the enigma that is badger

All the questions about color you had are hard to answer for the moment, but Will does have some neat plans when it comes to expanding the color options for BrickArms accessories, both for these new items and BrickArms accessories already available. That said, both solid and trans-colors are very likely. Will's molder can perfectly match any TLG color, including trans-shades, so Will's got a very large palette to pick from! No, overmolding is still a labor-intensive process that is very prone to failure. However, making these items in solid colors (both opaque and trans) is no more difficult compared to other BrickArms items. No, given that overmolding is difficult to produce on any large scale. He might be able to do some for convention specials, but beyond that, the multi-color overmolded items aren't likely ever to be made widely available. With BrickArms continuing to expand at a fantastic rate, Will needed to trim down a few of the pack offerings. Please keep in mind that each pack sold by BrickArms is hand-sorted by Will and his family, and between managing the day-to-day operations of the BrickArms business as well as developing new accessories, Will is a very busy person.

Current BrickArms grenades: M67 Frag Grenades M84 Stun Grenades: New BrickArms Frag Grenade Design: I'd argue with the new Frag Grenade design, Will's brought something very new to the table with its segmented look. Whatever name it ends up with in the end, it'll be an exciting new addition to the BrickArms line-up for any fan of things that go "boom!" As for a plasma grenade, the new Frag Grenade will most likely be available in trans-light blue. Does that work you? badger

As the segmented-detailing of this design made it much more reminiscent of the classic fragmentation grenade design, Will decided to rename the item to better reflect its overall look. Like their designs, the names of prototypes are also always subject to change! badger

Very nice work! I'm a huge fan of Mr. Fleming's creation, and I like what you've done with existing TLG parts to make these characters. If you want to spare 3P0 and plan on making a BrickArms purchase in the near future, you can always shoot Will Chapman a nice email explaining your love of Bond and politely ask to see if this Limited Edition item be included with your order: badger

The BA Gunblade design is still being worked on. Will does have some neat ideas on improving that accessory, and he does still plan to make it somehow available for direct purchase. How and when this would occur is still in development. badger

One more great design for you folks to check out: the BrickArms Alien Plasma Grenade! badger

While Will is hard at work getting many of the great prototypes you've seen showcased the past few months ready for mass production, he's still working on exciting new designs as well! Two new items he's just unveiled: the BrickArms Alien Energy Pistol and BrickArms Alien Energy Sword! Alien Energy Pistol: *Seen here in the hand of the BrickArms custom Chief minifig who also is wielding the BrickArms Needle Gun* Alien Plasma Blade: *Ditto!* Both these items are planned for mass production although the design and colors of the final accessories will likely differ from what it presented here. The Alien Energy Pistol will be a solid color(s) for mass production (although special, multi-colored versions might show up at conventions!) and the Energy Sword will most likely be available in at least one trans-color! The BrickArms Needle Gun is also planned for mass production, again as a solid-colored item. Like all prototypes, when these great new accessories are available for direct purchase on the BrickArms website has yet to be determined. Enjoy! badger

True, but then everyone knows what happens when you bring a gun to a knife fight! Hopefully some of the new Castle items Will has in the pipeline will interest you! badger

Just made a phone call and my order should be on the way shortly! Sure, I could have saved some $ on shipping by waiting, but what's the fun in that? <Shudders at the idea of a group of AFOL Pirate fans unleashed on a BAM display with shakos floating around in it. > Two words: feeding frenzy! badger

Definitely added to my "Must Buy" list. Great new suit torsos (which perfectly match my black-and-white color scheme faction!), neat builds on the cars, and useful accessories (nuts to you, black Krylon spray-painted Indy fedora!) Yeah, a minifig-compatible "Chicago typewriter" style Tommy gun would be great, wouldn't it? But I mean, who would ever do something like that? badger

Since you dug the Derringer so much, here's a better shot of it!: For such a tiny item, Will's packed a ton of great detail into it. badger

If you mean the Colt Navy, keep in mind that the real-life Colt Navy revolver was a very, very large pistol. The 1851 model that the BA Colt Navy Revolver is based on was over 14 inches long! That actually makes the Colt Navy longer than the Auto-9 prop (which measured 12")! As such, Will has scaled the Colt Navy accordingly. Will does have plans for the slot that's found in both the MG42 and the Mk48 (they're identical). He did try a solid injected belt which can be seen here: However, that item required custom injection with a more flexible type of plastic (obtained from Bionicle parts) and as such, isn't something Will could ever mass produce. Still, Will added those slots to the designs of those LMGs for a reason, and all I can see if keep watching BrickArms to see how Will plans to fill them! badger

"So, he thinks he can send back his steak and get away with it? I'll show him what "well-done" really means!" Neat fig, and glad to hear you enjoyed your BrickArms! badger

I'm not sure how to respond to "sluggish" as that means "slow moving." If a Bayonet started moving across my desk of its own will, I'd be less concerned about its design and more worried about getting Dr. Peter Venkman on the phone for a consult! Part of the problem might be that macrophotography (what I've used to get clear, close pics of these tiny items) tends to distort the accessory somewhat. Basically speaking, it makes everything look much, much fatter and shorter than it really is. However, that type of photography does bring out all the details in an accessory, so it's the gold-standard for getting good shots of items on the minifig scale. Still, I assure you that this item has the design you're looking for: long and skinny. I think part of the issue is that it has a triangular cross-section, as the period spike bayonets that inspired it do as well. The base of the spike is triangle-shaped with the points of the triangle coming together at the tip of the bayonet. This means that from some angles, the bayonet appears much thicker than it really is. This is the case for real-life bayonets and the BrickArms bayonet accessory. You are correct that Will has stylized the item a bit, but that's simply to make it fit into the minifig accessory aesthetic which is based more on caricature then an exactly likeness. Some details are accentuated, while others are lost on the small scale and simple, stylized look. It is a versatile little item, isn't it! As that item is still in the prototype phase, it's a bit too early to talk about how Will is going to offer them for sale. Still, given how useful that item could be for many different applications, there is a very good chance you'll be able to pick it up separately. badger

The BrickArms Bayonet is perfectly in scale with all other BrickArms accessories as well as those of TLG. Here's a good image of a spike bayonet with a Brown Bess Musket: As can be seen in the pics in the first post of this thread, Will's maintained this scale with the BA Bayonet. Nope, not at all. The U-Clip connector piece has a very tight grip (equal to or great that than of a fig's hand) on the accessory, and the bayonet itself snaps tightly into the clip as well. Goodness-of-fit is something Will is very, very sensitive to in his designs, and every BrickArms accessory is specifically designed and tests to make sure all parts of the item that should snap into a fig's hand do so snugly. Well, I personally think just the bayonet itself makes for a neat stiletto knife (or shiv). Still, the production version of the U-Clip will be made from the same high-quality, durable ABS plastic that TLG uses to produce their products. It might be small, but the U-Clip, like all BrickArm items, can stand up to heavy play. As for the Bayonet, the blade itself is quite sturdy, and it's very unlikely it would break unless you specifically meant to do so. Quality control, scale, and item durability are all aspects of a BrickArms accessory's design that get especially close attention. badger

Glad to hear you like the Rapier! In terms of when these items will be released, it's hard to say. It's a long road to go from concept to prototype to production mold, and while the designs of many of these items have been finalized, some need a bit more work before they're ready for mass production. While Will works hard to finish designs in a timely fashion, he's also very busy with running the day-to-day operations of BrickArms (those orders don't pack themselves!) as well as handling his responsibilities to his family. Also, even when the designs are finalized and sent to professional tooler to cut the steel production molds, delays can occur if aspects of the mold aren't up to Will's standards. Perfecting a mold can be a time consuming (and frustrating) process, but the continued high-quality of all BrickArms accessories is a testament to Will's keen eye and attention to detail. As soon as I have updates, I'll be sure and let you folks know! badger

Definitely not. Prototypes are generally made by Will using whatever plastic he has on hand. For that Rapier, I'd guess it was a mix of black ABS and silver "Bionicle" (more flexible) plastic. "Bionicle" plastic (Will's still not quite sure what exact kind of plastic TLG uses) is flexible, but doesn't look nearly as shiny nor does it hold detailing as well as ABS. For the production items, expect crisp, clean, shiny items in solid ABS. As for colors, definitely silver and perhaps bley and black. Still, the colors are every much in flux right now and is definitely subject to change in the future. badger

Some BrickArms favorites, bayoneted . . . in a good way! Actually, that last one is a bit of a cheat as the end of the Lee-Enfield is a bit too skinny for the U-Clip to attach to as-is. However, if you squeeze the clip gently (like you would to restore a tightness to a minifig's hand after its held an accessory of awhile), it snaps right on and stays! Response Indeed it would! Still, Will's got alot on his plate right now, but believe me, should these first forays into more historical items prove popular, rest assured Will has a few other things in mind! badger

That's just something fun Will threw together to compliment the M2019 pistol. I honestly don't know Will's plans for that one, although I don't recall him ever saying he'd take it to mass production. Slightly more likely is that it'll be included with a BrickArms custom "Android Hunter" custom minifig if he ever decides to do one. Unfortunately, no. Prototypes are only produced for testing purposes and given to fans and supporters of BrickArms at conventions. The "free item" included with an order is usually an existing BA accessory in a special color . . . like the new dark-gold pieces that Will just received! Ah, there's a difference between concept pieces and prototypes. Prototypes are much further down the design process and usually are fairly close to what the final product is going to be. Concept pieces are rough sketches of future ideas that may or may not be something Will chooses to pursue. Examples are the double-barrel shotgun and both ammo chains displayed at BrickCon (single piece injected with flexible plastic and a multi-part chain held together with clips). Still, if an idea makes it to the "concept piece" stage, chances are its something that's on Will's mind. All I can say is keep watching BrickArms for future updates! badger

Indeed it should! Sorry, so many great new items to post, that one managed to slip through the cracks! Like the above picture shows, the chamber is completely removable and clippable onto any other grippable item. The barrel of the accessory is also wide enough to add a BrickArms monopod to badger

Much appreciated! Still, I can't stress enough these aren't my customs; they're entirely the work of Will Chapman! I do pitch in with design ideas and critiques, but all of the actual work designing, prototyping, and bringing the accessories to market is all the work of Will. He's the truly the magic behind BrickArms! Of course, the power behind the throne is his youngest son, Ian. He's the real authority of BA! Will was a bit hesitant to leap into non-WWII and modern firing weapons at first. However, when the Combat Knife, Machete, and Dadao turned out so well and the fan feedback on those items was so positive, that only encouraged him to do more. That, and the wonderful response we got in this forum when we asked about Pirate-themed custom items didn't hurt one bit! I was a strong advocate for a bayonet, and all the requests for one gave me alot of pull when I brought the idea to Will Bottom line - if you dig these items, let us know! Molds are being worked on right now, and there's always future accessories to think about! badger

Yes, that is the plan. As to when they'll be available separately, it's hard to say. They'll need to be part of a production mold, and Will is still working on filling one or two of those right now. No, the M21 and the previous sniper rifle offered by BrickArms are quite different from one another such that both could easily have places in the BA line-up. As for why that older sniper isn't available right now, the only thing I can say is that it is due to issues beyond Will's control. If you could offer it, believe me, he would. Hang tight and keep you eye on BrickArms for the time being. badger

Certainly! Measuring, the BA rapier is only about 4mm longer than the TLG cutlass. As the real-life cutlass was a short-sword and the rapier was a comparatively longer weapon, this puts the BA weapon in appropriate scale with other minifig accessories. I don't have a rubber band to test it, but hold the sword to the side of the fig, the blade looks perfectly natural. Believe me, we test and retest every prototype before we display them, and the length of the rapier was a part of the design everyone at BrickArms (especially Damien, our resident bladed-items expert) paid close attention to. That is a neat idea, but it doesn't quite fit into what Will is currently working on - bladed and modern weaponry - none of which works in the brown color. We'll see what the future holds for BrickArms down the road! badger

Some great new prototypes from BrickArms that were displayed at BrickCon. MG42 LMG: Derringer Pistol: Colt Navy Pistol: Bazooka: Explosive Rocket Round: Longsword: Paintball Marker: More images of all the great new prototypes can be found here. But that's not all . . . . I did promise the Pirate fans something, didn't I? Like all prototypes, the designs and colors of the items are subject to change in the final production items. The release date of these items also has yet to be determined yet, but rest assured, you'll read about it here when they're available! badger

Because you Pirate fans demanded them! Rapier: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You steal my BrickArms. Prepare to die." Removable Bayonet: The BrickArms Bayonet is made up of two parts: the Spike Bayonet and the U-Clip ("U" for universal as it can clip to darn near everything!). Removed from the clip, the Spike Bayonet makes for a great thin dagger . . . or a shiv! The U-Clip also has many, many potential uses as it can used to attach any two minifig-grippable items together. Here, I've used it to add a BrickArms Combat Knife to the BrickArms M4 for a more modern take of high-seas piracy: Like all prototypes, the designs and colors of the items are subject to change in the final production items. The release date of these items also has yet to be determined yet, but rest assured, you'll read about it here when they're available! badger