Sometimes, people stop me on the street and ask, "You look like a guy who knows where to get some guns for my secret mercenary group, do you have any recommendations?" I always point them towards Marauder Gun Runners because of their fast, reliable service. You won't have to worry about your shipment of bazookas coming in late and missing your tank-wrecking mission, with Marauder, you're in safe knife-wielding hands.

Name: Maurauder Guns
Manufacturer: Marauder Gun Runners
Released: 2009
Scale: 3.75 in.

Overview

There are two types of weapons you can buy from Marauder, the "awesome" kind, and the "more awesome" kind, "awesomer", if you will. You've got your standard AK-47s and 9mms, and then you have your funkier options like the Auto-9 and Deluxe NVR Rifle. The NVR is a "modular" weapon, able to be modified with different bits of equipment. You can put a freakin' chainsaw on it, now that's just plain cool. The bits and bobs attach securely through the use of pegs and holes. All the weapons have sharp detailing, even the suitcase and smaller items like scopes and sights look slick, I don't know how Marauder can make such fine weapons and keep the costs so low. Hasbro's weapons tend to be more simplified and slightly larger to accomodate a figure's grip, while Maurauder's guns are more accurate in detail and are the right size through-out. And a quick note, if you're going to use these weapons with your customs, make sure you do some light sanding on these weapons first. Many of them have sharp angles that may scratch your paint-jobs, so make sure your custom can handle the wear and tear.

A solid chunk of the guns have interesting features, specific to the particular weapon. The Combat Shotgun has detachable slugs, the FAMAS has a functional bipod (it can fold back), one of the rifles even has a foldable shoulder-stock, a ton of the rifles have removeable magazines, there are so many neat features scattered across all these pieces! If you want a closer look at any of the features, drop by the Marauder shop for large clear pictures, and a detailed description, of each individual gun!

Durability

I have enough weapons here that breaking one won't phase me one bit, and I'm pleased to report that my mild efforts to destroy one were unsuccessful. Even stepping on some of the lankier guns, like the AUG77, didn't break them, but do take care with items like the MGL. Weapons that have thin extended parts are obviously more likely to break under stress, but everyday handling won't do any harm. Even the small pistols are rugged, these are durable weapons, fit for the roughest soldiers on Earth. I heard Chuck Norris wears Maurader-guns on his key-chain. The keys are purely ornamental of course because Chuck Norris doesn't use keys to open doors, he destroys them with a round-house kick instead.

Packaging

Your weapons will be shipped to you in a plain padded yellow packet, with a FRAGILE sticker for good measure. Don't be worried that the package will be detained because the return-address will read "GUN RUNNERS", there's nothing sinister about it. "Marauder GR" is the name placed, your mail-carrier will just think it's one of your weirdo pen-pals.

I was surprised to see that each weapon is individually wrapped! There are, like, a million little baggies in each order, where do they get these things? You can think of them as a bonus, storage to keep the loose bits and pieces from your G.I. Joe customs organized. The baggies aren't there just to annoy you, many of the weapons have "modular" parts, meaning you can remove scopes and ammo clips, among other things, and the baggies keep everything with it's proper weapon. This is great for gun-newbies like me who wouldn't be able to tell a red-dot sight from a stick-grenade, much less what weapon to mount it on. If you ever lose any bits or just want a drawer full of silencers, you can always order more separately!

Honestly, I don't know what half of these weapons are called, and I have limited knowledge of the other half from reading Punisher: Armory a few years ago, so I appreciate the included list of weapons outlining what each set contains. You also get a mini instruction sheet on how to assemble the more complex weapons, like the Gatling Mini-Gun. This larger weapon in particular has unique pegs so you can more or less guess how to assemble it properly. The M249 SAW has ammo cases that attach to it with similar pegs.

Value

The super-cheap worldwide shipping alone ($1.45 US) will save you a ton of green if you're outside the US, and the Value Sets Marauder offers will have you giddy. Sets like the 6-Man Assault Team Special and Army Builder are incredible buys. The "modular" weapons are slightly more expensive, maybe because they take more work to manufacture. Whatever gun or suitcase or rocket you choose, you're guaranteed a sound investment. Ordering from Marauder is the perfect way to uniformly arm your armies for much less than you'd expect to pay for such high-quality items.

As you'll read in the quick Q&A below, Marauder takes requests! If there is enough interest in a weapon, they will produce it for the masses. Stuff I'd like to see is entire belts of ammo, more iconic weapons from comics and movies, more kinds of knives, the craziest fucking thing they can think of to attach to the modular rifles, and they're already working on the Redheaded wigs so I won't bring those up anymore. Heh.

 95 / 100 - This is a Wonderful Toy Accessory

The pricing is great, the quality even better, and they ship anywhere for practically nothing, you can't ask for a better deal. It's also important to note, Marauder sells more mundane accessories for your figures in the form of tables, barriers, vests, berets, lockers, even bunk beds! Don't delay, show your troops how much you love them today! 

Quick Questions with MJ from Marauder Gun Runners

AD: Because I love asking the tough questions, there's a disclaimer on your site's About Me page that reads "These items are not reproductions of any existing product line". The question of course is how did you folks make the molds for your weapons? What was the drive behind Marauder Inc.?

MJ: The entire Marauder project came from "need." Like most collectors, we have a favorite weapon or accessory to use with our figures. But if you are an "army builder", finding enough of a particular weapon for your needs (and at a REASONABLE price) was always a challenge. The same supply/price issues applied if you just wanted to "upgrade" or "replace" a particular weapon for a single (or custom) figure. So we thought if we are having these problems, maybe there are other action figure enthusiasts experiencing the same need. Luckily, our items have been accepted by large numbers of our fellow 3-3/4" collectors.
      Like all "Gun-Runners" we're not too vocal about behind the scenes details, but we don't carry items that are "castings" or "reproductions" of any other existing item available in 1:18 scale. Our plan was (and is) to carry affordable 1:18 scale weapons & gear that "resemble" real world weaponry or sci-fi "type" gear, are accurate scale, detailed and sturdy. The collector can use the original items issued with their 1:18 scale figures and now also have the option of using our items.

AD: The plastic sleeves for each weapon in Series 2 seem to be machine-sealed, while the later Series are ziplock-type baggies. What was the reason for the change in packaging? Where are your weapons manufactured, is this a home-based business? The prices for your products are very reasonable.

MJ: We are in the process of switching to "all" ziploc bags. This allows the user to "reuse" the bags and organize the accessories as needed (zipper seal bags are one of the greatest inventions...anyone who has received a package from us can verify our passion for ziploc bags!).

AD: What has the overall interest been for you guys to make 6-inch scale weapons? Would the prices still be low if you made them?

MJ: We do get some requests for 1:8 to 1:12 scale accessories (those for 8 inch to 6 inch figures), but the overwhelming requests are for 1:18 scale gear (thsoe items for 3-3/4" & 4" action figures). If we are able to branch out into other scales, accessories for 6 inch figures are top candidates. The items would be a little more expensive than the smaller scale, but would try to keep them in line with our current prices. 

AD: It takes a juicy brain to remember all the codes and names for every weapon you have in-stock, are any of the Marauder crew ex-military? Who decided what weapons to make for the 5 current series?

MJ: ALL our items come from SUGGESTIONS from our fellow collectors. With each Series (we have had 5 so far), we take requests and incorporate them into the final selections. The amount of weapon knowledge from the 1:18 scale action figure collector community is AMAZING! While we do work with some weapon experts (have several "Real life" Navy Seals & Army Rangers on our reference board), we are proud to say that our customers are our most valuable resource. We are very grateful for the acceptance we've received from the 1:18 action figure collector and value their support.

Our "Gun-Running" goals are simple:
-Try to provide what our fellow collectors WANT.
-Keep prices AFFORDABLE (not just product prices, but a low $1.45 flat shipping rate for ALL orders).
-Overwhelming APPRECIATION to our customers & supporters.

Take care!
MJ

And remember, AD readers get a FREE WEAPON of their choice with their order!

Also, here's an older interview I thought was a good read: Joe Battlelines Interview with Marauder Inc.

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