Make your own Foam Ballistic Shield!
Foam ballistic shields can introduce more interesting tactics in nerf skirmish games, especially for indoor close-quarter-battle (CQB) games!
I've seen some shield examples online made with metal panels, wood planks or acrylic sheets, but those materials are abit too heavy to carry around and require a fair amount of craft work and tools.
My idea was to have something that is portable, light-weight, durable and easy to make... and looks cool too.
Here is how i made my foam ballistic shields with very simple materials in just 5 minutes:
Step 1: Get a car boot foam tray from your local car accessory shop. Preferably rectangular, with raised edges and in 3 feet x 2 feet dimensions.
Step 2: Cut out a suitable sized view slot (can also attach a piece of clear transparency sheet to cover the view slot).
Cut the excess foam piece into 2 strips (to use as handles).
Step 3: Attach the 2 strips as handles onto the back of the foam ballistic shield using velcro (so that its adjustable for multiple users).
Final Step: Print out your favourite logo or call sign and attach it to the front of the foam ballistic shield.
A Nerf Maverick would seem to be the natural choice for nerf players equipped with a foam ballistic shield... but do note that the Nerf Maverick is a manual-action single-shot blaster.
Due to having one arm already holding the foam ballistic shield, it would be more effective to equip a semi-auto/full-auto blaster like the Nerf Magstrike or Rapid Fire 20.
On the flipside, this may also make shield equipped players abit too "overpowered" in nerf games, therefore expect organizers to set additional special rules to balance the usage of foam ballistic shields.
Anyways... when you are not using it as a foam ballistic shield for your nerf games, you could still use it as a foam tray for your car boot! :)
That's creative! Only a Nerf fan will think of that. but is it allow in the rules for the games?
ReplyDeleteWell, a foam ballistic shield can be quite difficult to counter in a nerf game.
ReplyDeleteIn indoor CQB games, its almost impossible to take out a shield equipped player advancing along a corridor. I experienced this first-hand in my office games. In a crouching position, the shield can easily cover almost 90% of the player!
Special rules would usually be recommended when incorporating foam ballistic shields in nerf games, for example:
-> Each team is only allowed to equip one player with a foam ballistic shield.
-> The shield equipped player is only allowed to carry a Nerf Maverick (or similiar single-shot blaster).
-> The shield equipped player can only walk, not run (to simulate the encumbrence of the shield).
-> The shield is immune to all standard foam darts, but the shield (and player) can be eliminated by any hit from a foam missile (ie. Nerf Titan, Buzz Bee Big Blast etc).
In addition, there can be additional gameplay variations when equipping foam ballistic shields... like using S.W.A.T team tactics with squads of players moving in a row or "stack", with the shield equipped player in the front protecting the rest of the squad. :)
IMO it's harder to carry/aim anything larger than pistol sized, let alone reload.
ReplyDeleteYeah... having shield equipped players limited to pistol-sized blasters would help balance gameplay, or else the shield could be too "overpowered" in nerf games.
ReplyDeleteI guess a shield equipped player is best positioned in a defensive role (ie. to escort VIPs or to hold a strategic point). :)
Could you post me a link to a 'car boot foam tray' from an online retailer?
ReplyDeleteI went into my local autozone, and they had no idea what I was talking about, nor could I find one anywhere.
I guess you'd have to check out a few car accessory shops to find one that sells car boot foam trays in the right design and dimensions.
ReplyDeleteHere is a product link to the particular car boot foam tray brand that i bought (its a japanese brand called BonForm):
http://www.bonform.co.jp/product07_detail.html?22
Hope you find 'em. :)
Great idea! I may even use it for Lazer Tag play!!
ReplyDeleteI guess I REALLY loved your idea. I've finished the shield as soon as all the materials arrived.
ReplyDeletehttp://sites.google.com/site/lazertagtw/lzt_en/mod/shield_en
It's a new site and I'm going to move all my stuff from the old site (google pages closed). I haven't decided to host any Nerf items yet.
Looks very cool! I like how you designed the shield, matches very well with your Phaser Type-III LTX. :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Nerf tanks!
ReplyDeleteOh gods... too much WoW for me.
can you show me how to make a shiled to use with the vulcan
ReplyDeleteYou want to carry a shield in one hand and a vulcan in the other?
ReplyDeleteDude, you must have arms of steel! :D
no i ment make a big shield and have 2 people be abel to hide be hind it
ReplyDeleteOic... well, i guess you can simply just use the large van boot foam trays. :)
ReplyDeletei didn't think of that
ReplyDeleteCould you please post a link for the car boot foam tray for the USA? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteUSA? No idea... i bought that car boot foam tray from my local car accessory shop in SG, only have the link of that item from it's japan website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bonform.co.jp/product07_detail.html?22
I guess you'd just have to check your local car accessory shop to see what car boot foam tray designs they have in stock. :)
Awesome, gonna use it with my homemade pump sniper/shotgun, so i have time to pump on the battle field!
ReplyDeletewere you said 2people behind a shield
ReplyDeleteme and a few friends were going to line up with shields and have the thers stad behind is that fair
Well, thats common tactic that SWAT teams use when advancing along narrow corridors. It definitely provides alot of cover to the entire squad.
ReplyDeleteWhether its fair or not in games would depend on the players involved, i guess everyone will just need to agree on the equipment and rules to ensure good game balance. :)
if you can't reload anything bigger than a pistol get someone to stand be hind you a get them to reload for you just make sure you have 2 guns
ReplyDeleteIf you left that viewslot open... or atleast left 1 spot for you to poke the tip of your sniper (in my case my singled titan) through.... you could effectively wedge yourself in a smll opening and snipe people... that'd be fun...
ReplyDeleteTwo things. One)Would pistol sized mean Recon with Raider drum? and Two) You could probably take a Tommy 20 and put some attachments to make it easier for one handed and use it with this. Either of these would be awesome.
ReplyDeleteRecon pistol unit with drum magazine is quite an interesting (and fun) combination, i guess it could still be considered as "pistol-sized". :)
ReplyDeleteYup, full-auto or semi-auto one-handed blasters would definitely be the most effective, most players like to use Magstrikes or Rapid Fire 20s with the shields.
Anyways, blaster + shield rules are usually set by game organisers beforehand to balance gameplay. Teams can try out different combinations and see which are the most fun to play.
Another idea! This might sound crazy, but what about 1-handed Titan? The pump thing will let you support it on your shoulder, and if you have a big enough shield, you could reload too! Plus it is probably hard to hit someone waving their shield around while they reload a rocket launcher.
ReplyDeleteThat'll be interesting to try out. :)
ReplyDeletethe final idea: Raider with shield on the barrel.
ReplyDeletewell xavier if someone was a good shot they could
ReplyDeletemoybe you could decorete the shild with the word on it and with paper that just look like fire
ReplyDeleteWow i wonder how u got tht sticker on i wanna put them on mine could u tell me how?I sponser SG nerf and i in canada XD
ReplyDeleteThe logo? I just printed it out from my printer and used double-sided tape to attach it to the foam shield. :)
ReplyDeleteoh i see srry it looks like a sticker to me lol but it look cool:p
ReplyDeleteBut what i was really asking is how do you make it look like tht.(srry I had to put this in so late last time I had to go:).)
ReplyDeleteJust pick some nice fonts or graphics, do abit of design work in photoshop, then print it out. :)
ReplyDeleteOh thanks i gunna need extra i made 10 of them i going to make 20 4 my friends to have a giant nerf war
ReplyDeletetheres 40 ppl coming :P
But can u email me a picture of it tht would be nice:)
ReplyDeleteThis'll go great with the 1 handed 300 rpm vulcan mod I'm making! ;D
ReplyDeletehi can you send me the address or post it. for the foam tray cuz im having a lot of trouble finding it online
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteWell, i got that particular car boot foam tray from a car accessory shop called Autobacs in Singapore.
I guess you could just check out the car accessory shops around your area, most of them should also be selling similiar car boot foam trays in various designs and dimensions too.
do u know any ones in NJ?
ReplyDeleteDo you know of any sites in the U.S.A
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteNo idea, my google search is as good as yours. :)
Seriously, just check at any car accessory shop in your area (maybe even at petrol stations), they should have car boot foam trays in stock too.
when I do a google search of car boot foam trays, I see your website, and then a whole bunch of plastic car trays, metal ncar trays, and antivirus software scams. I can't find a car boot foam tray anywhere!
ReplyDeleteChriz,
ReplyDeleteJust check out the car accessory shops around your area, the most likely places to find such things would be at those shops. :)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI am running a SWAT room clearing exercise and we'll be using nerf guns, this article caught my eye as a shield would be perfect for the point man. I followed the link given by SG Nerf, but it just shows a picture of a car seat cushion. When I searchedon Google, I found boot trays, but they weren't smooth and they weren't shield shaped. I was wondering if SG or CaptKevin could give a little more insight on how to find the elusive trays.
Ben,
ReplyDeleteI purchased those car boot foam trays from Autobacs car accessory shop in Singapore. I've also spotted similiar ones avaliable occasionally at petrol stations too.
Looks like the product link i posted about the BonForm site was shifted, did abit of poking about on the site (i can't read japanese either), and came across the latest page of the car boot foam tray:
http://www.bonform.co.jp/product07_detail.html?8
Imho, similiar car boot foam trays should be avaliable at car accessory shops around your area, it'll probably just require abit more searching to find the ideal design and size. :)
Could someone in Singapore possibly hook me up with one? I can't even figure out how to order on that site, let alone the price!
ReplyDeleteYeahson421,
ReplyDeleteI got my car boot foam trays last year from Autobacs stores in Singapore, maybe you can check it out there, they might still have stock.
I've also spotted similiar foam trays at petrol stations sometimes and even at supermarkets.
The foam trays come in many different brands, so you'll just need to keep a look out for those with suitable designs and dimensions. :)
i suggest attaching the shield to the barrel of a gun.. a vulcan seems like the most likely candidate....
ReplyDeleteattaching the shield to the bottom portion of a leg might be a possibility. When crouching, the shield will effectively cover most of the body and two hands are free to handle any weapon, even a vulcan. However, walking movements may become hindered.
ReplyDeleteIn american english, "boot" would be "trunk".
ReplyDeleteI did this with a big plastic tupperware tray and it worked just fine too!
ReplyDeleteThis might work:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Everything-Storage-Boot-Tray/dp/B000KFXPK2/ref=pd_sbs_op_2
If not, there are others on Amazon. Just keep looking!
use w/2 of the Nobrand semiautos
ReplyDeleteI wuz gonna put both straps on my forearm and then hold the vuncan normal BUT I CANT FIND A FOAM TRAY OR MAT OF AND KIND!!!!!:( :( :(
ReplyDeleteOne way i've found to use a nerf maverick with one hand is I take a wrist strap, the loop sort that comes with most fancy cameras, attaching it to the funny loop thing at the back of the maverick's slide, and sliding the wirst strap through a sling for a larger nerf gun, which normally allows it to hang freely to use other guns. i found that when it is crudely "holstered" in this fashion, you can sort of "push" the maverick away from your body, but as it is connected at the slide, it will prime it, using only one hand.
ReplyDeleteWould the hole that you see through be a common weakness?
ReplyDeleteie an accurate person could hit the face, or nose...or even someone behind you.
I made a shield from cardboard (two layers of thinck cardboard), the cardboard from the hole as handles (with glue and toy screws)
However, the key difference is that I put clear plastic over the hole to prtect the person's face.
P13c30fch33s3,
ReplyDeleteYup, i put a clear plastic sheet behind the window in all my foam shields too, its just not shown in the example i posted, though i mentioned it in Step 2 of the guide as an option (its up to users to customise it on their own). :)
A great weapon would be the new nerf barricade when it comes out for the shield
ReplyDeletewould you use this shield with ur modded barricade?
ReplyDeletethe new barricade is pistol sized, that and this shield will be awesome!
ReplyDeleteOMGitsDeeJay15,
ReplyDeleteYes, in fact many players in the Nerf games i attend use such shields with both their modded Nerf Stampedes and Barricades... highly effective!
Though those shield+blaster combinations tend to create very unfair advantages for players during games, so game organisers usually limit the number of players who can equip them or restrict their capabilities with special rules for better game balance.
Yeah, now the barricade is released, shields will really become the most have for any nerf battle!
ReplyDeleteI know how it will be hard, but I am planning to do a Light metal form of the shield, with a flappy view slot for more protection. How cool would that be?!?
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Riot shield!
ReplyDeleteHey SG Nerf,
ReplyDeleteWhere can you get that foam in the US?
DSU,
ReplyDeleteCheck at automotive accessory shops, they usually have foam mats for car boots/trunks available.
Is that what you put on the floor of your car for your feet? :O (At first I thought that was a metal tray.)
ReplyDelete0SomeGuy0,
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in the guide, its a car boot (aka trunk) foam tray. Its usually used to protect and help prevent items from sliding around in the boot/trunk.
What would the most effective weapon to side-wield with one of these, a Barricade or a Stampede? Because it seems that although a Barricade takes longer to reload and holds less darts, it's easier to aim with one hand as it's lighter.
ReplyDeleteFurygun81,
ReplyDeleteA compact and lightweight blaster that can be easily wielded with one hand would be most suitable, like a Barricade... though you could also use larger blasters too, just need strong forearms like popeye the sailor man. :)
A modded Speedswarm would work well if you had a shield.
ReplyDeleteI used a container top here is a picture of it,
ReplyDeletehttp://oi45.tinypic.com/29yi8g2.jpg
I will be painting it and adding the Nerf logo.
Size to the Vigilon it's very big.
Made of plastic so it wont break like foam.
The guard is tape on both sides I have not added arm parts yet. Any ideas?
i made one of these for airsoft with plywood and a sheet of plexiglass
ReplyDeleteThose are very clean cuts, what did you use?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
DeleteA pen knife + ruler. :)
I would use the new Hammershot as my pistol, only need one hand to cock it
ReplyDelete