Category: nerf

Alright, big announcement in regards to FoamFromAbove…

Alright, I’ve been writing this blog for about 5 years, most of the entries happening in the last year. When I started this project, it was to get me writing again, and I chose something I enjoyed and knew a bit about. I liked shooting nerf blasters with my friends, and had my fair share of stock wars with my buddies. Besides that, there were also the reviews of blasters I owned.

Then came the Nerf Dart Tag League, and fortunately it landed in Chicago. This led to me contacting Nerf, which to me has exploded into a trip to NYC, products to test and look at, and Nerf fun to spread around to the current group I play with.

So what’s the point? What’s the big news?

I’m going to Toy Fair, in New York City this February. With a media pass.

Which to me, is the big time. It’s a toy industry-only conference where a lot of toys for 2011 from all over the industry will show up before they hit stores. Buyers make their orders for the following year, and this is a lot of stuff involved with the holiday shopping for 2011. The news about the Stampede initially broke at one of these events, as well while it was still under its code name, “Big Blast”. Nerf showed early photos on their facebook page, and that’s where the clear blasters were first put on display. The N-Strike tac vest first popped up there as well last year.

And I’m going to be there, this year. After five years of blogging on/off, it’s come to this. A lot of Nerf news has already come out before this event, but it’ll pretty much be the first official news on US shores. The big press releases come out from this event.

Now, this trip isn’t compensated by Nerf or Hasbro, like the other media event in NYC. This is going to be all out of my own pocket, and for those that don’t know FFA is a one-man show. But I enjoy doing it because I never totally grew up and enjoy running around with silly blasters with my friends and other like-minded individuals.

But yeah, here’s the thing for you dear reader. I would never have gotten this pass if not for you visiting my site. For that, I thank you. In the meantime, if there is anything you want me to ask people from Nerf when I go there, please leave a question in the comments below. I obviously will not be able to take ALL QUESTIONS. I am going to select a few, and try to get answers. Any question involving a crossbow rerelease will not be taken, hehe. But anyway, I’ll leave it at that for now. With this event being next month there’s plenty of time for you all to figure out stuff to ask. So, fire away and see what sticks. I wouldn’t have this opportunity without readers, and so this is a way of me being able to represent you as well, sort of.

Thanks again, and I look forward to your questions. And be realistic, they obviously won’t disclose everything, much less have at-length discussions regarding the use of inverse plungers etc. They also won’t respond to questions in-depth about modding, opting to just say they don’t support it. But yeah, take a shot and I’ll see what I can use. Thank you, so so much.

-@VasTheStampede

Hey! Klaw hatchet!

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A Year Under the Barrel II: Nerf and other related foam blasters in 2010

What at year. So much has changed and happened this year, both in regards to this blog, other blogs, and playing with Foam Blasters. Nerf, Lanard, and BuzzBee remain major players but when there’s this kind of buzz the true winners are the end users, you and me that head to the stores to see what’s new.

For at least the last 2 years, FoamFromAbove (and other sites, as I’m sure you’ve heard) started working with Nerf, releasing official press releases and information as it comes down the pipe. What this means though is you won’t catch rumors, pictures, and vids of stuff that has not officially come from those we work with, or even mods to said blasters. That’s why I was able to put out pics of the original clear series last year before they fully hit stores(

From Recently Updated

)

and the initial US shots of the Stampede back in July at a media-only release event: (FFA IZ MEDIA)

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Two years running now, and the champs from last year repeated! Who’da thunk? Here’s hoping there’s a year 3, and good luck to NARF at getting another shot! (I’m from IL, I support the hometown guys!)

Not to say BuzzBee’s been quiet on their end, either! Some of the more notable releases this year had to be the

Hunter

The Powerstrike

And most recently, the Hawk. (Check out http://nerfornothing.blogspot.com for images!)

And what about 2011? See me again in January, and we’ll talk then! Some pretty big news in the works, and hopefully some tweaks to the site itself. In the meantime, thank you so much for your patronage, and visiting this little blog about silly toys and blasters.

Oh, and my fave blaster of 2010? The Stampede was close, but I think the barricade might have stolen the year for me. Anyone who has seen “Hard-Boiled” with Chow-Yun Fat knows exactly what I’m talking about.

‘Til next time, remember to throw your blaster games how you wanna throw’em, and let the attendees sort it out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

P.S. I ignored commenting at length on the lawsuit Hasbro/Nerf filed on competitors BuzzBee and Lanard, as I’m really not qualified to do so. Hasbro won, and I’ll leave it at that.

New Nerf blaster: Spectre Rev-5!

Alright, the N-Strike Rev-5 has been out for a good long while now and I’ve finally gotten my hands on it. Looking at this thing right out of the box, you’re looking at somewhere between 20-35′ range so there’s that question. However, the bread and butter of this thing is the streamlining between this and the maverick as you’ll see in the photos.

Now, the Rev-5 functions just like the Maverick Rev-6 and the Recon CS-6 as far as the priming mech, there’s a slide on the top of the blaster that you pull back, and it readies the shot. HOWEVER, unlike the Maverick the Spectre rotates every time you prime the blaster, not every time you pull the trigger. The action feels a bit tighter as a result and dare I say it I think it shoots farther than the maverick as a result.

The whole blaster feels more streamlined, between losing one chamber and everything in general it’s a smaller feel, even with the stock and silencer on it. Don’t think for a second though that fitting into the holster of the Nerf Tactical vest probably didn’t play some role in this little piece of ingenuity.

The stock and the silencer; don’t bother. The stock’s super flimsy (although the flip-out motion is cool) and the silencer’s just another faux barrel. But it looks cool too, so if that’s your thing then don’t let this reviewer stop you. In fact, here’re some shots to show you how other things look on it:

I have a minimalist perspective on these matters though… so I like this:

But yeah, I definitely dig the feel of this blaster in its stripped-down configuration and the range is right where I think a sidearm (especially one that doesn’t need extra mags) should be. Even if you have a maverick and a recon, this just might offer enough from using each to be worth your while. Minus the extra round, the mobility and range offered is enough to tilt my opinion of the blaster towards yes. Too often I find my mags run out, but then I have a Firefly handy, or when it was on me, the Spectre.

Now, about the barricade…? ANOTHER TIME!

How about a size comparison photo?

Spectre vs. Crossfire vs. Maverick vs. Triple Torch