrictors removed as well being able to open all the way to make reloading easier.  Lastly, my Secret Shot I; this beauty has been converted to have CPVC barrels to be able to shoot all ammo.  The secret barrel on the bottom is still completely functional and works like a charm.

Hope everyone enjoyed seeing how I roll at HvZ!  If you have any comment or questions leave them here or email me at ttagschicago at gmail.com.  I'll have some more pics and a video of me with the gear up soon!

Humans vs Zombies: To "Mod" or not to "Mod"

Hey guys and gals Snake here.  I came across this article as posted in the NC State newspaper, Technician Online.  The full article can be found here: College Students Build Better Blasters

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Really the only tools I need are a screwdriver and a hand-drill," Collins said. "Typically I crack [the blasters] open and there's this thing inside called an air-restrictor… I drill it right out."

The air restrictor is a part of a Nerf blaster added to slow down air flow, and according to Collins it should be the first thing to go.

"The air restrictor is something that virtually every Nerf [blaster] has," Michael Ramos, a junior in human biology and an owner of a Nerf Raider Collins has modified, said. "It restricts the air coming inside so that if you're a child… it keeps the [velocity of the dart] very low."

Other optional modifications include spring compression or replacements, jam door removals and replacement of the internals. However, according to Collins, the modification that improves blasters most is a spring replacement.

Even in our TTAGS Chicago outings, we run into a lot of modifications.  Most of these are simple, involving simply removing the air restrictor, or rebarreling a blaster.  My personal Secret Shot I (SS1) has been modified to be able to use the current darts.  When the SS1 came out, the darts used at the time were different sized.  I rebarreled my blaster using a bit of CPVC piping to make it useable.  However, I did not modify my blaster to shoot further, but to make it more reliable and able use all the darts available today.

A Secret Shot I in all its beauty!

Here at TTAGS Chicago, our rules concerning all modifications are that they need to be safe for the user as well as safe for those on the receiving end of the blaster.  A quick side-note here, we always use eye protection regardless of the blaster being used.  Eye protection is mandatory at all our events, you only get one pair of eyes!  Back to the discussion at hand...The majority of our members modify blasters not so much to gain range as they are about making blasters more reliable.

Modifying a blaster with more power presents a whole new challenge.  The internals were only meant to handle a certain power load.  By overloading it, you can break the fragile parts like the plunger tube on a raider, recon, or alpha trooper.  Using drop in kits from other companies will give you ranges of 100 feet or more.  But they carry a price tag of $60 plus the cost of the blaster, and darts.  Additionally you'll need to install it yourself which can present its own problems.  

Let's think about what we're doing for a minute.  Modifying a toy blaster to make it shoot as far as what? an airsoft gun? a paintball gun? Any modifications that breaks 50', can become hurtful at close range.  Launching a soft foam dart with accuracy at that distance is very difficult.  Most darts are so unbalanced, they spiral and loop through the air when used.  If I want extreme range and accuracy, I'll paintball.  When I play HvZ I'm there to have fun, not to win at all costs by having the most uber-modded blaster than can snipe people 100 feet away.  

The TL;DR version: Modify at your own risk.  Soft foam blasters should be fun and safe, anything done to a toy to make it even the slightest bit dangerous should be banned from events.  HvZ is about having fun, not showing off who can shoot a dart the furthest!

Feel free to post comments here or email me (Snake) at ttagschicago(at)gmail.com