Competitor V! Thanks to the Competitor forum topic I learned that people were looking for more interesting guns, mechanism and shape wise. Since then I've kind of developed this futuristic style into more of a smooth vision that seems to settle well with a lot of people. As the Red Book of Westmarch said awhile ago " I think I found my niche".

Anyway, this is Competitor V! It is a hammer powered K'nex gun. It may not have super ranges at 25-30 feet, but it is a great close quarter combat weapon. It also has preloadable magazines and the mag release is easily triggered with your shooting hand. Competitor V has proved that it's more than capable of being the newest Competitor in my oldest and definitely hardiest series!

So let's stop talking and let's start building!

PLEASE NOTE: This gun is underperforming to my previous set range stats. So please know this gun may not meet your expectations, and I apologize for that. If you create a solution for the gun I'd always be glad to see it. Expect a new Competitor V concept sometime soonish.

(For all of you who don't mind reading more, the white gun in the pictures is project Day. Project Day is basically the same as Competitor V, the only difference was that Project Day was built to be cleaner internally and have less friction for improved range. In tests though Competitor V destroyed Project Day with consistent long range. Just goes to show that if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Project Day was useful for making entertaining pictures though =D)

Step 1: Body Panel (Base)

So if you haven't figured it out by now, K'nex guns are made of layers. Let's start by building the first layer. Picture 3-6 shows blue rod placement.

Step 2: Layer 2 Internals. Slow and Steady....

I took lots of extra pictures of the parts and where they go, so this step is kind of drawn out. I figure that once you get them all placed the 4th layer will be a repetition (because it is).

Step 3: Grip and Trigger

Okay, I admit it! I was a lazy ibler'! I didn't take the grip apart. If you need to know how to build it, it's exactly the same as Competitor IV's Grip. Check out Competitor IV for disassembled view however leave off the brown connector and trigger (from Competitor IV). Everything else is fairly easy, have fun building!

Step 4: Layer 3 Internals

Alright after this step it's all downhill! If you have any questions feel free to ask! I'm always floating around this site at least once a day.

Step 5: Layer 4 Internals

No more freaking training wheels! These are all the pieces from Layer 3, so I just put them all on in one step. If you're confused feel free to ask questions!

Step 6: The Second Body Panel and Bands

Let's finish this gun! In the first picture I laid out all the small assemblies you'll need to finish the gun (minus one a little later in the same step). I changed the color of the large orange connector bar to show how I put it together, and then changed it back to black parts again when I show it assembled. So please don't get confused, if you do I'll clarify. Other than that notice the gray connector assemblies and the blue rods with the brown connectors aren't used until you attach the second body panel. Picture 13 show a bunch of miscellaneous connector I used to secure the two body panels together. You don't need to do this step exactly as I did it! As long as all the blue connectors have something snapped to them the gun will work fine.

Step 7: Magazine

Well I was lazy again... Sorry. Anyway I think this step is still very straight forward with some clarification. After picture 4 attach another panel shown in the first picture. Then fill all the holes in the yellow connectors and green connector with green rods. Make sure to add some tape to the side of the green rods before inserting them. This will add a lot of friction that will prevent the green rods from falling out, or preventing the layers separating. After you've built the magazine you're done! My last picture in this step show the magazine orientation when inserted correctly,( mainly showing the green connectors on the magazine facing the back of the gun). Oh, and make sure to pull the hammer back at least 2-3 clicks before inserting the magazine.