Category: toy

F2A Friday Five – Five Gametypes For Small Groups!

Thanks to Hummer, a blaster game runner from Wisconsin I game with regularly, on the help for this one! He runs his games with a Milwaukee area crew in Wisconsin, check out M.A.N.O. for their shenanigans. Nerf games don’t always have to be groups of 20-40 people running around (though that’s a lot of fun, and these games types tend to work well in small groups of 10 or less (5 v 5 ultimately, or even less.)

Hummer in action during a game


Gametypes:

1. Zombies. Zombies can be added into many gametypes in addition to being played with variations (Dismemberment, chopper, ect.) (Stampede chiming in here) Zombies are players who would normally be considered “out” but instead find a new life as a facilitator of game play, marching around the field and tagging players who are still alive. I like instituting this facet because it means people don’t have to sit out during a game, and zombies help prevent standoffs/camping. The rules we usually play with this game are there is an OZ or two, and they start off unknown (like HvZ), tagging players. Getting hit with a dart means a 7-15 second stun for the player to get away. This can be altered as noted above with variations, including large ammo.

2. Catch ’em all/blob – best played with 6+ people, but not above about 15. (Everyone starts with unlimited lives, 15 second respawn. Free for all. When you get tagged, you respawn on that persons team. Play until everyone’s on the same team).

3. Free for all – Make sure you set boundaries, otherwise, you’ll get the one camper who’ll come in mostly fresh on lives. Adding zombies helps with campers 😉

4. Freeze tag – getting hit with a dart/projectile/weapon results in the victim being frozen in place. A teammate may release/revive the tagged player with a touch to the frozen player’s person (BE NICE. DON’T BE RUDE ABOUT REVIVING YOUR TEAMMATES.) Frozen players may be used as cover, with hilarious results.

5. Royal rumble
Royal rumble: Start off with one person in the field, with everyone else lined up on the sidelines. add a person every 15-30 seconds. One life. Go until there’s noone left or keep cycling in the dead players ’til tired. Alternatively, you could try to enforce a lives system, where you have to get back in line every time you die.

Some gameplay video from a recent game he organized, taken by CrissWolfNerf.

Questions? Comments? Hopefully these game types or some variant will be useful to you!

F2A Friday Five: 5 Toy Fair 2016 Blaster Favorites

Five Takeaways from Toy Fair 2016
VasTheStampede

note: there was so much great stuff at Toy Fair! The Five involved with this list are by no means representative of the whole experience.

Edit: previous version of the article incorrectly listed the company for RBS as Super Impact, that has been corrected as of 2/29.

1. Nerf – I’m cheating a bit here. (See the full gallery of images here) The Nerf booth had a ton of things that I felt will be huge in 2016. Heck, the Nerf brand in general is going HUGE in 2016 and beyond, from what I could tell. Even the Platinum Bow from Rebelle is a huge offering and regardless of it being Rebelle I intend to own one. Other blasters, like the BattleScout and the HyperFire, offer new twists on previous features, like the stripper clip (seen on the Magstrike and Powerclip, mainly) and a new camera, while the HyperFire has an increased Rate of Fire. The Nerf Rival Khaos is a ridiculous beast, and while the magazine compatibility is lacking, that is a seriously hilariously large blaster and magazine.

The Nerf blasters this year are incredibly eye catching, but with that comes a level of functionality in some blasters that may change the blaster landscape over the next year. Not just because the Tri-Strike makes most available ammo types usable in a single game play, or that the Hyperfire may arguably be the fastest Rate of Fire for a stock blaster to date, but because Nerf is showing confidence in its brand to try some crazy, oversized ideas. The Brainsaw is evidence the Zombie Strike line continues to produce some fun toys (yes, TOYS) while the Double-Dealer is another massive eye catching piece with its double mag setup. (The Double-Dealer was a non-functioning prototype when I was at the booth, so sadly no firing video. But the stock is in fact a magazine holder, if you haven’t see it yet.) My main concern though is the main blasters are going anywhere between $30 to $80, and to a family that can add up, even to an enthusiast collector. But the fans have wanted bigger and better, and this year, Nerf served that up in spades.

2. Buzz Bee gets “The Walking Dead” license

 In addition to continuing to offer a low cost alternative to Nerf, Buzz Bee has the license for “The Walking Dead”, which I can see a lot of people getting excited about. Especially the rifle at the bottom, which does not seem to use an ammo belt like the last rifle of this style I saw (not from Buzz Bee, I believe). It looks like the license is more for the comics than the TV show, but at this point it’s  still “Hey! The Walking Dead!” There were some other prototypes at the booth (a blaster reminiscent of the Magstrike/Powerclip, air powered and still very cool) but this is what really caught my eye and has gotta be one of the most telling things for me that Buzz Bee has some serious plans for the future and bears watching even more than before.

3. The Precision RBS system (from Super Impulse) –

This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been taken with a new type of blaster and ammo, but there was something so elegant about the Precision RBS system it deserves a callout here. These are rubber band shooters. And not some specialty rubber band ammo, but every day standard rubber bands (three different sizes) which makes getting the ammo easy in a pinch. The larger models have integrated ammo holders, an integrated second blaster, multiple round firing (and the RoF is semiauto, in case you’re curious). The guys who invented this really did their homework about rubber band shooters, and what players look for (even a separate firing mode) in general from a user standpoint, they really thought of a lot of things for this line. I look forward to seeing more from this blaster, that’s for sure.

4. Paper Shooters

Finally! After years of communication, I finally met the owners behind Paper Shooters, and they look ready to hit the American market. Now, these aren’t your typical blasters- it’s a model kit first (so there is some build time to invest) and a functional blaster second. These are some pretty pieces of kit when you’re done, judging by what I saw at their booth, and when you finally get the blaster built it’s very satisfying shooting them. The shell ejection, the pullback lever, it all feels very cool (for lack of a better term) when shooting them. Even moreso cause this is a blaster you build from the ground up with the kit, so it’s a very different offering from when you have a blaster and modify it, now it is your own you built from basically scratch.

5. K’Nex

K’Nex continues the K-Force line – now we have magazines, motors, and turrets to add into the mix. The beast pictured above is a custom build, but it’s three linked triggers to fire three darts at once. I used the initial kits and found the build times a little long, but I attribute that to my unfamiliarity with using K’Nex pieces. All the same, I am glad this line is still kicking because of the customizability it offers, and really want to sink my teeth into some custom builds this year.

Questions? Comments? Did you want to add anything? More galleries and more in-depth writeups to come, thanks for tuning in!

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Toy Fair Day 1 preview, found them! (Zuru, Buzz Bee, and so on….)

This little gem from Buzz Bee, the destiny. This is just the beginning! More on the way so watch this space.

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Then some Zuru –

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And Buzz Bee with the Walking Dead!

A photo posted by Humanoid Typhoon (@blasterbot1984) on Feb 13, 2016 at 1:48pm PST

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K’Nex K-Force Blasters Continue at New York Toy Fair (ICYMI)…

K’Nex K-Force continues into 2016! The construction set blasters introduce turrets and motorized blasting with the new crop of blasters coming out later this year.

K-10V Building Set
Build your own K-FORCE Build and Blast K-10V blaster that fires up to 75 feet! Set features 83 pieces including, K’NEX rods and connectors, 1 blaster chamber, 1 quick fit grip, 1 preload ring and 5 foam darts. Customize and create your own K-FORCE blaster or combine with the K-FORCE Build and Blast Mini Cross Building Set (set sold separately) for an awesome downloadable combo build! All K’NEX rods and connectors are made in the USA. Suggested retail price is $14.99. Ages 8+. Available Spring 2016.


 K-25X RotoShot Blaster Building Set

Get ready for rotating blaster action with the new K-FORCE K-25X RotoShot Blaster

Building Set from K’NEX! The K-25X RotoShot blaster allows you to construct an incredible blaster, and then fire off 5 shots without reloading! Set includes 1 NEW RotoChamber, 5 foam darts, 1 quick fit grip, 1 preload ring and downloadable instructions for 4 additional custom blasters and targets. Models can be built one at a time. Compatible with the entire K-FORCE Build and Blast line. All K’NEX rods and connectors are made in the USA. Suggested retail price is $39.99. Ages 8+. Available Fall 2016.

Super Strike RotoShot Blaster Building Set 

Rotating blasting fun is what you will get with the new K-FORCE Super Strike RotoShot Blaster Building Set from K’NEX! The Super Strike RotoShot blaster allows you to build an amazing blaster, and then fire off 5 shots without reloading! Set includes 1 NEW RotoChamber, 5 foam darts, 1 quick fit grip, 1 preload ring and downloadable instructions for 4 additional custom blasters and targets. Compatible with the entire K-FORCE Build and Blast line. Models can be built one at a time. All K’NEX rods and connectors are made in the USA. Suggested retail price is $39.99. Ages 8+. Available Fall 2016.

Flash Fire Motorized Blaster Building Set

Blast darts as fast as you can with the K-FORCE Flash Fire Motorized Blaster Building Set! Build your blaster and then load the clip with up to 10 darts, and the new motorized rapid fire chamber will fire darts as fast as you can pull the trigger! Set includes 1 motorized rapid fire chamber, a 10 dart clip, 10 foam darts, 1 quick fit grip and downloadable instructions for 6 additional custom blasters and targets. Compatible with the entire K-FORCE Build and Blast line. Batteries required, but not included. Most models can be built one at a time. All K’NEX rods and connectors are made in the USA. Suggested retail price is $49.99. Ages 8+. Available Fall 2016.






 
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Nerf Recon Mk II 2.0 addresses compatibility issues, releasing soon!

Quick update: got info from the #Nerf team that a “new” version of the Modulus Recon Mk II is coming out, that will not have the same clip compatibility issues as the earlier release. I don’t have one (yet) so this wasn’t a big deal for me, but if you did buy one already, contact Hasbro Customer service as they should be ready to help you out in resolving any questions. 
http://www.hasbro.com/customer-service/

#ForceFriday – Blasters to Bull’s Eye them Womp Rats back home

#ForceFriday Brings Licensed Blasters to the Front Lines
Vas The Stampede
ICYMI: Force Friday came and went, bringing with it a slew of new Star Wars toys to herald the revitalizing of the franchise when “The Force Awakens”  in theaters. I snagged a few pics on my instagram but here’s the official info and word from Nerf’s press releases (provided by the Nerf folks themselves, except for the lightsabers that I had to grab from ScienceFiction.com. I put a few darts through the blasters too, so there are some thoughts below as well. (All product was paid for on a shopping run, Nerf did not provide samples of these, just the information and images.)
 “STAR WARS NERF FIRST ORDER STORMTROOPER BLASTER
(Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $12.99/Available: Fall 2015)
The fight to restore order to the galaxy comes home with the first-ever STAR WARS NERF blasters! Battle against the Resistance with this blaster that comes with a removable sight and three NERF darts that fire up to 65 feet!” 
Simple enough; the blaster’s a single shot pistol, has a tactical rail on the top, and is easily pocketable. If you have a Firestrike already there’s not much new here, except it’s colored like the First Order Stormtroopers. The range claim is a bit high too, holding the blaster parallel to the ground achieved maybe 30-40′. Angled (VERY angled, as was the case with all these blasters) I was able to get maybe 50′. Good for close quarters but at $12.99 you might find other offerings for similar prices that have higher ranges.
“STAR WARS NERF CHEWBACCA BOWCASTER
(Ages 8 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $24.99/Available: Fall 2015)
The fight to restore order to the galaxy comes home with the first-ever STAR WARS NERF blasters! Battle against the First Order in the style of your favorite Wookiee with this blaster that features a removable scope, real crossbow action and five NERF darts that fire up to 65 feet!”
 This blaster… left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t own the other Chewbacca bowcaster from the 90s(?) so I was excited for it, even moreso because it seemed based on the Diamondista, which is one of my favorite blasters from the Rebelle line. However, this blaster was no Diamondista. It has a tactical rail (for a binocular style sight, included) and an ammo holder for the side. The ammo holder only installs on the one side though which is fine for me as a righty, but I wonder about left-handed users. The biggest complaint about this blaster is the size though, when you think Chewbacca you think a sizable two-handed blaster. The size on this blaster fit more for a pistol than the Bowcaster, at least in my mind. 
The worst part of the blaster though, was how it shot. Licensed products in general worry me, and past licensed products of all types (video games, blasters, etc.) were terrible. And when the blaster fired, it fired fine. Angled it would hit 60+, around 30-40′ aimed parallel to the ground. BUT, the darts would sometimes spiral when they launched. And this misfire happened a lot more than I remember it happening with a Diamondista. Maybe it’s the dart quality, the weather, the phase of the moon but the reliability of this blaster firing was noticeably low. While the Diamondista is only $10 ($4.98 elsewhere) that’s an acceptable risk, but for a $25 blaster that carries the roleplay idea of one of the main heroes of a major franchise…. I expected better. This one I’d say wait for the sale.
STAR WARS NERF FIRST ORDER STORMTROOPER DELUXE BLASTER
(Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $39.99/Available: Fall 2015)
The fight to restore order to the galaxy comes home with the first-ever STAR WARS NERF blasters! Battle against the Resistance with this blaster that comes with a 12-dart clip, slam-fire action, removable sight, detachable stock and twelve NERF darts that fire up to 65 feet! 
This blaster was up to my expectations. It comes with a 12 round magazine, tactical rail sight, and a detachable stock. Colored as the First Order Stormtroopers, the main weapon to fight the Resistance. Whether stormtroopers will shoot better this time around remains to be seen, but if they’re using streamlines I have a good feeling for the Resistance fighters. The blaster reminds me of the Alpha Trooper in the way it feels and shoots… which isn’t necessarily a good thing. The Elite Alpha Trooper’s pump felt a little flimsy for me, and would sometimes release the magazine I had in the blaster. It just didn’t feel like a very robust build and definitely not like the Rampage or Raider even. Some aesthetic touches such as the “armed” vents on the side are nice though. I am not sure how left-handed people are going to like using this blaster though, with the magwell and mag release buttons positioned only on the left side of the blaster. Also, the jam door is connected to the pump, so you can’t open it whenever. I don’t like that, but maybe it’s a small complaint. HOWEVER, the first one I bought broke using slam-fire and I had to return it for an exchange. So far the other one hasn’t had any issues, and fires pretty well.
Range-wise, the blaster hit maybe 40′ at least while aiming parallel to the ground, but definitely needed an angle to hit 60’+. Not surprised at that. Is it worth $40? Depends on how much you like Star Wars, need a slam-fire blaster, or…. like Star Wars? I took advantage of the promo price Toys R Us had, so I was fine with the price I paid for it. If you already have an Alpha Trooper or Rampage, you may want to pass. Personally I am still happy with it, as I always wanted a Stormtrooper blaster and am happy that dart shooters from Star Wars are finally out and hitting over 20-30′. If these do well, I look forward to more as the franchise expands.
STAR WARS NERF DART REFILL
(Ages 6 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $9.99/Available: Fall 2015)
The fight to restore order to the galaxy comes home with the first-ever STAR WARS NERF blasters! Choose your side – Resistance blue or First Order red – and blast into battle! Each refill pack comes with 18 foam NERF darts compatible with all STAR WARS NERF blasters, sold separately.

The dart heads are transparent! Not much to say, just additional dart types which are pretty nice. 18 darts for $9.99…. that’s…. uhm…. definitely not the price you get for other packs though. How much do you really want to shoot blue or red darts?

STAR WARS® BLADEBUILDERS FOAM LIGHTSABER ASST (The bottom 3 lightsabers in the picture above)
(Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $14.99/Available: Fall 2015)
Introducing a new way to wield a Lightsaber! New Foam Lightsabers provide movie-accurate looks with a soft foam material for amazing fun. Each Lightsaber is compatible and combinable with other BLADEBUILDERS Lightsaber components (sold separately). Choose from YODA, DARTH VADER, and LUKE SKYWALKER. Each sold separately.

FINALLY! Lightsabers I can use for combat and not worry about bending/scuffing the plastic. The foam is more consistent with pool noodle foam though, and less the smooth foam used for the old N-Force line. The handles are hollowed out to use with connectors for the Blade Builder set, so you have options and configurations to choose from! For $14.99 you can definitely find cheaper foam swords, but they’re not lightsabers. I gladly paid the price for the aesthetics. And yes, you lose the light-up function and the hum of the sabers, but now you can duel with the best of them! (Which is NOT recommended for play.)

Happy Force Friday! Nerf First Order blaster pics!

#ForceFriday Kicks off the New Hope for Star Wars (toys)

Thanks to Graham B on Facebook, we have these initial pics for the new Nerf Star Wars First Order blasters! I haven’t gotten these myself yet, these pics came from Graham.

Enjoy the pics, commentary to follow.

Not sure which UPC this is for (based on the order the pics were sent to me this is for the deluxe blaster.)

The range claims are approximately 65′, which is INFINITELY better than most licensed products in the past. The Deluxe  blaster seems to have slam-fire and use n-strike mags, definitely something I will test though. The smaller pistol has the same range claim, but no mag usage. Interesting stuff!
UPDATE: the $79.99 price tag looks to be from an Australian source. Less price in the U.S.
HOWEVER, $20.99 for a pistol (probably single shot) & $79.99 for what is basically a Rampage? Dangit, Nerf. (See update!) For $10 more that’s a Rhino-Fire. Son of Nerf Herder, I hope that’s an error of some sort but I won’t know for myself until I hit the stores in the morning. That’s pretty exorbitant in my opinion, even if it is a licensed product. But Nerf can get away with it, because fans like myself are going nuts right now in anticipation. Heck of a trick. In the meantime, happy hunting! And may the Force be with you, always.

Nerf Rival Zeus Blaster Claims 100 FPS when it shoots

Nerf Rival Zeus Claims to Hit 100 FPS
Vas The Stampede

Back in February at Toy Fair, I checked out the Nerf Rival Zeus blaster in prototype form! Thanks to Nerf for sending along the full production model. Check the video below, and I’ll update with my thoughts later today.

Check out the photo album in the meantime!

About the Zeus:

NERF RIVAL ZEUS MXV-1200 Blaster

(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $49.99/Available: Fall 2015)
Bring NERF battles to the next level with the mighty NERF RIVAL ZEUS MXV-1200 blaster. Simply push the power-up button, then take aim and unleash motorized blasting power on the opposing team. The powerful, precise RIVAL ZEUS MXV-1200 blaster gives fans and their allies an edge in battle and features an ambidextrous  clip loading and release button, safety switch, and fold-up sight. The included NERF RIVAL 12-round magazine is also compatible for use with the NERF RIVAL APOLLO XV-700 blaster, sold separately. Blaster is available in both red and blue and includes 12 NERF RIVAL Foam rounds. Six C batteries required, not included.
Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and at HasbroToyShop.com.
Nerf Rival Apollo:
Nerf RIVAL APOLLO XV-700 Blaster
(Ages 14 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $24.99/Available: Fall 2015) 
Perfect for the heat of the competition, the NERF RIVAL APOLLO XV-700 blaster sends NERF RIVAL foam rounds soaring in the air with extraordinary velocity. To defend themselves and teammates against the opposition, pull the lever to move the RIVAL foam round into place, then take aim and launch! Blaster is available in both red and blue includes seven NERF RIVAL foam rounds. 
Available at most major toy retailers nationwide and at HasbroToyShop.com.
Additional photos in the gallery:

Nerf releases info on more DOOMLANDS 2169

Nerf releases images of New Doomlands 2169 melee weapons!
VasTheStampede

Nerf sent over some new images today of some hand to hand roleplay weapons/toys to look forward to from Doomlands 2169, the Swift Justice and the Vigilance! 
Produced by Perpetual Play, the Swift Justice looks inspired by a trench knife with the hand guard, while the Vigilance will hopefully please anyone who misses the old N-Force Klaw hatchet. No price info yet from what I had, continue to stay tuned as more updates become available!