Category: blasters

New York Toy Fair 2015 – In A Nutshell

New York Toy Fair 2015 in a Nutshell (The Good, the Not so Good, the…. What?)
Vas The Stampede

‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.’ – Norman Vincent Peale

And there was a lot of shooting (darts, rounds, water pellets, zartz) at this year’s North American International Toy Fair. This makes 5 years now I’ve gone to the show and as always, I come back saying, “wow.” So here’s a quick rundown on what I saw, and some initial impressions.

Quick note: As always, this trip is not sponsored by any of the companies. No one pays to fly me out. This is all out of pocket for me on this trip to ensure I am covering what I want and saying what I need to say.

BRANDS:
There were a LOT of blaster type/associated brands that caught my eye this year. The Story So Far (in no particular order), followed by a taste/preview of things I liked (+) and/or didn’t like (-). As I intend to give each brand their own post, these tidbits are shots from the hip, what I readily recall.

  • Nerf (Hasbro)

    • DOOMINATOR +++++++++ (the amount of +s are completely arbitrary, but may relay my sense of enthusiasm) 
    •  Modulus blaster by itself – (it’s a Stryfe, even if you can make additions)
    • Strike & Defend blaster (Literally, a “Stock Blaster”) +
    • Rival line ++++++++++++++++
    • Zombie Strike silly s Zombie Repellant + 
    • Rebelle Codebreaker + 
    • Tek Strike +
    • Rotofury doesn’t have a stock –

 

BOOMco Needler – Halo

  • BOOMco (Mattel)
    • Halo blasters ++++
    • Spinsanity +
    • One of the new blasters is another triggerless/slam-fire affair – 
  • Zing 
    • New airborne toys/planes +
    • Firetek Styled Zano Bows +
    • Some additional roleplay items to the “Legends” line +
    • Firetek Style Sky Ripperz+
  • XC Shot/Bug Attack (Zuru)
    • Bug Attack will have included targets for additional hilarity +
    • New blasters for XC Shot (the ones with clips) were prototypes and not firing –
    • Increased ranges for XC shot blasters + 
  • Primetime Toys
    • Not much new there, as a lot is still in the works. I did get video of the Talon, but Primetime promises some new product in the next few months. They did address some reports about the dart adhesive being problematic, and insist they have since fixed the problem. Comment below if you still find Primetime Toys streamline darts to fall apart, I’m sure they’d be interested to know. The Scorpion was one of their first forays going out of the Airzone line, and they plan to do more.
  • K’Nex +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A springer styled shotgun of their own.

    • I mean, seriously. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
      • With a little working knowledge, I’d be interested to see how the standing K’Nex community excels with these blasters. They’re built with “regular” blaster play patterns in mind, with the intent of being able to withstand a drop/fall/hit like any other blaster currently on the market. DROP TEST HERE.
      • What makes me a believer? That one of the folks that works for K’Nex made a multi-barreled blaster (that fired on a single trigger pull after priming each individual plunger tube) out of the available kits. It took some work he said, but it worked out. To me, that spoke volumes of the potential of builds in this line. With enough plungers, connectors, rods, who knows what is possible. Also, look forward to their promotion coming this spring, to really find the best K’Nex fans out there! 
  • Marshmallow Shooters

    • Marshmallow Shooters Orballistics ammo
    • ORBALLISTICS. Reportedly going to get 50′ flat, and straight no less.+++
    • Foam ammo finally. Apparently the feedback was a lot of people didn’t like wasting food, so this is now a thing for their line. 
  • Discovery Kids
    • TBD: they had a number of blasters in boxes, nothing to demo. The designs looked like stuff we’ve seen, but if the price point is right (also, they might have some interesting licenses) I won’t discount them out right.
  • Moose Toys (From what they told me, they have a blaster in the works. Not your typical fare, but I’ll get more info on this later.)  
    • TBD
  •  NXT (Maya Group, from the way I see it, this is a reboot of the Xploderz line)
    • This iteration of water pellet shooters from Maya Group FINALLY HAZ A TRIGGER. After all this time, and the first run with BlasterPro, these blasters get a trigger. I will admit, I had misgivings about previous Maya Group blasters, but these seemed on point. Although, paintballers might see something very similar here (at least, the gravity fed hopper shape on top. +

  • NXT Generation (Bows, crossbows, etc)
    • Some of the most solidly-built blasters/shooters I’ve seen, but the ammo to me leaves something to be desired. They require a closer look from me for a determination on this next set. The shotgun I reviewed was a little expensive for what you got, but it’s a new year, with a new line of products. TBD

  • Ogo Sports (had a few interesting launchers, they might be good for objective-based gameplay) (N/A, as these are more for goals and objectives, and I see them as less for PvP.)
  • Hog Wild Toys (Power Poppers)
    • What is becoming a yearly standard, while these blasters are simplistic but freakin’ hilarious. +
      Honorable mention, right here! Made me think of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”.

    By my count, that’s about 13 different brands that made something blaster/launcher-related.
    There’s a LOT of press release info to go through, photos, and videos but I’ll release them all here! Stay tuned, as I will be releasing more galleries and videos this week (piece by piece, so as to not overwhelm you:)  and if you have any questions please leave in the (moderated) comments below!

    Let’s connect:
    Instagram: Blasterbot1984
    Twitter: @VasTheStampede
    YouTube
    Google+
     


    Mattel’s Blaster Line – BoomCo – Summer 2014

    As has been heavily covered already (seriously, I’m basically the last one to post about this), Mattel’s jumping into the blaster market (again!) with a product called BOOMco. I heard rumblings about this at New York Toy Fair, amidst other companies and apparently the group at dartblaster.de heard about it during the International Toy Fair Nürnberg. Not having anything solid to go by, I haven’t been able to say much at all about it. Mattel was also booked solid by the time I found out, so I wasn’t able to bug them.

    Proper news broke on Reddit – MarcusH26051

    ANYWAY, here we go.


    “Twisted Spinner Blaster – BOOMco. Blasters – Mattel 2014”


    “Rapid Madness, Twisted Spinner, Farshot & Clipfire – BOOMco. Blasters – Mattel 2014”

    Much EXTREME, such stunt. Wow.

    The incoming available product line can be found here on Amazon.

    Clipstrike – Cause it has a carabiner! A belt clip! Geddit? It also looks like it folds up, no?

    The Farshot (shield deployed)

    No cross-branding here! Dart refills (w/Smart-Stic Tech) look longer than Nerf darts, most likely not compatible.

    Dual Defender pack

    Rapid Madness!
    Additional targets & other accessories (see below) will be for sale

    Twisted Spinner blaster – NOT to be confused with a dilophosaur.


    First things first. No relation –

     All joking aside, I’m a bit surprised and really interested at Mattel even getting near blasters again. I want to expect a knock-down, drag-out slugfest of innovation in blasters now that 2 of the top toy makers out there are on a collision course. They rule the roost with Barbie and Monster High, have some great games with Uno and Apples to Apples, but blasters and playing with blasters has been synonymous with Nerf. The other brands (not necessarily blasters) on the market are carving a great niche (Zing, Marshmallow Shooters, Power Poppers, Tek Recon come to mind) but admittedly, a blaster brand/company with the resources and deep pockets like Mattel has been long missing. Nerf, long synonymous with blasters for many years might have that challenger.

    One thing I can tell, not all the blasters are triggered. The Twisted Spinner blaster isn’t, and has a… different kind of rotation mech.  The Rapid Madness does have a trigger though, but it also uses a clip reminiscent of a Powerclip/Magstrike (additional clips are sold separately).

    Some quick specs:

    – Blasters should hit around 70′ (not sure if this is for all of them, but it’s claims are close to N-Strike Elite)
    – Darts use “Smart Stick” Tech to show hits, supposed to be used with the shields/targets that also stick to surfaces. As shown in the videos, the targets can be worn on clothes to optimize stickability.
    – Eye protection, 2 in 1 bandolier, extra darts, targets, and clips will be sold separately.
    – The shields are used to protect and collect, catch your opponent’s darts so you can fire them back. I guess that helps cut down on dart sweeps…. maybe? The shields are fixed to the blasters via tactical rail.
    – Interesting bit, if you watch the videos from the pros in their interviews, one of them mentions how you don’t really know where the darts are going, adding to the satisfaction when you DO get a hit. Testament to the accuracy? Who knows. Honestly, that won’t be a confirmed thing until these come out Summer 2014.
    – Mattel looks to be going big – Nerfnation meet the BOOMco League (and win a “Boom Box” while you’re there.)

    Mattel has a reputation for putting out strong, quality products. Can’t attest that the reputation upholds though until these are out. The videos however make a good number of promises, and I will admit with Mattel’s name involved, I am just a touch less skeptical than I would normally be. Given the past incarnations of sticky ammo from other brands though, I wonder how those new darts will work on cloth and skin. But wondering is about all I can do, along with the rest of you, until these come out and hopefully I can get my hands on them. BUT, with the possible competitiveness between these two powerhouse toy companies… I truly hope it’s us the consumers who win out. With each trying to outdo the other we might see some of the best blasters to date in performance, quality, and features.

    Lock and load, things just might get interesting.

    London Toy Fair 2014 – UK Nerf’s report

    London Toy Fair 2014 – Thoughts on the Nerf overview from UK Nerf

    UK NERF was at the London Toy Fair this week, and posted up a report of what Hasbro had on display.  Hasbro sent out exclusive release info already on the Nerf Zombie Strike Slingfire, N-Strike Mega Thunderbow, N-Strike Elite Demolisher, and Rebelle Agent Bow.

    UK Nerf, was able to try them out.  Make sure to read the entire report, but here are some choice bits:

    About the Slingfire:

    “About the same size as the Sledgefire and roughly the same weight. This was designed to be used one handed so the balance is spot on. You can flick it to prime it and it lands neatly in your hand so rapid fire with this technique would be possible with a little practice, keeping the other hand free for a secondary or to reload.”

    The Demolisher:

    ” The Grenade launcher is not detachable, nor can it be without a lot of work (as far as I could see). It is fairly heavily integrated into the shell and I think if it were removable, simply using it would wrench it off the rail anyway.”  Word has it the Demolisher may be full auto due to the popularity of the Rapidstrike, so that remains to be seen.

    Go read the rest if you want to know more!  It sounds promising though, and I am looking forward to getting a turn at these come New York Toy Fair.  UK Nerf mentions a total of 10 releases, so it’s bound to be a busy year.  No word on N-Force or Dart Tag though, we’ll have to wait and see.

    I’d really love to say more and speculate, but honestly there’s not much to say without the blasters.  It’s a little weird to see the Thunderbow reliant on the bow arm as part of the priming mech, unlike the Big Bad Bow or BnA, where the bow arms were extraneous.  The Demolisher is going to be fun I think, and I really want to know if the diameter of the missile is the same as the Mega darts.  I strongly think the Rebelle Agent Bow is going to be the dark horse of the new releases, with the new arrows (tipped something like ball, per UK Nerf).  Anyway, have fun with the info!  It looks like Hasbro didn’t allow video or photos at all in their showroom hence the lack of images and photos from anybody.  UK Nerf does have some new angles though.  Thanks to them for taking time out of their lives to make the trip!

    Lock and Load.

    A shot from last year’s New York Toy Fair

     

    New Nerf for 2014: Nerf N-Strike Elite Demolisher 2-in-1

    NERF N-STRIKE ELITE DEMOLISHER 2-IN-1 Blaster

    (Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $39.99/Available: Fall 14)

    Got a bunch of messages about this Popular Mechanics post, but I see Basic Nerf, The Prop Weapon Co Op, Adult Fans of Nerf, Click Click Bamf and Awesome Nerfer posting about it as well. 

    Grabbed from Popular Mechanics

    Also grabbed from Popular Mechanics, illustrating the size.  Uhm, dang.

    Here is the product description:

    “Take NERF shots to the next level with the 2-IN-1 blaster that dominates both MEGA and ELITE missions! The DEMOLISHER 2-IN-1 blaster is impressive in size and power firing up to 100 feet, featuring semi-motorized blasting, a 10 dart banana clip, and all new missiles. Connect NERF scopes and lights to the blaster’s top Tactical Rail System and set sights on some of coolest NERF shots performed. Blaster includes two missiles and 10 N-STRIKE ELITE darts. Four AA batteries required, not included. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyshop.com.”

    2 missiles, 10 darts…. the banana mag that so many folks have been asking for over the years, an undermounted missile launcher, swappable stock (though I may have to run with the given to have that missile storage.)

    This LOOKS great, sure.  I won’t get a look at this until February for New York Toy Fair (though UK Nerf looks to be on a collision course with the UK Toy Fair, who knows what goodies they’ll reveal.).  The F2A Facebook page is wondering about flywheels (pretty sure that’s an accelerator trigger), I’m wondering if the undermount is going to get 100′ (crossing fingers).  Anyway, enjoy the pics and onward to the Toy Fairs!

    Went Toys R Us, look at what I saw

    Nerf Koosh, some new stuff from Airzone, have not seen a Surge 6 on shelves for awhile, some new target shooting things, a new Quickstrike blaster, but quite possibly the most interesting thing was the new Launch N Attack stuff.

    Looks like a line of flywheel blasters and I do believe that is a copied Nerf barricade as well as a reshell of the Powerstrike 48.  The darts are streamlined, and they have a huge rotor target that launches up and you shoot it down.  This requires some looking into.

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    Nerf N-Strike Elite… Bottom line

    As we close in this week on the Nerf launch party for the Nerf N-Strike Elite Hailfire, I figure it’s only fair to finally do some actual writing, this being a blog and all.

    So the Nerf N-Strike Elite line.  Hit or miss?

    I’ll give it a hit, but tentatively.  I really want to love it, I really do!  And I’m impressed, don’t get me wrong.  But until I have the actual Hailfire in my hands to test and check out, I’m going with reservations.  Mainly cause I don’t want to think the novelty and newness of everything is clouding my judgment.  These are some sweet new toys, and I think they’ll add a lot of value to Nerf games far and wide, but let’s still maintain a grain of salt.

    What we’ve seen so far are UPGRADES to existing blasters.  Nerf’s already received some fire for reshells (Spectre was a five-shot Maverick, the Alpha Trooper was functionally a Raider, and nevermind the countless repaints.)  I like what I’m seeing, but slam-fire and a single-shot modular blaster are things we’ve seen already.  The Hailfire has a new loading mech, but functionally it’s a Barricade or a Nitron that it’s a flywheel blaster and shoots one dart at a time as opposed to say, a spread of darts/discs.  But it’s either of those blasters on steroids.  UP TO 75′, and 144 shots (at max capacity) before having to refill another magazine.  It looks small, which might defuse bulky arguments, but that remains to be seen on what magazines will actually fit and how many (the speculation leads to: 35 rnd drums).  In any event, what functional hilarity this adds to the battlefield remains to be seen, and I can’t wait to try dual-wielding it.

    Thanks to SGNerf for the photo!

    All the skepticism aside… let’s get to it.  The Nerf Vortex line big ranges flat, but the discs fell victim to crosswinds more severely than darts.  They were also green, which made it harder to find in well-grown grass.  The Elite darts hit 50+ flat, but the advertised 75′ comes at an angle which is to be expected.  Either way, whichever range you hit that’s more than 20-30’+ that we’ve come to expect out of recent Nerf blaster releases.  So whether you like discs or darts, anything you’ve bought previous to Vortex and Elite will find you at a slight disadvantage.  I’ve managed to shoot straight with a Nerf Nitron, and the Retaliator and Rampage are pretty accurate at 40′ and a bit more than that even.

    Those of us that hold stock-ammo/blaster games are going to have some fun with this new stuff, for sure.  It changes the field a lot, having this kind of range and accuracy straight outta the box without any additional work.  Everything from the previous N-Strike line is compatible with the Elite and vice versa, so don’t fret about all the streamlines you’ve already bought!  Just use them until you can’t anymore, and go buy Elite streamlines.  They fly a tad better than the originals.

    So the only real gripe is I’m still looking for something way out of left field from Nerf.  Everything here looks impressive and I am impressed with how things fire, but the functionality still feels similar.  Even their vaunted Pyragon is a disc-shooting Raider.  While things look cool, I want to see something blow my mind both in how it looks AND how it plays.  I think the last blaster to do that was the Nerf Unity Power  System because it had 3 different blasters, one of which was essentially a shotgun.  When I saw the Raider for the first time it was awesome, but then boiled down to still putting out one dart at a time, just faster.  The Deploy was hilarious in function, but past the transformation (and nobody was fooled) it was a pump-action single shot blaster, or a Furyfire.

    Still though, one step at a time.  Nerf’s given us souped-up ranges, a sleek color scheme, and dark blue darts. (I hope they make the darts brighter though… given the issue with green discs, white elite darts would be easier to find than dark blue.)  The Hailfire is going to have a reloading mech that looks promising at adding new body mechanics (I will admit, I liked the thumb switch on a Proton.  Made it feel very tactile and was satisfying on some level; the little things that count) to handling a blaster, which might be enough to sell it.

    Speaking of selling – here we go once more with the pricing:

    Nothing outrageous, and honestly I thought the Hailfire was going to cost more.  But that’s enough talk.  Time to get back to blasting, and shooting foam at anything that moves.  The Elite line shows a lot of promise, and I would definitely suggest picking them up and giving them a go.  The darts are new, the blasters are new (on the inside), and it looks like Nerf’s paying attention to what you, the fans want.  Better ranges and accuracy.  So show your support for what you wanted, and make sure Nerf knows this line is going to sell!  The blasters should start popping up around 8/1/12, and the Hailfire around 9/9/12.  Get on it, it’s time to upgrade.

    Quick edit: I was asked if the Recon barrel changed in diameter for the Retaliator, but found this instead.  When pics first surfaced people speculated but I took a pic of my clear Recon for confirmation.

    Nerf N-Strike Retaliator barrel extension

    Nerf N-Strike Clear Recon barrel extension

    I do declare, is that rifling I see?

    Walk the ladder, compadres.
    @VasTheStampede

    P.S. – This Thursday I’ll be back here posting LIVE from the Nerf Hailfire Launch in NYC (New York City!)  Posting – Youtube:  http://youtube.com/foamfromabove
    Twitter: @vasthestampede
    aaaaaand this very blog!

    OP/ED: Hey, marketing/PR/design toy people, just a thought –

    After another Toy Fair, it got me thinking.  I’ve listened/read to many a pitch about this or that product, and it always boils down to a few target markets in the toy business, parents and kids.  Either the advertising/initiatives/campaigns are geared to the fantasy roleplay of a child’s imagination that gets them to bug their parents for a toy, or the parent thinks their child might be interested in said toy.

    Well, what about us?  For years I’ve heard that the NIC and other communities just do not make up enough of a population to necessitate any marketing.

     I wonder just how true that is.  Worldwide, I’d like to say that interest in blaster-based games has increased exponentially.  Sure, there are mainstays like airsoft and paintball (where applicable) but the fact that Nerf/related product blogs has grown exponentially in years says a lot.  There’s interest, there’s people paying attention, and I think it’s time some of the quoted talking heads I’ve seen doing news pieces or whatever on toy blasters need to be on notice.

    Like some cartoons, not all toys are “Just For Kids.” 

    I saw this piece a months ago (thanks to the Aussie Canberra crew for linking this on their FB) – http://www.timetoplaymag.com/toys/2814/the-maya-group/xploderz-xranger-2000/ – and while I respect the Time to Play team (seen them, never had a chance to actually speak with them) for their work, this little quote regarding Xploderz made my eyebrow raise a little,

    Xground Pounder

    “Who It’s For
    The Xploderz XRanger 2000 is for ages 8 and up. We think that this will have a special appeal to older boys, even college-age kids.”

    I’m sorry, what?  College age?  I tried the Xranger (and the Xploderz stuff in general), and… well, if I got this in school chances are it would have been donated to some needy family or theater kid for costuming.  In fact, the blasters look like space ships more than anything designed with ergonomics in mind so it could probably fill in for a student sci-fi film.  Between the 4 hour wait-time (Sea Monkeys, anyone) for extra ammo and the overall unreliability of the blaster (it shoots when it wants to, even moreso with the Xground Pounder) and the lack of accuracy (due to the pull-release mechanism) to simple issues like BLOCKING YOUR SIGHTS WITH A HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINE (again, Xground Pounder)… I wasn’t a fan.  My mother taught me, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” but in a case like this, it’s buyer misinformation. 

    And I don’t think this was in bad form.  For almost $40 the Xranger and Xground Pounder are not worth the experience, and on a college kid’s non-budget there’s a lot better stuff out there.  The Time to Play team (or many other bloggers out there) play with blasters like I do, such as with the Tacticool Tag and Gaming Society of Chicagoland (http://ttagschicago.blogspot.com).

    I exchanged some emails with a company about samples they sent, and told them that the blaster they sent me was not functioning well, and the company wanted to go over what was happening.  One thing they mentioned was feedback like mine was good because they get an idea of how users actually deal with their blasters outside of shooting targets in their room

    So… what do they imagine kids are even doing once they take these out?  Sure, shooting targets is fun but we all know the first thing we did when we got the new toy home was aim it at a sibling or our buddy (NOT RECOMMENDED winkwinknudgenudge).

    Which brings me to the point.  Between all these communities like Mall Wars, HvZ, and the already existent aftermarket community, it’s not worth a company’s time to market to us a little bit?  Nerf’s done a pretty decent job of outreach to bloggers, Zing Toys, and Vapor, but they’re the only ones.  At places like Toy Fair, people ask about my readership.  When I mention all the places that show up on my analytics (and that one hit from Uzbekistan) their eyes grow huge.  We’re out there.  We want to spend money.  LET US BUY YOUR BLASTERS.  TELL US ABOUT THEM.  MAKE THEM AWESOME.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned these past few months is that the Internet becomes a fantastic bargaining chip.  Think of all the recent internet events where with one keystroke, items go viral, facebook and twitter blow up, and then a company either admits fault or disappears.  Oh, hey Ocean Marketing and Papa John’s.  Rush Limbaugh, how’s that apology for the Fluke going?  Miss your sponsors, right?

    Our words have power.  Our web presence has power.  We want to have toys for all ages, that play awesomely, and keep us coming back for more.  We’re not just a niche market anymore.  We are a viable share of the market.

    And I’m currently working on a way to prove it quantitatively.  Stay tuned.

    Nerf/foam blaster/etc retrospective – so. much. 2011

    Hmmm.. holy crap.  2011 was not just a huge year for Nerf, but for toy blasters in general.  Why all the popularity?  I really couldn’t tell you.  Maybe Hasbro’s N-Strike line proved that kids still like to play soldier, and the creation of pseudo-military looking toy blasters like the Maverick and Longshot showed there was some money to be made.  The Maverick is one of the best selling Nerf blasters ever, and with the revolver look and feel Hasbro did good, and they looked to do good again (proven in the amount of cosplay photos I’ve seen).  Success breeds competition though, and boy oh boy, were there a lot of newcomers this year.  This blog entry is by no means all-inclusive, and I know I’m going to miss a lot, but dangit I’m going to try!

    One could say a large bit of news came from the New York Toy Fair , where both old guard and new competitors rose to visibility.  Prime Time Toys stepped out from the Air Zone shadow, showing off past creations like the Powerstrike 48.  Toy Fair showed their new version of the Gatling Punisher and a new take on the revolver, a Quickfire 12.  This was just the start!  Since then they’ve released a Quickfire rifle and a new belt-fed rifle.  Their ammo is a different take on streamline ammo as well, unlike Buzz Bee darts that still fit most Nerf blasters.  I would expect more from this company in 2012, as it looks like they’re not done yet by a long shot.  Keep your eyes peeled here for more info coming soon.:)

    Buzz Bee released a lot of new items as well, notably the Rad 12.  Honestly, they released so much I’m not sure I can list everything.  The Double Shot got a new look, and a four-shot turreted blaster called the Rogue came out as well.  It looked like the Ultimate System they put out didn’t do so well, as I don’t really see many more Sniper Blasts and Ultimate Missile Blasts on shelves.

    The Air Zone line out of Toys R Us, combined with the Humans Vs. Zombies game to produce blasters emblazoned with their logo, an eight-shot pistol and a new version of the triple shot.  The triple shot also saw a red repaint, sans HvZ flair.  Far as I can tell, this is a coup that a gametype involving foam blasters actually gained notice from a mass retailer.  So, congrats to the HvZ team for their success, and here’s to more zombie-fighting gear in 2012.  I’ve always said “throw your wars how you want to throw them, and let the attendees sort ’em out.”  People spoke loud and clear in this case:)

    I didn’t see too much of the “XC” blasters, which I first saw at Toy Fair; but then not much in retailers:

    The dark horse of the whole foam weapon business?  Zing Toys, with their Zcurve bow and arrow and other rubber band-powered weapons!  The Zcurve bow was by far my fave toy of their line, and I hope to see more out of them in 2012:

    Some other companies attempted to pull people away from foam shooters.  Jakks Pacific came out with a line of spitwad shooters called “Max Force” urging people to “graduate from foam” with their paperwad shooters.  The blasters didn’t have a trigger, but they did have a bit of power in them, getting upwards of 80′.  Sadly, the accuracy left something to be desired and reloading clips was a pain in the rear end.  Aesthetically, they looked really cool, but the functionality was a real task to get used to.

    Speaking of functionality if I had to give a goose egg this year to blaster design I would give it to Xploderz, one of the new lines that fires evaporating “gel pellets.”  Nevermind that their commercials are misleading in how the blasters function, they’re just poor blasters.  Unreliable loading mechansim, poor accuracy, bad placement of hand grips and components, limited allowance of motion, and delayed gratification with a toy right out of the box.  And these things are pricey, upwards of $50 for the longer range models.  Seriously, buyer beware.

    Razor, of all companies, jumped into the blaster game this year just as 2011 comes to a close.  Their Vapor line fires gel pellets as well, but I think they do it better.  For instance, their first blaster, the Atlas 250 (first seen at this here blog) has a 50 round capacity per reload for a PISTOL, but also goes with a more traditional (and comfy!) trigger design.  Definitely worth watching, make sure to check Amazon.com and Zappos for products!  Of the newcomers in new projectiles, I think Razor might have the better of the products.

    Wowwee, of Paper Jamz fame, released a new version of laser tag, called “Light Strike”.  A little pricey to start, but once you get going it’s a lot of fun.  With different modular accessories and other battle field items like the Intelligent Targeting System and target vests, there are a lot of ways to play, you just have to figure out how for yourself 🙂  Full link (including pricing) to the proper review: http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2011/10/light-strike-heres-go.html

    Ultimately, though I like to think we all started with and still use Nerf.  They had a big year, from the continued success of the Dart Tag line, http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2011/11/holiday-buying-guide-dart-tag-pt-1-to.html, to the release of the Vortex series and numerous repainted blaster schemes (Whiteout, Gear Up, new additions to the Sonic series)
    .
    http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2011/11/holiday-buying-guide-dart-tag-pt-1-to.html
    http://foamfromabove.blogspot.com/2011/12/nerf-holiday-buying-guide-part-2-nerf.html

    to expanding the Super Soaker and N-Force lines:

    N-FORCE VENDETTA DOUBLE SWORD
    NERF N-FORCE VANTAGE Short Sword
    NERF N-FORCE KLAW HATCHET

    HYDRO CANNON .
    NERF SUPER SOAKER TORNADO STRIKE
    NERF SUPER SOAKER SCATTER BLAST .
    NERF SUPER SOAKER POINT BREAK
    NERF SUPER SOAKER CLIP SYSTEM Refills


    Even having something for collectors, two different versions of the Barricade Rev-10, one with an Optimus Prime paintjob, and another with Bumblebee.  So, lots going on with the worker elves at Hasbro this year!  Nothing new on the lazer tag front yet, but 2012 is well on its way now.  Not to mention licensed material, like this Transformers:  Dark of the Moon blaster, as well as some of the toys from this year’s big Marvel movie blockbusters like Thor and Captain America.

    WHEW!  So. Much.  What does this mean for 2012?  The market for toy blasters and other foam weaponry just might get a bit more competitive!  What I hope to see?  Blasters that have a VARIETY of functions, not just the same ol’ one dart, one pull kinda deal.  Much as I loved the Nerf line, they all fire a dart 25-30 feet, or a disc up to 60.  But functionally they tend to feel the same.  Pump-action, priming slide, it’s all too familiar territory.  Semi-auto, single-action, or full-auto.  The pistols fire within the same range as the “higher powered” blasters.  I understand that there are regulations, but give us something to work with.  I will say there’s at least one contender out to try this out, but I can’t say much more than that.  I hope to see a revisit to blasters more Blastfire and Lightning Blitz, and less like the Hornet.  Nerf’s still top of the game, but I hope there will be less repaints and reshells for 2012.  Wow me again, Hasbro.  Before one of the other companies beats you to the punch!

    I’ll be back for 2012, and even more importantly, I’ll be back at Toy Fair this year in February.  I’ve got some more news to put out, but that will wait after the Mayan Spaceship invasion 🙂  Take care everyone, be safe, and weather allowing, get out and play!