A man in the US has broken a world record by taking our favourite childhood toy and supersizing it.
Introducing the world's largest Nerf gun.
As a huge fan of the toy brand, Michael Pick from Huntsville, Alabama, decided to take the Nerf N-Strike Elite Longshot CS-6 model and make it 300 percent bigger.
What resulted is a 12ft 6in long beast weighing a whopping 200 pounds, a creation that inadvertently knocked previous Guinness World Record holder Mark Rober's 6ft Nerf gun from the top spot.
But getting to this point was no mean feat.
"The most challenging part of this build would have to be making the air system fit into the shell of the Nerf gun," Michael told Guinness World Records.
"Since my supersized build had to be exactly scaled to the standard Nerf gun, the space I had to work with was very limited. Nevertheless, I found a way to make everything fit."
As he demonstrated on his YouTube channel, Michael used his experience as a space software engineer to develop the model using computer-aided design.
Once he'd set it all out, he moved his design onto wood and began cutting out the shape of the gun. While a majority was made using plywood, Michael 3D printed the more complex parts.
Once the basic design was constructed, he then added the bells and whistles that made it look like an authentic Nerf gun.
Last but definitely not least, he then created the super sized 12 inch darts using a combination of PVC pipe, foam and 3D printed caps.
With a paintball tank and intricate system as the launching power, the darts can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.
At full capacity, the giant Nerf gun can shoot at 80 psi - with this power, the darts can easily smash through pumpkins, drywall and even concrete blocks.
Although this was supposed to just be a fun project, Michael managed to bag the world record in the process, something he said was the 'cherry on top'.
"It feels amazing! I've spent a lot of time and effort on this build, so earning a Guinness World Record title is a really nice way to end this project," he said.
Now the space software engineer has bagged one record, he's hoping to get another under his belt but is keeping the details on the down low for now. Watch this space.
Words: Daisy Phillipson
