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Crafter turns junk into sci-fi weaponry

He customizes Nerf guns into fantasy weapons

By Eric Schucht, Everett Herald
Published: August 15, 2022, 6:22pm
4 Photos
Josh Haazard stands inside his workspace, the HaazLab, where he creates a variety of cosplay props and other creative gadgets Aug. 4 at his home in Monroe.
Josh Haazard stands inside his workspace, the HaazLab, where he creates a variety of cosplay props and other creative gadgets Aug. 4 at his home in Monroe. (Photos by Ryan Berry /The Herald) Photo Gallery

MONROE — It’s called the Gramophozooka: A combination of PVC pipe, a gramophone horn, a safety cone, air duct parts, refrigerator parts and other bits and pieces put together to resemble a rocket launcher.

Can it fire projectiles? No, but hook it up to an air pump, pull the trigger and cover your ears as a foghorn noise blares out.

The Gramophozooka is one of the many creations of Joshamee “The Chief” Haazard, the nom de plume of Joshua Haas.

On his business card, Haazard, 40, describes himself as an “arms dealer and crafter of fine props, mods, gimmicks & general mayhem.”

To put it simply, he’s an artist who builds fantasy weapons.

Some of Haazard’s props are replicas of weapons from cartoons, like the Sword of Omens from “Thundercats” or Garnet’s Gauntlets from “Steven Universe.” Other pieces are original designs Haazard cobbled together from junk. He assembles battle axes, swords and other armaments from discarded appliances and scrap metal.

“It’s just a random bunch of assorted parts that I put together to make something fun,” Haazard said.

But Haazard’s bread and butter are customized Nerf guns he hand-paints to look like sci-fi weaponry. These he sells for $50 to $200 online on Etsy under the name Haazardous Laboratory, or HaazLab for short.

Previously, Haazard worked in retail before the COVID-19 pandemic. After the world went into lockdown, he decided to turn his side hustle into a full-time job and work from home. He’s been happier ever since.

He now spends his time crafting contraptions in his workshop: a barn previously owned by a hoarder. A gravel road leads up to the 5-acre property surrounded by the woods outside Monroe.

The barn inside looks like a superhero’s armory, brimming with gadgets and gizmos. Painted Nerf guns line one of the walls and a pirate-themed battle ax hangs from the ceiling. It’s quiet, except for the sound of 40 clucking hens Haazard’s wife, Nikki Haas, raises in the back yard.

Haazard sits at his work table, distinguished by the blue-dyed streak down his burly beard and the words “imagination” and “science” tattooed across his arms.

The barn also houses Haazard’s side projects, like a metallic gauntlet he made out of a hockey glove, an old mobility scooter dressed up as a riverboat and a helmet with a spinning propeller on top inspired by “Inspector Gadget.”

About 60 percent of Haazard’s prop weapons are original designs he hopes will catch the eye of a potential customer browsing his Etsy shop.

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