Nekomata: Bullpup Magfed Mech Ion

Crazy awesome inspiration! 

Oh yes, it's exactly what the title said! There is no full on build log on this one like the past custom markers. Besides, all the internals and concepts are in the Mech Ion builds. The reason it's resented this way? I was planning on making it a secret/surprise to many on MCB. Only a select few knew of its existence, and more so, the steps along the way. 

The concept: Build a fully functional paintball marker that would be great for scenario games and other non-speedball/tournament settings.

What I came up with is to jam an existing marker inside a Nerf Firefly that I've had for quite a number of years. While I'm not the first to do this (and definitely won't be the last) it seems that I'm the first to blur the lines between paintballs and foam darts.

Mock up with the Spyder. 

This build has been about a year in the making, mainly because it wasn't going to be an Ion to start. It was going to be an old school fatty strikered Spyder Compact at the core. I just couldn't fathom forcing myself with a Bullpup design and have a power feed directly in my face. Then I thought, maybe I could utilize one of those fake Warp Feeds with a force feed loader? Trying out different mounting points, configs, tubes, couplers to feed into the powerfeed... I wasn't feeling that either. 

A different
Bullpup Ion Project. 

Then it hit me!

With all the Ions that were given to me to build a bunch of Mechs, why not slam an Ion in there and make it Magfed too! I remembered a fileset on Thingiverse that allows you to do exactly what I was thinking. It would take a little tinkering and a bit of planning to get it all to fit inside the Nerf Firefly shell, but I was finally feeling good and up to the task!

An amazing find 
on Thingiverse! 

Started with printing the Magwell and firing can harness, I was really feeling it! These parts really made it feel like I wasn't spinning my wheels anymore. 

The timing was this: Get it all mocked up and working for a field test at Michigan Monster Game 2021. Work out the kinks and have a big revel at Fallout: Northlands 4, here in Milwaukee.

With lots of work and life, I was not able to make the deadline for MMG. 

I was able to get some test videos going and made a compilation of it cycling: 

This was about a week (maybe a week and a half) before Fallout: Northlands 4 at The Siege. It was cycling. It was feeding 10 rounds at a time with the TiPX mags, using Z-Balls.

Final build

What an amazing day with it! It performed beyond expectations! All the MCB people came together and we played pretty hard that day and it really showed me some things that need to be adjusted for the next time it will come back out to play. Either way, it's VERY usable and can stand on its own, in it's current state.