Behind the Scenes Repainting my Outlaws

Foam blasting is such an incredible hobby, with so many different niches that most people outside the community never even think of. Sure, performance mods like removing air restrictors or upgrading springs are fairly common knowledge. However, my passion has always been on the artistic side—bringing a whole new life to the blasters I love through custom painting. I’ve always been obsessed with post-apocalyptic settings, and the Dart Zone Max Outlaw just screamed "post-apocalyptic cowboy" to me. My mind was made up, but the challenge was set: how could I customize my favorite blaster to look gritty, weathered, and battle-worn, while still keeping enough bright safety colors intact?

Stock image from Dart Zone's website, and the color I had for my Outlaws before painting.

With any project like this, the first crucial step is completely taking apart the blaster. The absolute second the shell comes apart, I always take a quick reference photo. Anyone who has ever modified a blaster knows the exact horror of having a tiny, rogue spring fling itself across the room into the void. Having a visual map ensures I know exactly how everything is meant to go back together once the project is finished.|

While disassembly isn't the hardest part of the process, it is 100% mandatory. I refuse to just spray paint over a fully assembled toy. Doing that blocks up the internal tracks, gums up the triggers, and will easily cause my favorite blaster to completely stop functioning.

Once the internals are safely set aside, the most important "invisible" work begins: prepping the plastic. If you want a paint job that actually lasts, you can't skip this. I gently sand the entire plastic shell to give the surface some "tooth," which allows the paint to bond permanently. Finally, I lay down a high-quality primer coat to lock everything in before the real artistic rendering begins.

Here is the image I had, though parts had come a bit out of place, I had the general idea for it.

Now for my absolute favorite part: bringing the vision to life through paint. This is a process you simply cannot rush. To build genuine tone and depth, you have to take your time and let every single layer cure.

With the Outlaw shell taken apart and primed grey, I start with a solid black base coat. From there, I apply three separate layers of hand-dry brushing using graduating shades of silver—using less and less paint as I work my way up to the brightest metallic highlights. To keep it looking grounded, I go back in with a thinned black oil wash. I apply this specifically to areas that got a bit too bright, or where real-world firearm grease and grime would naturally build up if the weapon wasn't maintained correctly.

Here is the base blasters after the weathering was done on them drying before I clear coated them for the second time.

Next come the bright hazard stripes. To make the yellow pop while still looking weathered, I use a multi-stage undercoating technique involving white and pink to map out where the natural shadows should fall. After spraying the bright yellow and taping off the lines, I lay down thin layers of black.

The final paint step is the hand-weathering and rust effects. I meticulously place these rust details by hand, focusing on the crevices and low-wear areas where moisture would naturally collect and sit undisturbed. To ensure all this hard work doesn't chip away the first time it gets taken to a game, I lock the entire shell down with three separate layers of a high-grade matte clear coat. After completing the paint and reassembling the blaster, I looked at it and felt like it was still lacking that final, definitive apocalyptic touch. It needed something extra to break up the plastic profiles.

I started researching real-world images of post-apocalyptic prop weapons and realized that cloth wrapping was a massive and overlooked part of the genre. But I ran into an issue: how could I add a realistic cloth wrap while maintaining the absolute functionality and grip comfort of the blaster?

The community on Reddit came to my rescue with a the answer: hockey cloth tape. It’s designed to take a suffer the use on a hockey stick, provides an incredible grip in a much higher energy sport. Most importantly—it can be weathered with paint just like any other fabric. I wrapped the handles and strategic sections of the shell, then went back in with my brushes to give the tape a heavily stained, worn, and filthy look.

The pair of my outlaws done, I left the orange untouched for safety. I want people to know its still a toy and not a real firearm!

With my vision realized and safety kept front and center, I just have to finish the cylinders to ensure at least 50% of the blaster stays nice and bright, keeping it well within most states' safety protocols. Moving forward, I want to offer this level of love and customization to others in the hobby who might not have the time to go through this intense process themselves. This was truly a labor of love, and it honestly took way more time than I initially anticipated! It isn't meant to be a factory stamped-out product; it’s a tailored piece of artwork for those who love this hobby just as much as I do. For me, this is the ultimate post-apocalyptic cowboy pistol. Next up, I'll be working on a matching Vulture for my cosplay, completely inspired by everything I learned on this project.

Just remember: when you're getting a hand-embellished blaster from me or any other creator, you aren't just buying a toy. You're paying for careful, meticulous labor and a truly one-of-a-kind build. While it might not actually help your aim, it is guaranteed to dominate the battlefield with turned heads checking out your amazing, functional artwork!