I’ve modified many Nerf Mavericks to increase distance, but this time I didn’t worry about power. This gun won’t fire at all. I’ve put together a retrofitted space gun for my nephew Xander's birthday!

To create his space gun I removed most of the Nerf innards. There are tons of videos on the web that will help you tear down and modify the Maverick. Holes were drilled for the LEDs while the gun was still together. Apart again, they pop into the left half then get sealed with hot glue. Trim all excess glue away from the LEDs when cool so the gun will shut.

Step 1: Parts and Tools

Some tips when making your own.

Be clean with your soldering. If you do not know what tinning or flux are, please take a second to learn correct soldering. Why does this matter? This will (probably) be a kid's toy. Don't expect them to play gently with it. ;)

Radio Shack has everything you need, assuming you have wiring and other essentials.
- 3v green, yellow and blue diodes (LEDs)
- 2.4v reds (use a small resistor with the red LEDs to extend their life)
- Rocker switch
- 3v micro-vibration motor

Step 2: Power

Batteries
Lightly sand the top and bottom of the batteries. This will help the solder stick. Make a puddle of solder on the battery, let it cool, then heat it again and slide your wire through the bead.

Connect two AA batteries in series (+ top to - end), place a spring between them and duct tape tight. Solder a wire to each end. Now you need a shorter 3v battery pack. Hot glue two batteries together side by side, end next to opposite end. Lay a 1/2 inch wire across one end and solder in place. Solder wires to the leads on the other end of the pack. You now have two 3v power supplies. Connect the packs in parallel (all battery and LED negatives together and the same but separately for positive). This provides a great deal of lasting time for the LEDs. Place a resistor of 33ohm in front of the red LED so it is not overpowered.

Step 3: Wiring and Light

Connect all LEDs in parallel
Cut a path in the plastic for your wiring ahead of time. Do this to the left side of the gun. Lay out your wiring so that all LED - leads are wired to one central location and all + leads are connected to their own central location (see illustration).

Connect the power pack's - ends to the central - connection we just created, and do similarly for the + end of the batteries. Cut the + wire in half and insert the switch here. This makes for an easy solution. Everything now gets 3v.

Place the small switch on top or behind the trigger. Hot glue it in place. This will close the circuit and light the LEDs.

You’re going to have to cut away some plastic on the right half of the gun so that the halves will close. Replace the screws and enjoy your new space gun!

I learned most of this online with some good searches. Don't forget the spinning buzzer. Stick it in an empty space at the end of the gun and wire either end to either central power location. It’s loud and should drive my sister and her husband mad. I can’t wait to see how it goes at the birthday party.