Category: nerf blaster

Official Nerf Arenas to Open Late Next Year!Nerf Action Xperience!

Hasbro Confirms U.S. Nerf Arenas and Opening Date

Grabbed from the Toy Book! Follow the link to read more.

I will update this post with a bit more info later.

It’s later!

“KINGSMEN AND HASBRO BRING THE NERF ACTION EXPERIENCE TO THE UNITED STATES”

 

Singapore, June 4, 2019 – Kingsmen Creatives Ltd. (“Kingsmen”) (“金明创新”), and its subsidiaries (the “Group”), a leading communication design and production group, today announced that Kingsmen Xperience, Inc., its US-based subsidiary has entered into a licensing agreement with global play and entertainment company Hasbro, Inc. (“Hasbro”, NASDAQ: HAS) to expand its current licensing agreement to open NERF FEC attractions in the United States market (“US”).

Mr. Andrew Cheng, Group Chief Executive Officer of Kingsmen, said, “NERF is a well-established brand that commands a global following and has a strong presence in the US. Its appeal as a popular lifestyle brand that encourages social and outdoor play is inter-generational. The opening of NERF FEC’s in the US will redefine how fans can experience the brand as they find themselves immersed in exclusive NERF worlds. We look forward to breaking new ground as we engage audiences in a truly one of a kind experience.”

Expanding the licensing deal for NERF FEC attractions into the US market allows Kingsmen to increase the global reach of the attraction, which has garnered significant international interest. The world’s first NERF FEC will open in Singapore in 2019, with the first US location to open in late 2020.

“When we first announced that Kingsmen was bringing the NERF experience to Singapore, we heard from fans around the globe that they were excited about the possibility of more locations around the world,” said Casey Collins, SVP & GM Consumer Products, Hasbro. “The work Kingsmen has done with the upcoming opening of the NERF Action Xperience in Singapore is outstanding, and we cannot wait for fans and families from all over the US to have their own experience in their back yard, because for us and our fans, it’s NERF or Nothin’!”

My thoughts:

Considering this news from a few months ago, how does it all fit? Kilburn is already planning a Power Rangers Live Tour  with Hasbro and now Kingsman is involved with the Family Entertainment Centers along with Kilburn? None of this is in my realm of expertise but I can see a few different scenarios:

  1. Kilburn handles a lot of licensed/brand property for the centers, like gaming, Transformers related attractions, GI Joe, and other similar properties. Kingsman handles the Nerf arena build outs (unlikely, considering Kilburn has “Nerf” among their clients.
  2. Kilburn lost the license and Kingsman had to step in to take care of the Nerf part of the FECs.
  3. The Nerf arenas are separate from the Hasbro entertainment centers. Not too sure about this either considering Nerf also shows up in other Hasbro properties.

One nugget of info I didn’t really expand on is that the Kilburn attractions have a “multiple-location rollout across North America” planned. Whether this is an all-encompassing Hasbro location or Nerf arenas separated from Hasbro brands, that remains to be seen.

The Kingsman Xperience project is slated for late next year in the U.S., and Singapore’s location opens in 2019, with no mention of multiple locations. At the very least when we see the Singapore location open, that might give us an idea of what to expect. Considering the accessibility they will need and the nature of the target audiences, I urge folks to keep an open mind.

I do have questions:

  • How will these impact the existing arena/mobile party market? Nerf knows about them, it’s a growing market that’s hard to miss.
  • Will these be glorified demo showrooms, or will players be allowed to bring their own blasters (I expect a safety check for that).
  • Multiple locations? Who gets the first wave?

There are others, but I won’t bore you with that. Got a question of your own? Post in the comments!

The Nerf Doomlands Judge! New Nerf Blaster that Needs a Bigger Gear Bag

Test Firing the Nerf “The Judge” for the Doomlands line… a huge blaster in its own right. Sample provided by Nerf, but thoughts and opinions remain my own!

NERF DOOMLANDS THE JUDGE Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $59.99/Available: Fall 2017)
Bring justice to a doomed land with the DOOMLANDS THE JUDGE blaster. With an impressive 30 dart capacity, THE JUDGE blaster can fire three darts at once! This massive blaster is ready for anything the post-apocalyptic wasteland can send its way. Includes 30 DOOMLANDS Elite darts. Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyshop.com.


Basic Statistics:

MSRP: $59.99
Available: Now
Capacity: 30 shots (3 shot bursts, shotgun style. No shells. Front-loading in 3 dart groupings)
Includes: Judge, 30 elite streamline darts, HUGE BOX

Test fired the Nerf Doomlands Judge in the above video. Watch the assembly below!

https://flipagram.com/f/1AAhv6F8ep0/embed

The blaster itself is incredibly…. ridiculous. It’s HUGE. The box itself has an “actual size” photo to shock and awe parents and kids alike in the toy aisle. And with good reason, as an adult the blaster is about the diameter of my torso and definitely eclipses my head when I place it in front of me. On pure aesthetics, this blaster is already quite an imposing image, or maybe a cartoon, depending on your point of view.

Gargantuan in dimension, the blaster is ungainly to wield. Pump-action makes dual-wielding nigh impossible, and and the surface area of the muzzle ensures that going around corners and finding good hiding spots in stealth are not a real consideration. Not when your blaster is the size of a small shrub. Does that make it a scrub, oh no, it makes it visible, and aggrolicious (I find big blasters tend to attract fire and attention from opposing teams and players in a casual game; this can be exploited in the hands of a knowledgeable player.) That being said, the blaster comes off initially as intimidating and with a three round burst is pretty effective in close quarters once it can be brought around to bear.

Performance wise, the blaster can be said to have more bark than bite. The ranges don’t seem much different from the initial product I saw at New York Toy Fair, and that was around 30′-50′. Angled or not, that was the most definite range. Not terribly different from the Sledgefire, but at least it had A WAY LARGER PAYLOAD (30 darts vs. 3+shell) and could be used as a shield (within certain gametypes). The spread wasn’t anything particularly astounding considering the 3 dart burst, and there was some loss of range on at least one dart in those bursts. The loss is usually where the 30′ mark came from. The key point is to consider this a truly close quarters blaster, and use it as such. If rules allow, use it as a shield. If they don’t, then be smart about aiming and when you try to run and gun with this blaster. The pump action is smooth, but the lack of a slamfire feature and again, the size for a short range blaster gives a player some extra tactical considerations.

Ultimately, if you’re let down by the range, then make sure to keep your focus in the Nerf Elite, Nerf Mega, and Nerf Rival areas of consideration. Unless otherwise stated, the thematic lines focus more on roleplay and fantasy/imagination play with blasters than outright performance. And The Judge, as a member of the Doomlands 2169, is highly indicative of that. You’re getting a relatively high capacity “shotgunned” blaster for close quarters and a lot of people as casual Nerf blaster users would love that. Who wouldn’t want to bust this out for some mischief on coworkers, classmates, and possibly unsuspecting family members? The Nerf Doomlands Judge makes an over the top statement about what it does as a blaster, and works the immersive angle of being some wasteland superhero with a large inventory of weapons of even larger construction. That’s the focus, and not squeezing out an extra 10′ on minimizing dead space or barrel fit. Doomlands is how some people play, and it gives them just the fantasy weapon to express themselves with.

The Judge is $60 roughly, available now. Is it worth it? If you can spring it and don’t mind the difference in range to most other blasters, then yes. Heck yes. It’s ridiculous, and that’s enough for me. If you want your accuracy and range a little higher, then it’s better to pass on this for a Rival (like the newly available Hera) or Nerf Elite (the Regulator is a good fun blaster out now as well.)

Hope this review helps, feel free to sound off in the comments! ‘Til next time.

Unboxing! Nerf Spring 2017 Care Package is in!

Look at all this stuff!

Thanks to Nerf for the samples as always, I’ll be doing reviews on more of this and additional looks over the next few weeks! While I’m at it, also make sure to check out my Instagram I post additional content with samples and arrivals like this!

Here’s some info on what arrived:

Thanks for reading!

ICYMI: New Buzz Bee 2017 Blasters from Toy Fair New York

Buzz Bee Brings the Blasters for 2017, Fall 2017*
Vas The Stampede
*- in stores by July possible according to the press release. Availability subject to location.

Buzz Bee definitely brought a lot of promise to Toy Fair 2017. They introduced three dart types (precision, long distance, and suction), increased the power of their blasters (openly claiming 100′ ranges on some blasters) and BROUGHT SOME NEW FEATURES.

Exhibit A: The Rail Blaster – the only video currently (as of March 30, 2017) of it firing

  • Price: $16
  • Available: Fall 2017*
  • Rear-loading
  • 6 shots
  • No slam fire


Rail Blaster on the left, Tactical Storm on the right.



Exhibit B: The Thermal Hunter –

And the sensor – (From RandomShadow09)

At Toy Fair, an adapter for the Thermal Sensor to fit onto Nerf blasters was in development as well, to be packed in the Thermal Hunter.

I was not able to get a price at this time, but I am following up and will update this post once I get some more information.
Additionally, some new tweaks on old patterns:
The Blizzard – 40 shots and slam-fire only, like the Buzz Bee Sidewinder –
No price on this one yet either, I may have missed it.

And the Tactical Storm (pictured above with the Rail Blaster):

  • Price: $17
  • Available: Fall 2017*
  • Interchangeable stock (supposedly with the Thermal Hunter stock).
  • Removable barrel for modular play

In closing, Buzz Bee continues to keep their low prices for the most part while upping their features. Some folks seem particularly excited about the Rail Blaster, others want to get their hands on the Thermal Hunter, and some just want a less pricey alternative to Nerf blasters. Given the products from last year, and the licensing for The Walking Dead, Buzz Bee continues to impress me with what they’re putting out in build quality and themes. As a good number of the blasters were prototypes I can’t say much about the build or the performance of these blasters, I’ll reserve that for the final retail models I will hopefully get later on. BUT…. some of the ideas that Buzz Bee had at Toy Fair were impressive indeed. Keep an eye on this blog and YouTube… as soon as I know, you’ll know 🙂
And some additional photos! Full Gallery of the Buzz Bee booth is here:

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New Nerf Rival Artemis and 2017 Gear and Accessories!

New Nerf Rival accessories and the Artemis for 2017

The Nerf Rival Artemis is already out in some areas and online (for a hefty price judging by what I saw on Amazon) but the official press release and info finally came in from Nerf. Check out below for the Artemis, as well as some new accessories (finally!) for your Nerf Rival blasters.

I think I saw the battery pack myself out at a Toys R Us recently, but originally I had thought that the battery pack only saved you from buying batteries, I had not realized it also promised improved rate of fire. I do believe there’s already video out there, but as always I want to see things for myself whenever I can. Anyway, samples from Nerf are promised, so stay tuned! (And thanks, if you’re reading!)

 NERF RIVAL ARTEMIS XVII-3000 Blaster
(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $44.99/Available: Spring 2017)
Experience ultimate precision and power in battle with the NERF RIVAL ARTEMIS XVII-3000 blaster! Available in red or blue (each sold separately), the ARTEMIS XVII-3000 blaster features a spring-action cocking mechanism, easy-load internal magazine, and boasts slam-fire capability firing NERF RIVAL foam rounds at a velocity of up to 100 fps.  Compatible with NERF RIVAL tactical rail accessories (sold separately). Includes 30 NERF RIVAL foam rounds. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF RIVAL Red Dot Sight Accessory
(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99/Available: Spring 2017)
In the heat of battle, take aim with the NERF RIVAL Red Dot Sight accessory. Players simply look through the lens and align the red dot with their target for precision battling. The sight features die cast details, is adjustable and is held securely in place with a quick-release camlock mechanism. Compatible with NERF RIVAL blasters, sold separately. Requires 2 AAA batteries, not included. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF RIVAL Flashlight Grip Accessory
(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Spring 2017)
Illuminate NERF RIVAL blaster battle with the LED Flashlight Grip accessory. The light features die cast details, a removable grip, and quick-release camlock that holds it in place. Attach the Flashlight Grip accessory to any compatible NERF RIVAL blaster (sold separately) and light up the action! Requires 3 AAA batteries, not included. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com.
NERF RIVAL Rechargeable Battery Pack
(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Fall 2016)

Amp up your battle with the NERF RIVAL Rechargeable Battery Pack! The first rechargeable battery in the NERF RIVAL line, fans can use this lightweight battery pack with the NERF RIVAL KHAOS MXVI-4000 blaster (sold separately) instead of batteries to increase the blaster’s rate of fire. Includes wall charger. For use with NERF RIVAL products only; not compatible with the NERF RIVAL ZEUS MXV-1200 blaster. Includes rechargeable battery and wall charger. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com.

Nerf Accustrike blasters revealed! Pricing, Available Spring 2017!

Nerf sent along info on the new Nerf and Rebelle Accustrike blasters as of this morning, enjoy! BONUS: If you’re a Nerfperks.com member, you can earn points to get an alphahawk blaster EARLY. Details at the end of the post.

edit: price corrected on Falconfire to $14.99

NERF N-STRIKE ELITE ACCUSTRIKE ALPHAHAWK Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $29.99/Available: Spring 2017)
The NERF N-STRIKE ELITE ACCUSTRIKE ALPHAHAWK blaster lets players experience the best in performance and precision the NERF brand has to offer! This bolt action blaster with a five dart rotating drum, and integrated sight and stock is designed to line up your shot for precision targeting. Includes 10 ACCUSTRIKE series NERF darts. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com

 NERF N-STRIKE ELITE ACCUSTRIKE FALCONFIRE Blaster

(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99/Available: Spring 2017)
You can hit YOUR mark with precision with the NERF N-STRIKE FALCONFIRE blaster! The ACCUSTRIKE series darts are designed for greater accuracy. Just load one dart into the top of this single-shot blaster, take aim, and fire! Includes six ACCUSTRIKE series NERF darts. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com
NERF REBELLE FOCUSFIRE CROSSBOW Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Spring 2017)
Find your target and take a shot with the NERF REBELLE FOCUS FIRE blaster. This front-loading crossbow-style blaster offers NERF REBELLE fans the chance to hit their mark with increased accuracy and precision. Includes five ACCUSTRIKE series NERF REBELLE darts. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com
NERF REBELLE TRUEPOINT Blaster
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $9.99/Available: Spring 2017)
When the battle is on, your aim is true with the NERF REBELLE TRUEPOINT blaster. Featuring a red light beam to help fans pinpoint the target, the TRUEPOINT blaster fires one ACCUSTRIKE series NERF REBELLE dart at a time with increased precision. Includes six ACCUSTRIKE series NERF REBELLE darts. Available at most major toy retailers and at HasbroToyShop.com
So, you have a five shot revolver rifle, a new pistol, a new crossbow (but the continuation of the Rebelle line), and a new red light pistol? No range claims on this new right off the bat, but those darts look very interesting. I think the heads might be rifled…? As always, I hope to get a closer look at these in the future for a proper review 🙂
And that’s not all! Don’t want to wait ’til Spring 2017? You can EARN AN ALPHAHAWK through the Nerf Perks rewards program. Create an account on NerfPerks.com, submit qualifying Nerf purchases to earn points, and redeem those points for cool Nerf rewards, including the Alphahawk blaster, starting in December of this year. Use the code foam1016 when you sign up for an additional 100 points! The code is valid from October 4, 2016 12:00AM (ET) to November 4, 2016 11:59PM (ET).
You have your news folks! Are you excited?

 

Des Plaines Nerf Tournament, 2016

Des Plaines Park District in Illinois Beats the Heat to host 4th annual Nerf Dart Tournament
Vas The Stampede

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

Over the weekend, I dropped in at the Des Plaines Park District for their 4th (pretty sure it was their 4th) annual Nerf tournament! Nerf was nice enough to send along prizes for the players, thanks so much to them for that. Players braved the heat and humidity for a few hours of foam slinging fun, and got a blaster for their efforts. I sincerely hope everyone had a great time! This park district is consistent at their love of the hobby, and is one of the few Park Districts I know of that implements blaster games in their events. Their rules are a little different from the usual NIC rules obviously, using stock blasters and ranges, but given the size of the playing field and the layout, it still makes for some fast-paced gameplay. Keep it going, Des Plaines, and looking forward to the next one!

Full Gallery is HERE