If there is one running theme in the Nerf modding community, it is the quest for power. One way or another most blasters can be outfitted to hit like a truck. But individually modding each blaster takes a lot of time, if only there was a way to easily add power to any blaster with a barrel lug. Enter the Afterburner.

Afterburners can be an effective catch-all method of adding power to most blasters. To try to put this simply; you are essentially putting a second blaster on your barrel, and firing every shot twice. Allow me to explain.

The diagram above is an example of a stock flywheel powered blaster coupled to an afterburner. When you fire the dart is pushed through a set of flywheels and brought up to speed. Stock blasters usually hit about 65 feet per second with normal motors and batteries. In this case the Afterburner is a second set of flywheels. The initial power source for the dart can change depending on the model. When the dart gets to the second set of motors, it gets a boost in power.

The power boost you get depends on the initial velocity of the dart relative to what the Afterburner is capable of. If your base power is greater that what the Afterburner can output, you will lose velocity. If the base power of the blaster is less than or equal to the power of the Afterburner, then you will get a boost. In the case of equal power, the output is roughly doubled. (Ex: If both flywheel cages are capable of 70 fps on their own. When put inline they can output 130-145 fps, depending on other conditions)

The spacing of the Afterburner relative to the original power source can also have an effect on performance. Longer barrels allow the dart to slow down before getting boosted, which hurts overall performance. Ideally the initial power source and second flywheel cage are right after each other to prevent the dart from slowing down. But this is harder with removable Afterburners.

Two-Stage conversions and blasters offer better performance in this situation. Two-Stage blasters are like Afterburners in the way they work, but differ in that they are integrated into an individual blaster. Three-Stage blasters have been done but at 3 flywheel cages you start to see diminishing returns of power.

Two-Stage blasters are particularly interesting as Bullpup blasters. With the right integration one can make very powerful, compact, shoulder-able blasters with Bullpups. But that is a blog for another time.

Remember to leave a like if you enjoyed this post and leave a comment below. Subscribe for more content like this and remember to share this post with people who might enjoy it.