Secretly want to play with Nerf guns again, but afraid neon orange and yellow just won’t your grown-up persona? Then Etsy model maker Neil Taylor has the toy for you.
This BioShock-inspired steampunktastic creation is dubbed the Big Daddy. It started out as a standard Nerf N-Strike Barricade. Taylor used his masterful craftsmanship to add on planks of wood cut from a chair that he says was “at least” 75-years-old. The metal straps are made from hand-cut aluminum that’s been riveted into the wood. On top, Taylor has added a 3x-zoom scope that actually works. And, of course, the heavily modified toy still has all its Nerf shooting functionality, with an access panel on the top to unstick jammed darts.
Unfortunately, Taylor already sold the Big Daddy to some lucky Etsy buyer for about $300. Luckily, Taylor is a professional model maker for UK-based toy company Corgi. He’s also worked for companies like Matel, and currently makes custom models for film and television through Code3Models. So something tells us you can have your own, unique Big Daddy made, if you really want one.
In fact, Taylor currently has a military-style “steampunk army gun,” made from another type of Nerf pistol (it’s not clear which one, exactly), on sale for $220. He also has a custom-made “pulse rifle,” modeled after the gun from the movie Aliens, for just $80.00. That one, however, is half-size and made of resin, not Nerf plastic, so don’t expect to be able to blast your friends with that particular model.
To keep up-to-date with what Taylor has to offer, check out his Etsy shop here, or his website here.
