December 31

Platform Overview – Nerf Hammershot

Maybe this should be a retrospective, but this is still fairly recent history. Not that it matters, old favorites die hard.

A while back the Hammershot was a darling of the Nerf modding community. You couldn’t go a day without seeing another Hammershot build online for some time. But what made it so special?

The answer is in the name, Hammershot. It was one of a few hammer-action blasters to come out around the time of its release. Unlike the smaller Doublestrike or bulkier Lawbringer, the Hammershot was a solid balance of size, capacity, and comfort. The hammer action meant that the Hammershot was one of the few spring-powered blasters that could be shot one-handed. Better yet, they could be dual wielded.

The modding community ate these blasters up. With the advent of 3d printing around the same time aftermarket parts flooded online stores. The below average 5 dart capacity could be brought up to 8 with an aftermarket cylinder. Barrel and body kits were made available in massive variety. Even the power limitations with the hammer action were soon sorted out, albeit with steel parts.

So how did something like this fall out of the limelight?

Well, over time people exhausted just about every new idea for this blaster. Shortly after the Hammershot went out of production and they became much less common. By the time the Hammershot’s popularity started to fade, the Rival line had been introduced.

Anymore the newer Kronos model is the secondary blaster of choice for people that want a springer. Even with minimal mods the Kronos dwarfs the Hammershot in power. But that is a blog for another time.

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December 31

Momentum Wagons – Taming Steam Engines

As mentioned in the MSS Side Tank Engine post, the old Mamod designs for locomotives have a reputation for running away. This is a problem with a lot of live steam engines but the Mamod design is particularly infamous for this quirk. There are a wide variety of fixes for this problem such as more consistent burners and better steam regulators. There are even “Slo-mo” devices that fit to a locomotive to keep speed in check. But that is an engine specific fix, what some people need is an interchangeable solution. Enter the KIKKERLAND Zecar!

Wait, that looks nothing like a something you would use for a train.

Well it normally wouldn’t be, but allow me to explain. This toy uses a friction engine to keep momentum when pushed. This is accomplished with a large flywheel in the middle that stores inertia, which is geared up relative to the wheels. This particular unit is just the right size to have its wheels changed out for Gauge 1 (45mm) track, and with further tweaks it can run on O Gauge (32mm) track.

But if you are trying to keep engines from running too fast, wouldn’t storing inertia be a bad thing? Well, no actually it is not. The friction engine from the Zecar overall limits top speed. But that stored inertia can help prevent engines from running away. A common issue with live steam locomotives is that they tend to slow down or stall in corners, build up steam pressure, then rocket off at speed. The momentum from a unit like this keeps the engine moving and prevents a pressure buildup.

With the right adjustments the Zecar can be converted into a cheap and effective momentum van to regulate locomotive speed. This idea specific idea has been floating around since 2015 and has seen numerous variations. The first one was built by Zach Bond and I would highly recommend reading this article about it.

At £20.00 on Amazon, the Zecar would be reasonably cheap in the UK. Unfortunately I am not in the UK! But with the knowledge of how these momentum vans work, I can start keeping an eye out for a US equivalent. But that is a blog for another day.

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December 31

A Retrospective on Emulators and Pokemon ROMs

Picture this:

It’s 20xx, old games are getting harder to find, and the prices are skyrocketing. One day a friend says to you “You know you can get that for free, right?” They go on to explain this odd new thing called an “Emulator.” A few hours later your computer is being eaten alive by all the viruses you’ve just installed, but it doesn’t matter. You have a free copy of Pokemon.

It was always Pokemon too. If ever there was a game worth downloading: that was it. By the time emulators picked up the internal batteries of the first 3 generations of games were starting to run out. This meant that you were liable to lose your progress if you didn’t gut the cartridge and replace the battery before playing at all. Most people were not up for that.

What a lot of people also weren’t up for was the price. Pokemon games have always held their value pretty well, so the cheapest they ever get is around $15 in questionable condition. Most people I knew didn’t bother trying to buy the other titles, they just emulated them. Why wouldn’t you?

Once you knew what to look for, getting ROMs of old titles was easy and (mostly) risk free. Everyone started with Pokemon, that is just what you did. But once you knew what to do there was a world of games available to you. Plus this was a lot of people’s first experience to ROM hacks.

ROM hacks were weird. The most notable ones were for, as you might expect, Pokemon. New stories, new maps, parodies, randomizers. ROM hacks made up entire new games for free! It was unlike anything you see anymore. Of course this is because of how defensive the company clad in red is over their copyright. A few years ago most Pokemon ROMs were sandblasted off the internet before the release of a game most people don’t care about anymore.

Then again the company in question was technically in the right when they angered a massive chunk of their target audience for no profit. After all, distribution of ROMs is technically illegal. As a responsible adult I cannot advocate for such activity. So I’m going to tell you exactly what to look for so you don’t accidentally download any of these nasty files.

Whatever you do, do not go on a website such as emuparadise.me for reliable and safe access to emulators and ROMs. Especially make sure that you avoid any ROMs marked with “(trashman)”, these are exceptionally good quality and should be avoided at all costs. Finally, if you are ever in doubt on how to avoid these heinous files, there are plenty of forums and Sub-Reddits that tell you where to find ROMs. So you can avoid them, obviously.

At some point this blog became focused on Pokemon ROMs in particular. As I mentioned earlier there is a world of games out there if you look around (not that I would recommend doing so). There are also a ton of amazing ROM hacks for other games that I haven’t covered. But I suppose that is a blog for another time.

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December 30

Platform Overview – MSS Side Tank Loco Kit

If someone had told me as a kid that I could build my very own steam engine, I probably would have believed them. Granted, I was pretty gullible, but I wouldn’t have been any less excited. Here I am now with a stupid grin on my face. This is the MSS Side Tank Loco, and it’s a dream come true.

So what exactly is this engine? Long story short it’s a steam engine, but tiny. For reference the boiler is about the diameter of a pocket-sized can of WD40 or one of the extra small cans of soda, but twice as long. Buffer to Buffer this loco is 8 1/2 inches long, and just short of 3 inches wide. Compared live steam engines normally found in the US this thing is tiny!

If the styling of the loco wasn’t a dead giveaway, then that last sentence would have been. This engine is an imported model from the United Kingdom. For whatever reason small scale live steam engines never caught on in the US. The smallest you will usually find is 3 1/2 inch gauge models. (gauge is just the width of the track.) O Gauge engines are very popular in the US but live steam in that size just never caught on. So this model is an oddity here.

Styling wise the MSS is a bit strange, as it is not based on aF particular engine. The closest prototypes would be Welsh narrow gauge locomotives, but no particular engine is a perfect match. The design of the MSS Side Tank actually goes all the way back to 1979 with the Mamod Sl1. There are few differences with these models other than namesake, the option of a diamond shaped chimney on the SL1, and the exhaust pipe. These models are so similar that parts are completely interchangeable.

As far as individual parts go, there are some standouts. The MSS features double-acting pistons. This means that the pistons provide power on every stroke in either direction. This was uncommon when the design first cropped up, and is still a nice touch today. Another curious thing with the pistons is that they are oscillating. This is incredibly rare on steam locomotives, model or not. This eliminates the need for valve gear but tends to hurt efficiency. The oscillating pistons make for a cool curiosity but takes away from the model’s  (relative) accuracy. Finally, as one last feather in this model’s cap, the steam dome is functional.

Of course with this model you get intimately familiar with every piece of the engine. This unit is kit built, meaning you get a box of bits and some instructions. Beyond that the rest is up to you. There are pre-built units available, but that’s no fun. This loco is in that sweet spot of simple to understand but hard enough to be fun to assemble. After assembling this kit, there is the matter of running in.

Running the Side Tank Engine is an exercise in patience. First you need to check that everything is working correctly. Does the safety valve work? Will the whistle stick? Is the burner on the whole way? There are all kinds of little things that need checked. Then comes oiling all the moving parts. Next the boiler needs to be filled just right. Then the denatured alcohol burner needs to be filled perfectly, and carefully. (note: the MSS engines come with solid fuel burners, but a burner change is almost mandatory if you want to be able to get fuel in this country) Any spilled fuel could turn into a flash fire in a heartbeat. After all of that the fire can be lit and the 5 minute wait for the water to boil can begin. Once the engine has reached at least 7 psi (it maxes at 10 psi) then you can start running it… for about 15 minutes. That time is assuming you don’t stop partway through the run to re-oil like the manual suggests. With a dead-leg oiler upgrade you could run for the entire 15 minutes with no interruptions.

While running these locos you are always in for a show, for better or worse. When run for the first few times steam engines need time to settle in. Water and steam will leak a bit for the first few runs before the engine is finally run-in. After being run-in the MSS will purr like a kitten while running, albeit an energetic one.  Ever since the early 80’s this design has had a reputation for running away when on the tracks, and the MSS Side Tank Engines are no different. These engines just don’t do “slow.” The weird regulator/reverser block that controls these engines just is not built for it.

A slow engine is a very big deal to people that are into model railroading. A model like a Mamod or MSS poses a challenge for modelers. How do you tame an engine that just wants to run away? That is a blog for another time.

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December 29

My Abandonware – A Retro Goldmine

Some software is less fortunate than others. There are a lot of games that eventually stop being supported by the developers and, unless that developer’s name begins with “N” and ends in “tendo”, copyright violations are no longer monitored. This is when software enters the realm of Abandonware. Fire up that antivirus software, this can get messy!

Maybe the antivirus comment is an overstatement but it never hurts to be too careful. Sites such as myabandonware.com make it pretty safe to look around for stuff like this. A solid Antivirus software can have your back but its better to never take that chance in the first place. Abandon ware is not an Emulator, it is the original software. You may need other files to get this stuff running. If you are ever in doubt about whether a website is safe, there are plenty of forums and sub-Reddits out there to tell you whats what. Now that the precautions are out of the way, let’s see what Abandonware has to offer.

Overall there is an insane variety of games that are available. A lot of games are very old, going back to the Apple 2, Commodore 64, and older. But there is also a lot of newer games such as The Sims, Need for Speed, and The Simpsons – Hit and Run. The last one has a notable cult-following with an active modding community. Even the first two Fallout games were Abandonware until very recently. While there are plenty of options, how do you get them running?

Work, lots of work is what it takes to get these games to run. As I said earlier, these are not Emulators. These games have to be installed properly, and in some cases registered (sort of). Emulators are way easier to get running, but tend to suffer in performance. You can get around some work by emulating the console version of a game, but its never the same.

What you need to get most Abandonware running is two things; Daemon Tools, and something for .Zip files. An unregistered copy of WinRAR fits the theme of what we’re doing but anything will do. Daemon Tools is a program for making digital disk drives. This is for installing the “disks” that contain the game files. (As a side note; Daemon Tools also comes with an antivirus software that is allegedly very good, but difficult to set up. You can opt-out of the antivirus in the installer.)

Using your .Zip program and Daemon tools you can install Abandonware games almost as if they are brand new. After they are installed, is the matter of “registration.” This can be done by tweaking game files yourself since nothing is restricted in these games. Or you can just grab a “No CD Exe” file online. These aren’t hard to find and simply get tossed into the game files. This new file is your new launcher button for your game of choice. But the game is not ready yet!

Finally, you need to run compatibility settings. You can find this by right-clicking on the game launcher and clicking “Troubleshoot compatibility.” Just select the OS the game originally was released on and it should run. If it doesn’t run then simply keep trying versions until you get the right one.

Overall getting Abandonware running is that easy! I’m kidding obviously, getting this stuff running is pretty involved. Everything I have written so far has been simplified to a degree. But if you are willing to put in the work, Abandonware offers a free way to experience old games that run just as well if not better than when they were new.

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December 29

Platform Overview – Nerf Retaliator

When it comes to learning how to modify anything, dart blasters (do not call them guns, the entire internet will throw a fit) will always be a solid starting point. Fairly loose tolerances and relatively strong plastic make for malleable platforms that stand up well to modding. But there are such a wide variety of blasters that it can be hard to know where to start. Enter the Retaliator.

The Retaliator is one of the closest things you will get to a basic, catch-all blaster. As standard it is a no-frills, carbine style blaster. It comes with a 12-round magazine alongside basic looking stock, barrel, and grip attachments. The mechanism it uses is a top priming slide with a slightly mushy trigger. Nothing about it is too bad, but there is nothing special about anything this blaster has to offer as standard. However, that is the Retaliator’s greatest advantage.

The Retaliator is an incredibly unassuming blaster as standard, which is why the modded community loves these blasters. Internally this blaster uses a direct plunger system. It’s not overly amazing but its not bad. There is enough space for a brass breach, big bore plunger tube, and even much chunkier plunger springs. (big side note on the springs; in order to reach maximum potential for springs you need to reinforce or replace some parts to keep the blaster from blowing itself apart) This means that Retaliators are capable of making some very powerful shots with the right setup. The Retaliator is not known for power though, its real reputation lies in what can be done cosmetically.

The Retaliator is visually not that special. But that means that the core blasters lends itself well to fitting into other body styles. Pretty much any carbine is fair game for choosing your Retaliator’s  looks, although M4 lookalikes are probably the most common that I have seen. Don’t mistake this as a one trick blaster, the Retaliator is not limited to carbine styling. Some time ago Arctic Warfare styled kits were making their rounds around the web. With the right kit one could have a fairly convincing bolt-action sniper rifle lookalike. This is all what can be done with kits.

Outside of kit built mods the Retaliator is just as versatile. The accessories that come with the blaster lend themselves well to other blasters, along with parts of the core blaster. The plunger system is occasionally transplanted into older Recon shells to bring special units up to modern specifications. Retaliator barrels have been used for everything from cosmetics to Afterburner mods (Afterburners are a blog for another time.) Even the Retaliator’s grip is sometimes used in Bullpup conversions. (Bullpup conversions get weird, that needs its own post) If there is a build you want to do, there is a chance that you will need at least part of a Retaliator.

Overall, the Retaliator is a bit like a hamburger. It starts off very basic, but lends itself well to almost any kind of customization. Ideal for newbie modders and experts alike, the Retaliator is easily the most versatile blaster for modification. This is a great place to start.

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