Category: blaster

TOY REVIEW: VMD Cannon Commando – Skyrocket Toys



BASIC STATS:

  • 16 shot turret
  • Includes 24 darts
  • Requires 6 x AA batteries for tank, 1 x 9v for remote (batteries not included).
  • Ages 8+
  • MSRP: $39.99
  • Available now at major retailers.
  • Range: 50 max. at lowest angle, 20′-30′ at highest
  • Fired Nerf brand streamlines (elite, suction cup, zombiestrike) as well as included darts.  Did NOT launch Buzz Bee or “extreme air zone” darts.
Includes: Remote, darts, Cannon Commando, and tailpiece for stability. (GoPro Mount is my own)

The turret raises/lowers manually.

Dart comparison between VMD darts (far left) and other brands.

Tail piece to prevent the VMD from tipping backward (optional).

Tank treads made driving through gravel and some grass ok, directions note DO NOT drive through heavily loose ground, as this may interfere with motorized internals.

Thanks to Skyrocket Toys for the sample! (All opinions are my own.) So I’ve seen the Cannon Commando before, but this is the first time I’ve actually been able to check it out for myself. Click Click BAMF did a review of their own, so feel free to check that out. As for my my own thoughts, they follow below.

FIRST: The VMD is obviously remote controlled. There are 3 frequencies (A, B, and C) that it uses to sync a VMD Tank unit with the control. There is a switch on the control, and a similar switch on the underside of the tank. This is to help 3 people each with a Cannon Commando each use theirs to shoot independently. I am not sure if more than 3 at one time is possible, though. And you set the frequency when you turn on the Cannon Commando, so it is not possible to hijack another player’s tank mid-game by flipping the switch on your controller.

You fire the VMD by flipping the “armed” switch cover to reveal the “arm” switch underneath, and flip that to light up the red skull on the control. Press down the top right bumper switch on the control, and you can fire away. Firing AND moving isn’t built in the functions though, one function or the other at a time.

The VMD also has to be aimed manually. You set the angle you want to fire, and then drive around. the lowest angle would hit around 50′ (the video above is set in a high wind, fair warning) while the highest elevation reduced range to about 20′-30′. Also, this is a flywheel blaster (see the above breakdown at the beginning of the article for what darts did/did not work) so launching a variety of darts is a bit easier than with a blaster that uses a magazine. They market this as one of the hardest firing launchers out there, and it’s true (stock). There is definitely some pop in the flywheel launcher, more than I initially expected when I first saw this. Definitely a lot of surprise in such a little package.
 
Reloading the VMD is a bit tricky, from what I could tell the dart cylinder doesn’t pop out, so you have to manually (and somewhat gently) rotate the chambers if you choose to reload darts that way. Besides the rotation mechanism though, the rest of the tank feels pretty solid in construction. It’s hefty, and the treads are a decent rubber. As you can see it rolled along on pavement pretty quickly, and low grass wasn’t a problem. I really wish it could aim with the remote, but chances are that would have taken it above the attractive $40 price tag.

While this isn’t the normal type of dart shooter and maybe not one I’d use for a normal running around type of dart blaster game, I still found it a lot of fun to play with and there are some interesting ideas I have to use this for in the coming weeks. For a motorized dart launcher with a lot of replay value, I think this is worth the $40. In the office, at home, or just because, definitely worth a look! 

Toy Fair 2014 Two-Fer: Marshmallow Shooters & Geospace Rockets

https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf

So, there are some constants to New York Toy Fair, and Marshmallow Shooters is another one of those brands who keeps chugging along. Every year there’s something new, and this year they revealed a few things. Now, in my opinion they most famously have many repaints of existing models, but given the circumstances, I don’t mind in this case. They landed the Ghostbusters license, so the next round of Marshmallow Shooters are going to look fresh out of 1984 (Happy 30th Anniversary to “The Ghostbusters” and it’s a sad thing that Harold Ramis had to pass away this year. As a fan of his work, I couldn’t believe it when I first heard it. But that is a whole different blog post. If you missed out on the original Ghostbusters pop guns back in the day, maybe these will take the edge off. But at the very least, it’ll be for a new generation.

Ghostbusters paintjobs for Marshmallow Shooters

A concept image of an upcoming Marshmallow shooter. Think… scattergun. Scattermallows. Something like that.

A Beaver Blaster. Not only will it shoot Marshmallows, but it is supposed to also have a foam ball.

I’ll update this post with prices and info.

ALSO FOUND:

Geospace Rockets:

https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf

A commonly seen push-pull style of rocket, but they also have a few other tricks up their sleeve:

These rockets glow in the dark.

Some of the smaller handheld launchers.

New York Toy Fair – The Nerf Aftermath

Nerf Writeup from the American International Toy Fair in New York City, 2014
Vas The Stampede

Nerf N-Strike Elite, Nerf Rebelle, Nerf Sports, Super Soaker, Zombie Strike, Mega, 3rd party licensed electronics, Oh my!

(update!) Here’s a video of the Nerf Slingfire –

THE GALLERY:

https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf 2014 marked my 4th year attending the American International Toy Fair in New York City. I can’t believe it either, honestly. To walk that floor with all the brands, bigwigs, and toys, there’s almost nothing else like it. FAIR WARNING – I have a LOT to say in this post, so there’s a lot of reading (and some pics!) so more after the break –

This Fall will be a very interesting year for Nerf. The showroom had new entries for Nerf N-Strike Elite, Mega, Zombie Strike, and Rebelle. Information had been released leading up to the show (Nerf Zombie Strike Doublestrike, Nerf Cam ECS-12, Nerf Rebelle Agent Bow – Secrets & Spies, the Nerf Zombie Strke Slingfire, Nerf Demolisher 2 in 1, and Nerf Mega Thunderbow) and while all the speculation, wild chatter, and yea/nay can be fun, I always put the most weight when I have the blaster right in front of me. I already posted some firing videos on the F2A Facebook and Instagram feeds, but rest assured I have some high quality video too and that will go up on youtube shortly. As I stay at Toy Fair the whole time (it’s a lot of fun, seriously. I wouldn’t give it up for the world) there’s a lot to go through.

“Zombie Strike” and “Secrets and Spies” are Nerf’s attempts at telling a narrative, having a backstory to their blasters. These are also attempts to cash in on current pop culture (obviously) trends, but who can blame them? With certain TV shows being so popular and other game types, it was inevitable that Nerf would finally pick up on it and jump in.

Interesting note about the Rebelle for 2014 – compared to the naming schemes for last year, “Pink Crush, “Heartbreaker Bow”, and so on (I think the “Guardian” may have been the main exception) something changed. “Rapid Red”, “Agent Bow” indicate this, although “Diamondista” seems to carry over from last year. “Spylight” could just as easily have fit into the N-Strike line, though maybe as “SpylightFireUltraHyperShot REV-6.”

Word has it research showed girls imagined themselves as spies with last year’s blasters, hence the innovation towards decoders and things. Very retro tech, reminiscent of old sticker collection books I had back in the 80s.(I remember a Super Mario Bros. and Voltron one, specifically. They were awesome.)

If I can highlight some things about the Agent bow…

  • Integrated Pinpoint sight
  • It has an actual “nock” to hook onto the string, much detail, such archery. Wow.
  • It just looks great. Sleek and imposing even, and the bow arm mounted quiver is a really nice addition. (check the gallery).
  • I did ask to be shot with the Agent Arrows (under protest from my tour guide), but I had to be able to tell you what it’s like to be hit with them. Personally, I didn’t find it any worse than getting shot with a Mega Dart from a Centurion at point blank (ask BasicNerf). The heads are just as soft as Mega Dart whistler heads, the plastic shaft of the arrow is a non-issue (at least for me).
  • The Sweet Revenge was my favorite from last year, the Agent Bow might be my frontrunner out of Rebelle 2014.

Nerf N-Strike Elite though, is Nerf’s Flagship (at least in my estimation) line and the heavy hitters out of the gate are the Nerf Cam ECS-12 and the Nerf N-Strike Elite Demolisher 2 in 1.

The Nerf Cam ECS-12 is probably the most cost-prohibitive of the bunch. The MSRP is at $79.99, requires 8 AA batteries (flywheels + camera power), includes a 4 GB memory card, and is supposed to hit around 90-95′. A lot of Nerf players may already own GoPro cameras or have other arrangements by this point, so is that range bump enough to pour this much money into just one blaster? Especially given the camera is a 0.3 megapixels?

Nerf provided this video of the Cam(era), and it was honestly better than I expected.

But is it enough? We are still months from seeing a final form of this (in fact, all these blasters) so the jury is still out until the Fall release.

As for the Demolisher, the undermount alone is enough for me. Regrettably, it isn’t removable but it’s a step in that direction. It’s just odd that Nerf didn’t do this sooner considering an undermounted removable missile has been available for some time now from another brand.  While some folks also hate it is a triggerless system on the Demolisher’s mega missile launcher, I got a decent shot out of it, and the word says it will hit 50′ about. The Demolisher itself will hit approx. 90′.

So, Rebelle gets a makeover and a sweet bow, Elite gets a 90′ increase, that leaves Mega and Zombie Strike.

The Thunderbow is HUGE. About the size of my torso. And it will hit 100′. It primes like the Heartbreaker, actually. You pull back on the string, wait for the indicator to tell you you’ve pulled back enough (the arms pull back as well) and release, firing the Mega dart. You can do this up to 5 times before you are empty. Approximately 100′ out of it. My only complaint at this stage is somebody trying to pull a Legolas may suffer wear and tear on their fingers, as right now there is nothing covering the string where your fingers go.As someone who’s fired a lot of Zing arrows, I hope something gets put there before Fall, as the pull is pretty robust.

The Nerf Zombiestrike Slingfire? My favorite so far, simply because I can do this:

Whew! Alright, that’s the showroom.

ICYMI, 3rd party tech made a huge splash at Toy Fair for Nerf this year –

Tek Strike is a 3rd party game/setup that promises hit tracking, and utilizes bluetooth connectivity and requires players to be more strategic as you need specialized Nerf darts to play. See my initial writeup HERE 
Without giving too much away, these folks at Eyespy have a wonderful idea right now, and plenty more wonderful ideas to follow up. I’ll be watching them closely, as I’m genuinely excited about seeing this product and on more than one occasion listening to their pitch I was left speechless. I do have a video that I need to edit as well, so expect that soon.

https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf And Sakar international/Vivitar had a series of cameras, walkie talkies, and more licensed to the Nerf brand… some of which falls in with the Nerf Rebelle Secrets & Spies theme –

https://photos.gstatic.com/media/slideshow.swf My press kit didn’t have much in the way of pricing yet, but I’m in contact with Sakar at the moment trying to get some info. According to the rep I spoke with at Toy Fair, a few of these items (including the hands-free walkie talkies) were pretty new, so the info was lacking. I’ll update this post as necessary! And when I have HQ videos.

Make sure to join the discussion at the F2A Facebook page and see more firing videos on my instagram feed.

In the meantime, BIG THANK YOU to TrekkieB47 for helping me out at Toy Fair as a second cameraman (and designing those sweet business cards), and to Adult Fans of Nerf, Click Click BAMF, Basic Nerf, and Shining Foam for getting the word out there!

I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve left out, so make sure to leave a comment if there’s something you’re curious about.

ON THAT NOTE: No secret blaster. All the reveals had been done by this Toy Fair, so the Cam was probably the secret blaster at UK Toy Fair. No super secret sizzle video either like when the Hailfire was revealed. No new Nerf Dart Tag and now new Nerf N-Force (unless you want to count the Strikeblade, but that’s under the Zombie Strike brand.) While not outright saying the lines were defunct, there just aren’t any plans right now for either line, and that is indicated by the lack of new product for those lines as of New York Toy Fair.

Nerf Cam ECS (CS?) 12 POV Camera Footage – F2A First look

Nerf Cam ECS (CS?) 12 Footage is live!  This looks a bit better than the engadget post from a month or so ago, in that the video isn’t as pixelated (seemingly) as one might expect, and the camera seems to be insulated from the flywheels whirring much better than before.

And ICYMI:

NERF N-STRIKE ELITE NERF CAM ECS-12 Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $79.99/Available: Fall 14)
Epic NERF shots live on way past the initial blast with the N-STRIKE ELITE NERF CAM ECS-12 blaster! Giving NERF fans the innovation and connectivity they crave, the NERF CAM ECS-12 blaster allows them to capture and share footage of epic battles and missions. The first NERF blaster to feature a built in camera, the NERF CAM ECS-12 blaster sends N-STRIKE ELITE darts flying up to an impressive 90 feet, records awesome NERF missions and lets NERF fans display them instantly on the playback screen or download them to share with friends for major bragging rights. Blaster includes a 4GB memory card which can hold up to 2,000 photos or 3 hours of video, 1.77” color screen, 12 dart clip and 12 N-STRIKE ELITE darts. Eight AA batteries required, not included. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com.

Nerf New York Toy Fair – Nerf Rebelle!

I think I’m going to break out what I saw at Nerf over a post or few; let’s start with the Nerf Rebelle: Secrets and Spies line.
While I make use of the publicity photos, check out the photos in our own set, found here  – https://plus.google.com/photos/100536445002797324243/albums/5981279248972558625

https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js

Nerf Rebelle Agent Bow
  NERF REBELLE AGENT Bow
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Fall 14)
The NERF REBELLE AGENT BOW is perfect for high-profile missions that require accuracy and skill. Release the string and watch as the first ever Nerf Rebelle foam arrows soar up to 85 feet across the sky making a whistling sound! For added precision, the AGENT BOW features an electronic glowing red dot that provides better aiming accuracy with every shot. The NERF REBELLE AGENT BOW comes with three secret message foam arrows, a separate decoder, and a detachable quiver. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com. 

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q9xTE5G7XGk/UwGk6R2obdI/AAAAAAAAA3M/uyrmDBsZ25g/w736-h493-no/DSC_0122.JPG

 

 

NERF REBELLE DIAMONDISTA Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $9.99/Available: Fall 14k)
Even top spies love to be stylish while on a top secret mission. The NERF REBELLE DIAMONDISTA crossbow is a must-have for spy situations that require elegance with an edge. The crossbow sparkles with studs and glitter to ensure you’re ready for every fashionista mission. Simply load the dart blaster, pull the string back and press the trigger for realistic crossbow action, sending darts up to 75 feet. The NERF REBELLE DIAMONDISTA blaster comes with a separate decoder and three darts, including two “Secret Message” re-writable darts. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

 

 NERF REBELLE MESSENGER Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99/Available: Fall 14)
The best spy missions need to be carefully executed and planned and the NERF REBELLE MESSENGER blaster allows for stealth action. Send secret messages to your friend that no one else can read! Simply write your message on the dart with the special pen hidden in the blaster handle and then launch your message up to 75 feet! Since the text is only visible through the decoder and a special red lens on the blaster, nobody else will know your next step! This 3-shot blaster includes a recipient double decoder, concealable invisible ink marker, and 5 “Secret Message” darts. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com. 

 

NERF REBELLE RAPID RED Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Fall 14)
Mission: Spy Showdown. The NERF REBELLE RAPID RED blaster is the must-have accessory for the quickest spy around. This high-capacity motorized blaster features a 12 dart clip for rapid-fire action with darts soaring up to 75 feet! Not only will you have a super quick NERF REEBELLE blaster, but the RAPID RED blaster also features an integrated decoder to quickly access any secret messages sent your way. The NERF REBELLE RAPID RED blaster comes with twelve darts including six “Secret Message” darts and a separate decoder for your friend. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.

NERF REBELLE SPYLIGHT Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 14)
Keep your spy missions going, anytime of day! The NERF REBELLE SPYLIGHT blaster features a detachable flashlight to put the spotlight on your targets or to help you light up the scene as you conduct your mission. Featuring a 6-shot rotating barrel, you will be ready to take fire at any time and sends darts up to 75 feet! This blaster also features a secret compartment in the handle that stores two darts for unplanned last minute shots! The NERF REBELLE SPYLIGHT blaster comes with an integrated decoder in the barrel, separate decoder, and six darts including three “Secret Message” darts. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com. 

 

NERF REBELLE Arrow Refill Pack
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $8.99Available: Fall 14)
Always have extra arrows on hand with the NERF REBELLE Arrow Refill Pack! Each refill pack comes with 3 colorful whistling foam arrows that soar up to 85 feet each. Load your bow (sold separately) and make your mark! Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
Not actual size of darts; this was part of the display.
NERF REBELLE SECRETS & SPIES Dart Refill Pack
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $7.99Available: Fall 14)
When the mission calls for secrets to be sent and shared, the NERF REBELLE SECRETS & SPIES Dart Refill Pack has everything needed to create secret messages. Each refill pack includes 8 re-writeable darts, a pen, and a message decoder for friends to discover the secret messages. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and on HasbroToyShop.com.
Enjoy! I’ll get together a more detailed breakdown later this week.

REVEAL: Tek Recon Predator for 2014! New Blaster! (New York Toy Fair)

Tek Recon broke out at last year’s Toy Fair with it’s app, new styled, reusable rubber ring NRG ammo, and promises of high capacity and high ranges mixed with video game FPS action. The Hammer Head and the Havok generated a lot of buzz via Kickstarter and E3, with some astounding community outreach there and through Facebook.

That was the past though, and now for New York Toy Fair 2014, Tek Recon brings you… the Predator. They sent out a press release around this AM, and here are some highlights!

From the press release –
 
“The Predator features rapid slam firing, with ranges exceeding 100 feet. It holds up to 100 ‘NRG’ rounds, more than any other reusable ammo blaster. To help enhance the Tek Recon experience, a newly designed magazine that allows for rapid loading firing will be introduced to enhance the battle experience. The Predator comes equipped with six accessories; including scopes and LED targeting technology that can be customized and mounted on tactical rails. ….In addition to the Predator blaster, new accessories for 2014 include different performance ‘NRG’ rounds, like Long and Soft shots. These special rounds come in a variety of colors and provide more customization for the fans.”

So there you have it. The special rounds of varying styles that dartblaster.de showed, and a new blaster. I’m guessing I’ll get a look at the new cradle too. Should make for an interesting Toy Fair and year in blasters overall. Thoughts? I got some clarification, and they’re referring to this being more rounds than any other Tek Recon blaster, as the Hailfire has a max of 144 rounds.

Anyway, thoughts? How have you liked Tek Recon thus far?

Incoming: Nerf Zombie Strike Double Strike

Dartblaster.de saw this at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, here’s the press release from Nerf!

NERF ZOMBIE STRIKE DOUBLESTRIKE Blaster

(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $9.99/Available: Fall 14)

When zombies are on the loose, double dart firing power is a necessity. Load two ZOMBIE STRIKE darts into the DOUBLESTRIKE blaster, pull back on the hammer mechanism, and fire to unleash both darts in a row! Blaster includes two ZOMBIE STRIKE darts. Available at most retailers nationwide and Hasbrotoyshop.com.

Toy Fair Preview: N-Strike Elite NERF Cam ECS-12 Blaster – Coming Fall 2014

“Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war…” – Julius Caesar: Act 3, Scene 1, page 13
 
 And Engadget sure did.  They posted Yet Another Nerf Exclusive and it was the N-Strike Elite NERF Cam ECS-12 Blaster.  No press release, but as discussed on my Facebook page (join the conversation!  “Like” me!) here is the story so far:

  • Integrated camera (!) – 0.3 megapixels (urk) at 20 fps(urkx2), comes with 4 GB SD card (ok).
  • MSRP: $75 (?!)
  • 8 (!?!) AA batteries (4 for the camera, 4 for the blaster)
  • Flywheels (dat accelerator trigger)/semiauto (but looks like a Rapidstrike, no?)
  • Allegedly hits up to 90′ (probably angled)

 

Nerf Cam ECS-12 (prototype to Engadget)
Photo courtesy of engadget.  Opted for this one because it’s the real life prototype they used.  Final will have a clear magazine and blue trim.      

That being said, let’s get some quick thoughts down:

Holy carp, $75?  The biggest complaint I’ve been receiving is that is just too much $$$ for a camera that isn’t even a single megapixel.  Furthermore, even if it is for kids (which it is), that’s a lot for an 8 year old’s toy who either has a mobile device of some sort or some other camera in this day and age.  Even if it is integrated, that price is so darn high against other tech toys with better resolution.  Regardless of the blaster hitting 90′ (the Elite line originally touted 75′ ranges) I can’t see telling anyone to pay for the camera AND blaster when the camera is of such low quality.  Engadget’s piece also has a video, and…. well, I hope the camera gets an improvement from this prototype to the final version.  The flywheels and camera each require 4 AA batteries, so there’s an additional cost right there.

Also, the proximity of the camera to the motors.  The engadget video illustrates it perfectly: “VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR” is what I heard. 

Otherwise, the aesthetics and power boost (hopefully) are the better parts I can see about this blaster.  While I can’t advocate strapping an expensive iPhone or iPod Touch to the top of your blaster (personally, I use a GoPro, but that’s me.  Yes, maybe the camera will provide a tactical advantage cornering and yes, the camera integrated into the shell is more streamline, but a Rapidstrike is considerably less and full auto.  If you need practice with trigger control, then this is more your style unless you would rather get a Stryfe.

So I’m ambivalent about this blaster.  I want to love the way it looks, but I don’t know if that’s enough for me.  For $75 I could buy a Rapidstrike or Stryfe and extra darts.  I can remove whatever camera I’m using to put on other blasters or for a project unrelated to Nerf.  But for the Nerf Cam?  Thumb middle of the road until the final version.  Hopefully this will be available at New York Toy Fair, and I’ll get a better look then.

G’luck in your struggles!