i am a firm believer in my guns being functional over being pretty. i dont care how ugly my gun is if it helps me out shoot you. that being said, i do tend to build guns that atract lots of attention (im sure you guys have a photo thread here and will post up some pics soon), but they arent just looks they shoot on target and get lots of range (accurately). i am a minimalist when it comes to accessorizing my guns. if it doesnt need to be there for that game, it isnt on my gun, the same goes with my gear. i wont keep a peq or flashlight on the gun because it compleats the package and it makes it that lil bit lighter so that i can get my gun on target and hold it there longer. i have been playing alot of cqb lately and i will tell you the ability to keep your gun up or bring it up faster is sometimes the diff between a hit and a kill.
now im not saying that looks cant be as important as performance, to some people it is just as important. or they have gotten the performance to the level they are happy with and have decided to move on to the next level of their build.
and trust me i know that building a unique m4 platform can be almost impossible, but it doesnt realy have to totaly unique, it has to make you happy and perform its function properly. google, bing, (insert search engine title here) are your best friends in this area. use them to search for images of other peoples guns. here is where id like to touch on a not so garded secret. airsoft is pretty much 1:1 of their rs counter parts, there is a ton of stuff out there that is made for rs guns that no-one makes for airsoft and that will fit your gun. yes it is going to cost you more, sometimes even as much as/more than the gun cost you originaly. but if you realy do want something unique your going to have to pay. plus when they ask you what company makes that or what airsoft store you got it from you can tell them "thats not air soft, thats real.
i usualy start with a body i like, (i got several laying around the house that i have aquired over the years.) and try some of the rails i have laying around . stocks to me arent usualy something that i have to think about in terms of variety. lately i have been leaning towards the stuby stock, it lets me stay compact and yet still has plenty of battery space. it may not be fancy, but i have played whole weekend events without haveing to change/charge my battery (and im not easy on my stuff). after the body and stock are taken care of i try and decide what forgrip/ris/ras will flow with the lines of the gun, then you got to decide if the system has all the features and can hold the things that may want/need to use.
this turned out a lil longer than i had expected it to. sorry about that. i will end this by drop some pics of my recent builds. the lr300 is not finished yet, but the zombie killer is right where i want it.


in the end, it is all preference and what you want to do with the gun. i build my guns for me, im the one that get to look at them all day, i dont care if someone else likes it as long as i do.