This week we met up with Dru Elliott from X-Force

The mad modder himself, one of Australia's top professional modder opens up on tools, advice and other things from his workbench.

Landm9 interviews an industry insider to get it right for you.

We were lucky enough to snag an interview with the mad modder Dru Elliott from X-Force Tactical Gel Blasters. His workbench abilities are widely known but this humble man still has a trick or two for every blaster that fails a player. We hit him with ten questions about modding and the industry as he sees it.

1. What drew you to Gel Ball?

I'm a closet gun nut (in theory not practice) and I knew of Airsoft for a while, also knowing it was off limits here in Australia. I saw some pics on a friends Facebook page - I asked him about them and his description captivated me. I knew at that specific moment I had found my new hobby.

2. Do you get out to play? How often?

I live part time very close to where I work, things were getting monotonous and around the same time Morgan from Guerilla Blasters relocated his field and kicked off with mid week games. Now that I've had a few, it is becoming ritual, however prior to this I did try to get out once a month at least. I'm actually on my way home from a full day at Donnybrook field with my kids.

3. As a professional modder and repairer for Gel Blasters, what was your hardest job?

The trickiest job I've had - I had an AS gearbox from one manufacturer and then convert it to Gel Ball, then put it into a receiver from another when there were no off the shelf parts for the endless amount of combinations I faced when putting it together.

4. If you could, what would be an ideal workbench? What tools do you recommend?

I would ideally have three or four workbenches - Assembly, Grinding / Metal work, Electrics and Paint. Why four work benches you ask? To keep contamination to a minimum and save time on clearing one workbench for different tasks.

5. Do you have a favourite blaster model you have worked on? Conversely, what was the worst case you had to fix?

Hmm, a favourite most likely would be the JM Gen 9. Plain to look at while stock doesnt take much to make them look spiffy, the gearboxes respond so well with a little tickle. The ones that are a pain in the arse are: LDT 416, Wells M4, RX AK. LDT gearboxes are too soft and flex and the nozzle seal on the cylinder head is beyond woeful.

Wells M4 needs adapters to do anything to change their appearance and they also have a poor excuse for a gearbox - poor tolerances on the piston guides, no O-Ring on the cylinder head and plastic bushes on the intermediate and sector gear. I mean, ffs, who on earth thinks highly of that is beyond me.

6. What are your Do's and Don'ts for Gel Blaster maintenance?

Get in and have a go, worst case scenario is that you can't reassemble it. There are shops around that can do it. As a rough guide for things to look for: Uneven pinion gear wear caused by incorrect meshing height.

If the pinion is worn, then so will the bevel gear.

Reverse latch spring tension.

Reverse latch guide.

Gear shaft to bush tolerances, you don't want to be gung ho about this particular issue.

Bearings need to have no slapping or play.

Check piston teeth for uneven wear, caused from bad AOE, worn guides.

Check nozzle play, once again we don't want to be throwing sausages down hallways.

For peace of mind, every time you open the gearbox, replace the main spring, piston O-Ring and tappet return spring. For the casual player, this should be every 2-3 months depending on level of mods installed. Speed ballers should be doing this after every meet.

7. What is on the horizon for Gel Blasters in general? Are there any specific models that industry insiders know are coming?

Yes there are some in the works but I'm not at liberty to say, however it is public knowledge that X-Force is working on bringing a gel ball pulse rifle to Australia.

8. What do you personally equip with when you get out on the field?

From head to toe - Boonie hat, eye protection, tube scarf, plaid longsleeve shirt. I also wear a Mars Ciras Plate carrier with 7 mags, radio, flashlight. 3L hydration pack.

Battle belt carrying mag dump pouch, first aid kit and 4 more mags.

5.11 belt and 5.11 pants with built in kneepads.

Thick wool blend socks along with 8" high ankle protected boots, mechanic black and tan original gloves.

9. How do you see the industry moving forward into the second half of the year?

I think we will see making people more accountable for their actions in regard to public nuisance and alarm and hopefully a permit system to own after a firearm safety course.

10. What grinds your gears? Why?

Guys who try to reinvent the wheel, long nosed smg's, snub nosed carbines, drum mags.