There I was, on Christmas Morning, armed with a single weapons platform that had the ability to fire grenades, rounds of multiple sizes and varieties. I acquired my targets through my long-range optical scope. I controlled my breathing and squeezed the trigger. One enemy down. As his brother moved toward my position, I fired a grenade in his vicinity. It missed. As he moved closer, I fired the larger round at him and hit center mass. Both high value targets were eliminated. As I descended the stairs, I thought to myself, “…this Nerf gun is pretty cool. I wonder why a weapon that is so versatile is not being developed and used downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

On Christmas morning, many children found Nerf guns under their trees. One series that sold very well this season was the Nerf Modulus. The Modulus is an adaptable weapon that can users can attach forward hand grips, optical sights, different buttstocks, long barrels, etc. If modified correctly, the Modulus could resemble an M4 Carbine rifle that is used downrange.

The basic Modulus fires Nerf Elite Darts. Other Nerf weapons fire Mega Darts. The difference between the Elite darts and the Mega darts is about the same difference between the 5.56m round and the 7.62m round. One modification fires a single “Mega Missile” that looks, in part, like it was based on the grenade that fires out of an M203. One modification that was experimented with in my living room (I cannot say if it was the author or the children) fired Elite Darts, fed from a high-capacity magazine, out of a long barrel with the aid of a long-range scope.

Over the past 5-10 years, Nerf users have modified their guns to resemble military style weapons. While not endorsing modification of their products, Hasbro (Nerf’s manufacturer) drew upon these military-style modifications to create new products. The design of the M4 Carbine allows the user to modify the weapon with relative ease. The Nerf Modulus’s selling point is the add-ons, with different kits retailing for an average of $24.99. Nerf has obviously looked to the military for inspiration in designing their products.

Isn’t time that designers and engineers at places like Colt and Heckler and Koch start looking at Nerf and developing a weapon that can fire different sized rounds? Imagine having a lightweight weapons platform that can act as an M4, an M203 or MK 19, and a Kalashnikov?

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