My Bullpup Rapidstrike is my pride and joy, my primary blaster and probably my best mod. It combines the incredible performance of an overhauled Rapidstrike with the form factor of a slightly beefed up Rayven. Since it is such an important blaster to me, I thought it would be the most appropriate first mod post.
Backstory
Around mid-June this year, I got a set of Falcon 330 cm motors (Rhino 130s are basically the same and are currently available), an aftermarket motor that was one of the most popular at the time. They were put in one of my Rapidstrikes, and I powered them using a 3s LiPo (3-cell lithium polymer battery with maximum voltage 12.6V). It fired up at a very high velocity and produced darts of just under 10dps. I immediately knew that I wanted a full-auto for my superstock primary.
The bullpup (firing mechanism behind the trigger) is a design I have always loved. It looks great and bullpups tend to be shorter, which I love. The Rayven, Nerfs clip (mag-system) bullpup, has many internal problems that are particularly apparent when modding. Therefore, I decided to rebuild a Rapidstrike into a bullpup configuration.
The Bodywork
It was not an easy task to convert the Rapidstrike’s standard layout into a bullpup. Because I like the Rayven handle, I chose to use it. It is very comfortable and simplifies some of my work. Heres a progression of the bodywork I did for mine.
Stock gone, first cut, handle.
Fore-end taken, second cut.
Shaping up the Rayven handle, stage 1.
Shaping up the Rayven handle, stage 2.
Rayven handle stuck on.
Test fit with all the internal bits.
Moving the carry handle.
Gluing on the carry handle.
For the main joints, I used a mixture of epoxy putty and 5 minute epoxy with 3 day epoxy reinforcement. Non-load bearing joins are usually done with just 5 minute epoxy. This combination of adhesives has been quite effective, its survived several events with significant use, with no sign of failing.
(Mostly) Completed Bullpup Rapidstrike
Bodywork was the most difficult part of the mod. This is because of all the fitting and curing of adhesives. Ive done enough electrical mods to become fairly proficient with Rapidstrike overhauls, so the internals were not too big a deal. I used the same Falcon 130s, 3s LiPo and Falcon 130s from the previous Rapidstrike. I then redid the interior with Blade 180s and a larger 2,s LiPo.
All the functional internals in.
Each internal part in.
3s LiPo stored in stock piece
Better look at the LiPo and cable.
How stock slots into the blaster.
All together.
Switches to be handled
A look at the mess under the pusher box.
The pusher is wired up with Falcon 130
A closer look at the fire control switch + mess.
Naturally with all the cutting and moving of parts, a lot of gaps were made in the shell. Heres all of the major gaps and how I patched them up.
Handle gap from removing thumbhole stock.
Carry handle moving can cause a cheek rest hole.
Hole from the old handle.
New screw port in an otherwise screwportless area.
This is next to a standard Rapidstrike.
Heres the Bullpup RS next to a standard Rapidstrike, its about the same length as a stock retracted, fore-endless RS. Naturally the centre of mass of the Bullpup is much further back compared to a regular RS.
Next to an Elite Rayven.
Heres the Bullpup next to my Elite Rayven (a rare commodity in Australia). It is only slightly longer but almost twice as heavy at almost twice the weight.
Left side
Right side.
Looking towards the front.
Sling point at the front.
Sling point at the back.
With 18 clip (mag), EPPS.
With Retal barrel, Tac Scope, 25 drum.
With Spectre barrel, EPPS, 12 Rebelle clip (mag).
Bullpup RS has 3 tac rails, accepts barrel extensions and has a tacticool capability similar to a Rayven.
Alterations
I have made many modifications to the Bullpup since completion of the main project. I’ll detail each one here.
Motor cover for a new motor.
While Falcon 130s are very popular for general use motors, I find that theyre not great for pusher control duty. Sometimes, if I pull the trigger to stop firing, the pusher may fire an additional dart or two. This is likely due to Falcons not having enough torque. Additionally, I wanted just a little faster ROF because I play far too many video games with fast firing weapons. I decided to try an FK180PH-3050 motor, which is slightly faster than a Falcon, but has 2.5 times the torque. The problem with the -3050 was its slightly longer length, which required a hole to be made in the shell and then a cover to be placed over it. I found the -3050 to be superior. It is faster, but it has better pusher control. I can fire 2 dart bursts very consistently and repeatedly.
Cleared out carry handle aperture
The old front tactical rail was preventing me from fitting my hand through the handle. A few minutes with a saw and some hot glue fixed that.
Second clip (mag) stabilising bracket (the green one).
I found that the old 18 dart clips (mags) (of which I have a lot) tend to wiggle a fair bit in some of the Elite flywheelers, and the Bullpup RS was no exception. I used the bracket that came with the sacrificial Rayven to fix it higher in the magwell. This helps to reduce clip (mag), wiggle quite a bit.
MOSFET includes all necessary accessories
MOSFET and extras all crammed into the mess.
New master killswitch.
At one particular Melbourne HvZ event, the pusher decided to go full runaway, I believe due to a stuck switch.
This was only stoppable by disconnecting the LiPo and then hitting the blaster trying to release the switch, which took a few minutes. This would have been greatly simplified if there was a killswitch that disconnected the LiPo without having to remove it. A regular switch would not work as the blaster draws up to 40A. This is a large current and would require a larger switch to manage properly. Instead, I used a MOSFET, an electrically controlled switch capable of handling quite high currents. Although this made wiring more complicated and added to the mess of wires. However, I was able choose any killswitch that I wanted since the MOSFET handles the switching.
Only one thing remains to be done: paint. The Bullpup RS is unpainted as you can see. This makes it look odd with all the epoxy joints and the green Rayven handle. Among other things, I havent yet picked a colour scheme for it, and havent checked out the paints that I can get nearby. Honestly I might not get around to painting it for quite a long time, Ill be doing a lot of practice on spare parts to make sure I dont screw it up on the Bullpup RS. For now though, its functionally complete and works really well. Ive used it in Melbourne HvZ events, as well as my own games with friends, and in all cases its performed admirably, no different to a regular Rapidstrike.
