Category: nerf

Nerf Dart Tag League 2010 Chicago – Day 2!

Pretty self-explanatory, some of the hijinks from the Nerf Dart Tag League stop in Chicago from a few weeks ago. En route to the World Championships in LAS VEGAS, NV in October… here’s what to expect. It was nuts, it was crazy, it was Nerf. Were the Nerfinators able to repeat?

Find out in the next update!

-VasTheStampede

Quick bit: The Nerf N-Strike Alpha Trooper CS-18!

From FFA_Alpha Trooper

We’re looking at the Alpha Trooper CS-18 from Nerf’s N-Strike line. It can be yours for $20, and is a Target-only exclusive (at least US-wise as far as I know.) Info on this was released months ago, and only recently has the blaster finally hit stores.

Stats:
– Slam-fire mode, like the Raider CS-35
– No stock, but stock from other N-strike blasters (the Raider, for instance) can work.
– Comes with an 18 round drum magazine

Some shots:

From FFA_Alpha Trooper
From FFA_Alpha Trooper
From FFA_Alpha Trooper

My Take:

I will admit, I knew it was going to be similar to the Raider, but this was ridiculous. The shell, with the exception of the pumphandle and the magazine location, were too close for my tastes. It felt like I spent $20 for the same blaster. Even with the (IMO) better underside location of the magazine it really did feel like another Raider.

Now now, don’t worry, some members of EPICNERF looked, altered, and battle-tested Troopers and told me there are some other notable differences. The performance right out of the box rivaled and possibly surpassed the ranges of a stock Raider. After some alterations, it was even better. The jamming wasn’t a problem, and the new pumphandle allowed for a Recon-style priming motion, in addition to the pump-action if that was your preferred motion. Not to mention the one-handed priming action, a la Linda Hamilton in “T2”.

Now, if you don’t own a Raider already, or are a collection completionist and have to have the 18 round drum, then this is for you. If you’re left-handed, you too will benefit from this blaster as the magazine release button is on both sides of the blaster. The lower cost, the 18 round drum is certainly less bulkier to handle than the 35 round drum, and holstering this blaster may be easier for you without the front grip that the Raider has. Dare I say it, this might even outrange a Raider so ultimately the decision’s up to you, foam fighter.

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

Feedback? Questions? Comment below, or shoot me an email! FoamFromAbove@gmail.com

-VasTheStampede

P.S. – Yes, it came with ammo ;P

What an adventure… for the Nerf Stampede ECS

Well, if you’ve coasted the net and this blog chances are you’ve seen Hasbro/Nerf threw a shindig at Stout’s in New York City to celebrate not only the past 40+ years of Nerf products but to herald the coming of the much-speculated 09/09/10 blaster – the “Big Blast” which is now officially called the “Stampede ECS-50”.

I could tell you about the trip; from the hotel, to the transportation, or whatever but you want to know about the blaster.

Let’s answer some quick questions:

Why?

Ever since the NDTL last year, I’ve been in touch with people who handle PR for Nerf. This resulted in an invitation to this media-only event. Media-only meant the attendees were adults, so the location of the bar (Stout’s) was fine. Were this the NDTL, a bar would be… odd.

What?
The Stampede! Older Nerf products from the last 40 years (including Super Soaker that is now a brand of Nerf) like the Blast-A-Matic, Nerfuls, and even the Brainball (it was a brain-shaped football).

Shoot, pictures tell the tale:

Cammo Ammo:

MORE PHOTOS:
http://picasaweb.google.com/110890746836784809541/FFA_NerfReleaseJuly2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCM2fiILXuK_OWw#

Anyway. Ok, I posted some initial impressions of the Stampede before but let me expand a bit.

NERF N-STRIKE STAMPEDE
$49.99

– The first fully automatic NERF Clip System blaster to date (the vulcan was EBF, Magstrike was AS, and RF-20 doesn’t use clips).
– Pop-out bipod, which doubles as a handle
– Removable shield
– The NERF N-STRIKE STAMPEDE ECS blaster also comes complete with one six dart Clip and three extended Clips which hold 18 darts each

Available at most major retailers nationwide and HasbroToyShop.com beginning 9.9.10.

(Thanks to Nerf for the run-down!)

There are multiple tactical rails along the top and around the muzzle for your other n-strike accessories. Personally, for laughs I like to use the tactical red dot sight.

You can expect 25-30 feet range-wise for any Nerf blaster right out of the box, and the accuracy’s going to hurt a little bit based on the usage of streamlines (you can see a video of how the Stampede fires here:. Then again, are you really looking for something to shoot laser straight with the inherent nature of using a Nerf blaster? And hopefully out of 18 shots SOMETHING’ll work. It felt a bit faster than the vulcan too, but when I can test one more thoroughly I’ll make sure to check that.

The blaster holds comfortably size-wise but as you’d expect with something that uses six “D” batteries has a noticeable heft after holding it up at shoulder-height for a few minutes, bipod or no bipod. Also, don’t expect to use the bipod laying prone using the 18 round magazine; it juts out further than the bipod extends.

The N-strike blasters are notorious for stuff slipping loose (sights on the rails, the flip clips) while running, but I don’t think this is the case with the bipod and shield. Dare I say it I tested them thoroughly during the event, and everything held together pretty solidly.

Reloading was easy as pie this time around; previous blasters like the longshot, longstrike, deploy, raider, and vulcan all had a manual action in their reload cycle. The Stampede lets you drop a magazine and throw in a fresh one, no manual mechanism involved. This significantly decreased the reload time between magazines and the user error that would happen sliding a bolt or priming arm back and forth.

I’ll revisit some of these points when I have a unit at-home; but these are my initial impressions. I understand that $50 is a lot, but hopefully the points I’ve provided make a good case. I personally look forward to swinging around with two of them at the same time each with a 35 round drum magazine. Also, remember what it sounds like each Stampede is coming with:

-shield
-bipod
-ammo
-3 18 round magazines & 1 6 round magazine (probably looking at 54 darts)
-The Stampede

So it’s still a pretty sizable bunch of items you’re getting.

Anyway, if you have any questions feel free to comment. Whew!

-VasTheStampede

P.S. – THANK YOU HASBRO AND NERF FOR HAVING ME THERE AND TO THE STAFF ON ALL FRONTS FOR ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS!